Thana Anjuman's golden

"Occasions like this give an opportunity to briefly recall what has been accomplished and also project what remains to be done,” noted a press release from the Thana Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman (TPZA) president Rustom Cursetji and vice president Pervez Bhesania on the eve of their golden jubilee celebrations in December 2005.

"What today is a thriving and growing center of Parsis in the beautiful green city of Thana was the initiative of a handful of Zoroastrians living in the area in 1934,” mentions the release. They came together to form The Parsi Zoroastrian Club which on December 6, 1955 was registered with the charity commissioner at Nasik in the name of Thana Parsi Zoroastrian Association. It was in 1971 that the name was amended to The Thana Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman. The founder members who nurtured this nascent organization were from the Taraporewalla, Shroff, Thanawalla, Aga, Kapadia, Madon, Nazir, Thakarjee and the illustrious Cawasji Patell families. "Some of the descendents of these families still reside in Thana. Others have left the city but their spirit lives on in the 500 plus members of the Anju­man,” adds the release.

The increasing number of community members in Thana means a greater need for funds. Their corpus which stood at less than Rs 9,000 in 1978 has risen to over 40 lakhs. In the last 15 years the Anjuman has constructed 140 flats in three buildings at concessional rates for Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians. The TPZA has succeeded in this project largely because of the close interaction with two other Parsi trusts of Thana: The Thana Agiary Fund and the Thana Zoroastrian Charity Fund (its predecessor was the Shri Thana Jarthosti Anjuman formed 150 years ago and registered as a charitable trust in Bombay in the 1950s). Both these trusts owe their origin to the family of Sir Cawasji Patell who hailed from Thana.

Top: Irani (at the mike) flanked by Bhesania (left) and Cursetji with other key workers of the Thana Anjuman; (below) fun and gaiety at the celebrations

Funds raised by the Anjuman will be directed towards predetermined objectives like the renovation and reconstruction of the 225-year-old Cawasji Patell Agiary, building a hall and reconstructing the Anjuman otla, developing the vacant land of the Thana Zoroastrian Charity Fund and getting back the encroached property of the Anjuman cottage. Besides providing meaningful support to the needy, the Anjuman remains committed to forging brotherhood among community members and assisting in the fight against injustice. The present managing committee also plans to restart the Beheramji Jeejibhoy High School, Tembhi Naka and participate in the management of the C. B. Divecha Town Hall and C. R. Wadia Dispensary.

The four-day celebrations, "for the first time in the history of Thana,” involved substantial planning by the golden jubilee celebrations committee that included Bhesania, Katy Gandevia, Bomi Boyce and Kaizad Billimoria ably supported by other committee members and volunteers. Fun and gaiety commenced on December 3 when the children danced to the numbers sung by the Music Masti Orchestra. A souvenir containing articles, poems and advertisements was released that evening. The next evening gave the children of Thana an opportunity to showcase their talents in dancing and fancy dress. Later the Trirupati Dinaz Dramatics Group presented a variety entertainment program, according to a report of the celebrations sent by the Anjuman.

December 5 and 6 were set aside for a sale of articles by Parsi entrepreneurs. A jashan invoked blessings on the actual golden jubilee day after which chief guest Boman Irani, chairman and managing director of the Keystone Group, spoke on reviving the entrepreneurship spirit among Parsis. A magic show, a daredevil performance and dances by the kids were the other highlights that evening before the members settled down to a hearty dinner.