Once in a Lifetime – The Story of Jokhi Agiyari at Godrej Baug
Am happy to share with family members and friends a link that will provide information about a very auspicious occasion that our community had the good fortune to witness.
Before you click on the link to view the video, it is essential to understand the background of the occasion.
A very distant past:
Way back in 1869 an Agyari was established at village Tavri located around 7 Kms from Navsari.
As the population of Parsis began to get depleted in Tavri and only five families remained, it became necessary to relocate the Agyari.
Trustees of Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy graciously agreed to house the holy fire at their existing Agiyari at Malesar in Navsari.
The shifting of the fire from Tavri to Navsari was undertaken on February 29, 1964, when I, then a youth 19 years of age, was spending a few days at my family home at Navsari, very excitedly joined my family members and the couple of hundred Parsis from Navsari who had walked the distance late at night and the fire lodged in the Agyari in a room separate from the room where the original fire was lodged.
A not so distant past:
I was fortunate to be elected Trustee of Parsi Punchayet, Mumbai for two terms (1996 to 2008). In my twelve years as Trustee, for me the most fulfilling assignment was being involved in the shifting of the fire from Navsari to Mumbai.
BPP, when constructing Godrej Baug had planned to have an Agiyari there and had constructed a magnificent structure where a consecrated fire would be housed.
The building was ready but there was no fire available to be housed. Ultimately BPP Chairman Jimmy Guzder managed to convince Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy to allow shifting of the fire from Navsari to Mumbai.
One ‘phone call from my end to Mr. Keki Jokhi, eminent philanthropist and a family friend was enough to procure a very handsome donation for the maintenance and upkeep of the Agyari.
Thus on December 21, 1999 became a reality the dream of BPP Trustees to set up an Agyari at Godrej Baug which was named Shapurji Fakirji Jokhi Agyari.
The video:
The video is quite long (around 40 odd minutes). Do watch it when you have the time to see it in one stretch. I will be forever grateful that divinity blessed me twice to play a small role in this magnificent occasion, something I will never ever forget, the first being to accompany the fire from Tavri to Navsari and later to plan the logistics for its journey from Navsari to Mumbai.
Truly for me this was a Once In A Lifetime Occasion.
Dinshaw Tamboly
