Ghandy’s Surat sojourn

Maoist sympathizer Kobad Ghandy was in Surat to attend a court hearing along with 20 others. His advocate Kiritbhai Panwalla, who has been elected four times president of the Surat Bar Association and has been fighting the case pro bono, has his office next to the Seth Kavasji Rustamji Tamna ni Dharamshala in the Nanpura area where Ghandy stayed during the hearing on September 21, 2021. He sent a report for Parsiana on the Dharamshala:
"Established in 1819, the Dharamshala is a lovely, open, sprawling place. Though the locality is crowded today, at one time it was known for its numerous Parsi residences. There are 12 rooms on the first floor, while the ground floor has a large courtyard and corridors with a long dining table where weddings, navjotes and other Parsi functions are held. Frenny Daruwala and her husband Nauzar, who manage the place on behalf of the trustees of the Surat Nanpura Parsi Zarthushti Anjuman said that they can cater for between 400 and 1,000 guests at such functions.
"Nine of the 12 residential rooms are air-conditioned (AC). Rates for the AC rooms vary from Rs 900 to Rs 2,000 per day, depending on size and the number of beds. Non-AC room rates are between Rs 350 and Rs 450 per day. I was allotted an AC room with a double bed for Rs 900. There were a couple of other guests while I was there. The Daruwalas supplement their income by supplying daily tiffins to a regular list of people. Frenny said that a tiffin was priced at Rs 150. I too savored the excellent food at one lunch and had akuri for breakfast. Frenny said she has much experience in catering and as she had been running the A-1 Parsi restaurant. She and her husband took over the management of the Dharamshala in 1996, though she continues with her catering orders in places as far as Bombay and Abu. She also sells excellent lagan nu achar at Rs 200 per half kilo packet.

"She said that the trustees of the Anjuman are elected every five years by the about 200 to 250 Parsi residents of the locality. The current president is Ruksar Darius Master, the vice-president is Cyrus Dotivala and the secretary is Nauzar Pajnigar. There are five other trustees. The facility is only open to Parsis and their spouses (who may be non-Parsis).”
In a letter appealing for funds in the January 7, 2014 issue of Parsiana, the then vice president Pervez Variava had written that the Dharamshala "was built by the late Palanji Kavasji Athugar and made available to all Parsi and Irani Zarthoshtis on July 26, 1819 in fond memory of Hakim Kavasji Rustamji Tamna.”
"Surat is said to have about 5,000 Parsis while the population of the entire surrounding areas is around 10,000,” stated Ghandy. "There are a number of agiaries in Nanpura and some at Rustompura. The Dadabhai Naoshirwan Mody Atash Behram in neighboring Sayedpura is said to be the largest. Sayedpura houses most of the wealthy Parsis in its small lanes and bylanes. There is also the large Seth Pestonji Kalabhai Vakil Kadmi Atash Behram at Vakil Street, Shahpore, near the Sheth Rustomji Dhanjibhai Tarachand Surat Parsi General Hospital…
"Near the Dharamshala there is a quaint Nanpura Parsi Library with books and newspapers. This entire Parsi locality lies within about a two kilometer radius around Nanpura.
"It being my first visit to a Parsi dharamshala, I was very impressed with the simplicity of the place, its informality, relatively hygienic condition and the excellent Parsi food. Frenny said they have 25 to 30 guests in a month and I noticed many of the rooms have been renovated by donors whose plaques are displayed on the walls. It was a pleasure to be in an air conditioned room in the hot and humid weather of Surat, eating good Parsi food and visiting the advocate’s office a mere five-minute walk from the Dharamshala,” Ghandy concluded.