Centenary in Calcutta

"May a flock of cattle attend upon you. May a multitude of brave men attend upon you. May active mind and spirit attend upon you. May you live with a joyous life the nights that you live,” was the blessing invoked on the Zoroastrians of Calcutta by Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal at the conclusion of the centenary celebrations of The Late Ervad D. B. Mehta’s Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran. The curtain came down on the year-long celebrations on October 2 and 3, 2012 with 550 community members in attendance, mentions a write-up sent to Parsiana by Ketty R. Kapadia.
On the first evening the audience was entertained by Yazdi Karanjia and his troupe who had come from Surat to perform the natak Ghar, Ghungaroo ané Ghotalo. The following morning Tina Mehta, chairperson of the religious functions committee received Kotwal at the Adaran with the traditional achhoo michhoo while ladies resplendent in garas and kor-ni-saris sang welcome songs in Gujarati. After the jashan led by Kotwal, the congregation enjoyed brunch in the ground floor hall, feasting on Bharuchi akuri, aleti-paleti, ravo and other goodies. Later, everyone assembled for a maachi and then dispersed to meet again that evening at the Olpadvala Memorial Hall, notes the write-up.
Welcoming the chief guest and all present on behalf of himself and fellow trustees Yezdezard Dastoor and Jemi Bilimoria, senior trustee Noshir Tankariwala of the Adaran paid homage to the Mehta family, founders and benefactors of the fire temple. He also acknowledged the role played by generations of trustees, panthakis and mobeds who had nurtured the institution through difficult times over 100 years. About 10 to 15 years back the financial position of the Adaran had become weak because of a steep decline in the community’s numbers. But on receiving a large portion of the sale proceeds of a property of the R. D. Mehta Trust, the Adaran Trust’s efforts to maintain the heritage building and provide welfare to the mobeds and the community have exceeded all expectations. Benefits have also been extended to members of sister organizations, Tankariwala informed those present. Dastoor and Bilimoria announced a scheme for the top-up of insurance policies for all community members aged between 60 and 70 years. This centenary gift would provide additional medical cover of Rs 10 lakhs per person.
Kotwal was presented a bouquet, shawl and momento. Panthaky of the Adaran Ervad Shorab Kotwal, Mehta and senior members Mucca Bhesania, Bachoo Parekh, Burjor Modi, Noshir Gherda and Jehangir Dastoor were felicitated for their long and selfless commitment to the community. Bilimoria offered a vote of thanks and the program concluded with a traditional Parsi dinner of saas ni machhi, chicken pulao dar, papeta ma gosh, sitaphal icecream and all the accompaniments including ice cream soda which was specially arranged for the occasion, mentions the write-up.
In a reciprocal gesture, the Calcutta Zoroastrian Community’s Religious and Charity Fund (CZCRCF) felicitated the Adaran’s trustees, mobeds and the entire staff of the fire temple at a function on October 28, 2012, the Adaran’s 100th birthday according to the Gregorian calendar in the presence of the entire community, mentions Kapadia in a later email. The Adaran’s trustees were invited to the stage and honored with shawls and flowers, with the CZCRCF trustees appreciating how well the former had handled the year-long celebrations as also the maintenance and day-to-day functioning of the fire temple. The heads of the six sister organizations in the city which are engaged in social work, sports development, organizing nataks, youth and physical culture, and religious instruction especially for the youth, spoke of the sterling contribution of the Adaran’s trustees. Choking with emotion, the senior trustee of the Adaran thanked one and all for the signal honor given to them. As Kapadia notes, "Such is our community in Calcutta, always supporting each other like a family.”
The Adaran is adorned with stunning new stained glass images of the seven Amesha Spentas designed by Katayun Saklat and executed at her studio, Saklat Stained Glass Incorporated. The artist mentions in an email sent to Parsiana that the images are dedicated to the memory of late Dr Nurgez J. Sethna and would not have been possible without unstinting help by Srila Mookerjee who afforded Saklat use of her kiln and studio for painting and firing of the glass.