Anchor for Agra

Died: Hosang Rustamji Debara, 81, long-standing president of the Agra Parsi Anjuman, on December 16, 2011 in Agra following cardiac arrest.

Having served as president of the Agra Parsi Anjuman from 1985 to 2011, he "will be forever remembered for his willingness to help everyone at all times even though his failing health in the past few years made it difficult,” noted the condolence resolution passed by the Agra Anjuman, adding, "We will miss his efforts for the welfare of the community.” Debara played host to many a Parsi visiting the city. "Such was the enthusiasm to help others that even when bedridden with a fractured bone, he would ask his visitors his favorite words, ‘Anything I can do for you?’” reminisced his son Porushesp who succeeds his father as president of the Anjuman.

A couple of years prior to his demise he had lost complete vision in one eye and had only 30 percent remaining in the second eye. Due to accidents, steel rods had been inserted in both his legs. Despite these handicaps Debara "continued attending office, the factory, all the meetings of different social organizations, keeping his social commitments as well as overlooking the working of his favorite Agra Parsi Anjuman. He was a perfect example of ‘never say die,’” the son gives his father credit for "surmounting all difficulties and marching on.”

Debara became a member of the Agra Anjuman in 1969 ever since he relocated to the city to establish Hindustan Crushers and Fertilizers Company that manufacturers organic fertilizers and feeds. The following year he was elected treasurer of the Anjuman when its corpus was Rs 8,000 with no source of income due to the fast diminishing Parsi population in Agra. It was only thanks to his "untiring efforts and determination” that the Agra Anjuman was able to become self sufficient and build a respectable corpus, it was acknowledged.

Agra being a founder member of the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India, Debara was deemed one of its biggest supporters. At the executive council meetings of the Federation he would frequently regret that want of Parsi patronage and limited income had compelled the Agra trustees to permit non-Parsis to use their Dharamshala facilities.

A devoted Zoroastrian, "he would often reminisce about the good old Parsi days, pleasant experiences of living in big Parsi families, the teachers and students of the Surat Parsi Polytechnic, the warm welcome extended to him and his young Parsi friends (co-students at the Polytechnic)” by Zoroastrian families when they visited Parsi mohallas in the strongholds of Gujarat to partake of gahanbars. He was proud to be a trustee of the Sheth Pestonji Hormusji Debara Ghambar Fund at Navsari founded by his great-grandfather after whom it was named.

Born in Navsari, Hosang completed his schooling and Inter Science from Osmania University after which he pursued higher education in mechanical and electrical engineering at the Surat Parsi Polytechnic. Further specialization earned him the distinction of first class boiler competency and boiler operation engineer, with a job in the Andhra Pradesh Government Coal Mines Power Station where he worked for nearly two decades. When he joined this firm there were reportedly many Parsis in employment there but they subsequently retired or resigned and shifted to cities like Hy­de­ra­bad, Poona and Bombay which had a good Parsi population.

Within a year of settling in Agra Debara joined the Lions Club there where he served as president and subsequently rose to become the zone chairman and deputy district governor, winning innumerable awards. A condolence letter in Hindi from the Lions Club of Agra United commended their senior member for being "silent and impressive.” Equally enduring was his association with the Freemasonic movement that he joined in 1976. Just a few months before his demise he was conferred the rank of past assistant grand master of the Grand Lodge of India which is the third highest rank in the country. At a memorial service for him members came from Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida and Ajmer to pay their respects and a portrait of Debara in his masonic regalia was unveiled at the Freemansons Hall, states Porushesp. As noted a condolence letter, "The Lodge Star of Agra lost a masonic icon and fatherly figure…”

An accomplished tabla player with considerable knowledge of Indian classical music, Debara was equally proficient at the game of bridge.

The silent stalwart is survived by his wife Dolat, son Porushesp and daughter Jasmine Jimmy Patel.