Readers' Forum
Data base of agiaries
The Global Working Group (GWG) is an informal body of Zoroastrian associations around the world and meets at least once a year to discuss issues of importance to the community and undertake projects of mutual interest. The last GWG meeting was held in Bombay on December 20, 2017 when various issues concerning the community were discussed.
It was noted that many agiaries in India are starved of funds and not able to maintain the property or provide for mobeds and support staff, and some of them also do not have adequate devotees visiting them. To ensure that our agiaries are well maintained it was decided to create a fund to provide for regular repairs and maintenance, kathi, decent remuneration for mobeds and other support staff and to make the profession of clergy attractive to young Zoroastrians.
To make the entire system of agiaries and mobeds self sustaining, a working group was set up, consisting of Sam Balsara (chairman and managing director of Madison World), Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada and Dinshaw Tamboly (chairman, WZO Trust Funds). At its first meeting this group decided that to create a master plan for effectively managing and funding the activities, the first requirement was a data base of current agiaries, their structures and the current earnings of the mobeds. It was also decided that the fact finding study would be conducted under the aegis of Bombay’s Athornan Mandal. It should be understood that the master plan, when prepared, will be purely recommendatory in nature and will and can be implemented only if it finds favor with all parties concerned.
We request all concerned not to attribute any ulterior motive to our initiative or the communication from the Athornan Mandal. All those to whom the Athornan Mandal’s communication has been addressed are requested to share the details requested, in part or full, in their own self interest. Trustees, panthakies, managers and administrators of our agiaries may review the issue in its proper perspective and do what they deem is in the interest of our mobeds and agiaries.
Dinshaw Tamboly
For Global Working Group — Working Group for maintenance of agiaries and welfare of mobeds
dinshawtamboly@gmail.com
It was noted that many agiaries in India are starved of funds and not able to maintain the property or provide for mobeds and support staff, and some of them also do not have adequate devotees visiting them. To ensure that our agiaries are well maintained it was decided to create a fund to provide for regular repairs and maintenance, kathi, decent remuneration for mobeds and other support staff and to make the profession of clergy attractive to young Zoroastrians.
To make the entire system of agiaries and mobeds self sustaining, a working group was set up, consisting of Sam Balsara (chairman and managing director of Madison World), Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada and Dinshaw Tamboly (chairman, WZO Trust Funds). At its first meeting this group decided that to create a master plan for effectively managing and funding the activities, the first requirement was a data base of current agiaries, their structures and the current earnings of the mobeds. It was also decided that the fact finding study would be conducted under the aegis of Bombay’s Athornan Mandal. It should be understood that the master plan, when prepared, will be purely recommendatory in nature and will and can be implemented only if it finds favor with all parties concerned.
We request all concerned not to attribute any ulterior motive to our initiative or the communication from the Athornan Mandal. All those to whom the Athornan Mandal’s communication has been addressed are requested to share the details requested, in part or full, in their own self interest. Trustees, panthakies, managers and administrators of our agiaries may review the issue in its proper perspective and do what they deem is in the interest of our mobeds and agiaries.
Dinshaw Tamboly
For Global Working Group — Working Group for maintenance of agiaries and welfare of mobeds
dinshawtamboly@gmail.com
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