Congress voices

Value for money

Paurushasp Jila

It was a great pleasure for me to be one of those involved in the organization of the Eighth World Zoroastrian Congress (8WZC). It was a brilliant experience to be part of a very enthusiastic and cooperative "Team Congress” under the capable and farsighted leadership of Dorab Mistry, congress chair and president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE). I was one of the ZTFE office bearers who supported the bid for 8WZC to be held in London at the magnificent Seventh World Zoroastrian Congress (7WZC) in Houston in December 2000.

The initial groundwork was handled by Mistry, the co-vice chairs Rusi Dalal, Malcolm Deboo and Shahrokh Shahrokh and myself. As the Congress neared the team was expanded. The 7WZC had set a tough act for us to follow. The Congress team worked selflessly and in complete harmony to make the event successful and enjoyable. There were many volunteers who helped in the organization but I will mention a few of the key people. Freny and Yazdi Jasavala worked behind the scenes managing all the Congress administration and preparing the Congress packs and the Congress brochure. Daulat and Minoo Kapadia handled all the delegate registrations and banking. Ratan Buhariwala managed the airport transportation and the venue. He was responsible for transforming the set-up of the Zartoshty Brothers Hall from a conference center to a banqueting suite in between functions. Kobad Avari managed the catering and Hoshang Khambatta managed the sound in the Zartoshty Brothers Hall. Farmeen and Cyrus Kapadia organized the hotel coaches. Not to forget the registration team who travelled to all the hotels the night before the Congress to pre register delegates to ensure the opening ceremony started smoothly and promptly. Of course there were very many more helpers who cannot be named and I extend warm thanks to them all.

The package deal created for the Congress was exceptional value for money considering that within £ 200 we managed to provide excellent conferen­cing facilities including four simultaneous tracks at the Wembley Conference Centre over the weekend, good quality and variety of food and entertainment for six out of eight nights. The advantage of having a package deal was that all the social functions were accessible to all the delegates allowing maximum participation and opportunity to forge relationships and to network. We also allowed access for daily delegates and for those who only wanted to attend evening functions. The 8WZC was devised to be self-funding and though the accounts have not yet been finalized, we would hope to have achieved this goal.

We were very pleased with the registration response. Unlike previous Congresses where over 70 percent of delegates are from the host nation, the 8WZC was truly a global congress with the local delegation being only 30 percent of the total registration. In total there were 449 full delegates from 13 countries. The actual numbers of delegates from each country were: UK 157, USA 97, Iran 90, India 59, Canada 10, Australia eight, Switzerland six, Dubai four, France and Germany three each, New Zealand two and one each from Estonia and Japan.

The most noteworthy figure of the delegate country statistics is that for the first time ever a delegation of 90 Zoroastrians from Iran attended an overseas Zoroastrian congress. This in itself was a great achievement. We valued their participation and the open hearted intermingling between the Iranians and the Parsis.

The presence of various senior priests enhanced the gathering. These included Dastur Khurshed Kaikobad Dastoor of the Iranshah - Udvada, India, Mobed Mehraban Firozgary, Senior Mobed of Iran and Mobed Dr Ardeshir Khorshi­dian, chairman of the Kankash e Mobe­dan (National Mobed Council) of Iran.

The ZTFE managing committee was most pleased that we were graced by the presence of our most beloved and illustrious benefactor, Mobed Mehraban Zartoshty and his family and the family of his brother, late Faridoon Zartoshty. The references made of their charity and love for their community was very inspiring as a role model to all Zoroastrians. For the last year the ZTFE has been working very hard to get the Zoroastrian Centre for Europe refurbished in time for the Congress. The purchase of the Centre and the refurbishment could not have been possible without the munificence of the Zartoshty family. Therefore we were pleased that they were present to see the results of their generosity and our hard work.

The Zartoshty Brothers’ Hall (named after Mobed Mehraban and Late Fari­doon Zartoshty) is the "most luxurious and awe inspiring community centre to my knowledge,” commented a delegate. The auditorium which can accommodate 800 people was the most befitting venue to host the 8WZC and was greatly appreciated by many. We were glad to finish the large scale refurbishment of the heritage listed building in time for the Congress. The Setayash Gah (prayer room), housed in the same building, was a tranquil haven for quiet contemplation in between the very stimulating discussions. In fact it was because the Centre refurbishment was completed in time for the Congress, that the early bird discounted rate did not have to be increased. If the whole congress had been held at a conference centre the package rates would have had to be increased to cover overhead costs.

The overall schedule of the Congress was relatively busy and encompassed all relevant current issues. The topics of discussion were very educative and covered the entire spectrum of the Zoroastrian prism. The impressive array of academic speakers was possible because of the relationship the ZTFE has built and nurtured with the academia. Four simultaneous tracts offered a wide choice of topics to our delegates with varied subjects to keep all interested.

A whole day each was devoted to the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce and the formation of a World Body. The World Body discussion included a workshop which meant that all delegates attending the session could express their views and opinion in a structured manner. A day was also devoted to Hamazori ­— an opportunity to hear feedback from all regions of the world on community issues around the globe. Small delegations were taken to receptions at the House of Commons, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the British Museum and the British Library.

The entertainment was well received and showcased the local talent of the Zoroastrians in the UK. The Michael Jackson dance by Jehangir Sadri and the gymnastics by the Daruwala sisters (granddaughters of Rusi Dalal) were particularly appreciated for their talents. One of the performers for the garba, Arezou, was an Iranian girl, who though coming from Iran took to the "Gujarati form” of dancing with great ease and poise. Similarly Roxanne Mistry, participated wholeheartedly in the children’s Iranian harvest dance. This shows the excellent relationship between the Parsis and the Iranian community in London. The food, music and dancing on the Iranian night was a great delight to the Iranians and an exceptional experience for the Parsis. We also had two very good theater performances. One was a solo performance by the famous stage and film artiste Maha-banoo Mody-Kotwal. The other performance organized was for the family night out to the West End musical, The Far Pavilions, while the youth intermingled at a night club to build relationships for the future. Congress team had tried unsuccessfully to organize a Zoroastrian Orchestra. We did however have a captivating performance of "Musical interludes” by the concert pianist Meher Toorkey accompanied by Firoze Dalal and violinist Fra Rustomji.

A bus service for the delegates from the main hotels to the Congress venue was a genuine effort from the organizing committee to ensure comfort of the delegates. Though there were some difficulties beyond our control we tried our best to make delegates comfortable.

Judging from the feedback I have received from delegates, there was a sense of achievement and purpose in everyone attending the Congress. I think through the vast array of topics discussed, most people learnt something new, whether it be of an academic nature or about the community in other parts of the world. Most importantly the opportunity to network with co-religionists from around the world meant the 8WZC was a success. Overall the Congress was a great pleasure to organize and I look forward to meeting all the friends I made again soon.

Chartered accountant Paurushasp Jila is treasurer of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe and served the 8WZC in a similar capacity, providing organizational support to all aspects of the Congress.

8WZC in perspective

Homai Modi

It was a great privilege for me to have been invited to the Eighth World Zoroastrian Congress (8WZC) held in London, June 24-July 1, 2005 by the Patron of the Congress, philanthropist Mehra­ban J. Zartoshty. I have known and interacted with Mehraban over the years for overseeing some of his varied charities.

The beautifully designed and impressive ZTFE (Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe) Centre, which has been partly sponsored by the Zartoshty Brothers, made a perfect venue for some of the Congress sessions. Overall, the Congress was well organized. However, having been the joint honorary secretary of the Fourth and Fifth World Zoroastrian Congresses held in Bombay and representative in India of the Sixth Congress held in Tehran, Iran, I perhaps perceived both weaknesses and strengths more critically from the organizational point of view and in comparison with the earlier congresses.

My personal preference is for the old style of not having so many simultaneous sessions, so that each session is well attended and the input of the attendees more intensive. For example, for the session I chaired, there was almost a full house for the first speaker, half full for the next and only six attendees for the last paper. This must surely cause a lot of heartburn to those who have taken such pains to prepare their papers and for attendees who have to miss out on a session when two equally important sessions clash.

If chairpersons of sessions are invited and informed well in advance of the sessions they will be chairing and are provided with names and bio datas of speakers along with a synopsis of the papers to be presented, they could come well prepared and be more effective. All chairpersons need to be introduced by the organizers prior to their sessions.

A whole day was devoted to the World Body which is currently an important topic. Conducted with flair by Khorshed Jungalwala and Farrokh Mistree who had prepared a well thought out questionnaire seeking the views of the delegates on this delicate issue, delegates were formed into groups headed by a chairperson. The views of each group were later presented. This session, ‘Formation of the World Body Yes or No’ would have been a very useful exercise had the participants been well informed. Most of the delegates had neither read the last draft of the constitution nor had any in-depth idea of the history of the World Body. When the conclusions of the sessions were read, seeking to defer the formation of the World Body, Minoo Shroff rightly took objection. This was neither the right forum nor were the right representatives present for deciding the fate of the World Body and a whole day was thus wasted in a futile exercise.

Transport from hotels to the venue could have been handled more efficiently. Also, eight days was too long for holding a congress. Four or five days would have reduced costs, thus making it possible for more delegates to attend.

On the other hand, both the venues, the Zoroastrian Centre at Rayners Lane and the Wembley Conference Centre were well selected as were the entertainment programs. The delegates were also fed well. Though this Congress had the fewest participants compared to the earlier ones of well over 1,000 attendees, fewer delegates permitted more interaction. While forging new ties we strengthened the old ones and there was more informality.

The session conducted by Roshan and Rohinton Rivetna – the "Coming Together” or "hamazori” round table session – was the most informative. Each region presented its report on the state of the community, demography, issues, concerns and challenges in its region, followed by reports from global institutions highlighting their background, objectives, major projects, issues, concerns and challenges for the community as perceived by each of them. The discussion that followed was on opportunities for cooperation with others, assistance sought, prioritizing of issues, concerns and challenges. If there is a proper follow up of this session, it will certainly be a feather in the cap of the organizers.

One of the greatest strengths was the constant presence of the patron, Mehraban Zartoshty, whose desire for unity in the community was projected throughout as was his earnest plea to the youth to stand on their own feet and lead a life of honesty and hard work. Posterity will surely remember the names of Fari­doon and Mehra-ban Zartoshty as visionary philanthropists par excellence.

The achievements of a congress can only be judged much later depending on the follow-up action taken or not as per the papers presented and discussions carried out. However, the immediate achievement always is the camaraderie between the delegates, and getting to know more about fellow Zoroastrians around the world and their ideologies.

The community can make exceptional strides in the future, especially with its UNESCO status and the formation of a World Body. This can only happen if egos are subdued and a more give and take attitude adopted. While the community needs to safeguard its interests there are ways of doing so without coming to blows. The middle path is always the best path to tread. The community has much to be proud of but the leaders must lead, not just with intellect but with wisdom.

I extend my heartiest congratulations to Dorab Mistry and his team for a memorable Congress while extending my best wishes for the Ninth World Zoroastrian Congress to be held in Dubai in 2010.

Trustee and honorary secretary of the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute, Homai Modi has helped organize various events and gahambars in Bombay. She has been joint honorary secretary of the 4WZC and 5WZC held in Bombay. She is also secretary of the Maharashtra and Bombay branches of the Red Cross Society of India and has been directly involved with its relief work after national emergencies.