Monthly Archives: January 2017
How we View – Practice our Religion & Spirituality
A global survey on “How we View – Practice our Religion & Spirituality”.
Survey participant can be of any age, belong to any religion / belief system.
Please take this anonymous survey at –
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/My-Faith
Hopefully the results can help bring Inter-Faith awareness and tolerance. Do share this message with your family and friends across the globe, on social media of your choice.
I appreciate your assistance in encouraging this survey participation.
Rustom Bhopti
Nani Palkhivala – God’s Gift to India
Left to right: Author, Dr. Dharmendra Bhandari, Justice (Retd) R. M. Lodha, Y. H. Malegam and Jehangir Palkhivala
- Dr Dharmendra Bhandari releases his book Nani Palkhivala – God’s Gift to
India (Biography by a Friend) at the Cricket Club of India
- Guest of Honour Justice R M Lodha, former Chief Justice of India, who launched the book, said, “Nani Palkhivala was one of the best judges the Supreme Court never had”
- Nani Palkhivala, known as the ‘conscience-keeper’ of the nation’, was a legal luminary who advocated free enterprise, civil liberty and freedom of press
A new biography on eminent jurist Nani Palkhivala was launched by the former Chief Justice of India in Mumbai on 16 January 2017. Justice R M Lodha released Nani Palkhivala – God’s Gift to India (Biography by a friend), a new book by economist and author Dr Dharmendra Bhandari, at the Cricket Club of India (CCI). The date also marked the 97th birth anniversary celebration of Palkhivala, who was hailed as the ‘conscience-keeper of the nation’.
“Nani Palkhivala was a man born once in centuries,” said Justice Lodha addressing the audience. “The first time I saw him in action was in 1969, when he was fighting the case of bank nationalisation against the Government of India. I recognised his eloquence was laced with courtesy, civility, dignity and submissiveness, while in the attorney general of India’s eloquence was arrogance, inflexibility and stubbornness, backed by the might of the government. He is truly one of the best judges the Supreme Court never had.”
For Dr Bhandari, this labour of love is a tribute to a close friend. He reached out to close friends and relatives of Palkhivala, as well as corporations in which he had left his indelible mark. This helped him source original letters addressed to Palkhivala by distinguished Indians such as C Rajagopalachari, Indira Gandhi, Ratan Tata and Kumar Mangalam Birla among others, as well as photographs. But what stands out is the cartoons by R K Laxman that punctuate the book, judiciously used to complement Nani’s point of view.
Furthermore, Palkhivala’s iconic Budget speeches, delivered annually at Brabourne Stadium at CCI, are excerpted in the book. The book also details how Dr Manmohan Singh, architect of economic reforms, incorporated several of Nani’s suggestions made during his speeches. “In fact, he once said the credit for economic reforms, should actually go to Nani. Perhaps if Nani had been the Finance Minister, he would probably have presented the entire Budget extempore in Parliament without referring to the written text!” said Dr Bhandari, addressing the distinguished audience.
The other guests on the panel were Y H Malegam, Chairman of the Nani Palkhivala Memorial Trust, and Jehangir Palkhivala, an eminent Yoga expert and Nani’s nephew.
Palkhivala was an iconic Indian statesman and one of India’s greatest advocates who fought to protect civil liberty and promote free enterprise. The book carefully details cases fought
by Nani, related to vital issues such as Bank Nationalisation, Fundamental Rights, and his passionate fight for the freedom of press during the Emergency of 1975.
Dr Bhandari, a former associate professor at the University of Rajasthan, has also penned the biography, R K Laxman – The Uncommon Man.
Farrokh M Rustomji
Film Competition
Hi ! I (OORVAZI IRANI) am mentoring this film competition can you help me reach out to a large audience in the age group of 14-19 yrs. Details are in the Poster.
Registration link svkmculturama.com/film
How safe are our Parsi Community Properties?
“Muslim Activists start a movement to evict encroachers from Wakf properties” is a headline of a news item in the TOI of 28 Dec 2016. Apparently, “dismayed by the lackadaisical attitude to stop encroachments on Wakf properties, some Muslim activists have launched a movement, to save the same”.
Wakf properties are those “properties which Muslims have endowed for the welfare of community members”. Our Parsi community also has large tracts of properties left behind by our elders, spread all over the country, from Amritsar in the North to Calicut in the South and from Diu in the West to Darjeeling in the East. As Jerry Pinto observed, in his essay “The Parsis”, these are “huge assets that are held in common for the good of the community”. Whilst most of our properties in Mumbai and other major towns are safe with the BPP and other respective Anjumans, there are many which remain unattended and uncared for. In Mumbai itself there are a large number of properties which do not fall under the purview of the BPP and are managed by a few nominated Trustees.
It is reported in this news item that a Wakf member had planned to sell an Eidgah land to a developer but timely intervention saved the property. Our community has also experienced similar situations when some parties with vested interests attempted to sell the Dharwar Aramgah (burial) land to a developer. A timely enquiry carried out by the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) revealed that this was being done clandestinely, without any one’s knowledge, including that of the Panthaky of the Hubli Dadgah who had been looking after this facility at his own expense. Timely intervention saved this property. Ironically, it is believed, that the same developer was involved in the purchase of the Aramgah land at Bhusawal, obviously with the assistance of some in-house connivance.
Nearer home, we recently had the case of three community Trusts who sold their lands in the suburbs of Mumbai to a developer under the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme. Encroachments, was the excuse proferred by the Trustees. The question here is, WHY did the Trustees allow this encroachment to take place? Why wasn’t action initiated to prevent this encroachment? Was it the same “lackadaisical attitude to stop encroachments”?
Whilst the FPZAI is making a valiant effort to protect our Parsi properties through their Defunct Anjuman Scheme, there aren’t very many takers for it. Most Anjumans have expressed their apprehensions on the efficacy of this proposal and have declined to participate in it.
With crores worth of community property lying unattended and uncared for all over the country, is it time for us also to start a movement to protect our properties with all seriousness.
¢ Should we seek the assistance of the Govt?
¢ Is there a need to institute a forum which should have the requisite legal sanctity and financial backing?
¢ Is there a need for us to seek instructions from the Judiciary?
In such scenario’s, the management of these properties could be left to the respective Board of Trustees as hitherto however the final disposal, if any, should be approved by this duely constituted new body. Our community representative on the Minorities Commission could initiate a dialogue on the protection of our community properties, at the highest level with the concerned Minister.
Whilst we continue debating on the way-ahead, each one of us, as concerned members of the community, should remain ever-vigilant and ensure that none of our properties are encroached upon, nor allow any vested interests to poach on them. More so in view of the fact that most of our holy precincts in the city of Mumbai, fall under the “Heritage” category, the “Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)” of which commands a very lucrative premium.
Trustees are just the custodians of the lands & properties entrusted to them, we, the community members, are the real owners of these “family jewels”.
Commodore Medioma Bhada (Retd), mrbhada@gmail.com.
President of France François Hollande bestows the prestigious National Order of Merit on Zubin Karkaria
Zubin Karkaria
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to be judged worthy of receiving this recognition. I have 
always believed in the enormous potential France has as a destination, and over the years, it has been my privilege to work with Atout France, France’s Tourism Development Agency, and many other stakeholders from the travel fraternity in promoting and facilitating travel to this beautiful country. I am grateful to the Government of France and Atout France for the trust they have placed in the Kuoni Group and in VFS Global, and of course, to all our employees for their engagement and passion to deliver first-class services every day. This recognition is truly inspirational for me and our team to aim higher in our commitment to excellence in developing travel and tourism to France.”
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The annual Ambassador’s Travel Awards soirée, an initiative by Atout France – France Tourism Development Agency – under the patronage of the Ambassador of France to India was held at the Chambers Terrace of the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers in Mumbai earlier this month. The awards aimed at strengthening France’s ties further with the Indian travel fraternity and encourage their endeavours in showcasing France as a premier tourism destination. Launched in the form of a contest in October 2016, the Ambassador’s Travel Awards invited travel agencies to submit their published travel itineraries showcasing France as either a stand-alone destination or included a minimum 4-night stay in the country. Close to 100 itineraries were received, out of which 15 were shortlisted and judged by a panel of jury members, including H.E. Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India. A selection of 6 winners was then made with awards divided into the following categories:H.E Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India with Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global & Kuoni Group Launched in the form of a contest in October 2016, the Ambassador’s Travel Awards invited travel agencies to submit their published travel itineraries showcasing France as either a stand-alone destination or included a minimum 4-night stay in the country. Close to 100 itineraries were received, out of which 15 were shortlisted and judged by a panel of jury members, including H.E. Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India. A selection of 6 winners was then made with awards divided into the following categories:  L-R: Sheetal Munshaw, Biswajit Chakraborty, H.E. Alexandre Ziegler and Suzanne Pereira, Sr. Vice President, Trade Relationships & Communications, Thomas Cook India Limited
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 Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France, Biswajit Chakraborty, GM, Sofitel Mumbai, Parul Mehta, Director, Global Destination and H.E Alexandre Ziegler
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 L-R: Sheetal Munshaw, Biswajit Chakraborty and H.E. Alexandre Ziegler awarding Usha Nadar and family, the receipient of the 150,000th French Schenghen Visa
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 L-R: Sheetal Munshaw, Biswajit Chakraborty, H.E. Alexandre Ziegler and Suzanne Pereira, Sr. Vice President, Trade Relationships & Communications, Thomas Cook India Limited
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 1. Best Promotion of France through Travel Itineraries.
Platinum Award: Best Showcase of France as an Experiential Travel Destination WINNER – DESTINATION GLOBE. Diamond Award: Best Showcase of France as a Family-friendly Destination WINNER – SOL TRIPS Gold Award: Best Showcase of France as an Incentive Destination WINNER – BLUE MOON TRAVELS PVT LTD 2: Exemplary Achievements in Visa Issuances. This year’s edition also had a special award for the recipient of the 1,50,000th French Schengen visa, who won a stay in France as a family. The recipient was Usha Nadar and her family. On this occasion, H.E. Alexandre Ziegler also conferred the French distinction, Chevalier Dans l’Ordre du Merite (Knight of the National Order of Merit), on Zubin Karkaria, CEO, VFS Global and Kuoni Group as well as a member of Atout France’s Advisory Board Council. The award comes in recognition of Karkaria’s stellar role in conceiving the visa facilitation system and promoting France as a premier travel destination, thus contributing to strengthening Indo-French ties and facilitating tourism influx. Commenting on the initiative, Sheetal Munshaw, Director, Atout France India, said, “This dynamic initiative endorsed by our Ambassador has given an impetus to our efforts of showcasing France as a leading travel destination. We believe these awards will further reinforce France’s positioning as a preferred destination across segments and will motivate our travel industry partners to create many more innovative handcrafted French travel experiences for their clientele.” |
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http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/Round-Up/french-ambassadors-travel-awards-32254
SRI LANKAN PARSIS FACING EXTINCTION?
By Nilika de Silva
In the mid-twentieth century there were more than 300 of them. Today the local Parsi comunity has dwindled to about 45. The sad reality is that nothing can really be done to ensure that Lanka’s small but eminent Parsi community will continue to enrich Sri Lanka’s development in the future as they have done in the past four centuries. Conversion is not allowed by the Parsi community in Sri Lanka. And a woman if she marries out of the community cannot expect her children to be accepted into the Parsi community. These are the main reasons for the diminishing numbers of Parsis in Sri Lanka.
A unique community, the Parsis of Sri Lanka have retained a pure strain of those very first people who migrated from Pars (ancient Persia) when threatened by the religious empire building Arab world. Having first settled down in Gujarat, they went on to set sail and venture forth for the sake of commercial enterprise.
Pestonjee, Choksy, Captain, Jilla, Billimoria, Rustomjee, Jevunjee, Dadabhoy, Barucha….. these Parsi names ring many bells. The Pestonjees and Captains in the field of commerce, the Choksys in the legal world, Jilla, in the field of Guiding, Billimoria in Scouting, each in his or her chosen field has carved out a niche, making those rare Parsi names household ones in this country.
It was Soli Captain, for instance, who met the costs for Sri Lanka’s first Cancer Hospice, Dr. Jamshed Dadabhoy who was renowned as the Chief Eye Surgeon of the Colombo Eye Hospital, his niece Roshan, (later Peiris) now of The Sunday Times who was the first woman Editor of the Observer, well known architect Jamshed Nilagriya and Jimmy Barucha, renowned broadcaster. These are but a handful of the Parsis who made it to the top.
Parsi traditions and culture in Sri Lanka are not widely known. The naming of a Parsi baby, for instance, is according to the date and time of birth. A letter is chosen and depending on this letter a Parsi name is selected.
A Parsi child’s initiation into Zoroastrianism (the Parsi religion) or confirmation takes place between the ages of seven and fifteen years. It is at this point that the children will receive the sacred white garment ‘Sudreh’ and the sacred girdle ‘Kusti’.
Holy water or bull urine which has been blessed through prayer, is a very important aspect of ceremony among the Parsi people. At confirmation, at marriage and even in the funeral rituals the holy water is used in a purification rite. Although today marriage ceremonies take place even in five star hotels, orthodox Zoroastrians prefer marriage ceremonies to take place in the temple, explained Reverend Sohrab Panthaky.
Reverend Panthaky also explained that today more than 50 percent of the marriages take place out of the community, another reason for the dwindling numbers in the Parsi population of Sri Lanka.
Although the Parsis of Sri Lanka live in accordance with the Indian Parsi lifestyle they have been forced to make certain changes. Unlike in India, the Tower of Silence where a Parsi is placed after death does not exist in Sri Lanka and an alternative arrangement of burial has replaced this custom.
The funeral ceremony is usually conducted within 24 hours of death and burial takes place at the Parsi cemetery at Jawatte in Colombo. Fire, a symbol of purity to the Parsis, is lit immediately when a person dies and the lamp is placed near the body of the departed soul.
A unique feature in a Parsi funeral is the employing of a ‘four-eyed dog’ ( a dog with two markings above its eyes) which is lead up to the corpse. If the dog turns away from the deceased this serves as a final test to ensure that the person is dead, Mr. P. N. Pestonjee explained.
However, it is believed that for four days the soul will remain in this world, and on the fourth day after burial, the family meet for lunch.
The Parsi Club which seeks to keep the Parsi community together engages in annual activities centred around fellowship. The President of the organisation is Mrs. Aban Pestonjee, the Managing Director of Abans Ltd.
“The Parsi Club has gatherings three times an year,” its secretary Ms. Perin Captain said. “These are on the Prophet’s Birthday, the Club birthday and on March 21, each year. These take the form of a dinner and also some games,” Ms. Captain added.
An Encyclopedia for all Central and State government exams
Founded in 2016 by [Three Mad Men or The Viruses], [UPSC Fever] has come a long way from its beginnings in a college lab.
When The Viruses first started out, their passion for helping others drove them to create this epidemic, and gave him the impetus to turn hard work and inspiration into to a booming online library.
An Encyclopedia for all Central and State government exams. We’re dedicated to giving you the very best of content, with a focus on quality, completeness and research.
We now serve similar UPSC-infected people all over India [and World] and are thrilled to be a part of the cut-throat race.
TO JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE 2
The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence: Charles Bukowski (Pardon me) (So very true)
I am not trying
To be Joan d’Arc
Nor a heroine
From the past
Nor pretend to
Be member of
The “Justice League”
Pause,chill
Around you
Take a peek
As what’s being
Written in our history books
Each religion trying
To out do the other
Like Zoroastrianism
Whence comes there such another?
Every religion has it’s rules
At evey turn there are
Don’ts & dos
Ours is the only religion
Which has neither of the two.
Why disrespect a Good Religion
Treat it like a “Rag”
Then one shoudn’t
Crow About being
A Zoroastrian and brag
One may hate me,curse me
Or even label me
For all I care
I am just trying
To reason:
Why throw away a
Good Religion:
( Zoroastrianism)?
Pretend to be called a Zoroastrian
And professing the Faith
Turn around & do the opposite
It is tantamount to Sacrilege!!!
“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of crisis Dante
Choicest Happiness
Farida Bam
Sharing and Caring – Perpetuating a Zarathushti Tradition
CELEBRATING NAVROZ WITH OUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS
As FEZANA enters its 30th anniversary, and migrants grow roots in the North American continent and establish a unique new identity for themselves in our new western Zarathushti diaspora, traditions are forming.
Harkening back to our countries of origin, to celebrate the New Year and the coming of Spring on March 21st (Jamshedi Navroz) we are suggesting that we tell our friends and neighbors who we are by sharing a snippet of our culture, and reviving the tradition of giving them a gift of ‘mithu mohnu’ – any sweet dish.
HOW WE CAN PARTICIPATE
We suggest we make something sweet (shirini) for six or more of our neighbors, gift-wrap it nicely, include a little write up (available from us upon request) in your gift box/plate/basket and deliver it personally to them on or the day before Jamshedi Navroz.
Suggestions for ‘mithoo mohnu’ include: khatai, ravo, badam pak, sev, dahi, mava cake, kumas, parsi custard, mava ni boi, dar ni pori, badam-ni-boi , jalebi, rabri, or any other traditional sweet dish. Iranian traditions for NowRuz, include shirini (sweets) and nuts, for the Haft Sheen table: Komach Sen , Ghahveh Badam, Aajeel , Nan-nokhodchi, Baghlava , Noghol, Noon- Berenji, Toot (mulberry marzipan —see photo at left), Sohan Asli , Louz (1). If you don’t like to cook feel free to order it. Just ensure it is good stuff and authentic.
Try to chat about this project with your friends. It does not have to cost you the moon, the idea really is to share this simple tradition with your neighbors.
We got an email from Vera Springett sharing her idea of what she plans to do for her ”care and share”.
Vera says: “I’ll be making ravo and putting it in mason jars for the neighbors. Each mason jar will contain layers of ravo, then a mix of fried almonds and golden raisins, and so on till the top. I think it will look pretty and make it fun to eat. Maybe I’ll provide a spoon too. Let’s see. I’ll tie the write-up around the lid.”
For shipping to addresses in the USA, you may wish to consider ordering ‘badam-ni-boi’ (fish-shaped almond-marzipan) from Roshan Rivetna of Chicago area (RRRivetna@aol.com, 630-340 8272).
For shipping to addresses in Canada, please contact: Niloufer Mavalvala of Greater Toronto Area, Author and Founder, http://www.NiloufersKitchen.com, niloufer.mavalvala@gmail.com, M: +1 416 301 9959
We would love to hear back from you, particularly from the Zarathushtis from Iran who are an integral part of the North American diaspora, with creative ideas and suggestions as we travel together on this fun journey and celebrate life.
With all good wishes for Sadeh!
Behram Pastakia
bpastakia@aol.com
Information Receiving and Dissemination Committee of FEZANA
(1) Reference: Traditional Zarathushti Recipe Book from Iran, shared with participants of the North American Zoroastrian Congress, Rye, New York
Coordinator: Shireen Khosravi, President, Iranian Zoroastrian Association, New York.