Finding common ground

"The concept of effective networking is not something to be preached — we must all start practicing it,” believes Mahrukh Bharucha, the new Chapter Chair of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC), Poona Chapter.
Bharucha, who has been associated with the WZCC since the past four years — first as a committee member, and later as the co-ordinator for the Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Wing — was the unanimous choice for the new post and was formally sworn in on October 10, 2014, at Poona. She took over from 50-year-old Viraf Deboo who, after completing his term as Chapter Chair for three years (and holding the post of the Secretary for three years prior to that), gave up his post at the WZCC - India AGM (annual general meeting) on September 27, 2014.

Viraf Deboo and Mahrukh Bharucha

Bharucha (ext left) with members of WZCC, Poona Chapter

When Parsiana caught up with Bharucha and asked her what her plans for the organization were, she said she was keen on continuing the legacy that Deboo and Adi Engineer (also a past Chapter Chair) have left behind. She strongly believes in the fundamental principles of networking, training, mentoring, entrepreneurship and business development that drive WZCC, and feels that to "bring in change just for the sake of it seems pointless.”
However, she plans to pay a little more attention to the Youth and Women’s wings, because she feels that these two segments are extremely necessary for a community like ours. "We need to reinvent the way we perceive their role in the business, professional and entrepreneurial world, and make sure we assist them in becoming greater contributors to their own success.”
To achieve this end, Bharucha says she is in talks with the Zoroastrian Youth Association (ZYA), Poona president Hormuzd Pundole to ensure that the ZYA takes a more proactive role in youth programs. She is also planning to invite the Zarathushti Seva Mandal and work closely with Tehmasp Bharucha (who is also a WZCC committee member) and Mabrin Nanavatty, office bearers of the Mandal, to start collaborating with the WE programs.
Bharucha believes that such involvement would help the WZCC to be more proactive in community affairs and in the years to come and under her leadership she plans to "promote professional growth and the entrepreneurial spirit.” She believes that the WZCC’s success lies in a "synergetic focus” that allows individuals to grow and prosper, while also ensuring the collective growth of the organization and the community.
The challenge ahead seems tough, but Bharucha has decided to collaborate with and involve other Zoroastrian groups in the city. "The Poona Parsi Panchayat and the WZCC, Poona, already do a very successful shared event in the Youth Achievements Award Ceremony, where we felicitate meritorious students who have achieved excellence in their respective fields. The Jiyo Parsi project has also been added to that mix, and though WZCC is not a religious organization, we have pledged our support while continuing to remain within the framework of our Charter.”
The key, she says, is not to interfere in each other’s work, provide individual opinions or encourage disruptive behavior, but find common ground and focus on projects for the larger good of the community. The WZCC Poona, which recently completed 10 years, is an active participant and one of the most dynamic Chapters globally. Bharucha is extremely keen on "forming, developing and maintaining some very strong bonds with the other Chapters.”
When queried about how many Parsis are currently members of the WZCC and what her strategy is to incorporate more members, Bharucha replies that the current strength is around 70 active members. Counting the spouses and eligible teenage children, the pool would widen to around 150. Most memberships are taken by the husband, and their wives and children are allowed to attend all the programs. "We plan to have more functions and ensure that each member brings at least one new friend/relative with him/her so that more Parsis can avail of the benefits of the organization.”
In an age when an increasing number of youth prefer to go into salaried, white collar jobs, what does she recommend — entrepreneurship or a salaried job? "I’ve been in both, so I can say from experience that it’s a very thin line that differentiates between these two working environments. In a job we are expected to give our best in terms of efficiency, creative inputs and integrity. And there is always a boss keeping an eye on your progress — or lack thereof.”
She makes it clear that entrepreneurship is not a piece of cake, either! "It’s much the same when you launch out on your own. The difference is that the ‘drive’ has to come from within. Just because a company belongs to you, you cannot afford to be slack and go easy. What I call the ‘inner policeman’ cannot be caught napping — because then, all hell breaks loose!”
Bharucha is herself an example of successful entrepreneurship. After having earned a diploma in hotel management and working in two of Bombay’s and three of Poona’s best hotels, she gave up when after graduation they wouldn’t permanently transfer her to the kitchen, which had always been her dream. Refusing to settle for anything less Bharucha, who had been giving private classes on speech and drama to students (she holds a Bachelor of Arts Honors in English literature), joined a few schools as a teacher instead.
"During my sabbatical — while I was having my babies and ensuring the continuity of our community — I had a lot of time to rethink my strategy. When I restarted work, the focus shifted from just speech and drama to a host of other related careers, such as corporate training, teacher training, English language enhancement and so much more.” Bharucha realized that she had great drive and entrepreneurship spirit, and today she is the proprietor and creative head of Expressions Unlimited! which focuses on teaching speech and drama to children.
She has also recently started a dynamic English enhancement program called Club English which focuses on giving learners a chance to use the language creatively, practice it during class, train and eventually appear for the internationally acclaimed London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) examinations (of which she is the representative in Western India).
A true blue Zoroastrian to the core, Bharucha is extremely proud of the fundamental principles on which the faith is based. "They are so simple and yet so deeply profound. There are absolutely no ‘dos and don’ts’ and virtually no ‘rules’ on how one should lead one’s life. The essence of Zoroastrianism is ‘live and let live’ and the ‘cause and effect’ philosophy.”
The Parsi community, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter! She feels we are "destroying ourselves. Most of the problems we face as a community today are caused by behavioral patterns that are absolutely un-Zoroastrian.”
What does she like to do in her spare time? "I am part of the Couchsurfing International community, a hospitality exchange and social networking website which is an innovative and pioneering travel forum, as the wanderlust in me needs to be quenched regularly. Now, considering that I have a business to run, an amazing family (husband Neville, daughter Kate and son Vistasp) to keep glued together, attend as much theater as possible and my WZCC commitments, where’s the time for anything else?” she says, signing off with her trademark mischievous smile!