Khorshed’s charisma

Died: Community activist Khorshed Firoze Jungalwala, 67, of cancer on May 12, 2007 at Boston, USA.

"Our history is replete with individuals of tremendous courage who ensured the wellbeing of generations to come. Each one of us is a beneficiary from the philosophy of these Zarathushtis,” Khorshed Jungalwala had noted at the beginning of the debate on the world body at the Eighth World Zoroastrian Congress in London in 2005.

She epitomized the middle-of-the-road Zoroastrian, compassionate and righteous, reasoned, courteous and hardworking, with a talent for converting extremist views on both sides into expressions of mutual respect. Most times she succeeded. When she did not, she continued to abide by her principles. And the North American Zarathushtis recognized her worth. A statement overheard in the aisles of the XIV North American Zoroastrian Congress in June 2007, said it all: "She was like the Queen of England; she could do no wrong.”

An insurance contracts specialist, Khorshed and her husband Dr Firoze Jungalwala, then professor of neurochemistry at Harvard University, welcomed Zara­thush­tis into the New England area, founding the Zoroastrian Association of the Greater Boston Area (ZAGBA) in 1983. She served as its president for four years, 1992-96. "Khorshed opened her home to many more people than we can imagine. Any Zarathushti in need, coming to the Boston area, was welcomed and kept in her home. People from overseas, people with ailing children, people who are suffering, people who are immigrating — Khorshed took care of them for months, expecting nothing in return,” notes Meher Amalsad, chair of the First World Zoroastrian Youth Congress, in his "tribute to a special godmother.” In his letter to Firoze, Aga Khan Professor of Iranian Studies at Harvard University P. Oktor Skjaervo writes, "You and Khorshed were my first contacts with the Zoroastrians after I came to Cambridge in 1991 and extended to me so much hospitality, making me feel very welcome indeed.”

The brief prepared by former ZAGBA president Dr Parastu Dubash and Amalsad to accompany her nomination for the FEZANA Outstanding Zara­thushti Award (see "The winning streak” page 72) recounts her many community involvements: She was chair of the FEZANA (Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America) Publications Committee 1998-2006 coordinating the editorial policy of its various brochures and publications including the FEZANA Journal and website, and overseeing its budgeting, fundrai­sing, etc; principal organizer of Zoroastrian seminars at Harvard University such as "Aspects of Zoroastrianism in Modern Society in 1994” and "A Historical Overview of Zoroastrian Philosophy and Rituals” in 1996; Khorshed went on to organize the First International Avesta Conference in Boston in 1997. A year earlier she was one of the organizers of the Gatha Conference in Houston. A founding member of the Harvard Gatha Study Group, created in 1994 by Nusswan Dossabhoy, Khorshed like the others focused on a particular verse of the Gathas, studying all available translations and coming up with their own interpretation. As member of the FEZANA Historic Research and Preservation Committee she worked to fulfill its mission to help preserve Zarathushti historic sites around the world as well as books and documents and assist in the publication of related material. She had also contributed articles in its journal. She had chaired the FEZANA World Body Working Group and later, its ad hoc committee, envisaging "a truly representative world body built on trust, respect, equality and legitimate rights for the majority and minority,” note the compilers. Additionally, she was an avid member of ZWIN — the Zoroastrian Women’s International Network.

Though the Zoroastrian community meant a lot to Jungalwala, the frontiers of her activity stretched much beyond. She was president of the MetroWest International Concerts Association, raising funds, arranging performances by local, national and international performers in classical and semi-classical music and helped obtain grants and scholarships for underprivileged and newly immigrated talented children over a 12-year period. Her involvement with the Harvard University’s Pluralism Project which documents American religious demography, studies religious communities and considers the challenges and opportunities, spanned 15 years. A Justice of Peace in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and member of the Governor’s Advisory Council, she was also director on the board of the Third World Scholars Consortium, helping to organize conferences, welcome guest speakers in religion, language and philology. The list goes on and on.

The fact that Khorshed had been suffering from cancer was widely known, especially post the London Congress, and bulletins about her condition were regularly exchanged between friends. So the grief at her passing was restrained by memory of the agony she had endured. A memorial meeting, preceded by a set of short prayers, was held on May 20, at ZAGNY’s Arbab Rustam Guiv Darbe Mehr in Pomona.

Her friends and admirers held on to the memory of what she had tried to achieve, despite setbacks, as when she lost the election to the presidency of FEZANA in 2002 by a narrow margin or the time when an imbroglio over the programing of the Seventh World Zoroastrian Congress in Houston in 2000 led to the dissolution of the committee she had chaired. As noted ZAGNY president Homi Gandhi, "Khorshed celebrated life with her determination to contribute to the community. I recollect many instances when I talked to her when she inspired me to do more and more for the community and for the extended family on our small planet. But the one instance I remembered most (was) after she lost the FEZANA president election. She said to me : ‘Elections come and go; life has a purpose and that extra step you take from now on is the most important step.’”

Recalled Framroze Patel, president of FEZANA at the time of the Houston Congress: "Khorshed was chair of the program committee of 7WZC. As it happens, mistakes do happen when you are planning an event like the Houston Congress. I made an unfortunate error of banning the program committee. It was a serious error on my part. I invited Khorshed to take over the newly constituted program committee. I made all kinds of efforts to bring her on board. Khorshed was firm that she would join only if the original committee was reappointed. That did not happen. Khorshed stood like the Rock of Gibralter…We enjoyed the Houston Congress, but Khorshed stayed home, as a matter of principle.”

"I remember well the long phone conversations we used to have over the (7WZC). Her attitude throughout that trying time was one of ‘What is best for the community’ – never ‘What is best for me,’” wrote retired attorney and Gatha scholar Dina McIntyre.

In his tribute FEZANA president Rustom Kevala noted, "She worked tirelessly to develop the ground rules and standards for a world body that would meet everyone’s expectations and needs. Sadly, Zarathushtis were not ready for this…”

"We have all witnessed the passing of a very noble woman,” stated Zareen Karani-Araoz who remembered meeting the lady, then founding secretary of the Poona Parsi Inter-Collegiate Association, as a little child in Poona. "When I think of Khorshed I recall her dignity, her integrity, her graciousness, her calm, her loving understanding, her non-judgementalness…”

In recognition of all the work she had done for the community, FEZANA had instituted a lecture series in her honor in 2006, the inaugural lecture being delivered by Prof Kaikhosrov Irani at the XIV North American Zoroastrian Congress in Toronto (see "The reality behind existence” page 70). Khorshed’s family requested that memorial contributions be made, in lieu of flowers, to the FEZANA Khorshed Jungalwala Lecture Series, noted Kevala. ZAGBA presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to the couple in March 2006 and the ZWIN Award for Lifelong Commitment to the Zarathushti Community was presented to her in 2004.

The daughter of Dhanjishah and Tehmina Wadia and granddaughter of Khan Saheb Pestonji Wadia was born in Surat and grew up in Poona, graduating in history and political science. A degree in law under her belt with a first prize in international law, Khorshed was invited to join the Indian Foreign Service but chose to work with Bombay solicitors Mulla and Mulla, Cragie Blunt and Caroe, notes a biographical sketch provided by the family. A licentiate in piano and voice from the Trinity College of Music, London, she performed in India and later in England, when she married Firoze and accompanied him to Cambridge University there. After a stay of three years they arrived in Boston when Firoze joined Harvard. In Framingham and later Sudbury they raised their children Ferzin and Jehangir.

"Whatever she took up she would work at very hard to be as successful as possible,” Firoze noted in a conversation with Parsiana, adding, "For the First Avesta Conference she was on the computer day and night…She was very disappointed that the world body was stalled. It added a lot of tension and stress. She had wanted to create the legacy of a world body. Framroze Patel had appointed her (to the Working Group). She took it very seriously. Every week there were large conferences – 10 to 12 people on a conference call.”

She had had breast cancer 20 years ago, which had been in remission for 16 years. It later metastasized as bone cancer. It attacked her skull and bones, destroyed her brain structure, Firoze recalled the agony. She was already in bad shape in 2005 at the time of the Eighth World Zoroastrian Congress in London. This reporter recalls his concern when she had complained of pain during an evening at the theater. Nonetheless she continued with her work as contract specialist for the Concord Insurance Group, owned by an elderly Armenian, until January 2006. "He liked Zoroastrian history, trusted Zoroastrians as honest people. He grabbed her (for his company)….” Pride and grief mingled in Firoze’s voice.

Khorshed is survived by her husband Firoze, their daughter Ferzin Patel and son Jehangir.