Online advances

"We have rolled forward with quarterly meetings featuring vital speakers and topics,” notes a communiqué from Natalie Vania-Gandhi, chairperson of the New York chapter of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce. They had sessions on "Health Care and Financial Planning” by Jamshed Ghadiali of MetLife, "Achieving the American Dream” by Kurus Elavia, chief executive officer of Gateway Group One, "The Forefront of the Consulting World” by Toos Daruvala, McKinsey director and leader of its East Coast Financial Institutions Practice and the Americas Banking and Securities Practice.

"The chapter’s major sponsors lead on the entrepreneurial front,” mentions Vania-Gandhi. Farrokh Patel’s businesses Pegasus Products Inc and The Cover Company now supply a major governmental customer. Edul Daver travels regularly to manage AcuPowder operations and spearheads efforts for a new darbe mehr in Suffern, New York. Chapter friend Homi Byramji is developing property in Latin America.

(From left) International president of WZCC Minoo Shroff with Natalie Vania-Gandhi and Rusi Gandhi

Introducing a chapter website at http://tinyurl.com/wzccnewyork, this dynamic group reports "success with free and low cost online tools which help our operations. We use online tools to connect virtually to events and have enjoyed events with the Toronto, Houston and Chicago chapters.” WZCC world director Rusi Gandhi takes special interest in bonding with sister chapters. He is also on the lookout for networking opportunities with Stanford Professionals in Real Estate. Treasurer Noshir Dutia assists in membership drives. Vania-Gandhi has been interacting with high officials at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago and was witness to the University’s 14th New Venture Challenge, where 111 teams participated in a business plan competition conducted by the Booth School of Business and its Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship. In September the Gandhis participated in an Investment Interactive Meet where they met New York’s consul general of India and other eminent New York business leaders.

The youth in New York are in "dynamic career, professional and entrepreneurial growth,” mentions the press release referring to their career shifts at the strategic level in leading New York city institutions, consumer startup initiatives (Feroza Mehta), marketing of innovative bio-science (Paul Daruwala), a national cooking competition (Jehangir Mehta), service in Iraq (Eric Chavda and Mahyar Hodiwala), performing arts initiative in Afghanistan (Khayan Irani). Founder of a financial services business in the tri-state area, Neville Golvala was motivated to forward a contribution to the Iranshah in Udvada.

A talk by the new chair of the Darbe Mehr Zoroastrian Temple trustee committee Fali Shroff who shared his experiences of rural Gujarat with a DVD viewing on the disparity of wealth readied for the 9th World Zoroastrian Congress in Dubai, prompted a pilot group of Chapter members — Edul and Niloufer Daver, Dinyar and Meher Hodiwala, Arnaz Maneckshana and the Gandhis — to devise a Gujarat Uplift initiative and collect pledges to spark entrepreneurship and growth.

At their chapter meets members have been enjoying the "culinary heights” from Jasely Dukandar, Sheroo Kanga and Dilshad Todiwala.