“We develop... don’t destroy”

In your article "We develop, we don’t destroy” on the Foundation for the Development of Udvada (Parsiana, May 21, 2008), the photograph of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Air Chief Marshal Aspy Engineer should rightly also have included that of Admiral Jal Cursetji who was Chief of Naval Staff from 1975-79. The Information Centre may also care to include a photograph of the current Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major. Furthermore, Engineer’s photograph has been printed the wrong way – the medals are worn above the left breast pocket and not vice versa as shown.

I would recommend that the Information Centre include a photograph of Lt Col Adi Tarapore, the only Parsi to be awarded the highest gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra. He is one of about 20 to have earned this rare honor — about 70 percent of awardees are posthumous, as was Tarapore.

Vice Admiral (Retd) R. K. S. GHANDHI

Dinshaw K. Tamboly, managing trustee of the Foundation for Development of Udvada replies

Foundation for Development of Udvada (FDU) is grateful to Vice Admiral (Retd) R. K. S. Ghandhi for his constructive corrections and recommendations. FDU will certainly take corrective action to rectify the anomalies pointed out and shall also endeavor to create space to include the heroes named by him in the hall of fame.

We appreciate such positive feedback and look forward to receiving the same from other readers as well.

I greatly appreciated the story on Udvada ("We develop, we don’t destroy,” Parsi­ana, May 21, 2008). Having spent my first 14 years there I have a soft spot for Udvada. My father Minocher was the doctor of the Damanwalla Charitable Dispensary and Hospital for two decades. Those were happy days!

I was pleased to find my tongue-in-cheek letter "Almost all alliterations” in the same issue. I assure you that the editors of Parsiana are heraldic Hindus­tanis, handsome, heroic humans with heart and hindsight who have the himmat (courage) to fight (h)ignorance in high places.

KERSI MEHER-HOMJI

Sydney, Australia

kmeher@bigpond.com