Friendly persuasion?

While both sides are deciding on the best possible trusteeship candidates, pressure is being brought on dissenting Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Noshir Dadrawala not to resign. Dadrawala had disclosed to close friends that he was fed up with the belligerence of his co-trustees towards him and wanted out. But faced with the possibility of The Bombay Samachar managing director Muncherji Cama possibly contesting the vacancy and no suitable strong candidate from the BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta-WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zar­thoshtis) camp to counter him, trustees Mehta and Khojeste Mistree are rethinking their approach.

Noshir Dadrawala: change in approach

Isolating and humiliating Dadrawala is one thing. Taking on Cama is another. Cama would be more than a match for the six others. He is well versed in law, experienced in litigation and has strong views on what is morally right and wrong. He not only has the backing of a respected daily paper but also has the financial muscle to appoint top lawyers if need be. If Mehta-Mistree are looking for a fight, they’ve more than met their match.

The Mehta-Mistree camp is keen to prop the candidacy of former BPP trustee Burjor Antia. Community observers noted that Antia had been invited to speak at the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India meeting last October in Bombay. Earlier the noted solicitor had been at loggerheads with both Mehta and Mistree and even resigned from the BPP once, citing his differences with Mehta as the reason. But when Parsiana phoned Antia to ask him if he were standing, he queried, "Gaando chèun (am I mad)?”

Someone else therefore will have to attempt to restore sanity to Parsi politics. Samachar columnist Berjis Desai who formed the Adult Franchise for Progress dream team that lost (save Dadrawala) the 2008 trusteeship elections suggested a list of qualifications for the ideal Mehta-WAPIZ candidate. For the benefit of contestants to the post, Parsiana reproduces here some of the questions aspiring candidates will have to answer correctly: Do you discard your sudreh and kusti while having a shower? Are you or have you ever been a vegetarian? Have you ever smelt a foul odor near the dakhmas? Do you like barbecues? Does anyone in your family own one? Have you ever donated blood or your kidneys (even to save the life of your loved ones)? Do you believe that the Parsi population is diminishing? Have you ever been offended by the smell of a goat or a white sacred bull in an agiary? Have you ever traveled to Iran in a tour conducted by Noshir Dadrawala? Will you ever open your mouth in the BPP meetings, if elected a trustee?