Editorial Viewpoint
Behind closed doors
The ZSO (Zoroastrian Society of Ontario) Newsletter for the month of May 2012 carries a report of a vote taken on reconstruction of the community’s darbe mehr at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held on April 22, 2012. The 150 members attending the EGM had to vote on whether to “immediately proceed with the required demolition and construction of the new darbe mehr at the present site; currently estimated at a cost of seven million dollars (Rs 37 crores) plus or minus five percent.”
Though the vote was 50.75 percent in favor, the resolution “did not achieve the 75 percent of ‘For’ votes required that were necessary for the resolution to be carried.” Of the total 333 votes cast, 183 were apparently proxy votes. Thirty-one votes were declared “invalid proxies/votes.”
A second resolution authorizing the executive committee “to borrow an amount not exceeding 10 percent of the final construction cost for the completion of the Building Project” was not voted on and “deemed null and void.”
While this particular Newsletter does not state the background, or the pros and cons of the resolution or why the votes were invalidated, earlier newsletters focused on the proposal. Another darbe mehr in Toronto, the capital of Ontario province, belonging to the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation caters to the burgeoning and geographically distributed community located in the west of the city. The two groups had some differences in the past with one stating there was no need for a second darbe mehr and the other pointing out the inconvenience caused to members who have to travel great distances to attend events.
ZSO felt the old structure was inadequate and needed to be reconstructed and enlarged. Whether the vote cast was right or wrong or in the best interests of the Ontario community may be debatable. Colossal efforts were put in to raise funds for the project. The rejection must have been heartbreaking for the votaries of the ambitious redevelopment. But what is noteworthy is that the rank and file of the community decided the issue. The ZSO functioned in a truly democratic manner.
During the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship election campaign of 2008, the first time adult franchise was introduced to the Bombay community, several candidates promised to build hundreds if not thousands of flats “to wipe the tear from every eye” of all those on the housing waiting list.
A grandiose scheme was envisioned for redeveloping Nowroz Baug (NB) in Lalbaug, the first Wadia baug to be constructed in Bombay. Some of the existing three or four storied buildings were to be torn down and towering high rises were to be constructed in their place. These towers were to not only re-house existing tenants but also accommodate new entrants from elsewhere.
Occasionally one would hear BPP trustees or officials complain about recalcitrant, selfish, obstructionist tenants who blocked the project. No public explanation stating the pros and cons of the project was offered to the community. Reportedly no meeting of all the NB tenants has ever been called by the BPP. An ad hoc group favoring the plan held a meeting. A letter dated May 9, 2012 from BPP chief executive officer Mehli Colah addressed to the “Core Group, Nowroz Baug Redevelopment Group” which was circulated to all the tenants concluded with a warning: “Please note that your buildings are over 100 years old and some of them will shortly be beyond economical repairs. The (BPP) board has therefore decided that if the occupants do not desire to have reconstruction of their old buildings then the future cost of repairs will not be shared by the BPP.”
In those instances of constructing an ownership building for affluent Parsis at Godrej Baug the BPP was not duty bound to consult the existing tenants of the colony. But the trustees should have done so to allay any apprehensions the residents may harbor.
The Godrej Baug land forms part of the Doongerwadi estate and the residents have to live with the stench emanating from the dakhmas. Now they will have to put up with more flashy cars and well-to-do children frolicking in a swimming pool that will bar entry to their children.
In the cases where the BPP has leased land for ownership buildings such as Aderbad, Spenta and others, only in the case of Shahnazeen situated in Khareghat Colony has the lease been transferred to the housing society.
Occasionally in BPP Chairman Dinshaw Mehta’s “message” in the monthly BPP Review a passing reference may be made to a project but if one scans the rest of the magazine for particulars none will be found.
The “message” in the April 2012 issue talks about a corpus being created for the priests with each full-time practicing mobed assured a monthly income of not less than Rs 20,000. Whether this is the same plan that industrialist Nusli Wadia floated and which was to be headed by Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal or whether it has any connection to BPP trustee Jimmy Mistry’s Parsi Resource Group mobed mediclaim project or some other scheme is not known.
The “message” states, “the BPP has decided on further schemes and incentives to assure our priests security and a decent livelihood…initially it is proposed to set aside Rs 1 crore for these subsidies.” There appear to be more schemes afloat to assist the priests than there are mobeds in the community. And still the male offspring of priests are discouraged — often by their parents — from becoming mobeds. This is a classic example of believing that any problem can be resolved if one just throws enough money in it. Instead of study and analysis, reliance is placed on a ‘hope’ that athornans will be attracted to the profession by larger emoluments.
The “message” goes on to note a proposed visit by Mehta and BPP trustee Khojeste Mistree to attend a two-day scientific symposium to be held in Delhi by the Central Zoo Authority, Government of India on May 3 and 4 to discuss a vulture breeding project. Subsequent unofficial reports on the seminar claim two aviaries are envisioned, one at Doongerwadi and the other at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli. If the plan fructifies, veterinary surgeons, ornithologists, technicians, accountants, administrative personnel, labor and so on will presumably have to be employed at both centers. In the May 2012 issue “message,” Mehta promises to “share in detail” the information garnered at the two-day meet.
Doongerwadi is complex enough as it is with solar panels and an ozone plant; parts of the estate resemble an industrial site. Already Doongerwadi entails a loss of one-and-a-half to two crore rupees annually or around Rs 25,000 per corpse. How much higher is this subsidy going to rise? Shouldn’t the community have a say on the new venture? Should there not be a cap on expenditure? Why cannot those who opt for alternative means of disposal be permitted use of the bunglis, several of which lie vacant on most days?
And what is happening on the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress? With a year and a half left for the event not a single public announcement has been made of the venue, program, charges, speakers, topics of discussion...
It is only at the time of elections or annual anjuman meets — assuming they are held at all — that the lay person comes to know a little of the secretive working of this “public” trust. The trustees could draw a lesson from the ZSO and learn that the key to leadership is empowering others.
Though the vote was 50.75 percent in favor, the resolution “did not achieve the 75 percent of ‘For’ votes required that were necessary for the resolution to be carried.” Of the total 333 votes cast, 183 were apparently proxy votes. Thirty-one votes were declared “invalid proxies/votes.”
A second resolution authorizing the executive committee “to borrow an amount not exceeding 10 percent of the final construction cost for the completion of the Building Project” was not voted on and “deemed null and void.”
While this particular Newsletter does not state the background, or the pros and cons of the resolution or why the votes were invalidated, earlier newsletters focused on the proposal. Another darbe mehr in Toronto, the capital of Ontario province, belonging to the Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation caters to the burgeoning and geographically distributed community located in the west of the city. The two groups had some differences in the past with one stating there was no need for a second darbe mehr and the other pointing out the inconvenience caused to members who have to travel great distances to attend events.
ZSO felt the old structure was inadequate and needed to be reconstructed and enlarged. Whether the vote cast was right or wrong or in the best interests of the Ontario community may be debatable. Colossal efforts were put in to raise funds for the project. The rejection must have been heartbreaking for the votaries of the ambitious redevelopment. But what is noteworthy is that the rank and file of the community decided the issue. The ZSO functioned in a truly democratic manner.
During the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship election campaign of 2008, the first time adult franchise was introduced to the Bombay community, several candidates promised to build hundreds if not thousands of flats “to wipe the tear from every eye” of all those on the housing waiting list.
A grandiose scheme was envisioned for redeveloping Nowroz Baug (NB) in Lalbaug, the first Wadia baug to be constructed in Bombay. Some of the existing three or four storied buildings were to be torn down and towering high rises were to be constructed in their place. These towers were to not only re-house existing tenants but also accommodate new entrants from elsewhere.
Occasionally one would hear BPP trustees or officials complain about recalcitrant, selfish, obstructionist tenants who blocked the project. No public explanation stating the pros and cons of the project was offered to the community. Reportedly no meeting of all the NB tenants has ever been called by the BPP. An ad hoc group favoring the plan held a meeting. A letter dated May 9, 2012 from BPP chief executive officer Mehli Colah addressed to the “Core Group, Nowroz Baug Redevelopment Group” which was circulated to all the tenants concluded with a warning: “Please note that your buildings are over 100 years old and some of them will shortly be beyond economical repairs. The (BPP) board has therefore decided that if the occupants do not desire to have reconstruction of their old buildings then the future cost of repairs will not be shared by the BPP.”
In those instances of constructing an ownership building for affluent Parsis at Godrej Baug the BPP was not duty bound to consult the existing tenants of the colony. But the trustees should have done so to allay any apprehensions the residents may harbor.
The Godrej Baug land forms part of the Doongerwadi estate and the residents have to live with the stench emanating from the dakhmas. Now they will have to put up with more flashy cars and well-to-do children frolicking in a swimming pool that will bar entry to their children.
In the cases where the BPP has leased land for ownership buildings such as Aderbad, Spenta and others, only in the case of Shahnazeen situated in Khareghat Colony has the lease been transferred to the housing society.
Occasionally in BPP Chairman Dinshaw Mehta’s “message” in the monthly BPP Review a passing reference may be made to a project but if one scans the rest of the magazine for particulars none will be found.
The “message” in the April 2012 issue talks about a corpus being created for the priests with each full-time practicing mobed assured a monthly income of not less than Rs 20,000. Whether this is the same plan that industrialist Nusli Wadia floated and which was to be headed by Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal or whether it has any connection to BPP trustee Jimmy Mistry’s Parsi Resource Group mobed mediclaim project or some other scheme is not known.
The “message” states, “the BPP has decided on further schemes and incentives to assure our priests security and a decent livelihood…initially it is proposed to set aside Rs 1 crore for these subsidies.” There appear to be more schemes afloat to assist the priests than there are mobeds in the community. And still the male offspring of priests are discouraged — often by their parents — from becoming mobeds. This is a classic example of believing that any problem can be resolved if one just throws enough money in it. Instead of study and analysis, reliance is placed on a ‘hope’ that athornans will be attracted to the profession by larger emoluments.
The “message” goes on to note a proposed visit by Mehta and BPP trustee Khojeste Mistree to attend a two-day scientific symposium to be held in Delhi by the Central Zoo Authority, Government of India on May 3 and 4 to discuss a vulture breeding project. Subsequent unofficial reports on the seminar claim two aviaries are envisioned, one at Doongerwadi and the other at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli. If the plan fructifies, veterinary surgeons, ornithologists, technicians, accountants, administrative personnel, labor and so on will presumably have to be employed at both centers. In the May 2012 issue “message,” Mehta promises to “share in detail” the information garnered at the two-day meet.
Doongerwadi is complex enough as it is with solar panels and an ozone plant; parts of the estate resemble an industrial site. Already Doongerwadi entails a loss of one-and-a-half to two crore rupees annually or around Rs 25,000 per corpse. How much higher is this subsidy going to rise? Shouldn’t the community have a say on the new venture? Should there not be a cap on expenditure? Why cannot those who opt for alternative means of disposal be permitted use of the bunglis, several of which lie vacant on most days?
And what is happening on the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress? With a year and a half left for the event not a single public announcement has been made of the venue, program, charges, speakers, topics of discussion...
It is only at the time of elections or annual anjuman meets — assuming they are held at all — that the lay person comes to know a little of the secretive working of this “public” trust. The trustees could draw a lesson from the ZSO and learn that the key to leadership is empowering others.
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