“When the goal is noble”

Two jashans by priests from Sanjan, Nargol, Saronda and Udvada, followed by snacks for the early arrivals marked the start of the Sanjan Day celebrations held on November 15, 2022, mah Tir, roz Bahman, noted organizer Pareecheher Daviervala who sent a detailed note to Parsiana on the day’s events.
To ensure that Sanjan remains etched forever in the minds and hearts of our community members much beyond the current generations, her family has been making sure that the celebrations "each year are assiduously, meticulously, and religiously held with great fervor, gaiety and traditional Parsipanu,” she noted.
Even during the lockdown in 2020 and 2021 a jashan was held and prayers were offered on that day, albeit with only a handful of family and committee members and residents in attendance.

The big question this year was "how many will attend and would Covid make a comeback?” The celebrations are funded with donations from community members and organizations. "Every rupee received had to be well spent on and for the function,” Daviervala elaborated. The other major challenge was whether the generosity of the Western Railway in permitting halts for the Gujarat Express and Flying Ranee trains at Sanjan on this day would continue. Without this facility those who come from Bombay, Surat and Navsari would be cut off, she explained. The trains did continue to halt at Sanjan, something Daviervala ascribes to when "the goal is noble, you reach your destination.” Celebrated annually from 1981 onwards, the Day is believed to commemorate the landing of Zoroastrians on Indian shores.
Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chairwoman Armaity Tirandaz told the gathering that Parsi charity is not just about money. Much can be done through good thoughts, words and deeds. "All the (seven) trustees work in harmony… We have had our differences but they do not spill on to the community… The past was contentious, but we have risen far above.” She added BPP is in "need of funds for so many projects.”
BPP trustee Anahita Desai said she wants "this Parsipanu to continue” but lamented that there were very few youngsters and even middle aged persons present at the function. "Why so?” she queried. "Children imbibe and imitate what they see parents do… Mere speaking does not help… Lead by action.” Teaching our children the ethos of our community and religious tenets is our duty and responsibility, she reiterated.
"We have no housing stock left,” lamented BPP trustee Xerxes Dastur, adding that there are "over 360 (legal) cases that (the BPP) must try and settle.” Dastur sees the proposed uniform civil code which would replace personal laws of communities as a challenge. And also pending matters before the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court (SC) where Prochy Mehta and Goolrookh Gupta are fighting for equality for outmarried women. (The Sanaya Dalal case is also pending in the SC — editors.)
BPP trustee Dr Adil Malia said he is a "true local trustee,” having spent vacations in adjoining Nargol and Saronda. "The community needs to stand up and not just stare at what is happening and squabble internally... Sanjan Day is important to show gratitude to our forefathers… gratitude to those who helped us in our time of extreme need. Go home and think what I can do for improving my community, think positively and we will surely succeed,” he ended.
Kargil veteran and Poona Parsi Panchayat trustee Col Kaizad Bhaya admitted, "Yes there are issues, differences, but we need to work for the good of the community… If you don’t make the effort, how can your team win?… Everyone is taking a step back and not forward… Please do not; if you do, others will overtake you.”
Daviervala family matriarch Bapsy stated, "While we undoubtedly are a numerically small community with alarmingly low birth rates to offset deaths, we certainly are one with a huge heart…and have made a mark for ourselves in every sphere of life.”
Lunch was catered by Kaizad Patel; soft drinks and falooda were provided with the compliments of Paris Bakery of Bombay and Agni Bakery of Dahanu. Pareecheher commended the "generous contributions from community members and well-wishers, without whose assistance it would be very difficult to manage, protect and run the adjoining Parsi Dharamshala for our Parsi pilgrims on mini budgets who are looking for a clean, decent stay and wholesome meals.”
Pareecheher painted a picture of today’s Sanjan "where one still experiences the oldworld charm of quaint houses, small lanes with vendors, bicycles and handcarts selling almost everything and an easy, laidback lifestyle. Thatched huts have given way to a few high rises, and handcarts coexist with mini-super marts, bicycles compete with the odd Mercedes on the narrow roads and the youth moving away from traditional attire to jeans and tees, with streaked hair and modern looks.
"Many have sent their children either to Dahanu or even Bombay and overseas for further education, knowing they would probably never return… Having said so, one expects that Sanjan too, would gradually lose its significance in the minds of modern Parsi youth who probably have only heard the name from their parents. But ‘faith can move mountains’ and achieve the impossible. And this is so very true of our beloved Sanjan,” she added. Farrokh Jijina