Est. 1964 · Mumbai1964 – 2025 · every issue, digitised
Parsiana
The global Zoroastrian link medium
Readers' Forum

“West Zone B meet”

My grouse against Parsiana is simple and genuine. Every now and then the magazine tells us in detail about what happens at a meeting but never about the food served at such meetings ("West Zone B meet,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, July 21, 2013). I wonder why? Maybe the editor is on a strict diet, but that does not mean I should starve, so my humble request is that Parsiana must tell us what they ate at the West B Zone meet.
It is true that some meeting took place in Ahmedabad under the chairmanship of the Sarbatwalla Parsi Bill Gates with Rs 500 crores under his belt. Parsiana asked or requested that they be allowed to attend the meeting. Apart from leveling various allegations about the impartiality of Parsiana, and then setting conditions to grant permission to attend, the Sarbatwalla, in his King’s English accused the magazine of leaning towards "convertists.” He then went blah blah about responsible journalism, professional and moral duty, which caused me to laugh heartily.
Having dealt with various publications, all I can say is that he is living in utopia, for editors have an axe to grind and they publish what is music to their ears.
What aapro Bill Gates is trying to convey without saying it in so many words is: "Dance to my tune, no criticism or any adverse comments about me and the meeting that I am going to chair. If that is acceptable to you, I do not mind your attending. If not, there is no way I shall grant you permission to attend.” In other words, all other views and opinions are taboo to the palav daar community of the fascists.
Parsiana’s response, though logical and to the point, was in my humble view a waste of time, "Bhés aagal Bhagvat (beating one’s head against the wall),” as the saying goes. But Parsiana, by telling the truth, has become a thorn in the flesh of quite a few. Here is something to chew on about the power and effect of truth: "I offered my opponents a deal: If they stop telling lies about me, I will stop telling the truth about them,” said former US presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson.
Please don’t forget to inform readers about the eating at the meeting. Do remember it is most important. Just to draw your attention, sometime back a meeting without any eating was held at Rustom Baug and elaborate arrangements were made for seating 2,500 bawas but only 250 turned up, that too because they were directly affected by the new property tax imposed by the Bombay Municipal Corporation.
BEHRAM AGA
behram_r_aga@yahoo.co.in
The editors reply:
Yes, finally we were invited/permitted to attend (see "Focus on these problems,” Parsiana, August 7, 2013). Parsi food was on offer catered by A-1 Parsi Food run by Freny and Nozer Daruwala of Surat.
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