Mowdawala’s meanderings

In the presence of a large number of her friends and well-wishers Ruzbeh Keki Mowdawala’s third book, In The Silence of The Night and Potpourri for the Indian Zee ­– A Persian Tapestry, was released at a function at Kitab Khana in Bombay on December 22, 2012. Shernaaz Engineer, editor of Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly was chief guest and Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia, principal of the Dadar Athornan Institute the guest of honor, mentions an email received from Mowdawala.
A clinical laboratory scientist, Mowdawala was educated and trained in the US. She taught clinical analysis and laboratory management to postgraduate students of Sophia College and is currently consultant for scientific marketing with a large multinational diagnostic company which entails teaching, travel and lectures on various topics, as stated in the note in the flyleaf of her book.

"How can one stop someone from doing something that has now become the biggest self-discovery of her life? Writing to express her innermost feelings, disconcerting re­flections on the mundane aspects of our lives which generally remain on the periphery of our consciousness, but which if not addressed cause sufficient trouble to our psyche,” writes Farzana Behram Contractor in the Foreword to Mowdawala’s latest and most ambitious offering.
Going far beyond the ambit of her first two books, Poems, Potpourri and Parsees and Joy, this time Mowdawalla has included travelogues and a "Persian Tapestry,” the last covering a canvas so wide that it could have filled an entire book by itself! Admitting that she "had bitten off more than I could chew,” she confines herself to references to written literature on our religion, customs and ceremonies, selecting "the most important and essential and interesting bits” for the Indian Zoroastrian.
There are her familiar poems and reflections on Parsipanu in Part I, and of course her love of dogs is evident on nearly every page, starting with the dedication "to all people who share their life with a dog!” Part II has Scribbles and More comprising recollections and imaginary conversations. Travelogues and More make up Part III in which Mowdawala waxes lyrical about her peregrinations in India and abroad and dwells on food, glorious food! The final section Part IV is Persian Tapestry which the author describes as "a compilation of data, stories, descriptions and meanings of certain prayers and ceremonies. This data I’ve collected on the way; it’s not researched by me. I have picked what is most appropriate for all readers young and old, Zarthustee or not.”
The reader may pick and choose, browse and pass a pleasant hour with Mowdawala’s colloquial, comical meanderings. The production values are high, with the hard cover book printed on art paper and nary a proofing error in sight. A section of color photographs enriches the text, of special interest being those from Iran. The book ends with a listing of references.