Children’s day out

The heavy posse of police, some of them armed, outside the Shanmu­khananda Hall surprised us as we drove up to the venue of the Sixth Zochild Day on January 3, 2009. Passing through metal detectors and being frisked, we attributed the extra security to be a consequence of the sudden terror attacks that traumatized Bombay on November 26, 2008.

The answer became apparent many moments later. "All rise. Please stand and give the new chief minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan a rousing welcome,” announced master of ceremonies Hoshedar Khambatta. Kyoshi Vispy Kapadia, founder chairman and managing trustee of the Zoroastrian Children’s Foundation (ZCF), his wife Shiraz, co-trustees Perviz Dotivala, Perin Bagli and Zenobia Daroga escorted Chavan and his wife Ameeta into the auditorium, with a smartly attired marching band from the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution (BJPCI) providing the pomp and circumstance!

Pretty girls all in a row from the Bai Avabai Petit Girls High School dressed in Parsi saris showered rose petals on the couple as they entered the two-tier, 3,000-seater hall. After the official salutations in English, Chavan greeted the Zoroastrians gathered from different parts of Bombay and India: "Bhaiyo, beheno ané maara vahala bachao. Sahibji! Kem cho (brothers, sisters and my dear children. Greetings. How are you)? My wife taught me all this,” quipped Chavan to a roar of appreciation from the gathering. "It is a great honor to meet you here. Being the chief minister of Maharashtra is a big responsibility. I want your support and the blessings of the elders here.”

Clockwise from top: Fun and fitness of gymnastics, black belt attack and defense, in tune with the Zochild Song,

Touching upon the "nightmare of the terror attacks,” Chavan said more needed to be done: "The anger of Mumbai, Maharashtra and India is obvious. It is the bounden duty of the government to see that the people are safe and to bring back the confidence the people of Maharashtra always had… I feel so bad that this could happen to Mumbai. We have to remain united. There are no differences of caste, creed or religion. We are Indians first.”

Chavan commended Kapadia, who is a seventh degree black belt, renowned karate teacher, senior vice president of the All India Karate Federation and chief coach of the Indian team, for training members of the police force in karate for over 25 years free of cost. "I am happy he has been doing so much. I feel hundreds and thousands of Vispy Kapadias are required. India is one of the most powerful nations in the world. There are many who are jealous of our progress.”

Chavan named a few eminent members of the community like J. R. D. Tata, Ratan Tata, Soli Sorabjee, etc, and said the country was proud of their achievements. Referring to declining numbers in the Zoroastrian community, Chavan joked that just as there was a ‘save the tiger’ project, "we need to save the Parsis too. Hu tamari saath chu (I am with you). If the community progresses the nation progresses. We must make Maharashtra the number one state in India and India the number one country… we will not remain behind.”

"The chief minister mentioned to me that he was surprised to see the Shanmukhananda Hall packed with young and old at nine o’clock in the morning. He thought it was unbelievable!” Kapadia told Parsiana later. "Here was a city in turmoil and just recovering. People were genuinely concerned and apprehensive. The fact that the chief minister came has given a big fillip. I was at the Hall at six a.m and there were a large number of policemen going through the Shanmukhananda with a toothcomb. They even scanned the garland we were going to present him. We had also hired private security guards. Every precaution had to be taken.”

Kapadia touches on the "tremendous logistics” of transporting around 2,000 vivacious, mischievous boys and girls from outside Bombay as well as from far-flung suburbs like Thana, Vikhroli, etc, and keeping them well fed, and interested enough in the 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. program so that eyes are wide open and lips tight shut! "The function had originally been scheduled for November 30, 2008, just four days after the attacks. I have lost a lot of money in the rescheduling. The Shanmukhananda authorities gave me only one alternative date, which was January 3. Unfortunately, all school and college exams in Gujarat started on January 2! That did affect the participation from there. But this time we took students up to graduation level.”

Each year Kapadia honors from his personal funds individuals who have scaled peaks of excellence in professional pursuit. Noted neurosurgeon Dr Keki Turel, legal luminary Bomi Zaiwalla, chairman and managing director of the Central Bank of India Homai Daruwalla, athlete and sports administrator Adille Sumariwalla, Bombay Parsi Punchayet chief executive officer Mehli Colah and social worker Kumi Daroowala received their trophies at the hands of the chief minister.

Fifteen youngsters were also felicitated for achievements in various fields: Wahabiz Kerawalla, Aatush Kalyani-walla, Kerman Kasad, Zenia Kanga, Viraf Dhalloo, Parzan Dastoor, Behram Kapadia, Roshan Gandhi, Sohrab Gandhi, Mahzareen Pardiwalla, Zubin Taraporewala, Peenaz Mavalwala, Anahita Karanjia, Taronish Cooper and Meherzeen Sarfabadi.

(Top row) Chief minister Ashok Chavan (fourth from left) flanked by (L to R) Perin Bagli, Shiraz and Vispy Kapadia, Ameeta Chavan, Nancy Dalal, Perviz Dotivala and Zenobia Daroga. (Middle row) Individual awardees: Bomi Zaiwalla receiving trophy from Chavan, Dr Keki Turel, Homai Daruwalla, Adille Sumariwalla, Mehli Colah and Kumi Daroowala. (Bottom row) Arvind Inamdar, Dr Nozer Sheriar, Persis Madon Vachha, Noshir Dadrawala and (seated from left) Rustom Tirandaz, Silloo and Dadi Engineer and Dinshaw Mehta

Kapadia terms the Sixth Zochild Day "the best ever, item wise and speaker wise. We cut out all the lengthy speeches. The items, like the one honoring Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and other brave soldiers and martyrs presented by the Thana Parsi Association and Shraddhanjali (Homage) by The Alexandra Girls’ English Institution which paid tribute to the ones who lost their lives in the November attacks, were meaningful and well executed.”

Zochild’s mixed bag of goodies seeks to flex mind and muscle as well as provide the razzle-dazzle of show time. Dr Nozer Sheriar, eminent gynecologist and obstetrician, gave an audio-visual presentation on a few of his favorite people — Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Dadabhai Naoroji, J. R. D. Tata, Sam Manekshaw, Avabai Wadia, Nani Palkhivala, Dr Homi Bhabha, Zubin Mehta, Jehangir Sabavala, Farokh Engineer, Dr Rustom Soonawalla and Dastur (Dr) Hormuz­diyar Mirza. "It was far more difficult for me to prepare this than it is to present a paper in the field of medicine,” smiled Sheriar who has to his credit over 300 scientific presentations at national and international level. He also had to keep in mind his worst critics (his children) who advised, "Papa don’t preach and don’t be boring!”

Sam and Perin Bagli’s power point presentation was on the faith and the fire, briefly describing agiaries, the boi ceremony, the Amesha Spentas, Zara-thushtra, etc. "Why not take a kusti break instead of a coffee break,” was among the several messages and ideals put forward to the children.

Drawing a huge round of applause was Arvind Inamdar, former deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), Maha-rashtra, who was the keynote speaker. Handkerchief on head, Inamdar started off with a perfect rendition of Yatha Ahu Vairyo. "Now I have become half a Zoroastrian. Give me a kusti and sudreh and I will become a complete Parsi guaranteed!” joked the erudite officer who has interacted through the decades with Parsis uncommon and common. "A giant like Palkhivala I have rarely seen. JRD believed you had to do the difficult first, the impossible immediately afterwards!”

"I’ve been told to speak in English mostly. My mother tongue is Marathi; Hindi my mausi (aunt), Sanskrit my dadi (grandmother), English is a beautiful neighbor who I will look at constantly. We (policemen) are told to say yes to everything. Yes, minister, right, sir, done, sir, we will do it, sir, and the country comes to this stage!” the DIG quipped. Inamdar spoke about the legendary Parsi philanthropy and wanted the community to bring back its lost glory. "The tiger-like community must strive again. Parsis, utho, chalang maro aur akash sé milo (stand up, leap and reach for the sky),” he told the gathering.

Reaching the hearts of the audience and the top of the stage were the gymnastics presented with precision and much practice, first by the girls of the Avabai Petit School, later by the team from Nowroz Baug led by Cyrus Siganporia. The style and sinew of the kata (poetic form of attack and defense in karate) and self-defense with and without weapons were demonstrated by black belts of the All India Gojukai Karate Do (Kapadia’s academy), including Vispy and Shiraz’s three children, Sanaya, Vahishta and Behram who recently won a bronze medal at a Commonwealth karate championship in Scotland. Five-year-old Rooyintan Mehenty, proficient at so young an age in praying from memory all the five gahs and five nyaishes, enchanted the audience with his physical prowess, doing continuous push-ups and sparring with little Arman Mulla in a karate encounter.

Making merry were the dancers from Activity, Avabai Petit, Alexandra and Girton schools, Salsette Parsee Colony and Godrej Baug, wearing colorful costumes and fetching smiles! Girls from Navsari brought the flavor of Rajasthan balancing traditional tamris (pots) on their heads, while others blended bal­­-ance and footwork and danced on the rims of the pots and thalis (metal plates) and on crushed glass! Rendering the Zochild anthem were students in uniform from the BJPCI, Alexandra, Girton and Panday schools. Eleven-year-old Burzin Contractor of Baroda had nimble fingers flying over the keyboard in a medley of songs, while 12-year-old magician Zenia Bhumgara, slim, small and a tad nervous to start with, performed her sleight-of-hand with commendable composure on a very large stage, afore a mammoth audience. Doing it his way in the Frank Sinatra song was Cyrus Dubash, trained as a pilot, flying on wings of song.

Two-tiered Shanmukhananda Hall, Vispy Kapadia hoists the Zochild flag

For the ZCF volunteers, child’s play is all work! This year’s treat for the outstation children included being hooked to adventure sports, conducted at the premises of the Cama Athornan Institute in Andheri by Shahrukh and Tanaz Shroff and their team from Adventure Tours and Travels. Kapadia has high praise for those who volunteer time and devotion: "I have a fantastic band of trustees and committee members. They serve without expectation. They make the time. They leave their work and come here (to his office) for many months to plan everything down to the last detail.” Principals, teachers, parents, friends, well wishers and, very importantly, the generous donors make the ZCF (a public charitable trust) a composite and vibrant whole, Kapadia stresses.

"The ZCF remains detached from any group, I will never allow it to be used by anyone to further personal agendas,” Kapadia emphasizes. Why should there always be emphasis on community housing or on bickering, he muses. Why not do something constructive? he queries.

ZCF’s constructive programs include swimming and dance lessons (with free coaching, transport and snacks), and karate classes, maths, etc during vacation time. Is there incipient danger of a "thank you sir, but I want some more,” syndrome developing in the long run, we ask. "Some people, for example, did request for the take-home gifts to be sent even though their children did not attend the program, but we declined to do so. By and large, people are very appreciative. We will continue to try and instill values, provide insight into all angles. There is no desperation on our part and no fanaticism. Keep religion in your heart, do not carry it into the street.”