AGIARY LANE, AGIARY COMPOUND, TEMBHI NAKA, THANE, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA, 400601

AN APPEAL FOR RECONSTRUCTING 231 YEARS OLD AGIARY AT THANE. (NEAR BOMBAY)
DEAR FELLOW  ZORASTRIAN PHILANTHROPISTS,

Our Cowasji Jahangirji Patell Agiary-Adarian with the community Hall known as Agiary’s Anjuman otla even while it was in an extremely dilapidated condition towards the end, stood truly tall for 230 Years of its coming into existence (1780 till last year). In its time, this wonderful testament to our faith weathered many a testing time until its need for re-construction could not be put away any further.

The erstwhile Thana Agiary, Estd 1780

Foreground: Agiary’s Jarthosty Anjuman Otla (Hall) about 200 years old.

Background: PATELL APARTMENTS. Constructed in 1992-93-94

SHORT HISTORY

Three decades ago there were only a handful of Zoroastrian families domiciled in the four Century old Thane town of ours (which as people aver is even older then Bombay). The burden of keeping the holy fire alive along with the regular performing of Religious Ceremonies was managed by just one Mobed Saheb. When the coffers of the Trust completely ran dry, the then zealous Trustees mustered up courage to develop its surrounding gold mine of a land (additional land) with a cosmopolitan housing complex, which the then Parsi  Anjuman Objected, so the then trustees of Agiary came with a sparkling idea; not only to top up its corpus but also with a view to expand the community’s scale and size in members; this, by providing Housing to Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians at a highly concessional rate on lease hold basis so as to ensure them a good quality of life. {Lease Hold in this case, for the uninitiated, means Ownership flats with land on lease at 60% less than the prevailing market rate or even about 20% less than the construction cost}. This objective worked seamlessly alongside the fulfillment of the quest of a smooth flow of funds as lease rent. In a sense, it ensured the continued glory of the holy fire burning eternally in our city of Thane. Also, as a consequence of that came up a glorious ten storied tower which goes by the name of “PATELL APARTMENTS”. ( about 18 years before i.e. in 1993-94) . Patell Apartments successfully shouldered the community’s major problem of housing eighty families at a time with an embedded hope to guarantee sufficient and continual income by way of lease rent to take care of our Heritage Agiary and its latter day re-construction plan.

Over and above this residential housing project, they (as in, the then Trustees) also constructed a small single storied commercial Building “MAZDA COMPLEX” with a basement and a half Mezzanine Floor. This was expressly done with an intention to generate more income which can then enable the Trustees to continue with the charitable objects of the Trust: objects, which had stopped progressing for a while due to the terrible paucity of Trust funds.

But over time, the re-construction of our Beloved Agiary with a dedicated Community Hall, and the entire commercial complex (left half-complete for lack of funds) remained a dream unfulfilled for the then stalwart trustees as the Trust just could not get the desired lease rent income from the residential project. The present day trustees have now taken on the onerous responsibility to realise this dream project to its fullest potential (the construction of which has already started). Its scope has been suitably expanded to serve the community’s social and religious needs; as also, by servicing the sacred fire with the help of 4/5 mobed sahibs; a few of them even qualifying for free accommodation given their exigencies.

It is at this juncture that we need your blessings in the completion of the Reconstruction project of the  heritage fire temple; expanding as much as we legally can, within the framework of our land laws. This expansion entails the enlargement of the Anjuman Hall (Otla) as also, the balance work of the commercial wing, which would take care of the Trust’s future finances. The plans were approved by town planning as well as the heritage committee and the Thane municipality. The estimated cost for this project totals to about Rs. 3.3 crores.

We therefore humbly appeal to all our Philanthropist ZOROASTRIANS (and yet with a certain degree of pride, given its glorious history) to lend your active participation and patronage to this worthy cause and share with us the sweet burden of reconstructing the Agiary, its adjoining Community Hall and the half-completed commercial complex so as to help pass on the glory of our Zoroastrian tenets to its future generations. Do step forward with whatever contribution / donation you can to help, whether  it is  in a trickle or a torrent, to keep the fire of our micro community alive and thriving for generations to come.

Your contribution for cementing our heritage Agiary may please be sealed with a cheque or a demand draft favouring “The Thana Agiary Fund-Construction Account”   Address: Office, Thana Agiary Fund, Agiary Compound, Agiary Lane, Jambli Naka, THANE 400601. Maharashtra, INDIA.

Yours truly,

Thane Agiary Fund
Pervez Bhesania ( Trustee) +91-9820181818