Intercity youth meet

The Intercity Zoroastrian Youth Meet organized by the Federation of Zoroastrian Youth Associations (FOZYA) held over three days in Panchgani from June 1-3, 2012, was attended by 54 delegates from Calcutta, Bangalore, Poona, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Vyara, Surat, Baroda and Navsari. In Panchgani the organizing committee handed over a cheque of Rs 10,000 to the Bel-Air Sanatorium founded by Dr Rustom Billimoria and now run by the Indian Red Cross Society, mentions an e-mail received from FOZYA president Mabrin Nanavatti.

(above) on a forest trek

(above) Participants in the Youth Meet in Panchgani;

On June 1, delegates arrived in Poona as early as 5 a.m. and proceeded by bus at 10.30 a.m. to Gabriel’s Farm in Panch­gani where they were housed in dormitories. After a light lunch they set out for a forest trek and practiced rifle shooting. Back at camp, they were split into teams and assigned tasks. The evening ended with a campfire where the delegates bonded.

The next morning, under the supervision of Shahrokh Bhathena and his colleagues who conduct treks to the Himalayas, the delegates were led down the Krishna valley to the waters of the Dhom Dam in Wai. Mostly city dwellers, the participants enjoyed the two-hour trek there where they were provided with welcome refreshments. The evening was spent at the Bel-Air Sanatorium where they were shown a small presentation on how people suffering from HIV are treated there completely free of cost. FOZYA contributed its mite by way of the che­que of Rs 10,000 to help the good work. The next day a bus took the delegates to the Tableland, where they tried their hand at rappelling down a cliff under Bhathena’s expert guidance. Horse riding was also on offer. Post lunch they boarded the bus that took them back to Poona where they parted ways.

During the meet FOZYA treasurer Ariz Bokdawala announced that the 21st All India Zoroastrian Youth Meet would take place in Ahmedabad from November 13-15, 2012, hosted by the Parsi Youth League there. Information and registration forms would be available shortly, the write-up mentioned.