Silk coated steel

"She is number two on the electoral list (of candidates). Make her number one” in the vote count, exhorted Ashdin Dodhy, the campaign manager for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship election of Armaity Tirandaz, widow of the late sitting trustee Rustom, addressing a rally at Gamadia Colony on March 24, 2009.

"She has plans for the community,” he added. "She is doing the community a favor (by standing for elections). She’s not basking in Rustom’s glory.” She is as "tough as steel” but has a soft silk coating.

"Don’t call her a widow,” said social activist Phiroze Amroliwalla who unsuccessfully contested for BPP trusteeship in the October 2008 elections. "She does not need our sympathy. She is capable, confident… She needs our votes. She has earned (them). This election was thrust on her. She was not a yes woman to her husband. She will not be a yes (person) to the (other) BPP trustees… she will be a tough lady to deal with.”

"She is traditionalist to the core,” said community activist Anahita Desai, wife of BPP trustee Yazdi. Tirandaz has vowed "cremate ni bungli will never be given,” said Desai.

Tirandaz’s son Darayus stated the budget for his mother’s election campaign was only Rs 26,500. But as noted Dodhy, many people came forward to help. Porus Jussawalla donated a jeep. The banners were printed at low cost. People offered money to run campaigns (Dodhy mentioned that money for the free bhonas (dinner packets) had been donated by Pervez Driver, a supporter of BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta.

At Doongerwadi, at the time of Rustom’s funeral, the rumor was "one son will stand,” said Darayus. "There was no such thought in our minds.” After six to seven days the family felt the "goals of Rustom” for the community should not remain unrealized. This prompted Armaity to stand.

Clockwise from top left: Dinshaw Mehta, Jimmy Mistry, Darayus Tirandaz, Phiroze Amroliwalla, Ashdin Dodhy, Adil Irani, Firoze Sethna, Anahita Desai and Khojeste Mistree. (Top) Armaity Tirandaz

Darayus said his mother was not "timid” and would not function as anybody’s "rubber stamp” nor was she a stranger to politics. "Mom was the campaign manager” for Rustom’s unsuccessful Lok Sabha election attempts. "For six years she managed the office (of their travel agency) Vacations Unlimited.” She also serves on the committee for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, an organization that employs 250 people and was involved in "policy decisions.”

Rustom "left a void I have to fill… I don’t want his purpose lost,” said Armaity addressing the large crowd in an open space between three buildings at the Tardeo colony. She said she was contesting "as an independent candidate.”

She referred to Rustom’s faith in tok­ham kayani (racial purity) adding she believed in "purity of lineage. (It) goes down from generation to generation.” She stressed the need for more old age homes and housing especially for young people who wished to get married. Rustom’s goal of building an agiary/dadgah at Borivli for the Parsis/Iranis residing in that western suburb was dear to her, she said.

While the Tirandazs did not attack their electoral opponents, many of the other speakers did. Amroliwalla pointed out that former BPP trustee Maneck Engineer who is contesting for the vacant seat had resigned from the BPP mid-2006 stating he could not work with co-trustee Dinshaw Mehta. "How does he propose to work with Dinshaw” who is now the trust’s chairman, he asked? "The BPP is not the Lok Sabha,” Amroliwalla asserted referring to the constant bickering and slanging matches.

Desai pointed that Engineer "has approved the cremate ni bungli… now he says ‘I am a traditionalist.’”

Firoze Sethna, president of the Gamadia Colony Residents’ Association, favored Ti­ran­daz’s candidature stating that "people are pulling in different directions. More like-minded trustees (on the board), the better for the community.”

Referring to the Colony’s difficulties he said, "Small problems we solve ourselves,” but for the "big problems” they turned to the BPP. These included an acute water shortage and security. There was space for underground water tanks to be constructed and overhead tanks existed.

The Colony had three entrances and exits which would require several watchmen. "We cannot afford so many security personnel.” An acute parking problem was made worse by residents "encouraging (outside friends and relatives) to come and park.” (Amroliwalla said that if Rustom Tirandaz were around he would have suggested deflating the tyres of such vehicles to remedy the situation.) He also wanted a barricade on a public road leading to the Colony.

Mehta who arrived at the venue around 8.45 p.m. after attending the weekly BPP trustees meeting said the BPP would "share 50 percent of the construction costs” for the underground tanks. "You cannot get permission for a barricade,” he noted.

Resident Yezdi Driver complained about the harassment from outsiders faced by the women who reside at the Lady Engineer women’s hostel in the Colony. BPP trustee Khojeste Mistree who arrived late along with trustees Jimmy Mistry and Yazdi Desai said, "This is not part of the Punchayet property.” As regards the boys’ hostel, plans were on to change all the bed mattresses, many of which harbored bed bugs. A coat of paint was also on the anvil. "Do not become a community of takers… You all also take responsibility in a fair way. No other community gives you the facilities the BPP does.”

Driver: "You cannot wash your hands of (the hostel issue). It’s like an invasion of the Colony.”

Mistree suggested filing a complaint with the Tardeo police station.

Jimmy Mistry: "Give me a written complaint and I will take it up with the joint commissioner of police.”

Sethna: "The taxi stand (in the Colony) is a nuisance.” The police endorsed their complaint but said the jurisdiction for taxi stands lay with the Regional Transport Office (RTO). "The RTO is s_ _ _ scared of the taxi union,” he claimed.

Amroliwalla: "Approach the Transport Commission at the Bombay Kurla Complex.”

In response to questions being invited from the audience for the BPP trustees, one resident inquired as to the progress of two items cited in Mistree’s manifesto, one pertaining to the "streng­then­ing of dakhmenashini” and the other to trustees declaring their assets.

Mistree averred the previous board of trustees "destroyed” the Doongerwadi lands by dumping debris from the construction site at Godrej Baug where the new building is coming up. The debris had to be removed before any new planting could be done, he said. "Reforestation takes time.”

The vulture program "was on steam. Over 55 birds” have been shortlisted from neighboring states/places and "at the right time will be brought to Bombay.” He said the dakhmas’ blocked drainage channels had been cleared and the Sethna dakhma "was cleaned in a traditional way that has not been done in the last 50 years.” Bull’s urine had been used as prescribed by tradition in the towers "to minimize the smell” emanating from the rotting corpses. Mistree said he "goes every day” to the Doon­gerwadi estate and even "at midnight to see if Godrej Baug residents” are parking their cars at Doongerwadi.

Regarding disclosing his assets he replied, "If all the trustees do it, I’ll do it.”

Stressing the efforts put in by the new trustees "in 150 days, I challenge anybody (to show me who) else has done this kind of work. All four of us (Mehta, Mistry, Mistree, Desai) are working.” The BPP meetings are held weekly from 4 to 9.30 or 10 p.m. "We also meet at Jimmy Mistry’s office at Sleater Road or (my) house till 12 midnight or even 3.30 a.m. Unfortunately we have a biased… media (who function) without ever showing fairness.

"The WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) Page gives the correct point of view from the WAPIZ (perspective).” Fourteen thousand copies of the WAPIZ Page are distributed every week/fortnight which” is more than the Jam-e-Jamshed, The Bombay Samachar and Parsiana put together.” (The Samachar prints over 1,00,000 copies but Mistree must have been estimating the Parsi/Irani readers of the daily — editors.)

Referring to the tussle between the trustees over the allotment of 104 flats, Mistree asked "Why are we fighting? (Because) the previous board did not have foresight.” He stated 104 flats were allotted while only 74 are available.

"Things (were left) in a mess for us to clean up. They could not give a damn. Dinshaw Mehta has vision along with Jimmy Mistry to build massive housing.” He alleged flats were lying empty and held Engineer responsible.

"Whatever we want to do (BPP trustee Noshir Dadrawala) objects. Who should he have loyalty to: the BPP or (Alert Zoroastrians Association’s leader) Kersi Randeria and his g_ _ _s?”

He endorsed Tirandaz’s candidature claiming she had "brains as well as (a record of) social service, if you get my message…(a veiled reference to his co-trustee Arnavaz Mistry who is supporting Engineer).

Adil Irani who unsuccessfully contested the last BPP elections said he was puzzled why BPP trustee Arnavaz Mistry "is not supporting Armaity…Why bring (Engineer) back? What guarantee he will not resign again?”