Camaraderie in Canada

A lady priest from Iran and 12 mobeds from around the world joined Ervad Soli Dastur in a jashan at the launch of the 5th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in British Columbia on July 1, 2011. The prayer recitation was accompanied by a translation to make the benediction meaningful for the 542 youth who had registered for the Youth Congress. A multicultural Zoroastrian community bound by a common religion exemplified the theme of the Congress – "Building Bridges across Oceans.” Celebrating Parsipanu and Iranigiri in good humor at the Vancouver Congress were 200 participants from USA, 168 from Canada, 90 from Iran, 29 from the UK, 23 from Australia, 15 from India, six from the UAE, five from Pakistan, four from New Zealand, and one each from the Netherlands and Sweden.

The rendition of the Canadian national anthem by Meher Pavri followed by the recitation of prayers by some Canadians set the tone for the grand inaugural event at the University of British Columbia’s Chan Centre. A message of admiration from one of the Canadian dignitaries commenting, "Yours is a very good looking community,” earned a thunderous applause from the audience that numbered nearly a thousand.

(Top): Zain Mavalvalla (Above): Ervad Soli Dastur and priests at inaugural jashan; (alongside) Shiamak Davar’s dance troupe

Congress chair Zain Mavalvalla welcomed the participants whilst Homi Italia, president of the Zoroastrian Society of British Columbia (ZSBC) traced the story of the association’s growth from its humble beginnings to its present strength of 1,500. Emphasizing the practice of good thoughts, words and deeds in our daily lives, he was particularly appreciative of the support they have received from the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA). The heroes who worked behind the scene to make it all happen, from lifting heavy boxes all through the night to ushering guests early the next morning earned a special felicitation: Shiraz Italia, Nazneen and Farzad Kasad, Kayras Irani, Delna Contractor, Narius Dastur, Cyrus Dastur, Cyrus Mizan, Armin and Mehernaz Buzorg, Benafsha Kapadia, Yohan Irani, Burjis and Nianaaz Darabna and Eddie Madon.

Guests at the opening ceremony were entertained with a musical by Vista Tretheway, Manek Mavalvalla and the children of the Zoroastrian Study Class who gave a breathtaking performance ‘I Believe.’ Whilst Fred Sarkari recounted inspiring stories in English that brought tears to the eyes of many, Dr Alayar Dabestani did the same through his Farsi speech that made the Iranian delegation cheer in rhythm to the words ‘Mobarakhe-Mobarakhe.’ The power packed event drew to a close with the crowd dancing to the movements of Shiamak Davar’s dance troupe, trying to keep step with the performers on stage.

The afternoon session on the first day was devoted to Speed Friendship where the participant turnover was so high that coordinators were unable to keep track of the head count. Friendships were forged later that evening as members danced on the decks of two catamarans that cruised into the sunset. As darkness enveloped the sea, participants witnessed bright lights on the horizon as Canada Day fireworks lit up the cloudy sky.

Before many of the young Zoroastrians even woke up the next day, joint panelists Ervad Soli Dastur, Sarosh Collector, Zeeba Kayani, Simone Balsara and Nahid Dashtaki began their session. Subjects ranging from the future of Zoroastrianism to cultural barriers within the community were debated upon. One of the key issues emphasized was the problem of translation for members from Iran who had difficulty understanding English. In the midst of these discussions participants were treated to a rap song and dance by Zoroastrians from Australia. During the second round of discussions, Nergis Mavalvala, Anosh Irani and Narges Nirum­wala inspired the audience as Delna Contractor prodded them to relate their life experiences.

On the second day of brain storming sessions participants were divided into groups on the basis of their occupation. This activity not only helped them connect professionally with one another but also gave them an insight into their res­pective fields.

The latter half of the second day was spent at Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain. When waiting for their buses participants from Iran performed graceful Persian dances. From enjoying lumberjack shows to rope-railing over frozen valleys, youngsters had new experiences high in the Rockies.

Audience at the University of British Columbia’s Chan Centre

The third day of the Congress began with a session by Dr Jenny Rose who brought to light the pioneering spirit of early Parsis from Bombay through their interactions with merchants from Massachusetts. She not only presented evidence of such links but also gave an insight into how Sassanian and Parsi designs possibly influenced American textile works and headgear. Benafsha Engineer of UK took on the day’s second session with discussions on what constituted Zoroastrianism. This resulted in a debate on whether rituals really played a role in the religion.

Perhaps the most crucial session of the morning was that by a panel of doctors who educated participants about medical conditions that afflict the community. Dr Shirin Abadi provided an insight into cancer while Dr Babak Kalantari elaborated on different stages of breast cancer. Finally, Dr Farah Shroff concluded the event by stressing on the need to further research and document medical problems facing the community. In an act of gratitude, all in the hall sang aloud the song We Will Rock You.

Post lunch, participants readied for the Amazing Race when they were split into groups and made to scout all over the University of British Columbia in search of clues. Finally, the day drew to a close on the shores of Spanish Banks East Beach where the coastline seemed to be flooded by a new species — young Zoroastrians, a sight seldom seen!

As friendships were forged and bonds began to strengthen, the Congress approached its final day when Dinyar Patel presented his study on demographics. The belief that we Zoroastrians are low on fertility, was rubbished by Patel who pointed out the main reason for our low birth rate was late marriages and not genetics. Patel’s research not only gave an insight into the future of our community but also stressed on the need to ignore irrelevant issues and focus on reversing the population decline. During her session, Monaz Dalal [youth coordinator, World Zoroastrian Organisation(WZO)] urged the audience to overlook the Parsi/Irani divide and concentrate on being Zoroastrians instead. She illustrated the power of the internet as a tool for networking and finding soul mates. Dalal further shared the contributions of WZO towards the upliftmeant of rural Zoroastrians.

The final morning session provided an open platform for delegates from organizations around the world to showcase their activities, share developments and strategies for the future. Parmis Behmardi and Shirin Mistry represented ZSBC-Canada, Malcolm Desai and Hoshang Gotla, ZYNG (Zoroastrian Youth for the Next Generation) India, Armin Balsara, Victoria-Australia, Parva Namiranian, Behzad Jamasbi and Ramin Shahzadi, Tehran, Nastaran Tashakor, Yazd, Parmis Khatibi, Monaz Dalal and Benafsha Engineer, WZO and Zubin Mistry representing Next Generation Network.

The Vancouver Congress saw its end in a banquet hall fit for royalty. With a red carpet welcome and tables tastefully decorated, the "Stars of the Future” Gala event was a night that will be remembered. Once the crowd settled into their seats, hosts of the Zoroastrian Olympics 2012, Toronto presented their plans. A formal handover also took place with members from New Zealand giving a sneak peek into the next Youth Congress scheduled to be held in their country in 2014. Kayras Irani of Vancou­ver then took the audience by storm by dancing to Teach Me How To Kasti with Farzad Kasad singing along. At the evening of dance and song participants hit the floor to live music played by the Famous Players’ Band. As time passed by and buses ferried members back to their University apartments, for many the night had yet begun. From sunset to sunrise participants partied like there was no tomorrow, making the most of the limited hours they had together to ensure the memories would last them a lifetime.

Farzan Mazda is a youth representative of the UNESCO Parzor project and is co-convener of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Dahanu chapter). His presence at the Congress was possible thanks to the support of Dr Shernaz Cama, Firdosh Mehta and Bucky Amaria. For this write-up he received inputs from Shiraz Italia, Delna Contractor and Mehernaz Buzorg.