Thoothi Agiary renovated

The 149-year-old Sorabji Thoothi Agiary is a landmark, located virtually next to Raj Bhavan down the ambling arc of Walkeshwar, but one that was easily missed because it lay unkempt and worn out, like so many of our agiaries. But no longer so, informs journalist Shernaaz Engineer in an e-mail to Parsiana, for the redone and refurbished agiary is now all aglow.

Its recent revamp was undertaken by the Bapuna siblings — Niloofer, Neville, Filly and Keki — who voluntarily came forward to take on the task. While working on the interiors of one of the flats in the building on the Agiary’s lands one of the brothers noticed the run-down state of the Agiary. The family then took the initiative of organizing funding and getting the fire temple fully renovated as a labor of their love and commitment toward preserving the sanctity of our faith. The restoration and beautification has been accomplished with hours of painstaking involvement, writes Engineer. For over 10 months, devoting their time and finances and coordinating with like-minded persons who came on board to help partially to the extent they could, the Bapunas pulled out all stops to ensure the execution of every detail to high standards, Engineer writes.

Walkeshwar’s Sorabji Thoothi Agiary: all spruced up

There are many who pitched in to assist in the realization of this dream. Capt Percy Master of the Master Group of companies got the painting done. Shahnaz Mahimtura and Jamshed Guzder also substantially aided the effort. As a result, the Bapunas could accomplish the task, undertaken in the memory of their late grandparents, Ratanbai and Faramroze D. Bapuna. When asked why the money from the Agiary lands which had been sold was not used for the renovation, Keki Bapuna asked Parsiana to speak to trustee Capt Burjor D. Vatchha as the lands are under litigation.

Renovated prayer hall of Thoothi Agiary

Vatchha informed Parsiana that the lands, which belonged to his family, can never be sold, but were leased to a builder who did not honor his financial commitment to the trust. Since the society formed in the building constructed there has not yet paid up, the trustees (Vatchha, his son Noshir and daughter Huma) have filed a suit claiming vacant possession of the land from the builder which is pending in the court. The cash strapped trust being unable to repair/restore the Agiary, when the Bapunas approached the trustees with their offer, Vatchha readily agreed and gave them the necessary permission to renovate the Agiary under the guidance of the trustees, which condition was complied with. However, the Bapunas have yet to respond to the request for setting up a maintenance fund for the upkeep of the Agiary, Vatchha said.

Engineer writes that the Bapuna siblings are hopeful that their initiative will encourage more people to join them in their ongoing endeavor to renovate other agiaries in need of urgent attention. They appeal to like-minded Zarathushtis to contact them, outlining the quantum of the support they can offer. Keki Bapuna can be reached by telephone (9833539222).

Meanwhile, the trustees of the Sorabji Thoothi Agiary would like to invite all members of the community to visit the Agiary and its sacred well at Walkeshwar, which is now in a beautiful condition. Ervad Kersi Gonda, who presides over the Agiary, is himself a devout and devoted keeper of the faith and firmly affirms that no righteous wish made at the Thoothi Agiary ever goes unfulfilled, informs Engineer in her e-mail.