Impacting the community

"Mentoring without barriers is like Doctors Without Borders!” exclaims Phee (Pheeroozah) Vania referring to the international relief agency Médecins Sans Frontières. Chair of the XIV North American Congress, due June 29 to July 2, 2007 in Toronto, Canada, Vania is funneling her professional and community experience to launch a world-wide mentoring project that will bring Zoroastrians with a variety of skills into partnership with learners, whether it be in academia, the commercial world, the kitchen or any other aspect of life.

Phee Vania: "break the mental barrier”

The idea, she says, is to create a database of skills and interests to generate community growth. "So far it is only a spreadsheet,” she concedes, but the hope is that during and after the official unveiling at the Congress it will grow so that people from all over the world can help each other as mentors and protégés. "You could learn Parsi cooking through the Internet, Skype or telephone, be guided in which city to settle if you are immigrating… If people are willing to participate, it can make anything happen. If we can break the mental barrier, all the answers are ‘yes.’”

Though she has herself been mentoring young girls in her neighborhood, the impact of mentoring really got to Vania (she is program manager for Your IBM, Corporate Learning) when she represented IBM in the Women of Color Conference in Atlanta in October 2006 which she describes as "a life altering experience.” Almost every one of the CEOs and COOs of the corporate world who participated said, "I am here because someone mentored me,” relates the tall, slim, high profile executive.

This Congress will stay off old issues like intermarriage and conversion. There is no point in continuing debates that get nowhere, notes Vania. Instead she wants to "educate, interest and enrapture the people who attend, make them feel the community is vibrant, alive.” The aim is to create a positive ‘Impact,’ showcase the historical perspective but also celebrate the present and anticipate the future. She wants to recognize the many who make a huge contribution to society through the arts, in medicine, whether in the larger arena or locally; trace the impact that living in North America has had on the community as also the influence of the homelands on the diaspora. "We want a Congress that will have a lasting impact,” hence one of the sessions dreamt up by the Congress Committee is called the Entrepreneurs’ Carousel when businessmen of different ages and varying levels of success will provide a peek at what the entrepreneurial spirit is all about.

Eagle Scout Sam Vesuna

High on the agenda will be lessons from the ‘Titans’ with management expert and Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairman Minoo Shroff moderating an interactive multimedia session where industrialists Ratan Tata and Nadir Godrej, beer baron Lord Karan Bilimoria, hotelier Byram Avari and jurist Fali Nariman will answer questions from Congress participants.

Though this is not a youth congress, youth oriented sessions have been worked into the program because Vania doesn’t want people "dragging them in.” Instead there are sessions with young Zoroastrian authors, actors, cinema­to­gra­phers; young Zoroastrians who have made a mark on society through their volunteer activities and charity will speak about the teachings of the faith that inspired them and their unique sense of identity; knowledgeable individuals will help direct their educational path so that they can concentrate on getting into the most suitable universities — "speakers and topics relevant to them, to help them leverage their Zoroastrian identity,” as Vania capsulates the Congress offerings for the youth.

Another event that Vania, a divorcee, is keen on, is a session for mature singles (only those over 25 years will be admitted) which she will personally moderate. "It’s not meant to be a meat market. People can attend only if they want to.” There is no attempt to identify Congress registrants as single or otherwise, no question of stigma or desperation. The idea is for the widowed, divorced, never marrieds to meet, "have an open discussion for busy professionals in a professional setting without pressure, discuss what it means to be single in North America.”

Among the speakers, Vania says they have deliberately chosen a mix of well-known and not so well-known names. "I am a firm believer that you must reach behind you (and help the stragglers get up front)… The core committee (15 regular members, each of whom heads a subcommittee varying in size from two to eight) has been very good, provides immense support. It is a mammoth task they are shouldering in addition to their already busy lives,” Vania appreciates the commitment.

The Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) made the bid for the Congress and is sponsoring the event, says Vania. So far 450 individuals have registered with approximately 80 under the banner of youth, which in this case means those engaged in full time study, irrespective of age. And she hopes it will be a self-sustaining effort, monetarily. There is a list of sponsorship options, including the sponsoring of various sessions [cost Can $ 1,000 (approximately Rs 39,000) per session with the exception of Talk with the Titans and the first Khorshed Jungalwala lecture — a series launched by the Federation of Zoroastrian Association of North America in memory of its inspiring community activist — to be delivered by Prof Kaikhosrov Irani]. Advertisements in the Congress brochure range from Can $ 3,000 (Rs 1,17,000) for the back cover to $ 275 (Rs 10,725) for a quarter page black and white. Interested readers are welcome to contact Vania (pheevania@hotmail. com).

Bombay born Phee schooled at the Cathedral and John Connon until she was seven years old. When the family — her late mother Dina (née Bilimoria), father Bomy Boyce and brother Jam­sheed — migrated, the rest of her education was provided in Toronto where she graduated with honors in English Literature from the University of Toronto. From a very young age she had wanted to work for IBM where her father was a senior manager and she got the opportunity as a summer student when she was at the university. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair. Her professional development grew out of her employment. Now a certified professional development trainer (CPDT), she teaches people skills — how to communicate, motivate, persuade — to technology savvy individuals hired by the company. On the global team of IBM, Vania says she designs programs for every new employee orientation around the world. A few days prior to the interview with Parsiana on May 28, 2007 she was in Bangalore conducting one of these programs. Earlier she was in the UK, teaching people from 28 countries. And there is no single approach to interpersonal relations, she tells us. "It’s not like you sit in North America and tell the others what to do.” Since not everyone can adopt the same approach, you "really listen” to what they have to say, focus on common interests, provide vision before suggesting ways to surmount a problem or smoothen a relationship, she notes.

Vania says, "IBM has the same values that I have: integrity, valuing others, mentoring, honoring diversity. So I have found a home in IBM.” And diversity in IBM is not only cultural diversity but the appreciation of different needs. Though Vania travels substantially between North America, Europe and India, as a single mom she has had to decline several other travel opportunities. "I work from home, using my dining table, think pad and telephone,” says Phee. She has been 19 years in this "dream job” with this Fortune 500 company which employs 300,000 people but gives them the opportunity to talk of social goals, distilling thousands of entries to create a corporate image of caring for the worker, trusting and respecting every client. It is involved with space work, cure for aids, for cancer… Its charity work is an extension of the company philosophy. It connects with good thoughts, good words, good deeds, says Vania. "To be able to love what you do and do what you love, that’s freedom! I work very hard (dealing with IBM establishments around the world means getting very little sleep) but I never feel drained. I feel energized, motivated,” she notes happily.

Last year she was one of about 10 individuals handpicked to attend a Conference on Radical Leadership in Wisconsin. It was an experience in "sharing and support from participants honestly talking about everything, opening your soul, living your essence. We went tree climbing, walked tight ropes, (zoomed down) a zipline (where you slide down a steep gradient hooked to a cable, pulled by gravity). When you looked down you felt real fear. How people helped me through it and how I helped them, brings it all back. I discussed the Congress with them. They helped me clarify my mind.”

Bomy Boyce, founder member and currently president of the World Zara-thushti Chamber of Commerce, had been a founder member of the ZSO and Phee had been a founder member of its Zoroastrian Youth Activity Committee (ZYAC) in the early 1980s when the young were "looking for ways to gel together, find ways to contribute to the community, get together on a weekly basis for games and socializing.” Starting as Master of Ceremony (MC) for youth functions, Phee was invited to do the job with Khush Panthaky at the elaborate silver jubilee celebration of the ZSO. Now involved with the BCCC (Building Capital Campaign Committee) which has been raising funds for the proposed rebuilding of the Mehraban Guiv Darbe Mehr, Phee has been involved with fundraising along with Dr Dhun Noria and as MC for their annual Dream Balls where she is invited to organize the "minute to minute program.” Vania is positive that the Darbe Mehr is wholly utilized with meetings, food fairs, seniors’ meets. In fact she notes that it is the focal point of the community.

Vania is also a part of the FEZANA team that attends NGO meets at the United Nations in which her teenaged daughter Diana has also been inducted. When she took leave recently to attend a session there, her manager was duly impressed and passed on the information to the communications department which maintains the company’s Intranet — the internal website of the company only available to employees. Vania was interviewed and an article posted on the Intranet which also spoke of Diana. "It has helped my visibility at work,” she says. Vania doesn’t view her UN attendance as something apart from her working life, rather as an addition to her crossover skills: "How do you get different NGOs to work together? What happens after the conference? It has helped me create a global community with IBM,” she notes. Beyond the community network she has worked with the lieutenant governor of Ontario in spreading literacy among the aboriginal people of Canada.

Sam with parents Nilufer and Sarosh Vesuna

Because of her domestic commitments Vania regrets that she never stopped long enough during her business trips to meet with local Zoroastrians. "The Congress has opened my eyes. I have come to meet people because of the Congress. They are absolutely delightful! So many people focusing, giving time and expertise to the community! The community’s life is enriched by what goes on behind the scenes. I want my daughter to know the wonderful heritage and culture she comes from. If each Zoroastrian lives good thoughts, good words, good deeds, a lot can happen…”