“My heart is in Karachi”

Obtaining the highest grade point average in his class for the last four years, Dinshaw Xerxes Avari was conferred the title of valedictorian when he graduated from the Karachi American School (KAS) on April 28, 2013, notes a write-up in the July 2013 issue of What’s On, the monthly newsletter of the Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal, that has recently gone online (the elderly who have no access to email receive their printed copy of the eWhat’s On through their locality volunteers). Besides excelling in academics, Avari also shone in athletics and at the age of 16 was declared "Scholar Athlete of the Year” when he became the Junior National Champion at KAS. He was also selected as the captain of his School swim team. With the butterfly event being his forte, he has won medals in 50 m, 100 m, 200 m as also in the 200 m individual medley.
"Having learnt to sing and play the guitar at a very young age,” Avari who conducted the School’s pit band stated, "I am most proficient with both, the acoustic and electric guitars. However, although I don’t consider myself a drummer, a pianist or a bassist, these are still instruments that I understand and am thus able to direct.” Besides representing his School in international vocal recitals, Avari’s stage presence was also witnessed when he played the role of Sancho in the School production of The Man of La Mancha.

Valedictorian Dinshaw Avari (left) excels in academics and swimming (above)

A lover of debate, change and innovation, Avari led teams at the Model United Nations conference in The Hague. He will now be pursuing his interests at the University of California, Berkeley where he will study English literature, Spanish, economics and political science. "I want to use my University resources to explore fields and ideas that are alien to me so that I am able to understand the world on a larger, more global scale,” states Avari in an email response to Parsiana. He has yet not shortlisted his career options "because although I am very interested in my family business (hotels) and want to eventually work with my father (Xerxes) and grandfather (Byram), I would also like to explore other fields, record an album or write a book...”
He is determined though to return to Karachi saying, "There is no other place in the world I would rather be. No matter where I am or what I am doing, my heart is always in Karachi because more than anything, it’s home… Seeing the Parsi community decline rapidly over the last few years due to emigration saddens me but it also makes me realize that Parsis are blessed with their ability to adapt no matter where they are in the world. We are simple people who realize that having a good heart is more important than any lavish temple.”
A regular at music competitions organized by the Young Mazdiyasnian Zoroastrian Association as also at swimming meets conducted by the Karachi Parsi Institute, the community enthusiast relates, "As a child I often romanticized the Zoroastrian religion, daydreaming about the great Persian Empire. Having grown up a Zoroastrian I am proud of my faith because I believe our faith doesn’t exclude anyone. It preaches that anyone who practices good thoughts, good words and good deeds, and is righteous for the sake of righteousness is favored in God’s eyes whether he is a Parsi, a non-Parsi or an atheist. Being a good person is more important than anything else.”