To baugs on bikes

They have just turned one. And what a better way to celebrate a first birthday than to organize a peace drive for community awareness?

On the morning of Sunday, December 10, 2006 when most citizens of Bombay were still asleep around 360 Parsis donned their helmets, sat astride their polished two-wheelers and zoomed around the quiet roads of select Parsi baugs in south Bombay. It was a show of solidarity to make a point that there is more to the community than their internal politicking and bickering.

The first of its kind, the Peace Drive, organized under the auspices of the Parsi Resource Group (PRG) was the brainchild of founder Jimmy Mistry, managing director of Della Tecnica. It aimed to get the community’s youth together, to mingle on a common platform. The youth movement on wheels ensured a field day for the shutterbugs as Harleys, Triumphs and Hondas rubbed shoulders with Kawasaki Ninjas and Nortons. Also among the gleaming mean machines were vintage pieces — a 1926 American made Henderson and a British made BSA motorcycle with a German Steib sidecar.

"The main aim of PRG is to get the entire Parsi youth united. There are many Parsi youngsters today who never attend any community functions and that’s why we decided that a bike rally would be the best way to get them all together,” Mistry was quoted in the Afternoon Despatch and Courier (ADC) of December 12. The rally was part of a massive youth registration drive by PRG to enroll many Parsi youth into its fold so that the youngsters can benefit from the myriad programs held under its banner. And since Parsis are known to have a great affection for their vehicles, whether two or four wheelers, Mistry hit upon the idea of creating a Dhoom II (a Bollywood flick that glorifies biking).

"We’re a non-religious, non-political group who isn’t interested in taking any sides. Our aim is to give young Parsis a platform where they can meet and share their interests. Unfortunately Parsi youth has never been exposed to this kind of a mass program; they simply need the motivation to take part in something like this and I’ve been flooded with positive reactions,” said Mistry to the ADC, happy to know that his idea was well received. He was amazed that many of the participants had never visited some of the baugs. Many youngsters got to know each other and enjoyed the experience, said Mistry who rode his own 2300 cc Triumph motorcycle.

The morning saw the Dadar Parsi Colony Gymkhana grounds swelling with bikers and their pillion riders positioning their bikes into the demarcated areas. As the participants started to sign in and collect their T-shirts, there was a rush towards the registration desks. The candidates were given the route map which mentioned a few do’s and don’ts. Hues of orange, green, blue and red filled the Gymkhana lawns. Marshalls — in black T-shirts — were provided with walkie-talkies, whistles and PRG flags. After a brief invocation of prayers by the students of the Athornan Boarding Madressa the motorcade was flagged off.

Designer and vintage bikes moved out first, to loud cheers, release of gas balloons, horns hooting and engines being revved up. Everywhere the riders were welcomed with great enthusiasm and cheer and in some places with flowers too. The bikers meandered through Parsi colonies like Nowroz Baug, Wadia Baug, Tata Mills Co-operative Housing Society, Khareghat Colony, Gamadia Colony, Godrej Baug, Rustom Baug and Cusrow Baug. At each halt Mistry addressed interested onlookers — some on their balconies, others in their leghas-sudrehs on the colony grounds. After a fruitful morning’s drive the participants broke off for lunch at Rustom Baug.

Post lunch the bikers proceeded to other baugs, halting at Godrej Baug for a much deserved tea break. At some baugs, elderly mothers came down with bottles of cold water and children enquired whether the riders required anything else. Some irate elders though grumbled about their colony being caught up in a traffic jam for 15 to 20 minutes.

At Nowroz Baug where the entire cavalcade had halted for over an hour, professional stuntmen were brought in from Poona to perform feats and entertain the crowd. Motorbike maneuvers being executed with such precision, the experts made the display look easy! But the crowd was admonished time and again not to try these stunts on their own.

With age and gender no bar, the gathering saw Parsis of different age groups (some as young as seven-year-olds as pillion riders with their fathers, to septuagenarians) with the fairer sex (not to be outdone) forming a significant number. Besides a free lunch and petrol vouchers of Rs 150 given to all riders, there were lucky draws at the end of the day where prizes were won by a lucky few. Participants walked away with return trips to Goa, lunch vouchers, cordless electric kettles, gift vouchers and a dinner set. But the icing on the cake were the two mega prizes, both from the house of Bajaj — a Pulsar bike and Crystal, a ladies scooter, one that is yet to be introduced in the city.

"Although we had a lot of people from the suburbs participating, they all said they wanted a rally akin to this one over there. PRG is planning another innovative event which will be quite unique and again see hundreds of people participating,” promised the go-getter organizer with a never-say-die attitude. "I’m just glad that everyone had a great time and enjoyed being part of the event. This proves that if the youth are given a platform, they will unite,” said the affable Mistry, now quite used to establishing historical community milestones.

Touching many lives

"Tell us your problems, we’ll give you solutions,” exhorted Mistry addressing the 200 odd Parsi youth living in the four or five Parsi hostels in Bombay.

The evening, at the Gallops Restaurant at the Mahalaxmi Race Course on August 10, 2006, was dedicated to hostelites who leave home and hearth to study or work in the city. It started with an audiovisual showcasing what PRG was all about. Mistry explained the birth of PRG, an organization that came "straight out of my dreams into reality.” He had been waiting for the right opportunity to do community service. While renovating the Rustom Framna Agiary in Dadar at his own cost, he had come to understand the problems of these revered institutions and the clergy who serve them.

The evening rolled on with the different teams explaining the kind of work they are involved in: the Youth Wing led by Mahtab Chhapkhanawalla; Fida Shaw, the IT head who urged the young gathering to visit the website www parsiresourcegroup.org; Jasmine Daru–walla and her entrepreneurs’ team on how the entrepreneurial spirit is sadly lacking in today’s youth.

The hostelites were moved that "someone thought of us,” and thanked the dapper businessman for bringing them on one common platform. Zubin Hataria of Surat requested PRG to help out-of-towners with paying guest accommodation.

Three weeks later, on September 3, PRG again brought together 220 Parsi youngsters (aged 18 to 35) at Bombay’s Nehru Centre’s Cultural Hall for a day of learning and development for a life of success and achievement.

Titled "Projecting the Best in You” the session had PRG’s panel of trainers — Prof Faredoon Kapadia, Bomi Kavina and Parvez Daruwala — address the youngsters on topics like how to enhance communication skills, build confidence, develop motivational strategies, personality grooming. Minocher Patel, a corporate trainer and motivational speaker of international repute had come from Poona to give a humorous and inspiring talk on "Destination Success.” Here again Jasmine Daruwalla urged the youth to start their own enterprises. She invited them to join as volunteers for PRG activities and attend the regular Saturday meetings held at Della House on Sleater Road.

A special appearance by celebrity Parizaad Kolah Marshall, effervescent anchor of the Great Indian Laughter Show and Viraf Patel, former Grasim Mr India added celebrity quotient to the day’s proceedings.

A vintage motorcycle leads the way

A jashan ceremony was held at Dadar’s Palamkote Hall on October 13 to celebrate the successful implementation of all the mobeds’ programs announced during the launch of PRG’s Mobed Association on March 4 last year. The function was presided over by Dasturs (Dr) Peshotan Mirza and Khurshed Dastoor, notes a communiqué from PRG.

Mistry expounded on his plans, especially the insurance scheme for priests. In the discussions that followed Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia, principal of the Athornan Boarding Madressa spoke of the need to take care of the older priests, the ‘golden boys.’ The word ‘ervad’ means teacher and there is a pressing need for religious teachers to train navars-in-the-making, he mentioned. Mistry offered to fully finance the education of two students in Avesta/Pahlavi, opining that educating the current mobeds would be no easy task while a new crop would be easier to mold. Realizing that strength lies in numbers, Ervad Noshirwan Kanga stated, "Now that we are all together we are getting the full picture of what ails our mobed fraternity.”

Girls are reluctant to marry mobeds because they earn less than management students, felt Ervad Noshirwan A. Sidhva. There is a need to build up a corpus, using management methodologies to raise funds to mitigate the ills that beset full-time mobeds at present, the press release further mentioned.

Large estates with no legal heirs should be more profitably used for community welfare, suggested Ervad Meher­nosh Bha­rucha from Hyderabad. He felt that Mistry should not be saddled with all the work. "Volunteers should collect data, talk about PRG to other mobeds, explain matters and ask for ideas and suggestions for the betterment of our lot,” mentioned mobed core group volunteer Ervad Meher Modi reminding those present that it is not Mistry and his volunteers who need us, "we, the mobeds, need him.”