Ten successful scholars

Aware of the value of education the farsighted Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata gave so others could learn. Founded in 1892 with a fund of 25 lakhs, The Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Education Scholarship evolved into The Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians in 1939. This year there were 10 Zoroastrian students among the 127 awardees for scholarships to study abroad, communicated trust director Dr Nawaz B. Mody to Parsiana. As in mainstream academics women are often toppers, so too in the case of the Tata scholars, six of the 10 are women. Nine are from Bombay and one from Ahme­dabad. "The number of Parsi applicants for the J. N. Tata Loan Scholarships has remained the same this year at 22 (2.53 percent),” notes Mody.

Universities in the UK and USA were the favored places for further studies, the subjects ranging from educational leadership and administration, industrial engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, international tourism and hotel management, business administration, musculoskeletal therapy, fine arts, health and rehabilitation sciences, pharmaceutical science, management science and operation research.

Benevolent benefactor Jamsetjee Tata; Trust director Dr Nawaz Mody

Zoroastrian awardees

Standing first in the University of Mumbai in history after completing her Bachelor of Arts in 2010, Piroja Kamal Hoshang Boman went on to do her BEd in history and English. Her alma maters were St Xavier’s Institution of Education and St Xavier’s College. Educational Leadership and Administration is her chosen subject for her masters degree which she will do at the Hofstra University in New York, USA. She plans to "set up a chain of schools in rural India which will impart quality education to the children who cannot afford it” after acquiring work experience as a teacher and administrator.

Wanting to pursue a full-time masters degree in industrial engineering, Neville Sarosh Dastoor has not yet made up his mind on his choice of university. He is armed with a BTech degree in production engineering from Bom­bay’s VJTI (Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute).

Tata toppers (clockwise from top left): Piroja Boman, Neville Dastoor, Meher Ichhaporia, Meher Marfatia, Tushna Patel, Darayus Vakil, Farhana Sakloth, Farah Mulla, Karl Kolah and Jeraz Engineer

The sole awardee from Ahmedabad is Jeraz Engineer, an alumnus of St Xavier’s High School and the Charotar Institute of Technology from where he earned his engineering degree. He has secured admission at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. He is also the recipient of the Achievement Award for New Engineering Graduate Students Scholarship. On his return to India the young engineer "plans to serve his country by contributing to its technological advancement.”

Aspiring to be a part of "the thriving tourism industry” of her country is Meher Dhunji Ichhaporia. She completed her BCom degree from the M. M. K. College of Commerce and Economics. With specialized training in ticketing and travel and tourism she will be pursuing a masters degree in International Tourism and Hotel Management at UK’s Middle­sex University.

Karl Hoshi Kolah completed his schooling from the Christ Church School and graduated from H. R. College of Commerce and Economics. He went on to acquire a master’s in commerce from the University of Mumbai and has since gained work experience as an investor relations executive with Citigate Dewe Rogerson Private Limited. Kolah has chosen Lancester University in the UK to do his MBA. To "rejoin his firm and play an important role in client acquisition, forecasting and senior level financial consultancy” are the youth’s future plans.

After passing out from the J. B. Petit High School, Meher Kaiyomarz Marfatia completed her bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy from the Seth G. S. Medical College, Bombay. She will specialize in musculoskeletal physical therapy from USA’s University of Pittsburgh. On her return Marfatia plans to "apply the knowledge and skills she has gained to improve the lives of patients in India.”

Anglia Ruskin University in UK is the choice of Farah Viraf Mulla who will do her masters in fine arts where she hopes to achieve her objective "of learning and sharing art, improving her understanding of the field and developing her skills in art.” After graduating with a science degree from the St Xavier’s College in 2002 specializing in geology, Mulla took a year off to rediscover her love for art and realized that it was the right vocation for her. The young artist also has a solo exhibition to her credit.

An alumnus of the Activity High School and the Sancheti Institute of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation (which is affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in Nashik), Tushna Framji Patel is headed to the University of Pittsburgh, USA to pursue a masters in health and rehabilitation sciences. Planning to specialize in musculoskeletal sciences, the young scholar "constantly strives to make a better life for the physically challenged and bring them hope when conventional medicine is just not enough.”

"India is rapidly developing into a pharmacy powerhouse and will soon emerge as one of the top research countries in the world” believes Farhana Tehmurasp Sakloth. Having schooled at the J. B. Petit and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the Principal K. M. Kundnani College of Pharmacy, Sakloth has now secured admission for a PhD in pharmaceutical science specializing in medical chemistry at the Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. She is fortunate to have received a full tuition waiver and a teaching assistantship in the first year of her studies.

After finishing his schooling at the Cathedral and John Connon School and his bachelor’s in science from the St Xavier’s College, Bombay, Darayus Rustom Vakil now plans to pursue his masters in management science and operation research at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Armed with this knowledge Vakil hopes to "work with people in different fields with different business challenges and use the necessary analytical skills and tools to help them to tackle complex organizational situations.”