Vadodra awards night

"Whatever I am today it’s thanks to the fact that I am a Parsi. Such is our lineage that people everywhere find us synonymous with honesty and straightforwardness and believe me when I say these traits should be nurtured and seen that they are never eroded from our psyche.” This is what the young, handsome entrepreneur Boman Irani, chairman and managing director of Rustomjees, a construction company that is very visible of late in Bombay, said at the Vadodara Parsi Panchayet’s (VPP) 26th annual award function on December 14, 2008. He and his gorgeous wife Perizaad Zorabian were chief guests for the occasion. Irani’s short and pertinent speech kept every one spell-bound as he talked of motivating youth to dream big, as its only when one dreams big that one achieves results. Leaving things to destiny will get one nowhere while hard work and sincerity will open up the skies.

Perizaad, who is a multifaceted individual in her own right, spoke about the need to waken the complacent youth of our community. "I hated my mother for pushing me to do many things simultaneously, but today I give all credit to her. Whatever I am is because of her.”

Perizaad was a topper in school, a gold medalist in college and has an MBA degree from the US where she was the youngest in her class. She is also a theater person and a ballet dancer, a film actor of repute working in both Bollywood and Hollywood movies.

Even if some of their words strike home, one can safely say our youth are moving in the right direction. As Irani summed up, "There is nothing impossible in the world today; the word itself holds the key to success ‘I M Possible’!”

VPP president Jal Patel was at his usual best while introducing this charismatic couple. They were the youngest chief guests of any awards functions so far and the first to get a standing ovation from the Baroda Zoroastrians. A vote of thanks by Baman Cama, secretary of the VPP was followed by a sumptuous dinner catered by Ruby and Marazaban Khejotya who never fail to satisfy the palates of connoisseurs.

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda

vadhakim@yahoo.com