A virtual program

We can’t wait to open our (digital) doors and welcome you to our HPY (Holiday Programme for Youth) family… Please ensure you have a laptop or desktop and a strong and steady internet connection… Please download the Zoom app in advance and log in through the link provided, 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled time each morning,” so read the invitation sent to all the students who had enrolled for the HPY this summer. The Programme is meant for students who have just completed their schooling.
The first ever online HPY was attended virtually by 202 students this year. Seated in the comfort of their homes, beginning May 26 to June 5, 2021 participants, parents and dignitaries interacted via Zoom for a 10-day "packed with a punch program.” Children who had passed out of school last year and who unfortunately were not able to participate in HPY due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, were permitted to enroll this year. The number of boys, 108, outdid those of the girls, 94, this time (count includes both the years). Of the 119 participants from the 2021 batch, boys numbered 58, while 61 were girls. Students from the 2020 batch were 83 in all, with 50 boys and 33 girls. Besides Bombay, the students participated from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Nagpur, Nashik, Poona, Palghar, Surat and even as far as Moscow!

A few of the 2021 HPY online participants: exposed to a whole new world

"This is almost like graduation day for each of you… Be the best version of yourself. As you become successful professionals, do not lose your innocence. Enjoy what you do, and most importantly be happy, excited, passionate and grateful,” exhorted Bollywood actor Boman Irani, chief guest at the online valedictory function on June 5.
The bearded, congenial actor went on to advise, "Every single word the mouth utters has consequences. Every single deed that you do has consequences. You all are blessed to have an opportunity like this. Don’t just be recipients (of the community’s legacy), but custodians and play it forward. If you are willing to do that you all will have a great life.”
Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Noshir Dadrawala’s words of wisdom to the youth were as passionate as those of Irani. "You are all standing at the threshold of your success but your success is determined by your attitude and aptitude. Aptitude is about your competence and ability that can be developed.”
Attitude is a word commonly used in the negative sense, according to him. "But it is a very positive term. Attitude is your way of looking at life. It’s your way of thinking,” he said. "Winners are too busy to be sad, too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be ever defeated. Have faith, acquire knowledge, strive for excellence, believe in your dreams and enjoy whatever you do,” were Dadrawala’s parting words.
At the end of the 10 days, participants emerged confident, taking part in competitions, building special memories and finally looking forward to meeting their HPY friends in the real world. Virtual competitions like Turncoat Debates, Frame by Frame, JAM (Just A Minute), fashion shows, creative writing and sports tested their creativity. All winners received their trophies and certificates at the hands of their parents, who in turn had received them from the HPY organizing committee a day prior. Each participant had to use a link provided and enter a discount code which enabled them to order their free-of-cost HPY tee shirt.
An adaptation of the dramatics segment of HPY, Frame By Frame, required the participant to reenact a short scene of under 60 seconds from any movie with accurate costume, set and dialog. JAM required the children to speak for a minute on a topic given to them by the JAM master without stammering, tempo alterations, plagiarism or wasting of time. The students were given 10 minutes to organize their thoughts and speak for a minute on the given topic highlighting its pros and cons for the Turncoat debate. The sports section had three events: juggling, Fast Fitness and COD (Call of Duty). The juggling competition was a team event in which five participants from each group had to juggle a football, without allowing it to touch the ground. The team that accumulated the highest volleys would win the event. Fast Fitness was an individual event where the participants were made to do exercises based on strength, agility and speed. COD was an online gaming event, played in groups of four. The format was knockout based. The first round was one in which the students (boys and girls separately) were judged on the videos they sent in; the two other rounds were live on Zoom, in front of all the participants, organizing committee members Jeyhaan Carnac, Ayesha Mehta and Zaara Dastur explained the nitty gritties of the events in an email to Parsiana.
Best participants from each goup were: Zenia Velati (Achievers), Delwan Tavadia (Creators), Parinaz Cooper (Enactors) and Behram Motafaram (Performers). Rushaad Engineer was announced the best sportsperson and Motafaram emerged the winner in the literary arts section. Rayan Diventri, Jamshed Mehta and Zeenia Mistry bagged the first, second and third prizes in solo singing, whereas solo dancing winners were Hufriya Daruvala, Hamarna Davar and Parinaz Sanjana. Biaanca Batliwalla and Pazen Langrana were considered the best models. Several other children won prizes as well.
"You are the mast holding it (the HPY ship) up … without the mast, the sails cannot go up and you’ve got some wonderful sails (referring to the organizing committee) … that take the ship forward every single year,” Irani acknowledged the role of Diana Marfatia. Mentor of the Programme over the years, Dee, as she is fondly referred to, has been connected with HPY ever since it started in 1987. Being group facilitator for the first two years, Marfatia moved on to become the Programme’s coordinator from 1989 to 2008 afterwhich she has remained its mentor till date. According to her, "confidence replaces anxiety, knowledge replaces ignorance and strangers become good friends” at HPY.
"You are not here to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply with a greater vision and a finer spirit of hope and achievement,” mentioned Marfatia who was also referred to "as the sticky glue that binds all to HPY, the cement that lays the foundation of such a program,” by JAM master Hormuz Ragina. Not wanting to deprive our community’s youth of that "once in a lifetime experience” that is HPY, the organizing committee came up with the idea to turn to social media to retain HPY as relevant and refreshing this year.
Addressing the youth at the inaugural function on May 26 was Armaity Tirandaz, chairperson of the BPP. "Soon you will be in adulthood with college and careers. You will be exposed to a whole world of glamor, glory and emotions… Cherish these few days. Imbibe, enjoy and observe as these will be the stepping stones of your life ahead,” she counseled. According to the soft-spoken lady, life is like a clod of clay. "Mold it into something to be proud of. Transform the clod of clay as your imagination commands, (use) your fingers to mold it. You will see the end product finally and it will be yours alone to be proud of or regret,” she ended her address which was interrupted with the mute button being pressed a couple of times.
The Programme was the brainchild of a far-sighted educationist, Dr Mehroo Bengalee, who had a vision for the "budding youngsters of our community.” She felt the need to channelize this bursting energy of the youth between school and college life. Thus was born HPY, 34 years ago. It remains the flagship event of the BPP which has been supporting it.
The organizing team of Huzan Forbes, Ragina, Dastur, Carnac, Meherzad Bhada, Airyaman Master, Sanaya Mehta, Sheroy Cooper, Shazen Elavia, Danush Dumasia, Vaishta Cooper, Zehan Tafti and Ayesha Mehta, shepherded by Marfatia are credited for the first ever Programme on the virtual platform, called HPY Online 2021.
In the words of Ragina, who spoke at the inaugural, "2021 is different for all of us in so many ways. I wish we were all together under the same roof. Consider HPY as a crash course to life… Lose yourself to actually find yourself and at the end of it, just have fun.” The participants couldn’t agree more.