Friends, Rustomejee tells me the donations have dropped and the poor old Parsis of Mumbai need help. Please help if you can.

FEED NEEDY OLD PARSIS in MUMBAI: APPEAL to all Zoroastrians Worldwide
by Rustom C. Chothia

THE DADAR-MATUNGA PARSI ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATION
(Registered under the Societies Registration Act., XXl of 1860)
(Registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act ,1950 under No. F -736
Bom.)
(Estd. May 1925)
PRESIDENT: RUSTOM C. CHOTHIA – 757, RD.NO. 7,
PARSI COLONY, DADAR, MUMBAI 400014.
TEL/FAX: +91 (India) -22 (Mumbai) -24148394
E-mail: chothia@vsnl.com

Dear Folks,

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

I approach you on behalf of The Dadar Matunga Parsi Zoroastrian Association, which is doing laudable work since the last 70 years by helping old and needy people of our community. The segment of society we assist are aged, infirm people, people who are mentally and physically handicapped and people in need of medical help. Many of our beneficiaries are widows and some are even bedridden. These are people who cannot be rehabilitated as they are incapable of doing any sort of work. Most of these people are under constant medical treatment though they cannot even afford a square meal. We have today more than 200 such on our roles and there is a waiting list of fresh applicants. We extend cash assistance of Rs 100 per month which is inadequate in present inflationary times. It is our aim to raise this sum and also to help more people who are on our waiting list. Our volunteers screen each applicant individually for suitability (financial and health) before we accept them as beneficiaries. You may find it difficult to believe but some of our beneficiaries are even residing in slums.

We organize a GHAMBAR LUNCH every year at Sohrab Palamkot Hall and feed over 500 poor people who come from all over Bombay to enjoy a true LAGAN NU BHONU complete with side dish, eggs, chicken and pulav followed with ice-cream.

We organize an EXHIBITION CUM SALE once a year with more than 100 tables where people bring all types of home made utility articles and foodstuff and also bought out items for sale.

We purchase mulmul and get poor women to stitch sudras which are then sold by our members.

We have brought out 4 editions of the Dadar Parsi Colony Directory listing all Parsi residents with addresses, phone numbers and even blood groups. It also lists emergency services, doctors etc and is very popular with the people.

We hold social/cultural functions to raise money but still our funds are limited and we depend on donations we receive from time to time from charitable minded organizations and individuals. We look forward to your support by way of a generous corpus donation which shall bring relief to and blessings from the underprivileged of our community. Today out of one billion Indians we are only around seventy thousand, which works out to less than one Parsi per ten thousand Indians. The other communities are not going to help our people. It is for us to look after our poor.

If you are abroad, personal cheques can be sent in foreign currency to the above address. Please make out the cheque payable to “Dadar Matunga Parsi Zoroastrian Association” and send it to the address. RUSTOM C. CHOTHIA – 757, RD.NO. 7, PARSI COLONY, DADAR, MUMBAI 400014 India.

Currently donations are quite low so the poor old Parsis need all the help they can get. Please ask your friends to donate too. You can send a local rupee cheque or you can also send a foreign currency cheque.

We do not qualify for income tax exemption as we are helping our own community only.

Yours sincerely,

RUSTOM C. CHOTHIA. (President)
E-mail: chothia@vsnl.com
TEL/FAX: +91 (India) -22 (Mumbai) -24148394

USHTA AHMAI YAHMAI USHTA KAHMAICHIT
HAPPINESS TO HIM WHO MAKES OTHERS HAPPY
(PROPHET ASHO ZARATHUSTRA, HOLY GATHA YS. 43-1)