Ambulance gifted

The Parsi Ambulance Division (PAD) which has been readily providing ambulance service to any member of the public at any hour of the day during its 101 years of operations was gifted its first air-conditioned ambulance, courtesy Arni and Mani Daruwalla. The launch of this ambulance on September 22, 2005 at the N. M. Wadia Hall was in the presence of the sister donors, the chairman of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Minoo Shroff, his co-trustees Dinshaw Tamboly and Burjor Antia, community activists like Behram Dastur and Homai Modi, and members and trustees of the Parsi Ambulance and Nursing Divisions, Coomi Patel, Aspi Sarkari, Mehli Colah, notes a press release.

Commending the voluntary work being done by the office bearers and staff of the Division, Shroff commented that they deserved support and was happy to see it forthcoming. Further to the ambulance cost of Rs 6,50,000 from the Daruwalla sisters PAD got Rs 5,00,000 from the estate of Mithoo Rustomji Vakharia and Pilloo Navroji Mistry, and Rs 1,00,000 from the estate of Nariman Ranji and his wife. Particularly noteworthy was the Daruwalla sisters’ magnanimity considering they had not inherited wealth but had earned it through dint of hard work.

From left: Mani Daruwalla, Minoo Shroff and Arni Daruwalla

The air-conditioned van was donated to PAD and the St. John Ambulance Brigade No. 3 Maharashtra district in fond memory of Pirojshaw, Goolbai, Jijoo, Silloo, Maneck, Pilloo, Homai and Minoo Daruwalla. As mentioned Arni Daruwalla at the launch function, "Unfortunately in 2002 our sister Silloo and our brother Jijoo passed away within a span of 10 months which left a great void in our lives. Our brother Jijoo was a very loving person, ever so helpful not only to us but all around. Both of us resolved that we should suitably commemorate the memory of our departed loved ones. It was our ardent desire that we should contribute in a substantial manner whatever we can for the welfare of the community. We hence thought of donating this ambulance so that it can serve the sick and the infirm. I must also mention here that besides my family I have been greatly inspired by the commitment of Minoo Shroff to serve the community which I have observed first-hand in view of my very long association with him of almost 45 years.” Rather than donate some small medical apparatus to a hospital in memory of their deceased family members, the sisters felt a well equipped ambulance could better aid the community realizing how they too had availed of PAD’s services for different family members, explained Arni Daruwalla.

The function later witnessed the felicitation of BPP’s CEO Behram Dastur who in August 2005 had created a Guin-ness world record by getting 2,493 letters published in newspapers and journals over the last 50 years.