Premature euphoria

A report appeared on the front page of The Times of India dated December 24, 2009 with the misleading title "Dadar Parsi Colony to stay exclusive.”

The ensuing euphoria is somewhat premature in the light of continued construction work being carried out in this predominantly Parsi environ by realty business parties outside the Parsi fold. Although community welfare organizations affiliated to this large Zoroastrian residential locality are constantly engaged in successfully defending their Parsi covenant rights in law courts, the reality is very disturbing.

Their drawback is that they cannot restrain owners from selling their properties to non-Parsi developers/builders who then seek to sell the new flats to non-Parsi/Irani buyers in buildings not covered by the Parsi covenant. Their long drawn legal battles at great cost to limited trust funds, to permit only members of our community to live in this reserved area, does not fully fructify as this restricted vicinity within Dadar Parsi Colony (DPC) is dotted with several buildings which fall outside the purview of the Parsi covenant umbrella.

What can be more incongruous than presently seeing the corner triangular structure at the head of the DPC entrance and strategically located immediately behind its founder Mancherji Edulji Joshi’s statue being set for demolition to make way for another ill-conceived high-rise edifice that will further deface the beauty of a well-laid out heritage enclave and quintessentially Parsi-inhabited colonial buildings. The most disconcerting part is the alleged word that it will house a Jain dera (temple) on its premises.

Interestingly, this trend of introducing a non-Parsi property developer/builder to raze sturdy Parsi-owned structures like Gai and Daruwala Buildings under the guise of gainful redevelopment, can in monumental irony be credited to the one whom colony residents had expected to safeguard their interests as then trustee of the community’s apex body and erstwhile municipal corporator from this ward.

MICKIE SORABJEE

nashmick@hotmail.com