Thriving in Tampa Bay

"Young adults are moving back with their parents. Married couples with little children find babysitters unaffordable and consider grandparents a more convenient option. People have lost their jobs… their houses… left their pets on the road.” Real estate agent Yasmin Kevala’s observation of the "acute depression” in USA makes her comment, "Recession will not go away. People will have to adjust to a new economic standard of living.” They can consider alternate avenues of income through enterprises like that of a beautician or catering, she recommends.

Following the retirement of husband Rustom, an engineer, the couple relocated from Washington to Tampa Bay area in Florida on the west coast nearly four years ago. Happy to be in a "healthier relaxed atmosphere where life is less stressful, housing cheaper,” the Kevalas meet up with the 30-40 Zoroastrian families from Tampa twice a year under the aegis of the Zarathushti Association of Tampa Bay (ZATAMBAY) which is chaired by Ervad Soli Dastur. At their Sun City Center, south of Tampa, which offers homes to those aged over 50, residents have facilities like health clubs and spas, medical care, play games like Bridge and Bingo or volunteer their services for social welfare causes. While Yasmin helps out with Meals on Wheels, Rustom officiates as president of one of the clubs of Toastmasters International which is an organization for self-improvement, public speaking and communication skills, the couple conveyed during a brief meeting with Parsiana in early March 2010.

Another Zoroastrian pocket close to them is in Orlando where there are 60-70 families and Miami has 100 plus families who meet up for gahanbars, social functions and youth classes.

Yasmin and Rustom Kevala (top); a locale in Tampa Bay (middle); get-together of Zoroastrians with Ervad Soli Dastur (below)

About four years ago FEZANA (Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America) had its annual general meeting in Tampa and members joined for dinner at the residence of a popular Parsi cardiologist there. Last year the FEZANA meeting was in Orlando and prior to that there was a youth congress in Miami, famous for its St Petersburg Beach.

At the Navroz function in Tampa there are about 50 Parsis who join in the celebration along with their non-Parsi guests. "My belief is that Zoroastrians should be better known in the rest of the world. If more know about Zoroastrianism, the better our children will be. Otherwise they will be a minority of nothing,” stresses Rustom, former FEZANA president who had also played a key role in the participation of Zoroastrians in the New York Parade which has now become an annual feature. On meeting the Parsiana team in Bombay after their tour of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur he conveyed his disappointment that "Zoroastrians are hardly known even in India.”

It is only the "first generation migrants (to the USA) who still think of Bombay as their spiritual home. Their children who are beginning to take charge don’t think that way. They have their own ideas and we should be willing to support them. That’s the only way the religion will go forward,” Rustom is convinced.

Another subject dear to his heart is the introduction of some of our daily prayers in English that can be sung like congregational hymns. Although he realizes it is "not an easy task,” if someone could undertake this spiritual exercise, the youngsters could get inspired, he was confident. "That’s the way most religions are going.”

His efforts to introduce a common "Zoroastrian calendar” so that all Zoroastrians would adopt the scientifically accurate Fasli calendar came to naught, remarks Rustom. "In America people don’t pray regularly so it doesn’t make a difference whether the prayers are being said on Avan roz or Fravardin roz.” In principle, people are willing to adopt a common calendar but "they are afraid to change. As soon as you talk of taking a poll, people say, ‘Let it be,’” Rustom conveyed his experience.

He is happy though to see Iranian Zoroastrians who have a large presence in Los Angeles and the San Francisco area taking the lead in celebrating their different gahanbars.