Ushta-te’s annual awards

A number of special invitees made the annual awards function of Ahmedabad’s Ushta-te Foundation memorable, Shirin Kanga, trustee of the Foundation informed Parsiana via e-mail. Present at the occasion on March 2, 2011 at the Sir Navroji Vakil Community Hall were Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla of the Bombay High Court and his sister Mahrukh Noble who had come from Bombay, as well as "aapro dikro (our son)” Justice Jamshed Pardiwala who has been recently elevated to the bench of the Gujarat High Court. They were welcomed and felicitated by Meher Medora, managing trustee of the Foundation.

Minnie Patel read out the secretary’s report highlighting the Foundation’s activities during the year, especially the prayer and kusti-making competitions organized for the first time in Ahmedabad. The Foundation was thankful to Ratamai Peer of Bombay for her encouragement and guidance for this event and most grateful to Kathawalla for sponsoring both competitions, prizes for which were given away by Noble, the write-up mentions.

Three annual awards are presented by the Foundation in the names of late Meher and Rustomji Contractor — for the visually impaired, for puppetry and for social service. Dr Nayreene Daruwalla, program director of Sneha, an NGO (nongovernmental organization) doing exemplary work for the upliftment of women and children especially in Bombay’s largest slum in Dharavi, received the award for social work. The Young Achiever’s Award was earned by Jamshed N. Chinoy, a young businessman, sportsman, football coach and social worker. Young scholars Kainaz Wadia, Brandon Lalkaka, Shehzan Tavadia and Kaizeen Sutaria received cash prizes for obtaining distinction marks in their SSC and HSC examinations last year.

Children from ZAGA (Zarathusti Awareness Group of Ahmedabad) regaled the audience with their singing, dancing and acting prowess. The volunteers who trained them were Naomi Mistry for singing, Roshan Rao for acting, Perin Unwalla for composing a poem and having it enacted and Pervin Watchmaker for dramatizing a popular patriotic song in which the participating children were dressed in the varied costumes of different states of India.

After a vote of thanks by Dr Armaity Davar and the singing of the Parsi and national anthems, the gathering moved to the lawns where there were food stalls set up by the Parsi Youth League of Ahmedabad serving mouth-watering items, Kanga concludes.