Play Centre’s program

Elected by The Nowroze Baug Play Centre (NPC) for showing exemplary leadership in all their baug activities, Nowroze Baug youngsters Pilzad K. Engineer and Shirzad H. Bhathena were named ‘Efficient leaders for 2006-07’ and felicitated at the NPC’s 61st annual cultural program. The function was held on June 2, 2007 at the Birla Matushri Sabhaghar at New Marine Lines with an aim to generate much needed funds for the Play Centre’s various activities.

Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees Dadi Engineer, Burjor Antia and Dinshaw Mehta were thanked for their individual largesse as were Nowroze Baug resident builder Rohinton Mehta and advertising professional Baji Maloo who donated Rs 4,50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively.

Every year the NPC selects a child president. This year the honor went to Ervad Deyazad Sharukh Govadia. An eighth standard student of the Hansraj Morarjee High School, Govadia is "an active participant in majority of the Centre’s activities with a cheerful smile on his face and willing to extend a helping hand whenever needed,” mentioned Homi Ustad, NPC vice president in his welcome address.

Founded on November 1, 1946 by Khodi P. Kolah, the NPC has a current membership of 1,518 and a corpus of Rs 22,00,000. Donations during the year (2006-07) netted around Rs 4,00,000 as against the Rs 9,00,000 spent on various multipurpose welfare schemes and activities conducted through the year, Ustad elaborated. A sum of Rs 3,20,000 was spent on medical activities. Since the last 31 years the Late Tehmina F. Pastakia Free Medical Aid Scheme has helped poor, old and invalid persons in and around Nowroze Baug. Under the Late Dinshaw R. Nekoo Free Homeopathic Scheme a clinic is held every Sunday by Dr Jehangir Major at the residence of NPC president Nariman Mehta. Merit scholarships, cash prizes and silver medals awarded to school and college students from Std I to graduation accounted for Rs 2,70,000, Ustad mentioned at the function.

Like its two cousins, Cusrow Baug and Rustom Baug, Nowroze Baug too will soon have its own pavilion. The BPP trustees and the management of the Wadia committee "have jointly agreed to give a gift of a newly constructed pavilion for the residents of Nowroze Baug in one of the corners of the playground, without encroaching on the major area of the playground,” reads the message of exuberant president N. Mehta in the brochure brought out on the occasion.

Child president Deyazad Govadia addresses the audience at the Nowroze Baug Play Centre function

Come August 2007, Nowroze Baug will step into its centenary year. It was the dream of late Jerbai N. Wadia to build houses to form a colony in which the community could stay together. Her dream became a reality when she funded the construction of the A Block built on February 8, 1908. Within a span of 28 years, in 1946, the first Wadia colony — Nowroze Baug — came into existence, the brochure details the colony’s history. Residents of this oldest Parsi settlement are planning centenary celebrations to express their deep gratitude and thanks to the philanthropic Wadia family.

That evening lucky number winners took home gifts and gift vouchers from Tata Tea, Akbarally’s, Cobra Beer, Taj Group of Hotels, ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Kingfisher Airlines and Hindustan Lever. Co-sponsored by solicitor Shahrukh J. Kathawala, Hilla Builders, Parsi Resource Group and Centurion Bank of Punjab Limited, the function ended with an entertainment program by Indian Stars Orchestra where the audience was treated to dance, music and mimicry. Roxan A. Driver