Celebrations
A festival for hawkers?
The Mancherji Joshi Colony in Dadar is gearing up to combat an invasion of street vendors
The gaiety of the Jamshedi Navroz function at the Mancherji Joshi Colony (MJC) in Dadar was tinged with concern when the founder’s granddaughter informed the 3,000 strong gathering of potential 1,800 hawker sites being demarcated at the Colony and elsewhere in the city.
"Today enjoy, tomorrow start protesting,” exhorted Zareen Engineer, trustee and joint honorary treasurer of the Mancherji Edalji Joshi Memorial Trust (MEJMT) that organized the annual event.
The vendors are to ply their trade on major arterial roads including the ones on which are situated The J. B. Vachha High School for Parsi Girls (Mancherji Joshi Road) and The Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly High School (Firdausi Road).
The hawker zones could come into existence once the centre’s Street Vendors Act 2014 is implemented by the Bombay Municipal Corporation. MEJMT trustee and honorary secretary Mithoo Jesia said residents must gear up for a fight.
The March 21 Festival of Spring (FoS) function also saw the release of the sixth edition of the MJC Directory a listing of 3,545 colony residents and 23 institutions.
"Today enjoy, tomorrow start protesting,” exhorted Zareen Engineer, trustee and joint honorary treasurer of the Mancherji Edalji Joshi Memorial Trust (MEJMT) that organized the annual event.
The vendors are to ply their trade on major arterial roads including the ones on which are situated The J. B. Vachha High School for Parsi Girls (Mancherji Joshi Road) and The Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly High School (Firdausi Road).
The hawker zones could come into existence once the centre’s Street Vendors Act 2014 is implemented by the Bombay Municipal Corporation. MEJMT trustee and honorary secretary Mithoo Jesia said residents must gear up for a fight.
The March 21 Festival of Spring (FoS) function also saw the release of the sixth edition of the MJC Directory a listing of 3,545 colony residents and 23 institutions.
Bird’s eye view of the Gymkhana
(From left): Dinyar Panthaki, Aspi Vasania, Zareen Engineer, Dr Rustom Soonawala, Dadi Mistry,
Zenobia Pithawalla Fitter, Khurshed Hathiram, Capt Kersi Deboo, Khushru Mistry and Homai Daruwalla
Children of the Dharmagnan Class performing
From left, 1st row: Awardees Anaheez Patel, Ruzwin Desai, Tinaz Doctor, Naisha Madon, Zenia Machhi,
Huzan Bhumgara, Avan Tolat and Vahista Sinor; 2nd row: Tushna Vevaina, Kaiorisa Doctor, Hufriya Dudhmal,
Anahita Nazir, Zinnia Engineer, Pearl Mistry, Vahishta Cooper and Jehan Daruvala;
3rd row: Ervads Farsheed Dalal and Ardeshirshaw Nariman
Singer Sarosh Nanavati; dancers; skit actors
All photos: Sarosh Daruwalla, Mazda Audio Video Lab
A foreword by the late MEJMT chairman Sohrab Morris noted "utmost care (has been taken) to make this sixth edition as comprehensive and informative as possible.” The first edition was published in the 1930s, he stated. "Lest we forget… we owe this rare blessing… of restricted covenant plots in buildings for residents’ use and occupation of Parsi/Irani Zoroastrian community only… to the extraordinary foresight and fine planning of the founder of our colony, late Mancherji Edalji Joshi.”
Morris also cautioned the Directory "cannot be used as a legal document… for establishing tenancy rights or ownership of flats/apartments.”
This is the 35th FoS event, stated the evening’s compere and MEJMT trustee Mahiyar Dastoor.
A 116-page souvenir replete with advertisements gave the background of Colony awardees honored at the function. They were Dadi Mistry, a Colony resident who shifted to Delhi but retains his Dadar flat and is presently the Parsi representative on the National Commission for Minorities; 92-year-old Khurshed Hathiram who received the Silver Elephant, the highest award for his contribution to the scouting movement by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on February 16, 2015; Zenobia Pithawalla Fitter for award winning creative work at Ogilvy and Mather Advertising; Capt Kersi Deboo for his contribution to maritime education and training; Khushru Mistry, head of client services, information technology (IT) department at HSBC India for his contribution to IT; and 16-year-old Jehan Daruvala who is set to compete in the Formula Renault NEC championship series. He received a world championship award in Milan this January.
Fourteen female students won The Rohinton P. Chinoy Young Achievers Award 2015 for academic excellence. They were Anaheez Patel, Ruzwin Desai, Tinaz Doctor, Naisha Madon, Zenia Machhi, Huzan Bhumgara, Avan Tolat, Vahista Sinor, Tushna Vevaina, Kaiorisa Doctor, Hufriya Dudhmal, Anahita Nazir, Zinnia Engineer and Pearl Mistry. Two colonyites, Vahishta Cooper and Daruvala, won the Chinoy award for sports.
Ervads Farsheed Dalal and Ardeshirshaw Nariman won The Rustomframna Agiary Award for excellence in mobedi (priesthood).
Chief guest noted gynaecologist Dr Rustom Soonawala recalled his childhood in the Colony and the facilities for sports available. He urged the gathering to remain healthy, physically and financially, and maintain the fabric of the family. Noting Parsis had a longevity gene he reminded the extra years would serve little purpose "if one is bed-ridden.”
An audio video tribute to the late Parvez Zaiwalla who served the Colony well was shown. Prayers, skits, dances, songs by Sarosh Nanavati and a dinner by Tanaz Godiwalla rounded off the evening.
The MEJMT distributed Rs 28,44,080 as of January 31, 2015 of which Rs 22,75,280 went to "old, infirm and poor Zoroastrians who have no one to turn to,” the souvenir notes. The other MEJMT trustees are chairman Dinyar Panthaki, joint honorary treasurer Tina Patel, Jimi Jesia, Aspi Vasania, Daraius Zaiwala, Homai Daruwalla and Behram Rabadi.
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From the archive