Navjotes to remember

The Vaids, the Morenas and the Patels wanted their respective children’s navjotes to be memorable and different from the usual affair. Utilizing their professional skills and contacts, they celebrated the initiation of their children into the Zoroastrian faith with entertainment for the young as well as snippets for the rest of the gathering.

Ambiance at Tiana Patel’s navjote

Flower fiesta at the Morena function

So Mehernaz and Khushru Vaid chose a "kids’ appealing ambience” for their son Sheeroy’s initiation ceremony on November 23, 2013. Allbless Baug was decked with a riot of colorful balloons instead of flowers.
Says the 37-year-old media professional father, "Since it was a navjote and not a wedding… the thought was to make our son feel the happiest kid on the planet and we did all that he loved and chose.” Flowers were used for minimal decoration on stage and only to garland the bust of Edulji Allbless besides the usual har (garland) for the young initiate. The stage also had a 10 x 12 feet photo of Sheeroy dressed as Superman!
While an inflatable jumping jack, tattoo artist, moon walker and fire juggler kept the children occupied, caramel popcorn and candy floss satiated their appetites. Young girls had their wrists adorned with bangles made by a bangle maker. Just before the cake cutting all the three Vaids walked through a shower of confetti and cold pyros (firework blazing guns) held aloft by family and friends. While appreciating the "brilliant catering” of Tanaz Godiwalla, the Vaids thank "each and everyone who attended our function and made Sheeroy feel so special.”
Nine-year-old Sheeroy is a third standard student of St Stanislaus High School while his 33-year-old mother Mehernaz works for an event management company.

Conversely Daisy and Homi Morena wanted Allbless Baug "to look like a beautiful garden and a fairyland with beautiful lights” for their son Darris’ navjote. Choosing Darris birthday – December 13 – as the date for initiating him into the Zoroastrian faith, the venue was bedecked with multicolored flowers.
Says the mother, a preschool teacher, "He (Homi) even wanted the wall behind the stage to be decorated with greens… We wanted it to be a grand occasion,” aver the doting parents. Darris studies at Don Bosco High School.
A carnival theme was decided where the children could "enjoy to the fullest,” says Homi, who runs a canteen facility in Kalyan.
Blue and white balloons were strewn on the floor of the hall near the ladies’ washroom where children indulged in games like hitting the hammer, tossing the ring and puzzle making. Some children had cartoon caricatures drawn of themselves while others opted for glitter tattoos painted on arms and hands. Disc jockey music in the hall (apart from the regular music outside), balloon sculpting, a magic show and on-the-spot games with lots of gifts for the winners were other entertainment items. For the sweet-toothed a chocolate fountain was created.
A huge curtain of flowers and fabric separated the vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections where guests had an option to gorge on Tanaz Godiwalla’s non-vegetarian fare or Fountain Caterers’ vegetarian items.

Bangle maker and his wares; Tattoo artist at work

To the future
The year in the video was 2054. Tiana Patel is now married and well settled in life. Her father Arish, is sitting at Marine Drive along with two friends and reminiscing about how time has flown since his daughter’s navjote 40 years ago. The group notes that though Marine Drive is still the same they’ve aged. The three talk lovingly about their respective families and about life gone by, how Tiana grew up…
Rewind to 2014, February 14, Valentine’s Day, the day of Tiana’s navjote at Allbless Baug, when the 14-minute video, prepared by her parents Farzana and Arish entertained their 650 odd guests. Taking the help of "my two bestest of friends, my spiritual brothers (they all are followers of Meher Baba) Nariman Khambatta and Kaizad Jamshedji, my team shot the entire video in a span of two hours at Marine Drive on a Monday night,” says the 39-year-old father. "I have seen events where people spend lakhs and crores on décor and food and I always thought they spend a lot of money… I wanted to do something where I personally participated and my daughter would remember it even after we were no more,” Arish shares his thoughts. A professional photographer Arish runs his own company under the name A. F. T. Digital. Wife Farzana, 39, is into real estate sales. Their seven-year-old daughter studies at St Anne’s High School.

The Patels roped in make-up artist Mehernaaz Vania to transform their image for the video relayed on a hugh 12 x 8 feet LED screen which was placed atop the navjote/lagan stage. Interspersed amidst the video scenes were images of Tiana’s navjote. The last shot of the film where the old trio walk into the distance with appropriate music left many in the audience wet eyed. The film was greeted with loud applause. Did the actors rehearse before the video was shot? "No we did not rehearse. We didn’t even know what we were going to do till our make-up was on. We just went with the flow and did it with our hearts.” Not having any written dialogs nor a script, the only inputs we had were from Mehernosh Mehta, a close friend who acts in Meherbaba plays in the lead role. "He gave us a few tips,” says a grateful Arish.
The navjote was unusual in another way too. The stage at Allbless Baug on which the band plays or the recorded music players set up their equipment was converted into a huge wooden one where Tiana’s navjote was performed by Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal. The circular stage where the usual lagan/navjote ceremonies take place was given to D J Osh who provided foot tapping music and saw that the guests made good use of the specially constructed 10 x 16 feet dance floor near the stage. Lasers beamed the words "Tiana’s navjote” on two facing walls at the venue.
A tattoo artist was kept busy the whole evening as children got dragons, Mickey Mouse, flowers painted on their arms. Platters of various starters — both vegetarian and non-vegetarian — accompanied by saried ushers ensured that mouths kept chewing. The dining area was covered by a beautiful net of lights overhead. The food was entrusted to Gaurav Caterers. Flowers by Apollo florists complemented the décor which was conceptualized by Percy Lentin of Percy Decorators.
As we were leaving the venue, we overheard a guest compliment the Patels, "Tiana’s navjote will be long remembered by all. Thanks for giving us a great time. The ambience was superb… the food divine.”