Birth Registration

The trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) have funded a major study on Parsi demography, in conjunction with Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.

The BPP has accurate figures on deaths, as 98 percent of the corpses get consigned to our Towers of Silence at Kemp’s Corner, Bombay. The other two percent is believed to be cremated/buried, as gauged from published obituaries.

However, the figures of births are not accurate for various reasons. One of the ways to eliminate this is to get data about births, directly from the couples who bear children. The board has felt that the data concerning births is vital for the purposes of not only the said study but as a useful tool in evolving community-wide population policy.

The board has decided that it will congratulate every couple that bears a child, by sending them a congratulatory note and a cheque for Rs 501 per child (for twins, it will be for Rs 1,002). This scheme is retrospectively applicable from January 1, 2006.

The only stipulation is that the intimation to the BPP should be supported by an authentic birth certificate from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, Bombay Municipal Corporation/Thane/Navi Mumbai.

Authenticated data on births should be sent to: C. S. Panthaki, Sr Executive (Welfare), Bombay Parsi Punchayet, 209, Dr D. N. Road, Fort, Bombay 400001. Telephonic intimations will not be entertained.

C. S. PANTHAKI

Sr Executive (Welfare), Bombay Parsi Punchayet