Celebrations in Davier

Davier, near Umergaum on the Maharashtra-Gujarat border, was the destination of 50 Zara­thushtis who set off by bus from Cusrow Baug early in the morning on April 18, 2009. Five hours later they reached the quiet coastal town where they attended ceremonies to commemorate the 154th year of the inception of the Bai Nawajbai Goiporia Agiary, constructed in 1855, reported the Afternoon Despatch and Courier (ADC) of April 21, 2009.

After the jashan, Ervad Aspandiar Dadachanji spoke about the significance of offering maachi while Godrej Dotivala, public relations officer of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet advised the audience to be good Indians and work toward economic progress to make our nation powerful, ADC reported. The priests of the Agiary requested patrons to sponsor trips to Davier of poor co-religionists, including children from orphanages. This was followed by lunch, during which Marzban Wadia, president of the Davier Parsi Jarthosti Anjuman, and Marzban Mehta sang Parsi songs along with tambourine accompaniment.

The planning and arrangements for this trip from Cusrow Baug were managed by Parvez Mistry, an official of the Agiary known for his ability to appeal to the generosity of Parsis, the costs being borne by benevolent members of the community, ADC elaborates.

En route to Davier, the bus stopped at Hotel Ahura located off the highway, where the pilgrims were served tea and breakfast. Owner Nevil Irani also sells chikoos grown at his nearby farm and serves chikoo milk shake. Irani informed ADC that he built the hotel for the benefit of thousands of Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians who travel from Bombay to places of pilgrimage in Udvada, Sanjan, Navsari, Surat and Ahmedabad, so that they could break journey there.

DPA directory

The updated Members Directory of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA), dated March 2009, is out. In his introductory letter DPA president Dadi E. Mistry mentions that the last issue was published in 2006 since which time there have been several changes in telephone numbers and residential addresses of members. Also, many new members have joined the DPA, making it a challenging task for the team that worked diligently over several months to incorporate all the changes. An innovative initiative this time was to fund the printing of the directory through advertisements from members. Several members willingly extended support, which Mistry gratefully acknowledges.

Bai Navajbai Goiporia Agiary in Davier Photo: Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples by Marzban J. Giara

The user-friendly directory lists DPA members under various heads, providing detailed information about their addresses, telephone and mobile numbers as well as e-mail IDs, where available. The 12-strong board of trustees is headed by Mistry, with Yezad Kapadia as vice president, Adil S. Nargolwala, honorary secretary, Veera F. Mavalwala, joint honorary secretary and Yezdi Pithawala, honorary treasurer. The trustees are Ava Khullar, Kavas Kapadia, Navroze Dhondy, Marazban N. Zaiwalla, Dr Niloufer Shroff and Mehernosh Shapoorjee, while Rohinton Sidhwa is the youth trustee.

The alphabetically arranged list shows 255 registered members, but along with members of their families the total number adds up to 670. Members are also listed according to their areas of residence, each of the 16 zones headed by its own representatives. One hundred and thirty outstation members are listed, their number swelling to 237 with the inclusion of family members. Similarly, there are 34 overseas members, the total rising to 77 along with families. The whereabouts of 47 life members and their spouses are not known, the directory states. In an invaluable section, members are listed according to their blood groups and stating their date of birth. The DPA, being an open-minded Anjuman, includes outmarried Zoroastrians who form a significant percentage of its membership.

Mistry has drawn members’ attention to the forthcoming golden anniversary of the Kaikhusro Pallonji Katrak Dar-E-Meher in 2011, appealing for contributions to mark this auspicious event for which grand celebrations are being planned. Amenities in the dharamshala have been enhanced, Mistry informs members, stating that the Neterwala Trust has once again extended a munificent donation to build a new wing of six rooms which the DPA hopes to complete by 2010, in time for the Commonwealth Games. Members are invited to visit the DPA website, www.delhiparsis. com, which has been up for quite some time.

Adding to the information quotient of the directory is a statewise list of Parsi dharamshalas and sanatoriums in India, ranging from Andhra Pradesh to West Bengal.