Editorial Viewpoint
The Federation's counterattack
The first day of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India's executive council meeting was in session on March 25, 2006 and as the host, the Thana Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman (TPZA) trustees and volunteers were also preparing for the dinner that night and the next day's deliberations, they received an urgent phone call.
An industrial estate abutting the Thana doongerwadi property had encroached upon the community's land. A bulldozer had been commissioned by some member/s of the adjoining industrial estate to push 10 feet or more, the accumulated debris and remnants of a former wall on to the tower of silence property.
A portion of the wall that formerly divided the two properties had collapsed during the monsoon downpour of July 26, 2005 and the trustees had sought municipal permission to reconstruct the barrier. But as the municipality was in the process of finalizing a master plan they advised the trustees to wait till the exercise was complete before constructing a wall to avoid any problems later on.
At the time of the Jamshedi Navroz function on March 21, held on a portion of the doongerwadi lands used for housing and other purposes, the plot was untouched. But four days later, the land grab began.
The Thana Zoroastrian Charity Fund trustees scurried into action. By the time they arrived at the site accompanied by the police, the bulldozer and driver had vanished. A police complaint was filed and the encroachment nipped in the bud.
The next day at the Federation meeting TPZA president Rustom Cursetji narrated the chilling chain of events to the delegates present.
Cursetji noted the earlier day's Federation discussion had focused on the alleged slow pace of reclaiming or safeguarding the property of defunct and dwindling anjumans, pointing out the ever present dangers to even those anjumans where Parsis and Irani Zoroastrians still reside. Thus the task of managing properties where no Parsis or few live, is all the more problematic.
Thana had been selected as the venue for the executive council meeting as the Federation leadership had the confidence the Bombay Parsi Punchayet's (BPP) neighboring anjuman would conduct a meeting there with little chance of gate-crashers or other unruly elements entering the hall and disturbing the proceedings as had happened in Ahmedabad in December 2004 and in Bombay in September 2005. They did an excellent job with a dedicated band of volunteers who aside from providing hospitality also assiduously checked every invitation letter and photo identification before admitting an individual (including the Federation chairman and BPP president Minoo Shroff) to the venue. Writer Marzban Giara was turned away as he represented The Parsee Voice which was not invited to the meeting. Normally Giara represents The Bombay Samachar but this time The Samachar reportedly did not nominate anyone to cover the meeting. The Samachar, Jam-e-Jamshed and Parsiana received the invites as is the custom.
Shiraz Doongaji from Nagpur, a World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) sympathizer, was also refused entry as Nagpur does not have a seat on the executive council.
Shroff took control of the meeting from the beginning, castigating Areez Khambatta, the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat president, west zone vice president of the Federation and WAPIZ chairman, for writing vituperative letters labeling Shroff a liar and alleging he was holding on to his high office beyond his due time: "Shroff's actions (in the Federation elections held at the September 2005 meeting in Bombay have) been downright dishonest. the great harm being done (by). lethargic working on the most important issues of defunct and dwindling anjumans. it is shocking you want to shirk away your responsibilities," etc stated Khambatta's letter of March 17, 2006.
Khambatta circulates copies of his correspondence to all the anjuman presidents; hence ever
An industrial estate abutting the Thana doongerwadi property had encroached upon the community's land. A bulldozer had been commissioned by some member/s of the adjoining industrial estate to push 10 feet or more, the accumulated debris and remnants of a former wall on to the tower of silence property.
A portion of the wall that formerly divided the two properties had collapsed during the monsoon downpour of July 26, 2005 and the trustees had sought municipal permission to reconstruct the barrier. But as the municipality was in the process of finalizing a master plan they advised the trustees to wait till the exercise was complete before constructing a wall to avoid any problems later on.
At the time of the Jamshedi Navroz function on March 21, held on a portion of the doongerwadi lands used for housing and other purposes, the plot was untouched. But four days later, the land grab began.
The Thana Zoroastrian Charity Fund trustees scurried into action. By the time they arrived at the site accompanied by the police, the bulldozer and driver had vanished. A police complaint was filed and the encroachment nipped in the bud.
The next day at the Federation meeting TPZA president Rustom Cursetji narrated the chilling chain of events to the delegates present.
Cursetji noted the earlier day's Federation discussion had focused on the alleged slow pace of reclaiming or safeguarding the property of defunct and dwindling anjumans, pointing out the ever present dangers to even those anjumans where Parsis and Irani Zoroastrians still reside. Thus the task of managing properties where no Parsis or few live, is all the more problematic.
Thana had been selected as the venue for the executive council meeting as the Federation leadership had the confidence the Bombay Parsi Punchayet's (BPP) neighboring anjuman would conduct a meeting there with little chance of gate-crashers or other unruly elements entering the hall and disturbing the proceedings as had happened in Ahmedabad in December 2004 and in Bombay in September 2005. They did an excellent job with a dedicated band of volunteers who aside from providing hospitality also assiduously checked every invitation letter and photo identification before admitting an individual (including the Federation chairman and BPP president Minoo Shroff) to the venue. Writer Marzban Giara was turned away as he represented The Parsee Voice which was not invited to the meeting. Normally Giara represents The Bombay Samachar but this time The Samachar reportedly did not nominate anyone to cover the meeting. The Samachar, Jam-e-Jamshed and Parsiana received the invites as is the custom.
Shiraz Doongaji from Nagpur, a World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) sympathizer, was also refused entry as Nagpur does not have a seat on the executive council.
Shroff took control of the meeting from the beginning, castigating Areez Khambatta, the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat president, west zone vice president of the Federation and WAPIZ chairman, for writing vituperative letters labeling Shroff a liar and alleging he was holding on to his high office beyond his due time: "Shroff's actions (in the Federation elections held at the September 2005 meeting in Bombay have) been downright dishonest. the great harm being done (by). lethargic working on the most important issues of defunct and dwindling anjumans. it is shocking you want to shirk away your responsibilities," etc stated Khambatta's letter of March 17, 2006.
Khambatta circulates copies of his correspondence to all the anjuman presidents; hence ever
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