8WZCongress update

So far 360 delegates have registered for the Eighth World Zo­roastrian Congress, notes an email from Dorab Mistry, president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE), the host asso­ciation. About 100 more are in correspondence but have yet to remit their registration charge. In addition 150 Zoroastrians from Tehran have paid a small deposit to the Anjuman Zarthustian Tehran of whom 83 have paid up the ZTFE’s early bird fee of £ 200 to the Tehran Anjuman. However there seems to have been a change of committee in Tehran, hence matters are not entirely clear.

Of those registered, 140 are from the UK, about 100 from the USA, about 50 from India and about 20 from Canada. ZTFE is unhap­py at the number of Indian delegates registered so far and is hoping that with new airlines emerging and fares becoming more competitive, more Indian Zarathushtis will make the trip to London.

Though earlier the ZTFE had made it clear that the registra­tion fee would rise after March 31, they amended the decision in favor of maintaining the fee at the same rate all the way to the event as the majority of the sessions of the Congress will now be held at the Zoroastrian Centre where the speedy completion of the £ 1.5 million refurbishment program has been successfully complet­ed earlier than expected. Hence only the multiple parallel ses­sions on the 25th and 26th will be held at the Wembley Conference Centre.

The list of invited speakers and delegates include Profs Stanley Insler, Jamsheed Choksy, Pallan Ichhaporia and Farang Mehr from the USA; Prof Grenet from France; Prof De Jong from Holland; Dasturs (Drs) Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa and Firoze Kotwal, Dastur Khurshed Dastoor from India as well as Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia, Khojeste Mistree, Firoza Punthakey-Mistree, Dr Homi Dhalla and Mr Wahidi and Mobed Firouzgary from Iran. From the UK a battery of prestigious names include Profs Mary Boyce, John Hinnells, Nicholas Simms-Williams, David Bivar, Aguis, Oric Bazirov, Alan Williams as well as Drs Rashna Writer, Sarah Stewart, John and Vesta Curtis and others.

A special session on the world body has been scheduled for 28th June while the World Zarathusti Chamber of Commerce matters will come up for discussion on the following day.

On the cards are escorted tours of the British Museum and the British Library to view old Zoroastrian manuscripts, coins, etc. A half-day trip to Cambridge centered around the famous colleges where well-known professors of Zoroastrianism taught at one time and a visit to the Ancient India-Iran Trust has also been scheduled.

On the entertainment front local Zoroastrian talent will be buttressed by Bombay’s well known comedian Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal. The Parsi Nite on 24th June and Persian Nite on 26th June will focus on traditional cultural entertainment and cuisine from each front.