Modern age mobed

He’s young, single, into health and fitness, cycling, swimming, cricket, reading, traveling, music and performing stage magic shows. He’s also a self-confessed heritage enthusiast and "crazy about bikes and cars.” Ervad Fali Madon, the 26-year-old son of Ervad Khushroo Madon, has given up lucrative jobs at Godrej and Swarovski to become a full-time priest. On July 1, 2013 he was appointed panthaky of the Seth Jeejeebhoy Dadabhoy Agiary at Colaba.

Ervads Fali Madon (left) and Pallonji Dastur: the old order changes

Bringing to his new responsibilities the sensibilities of the modern age, Madon plans to manage the Agiary’s affairs professionally, employing the latest technology, using computers, starting a web page, etc to reach out to today’s generation. His aim is to guide youngsters to see religion as a way of life rather than a mere "parent-to-child set of beliefs.” The daily kusti ritual should be "more of a conversation with God rather than a mere rambling of words,” Madon feels. If the devotees are enabled to understand the meaning of basic prayers it would have a powerful and positive impact on their lives and "treading on the Mazdayasni path” would help them achieve what our forefathers have. Enlightening the coming generations regarding the teachings of our Prophet will keep us on the path of righteousness so that we do not lose interest in this wonderful religion and thereby keep the holy fires burning forever, he maintains.
Madon, who passed his BA from Wilson College in Bombay and is a certified personal fitness trainer and nutritionist, was ordained as a navar in June 2000. He became a maratab in May 2003 from the Agiary where he now presides as panthaky and where he worked as a freelancer from 2000 to 2008. Earlier, he has done full-time mobedi at the Dadysett Agiary, Batliwalla Agiary and the agiary in Thana, among others. Along with Ervad Pallonji Dastur, his predecessor as panthaky, he has performed Zoroastrian rituals at the Colaba Agiary. With a view to give back to the community, he does not charge when conducting ceremonies for the less fortunate. A former student of the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution, he deems it a privilege to perform the annual jashan for the School’s Founders Day, which he has been doing since 2000. Madon also teaches navjote prayers to children and navar/maratab prayers to budding priests.