Indo-Iranian ties

Besides being the New Year of Iran, Navroz is the harbinger of spring, happy tidings and ushering in an era of warm relations between India and Iran, two of the oldest civilizations in the world, remarked Minoo Shroff, president of the Indo-Iranian Friendship Society at its first gala variety entertainment extravaganza held at the Sir Ness Wadia Club Pavilion grounds at Rustom Baug on March 19, 2006.

On behalf of the Iranian government and the consulate general in Bombay, the deputy consul general S. S. Kashani Nejad and the economic attaché Mohammad R. Khairkhahan conveyed Navroz greetings and hoped that the social, cultural and economic ties between these two countries would grow in the coming years, notes a press release giving a detailed account of the function.

Tracing the practice of celebrating Jamshedi Navroz from the days of the Iranian monarch Jamshed, secretary general of the Indo-Iranian Friendship Society Godrej Dotivala mentioned how the advent of spring is celebrated as Holi by the Hindus, as Pongal by the South Indians and Baisakhi by the Punjabis. Even the Japanese celebrate the season with the Festival of Sakura when the cherry blossom flowers are in full bloom.

At the program sponsored by the Jamshed and Shirin Guz­der Trust as also Hilla Builders, the chief executive of the Bombay Par­si Punchayet Behram Dastur was felicitated for setting a new Guinness World Record.

The entertainment program that evening coordinated by Hutoxi Doodh­wala included Gujarati songs written and composed by Adi Mirza and sung by his grandchildren Dinaz, Dilnaz and Farzad Driver, dance performances by Alysha Khodaiji, Vahbiz Dhalla and the students of Girton School, karate demonstration by the black belt students of Sensei Hoshi Batliwala, a body beautiful exhibition by the members of Mickey Mehta’s 360° Gym, and hilarious gags and skits produced and directed by Ervad Cyrus Dastoor of Frohar Foundation. The evening’s compere was Cyrus Pooniwala.