Readers' Forum
Festa, fajeta in BPP
For a lay bawa like me who is char chopdi (studied up to the fourth standard), the current unrest boils to the hijacking of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) and controlling the community. At the time of the first elections under the adult franchise scheme, all these worthies (except for Muncherji Cama and Armaity Tirandaz, who came in later) had joined hands to see that the Adult Franchise for Progresswallas (they were referred to as Altoo Faltoo Parsis) did not get into the BPP.
I still recall the late Rustom Tirandaz coming to my colony at Parel with a loudspeaker mounted on his vehicle and announcing: "Kom sankat maa chhé, dharam sankat ma chhé (the community is in danger; the religion is in danger).” However, he failed to spell out from who the kom and dharam were in sankat. He saw me standing on my balcony grinning. At Khareghat Colony when I stood in the queue for voting, he came up to me and said, "I know you are not going to vote for me.” He was so right, and I was so wrong for casting my votes for those whom I did. My only defense for this is, as American humorist Kin Hubbard said, "We all like to vote for the best man, but he’s never a candidate,” and so I pardon myself for my shortcomings on this score.
The trustees were all united against Noshir Dadrawalla who also was a choost (true) Zarthoshti and orthodox, but for some reason fell from grace with them. They were all united when Dinshaw Mehta, like a knight in shining armor went with 60 pehlvans to Sanjan and gave kundipaak (a beating) to senior citizen Dr Meher Master Moos and the Russian Zoroastrian. They were all united in issuing a fatwa against Ervad Khushroo Madon.
How things have changed! At the last election when Cama was pitted against Anahita Desai and Mehta played the role of a Parsi Brutus, the famous words of Julius Caesar "Et tu Dinshaw” rang loud and clear from Yazdi and Anahita Desai and the WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) camp. It is now payback time with the police complaint against Mehta.
From what has appeared in the Parsi Press, this seems to be a fall-out over sharing of the loaves and fishes. Some amount was received, claimed to be partly by cheque and partly in cash. It therefore appears to be a fight over the spoils not being equally distributed, and so the festa fajeta (melodrama).
As an ordinary Parsi bawa, with due respect to the Magnificent Seven who occupy the BPP boardroom, I humbly state that in these last five years you have disgraced the community, brought shame on it. Your disgusting infighting mudslinging, and pointing fingers and accusations, issuing fatwas and dadagiri (hooliganism), have done no good to the community. Please gracefully resign en masse and give an undertaking that neither you nor any of your family members or relatives will stand for election for the next two terms. Call for fresh elections, under the election code of conduct as applicable to general elections and bring an end to this sordid chapter in the annals of the BPP.
I still recall the late Rustom Tirandaz coming to my colony at Parel with a loudspeaker mounted on his vehicle and announcing: "Kom sankat maa chhé, dharam sankat ma chhé (the community is in danger; the religion is in danger).” However, he failed to spell out from who the kom and dharam were in sankat. He saw me standing on my balcony grinning. At Khareghat Colony when I stood in the queue for voting, he came up to me and said, "I know you are not going to vote for me.” He was so right, and I was so wrong for casting my votes for those whom I did. My only defense for this is, as American humorist Kin Hubbard said, "We all like to vote for the best man, but he’s never a candidate,” and so I pardon myself for my shortcomings on this score.
The trustees were all united against Noshir Dadrawalla who also was a choost (true) Zarthoshti and orthodox, but for some reason fell from grace with them. They were all united when Dinshaw Mehta, like a knight in shining armor went with 60 pehlvans to Sanjan and gave kundipaak (a beating) to senior citizen Dr Meher Master Moos and the Russian Zoroastrian. They were all united in issuing a fatwa against Ervad Khushroo Madon.
How things have changed! At the last election when Cama was pitted against Anahita Desai and Mehta played the role of a Parsi Brutus, the famous words of Julius Caesar "Et tu Dinshaw” rang loud and clear from Yazdi and Anahita Desai and the WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) camp. It is now payback time with the police complaint against Mehta.
From what has appeared in the Parsi Press, this seems to be a fall-out over sharing of the loaves and fishes. Some amount was received, claimed to be partly by cheque and partly in cash. It therefore appears to be a fight over the spoils not being equally distributed, and so the festa fajeta (melodrama).
As an ordinary Parsi bawa, with due respect to the Magnificent Seven who occupy the BPP boardroom, I humbly state that in these last five years you have disgraced the community, brought shame on it. Your disgusting infighting mudslinging, and pointing fingers and accusations, issuing fatwas and dadagiri (hooliganism), have done no good to the community. Please gracefully resign en masse and give an undertaking that neither you nor any of your family members or relatives will stand for election for the next two terms. Call for fresh elections, under the election code of conduct as applicable to general elections and bring an end to this sordid chapter in the annals of the BPP.
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