Active in Akola

Died: Ervad Faramroz Mehernoshji Vazifdar, 86, president of The Zarthosti Anjuman Trust of Akola for the last 35 years, on December 31, 2006 at Ashok Hospital in Akola following cardiac and respiratory complications.

"Although the Parsi population in Akola has gone down steeply in the last 15-20 years he managed to uphold the (reputation) of the Parsi community as honest and respected,” noted the present president of the Anjuman Aspi Dastoor in his tribute to Vazifdar. In a city with a populace of nearly 10 lakhs, the count of Zoroastrians is less than 10, two of whom are octogenarians, six are middle-aged and one is a teenager.This includes the five-member family of Keki Taraporwalla which has taken up residence in Akola since his appointment as panthaky. There was a time when the Zoroastrians in this cotton growing region numbered 200 before lucrative offers beckoned elsewhere.

Vazifdar: respec­ted and reputed

Before he took over as president Vazifdar had served the Anjuman in different capacities. His successor, also his son-in-law, gives him credit for maintaining well their 138-year-old Poona­wala Dastoorji Jamshedji Edulji Dastoor Jamaspashana Daremeher and the Parsi dharamshala. Although the agiary has a dadgah fire, over the years two bois have been daily performed. Neither Keki Taraporwalla nor his son Dosu are navars but their grandson Cyrus has been duly ordained. When necessary, Dastoor who is a sampoorna navar from Udvada attends to the agiary besides performing religious ceremonies for the family.

With community members from neighboring Jalgaon, Bhusaval and Nagpur occasionally dropping in at the agiary and spending the night at the dharamshala, they manage to maintain their properties. Presently Khushroo Randeria who works as a senior geologist with the Government of India has been posted in Akola so with his wife they occupy one room at the dharam­shala, Dastoor informs us. There is yet another room, almost like a dormitory, with five beds, at the dharam­shala. Non-Parsis are not allowed to stay at the dharamshala which charges only Rs 30 per head per day for lodging.

The Anjuman functions with a corpus of Rs 15 lakhs. Facing a financial crunch, around 10 years ago the Anjuman had to sell a portion of their nine-acre Doonger­wadi plot and invest the proceeds which could yield them regular interest. The Anjuman is almost a family affair with the second son-in-law Naryosang Taraporewala officiating as honorary secretary. They are happy that erstwhile residents of Akola have chosen to continue their membership with the Anjuman.

Four years before his demise, Vazif­dar, a senior dealer reputed for his honesty, was conferred the Life-Time Achievement Award by Indian Oil Corporation Limited. He had been involved in the running of the petrol pump in Akola since 1943-44, initially assisting his elder brother Kekobad who had accepted the petrol pump dealership offered by Caltex. A year after Kekobad took charge in 1941, the petrol pump was visited by Netaji Subhaschandra Bose, notes a family source. After Keko­bad left Akola, Faramroz single-han­dedly ran the business. Two decades later Caltex offered another petrol pump in Akola to Faramroz. The family continues to retain dealership of the two petrol pumps, one of which comes within the purview of Indian Oil Corporation and the other of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.

Navsari born Vazifdar had schooled at Navsari before he proceeded to Poona’s Wadia College for higher studies. He obtained his diploma in electrical engineering after which he spent some years in Karachi where he gained work experience. His father Mehernoshji had started seven flour mills in Akola and Akot. Since he required crude oil to run his machinery he obtained an agency of light diesel from Caltex. He passed away in 1935 when Faramroz was barely 15 years old.

Member of the Rotary Club of Akola for 60 years, Vazifdar’s other interests and hobbies included stamp and coin collection as also photography. A life member of the Officers’ Club of Akola, he was an avid cricket fan and enjoyed his game of bridge. Having received his navar training in Navsari, he was a "staunch Zoroastrian (who) strictly believed in Zoroastrian principles and ideologies,” mentions Dastoor.

The respected senior citizen of Akola is survived by his daughters Shanaz Naryosang Taraporewala and Daizy Aspi Dastoor.