HPY’s happy returns

The community for which it works is said to be aging, a demographic blip on the worldwide radar, predicted to move out of view altogether! But for HPY (Holiday Programme for Youth), age is on its side! It’s only 25, striving to keep Zoroastrian boys and girls in the Parsi premier league!

At HPY, challenge is the name of the game — be it on the sports field or in writing a king’s speech or drawing blood for hospital blood banks! It started in 1987 as a two-week, half-day program helping 80 youngsters just out from school make career choices. Through the decades it has made a measured progression, with a growing spectrum (no dirty word here!) of activities and achievements. From catering to the comparatively obedient student of the ’80s and ’90s, HPY has clicked in the new millennium for the 21st century teen living in a wired world, who believes an Apple day keeps boredom at bay!

HPY mentor Diana Marfatia (left) and chief coordinator Azmin Mistry

"This year we have 188 students, of whom 95 are girls and 93 boys, so that’s a level working field as far as gender is concerned,” stated mentor Diana Marfatia at the inauguration function held this time on the Rustom Baug lawns at Byculla on May 1, 2011. Though the maximum number of participants (143) were from Bombay, 45 children came from places like Cal­cutta, Ah­me­­dabad, Poona, Surat, Lo­navla, Udvada, Indore, Baroda, Nee­much … as well as the Middle East states of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, from "a staggering 70 different schools,” she observed. Accommodation was provided for 22 youngsters at the F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla as they had no relatives to stay with in Bombay.

It is not easy to raise the bar each year, to re-invent oneself and appeal to the attitude of modern youth, Marfatia declared. With almost 4,000 HPYites having gone through the portals of the Programme, "I have a happy confession — many of our alumni are returning as speakers and faculty. There can be no better appreciation,” she added.

HPY’s pace is fast and furious! Sweating it out in the muggy month of May, the 16-year- olds just out from school are inspired, prodded and persuaded to excel — using mind and muscle. G.A.S.P. (group activity and sports practice) often leaves them gasping — for more fun on field (cricket, football, throw ball…) and indoors (table tennis, carom, chess…), in the classroom (debates, essays, media presentations, Sudoku…) and in the hall (personality contest, fashion show, dramatics…). Careers in conventional and sunrise sectors, talks on religion, outdoor visits to the Braille Press, Mani Bhavan, J. J. Hospital Parsi Ward, blood collection, navjote of a Parsi child, etc round off the HPY package.

From left (1st row): Prof Vispi Balaporia, Adi Engineer, HPY title winners Tehemton Khairabadi and Urveez Kakalia (3rd and 4th from left) with runners up Parinaz Irani and Ushain Satta, group winners Delzad Doctor, Anosh Amaria, Rubin Talati and Zehan Irani with Homi Ranina (center); Satta with Cawas Billimoria, Sharmeen Vazifdar. (2nd row): Jimmy Mistry, Ervad Rohinton Pavri, Diana Marfatia, Azmin Mistry, Dinshaw Mehta, Engineer, J. Mistry, Balaporia, Khojeste Mistree, Yazdi Desai, Armaity Tirandaz, Mehli Colah, Cawas Panthaki and Godrej Dotivala Photos: Arish Patel

"The BPP (Bombay Parsi Punchayet) trustees believe money spent on and for our youth is a valuable investment,” stated chief coordinator Azmin Mistry at the inaugural function. The BPP proudly proclaims HPY as its star event. It subsidizes all costs; the students pay just Rs 750 as a registration fee. "The Kothari Commission said destiny is shaped in our classrooms. I say the destiny of our community youth is shaped at HPY. It is the most popular and sought after program, the only one of its kind continuing for 25 years… there is no parallel in our community,” Mistry asserted. Members of the organizing team, elegant in silk and satin befitting HPY’s silver jubilee, offered floral felicitations to the trustees, BPP executives and invitees on stage.

"In my five years’ association, I have seen HPY grow year after year,” stated BPP trustee Jimmy Mistry who chaired the inauguration. "Unlike many of the schemes of the BPP, HPY has grown because it has consistent and persistent workers who steer the Programme.” The entrepreneur told the audience that the uneducated and illiterate of 2011 are not those who cannot read or write. "They are those who do not learn, unlearn and re-learn,” he observed.

"This is the first major milestone of your young lives. You should be competing with others as well as competing with yourself. Focus on excelling (in your own endeavor) rather than being one up on others,” counseled eminent educationist Prof Vispi Balaporia who was the guest of honor. Fifty percent of India’s population is below the age of 25 and that will be India’s strength in the 21st century, she continued. "Carry this great country of ours to greater heights. Ensure this country is cleaned of the cancer of corruption, as we are being continuously shamed with one scam after another,” asserted the former vice principal and head of the English department at Jai Hind College.

"Today we celebrate May Day (May 1), which is also Maharashtra Day and the 25th anniversary of HPY — may HPY continue to its golden anniversary in undiminished glory,” stated chief guest Adi Engineer, former managing director of the Tata Power Company Limited. Though we are a micro minority, Parsis have stood out for their sterling character, he opined. I want to let you on to a little secret, he jocularly asserted. "To grow our population, the BPP is thinking of giving the couple having a first baby a Nano. After the second baby, you’ll get a Tata Manza and after the third a Skoda Octavia! Why Skoda? Because after the fourth child you will get a Jaguar which Tata makes! But I can’t see this happening… Somebody’s going to go to the charity commissioner and object!”

Broadway razzle dazzle (clockwise from top left): Hormuzd Khambata’s dancers, crooners Peshotan Kapadia, Hormuz Ragina, Cawas Billimoria, Delna Mody and Anainah Patel

Parents should reflect on what contribution they have put in to mold their own children, Engineer continued. Engineer’s daughter Shernaaz is a well-known journalist and the editor of the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly, his son Cyrus is a general manager at Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited. "That is our humble contribution (to bringing up next generation achievers),” the Tata man stated. With Mother’s Day also celebrated in May, Engineer had some advice for mothers: "As Chanakya (who lived in the time of Chandragupta Maurya) has said, for the first five years make your child the apple of your eye. Parsi mothers are doing this. For the next five to 10 years, be more firm and strict. Most Parsi mothers are not doing this. After 15, however, you should be a friend to your child, guiding, advising… You will then not be puzzled as to why dukto maaroo kai samazto nathi (the boy is not listening to me at all).” At 15, your time starts now and the buck stops with you! Engineer impressed on the students. Have clarity on your goals and work towards them. "It is pahelé saja tau life mé maja (first the hard grind, then the fun), not the other way around.”

Teenagers’ day out at Della Adventure, Lonavla

Speeches over, lights, camera, action came on with the "Best of Broadway,” produced and presented by HPY alumni and faculty, choreographed and directed by well-known choreographer Hormuzd Khambata, with stage set and décor by Roxanne Buhariwala and sound by Hanosh Dubash. Khambata’s high stepping dancers kicked off with Cabaret, shimmying with gay abandon in Chicago and all that jazz! I want to break free, belted out Hormuz ‘Freddy Mercury’ Ragina, as Peshotan Kapadia did it his way in a Frank Sinatra number. It’s now or never, crooned Elvis (Sensei Cawas Billimoria) Presley, as the puzzled audience wondered why the person rocking and rolling on stage looked vaguely familiar! Delna Mody, whose powerful voice recently took theater buffs in Bombay through the rolling meadows of Austria in The Sound of Music, yodeled the story of The lonely goatherd and other tunes in tandem with young Anainah Patel.

"Three months ago, when we were brainstorming doing something different from the function we had at the Seth Jeejeebhoy Dadabhoy Agiary at Colaba last November (which kicked off the 25th year celebration), we realized we did not have the expertise or experience to put up a show like this. Initially I thought Khambata would be too big and busy a person to do this for us, but I didn’t want to give up before trying! I remembered he had been a student at the BJPCI (Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution) for a couple of years and that he might respect his principal (Marfatia was earlier principal at BJPCI) and not refuse!” said Marfatia, thanking Khambata and his dancers, particularly Zeenia Tafti, Pashyn Sethna and Sherzad Wadia. "It is an honor to be a part of HPY,” Khambata responded.

Above (from left): Bakhtawar Dastur, Diana Marfatia, Azmin Mistry with priests, navjote child Zehaan Daruwalla and Cawas Panthaki (extreme right); (above) Zehaan with parents Firdos and Perin and sister Simin

The valedictory function was held on May 28, 2011 at the BJPCI, which has been HPY’s home for 17 consecutive years. The hall was packed, the music pounding and ear-shattering, typical of a teenage event. There were girls in itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny skirts, stylish stilettos and oodles of oomph, boys in an eclectic mix of suits/jeans/baggy trousers with shirts half out, ties loosened in the stifling summer heat. They bonded with whoops and whistles, applauding, singing along, and cheering their mates as the events unfolded on stage.

"I have had the singular good fortune of seeing HPY through each of its 25 years,” stated Marfatia, who was the Programme’s facilitator for the first two years, chief coordinator for 20 and mentor for the last three years. "The camaraderie among the youth will carry on for the rest of their lives. This is the best program. I hope it celebrates its 50th year,” stated BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta. In the chair for the closing function, Mehta introduced the guest of honor Cawas Billimoria, noted Olympian and Arjuna Award winner in judo. "‘Dare to dream... Learn to excel’ is the motto of the Dhirubhai Ambani International School where I teach (Billimoria is the sports director at the school). I dared to dream by making judo my career… and became among the best judokas in the world because my mom taught me that 40 years ago (to take up the career he wished),” Billimoria narrated. "There were quite a few family members who discouraged me… but today I thank them as they were spurring me even harder to excel.” Initially, he was the worst in his judo club, Billimoria went on, but Sensei Pervez Mistry never gave up on him. "I did not win a single medal in competitions from 1973-78 nor was I ever in the top marks when the results of the belt grading were announced. I did not even know that judo was a sport at the Olympic level. I did not realize then that hard and sensible practice of judo not only transformed my physique from fat to fit (perhaps very, very fit in those days) but that physical transformation made me more self confident, instilled self discipline and raised my self esteem.”

Billimoria narrated the inspirational story of how he turned passion into profession. It was while he was pursuing his articles for chartered accountancy that the young man became the national judo champion for the first time in Calcutta. On the way back, a colleague told him to give up judo as there was no scope. "The Judo Federation of India at that time was not even recognized by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Ministry of Sports, forget the Judo Union of Asia and the International Judo Federation. I told him I will participate in all (events) and win medals for India. The late Dosu Ghandhy, father of my dear friend Darius, introduced me to the most charming and action oriented person, our late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was then the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee,” Billimoria told his young audience. He met Gandhi in May 1984 and by December the Judo Federation of India had obtained recognition from both the IOC and the sports ministry. "I proved to the officials of the Judo Federation of India that I could do in six months what they could not for 20 years,” Billimoria narrated.

The following year the strapping six-footer raised with difficulty enough finance for a three-month training stint at the Kodokan Institute (the mecca of judo) in Tokyo. Shortly before his scheduled return to India, he broke the fifth metatarsal (the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the little toe): "I could not return a weaker fighter so I extended my visa and in spite of my broken foot started serving in an Indian restaurant called Maharaja… I got my meals free and Rs 80 an hour which was enough to pay my room fees at the Kodokan. My boss at the hotel did not know my foot was broken because I borrowed an Afghan friend’s size 17 shoes in which my foot fitted with my bandage!”

Organizers bring out the best with the HPY Song

In 1986, the Indian team returned from the Seoul Asian Games with four bronze medals. The BPP and the Tata Trust had been among those who sponsored his training. The late Jamshed Bhabha, then chairman of the Trust, introduced him to Tata Steel head honcho Russi Mody. "Within two months I was a proud employee of Tata Steel where I had a very fulfilling career for 16 years,” he stated. Yet, despite the Asian Games bronze and a gold at the South Asian Games, "I was denied a chance to represent India at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. I was mentally broken for at least five months but I immersed myself even harder in training and continued winning at the nationals (he had an unbroken 10-year reign as national champion), Commonwealth and South Asian Games. I was finally a part of the Indian contingent to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992,” the judoka narrated.

Set your eyes on your goals, he advised. "…do not sit back and think that being a Parsi it is your birthright that Mehta and his team of (BPP) trustees must provide you with (a home). Do not borrow money mindlessly for hot bikes and cars as they lose half their value as soon as one drives them out of the showroom,” he declared.

Mehta introduced chief guest Homi Ranina as an eminent lawyer and chartered accountant, an expert in taxation. "What Mehta did not tell you was that I was a BPP trustee. In 1987, Mehroo Bengalee was a co-trustee when we started HPY. I am simply delighted… and immensely proud of you,” Ranina said. "The BPP is not just a charitable trust; it is a unique organization… for the young and old, rich and poor. Parsis have grown to expect a lot, but the time has come to give back to this organization,” he asserted.

Betting big on India, Ranina prophesied that this country would be a super power. The western world is declining, he believed, and the obsession of the Parsis in migrating to the West was irrational. "You will get the full benefit of India’s progress and success. We (Parsis) are few in number, but even one man can make a difference. When Chris Gayle (prolific West Indian batsman) performs, his team wins (in the Indian Premier League). Keep that in mind. Always obey your parents, look after the community and its institutions.”

Thereafter it was time once again for the young ones to make a song and dance – bindaas about break-dance, Bollywood and a band called Dee’s Company! "Success means doing what’s right, the right way, at the right time. That’s what the OC (organizing committee) has done,” said Sharmeen Vazifdar, who won the Literary Arts All-Rounder title this year. Tehemton Khairabadi and Urveez Kakalia were Mr HPY and Ms HPY; Ushain Satta and Parinaz Irani were the respective runners-up. Satta was also the best sportsperson. Xerxes Bharda was the best male model, Zarah Lakdawala and Zara Antalia were the best female models. Delzad Doctor ruled the ramp as best male cat walker; Khushnaz Batlivala was the feminine counterpart. Four boys — Anosh Amaria, Zehan Irani, Rubin Talati and Doctor — swept the stakes as best participant in each group, leaving the girls behind! The Piroja Fali Forbes Award for securing 94.57 percent in the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) examination in March 2010 went to Khushmeen Sakloth. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet Award for scoring 93.38 percent at the SSC (Secondary School Certificate) examination last March was won by Anainah Patel.

"I have to admit that planning the 25 year celebrations was a Herculean task. And when you are enrolled in a hectic educational course (BEd) it is important to strike the right balance. I’d missed out on over a month of college due to an accident in November,” Azmin Mistry told Parsiana. (Mistry, Huzan Forbes and Khorram Siodia were burnt on the face and hands when a few helium balloons burst during rehearsals the night before HPY’s special event at the Colaba Agiary). "But I believe God had a plan too… He knew I had a good team to motivate me and that the BPP would be there to support me. I’ve heard a lot lately from the elders of the community that our Parsi youth is lethargic and complacent. My personal experience has been quite the contrary.”

"Every batch just plunges into everything planned for them and does not cease to amaze me!” Marfatia told us. "One difference noticed is that with every passing year, the students are a little more defiant of authority and don’t think much of breaking rules, as they find rules a bit stifling and unnecessary. But having said that, it has not yet assumed any alarming levels. With some patience and explaining from our side, they all toe the line… in terms of involvement and hard work.” Having heard murmurs from parents of outstation children that, after HPY, the children are insisting they want to join college in Bombay and not back home, we ask Marfatia for her response. "Such issues have not been openly brought out to us. If they are, we can definitely talk to the concerned participants and their families and work out what’s best for all concerned, as well as generally address all outstation participants cautioning them and telling them something to the effect that ‘all that glitters is not gold’ and give them a more realistic picture of this (life in Bombay),” Marfatia replies.

As HPY moves ahead in the tunnel of time, the organizers believe the best is still to come. "There are so many aspects of personality development that we are yet to tap and we shall focus all our energies into doing that, starting next year,” says the chief coordinator. The OC must ensure, however, that in the rat race for success, the community renowned for its sense of fair play, tolerance and truthfulness retains its sense of balance and stability as the children move from being learners to leaders.