The Federation in isolation - IV

Not all the anjumans represented at the executive council meeting of the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) held on March 12 and 13, 2011 at Valsad are financially hard pressed. The anjumans of Bilimora and Thana spoke of their philanthropy and efforts to look after, maintain, and even expand their properties.

Marzban Baria, managing trustee of the Bilimora Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman Trust Funds noted they "have been successful in solving a very crucial and old tenancy case which (their) anjuman was fighting since 1956.” Of their vast lands admeasuring 1,60,000 sq ft, the anjuman was able to acquire 85 percent from a tenant who had allegedly usurped the property.

"Our present board headed by me went up to Gujarat Revenue Tribunal (GRT), Ahmedabad and due to the very strong and solid efforts made by our young and learned advocate P. C. Mody of Bilimora and advocate Harshad Pandya of Surat (we won),” noted Baria in a letter to Parsiana giving a gist of his talk at the Federation meet. Fifteen percent of the land was allotted to the tenant by the Joint Charity Commissioner of Surat who also ordered the tenant "to pay Rs 2,51,000 as compensation. This was our greatest victory in the history of the Bilimora Parsi anjuman trust,” commented Baria.

Another portion of the land which was given on a long lease of 199 years to Parsis at a nominal rate of Rs 300 per year was sold in negotiation with the three leaseholders and the anjuman received Rs 1,25,00,000 as compensation. "You can imagine the interest which we will get out of the above amount. Previously we used to get only Rs 900 annually from the leaseholders,” remarked the trustee.

Left, above and alongside: Zarsis Udhnawala and Pervez Bhesania, model of proposed Thana agiary reconstruction. Below, from left: Bilimora trustees Marzban Baria, Dhanjishaw Avari and Noshirwan Badhni. Bottom: Seth Dadabhai Dhanjibhai and Sorabji Shapurji Gabba Daremeher adarian’s interior and exterior

The anjuman distributes food grains, cooking oil, tea, sugar, etc twice a year and this winter in addition provided blankets, Sholapur charsas (thick bed covers), bed sheets, pillow covers, towels, etc amounting to Rs 6,72,768. "Over and above during muktad we give extra food grains to needy and poor Parsi families residing in Bilimora,” notes Baria. The anjuman has been assisting the poor "since the last 40 years starting from Rs 10; (presently) we give Rs 500 per month regularly to nearly 13 needy and poor individuals. Looking to the high cost of living, we are seriously thinking (of) increasing this amount to Rs 750 per month.” Medical assistance worth Rs 2,00,000 is extended to disadvantaged Parsi families and the anjuman is "actively working on a group medical insurance policy.” School and college scholarships worth Rs 1,00,000 are awarded annually.

"We arrange dinner parties during Jamshedi Navroz and Khordad Saal. The Parsis of Bilimora, Chikhli and Gandevi actively participate and enjoy the delicious food prepared by our caterer Jimmy Dandiwala.

"Our employees are very well paid” and permanent employees enjoy benefits, says Baria, with annual increments, ad hoc increases in salary and a salary as bonus on Parsi New Year.

Their annual income which was Rs 46,55,000 as of March 31, 2010 was expected to increase by nearly 10 lakhs in the next financial year.

Bilimora boasts an 112-year-old adarian and an 183-year-old dadgah both "taken care of from time to time and totally well maintained from our own resources.”

There is a small dadgah on the Doongerwadi grounds and to meet the requirements of the anjuman a new building was constructed with "all the necessary religious ceremonies performed by our mobed Ervad Percy G. Panthaki and Ervad Kurush Aspi Sidhwa from Gandevi.” Bilimora also has a Tata Baug and Rustom Baug dharamshala with four furnished rooms with attached toilets and a large dormitory.

Appreciating the cooperation of his senior trustees, advocates and well-wishers, Baria attributes the success and achievement of the anjuman "to team work.”

Clockwise from far left: The erstwhile Thana agiary; Mazda complex with Patel apartments in the background; the agiary’s Jar-thosty Anjuman Otla; agiary and 250-year-old sacred well

"Dream project”

There is an ambitious plan to reconstruct and enlarge the Thana agiary premises from 2,180 sq ft to over 4,806 sq ft and increase the size of their hall (otla) from around 5,400 sq ft to 13,500 sq ft or more at an estimated cost of Rs 3,30,00,000, noted Thana Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman (TPZA) president Zarsis Udhnawala and trustee Pervez Bhesania. The Thana Agiary Fund has prepared a fund raising brochure which was sent to Parsiana citing the details which were mentioned at the FPZAI meet.

"With the Parsi community in Thana thriving beyond anyone’s wildest belief, the dream project cannot be put off any longer. Where earlier there was just one mobed sahib, now there are four to five of them tending the sacred fire (some of whom have been provided free accommodation). But that’s only natural given the volume of activity in terms of religious and social ceremonies they collectively take on day after day” states the write-up issued by Bhesania on behalf of the trust.

When the Thana agiary was built 231 years ago, Bombay was merely a clutch of seven islands. The large cities in western India were Surat and Thana. "It was in those testing times that a brave and visionary Parsi philanthropist Sir Cowasji Jehangirji Patell decided to build an agiary for the community… The agiary which was later upgraded to adarian sahib (in 1829) was refurbished with a later day addition of a community hall established (in) 1843 and rebuilt (in) 1926.”

Interior of the Bilimora dadgah

"There is a sizable chunk of Parsis who populate the area, thanks to the Patell Apartments, the Minocher Shroff Building constructed by the Thana Zoroastrian Charity Fund (TZCF) for (the) weaker section of our society and Ahuna by the TPZA,” states the brochure. The Parsi complexes are near the agiary. Parsis also reside in the cosmopolitan complexes "in the fast developing city of Thana… TZCF intends to have three more Zoroastrian buildings of about 90 tenements and an old peoples home on the surplus/extra land of the trust, the three-century old Thana Doongerwadi,” notes the write-up.

"Alongside this residential housing project the then trustees also started constructing a ground plus one floor commercial building with a basement and a half mezzanine floor in one wing and a community hall, etc in another wing (total about 30,000 sq ft). This remained unfinished till 1999. This incomplete project which had been stalled due to paucity of funds was partly completed (about 14,000 sq ft) in 1999-2000 and was later named Mazda Complex. For that the trust had to take a loan from the bank/institute.” The income generated by leasing out the premises to the State Bank of India and HDFC enabled the trustees "to continue the fulfillment of the (trust’s) charitable objects.”

To be continued