NCPA Scholarships for Young Musicians 2019-20


Applications (bio-data on music education) are invited from students for a scholarship in advance training in Hindustani Music (vocal-khyal / dhrupad, percussion – tabla / pakhawal). The value of the scholarship is Rs. 7,500/- per month for one year (April 2019 to March 2020). Send in your application (bio-data on music education) via mail to ncpascholarships@gmail.com or in an envelope marked ‘City – NCPA Scholarship for Young Musicians 2019-20 (Hindustani Music)’ to the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021 on or before 31st Dec, 2018. Please note, application received after 31st Dec 2018 will not be accepted.

The application must contain details regarding the individual’s name, date of birth, address, contact number/alternate contact number ,professional qualification, email ID, music teacher/gurus, number of year of total training and details of achievements / prizes /scholarships and performances, amongst other net worthy details. The shortlisted candidates will be informed via email or telephone. They will be required to appear for an audition at the NCPA, Mumbai, in the month of February 2017. The decision of the NCPA Selection Committee will be final.

Contact No: 022-66223872/3737 (Mon to Fri. 10:30 am to 5:30 pm)

Eligibility Criteria & General Instructions:

  • Age Limit-

               For Khayal/Tabla/Pakhwaj – 18 to 30 years of age (as off 1st March 2019)

             For Dhrupad – 18 to 35 years of age (as off 1st March 2019)

  • Students who are beneficiaries of other scholarship/grant in the field of music during April 2019-20, are not eligible to apply.
  • Professional musicians including those with ‘A’ grade from All India Radio are not eligible to apply.
  • Only Indian citizens are eligible to apply. 

Click Here for more – https://www.ncpamumbai.com/event/scholarship-for-young-musicians-2019-20-hindustani-music#

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Navjote    Mubarak – preparations and process


 What you will need : Red is common for Boy and Girl.

One Big Polished ses: Kasti kari ne, saariduva magi ne kaam saroo karo — Sopara ma put little rice, (for the girl put 7 redchital/bangles  on the Sopara, you willneed to put them on after the Navjote is done)  Gulabas fill with Rose water, Kankoo dani putin  kankoo and mix with rose water, put in a match stick, and couple of paper napkins, a small bowl of set sweet curd.   In the ses put 5 to 7 paan,  on it, put one silver coin of Laxmi or Sarswati or Jarthost (whatever you like), put Kharek, sopari, badam, harad nogathio ,batasa,  sakar,  handful of rice (extra rice take it in small vati for all the dear family members to take overna) one new (navoo) coconut on it write Navjote Mubarak (if you like) or ask your Datoorji if he wants to do it? Sadro  Kasti,  and all clothes to be worn after the Navjote.  Gajro for the ses.

Gajro and bouquet for the child.

Ful na haar for the Dastoorji.

 For the Boy:

One new set of shirt pant topi to wear from home

Dagli

White Pant

White Full Sleeved Shirt

Hand stitched 1 Sadro with tiri, giryan, sleeve, ne button no  sivvano (6 more for daily use)

One clean white hanky for Nahan Nahvane mate

3 to 3 ½    gaj kasti

Underwear white

White Pyjama

Chappals

Shoes (pref. brown)

Gold buttons, cuff links, ring, watch (all optional) Keep handy in your purse.

 Socks

Hanky

Topi  (pref.red) 2 (one to wear from home, one after Nahn)

Towel

Pichori  (white material 2 to 2 ½ mts. Or shawl)

Soap/Shampoo

Hair brush, comb,

Big empty Plastic bags (to put in wet towel, worn socks, shoes, worn clothes)

For the Girl:

One new set of frock and clothes  while going

Frock

Peticoat

Panty

Hand stitched 1 Sadro with tiri, giryan, sleeve, ne button no sivvano (6 more for daily use)

3 to 3 ½    gaj kasti

White Pyjama (or red/white embroidered pyjama)

Shoes

Socks

Hanky

Topi  (pref.red) 2 (one to wear from home & one after Nahn)

Towel

Pichori  (white material 2 to 2 ½ mts. Or shawl)

Soap/Shampoo

Hair brush, comb

Chappals

Soap/Shampoo

Hair brush, comb

Hair clips, ribbons, hair band (whatever)

Jewellery what ever you want to give (chain,pendent,necklace,bracelate)

Earings must have

One set of Saree, petticoat material, blouse piece, Sadro material, Hanky,

 Scarf and glass bangles (you may keep it for the child’s first saree)

Big empty Plastic bags (to put in wet towel, worn socks, shoes, worn clothes)

Hair dryer if the hair is long and you need it

Navjotena Ashirwad na chokha, get it collected and along with the gajro, coconut, and few fresh flowers, sakar  dariye vatoo karvanoo

Cash envelopes to be kept ready (amount you will have to ask your Dastoorji)

Gireban nu cover keep it in the ses, dastoorji will take it.

Put one rupee coin in the Diva

One cover for Nahn Nahava na Dastoorji ne.

One cover Akhyana na khoomchi ma mukvanoo

One cover Dastoorji navajote kare tenu

And one cover each for all the dastoorjies who sit to do the navjote.

Nahan

One extra white hanky (for nahn nahva-no to hold the pomegranate leaf/Daram nupatru)

While taking the child for bath…….dastoorji will give you Nirang, in the bathroom let the child remove clothes and stand facing the mother, mother to put little nirang/taro.  Starting with head to toe,take one egg in hand and  baccha par thi ovari ni baajoo ma paper per fori devanoo. 

Take little doodh ful (ask if they will give from there or arrange for it from home Optional) add few grains of rice and apply all over once again starting from head to toe.

After wiping the child dry, wipe head also well, put on lengha (pyjama), and coverhim with shawl or Pichori, wear cap, chappals and dastoorji will take the childto the stage. Mother or any vadil from the family,  should go up the stage achoo michoo kari ne baccha ne stage pur levanoo.

While the Navjote ceremony is being done it is preferred that the parents (or at least one of the two family member) sit or stand near the stage so the child gets confidence and at the same time shower your blessings and pray to Ahura Mazda, remember your dear departed loved ones,to shower the child with the choicest blessings for good health, wealth,prosperity, success in life and to be a true Zoroastrian always. J  This is not compulsory but this thought process is excellent for the child.

Once the Navjote is over the father gives the envelope and garlands to thedastoorji. Tell them thank u and Jami ne sadhvjoji (nahi to ghere avijase!!  J )  if they are not waiting for dinner, see them to the gate of the Baug.

Mother along with the ladies member of the family invites her own mother and mother-in-law to the stage to dress the child. First the parents do tili and take overna wishing the child all the best. Dress the child, whatever you want to give (buttons, chain, watch, etc.as gift,  give. Garland and bouquet and coconut in hand the child is ready to face the camera as true Jarthosti and the entire world.

(If girl’s Navjote has been done after the child is dressed in all her finery, open the saree a little and put it over her shoulders, slip the bangles in her hands, and give the rest of the set in her hands along with coconut, bouquet and garland the child.  Before going to the Agiary put the saree and all back in the ses)

Accompany the child to the Agiary/Atashbehram (before all the girls come to kiss) and help him to do his first kasti. Help the child Light a divo, offer sukhad if you like pray tandorasti for all. Come out and let everyone meet and shower their love, kisses and blessings J.

Navjote na Ashirwad na chokha, get it collected and along with the gajro, coconut, and few fresh flowers, sakar  dariye vatoo karvanoo

Important

Before leaving the home Keep ‘Achoo Michoo’ tray ready with small katli/vati water,one egg, paan, sopari, kharek,badam, sakar and rice.  When you return home after the Navjote, do Achoo Michoo and take the child in with right foot forward. J

Also keep his/her night clothes ready, sleeping suit, night dress for the child to change.

It would be a good practice to do kasti everynight before going to sleep.

How to do Achoo Michoo

  1. Put the aluminum foil or paper tray in right hand corner of the door.
  2. Take the egg turn it over the head 7 times and brak it in the tray on your right side.
  3. Take Paan, Kharek, sopari, badam, sakar, halad no gathio and few grain of rice, pick up all together turn it over the head for 7 times and throw in on the right side again.
  4. Take the coconut turn it 7 times and break it on the right side and pour little coconut water all over the‘umber’ and put it back on the right side.
  5. Take out little rice and give it to the person standing next to you.
  6. In the thali/khumchi put little rice and put it in little water from the Katli/vati
  7. Take the thali round the head for 7 times  and pour little water on the right side and little on the left side.
  8. Take the rice grains from the person you have given to and take overna of the child
  9. Jamne page baccha ne under levanoo ne koti karvani.

Very  Important.  As &  when possible and at the first opportunity take the child to Iranshah to get Blessed.T

Thrity Yazdi Tantra

Handbook Cover Art Contest at the United Nations


Calling All Designers!  Have your artwork prominently featured at the largest annual NGO Forum held at the United Nations.

We are gearing up for the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women in 2019! 

  • Held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11-22 March, 2019
  • Thousands of representatives from Governments, NGOs and Women’s Organizations worldwide
  • All working to advance Human Rights for Women and Girls.
Click here to learn more about the NGO CSW63 Forum Your artwork should incorporate the CSW63 Priority Theme: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Visit UN Women website here for more information. Deadline For Submissions: 14 January, 2019

Homai Vyarawalla and her iconic pics


Little did everyone know that a young and zealous Parsi girl would go on to become India’s first female photojournalist, and perhaps even the best one till this day.

Homai Vyarawalla was born on 9 December 1913 in Gujarat. She moved to Mumbai, then Bombay, to pursue a diploma at St Xavier’s college, after which she joined the J J Schools of Arts, where she, luckily for all of us, picked up a camera and began to study photography.

Homai with her wooden Speed Graphic Pacemaker camera
Homai with her wooden Speed Graphic Pacemaker camera

It was at J J school that she met Manekshaw Vyarawalla, a freelance photographer who introduced her to the art form. She would later go on to marry him.

Her first assignment at college, to photograph a picnic, was published by Bombay Chronicle, a local newspaper, after which she regularly picked up more freelance assignments, including work for The Illustrated Weekly Magazine of India.

Click Here for the full story and some amazing pics – https://www.thequint.com/photos/iconic-images-homai-vyarawalla-india-first-woman-photojournalist

Indira Gandhi with Rajiv and Sanjay at the first Asian Games at the National Stadium. Delhi, 1951
(Photo courtesy: HV Archive/ The Alkazi Collection of Photography)

https://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/13156794/

https://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/1771427/

https://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/11179592/

Support a UK Zoroastrian entrepreneur build the next Tata-size empire


Ruzbeh Bacha

We, Zoroastrians, even though small in numbers, have taken risks as entrepreneurs, built empires through hard work and commitment and have had a big positive impact on humanity.  While the Tatas, Godrej, and others redefined sectors such as manufacturing and real estate, the next generation of Zoroastrian entrepreneurs are likely to leverage technology and of course artificial intelligence to build successful businesses.

Ruzbeh Bacha who was born and brought in Mumbai and has been in the UK for a decade launched his tech startup CityFALCON from his bedroom back in 2014.  The company is now one of the reputed startups in the UK and even globally..  They serve clients including the French bank BNP Paribas, Austrian bank Raiffeisen Bank, and US stock exchange IEX.  They are also close to signing up a major bank in Asia. Their content partners include Bloomberg, Twitter and other reputed names.  The team has grown to 30, and they have raised £1.1m in funding till date.

Startup media typically portrays all the successes including big fund raises and fails to highlight the challenges that startups face.  Supporting contracts from major banks and institutions require upfront capital investment and also has high maintenance costs. Raising capital as a first-time young entrepreneur with a limited network is tough. The company is now raising their next round of funds to scale the business up by hiring more people and leveraging some of the newer technologies.  

One of the most significant impacts on their business has been from Brexit.  Most non-UK investors are reluctant to support UK businesses due to the political uncertainties and the volatility of the pound.

How can you support?

If you are interested and can take risks involved, you could support them by investing anything from £15 here to become equity shareholders in the company.  You can read more about the business and investment terms on the site. This is NOT a donation, and if the company succeeds, it could provide good returns. Note that your capital is at risk as less than 10% of the startups succeed, and even if they do succeed, the money may be locked-in for at least 5 years.  There is usually no dividend or interest paid.  Please only invest money that you can afford to lose.

For UK tax residents, HMRC provides significant tax breaks and incentives for investing in startups under the EIS scheme. Subject to your tax situation, you could claim 30% of your investment back as tax rebate and can set off any losses if the company goes bankrupt against your taxable income. Please consult with your financial or tax advisor before investing.

Zoroastrians (excluding Ruzbeh) already own c. 4% of the company, and Ruzbeh owns around 59%.  Several younger Zoroastrians in the same age group as Ruzbeh have also invested in the previous rounds.

If you have any questions, reach out to Ruzbeh atruzbeh@cityfalcon.com or 07827830663

Let’s keep the Zoroastrian entrepreneurship flame keep shining bright!

Kind regards 

Shernaz Engineer

Chair WZCC – UK

Minority Education Loans – apply till year-end



Mumbai Chairman of Maulana Azad Minorities Financial Development Corporation Limited Haji Haider Azam said the deadline for filling up educational loan forms for minority students has been extended to December 31. Students of minority communities (Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Parsi and Jew) desiring to pursue professional and vocational courses like MBBS, MBA, BE etc) were asked to apply for educational loans trill November 30.  “Seeing the increasing demand from students and to facilitate more applications, we have extended the last date. Hopefully more students will take advantage of the loan’s scheme. The loan is for up to Rs 5 lakhs per student,”said Azam.

Students are required to apply online at https://malms.maharashtra.gov.in

Zoroastrianism’s Impact On Western Thought And World Religions


Zoroastrianism, as one of the oldest religions still in existence and probably the world’s first monotheistic faith, had been the state religion of three Persian dynasties, while shaped one of the ancient world’s largest empires—the mighty Persia Empire, before the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century A.D.

Although it was the dominant religion in Iran, Afghanistan, and central Asia, today Zoroastrians remain primarily in Iran, India, and Pakistan.

To highlight the impact of Zoroastrianism on western thought and the other religions in the world, we conducted an interview with Dr. Philip G. Kreyenbroek, professor and Director of Iranian Studies in Georg-August University of Göttingen (1996-2017).

Click Here for the full interview –  https://iranian.com/2018/12/05/zoroastrianism-4/

‘A Parsi delight’ is a sparkling treasury on Parsi life



Tanuja Relia and Anil Relia in front of the Portrait of shipbuilder Jehangir Nowrojee with steamboat agent Oliver Miller White

Anil Relia once again opens his treasure chest to give us a sparkling collection of Parsi portraits in the ninth edition of his eponymous Indian Portrait series. The vast personal collection includes portrait paintings, photographs, prints and collectible of the Parsi community ranging from early 16th century to late 20th century. The show opened at Amdavad ni Gufa on December 4, 2018 and will remain on display until December 9, 2018.

Ninth in the series, ‘The Indian Portrait IX – A Parsi Delight’ is a collection of rare portraits from the personal collection of art collector, entrepreneur and preserver Anil Relia and his wife Tanuja Relia. The atmosphere of inauguration was amplified by the presence of eminent citizens from Parsi community who turned out at the event in their traditional attire. The exhibition opened on the evening of December 4, 2018, at Amdavad Ni Gufa in Ahmedabad.

The Indian Portrait series by Relia bears a legacy status now. The way it culminates documentary evidence and aesthetic evolution of portraiture in different regions of India over centuries, makes it a rare collection of topnotch curator-ship. In it’s early editions Relia has showcased portraits themed under subjects like Rajputana Nayak, Colonial influence on Raja Ravi Varma and his contemporaries and Mughal Empire among others. The founder of Archer Art Gallery this time takes its audience on a fascinating voyage to the Parsi culture by assembling 170 aesthetically rich paintings and collectibles from his collection. Relia, who has formerly curated shows according to era and styles has come up with an art exhibition that is specially dedicated to a community for the first time.

Click Here for more – https://creativeyatra.com/news/anil-relias-parsi-delight-sparkling-treasury-parsi-life/