Wise or vice president?

The strained relations between the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat (APP) trustees and former APP president Areez Khambatta spilled out in the open with acrimonious public exchanges followed up by correspondence.

The latest outburst arose over the hosting of a West Zone B meeting of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) in Bardoli on December 21, 2008. Khambatta is Federation vice president of the West Zone B and his term for reelection is due at the next annual general meeting of the all India body to be held around February 2009 in Bombay. The 17 or so anjumans (including Nargol, Saronda, Davier, Mahua, Vyara-Songad, Mandvi, Pardi, Bulsar, Billimora, Chikli, Malesar Navsari Behdin Anjuman, Tavdi, Adajan, Batha and Ankleshwar) present for the Bardoli meet nominated Khambatta for the vice president’s post with Bharuch abstaining saying it had to consult its board of trustees.

Kersi Shethna (left) and Areez Khambatta: Acrimonious exchanges

Khambatta’s letter on his soft drink concentrate firm Rasna’s letterhead dated December 1, 2008 addressed to the various anjumans stated:

"Pursuant to the BPP (Bombay Parsi Punchayet) elections, wherein by the grace of Pak Dadaar Ahura Mazda all the Convertists lost and our Dinshawji Mehta became Chairman of BPP and is contemplating calling for a FPZAI meeting. Therefore I have decided to hold our West Zone B meeting on Sunday December 21 at Vithal Wadi, Kacchia Samaj Hall, Near R.T.O. office, Kadod Road, Bardoli at 1.30 p.m. to discuss important issues to be put on the Agenda.

"The West Zone B meeting will be held after lunch following the function to Felicitate the new Chairman and Trustees of the BPP (Dinshaw Mehta, Khojeste Mistree and Yazdi Desai attended — editors), hosted by me along with Bardoli Jarthosti Anjuman and Vyara Anjuman to be held on the same morning, at the same venue.

"The Agenda of our meeting is listed below:

"1) Hambandagi,

"2) Introduction

"3)FPZAI’s Poverty Amelioration Scheme

"4) Defunct and Dwindling Anju-mans and management of their properties and assets.

"5) Discussion on specific situations and problems faced by individual Anjumans/Panchayets

"6) Youth affairs

"7) Open Forum

"8) Any other business by permission of the Chair

"You are requested to attend this meeting along with your Sr. Trustees/Secretary and a Youth representative. You are earnestly requested to please furnish me by the weekend, your views/novel ideas for the upliftment and betterment of the Community. The same will be put forward for discussion at the above said meeting thereby making the meeting more fruitful for our Humdins and Anjumans.”

In response, the president of the APP and a possible contender for the post of Federation vice president, Kersi Shethna replied to Khambatta on December 15, 2008 stating:

"Your notice dated December 1, 2008 is received. Neither I nor any member of the Board of this Panchayat would attend the meeting of the West Zone B, scheduled to meet at Bardoli on December 21, 2008. Reasons:

"You have sent this notice on the letterhead of ‘Rasna’ whereas it should have been on the letterhead of the Federation. For that reason and others too it is not legal. Under the pretext of this meeting and the items on its agenda, …this is your ploy to get yourself elected as the Vice President, West Zone B, in the coming elections of the Federation.

"We have been offering our joint prayers (Hum Bundagi) and on behalf of our Panchayat, we have, in time, forwarded our compliments to all the seven newly elected trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet.

"Till now, you used to abuse us, me and some of our colleagues with your foul language but on November 23, 2008, after the marriage dinner, you came where I was standing near the wall of the paak Kankaria Adariyan and in a bullying tone you called me "dagaabaaj” (traitor) on my face, and for the first time I called you a "paavli chhaap” and "lissi paavli (not all there).” You went, returned and without realizing what you were uttering, you said "paavli chhaap no baap (father of a demented person),” and ran and sat in your car and went away. For that matter, you are known by these two words especially by our Parsi youth.

"Heard and read about your ‘poverty amelioration scheme’ and felt a sense of disgust… against you. Can a multimillionaire, and a person who earns in crores each year, like you answer:

"a) How many tears have you wiped of the poor?

"b) What is the number of Parsis employed… in your factory and other big offices, amongst hundreds of your staff members — except of course you and your family member? Not a single one.

"c) Till date, amongst such a large staff, how many Parsi-Zarthoshtis, have you allowed to earn their daily bread? Hardly one or two.

"If your tall claim of a donation of Rs 3 crores also covers the extravagant expenses of eats, drinks and other expenses of Five Star hotels, what actual balance of this donation… reach the poor?

"In 1993, I had committed to donate Rs 5,00,000 to the Panchayat, with condition that there should be no mention of my name or amount on a plaque. After we won the election, you brazenly told me: ‘Did I (Khambatta) not cleverly wangle out of my commitment of donating an amount equal to Rs 2,50,000, which the youth were unable to collect a similar amount within the stipulated period? Even you should not donate Rs 5,00,000.’ You did not donate a dime to the youth.

"On December 5, 2008, since I saw you speaking with Dasturjis Kotwal and Dadachanji, I was waiting for my turn to speak, with them. When you asked me "Tu mané wish kem karto nathi (How come you have not wished me)?” I replied that I did not wish to interrupt you. You called me "you silly.” I could have suitably retorted, but in deference to the function, I left…without a word.

"You have insulted the poor and middle class Zarthoshtis more than once.

"Boastful donor of Rs 3 crores, Khambatta… when you give something to someone realize that one hand of God is giving something to its other hand… I have sent you a Farsi proverb because you insist on inscribing, on the plaque, the word "magnanimous,” in front of the value of your donation. Khambatta, no accounts are kept for the sum donated; tom-toming the amount donated is not done.

"Khambatta, you wax and wane about the upliftment of the mobeds. You are so shameless that neither you nor your Panchayat offered a single naya paisa in appreciation of the life long services offered by the deceased Ervad Homiyar Sidhva, one of the illustrious nine families of Udvada, who served our Paak Vakil Anjuman Adarian for so many years.

"PS: During the earthquake of 2001, the Hon Dinshaw Mehta, president trustee was the first person who rushed to Ahmedabad to help the Zoroastrians here. Try to learn from dear (BPP trustees) Arnavaz Mistry, Jimmy Mistry, Rustom Tirandaz as well as Noshir Dadrawala.”