Editorial Viewpoint
The wasteland
A walk along the vast, green, empty expanse of the former Tithal Sanatorium a few kilometers from Valsad in South Gujarat filled one with both awe and gloom. The fabulous seaside tract of land whose length takes five minutes to traverse by foot has been lying fallow for over 20 years due to a dispute over the sale of the property. The former Parsi trustees wished to dispose of the 14 acres of prime land to a non-Parsi for a consideration that Mehrwan Irani of Bombay believed was inadequate. A public spirited Irani fought and won till the Supreme Court which referred the matter back to the charity commissioner for consideration. In the meantime Irani has handed over the legal battle to the Valsad Parsi Anjuman to pursue.
While Irani managed to retain this precious and choice piece of real estate till now, it cannot be used for the benefit of the community or others till the litigation is resolved.
Perhaps the story of the valuable Tithal asset lying unutilized is symbolic of much that is transpiring in the community; the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) being a case in point. The all-India body was formed to serve as a meeting ground for Parsis/Iranis from all over the country. The institution was meant to function not only as a sounding board and a truly representative body to petition government, but also as a problem solving forum, a custodian of property, a platform to resolve inter and intra (if requested) anjuman conflicts.
But at the Valsad FPZAI executive council committee meet on March 12 and 13, 2011 many of the delegates represented anjumans whose residents could be counted on one’s fingers. Worse still, of the 35 or so delegates representing upcountry anjumans, a dozen were residents of Bombay. Aside from the five Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees and delegates from Secunderabad-Hyderabad no major cities were represented. The anjumans of Delhi, Calcutta, Jamshedpur, Nagpur, Madras, Poona, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Bharuch (though one member from Bharuch attended the first half day session) were conspicuous by their absence.
When Bardoli raised the issue of a long standing dispute with its former trustee and president in the hope the FPZAI would help resolve the differences, they were berated for linking the issue with a purported delay in granting a flat in Bombay to one of their trustees’ son; hardly the approach to settle a quarrel. Bardoli turned to the BPP as the latter had publicly offered their good offices to bring about a settlement. But the BPP trustees are so embroiled in their own problems — many created on account of their stubbornness — that they are unable to assist themselves, leave aside anyone else.
Letters written to the Federation lie unanswered for months compelling the Federation president and BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta to apologize time and again for the lapses. Plans for the hosting of the Tenth World Zoroastrian Congress (10WZC) are in total limbo with Mehta frankly informing the delegates that the BPP trustees have been preoccupied with other matters. In the next few weeks also they would be busy, should they decide to appeal the Bombay High Court (BHC) divisional bench order striking down their ill-advised ban on two so-called “renegade” priests. [The WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) Page of March 18, 2011 announced they would appeal against the order.] Still pending is the criminal case filed in the BHC by Russian Zoroastrian Mikhail Chistyakov and Meher Master-Moos following the alleged assault on them in Sanjan by a group led by Mehta in February 2010.
As regards the FPZAI extending assistance to member anjumans, west zone B vice president Areez Khambatta made it clear “the Federation is not flush with funds.” The FPZAI, however, has never been a funding body but the present leadership had raised delegates’ expectations. The organization has handed out a paltry Rs 3,59,885 as charity over the past 15 months or around Rs 24,000 a month.
The larger anjumans know that the FPZAI is dependent on them and not vice-versa. Still in the past they attended the meets out of a sense of camaraderie. But WAPIZ, taking advantage of the FPZAI constitution of one vote for each anjuman in the general body meetings, was able to oust the larger anjumans from key offices at the last FPZAI elections. Rather than endure further humiliation, the larger associations refrained from expending their money and time attending the meeting. Mehta played along because his preoccupation has always been the BPP, especially the issue of housing. He was content to leave FPZAI to his WAPIZ electoral allies.
But WAPIZ has not been able to capitalize on its advantage. And now the smaller anjumans find themselves disregarded, their letters not replied to, their disputes unresolved and the Federation itself reduced to a rump. Even the overseas Zoroastrians are being slighted. The hosting of the 10WZC — which Bombay hijacked from Singapore — would have provided a platform to discuss global issues. But with only two-and-a-half years left, not even the Bombay venue has been fixed, leave aside speakers. If Mehta had been counting on his co-trustee Khojeste Mistree to manage the FPZAI and the World Congress he would be sorely disappointed.
Six of the present trustees of the BPP came to office with great vigor and promise in 2008. The first batch to be elected by adult franchise, they believed they could cure the community’s ills. Two-and-a-half years down the line the shine has worn off. They are mired in a morass of legal cases, internecine quarrels and public controversies. They appear to have neither the ability nor the will to set things right.
In earlier times the day-to-day management of the FPZAI was left to one of the two joint honorary secretaries of the body. One was a senior BPP trustee and the other from an upcountry anjuman. Assuming Mistree is too occupied with BPP matters to devote time to the Federation’s secretarial duties, why is the work not passed on to the FPZAI joint secretary Pervez Mehta of Bardoli, one of the most efficient members on the all-India body? Is it because Bardoli lacks the clout that Delhi once had when Keki Gandhi was secretary? Or is the BPP reluctant to delegate powers?
Unless the Bombay trustees get their act together, the community can expect to see a lot more undeveloped assets as in Tithal.
While Irani managed to retain this precious and choice piece of real estate till now, it cannot be used for the benefit of the community or others till the litigation is resolved.
Perhaps the story of the valuable Tithal asset lying unutilized is symbolic of much that is transpiring in the community; the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) being a case in point. The all-India body was formed to serve as a meeting ground for Parsis/Iranis from all over the country. The institution was meant to function not only as a sounding board and a truly representative body to petition government, but also as a problem solving forum, a custodian of property, a platform to resolve inter and intra (if requested) anjuman conflicts.
But at the Valsad FPZAI executive council committee meet on March 12 and 13, 2011 many of the delegates represented anjumans whose residents could be counted on one’s fingers. Worse still, of the 35 or so delegates representing upcountry anjumans, a dozen were residents of Bombay. Aside from the five Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees and delegates from Secunderabad-Hyderabad no major cities were represented. The anjumans of Delhi, Calcutta, Jamshedpur, Nagpur, Madras, Poona, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Bharuch (though one member from Bharuch attended the first half day session) were conspicuous by their absence.
When Bardoli raised the issue of a long standing dispute with its former trustee and president in the hope the FPZAI would help resolve the differences, they were berated for linking the issue with a purported delay in granting a flat in Bombay to one of their trustees’ son; hardly the approach to settle a quarrel. Bardoli turned to the BPP as the latter had publicly offered their good offices to bring about a settlement. But the BPP trustees are so embroiled in their own problems — many created on account of their stubbornness — that they are unable to assist themselves, leave aside anyone else.
Letters written to the Federation lie unanswered for months compelling the Federation president and BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta to apologize time and again for the lapses. Plans for the hosting of the Tenth World Zoroastrian Congress (10WZC) are in total limbo with Mehta frankly informing the delegates that the BPP trustees have been preoccupied with other matters. In the next few weeks also they would be busy, should they decide to appeal the Bombay High Court (BHC) divisional bench order striking down their ill-advised ban on two so-called “renegade” priests. [The WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) Page of March 18, 2011 announced they would appeal against the order.] Still pending is the criminal case filed in the BHC by Russian Zoroastrian Mikhail Chistyakov and Meher Master-Moos following the alleged assault on them in Sanjan by a group led by Mehta in February 2010.
As regards the FPZAI extending assistance to member anjumans, west zone B vice president Areez Khambatta made it clear “the Federation is not flush with funds.” The FPZAI, however, has never been a funding body but the present leadership had raised delegates’ expectations. The organization has handed out a paltry Rs 3,59,885 as charity over the past 15 months or around Rs 24,000 a month.
The larger anjumans know that the FPZAI is dependent on them and not vice-versa. Still in the past they attended the meets out of a sense of camaraderie. But WAPIZ, taking advantage of the FPZAI constitution of one vote for each anjuman in the general body meetings, was able to oust the larger anjumans from key offices at the last FPZAI elections. Rather than endure further humiliation, the larger associations refrained from expending their money and time attending the meeting. Mehta played along because his preoccupation has always been the BPP, especially the issue of housing. He was content to leave FPZAI to his WAPIZ electoral allies.
But WAPIZ has not been able to capitalize on its advantage. And now the smaller anjumans find themselves disregarded, their letters not replied to, their disputes unresolved and the Federation itself reduced to a rump. Even the overseas Zoroastrians are being slighted. The hosting of the 10WZC — which Bombay hijacked from Singapore — would have provided a platform to discuss global issues. But with only two-and-a-half years left, not even the Bombay venue has been fixed, leave aside speakers. If Mehta had been counting on his co-trustee Khojeste Mistree to manage the FPZAI and the World Congress he would be sorely disappointed.
Six of the present trustees of the BPP came to office with great vigor and promise in 2008. The first batch to be elected by adult franchise, they believed they could cure the community’s ills. Two-and-a-half years down the line the shine has worn off. They are mired in a morass of legal cases, internecine quarrels and public controversies. They appear to have neither the ability nor the will to set things right.
In earlier times the day-to-day management of the FPZAI was left to one of the two joint honorary secretaries of the body. One was a senior BPP trustee and the other from an upcountry anjuman. Assuming Mistree is too occupied with BPP matters to devote time to the Federation’s secretarial duties, why is the work not passed on to the FPZAI joint secretary Pervez Mehta of Bardoli, one of the most efficient members on the all-India body? Is it because Bardoli lacks the clout that Delhi once had when Keki Gandhi was secretary? Or is the BPP reluctant to delegate powers?
Unless the Bombay trustees get their act together, the community can expect to see a lot more undeveloped assets as in Tithal.
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