A helping hand

"I am not from the Cama, Petit or Jejeebhoy families,” declared Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship candidate Anahita Desai addressing a gathering on June 4 at Gamadia Colony. "But I have a strong connection with the Patels, Shroffs and Daruwallas,” she said to loud applause, shouts of "hip hip hurray” and "well done” from the partisan crowds, a large portion of them reportedly being the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) supporters from outside the south Bombay colony.

"I am a grassroots worker, that’s what I am,” said the 46-year-old wife of BPP sitting trustee Yazdi Desai. "I am accessible, I am approachable. My phone is never off. My mobile number is printed on the WAPIZ Page. Is it as easy to get in touch with (the opposition candidate) Munchi Cama (shouts of ‘no, no’)?” Muncherji Cama says "I’m a housewife and a social worker, young and inexperienced. He (Cama) says that the Punchayet (board) already has two social workers (Arnavaz Mistry and Armaity Tirandaz). I beg to differ. I am a social activist — for the past 11 years. I have the confidence to take on matters… I am a traditionalist.”

Above (from left): Anahita Desai, Homi Ranina, Khojeste Mistree and Binaifer Sahukar; (below) the audience sheltered under umbrellas at Jer Baug Photo: Dolly Divecha

"I liaise with the representatives of the baugs and also the representatives from the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI). This is more than just being a social worker,” she asserted. Noting that she had received endorsements from the four high priests, anjuman presidents, four of the five vice presidents of the FPZAI and "people from all walks of life, I feel honored, touched. This is proof that I am not just a housewife.

"Who do you want in the BPP? They need like minded persons. (BPP trustee) Jimmy Mistry is supporting my candidature because…(I) will work with him to take forward the projects the BPP has started.”

She referred to her successful legal battle to prevent development of the Kappawalla Agiary complex. "I fought and won the case.”

"When Noshir Dadrawala resigned many people came to me and said, ‘Tu kai nathi ubhi rehti (why don’t you stand)?’ Why not? I thought it made sense. I know the BPP, I have a rapprochement with the staff. I know the working. You can do so much more as a trustee. What I could not do from outside, I could do from inside. The baug associations need friends. I love to do this (liaise with them). The BPP should allot funds so they could conduct some activities… Most baug custodians are demotivated. They feel their job is only to collect rents. I don’t think the trustees even see the grievance books at the baugs… This is due to the constraints of time” the trustees face. The BPP, she claimed, "was understaffed...

"In housing I am in total agreement with the BPP housing policy,” she said referring to the cross subsidy schemes of the BPP where money from the sale of high value ownership buildings subsidizes housing for disadvantaged income groups. She favored the rights of tenants cashing in on their tenancies. "I am not a person diametrically opposed” to the BPP housing policy, she said alluding to Cama.

Cama, she alleged, was a part of the Adult Franchise for Progress (AFP) panel in the 2008 BPP trusteeship elections, the first to be contested under adult franchise (Cama says he only used their platform as all the venues were booked by the time he announced his candidature. In fact, he had first offered to stand as a WAPIZ candidate but was refused — editors). WAPIZ had opposed adult franchise favoring the erstwhile indirect and restrictive Anjuman Committee system. The AFP platform militated against the BPP housing program. "Will such a person (Cama) work harmoniously” with the present trustees? (Shouts of "no, no” from the audience.)

She spoke of trustees Yazdi and Jimmy’s corporate approach to management and their dreams for computerizing the working of the BPP. She referred to BPP trustee Khojeste Mistree as being "a religious scholar,” with Arnavaz Mistry and Tirandaz assisting in the workings of the trust. "Do we need anyone else? Who do we need? (Shouts of ‘Anahita Desai.’)

"If the BPP board is the architect, I am the contractor,” said Desai stressing on the need to follow up on projects. "That is my forte… Let me be a pair of hands to help them. I have time, I have given my whole life” to the service of the community. "Give me that chance to serve.” (Audience: "We will give you.”)

"Vibrant person”

When searching for the "most suitable person” to contest the BPP election "the only person we could think of was Anahita Desai,” said former BPP trustee and WAPIZ founder trustee Homi Ranina addressing the gathering. "She is a young, energetic and vibrant person. Just because she is the wife of a sitting trustee does not mean she is disqualified. She is committed to the cause of traditionalism. WAPIZ was created because of the mischief of the liberals” wanting to form "a world body of converts. With their greater numbers they would have taken over” our property and assets. "WAPIZ is the only thorn in the liberal side. They call us the Taliban (but) we are a very important organization for the community at this point of time.”

Claiming it was "fashionable to denigrate our traditions and religious values,” Ranina recalled his "ding dong battle with The Bombay Samachar on the subject of mixed marriages. The then editor promoted mixed marriages (he defended the rights of those opting for interfaith marriages — editors). The Bombay Samachar has a reformist bias.” Cama, the chairman and managing director of The Bombay Samachar alleged that it was a family policy not to interfere in editorial policy. But Ranina asked the audience if "you were owners of a newspaper would you permit a diametrically opposite point of view?” (Shouts of "no, no.”)

"Does freedom of expression mean you have a right to denigrate?” he inquired. "The Bombay Samachar and Parsi­ana are consistently running us down. They are making snide remarks and getting away with it.”

The liberals "denigrate our high priests, rituals and traditions. They make fun of Doongerwadi. Yet 95 percent of Parsis still opt for dakhme­nashini.” (Applause)

Another bogey raised against WAPIZ is that "we are out to capture the BPP. Even if Anahita is elected, WAPIZ will have only three out of seven trustees. Even if one trustee is absent the chairman (Dinshaw Mehta) has the casting vote. The BPP does not belong to the seven trustees but to the community. (Applause)

"Anahita spends more time outside the home than at home. Because of her WAPIZ has 4,500 members. We are exceedingly fortunate she is standing. She is available 24x7, 365 days of the year. She loves her religion. The community assets are absolutely safe with her.” (Applause)

(Ranina’s comments as those of Khojeste Mistree in this article are extracted from their talks at Gamadia Colony and Jer Baug on June 3. The Jer Baug meet was cut short due to heavy rains. At Gamadia Colony, a mandap was erected to protect the audience from the elements — editors.)

A section of the audience at the Gamadia Colony meet

"Project after project”

"Anahita is a worker who has implemented projects,” said Mistree. "She has delivered whatever she has touched.” He referred to the heritage status for agiaries in Bombay, the Cama Baug sale of goods by Parsi entrepreneurs, the cleaning of agiaries, the legal battle over the Kappawalla Agiary complex development, the battle at the FPZAI to stop the formation of the proposed world body. "Project after project,” she has undertaken. "You try and do a community project on your own” and you will realize how difficult it is. "If a housewife can do what Anahita has done we should all be housewives.” Anahita is a "a social activist, not someone who just comes and signs cheques… I have not come across a greater dynamo than Anahita Desai. This woman is a bumble bee. She makes me tired. Anahita relates to the aam aadmi (ordinary person). What have those people (the wealthy) done for the poor people, the middle class? The rich don’t need her help. WAPIZ has been dragged into this election unnecessarily. The BPP and WAPIZ outlook is the same,” especially on housing. "What are we grabbing in the BPP?”

Referring to the numerous court cases the BPP was embroiled in due to disputes arising from the actions of the past board, Mistree said, "We won the cases, fatéh thayaa (we were victorious).” He claimed there was "greater transparency” in the BPP now. Regarding housing he said the Punchayet wanted to build two-room flats "not small kholis (tenements)… We need to build as fast as possible.” He stated that noted architect Hafeez Contractor has prepared "redevelopment plans for Nowroz Baug” in Lalbaug. Talks were on with the residents and "certain concerns we are considering. The Albless bungli at Doongerwadi has been renovated and other bunglis would also similarly be done. Judge us at the end of our seven-year term; we are moving in the right direction.” Noting that Anahita "had unstinting support” he asked the audience, "Will you listen to the learned clergy or rabble rousers? See through this mischief.”

A consensual board of representatives "is better than a coalition government. Why vote for somebody not in sync? What has WAPIZ done to the BPP that people criticize us? What have we done to be termed the Taliban? If we were the Taliban, the reformists would be dead because that’s what the Taliban do.”

Referring to the objections to elections being held during the monsoon, Mistree retorted, "If you can hold elections in Kashmir” which was undergoing so much strife, "why not in Bombay during the rains?” The request for postponing the polling "has nothing to do with the rains. It is to prevent someone new coming in.” He referred to the inordinate delay in holding elections after the expiry of BPP trustee Silloo Kavarana and did not want a repeat of that exercise.

Regarding Yazdi and himself not going for the function to felicitate Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in Udvada in April, Mistree said the trustees of the BPP were not officially invited.

"Amar, Akbar, Anthony”

"We miss (former BPP trustee) Rustom Tirandaz,” said compere Binaifer Sahukar. "If he were alive he would be here today,” she said indirectly alluding to the neutral stance in the present election taken by his wife, BPP trustee Armaity. Sahukar stated Anahita "had no time for a social life. The community is everything for her. Her track record is impeccable.” If the liberals had their way "any Amar or Akbar or Anthony could walk into our agiaries.” It was the opposition by WAPIZ and Anahita that prevents this from happening.

She noted Anahita came from a "modest middle class background… Thank God you are a Desai and not a Cama or Wadia. You can relate” to people. She mentioned how Anahita greeted many of the residents of Gamadia Colony and the boys’ hostel by their first names. She moved around the colonies and did not "sit like a big fat potato in the board room.” The allusion was to Cama’s girth. [At his meets Cama responded by stating that shrewd Parsi housewives when shopping for groceries preferred a fat potato to a chimrailu (shrunken) one. A lady in the audience reportedly added that Parsis love potatoes!]

WAPIZ activist Tannaz Parakh alleged that the AFP panel was "a team” and claimed that Cama’s campaign was based on jhoothai (lies). "Cama does not know half the names of the trusts he is on.” If he is on a 100 trusts that means "he spends three days in a year per trust.”

During the question answer session in which several apparently planted queries were asked, one person inquired "why is Dinshaw Mehta opposing Anahita Desai?”

Mistree replied, "We do not understand why Dinshaw Mehta has changed a 180 degrees.” Dinshaw said he would be neutral and go to England during the elections. BPP trustee Arnavaz Mistry also voiced similar sentiments. Mistree added, "Dinshaw said a husband and wife cannot be trustees. We said let the community decide. A democracy means everybody has a right to stand... I don’t know su dushmani chhè (what the enmity is regarding)… We are totally nonplussed why he did a golati (somersault)… He will come back to us is my prayer.” Mistree noted that Cama and his mother Banoo also served together on some trusts.

Parakh observed, "Dinshaw Mehta agreed to work for four WAPIZ candidates in the 2008 election. Why not for three WAPIZ trustees now?” She noted in the last 2008 election also polling was conducted during the rains. "What fuse has gone in the chairman’s mind?”

Gamadia Colony resident Adil Irani who alleged many in the crowd were from outside the Colony noted that in the 2008 election WAPIZ put up four candidates of whom two were elected. Why did WAPIZ not put up Shireen Choksi or Bomi Kavina this time around? Mistree replied they believed Anahita was the most suitable person for the board of trustees as "this time around we need a pair of (helping) hands… a like-minded person.”

Campaign at Godrej Baug

"All of us love our community. But for people like Khojeste Mistree and Anahita Desai I do not know whether it can be called love or obsession,” committed as they are 24x7, declared Binaifer Sahukar when compering the campaign meeting for BPP trusteeship candidate Desai at Godrej Baug on Saturday, June 11, 2011. (The thrust of the main speakers being similar at all their campaign meetings, Parsiana is referring here to issues not tackled earlier.)

She claimed that their "clean election campaign was Anahita centric,” unlike the Muncherji Cama one the previous weekend in Godrej Baug which seemed to thrive on "WAPIZ bashing.”

"If WAPIZ is so bad, so terrible, why did the chairman (Mehta who is supporting Cama) accept our felicitation on April 9?” enquired Mistree. The credit was given to Anahita for organizing the WAPIZ anniversary function when nearly 4,000 members of the community were treated to dinner and other events like the felicitation organized by the BPP for the Chief Justice of India Sarosh Kapadia. "She is the guardian of so many people,” conveyed Mistree revealing that she and Yazdi must have "given from their own pocket over a crore to our community members.” (That they personally augment the salary of the mobed in Belgaum was attested by Cdre Medioma Bhada, a resident of Godrej Baug. Mistree used to represent Belgaum at FPZAI meetings till he was elected a BPP trustee.)

"It is very easy to promise the moon. Our campaign is a clean campaign. We don’t have frills and fancies…We don’t give microwaves,” continued Mistree referring to Cama’s sponsorship of two microwave ovens (Since the day of his campaign meeting in Godrej Baug coincided with the housie evening originally scheduled for the residents, Cama had sponsored the prizes.)

Parakh, who introduced herself as a member of "Team Anahita,” urged the gathering "to clear your doubts regarding WAPIZ bashing. Don’t go home with any doubts.” But Godrej Baug residents had few queries; the issues on which clarifications were purportedly sought were all apparently raised by WAPIZ supporters:

Did the Doongerwadi staff members genuinely attest Desai’s candidature? According to Desai, they willingly put their signature to express their confidence in her but were caught in a dilemma when their jobs were at stake under threat by BPP chairman Mehta. After consulting her they publicly distanced themselves from her campaign. But their true loyalties will be known on election day, the audience was told. Declared Ranina, "It only shows what an authoritarian he (Mehta) is. He’s nobody; only one of seven trustees and has no business to do that.”

He further proceeded to issue an explanation following fellow WAPIZ trustee Dr Mehroo Bengalee’s letter to the Press that she had not put her signature to Anahita’s candidature as would appear from an endorsement letter circulated by WAPIZ. According to Ranina, although Bengalee had clarified that during her term as representative on the National Minorities Commission she did not want to be involved in community politics, they assumed that since she had stepped down from that responsibility they could use her facsimile signature on the document jointly endorsed by the WAPIZ executives. "Even my signature was not taken,” he continued. "We’ll hereafter ensure that her name will not appear” unless prior consent is sought.

Another premeditated query regarding WAPIZ’s absence from the Narendra Modi felicitation function at Udvada gave Mistree a chance to voice his displeasure with Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada. In the renegade priests’ case, on the last day the reformists had shored up their case with a document wherein Dastoor had stated in an interview that there is no defrocking of priests in the Zoroastrian religion. "I personally think that was one of the most important reasons why we lost our case,” noted Mistree peeved that Dastoor had along with three other high priests endorsed Framroze Mirza’s expulsion in April 2010 and taken a U-turn within the next two months in his interview in Canada. "What was the point of WAPIZ going there when we feel hurt by what’s said?” asked Mistree, adding, "We respect the Iranshah and the holy fire. We don’t have to wear our religion on our sleeves. Just because we don’t go to the salgirah doesn’t mean we have committed a heinous crime… We are independent people. We have every right to do what we want.”

Yet another WAPIZ supporter Bakhtawar Karbhari, a lawyer residing in Godrej Baug, described Cama as a candidate who has "money, power and his hobby is to litigate. If we have such a trustee, God help the BPP.” Referring to Cama supporter Frahnak Contractor’s statement that you can judge a person from the company he keeps, Karbhari declared that Cama is "a very good friend of Berjis Desai (who writes the "Parsi Tari Arsi” column in The Bombay Samachar).” With his liberal views he has antagonized the orthodox camp making Karbhari remark, Berjis "is no friend of the community.” She then faulted Cama who as president of the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute was attempting to dismiss the "60-year-old tenancy” of the Rahnumae Mazdayasnan Sabha (RMS) "as a leave and licence agreement.” She may have been muddled up with the name of the organization but she managed to forewarn the Godrej Baug residents that were Cama to become trustee "your statutory tenancy can be terminated and you can be made a licensee.” (Cama states the RMS was "merely given permission to use a portion of our offices off and on” — editors.)

Her statements were supported by Marzban Giara who summed up, "Imagine what he’ll do if he’s elected trustee.” Giara had also asserted that he knew from experience during his brief stint of writing the "Parsi Tari Arsi” column in the Samachar that the Camas as proprietors did not practice the policy of non-interference in editorial matters (as Cama claimed when Berjis was criticized for advocating the liberal cause in the Samachar) but made sure that his reportage of events concerning Mistree and the late Lt Gen Adi Sethna, president of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman, were censored.

An earlier statement that Cama has lost count of the number of trusts where he is trustee was misconstrued by Mistree as "He doesn’t know the names of trusts where he is trustee. I think it’s a shame (indicating) that a person doesn’t have time to uphold the duty of what trusteeship is all about.”

A statement from the opposition camp that "Anahita is just a housewife,” made many of her supporters see red: Stated Ranina, "You all know how Parsi women are. They are extremely independent. I don’t think a Parsi wife can be dominated by her husband.” Declared Sahukar, "What is wrong in being a homemaker? In making sure that you don’t have a dysfunctional family?” Khushroo Dubash tried instigating the ladies, "Each and every house has a housewife. If she is insulted, each and every housewife should show it on the voting paper” at election time.

Dubash who claimed to have applied to the Garib Zarthostiona Rehethan Fund for a house in 1998 remarked that Cama’s sudden invitation for housing applications on the eve of elections is just an eyewash. "He’s making a fool of you. He’s asking for mercy votes. Vote for the right candidate and not for the one who’s making wrong promises.”

Desai’s strengths as listed by her supporters are: "She is dedicated, competent, dynamic, young, energetic... She is a worker, not a shirker nor a quitter who will run away when people criticize.” Her "amazing hospitality” was stressed by Rustom Havewalla the first time he spoke. The second time he appreciated that her opponents could not find a single skeleton in her cupboard. The third time he rose to speak, many from the audience had vacated their chairs.

"Even one vote can change the game from here to there,” stressed Sahukar. Instructing the voters to carry their original registration certificate as also photo identity if their certificate does not bear their photograph, on behalf of WAPIZ she promised support in procuring a duplicate certificate if the original is lost, transport for the voter to the election venue, and reminded the audience that voting is by secret ballot.

(Godrej Baug report by Parinaz M. Gandhi)