Minoo Nalawalla
Dear Friends,
The reason you are reading this is because I have committed to everyone, my family and myself, the welfare of Zoroastrian community by standing as a candidate in the Bombay Parsi Panchayat Election 2015. I am a 69yr old retired journalist, and have worked very closely with the late Busybee – Behram Contractor at Afternoon newspaper. Family and friends call me a community activist.
Born in Surat, our family moved to Mumbai just after Independence and we settled in the quaint lanes of Dadar Parsi Colony. We lived there for close to 45 years before we moved on to another area. Quite clearly, DPC has seen my childhood, youth, middle-age and more. I studied at JB Petit Technical School, Pune and pursued Mechanical Engineering. I am married to a wonderful wife and have one son who is an entrepreneur and Radio-Jockey himself.
My career has been a mixed bag and diverse. Having spent close to two decades as a journalist, I have also been part of Bollywood film industry, manufacturing units, and hospitality sector. In 2009, I also stood as an MLA candidate (independent) Colaba constituency with a single agenda – To shake our community from National politics and push our youth to stand for municipal as well as national elections, something that our community has refrained from over the past few decades. We are a community who have been active participants in nation building, but that’s somewhere got diminished, but thankfully not disappeared. It’s the same thought that has got me to stand for the elections, which are much closer and prominent for our community members.
We have all witnessed the malfunctioning of our BPP office, especially since the past seven years. This was brought to light not just by community publications but mainstream media as well, which in turn has been a huge embarrassment for each of us. Within the BPP office too, one gets to notice unprofessional, snooty and biased behavior to community members especially the old and the ones with limited means. Many made to wait for hours and at times days because our so-called eminent trustees seemed so busy with their own business and professional life.
Being a retired professional, I feel it’s my responsibility to shake things for the betterment and therefore want to stand for one word – WELFARE – of the community. I am aware the BPP office has become synonymous with corruption and other insinuating terms, but trust me – AT 69, MONEY IS THE LAST THING ON MY MIND. At an age where one would love to retire with their family I am willing to give up the pleasures, roll my sleeves up and do the job myself.
I COMMIT TO WORK 5 DAYS A WEEK AT BPP OFFICE AND VISIT COLONY/BAUGS ON WEEKENDS FOR ANY OTHER AGENDA.
I am NOT power hungry but highly motivated. Team or no team, I can get things done..
Immaterial of me winning or losing, will try my best and send strong message to both, the outgoing trustees as well as the fellow candidates to ensure there is no place for greed and corruption in this office. Even if I lose, I will continue to hound the BPP office and make them accountable for their actions at all times, as I have been doing over the past several years. I have been a silent fighter and believe now is the time for me to come out in the open and take this cause in an assertive way.
I believe it’s high time our community gets a full-time name in BPP office who’s mere presence can expedite work and decisions. The BPP office needs several spokes. Without a fair representation of the society mix, we may witness a repeat to the same past seven years. I strongly believe I am able and can fill THAT one gap in the seven seats with my ‘ACTION’ ability.
Truly,
Minoo Nalawalla
minoo.nalawalla@gmail.com | 9322399082 | twitter.com/minoonalawalla
WHAT IS YOUR AGENDA IN SERVING AS A TRUSTEE OF MUMBAI PARSI PUNCHAYET
Dear Freddie,
Thanks for your question. As you may have read from my profile and my thoughts, I am very clearly standing for one thing – that is treat the respected BPP office as a full-time commitment. The BPP requires people who will give due importance to the day to day affairs and not make this noble office a place for weekly visits.
The most prominent thing for me is welfare of the community irrespective of their social standing. I have not tolerated deceit and lies in my life and can assure every voter of my honest intentions and grit to contest these elections at my age. Imagine the amount of pending decisions that can get cleared, the structured working of BPP trustees and staff members, and increased productivity if you have an accountable trustee who will spend more time in office than elsewhere. I have committed myself to yearly review as well which I will publish in community publications at my own cost, if elected. For this undertaking, I have also made an affidavit the copy of which has been submitted to office of the charity commissioner as well as election commission.
If you’d like to reach me for further discussion and suggestion please feel free to mail or call me.
minoo.nalawalla@gmail.com | 9322399082
Dear Mr. Minoo Nalawalla
Very Glad to read your reply. The Bureaucracy at Mumbai Parsi Punchayet needs total overhaul. They have to be taught to be courteous and undertanding to the difficulties expressed by the underprivileged.
Housing must be provided to the Poor and Needy and not to be given to Deposit Payers and High and Mighty.
Today Majority of the Residents of Parsi Punchayet Baugs are from High Income Group and hence the purpose of Charity is Defeated
Baname Khuda!
Dae-pa-dar Roz (24 Sep 2015)
Dear Zarathushti humdins,
I am a close relative of Mr. Minoo S. Nalawalla.
I am compelled to write this note because however good Mr. Nalawalla’s qualities are in his areas of expertise, he is not a suitable candidate for the BPP 2015 elections.
The reason is that Mr. Nalawalla is married to a non-Parsi Christian woman. This lady has after marriage been referred to by a Parsi name “Dinu” / ”Dinoo”.
The BPP trustee post is one where one needs a good role model, not a Parsi who has married outside.
Dasturji Dr. Firoze M. Kotwal, Dasturji Dr. Hormuzdiar K. Mirza, Dasturji Meherjirana K N Dastoor, Mr. Jehangirji Chiniwalla, Mr. Adi F. Doctor and many other eminent priests and scholars have strictly mentioned that inter-religious marriages have no sanctity in our religion.
This scourge of inter-marriage has the capacity to destroy the ethno-social-religious fabric of our community, hence it is best to keep all inter-married Parsis – be they male or female – outside religious institutions and religious affairs of the community.
Mr Nalawalla is a no doubt a caring gentleman with a strong sense of social justice, but his skills could be best applied in remedying ills outside the Parsi community.
Sincerely,
Mr. Tehemton Bhikhaji Adenwalla
Dear Mr. Adenwalla
We look to qualities of a person and not about his family.
Tatas and Godrejs have married in other communities. Do you think we should put them down
I personally think that its not good to drag any personal matter to over-shadow greedy and inactive members.. I DONT know Mr. Nallawala personally but I am sure he would help in saving BPP…
Baname Khuda!
Dear Evan,
my reply to Mr. Mowdawalla on public scrutiny of a candidate should answer your query.
Sincerely,
Mr. T. B. Adenwalla
Baname Khuda!
Dear Mr. Movdawalla,
When some one puts his/her name for a public post as high as a BPP trustee, he/she automatically stands to public scrutinty – that’s an unwritten rule which is followed since the last 300 years of the community. In a religiously fearing community like ours, a person’s spouse is very important, many many Parsis are uncomfortable with a non-Parsi spouse.
BPP trustees have religious duties too, can you imagine a stage for an agiary function where a BPP trustee is joined by his parjat wife.
The Godrejs and Tatas are not standing for BPP elections, and yes if an inter-married Godrej or a Tata would stand for BPP election, the traditionals would make the same protest.
You belong to a traditional group and you know the significance of tokham pasbani, so I am surprised that you would make comments like this.
Sincerely
Mr. T. B. Adenwalla