hamazor - issue 1 2019 - zoroastrianism · 2019-07-11 · hamazor - issue 1 2019 3 t f rom the...

HAMAZOR - ISSUE 1 2019

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C o n t e n t s

WZO WEBSITE

www.w-z-o.org

PHOTOGRAPHS

Courtesy of individualswhose articles appear inthe magazine or asmentioned

04 Open Day at the WZO House, Feltham08 Chahar Shanbeh Soori at WZO House10 The First NowRooz Celebrations at WZO House14 WZOs Calendar of Events15 Celebrating Stanley Insler’s Life20 The Love of Truth in Ancient Iran24 Journey to the Land of Ancient Fires, Azerbaijan31 Azerbaijan - a treasure trove of little-known languages33 Seven Testaments of World Religions34 Identifying the Tomb of Zoroaster40 The Ancient Art of Kusti Weaving43 Professor K D Irani’s Legacy47 The Bhandara Atash Kadeh57 Mumbai’s ‘Save our Atash Behrams Movement’61 Mr Fali Nariman - a Living Legend63 A Zarathushti Knight of the Round Table65 The Zoroastrian Principles of an Environmental NGO69 Domestic Violence71 Parsi Cyclists & their Global Expeditions75 Symphony Orchestra of India on Tour - UK 201978 Kuzana Ogg81 Tannaz Minwalla - Creativity is her signature83 Shernaz Engineer on List of 100 Women83 Professor Zenobia Nadirshaw MBE84 Burzin Balsara - Student, Navar & Cyclist85 Arashasp Shroff - a rising star86 Adil S Nargolwala - The Marathon Man89 Novy Kapadia - The Football Guru92 End-Note to PanAm Highjacking Incident93 ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food across Borders’96 Acknowledgments

COVERPhoto credit : SammyBhiwandiwalla

Early photograph of late Mr & Mrs Abtin Sassanfar, p11

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Sponsored by the World Zarathushtrian Trust Fund

tM e m b e r s o f t h e M a n a g i n g C o m m i t t e e

Printed by:A A Graphics1721/31 LAC No 2Karachi 75420Pakistan

Sponsored by:The World Zarathustrian Trust FundLondon, UK

Cover design by:Tannaz MinwallaKarachi, Pakistan

Design & layout by:Toxy CowasjeeKarachi, Pakistan

Volume LXXIX - Issue 1 2019

Note: WZO’s committee is extensive, these are just a few of the names given for member’s convenience

London, England

Mr Shahpur CaptainChairmanE-mail: [email protected]

Mr SammyBhiwandiwallaPresidentE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Darayus S MotivalaMs Shahin BekhhradniaHon SecretariesE-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Monaz M PatelMembership SecretaryE-mail:[email protected]

Er Jehan BagliToronto, CanadaE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Dadi E MistryNew Delhi, IndiaE-mail:[email protected]

Mrs Meher AmerseyMumbai, IndiaEmail:[email protected]

Mr Rostam YeganegiVancouver, CanadaEmail:[email protected]

Mr Darius MistryAucklandNew ZealandE-mail:[email protected]

Mrs Toxy CowasjeeKarachi, PakistanE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Russi GhadialiSingaporeE-mail:[email protected]

Dastur Kersey AntiaVice PresidentIllinois, USAE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Kayomarsh MehtaPresident, US ChapterIllinois, USAE-mail:[email protected]


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rom the EditorFt Those of you who really read the Hamazor, must be ponderingwhere has Issue 1 gone to as its now April? It was deliberatelydelayed as our WZO House was opening its doors for the firsttime on 17th March as a soft-opening, followed by NowRooz beingcelebrated at our own premises. And since the Hamazor wouldnow be published in April, the opening of the first Atash Kadehoutside the subcontinent in Houston warranted this timelyinclusion.

Issue 1 of 2019, will be my last issue as editor of Hamazor. Thereare many reasons for this decision, the main one being too manyyears √ 17 to be precise √ for a person to produce a publication without it goingstale. I will be 80 this year and its time to call it a day. No doubt I will be totallybored, but new ideas with younger people has to take place otherwise how canprogress be made. Unfortunately no replacement has been determined, thereforefor the time being further issues of Hamazor will not be published.

It has been a wonderful experience producing the Hamazor, learning all the way,«meeting» remarkable people through their contributions to this publication. A List ofAcknowledgements at the end many of whom are / were outstanding individuals, willmake anyone sit up with astonishment, including myself! My very sincere thanks toeach one of them and feel privileged they even considered writing for Hamazor.

Acknowledgement is due to WZOs four chairmans whom I have worked with: RumiSethna, Sammy Bhiwandiwalla, Darayus Motivala & Shahpur Captain, all of whomhave given me a free hand to do as I please to produce the Hamazor, without anysuggestion, making the post of editor so much simpler. Thank you my dear friends.

Finally, the amazing and eye-catching covers done quarter after quarter by TannazMinwalla, pro bono for WZO, we thank you.

This issue covers possibly every aspect of our Zarathushti being, it»s a hefty one buthopefully will be a good read for all. As my final effort, it is satisfactory!

Thank you and wish each one a happy, healthy and constructive life.

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Open Day at The World Zoroastrian House, Feltham

sammy bhiwandiwalla writes ...

I am delighted to report on our Open Day held on 17th March at WZO House. Thankfully theweather was dry and after spending the morning in freezing weather putting up direction signs tothe site, wherever possible, we awaited our first guests. You see we are surrounded by what is abuilding site because of the regeneration of Feltham town centre. To make matters worse they

had closed Feltham Railway station on the day and I could see myself devouring endlesssandwiches for the rest of the day.

Thankfully the first few faces that materialised were a joy to see. Some 110 or so attended by theend of the day. They were greeted by our committee members as they arrived and chaperonedaround the building for about two hours. Committee members explained how the three floors were tobe utilised with the ground floor as a hall or auditorium, to be used for seminars / lectures and socialfunctions as well as for rent to other communities, for their own events thereby generating an incomefor WZO. The capacity of the hall is 120 persons, for social events and 170 theatre style. In therefurbishment of the building, sadly we had to sacrifice considerable space due to heating ducts, liftinstallation etc.

The first floor comprises of a Setayash Gah which is commemorated in the name of Dr MrsShirinbanoo and Dasturji Dr Sohrabji Kutar the past High Priest of UK. There is also an office and


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committee meeting room for WZO’s use anda caretaker’s flat. Soon we will have a smallreference library housing the collection ofbooks that our beloved Farrokh Vajifdar hadcollected during his lifetime. It will becommemorated in the memory of Dr XerxesS Captain, Shahpur’s son who passed awayat a very young age. A section of the firstfloor will be available for rent to suitabletenants. The second floor is open plan andalso available for rent. This in the future willgive us an income to manage the buildingand assist towards our charitable activities.

Of course the project is still not completeand it will take another few years to fullyimplement. How do you get rid of antiquatedplumbing and a leaky roof in an old buildingwith limited resources?

Visitors were permitted to visit all threefloors so that they could appreciate therenovation and hard work that had beenundertaken.

Clearly our guests were delighted to seewhat we had done and the extent of thisproject. They expressed their thanks andgratitude for opening up a centre whichwould facilitate a community centre,education for the young in our religion, aplay area under supervision as the buildingsits in a park-like setting.

At 3pm we held our first Boi ceremony inthe Setayash Gah which was very wellreceived and appreciated by all the guests.A brief aside for those who may not know.The Boi ceremony is performed by ordainedZoroastrian priests in each of the five Gehor watch of a day of twenty four hours. ThePersian term for the ceremony is Buidaadan which means to ritually offer‘fragrance’. As part of a ritual tradition,priests always stand up while offering theAtash Niyaish, which is a litany to the fire.

This was followed by a welcome speechfrom the Chairman, Mr Shahpur F Captain,in the main hall. Mr Captain thanked theaudience for being present in such largenumbers and informed that WZ Housewould be open to all Zoroastrians and their

Hall or auditorium

The Setayash Gah - The new afargan ordered in India & donated by UrsulaBhiwandiwalla. Photo credit Shahin Bekhradnia.

Future Reference Library

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families and to those who shared andbelieved in the Zoroastrian way of life. Hethanked Mrs Benafsha Engineer Mulla andher husband Mohammad Mulla for the verygenerous donation of food andrefreshments that was served on the OpenDay. He also praised both Armaity Engineerand Benafsha for working ceaselessly forweeks, burning the midnight oil, preparingWZ House for this day.

A Jashan followed, performed by Ervad’sJimmy Madon, Zubin Writer, PhirozeMotafram and Zal Motafram. After theJashan, Ervad Madon gave a briefexplanation on the significance of theJashan ceremony to the audience, whichwas well appreciated.

Finally Shahpur Captain invited committeemembers Sammy Bhiwandiwalla, DarayusMotivala, Armaity Engineer and MinooMistry to come forward thanking them forplaying a central part in the development ofWZ House.

The afternoon ended with the happy guestsmingling and making further visits in thepremises and Setayash Gah to offer theirprayers.

First Boi Ceremony in the Setayash Gah

The Chairman welcoming the community

The Jashan being performed in the auditorium

The Meeting or Board Room

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Sammy’s profile on page 13


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The Reception and Bar L to R: Er Jimmy Madon, Sammy, Shahpur & Noshir Avari, ex Trustee of ZTFE

L to R : Er Jimmy Madon, Sammy, Shahpur, Ers Zal Motafram, Zubin Writer, Phiroze Motafram &Darayus Motivala, Hon Secretary

L to R : Sammy (President) & Ursula Bhiwandiwalla, Inderjit &Shahpur Captain (Chairman)

View from the WZ House which faces the common& pond. Parking area in the front.

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Chahar Shanbeh Soori (festive orred Wednesday) is notexclusively celebrated byZoroastrians in Iran, but by a

large swathe of the general Iranianpopulation who are nominally Muslim. Aquick look at the entry in Wikipedia informsus that nearby countries also have a similarcelebration using a recognisably similarname.

Chahar Shambeh Soori was not celebratedin Yazd by Zoroastrians in its present formuntil the middle of the last century –possibly a revival of an ancient custom froma safer era or in fact an adoption of thecustom practised by non ZoroastrianIranians. It could be associated with thepre-Nowruz Panjeh (5 days) gahambarwhen rooftop fires were lit which waspractised in Yazd until recently. The festivalfalls on the nearest Tuesday evening to theequinox, even though confusingly its nameevokes a Wednesday. This jolly festivity ofjumping over a small fire while reciting acouple of set lines (Zardi ye man be to,sorkhi ye to be man : take the yellow wanpallor from my cheeks, and give me yourrosy hues) is also enthusiasticallycelebrated by most Iranians, not justZoroastrians, and provides an opportunityfor singing, dancing, and communitysolidarity and reaffirmation.

The typical meal for Chahar Shambeh Sooriis eating Osh e reshteh with kashk, followedby saffron Tafteh was prepared and donatedby two Yazdi ladies, Negar Namiranian andAzita Bastani for the evening of 19th March.

The new WZ house provided a pleasantvenue for an experimental evening tocelebrate this festival of fun. Around 40Iranian Zoroastrians (informed by word ofmouth) drifted in on Tuesday evening andenjoyed catching up with family andcommunity news. Some even brought theirbackgammon sets to benefit from a bit of

fun with a compatriot. The typical meal ofosh and tafteh was further enhanced by acontribution of salad Olivier, white cheese,walnuts, coriander, Ajil ( dried nuts & fruit),with contributions of wine and other drinks.

After the food, a cake to mark the 15thbirthday of Negar’s daughter was servedand then all generations rose to their feetand danced in her honour to pre-recordedPersian music. There were no specificthemes or decorations in the hall butdespite this, the dancing was embraced byeveryone and a very warm and friendlyambiance was created.

Meanwhile as the final star event of theevening, in the outside BBQ back gardenarea of WZHouse, three one-time usebraziers from BBQs were positioned off theground (on bricks) to deliver the chance towould-be jumpers. Discreetly placed out ofsight of nearby residents, I honestly thinkeveryone who came to the event had ajump over the fire, holding hands withothers if they needed a bit ofencouragement! Spirits were raised by thebeating of the Arabooneh (largetambourine) and singing Yazdi Dari songs.For the finale some very safe but colourfultable fireworks were let off outside,thoroughly enjoyed by all.

As it was already past the planned end timeof 9:30pm, people were encouraged toleave and because of the forethought andgenerosity of Negar and Azita, everyonewas given a container of Osh and Tafteh totake home.

Nobody had to pay to attend because it wasthought that by charging, attendance mightbe discouraged. Instead a few sponsorstook on the task of financing this modestevent in the hope that by their exampleothers will follow in the future and not forcethe organizers to ask for contributions whichare rarely forthcoming.

Chahar Shanbeh Soori celebrated at WZ Houseby shahin bekhradnia


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Conclusion: a thoroughly enjoyableexperimental evening which can be openedup to more next year. BUT the distribution oflabour and responsibilities must be betterdelegated so that the same people don’tend up doing the cooking, the setting up,and the significant clearing away andcleaning up in the kitchen till late at night.

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From top, clockwise : singing, dancing, jumping over the fire, whole group, feasting.Centre, getting ready to jump over the fire.

Shahin’s profile on page 19

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WZO has been celebrating theancient Iranian Zoroastrianfestival of Jamshedi NowRoozon the spring equinox for 39

years. On 23 rd March thanks to ourcommittee member Shahin Bekhradnia andour social secretary Armaity Engineer thehall was packed with Iranian and Parsiguests to celebrate this happy occasion.

The Setayash Geh was open to all to offertheir prayers during the evening and thiswas followed by a dinner-dancecommencing at 7:30 pm. The Haft Sheentable prepared by our Iranian Zoroastrianmembers was on display at the entranceand our guests were greeted by ShahinBekhradnia as they entered the receptionroom.

The main hall was set up beautifully byArmaity and daughter Benafsha with theirteam of helpers with table settings and floralarrangements to provide a glitzyatmosphere to the celebrations. For mostof the guests this was their first visit toWZ House and they were delighted to seethe facilities on offer. The band with spacefor a small dance floor was soon put to useas the evening progressed.

The Guests of Honour invited by ShahinBekhradnia were Yassamane ShahrokhSassanfar and her daughter Afsaneh whohad travelled from Paris to appreciate thegenerosity and financial contribution of theirparents Mehrafzoun and Abtin Sassanfartowards the building of World ZoroastrianHouse.

Chairman Shahpur Captain welcomed allthe guests as they settled down to dinnerand thanked them for supporting WZO.Dinner was a buffet with an amazing arrayof dishes with starters Mirza Ghasemi,Hummus, Boorani-Te-Esfenaj , Olviyezfollowed by the main course Chelow Kebab,Koobideh Joojeh Kebab, Subzi

Polowmurgh, Khoresht-E-GheimehBadenjan and Khoresht-E-Bamieh. To cap itall we finished with Iranian Cham Cham andGajar Kalakand.

After dinner Sammy Bhiwandiwalla invitedYassamane Shahrokh Sassanfar and herdaughter Afsaneh to unveil the portrait ofMehrafzoun and Abtin Sassanfar. This hadbeen planned for quite some time and thesearch for a suitable portrait was eventuallyaccomplished from a photograph found byMandana Sassanfar, the sister ofYassamane who resides in USA.

Yassamane thanked the Chairman andShahin for arranging this most unexpectedand happy occasion, as well as all theguests, for the wonderful reception she andher daughter had both received.

Chairman Shahpur Captain invited ArmaityEngineer to the stage and thanked her forher stupendous effort to make thiscelebration of NowRooz a truly memorableevent.

The evening continued late into the nightwith dancing to the tunes of the band“Outback”.

Our sincere thanks to our committeemembers Shahin Bekhradnia, Armaity andBenafsha Engineer, Darayus Motivala,Minoo Mistry and all those who helpedmake this day a big success.

Post Script : Sammy omits his own name inthe part he has played, not only for thiscelebration, but every event WZO has beenholding for countless years. As a boardmember of WZO and Editor of Hamazor, onbehalf of the managing committee, wethank him for everything he has quietlydone for this organisation and is still doingdespite his current ill-health. A very sincere‘thank you’ Sammy from all of us.

The First NowRooz celebrations at World Zoroastrian House

from our president, sammy bhiwandiwalla

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Gohar Keshavarzi, Shahin Bekhradnia, Farah Kaviani dressed in traditional clothes* to welcomeguests at the Haft Sheen table.

Unveiling of the portrait. L to R : Afsaneh Shahrokh, Sammy, Armaity Engineer, YassamaneShahrokh Sassanfar

On the left:Yassamane &Afsaneh, motherand daughter.On the right :Armaity beingthanked byShahpur

L to R : Afsaneh, Shahin &Yassamane

Early photograph of late Mr & Mrs Abtin Sassanfar

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L to R: Avan & Tehmasp Engineer, Filli Vapivala, Ursula Bhiwandiwalla &Goody Irani

L to R: Malcolm Deboo, President ZTFE, Mahzaver Mistry Freddy Deboo.Photo credit Minoo Mistry

L to R: Hanna, Caspian, Sophia, Mehrdad Nadershahi

l to r: Ashraf Falahati, Parvaneh, with brother Mehraban Khosravi

Above : Friends together. Right Mahzaver & Minoo Mistry


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l to r: Dr Farnaz Ostavari & Mojdeh Kaviani who choreographed the dance

Sammy & Freny Yadgar Marker

Left : Hooman & Pariya Namiranian,Kurosh with their baby, recently arrivedfrom Yazd

Fun & Frolic. Photo credit Minoo Mistry

Below : Delicious Persian feast

Sammy Bhiwandiwallatogether with his wifeUrsula started their owncompany in 1970 andafter 35 years in businessthey decided to call it aday. Both have alwaystaken an active interest incommunity matters in theUK and were great lyinfluenced by the actionsand sincere bel iefs ofindividuals such asNoshirwan Cowasjee,Shirinbanoo Kutar,Shahpur Captain andmany others, that in achanging world it wasnecessary to create a morebalanced and equitablecommunity within theUK. He joined the WZOBoard in 1988 and sincethen has served in variouscapacities includingChairman of WZO,presently being thePresident.

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Sunday 17th March 2019 : Open Day at WZH with a Jashan at 3:00pm – Already heldPlease note this is not the Centre’s official Inauguration day. This will be held later.

Saturday 23rd March 2019 : Noruz Dinner - Dance – Already held

Thursday 30th May 2019 : The 22nd Dasturji Dr Sohrabji H. Kutar Memorial LectureTime : 6:00pmVenue : Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS, Russell Sq, LondonLecturer : Dr Salmoueh Gholami, University of Frankfurt, on “Endangered Zoroastrian Heritage of Iran

: New insights from recently discovered manuscripts”

Sunday 9th June 2019 : Seminar on Zoroastrian Religion, History and CultureIn collaboration with The Firuz Madon FoundationVenue : WZH, Feltham10:00am : RegistrationSpeakers : Kerman Daruwalla on the Journey of Young Priestly Initiates

Ervad Jimmy Madon on Zoroastrianism : A Way of Life Fariborz Rahnamoon on the History of the Teachings of Zarathushtra

Sunday 7th or 14th July 2019 : Annual BBQFrom 12 noon. Date and venue to be confirmed later.

Saturday 10th or 24th August 2019 : Shahenshahi Navroze Dinner - DanceFrom 7:00pm. Further details to be confirmed

Sunday 22nd September 2019 : Annual General MeetingFrom 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Details will be sent with the Annual Report

Directions to World Zoroastrian House available through Google Maps.Search for ‘WZO Feltham’ or ‘WZO TW13 5AF’.Access to WZH and car park is off Hanworth Road via Crendon Court.The area is called ‘Bridge House Pond’ Hanworth Road, Walkway Entrance.WZH is behind the Pond.

WZO - Calendar of EventsWorld Zoroastrian House, 5 Hanworth Road, Feltham TW13 5AF

All events will be held at our new premises unless specified.


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Professor Stanley Insler departed this life on January 4, 2019. He received his BA from ColumbiaUniversity (1957), did postgraduate studies at the University of Tubingen (1960-1962), researched atthe University of Madras, and received his PhD from Yale University (1963) at which time he becamea member of the faculty. He later became the Salisbury Professor of Sanskrit & Comparative Philologyin Yale’s Department of Classics; chaired the Yale Department of Linguistics (1978 -1989); and becameProfessor Emeritus of Linguistics upon his retirement in 2012.

Professor Insler was a world renowned scholar of ancient Indo-Iranian languages and texts, (includingAvestan), and in fact, one of his insights is enshrined in Indo-Iranian linguistics as “Insler’s Law”. Hewas widely published, and was a member of the Societe Asiatique, the Royal Asiatic Society of GreatBritain and Ireland, the Philological Society, Deutsche Morgenlandische Gesellschaft, the AmericanOriental Society (President 1997-98), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among others.He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues.

Professor Stanley Insler - 1937-2019

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Professor Stanley Insler, was agiant in the field of Gatha studies(among other fields). For hisprofessional colleagues, his life is

worth celebrating because of his awesomelinguistic credentials which enabledpioneering contributions in understandingIndo-European languages, includingAvestan.

For Zoroastrians, his life is worthcelebrating for other reasons as well. His1975 translation of the Gathas – widelyrecognized as a modern standard – openedup for me a whole new universe ofZarathushtra’s ideas, like fireworks in themind, for which I will always be grateful tohim. His translation decisively countersthose (academicians) who expressed theopinion that so ‘primitive’ a society could nothave produced such lofty thoughts.

In a middle aged search for my roots, I triedto learn Zarathushtra’s teachings by readingavailable literature. I was struck by thewide diversity of views – so much of itsimply expressing opinions, unsupported byany evidence.

Celebrating Stanley Insler’s Lifeby dina mcintyre

Yet we are solucky! We areamong the fewreligions of theworld, whosefounder’s ownwords havesurvived.

Professor Insler’stranslation of theGathas brings usZarathushtra’s ownwords. Histranslation waslinguistically up todate, and ofteninsightful. Whenwe read a “free”translation, we arestuck at the level ofunderstanding ofthe translator. It isonly when we readas literal a translation as possible, then webegin to glimpse Zarathushtra’s ownthoughts. True, any translation of theGathas is bound to have some

Photo credit, Sam Polad, Houston 2011

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interpretation in it, because the Avestanlanguage itself has inherent ambiguities,and has not yet been decoded 100%. Andsometimes I do not agree with some ofProfessor Insler’s interpretations. Butdespite our disagreements, he freelyallowed me to use his translation in mywritings and on my website. That showed arare generosity of spirit. And without histranslation I would never have discoveredZarathushtra’s amazing and beautifulthoughts.

Professor Insler had a great sense ofhumour. He was often kind, and generouswith his knowledge which he shared withZoroastrian communities by lecturing onZarathushtra’s teachings, throughout theUSA, India, and Europe. He spoke at theFirst Gatha Colloquium in 1993, held by theWZO in England, and later at many of theWZO’s Summer Seminars, during which hetraded jokes with Farrokh Vajifdar, anddeveloped a warm friendship with officersand members of WZO. At WZO’s 25thAnniversary Celebrations, Professor Inslerwas awarded the honour of being made aFellow of the World ZoroastrianOrganization for his extensive and on-going contributions to the knowledge andunderstanding of Zarathushtra’s teachings.

Sammy Bhiwandiwalla, President ofWZO has this to say:“Stanley was a very modest, unassumingman, easy going, friendly, with no airs,always remembered faces and names andspoke with ease to most as if he was along-time friend. Perhaps his greatest skillwas to explain in simple language to manyan ill-informed audience about Zarathushtraand Zoroastrianism with a mixture ofhumour and wit. His lectures were morelike odes to Zarathushtra’s teachings. Theymade me feel a swell of pride by the time Ifinished listening. He spoke extempore atmany of his lectures which left many of usfrustrated because he never produced hislectures as a written piece of work and evenat the 1st Gatha Colloquium there isunfortunately no record or hard copy ofwhat was delivered by him on that

occasion. His translations of Zarathushtra’sGathas brought out the real meaningsunderlying our Prophets teachings andethical philosophies. So do many of hisarticles and lectures on Zoroastrianism.

He has given a new dimension toZarathushtra’s Gathas and brought itsbeauty and meanings within the grasp of allwho choose to know them. Professor Insler,while devoted to the faith in which he wasborn, has chosen to live by the principles ofVohu Mano and Asha that are embedded inZoroastrianism.”

Shahpur Captain, Chairman of WZO hasthis to say:“From our first meeting, we two just clicked,and I found Stanley to be friendly andaffable. A very nice person, and very muchattached to the WZO and its concept. Hewas always very willing to come to Londonand give his wisdom about our religion, atour seminars. On one occasion, Irequested him to give talks on each of thefive Gathas. My intention was to print theselectures in memory of my beloved sonXerxes. I therefore asked him to write upthese talks. Unfortunately, he did not do so.But the talks were excellent.”

Toxy Cowasjee, Editor of Hamazor, WZOhas this to say:“I was introduced to Stanley in 1993 at the1st Gatha Colloquium, when there was aninstant bonding. In 2002 I was requested totake over the editorship of Hamazor, whenmy young friend and designer, TannazMinwalla (who designs the covers ofHamazor) said, ‘why don’t you putsomething meaningful on the back cover foreach issue.’ I could think of nothing moreappropriate than quoting various Yasnastranslated by Stanley Insler. With hispermission and the assistance of Dina whosent me Stanley’s translations, this hasbeen the on-going practice. A kind andgenerous individual, Prof Insler a shortwhile ago, took the time to thank me forusing his translations for each Hamazorcover! Not many would do this. Readers Iam sure must have read with appreciationProf Insler’s articles which many a timeappeared in the Hamazor.”


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Zoroastrians like to point out that Cyrus the Great freed the Jews from captivity in Babylon, andallowed them to return to their own country. And Darius the Great gifted them the funds to helprebuild their Temple. Well, Zarathushtra teaches that what goes around comes around. And thoseancient gifts of freedom, and help in rebuilding their house of worship, have been abundantlyreturned to us by their descendent, Professor Insler who has brought to us the gift of Zarathushtra’sown words.

Rabindranath Tagore said: “Death is not the end. It is putting out the candle because the dawn hascome.” Somehow Rest in Peace does not seem to fit Professor Insler’s personality. So let us wishhim joy in the dawn of whatever new adventures are ahead of him.

Dina G McIntyre, is a Zoroastrian, born in India and came to USA in 1956. She earned a law degree from the University ofPittsburgh, School of Law and practiced law in the United States, since 1964. Prior to her retirement she was a member of the bar ofall federal and state courts in Pennsylvania, and the United States Supreme Court. She has been a student of the teachings ofZarathushtra since the early 1980s, and was the Editor of a 12-lesson course on the Gathas called An Introduction to the Gathas ofZarathushtra, which she distributed world-wide in 1989-90. She has lectured on the teachings of Zarathushtra at various conferencesand seminars in the US, Canada, England and India. Her writings on the teachings of Zarathushtra appear on these websites:www.vohuman.org www.zarathushtra.com and www.gathasofzarathushtra.com

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It is sad that I have lost another precious friend in Stanley’s recent passing. I remember that thefirst time Stanley came into my orbit was when I had only recently begun my own post graduateresearch on Iranian Zoroastrian identity in the late 1980’s at Oxford university. I used to turn upat most events I could find relating to Zoroastrianism and was relatively naive and uninformed

about the stars in the Zoroastrian firmament. However, at a grand gala dance held by WZO after aseminar in London about 25 years ago where Stanley was chief guest of honour, (having flown infrom New York), and was given a scroll to commemorate this occasion, he simply grabbed my handafter all the formal proceedings and we hit the dance floor having such a fun time together. Beforethen I had not had any chance to just chat informally and only knew of him and his reputation as theworld specialist on the Gathas whom everyone honoured and looked up to, as he delivered hispearls of wisdom and knowledge at the lectern.

What I realised straight away from that experience of dancing with him, was that Stanley lovedhaving a good time, and disliked stiff and starchy, obsequious or stuffy individuals around him.Luckily for me, I was possibly overly unaware of his dazzling brilliance and therefore had no pre-disposition to revere him nor to be overawed by him. I can only think that possibly for Stanley, Irepresented the novelty of an Iranian Zoroastrian without the overlay of the clawing politeness(known as ta’arof) which invariably came with those he had met previously. I spoke my mind onmany matters, political and religious, while he expressed his, and we seemed to be on the samewave length.

How Stanley Insler Touched my Lifeby shahin bekhradnia

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and the several others that continuedthroughout the evening, a friendshipblossomed as we chatted between bouts of“letting it all hang out”. Over the yearsStanley was very loyal in maintainingcontact though he was pretty useless atcommunicating through emails.

Of course he had his professional academicfriends all over the world, and so wheneverhe came to Europe (which for a whileseemed to be every year), he would stopover in London, and occasionally in Oxford,where I once went to a seminar he wasgiving for the faculty of comparativephilology. It was fascinating to see him atwork in his professional milieu with such alot of respect for the depth of his knowledgeand understanding from his peers.

He twice came to stay a couple of nightswith me in the Cotwolds near Oxford. Wewent out and about, and I introduced him tomany of my unconventional local friends.One outing I think he enjoyed particularlywas a visit to our local brewery at HookNorton, ***organised by my local Historysociety! He was also intrigued by my verygifted but eccentric artist friend, who hadconvinced herself and then set about tryingto convince Stanley that she had workedout the key to Indo-European languagesthrough her geometric patterning.

What was so nice about Stanley is that hedid not rubbish her ideas (given hisspeciality) but actually gave her the time of

day to discuss her mad theories. Later onwhen she asked me how I knew Stanleyand I told her, she was thrilled that he hadbeen so charming with her and had madeher feel special. He was just as engagingand engaged when chatting with my goodfarmer friend – no airs and graces and atease, enjoying the banter and a few drinks.

We had a particularly fun time in Paris,when the founder of the Paris Zoroastriancultural centre, Mr Abtine Sassanfar, askedme to invite Stanley to give a talk there onthe next occasion when I knew he would becoming over to Europe. This I did, notexpecting that Stanley should insist Iaccompany him. Nevertheless, MrSassanfar (who was a great admirer ofStanley’s translation of the Gathas over andabove all the others which he had studied atlength), graciously acceded to his requeston two occasions. So on these two tripswe spent some wonderful times in theMusee Guimet (just near Trocadero close tothe Zoroastrian centre) where Stanley wasa very informative and enthusiastic guidewhen it came to the collection fromAfghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.Given his interest in my several trips toTajikistan in pursuit of Zoroastrian researchand in general about my Iranian heritage,along with my youth visits to Afghanistanand the Kalasha lands of the NWFP, it wasa very happy coincidence of interests.

And we also frequented a number of stylishold world Parisian Salon de The, in one ofwhich I took a great photo of Stanley in hisbeany hat and college scarf. Sadly it’s on anold Nokia dinsosaur of a phone and I havenot managed to transfer the photos.However, it was such a good one of Stanleythat I kept showing it to friends asking themto guess Stanley’s age. He was well into his60’s at that point, but almost all friendssuggested he was in his late 20s/early 30’s,such was his joie de vivre which radiatedthoughout his being!

Because of our friendship, I was very luckyto be able to talk to him about anything andeverything, including, music, films,relationships etc. It was therefore an

In the hours that followed that initial dance

Photograph sent by Stanley to the Editor in Dec 2012


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enormous pleasure to have an excuse todelve a little more into his background whenthe ever-resourceful editor of Hamazorasked me to do an interview with him for theWZO publication a few years ago. Duringthe several conversations that we hadwhich informed my interview article, andduring which he kept up his incessantsmoking, I heard of Stanley’s exceptionaltalent on the piano – something of which Ihad no inkling – it was so impressive that hefirst came across his first piano at the homeof a friend when he was eight years old, andthat by the age of 19 he had to decidewhether he wanted to become a careerconcert pianist or an academic. Therewere many other things that I loved abouthim which came up during the interviewsbut one that made a deep impression wasthat he had bought a motorbike in Indiawhen studying Sanskrit in his early 20’s andvisited a wide area of the sub-continentwhere he experienced all manner of strangeand wonderful things. Adventure, discovery,intellectual stimulation and fun – that is whatStanley represented for me and he showedthat it’s ok not to take yourself too seriously,however important the rest of the world maythink you are!

q

Shahin Bekhradnia, aZoroastrian of the YazdiIranian tradition, is a teacherof ancient history and classicalcivilisation, a Justice of thePeace and a legal consultant.Her academic background isfrom Oxford university whereshe graduated in Russian &French, and then completed apostgraduate thesis inanthropology on issues ofZoroastrian identity in the20th century. She haspublished several articles and

given talks on Zoroastrianism, and is active in inter-faithmovements and organisations. She is the Jt Secretary ofWZO.

Celebrating the Life and Memory of

Stanley Insler

1937-2019

Edward E. Salisbury Professor Emeritus ofSanskrit and Comparative Philology at Yale

University

Saturday April 13th, 2019Quinnipiac Club

221 Church Street,New Haven, Connecticut

Preceded by half an hour of music the memorialservice

will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the Centennial Room ofthe Quinnipiac Club and be followed by a

reception.

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Herodotus, the Greek historian whowas a contemporary of the greatKing Darius of ancient Iran, wrotein his remarkable history that the

Persians esteemed the truth above allthings. He went on to say, speaking withgreat respect, that the Persians hold itunlawful to speak of anything which isunlawful to do, and according to theirthinking, the most disgraceful thing in theworld is to tell a lie. This veneration of thetruth among the ancient Iranians wasindeed their most noteworthy feature, andthroughout the history of the land, there wasnot a single foreigner who came to visit or tolive among them who was not strikinglyimpressed by the love and respect of truthin that country. Through the passage ofcenturies, in the works of Greeks, Chinese,Indians and Arabs, this love and respect forthe truth is mentioned endless times asperhaps the remarkable trait of all Iranians.

What these foreign visitors wrote was nomyth, no embroidery upon hearsay orrumour, no pipe dream of their own arisingfrom the lack of ethic or moral principles intheir own countries. Recent evidence hasshown us that truth was indeed associatedwith the spirit and life of the ancientPersians in such an intimate fashion that weourselves today must take serious note ofthe honoured and important role it played intheir world. I am referring here to thearchaeological records unearthed during thepast few decades in the excavations atPersepolis in Iran.

These records are naturally of great interestto the economic and political scholarbecause they represent the accounts of thedifferent sorts of wares and products storedat the treasury and fortress of theAchaemenid kings, those royal rulers who

founded and maintained a vast andpowerful empire through the Near East thatendured from the 6 th through the 4 th centuryBC. But, to cultural and religious scholarsthese records from Persepolis offer equalfascination, chiefly because the tabletscontaining these economic records are alsoaccompanied by the names of the officialswho were in charge of these inventories andtheir distribution. There are some 1,500such names contained in the tablets –names not of kings or princes, nor priestsand judges: simply names of minor officialsand clerks who oversaw the wares in thestorehouses. Herein lies their importance:they give us a glimpse into the socialconstituency of the common people, muchas the names contained in the old recordsof towns and villages allow us to see thecomposition and character of the society ofearly communities.

Remarkably, more than 75 of these namescontain the word truth. We encounter mencalled ‘Protector of truth’ (artapana), ‘Loverof truth’ (artakama), ‘Truth-minded’(artamanah), ‘Possessing the splendour oftruth’ (artafarnah), ‘Delighting in truth’(artazusta), ‘Pillar of truth’ (artastuna),‘Prospering the truth’ (artafrada), ‘Havingthe nobility of truth’ (artahunara), in additionto a variety of others of similar composition.When we look further and find other fellowsare named ‘Strong as a horse’ (aspaugra),‘Sweet smelling’ (hubaodi), ‘Little hero’(viraka), ‘Having good fame’ (usavah),‘Winning a good prize’ (humizda), and thelike, we realize at once how singular are thenames containing the work truth.

By this I intend the following. If the majorityof other names are built with elementssignifying horses, heroes, fame, wealth,prizes, good fortune and all those other

The Love of Truth in Ancient Iranby stanley insler

[Published in “An Introduction to the Gathas of Zarathushtra”, a series of articles edited by Dina McIntyrein 1989-90. This article is no. 7, April 1990]Published in Hamazor Issue 2/07 pp34-37 with permission of both publisher and author.


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desirable things which parents wish for theirchildren whey they are born, then the greatmany truth-names show us that there weremany parents who believed it was moreimportant for their children to love the truth,uphold the truth, prosper the truth, delight inthe truth, and so forth, rather than to simplyseek after material benefits in this world.

The name chosen by parents for theirchildren often expresses a wish, and thepredominance of truth-names among theOld Persian Officials reveals how deep-seated was the wish and respect for truthover all things even among families ofhumble origins.

But it was not only the common man who sodearly esteemed the truth among theancient Persians. It was also the greatAchaemenid kings themselves whoexpressed their love and admiration for thetruth and their thorough despise of lie anddeceit, exactly as Herodutus informs us. Onthe great inscription of Bisotun, themagnificent King Darius incised thefollowing words with imposing solemnity:

“The Lie made these provinces rebellious,so that they deceived the people. Butafterwards Ahura Mazda placed them intomy hand ... Thou who shalt be kinghereafter, protect thyself vigourously fromDeceit. Punish well the man who shall lieand deceive, if thou shalt hope to keep thecountry secure ... Know that I did this by thefavour of Ahura Mazda, who bore meassistance because I was not aggressive,because I was not a follower of deceit,because I was not a doer of wrong – neitherI nor my family. I conducted myself as befitsthe truth. Neither to the weaker nor to thepowerful did I do wrong ... Thou who shaltbe king hereafter, do not be a friend to thefollower of deceit nor to the doer of wrong.Punish them well.”

Similarly on another of his inscriptions standthese noble words:

“By the grace of Ahura Mazda I delight inwhat is right; I do not delight in what isfalse. It is not my desire that the weak

should be mistreated by the mighty, nor thatthe mighty be treated wrongly by the weak.What is right and truthful is my desire.”

Lastly, let us quote the following statementin an inscription of King Xerxes:

“If you wish to be happy when living andblessed when dead, have respect for thelaw established by Ahura Mazda andworship him and truth reverently. The manwho has respect for the law established byAhura Mazda and worships him and thetruth reverently, such a man becomeshappy while living and blessed when he isdead.”

These solemn words of the Old Persiankings are but an echo of the teachings ofthe more ancient prophet Zarathushtra. Inhis stirring works called the Gathas, we findthe important thought that

“If a man be rich or poor, he should be afriend to the truthful person but an enemy tothe follower of deceit and lies.” (Y47.4)

There too we learn that heavenliness andimmortality shall be the future possession ofthose who support the truthful in this world,but that a lifetime of darkness and a woefulexistence shall be the final reward of thedeceitful person. Further, Zarathushtra tellsus, that a man who is good to the truthfulperson and serves the laws of Ahura Mazdashall himself reach the pastures of truth andgood thinking, and save his family and hisvillage and his country from destruction. Infact, when we read through the great wordsof the prophet, we realize that truth lies atthe center of his whole moral and ethicalsystem, so it therefore seems necessary tobriefly describe the position of truth inZarathushtra’s teachings.

First and foremost we see in the prophet’swork that there is an intimate relationshipbetween god and truth. Not only does AhuraMazda dwell in the heights of truth and inthe paths which follow the straight ways oftruth, but he is also of the sametemperament as truth, sharing the samelikes and dislikes. But the relationship

22


between god and truth is deeper – soZarathushtra informs us – because AhuraMazda is both the creator and companion oftruth. Further, we are told, that the spirit ofgod himself, the spenta mainyu, becamebeneficent and virtuous through the effectsof truth and that Ahura Mazda learned todistinguish between what is just and unjustthrough the help of truth. Truth, then,according to the prophet’s view, is the mostessential component in the world of godbecause it motivated him to create what issalutary and good, and it taught him todiscern between right and wrong. It isthrough truth, therefore, that god achievedhis nobility and his higher wisdom whichcharacterize his very name Ahura Mazda,the Wise Lord.

Similarly, truth plays a dominant role in thelife of man. It is truth which prospers thecreatures and makes the plants and watersincrease. It is through the quest for truththat good understanding arises in the spiritof man, an understanding that teaches himto further the principles of god in goodthoughts, in good words and in goodactions. It is truth which also teaches manto discern between what is right and wrong.It is man’s adherence to truth which givesfull meaning to the existence of god andgrants strength and enduring life to him aswell. Can the ethical principles God createdhave any life of their own if they find nosupport in the world of mankind?

Herein lies one of the great contributions ofthe prophet Zarathushtra. By placing truth atthe center of existence of both god andman, he taught us that a meaningful life isnot possible without truth, because truth isthe ultimate source of all good insight, allgood action, all good discernment and allgood achievement.

To know is essential to act correctly andjustly, and the origin of all correctknowledge derives from the grasp of thetruth. This is an astonishing doctrine interms of the early intellectual history of theworld, but it is a doctrine that is so powerfuland persuasive, so vigourous and positive,that it became the central idea of all early

Iranian thought. It is not possible to think ofthe history of old Iran without thinking of theveneration of truth among its people, and itis Zarathushtra who first conceived andformulated the central role which truth holdsin all existence.

But we may well ask why Zarathushtra wasso preoccupied with the position of truth inthe life of both god and man. He lived in avery remote age, long before there was asettled society in any modern sense of theterm, and certainly long before thedevelopment of rich and powerful kingdomswhere priests or philosophers could gatherin peace and quiet in order to discuss thechief questions of existence and the natureof both god and man.

To find an answer to this question we mustonce again look into the works of theprophet and search his own words for cluesto the problems Zarathushtra himself faced,problems which caused him to meditateupon the nature of human behaviour and itsresults upon the human condition. Once wedo this, we find certain disturbing factsabout the times in which he lived.

First, let us note, that Zarathushtra informsus that some of the nobles have beenstealing the possessions of the trueinheritors, and that in their greed, some ofthe priests have assisted them in thisdeceitful and dishonest activity. He informsus as well that even the old gods haveordained and hence permitted theirfollowers to perform actions that result indismal consequences for the rest ofmankind. They have been destroying thepasture lands of the truthful persons, theyhave threatened them as well, and therehas arisen a rift among the peoples, onewhich has caused strife and destruction infamily, clans and provinces. In short, theworld seems to be torn in two by conflictingforces, and deceit and destruction seemrampant.

It is exactly under such troubledcircumstances, when the world seems to becaught in the upheaval of contrary forces,when the past seems unfortunate and the


23

future ever so dim, that a man of greatinsight like Zarathushtra wonders aboutwhat is right and wrong, what is just andunjust, and how the way to salvation mightoccur. It is exactly under such vexingconditions that he saw that the way formankind to survive and create a goodkingdom here on earth was to follow theprinciples which Ahura Mazda, in his higherwisdom, had created in harmony with truth.Although millennia separate us today fromthe time of the prophet Zarathushtra, theproblems of existence still persist. We aretorn each day by conflict, sometimes in ourfamily, sometimes in our profession,sometimes in our country and sometimes inthe world at large.

We see deception, theft, pointlessdestruction present all over the face of theglobe. Which way should we act? we oftenask, looking for the way to resolve theproblem, to end the anguish. What shouldwe believe? we also ask, looking forguidance in the face of trouble and woes.Sometimes the answer lies within ourpower; most often there is no solutionavailable to us on an individual basis.Nonetheless, we should follow theteachings of Zarathushtra and strive afterthe truth, giving life to it through our goodthoughts, our good words and our goodactions. Even though immediate solutionsmay elude us, the force of truth mustpersist. For one day the truth shall certainlyprevail.

Thus in conclusion, I would like toparaphrase the words of Zarathushtra.What the prophet stated some 3,000 yearsago is equally appropriate for all of us today.

“Do persevere, for he shall grant toyou the firm foundation of goodthinking and the alliance of truth andwisdom. Come to terms with yourreason, and bring to realization themost virtuous and blessed acts. Ifyou are truthful to the truthful, theWise Lord shall grant to you the sun-like gain of good thinking for yourwhole lifetime. I tell these words toyou: bear them in mind. Through the

correct conception acquire foryourselves and your people anexistence of good thinking. Let eachof you try to win the other with truth,for this shall be of good gain for eachof you.” (Y53.3-5)

Professor Stanley Insler - 2008 [Hamazor archives]

Gathas of Zarathushtra – a new website

There is a new website on the teachings of Zarathushtra, authored by Dina GMcIntyre. It includes the basics, as well as more in-depth information. Youmay access it at: https://gathasofzarathushtra

This is a work in progress. The chapters under the following Tabs arecomplete.

General Overview;Part One: The Basics;Part Two: Puzzles & Paradigms;Abbreviations;Bibliography;About the Author

The other Tabs have some chapters that are done, and many that remain to bedone, which will be uploaded periodically, as they are completed.

If you are interested only in the Basics, start with the General Introduction(under the General Overview Tab). Then in Part One: The Basics, readwhatever interests you (you may prefer to skip chapters 1.3 through 1.10which are more detailed).

Browse at will. Enjoy.

q

24


It was on September 24, 1925, that SirJivanji J Modi, the great Parsi Priest,Scholar and World Traveller, arrived inBaku, Azerbaijan, and upon seeing the

Caspian Sea, which he referred to asVourukash, wrote in his diary:

“In all my lifelong prayers of Afringan, I havemade Hamazor many a time with this sea,reciting* ... To celebrate this momentousoccasion, I did my Kusti and daily morning... prayers and recited Avan ArdvisurNyayesh and paid homage to this sea withmany thanks to Ahura Mazda ...”*“Hamajor zareh varkash”, meaning“Hamazor with Vourukash Sea!” 1

It may interest readers of Hamazor to learnof the happy coincidence that on September24, 2018, ninety-three years to the day fromthe start of Dr Modi’s journey, a group offive Zoroastrians, along with two scholars,found themselves in Baku, Azerbaijan. Notthat we had timed our visit on theanniversary, but in our own way, we toowere in “search of clues about Zoroastriancivilization”, as Dr Modi wrote of his visit.

Familiar Names in Azerbaijan

The name of Azerbaijan and the prayerrecited by Dr Modi begin to give clues to theZoroastrian antecedents of the country thatsits astride East & West – a modern andproudly independent nation, but in which“the religion, culture and traditions ofZoroastrianism remain highly respected.”2

Under several theories, the nameAzerbaijan is either derived from Adar orAtash, or its former name Athropathena, isbased on the Avestan athravan, meaningone tending a fire. The continued burning ofancient ever-burning fires, fed by naturalgases, could possibly have made thecountry “the flaming center” ofZoroastrianism, while another writerconsidered it “the papal area ofZoroastrianism” (Yampolskiy).3 The place of

an atashgah close to Baku, calledSurakhana, is also redolent of Dr Modi’sprayer recited to Avan Ardvisur. Amongother related names, there are at least threevillages named Zarat, and two GirdimanRivers, one of which we were to comeacross.

As to fires fed by natural gases, Dr Modialso mentions the prayer Apaam NaptaaremYazamaide, meaning the veneration ofNaptaar Aatash, in which Naptaar is the rootof the word Naphtha, the gas which keepsthe fires ever burning.

Our Journey

This is an account of our three-weekjourney through the length and breadth ofAzerbaijan, involving travel by trains,domestic airlines, a comfortable 12-seatervan, and four-wheel drive Russian Nivasand Ladas for navigating roughmountainous terrains. The account focuseson the Zarthosti aspects of the journey.

Our group invited a guide, Dr GalinaWoodova, PhD, a Czech, who has lived inAzerbaijan for eight years and researchedthe culture of the Lahij people. Gali-Ji, aswe began to endearingly call her, amazedus with her melodious rendering of Avestanprayers. She also firmly established theritual of a benediction given by Ervad KobadZarolia, of Toronto, each time we brokebread. This Avestan picture was enhancedmany a night when our other scholar-companion, Benedikt Thomas Peschl, aGerman PhD student in Zoroastrian studiesat SOAS, London, gave us lessons andhandouts on the ancient script andgrammar. Benedikt was also the ‘official’photographer. The other Zoroastrians in ourgroup were Soonu Engineer from London,an adventurer and a melodious singer ofGujarati monajats and songs, who hadfortuitously recruited Benedikt for the tour;Dr Mahvash Agvald, from Maryland, USA,

Journey to the Land of Ancient Fires, Azerbaijan

by kersi shroff and galina woodova


25

who achieved a doctorate from SorbonneUniversity, Paris, on the political and socialhistory of Iran, including Azerbaijan, whichwas Iranian territory until the Russo-Persianwars, 1804-1828; Ardeshir Dehmobed(“Golden Eddy”) of Toronto, a staunchZarthosti who took many an opportunity toinform Azeris of his Iranian roots; and, KersiShroff, a retired attorney, devoted todiscovering ancient Zoroastrian traces andcommitted to interfaith dialog, who broughtthe group together and organized the tour.The number in our group thus reached therevered haft (seven).

The atashgah in Surakhana, 15 kms fromBaku, has ancient origins as affirmed byFarrouk Jorat, an enterprising Zoroastrianwho greeted us in Baku (more about himlater), along with a young, radiant, andgenerous Zoroastrian lady, Irade:

“Earliest mention of the Zoroastrian worshipof fire in Suraxane belongs to the Sasanidera. Armenian chroniclers in the descriptionof Bhagavan (Baku) in the Paytakaranprovince on the Caspian coast mentioned“Seven sacred fire holes” and establishmentof fire temples by Shah Ardashir I (227-241). In 1683 a German traveler Kaempferhas visited Baku. He noted that there areseven fire holes in Suraxane, revered bydescendants of the ancient Persians whomigrated to India.”4

This contradicts Dr Modi’s conclusion that “itis without a doubt clear that this building isnot a Parsee Aatash Kadeh.”5 We can onlyconfirm that Surakhana has a modernoverlay from the 17 th - 18th centuries whenHindu merchants from the Punjabconnected with the then abandonedstructure and added several features,including an inscription in Sanskrit. Amongthe merchants are said to have beenseveral hundred Zoroastrians from Multan.The Atashgah has retained the Iranianarchitectural style of chahar tagi fourarches. In 1975, it was restored and openedto the public. A fire is kept burning duringthe daytime and the Atashgah is both aplace of worship and a museum, making it apopular site for tourists. The President of

Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev, started theEuropean Olympic games hosted in Bakuby a torch lit from the Surakhana Atashgah.

For an auspicious start to our journey,Ervad Kobad solemnly recited the AtashNiyaesh before the flaming fire. TheSurakhana museum houses items, such as,an ancient fire holder and implements, anda Sudreh and Kusti. The Zoroastrianexposition was organized by Farrouk Jorat.During our visit, young Azeris in colourfulcostumes and musicians playing thenational instrument tar were being televisedfor a cultural programme.

Maiden’s Tower

Another structure of greater significance toZoroastrians is in the heart of the old city(Icheri Sheher) of Baku, called the Maiden’sTower. It is possible that despite its name itwas an Aatash Kadeh, considered byDr Modi to be one of the ancient temples offire. In describing the seven-story tower, wecan do no better than to recall Dr Modi’simpressions:

“This is an ancient Iranian building and it isan Aatash Kadeh. It is not a commonAatash Kadeh with its fire maintained byburning wood by its priests. But it is an

Surkhana Atashgah, Er Kobad reciting the Atash Niyash

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Aatash Kadeh fed by the natural gases,Naphtha, (apaam Napaat). Haft or seven isa very holy number in Zoroastrian religionand hence there are seven story’s or stagesin it. At each storey, in one corner, there isan escape hole for the natural gas Naphthawhich when lit created a fire ball.”

We observed that each of the seven floorshas a niche where burned the “eternal”fires. The tower is built in such a way that atNovruz, the light enters directly through itsnarrow openings on each floor.Other scholars, too, have claimed that theTower was “once a temple with an eternalfire burning on its rooftop” and that the firewas “fed with gas or liquid petroleumsupplied via pipes.”6 It is further noted thata tower-shaped temple with eternal fire onits rooftop was also found in Iran.

As if to confirm these findings, in 1964 twoarchaeologists, O Ismizade and Jiddi,excavated an almost preserved fire altar infront of the Tower, which unfortunately wassoon destroyed. The altar had a three-tieredoctagonal base and a column at the top ofwhich was a shallow bowl in which werefound traces of oil and fire. The altar was ofthe type found on Sasanian coins.

At a lecture given to local scholars at theArchaeological Society, and in a meeting

with thePresident ofAzerbaijan,Dr Modiemphasizedtheimportanceof theTower’sAatashKadeh andimploredthem to takegood carefor itspreservation.We werehappy to see

that the restored building is indeed wellpreserved.

It is no surprise that UNESCO has declaredthe inner city to be of Outstanding UniversalValue, one selection criterion of which is:“The Walled City of Baku represents anoutstanding and rare example of an historicurban ensemble and architecture withinfluence from Zoroastrian, Sasanian,Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, andRussian cultures.” 7

Historical sources also note that in theenvirons of Baku, people venerated flamesthat burned by themselves. The poet NizamiGyanjevi tells in his verses of a place wherea fire is burning amid rocks and peoplecalled it khud-suz. Sources also explain thatin areas where natural fuel was available, itwas used to feed the eternal fire, while in itsabsence, firewood was used. Additionally, aspecial combustible liquid of sandal oil wasalso used, stored in small jars identified byarchaeologists.8

Westwards and more

After Baku, we branched off towards theCaucasus mountain range of Niyal Dag, forthe culturally historical region of Lahij, whoseancient customs have been explored byGalina Woodova’s immersive fieldwork.9 Lahijis an ethnic minority region, incorporatingGennet Bag, a garden of paradise, and hasbreathtaking rock formations through whichflows the previously mentioned GirdimanRiver. The Lahij people have preserved anancient Iranian southwest Tat languagebranching out of Pahlavi,10 and a traditionalway of life, including rituals and a daily use ofblessings.11 Though they are Shia Muslimthere is a strong Zoroastrian undercurrent intheir traditions. Their chief identity marker isthe celebration of Novruz.12 The Lahij namefor the swallow, ‘Parstek’, an auspicious birdthatbringsspring,revealstheirethnicroots.

Ourhost, a

Baku,Maiden'sTower, our group

Branches of juniper being delivered


27

high school teacher in Lahij, who holds atitle of the best teacher of Azerbaijan,opened his comfortable house andwelcomed us with a bonfire of flamingbranches of juniper which were delivered onhorseback. The smells and sparks of thefire were enhanced by two musiciansdressed in festive green traditional clothing,playing and singing in the mugam folk stylein Azeri, Farsi and Lahiji languages. Thehost family also prepared a candle litNovruz khoncha tray, with special bakeddelicacies shaped as heavenly lightssymbolic of the cosmic change of seasons.We found the host, Dadash Muellim,interesting to talk to in English as he wascurious about practicing Zoroastrians thathe met for the first time. He is researchingthe folklore of ethnic minorities in Azerbaijanfor a PhD thesis.

On the way to the town ofSheki, we stopped at aCaucasus Albanian ancientUdi church and discoveredan afringanan-like dishhidden at the back. TheCaucasus Albanians (norelation to the country bythat name) adoptedApostolic Christianity and itbecame a state religion inthe early 4 th century CE(Common Era). The churchwas situated in a “MaflarMuhalla”, a name derivedfrom ‘Magian’, referring toZoroastrian priests. Wefound another church in thevillage of Kish, this onebeing the oldest messianicCaucasus Albanian church,preserved by locals. A large poster ondisplay describing the “History of CaucasianAlbania” stated: “It’d be appropriate to notethat Albania was a country of various beliefs[including] Zoroastrianism.” Another postermentioned the existence of fire templecomplexes during the 4 th century BCE to 3 rd

century CE.

After visiting the Sheki Palace, reminiscentof Shiraz and Isfahan, we were invited to anorchard, where locals were baking bread ina clay oven. They heartily shared theirproduce and cheese in front of their burninghome fire, allowing us to achieve hamazorwith an Azeri family. In another typicalZoroastrian way, we got to feed stray dogson the platform of the Zaqatala train station.

Map showing Nakhchivan & Girdiman River

Dadash Muellim, our host

Hamazor with an Azeri family

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Dakhma, Sukut Kala

close to the disused structure, but the restof us were satisfied with viewing it on thehorizon against the blue sky, providingstone-solid evidence of the once presenceof a Zoroastrian population.13

It was past sunset that we could go throughthe border controls and reached a steepmountain peak from where we saw flamesunderneath us of the Khinaliq atashgah.Under a full moon the stone Chahar tagitemple presented a spiritual scene thatcouldbecenturiesold.WesurroundedthewarmlappingflameswhileErvadKobadZaroliarecitedtheAtashNiyaesh.We felt privileged to experience a nowrarely frequented high atashgah, where for

thousands of years Zoroastrian pilgrimsmust have come to worship. We wereamazed to learn that a Muslim family

An overnight train ride, the first of two thatwe experienced, in a rattling butcomfortable Soviet-era train, allowing us tosleep in twin-birth compartments suppliedwith fresh linen and morning tea made in anold-fashioned samovar, brought us back toBaku. Our return to the Capital wasnecessitated in order to travel north to thescarcely populated Shah Dag mountains,on the border with Russia. There we wereto achieve a highly anticipated part of ourjourney, the planning for which took thelongest as we had to obtain officialpermission to visit a military controlled area.Farrouk Jorat had made the complicatedarrangements for us to visit the Atashgah.

A few words about Farrouk who haspreviously contributed to Hamazor and is anaeronautics engineer, but has a passion forthe early history of Azerbaijan. He willinglyagreed to get us a special permit from theborder guards to visit an atashgah inKhinaliq, hugging the Russian Republic ofDagestan. It was Farrouk who initiated therestoration of the everlasting fire there, withthe support of the World ZoroastrianOrganization, and drew authenticarchitectural plans for the Chahar tagitemple structure. Without his help we wouldhave missed what turned out to be thehighlight of the visit.

The world’s highestmountain Atashgah

On the way to Khinaliqwe detoured to visit aDakhma, Sukut Kala,meaning a ‘tower ofsilence’ in Azeri, aboveBudug village in ShahDag Mountains. Wetook dirt roads and evenworse terrain onvehicles that wereconstantly overheating.With the absolutemastery of the Khinaliqdrivers, we reached a

point from which the walls of the dakhmabecame visible. Benedikt and Farrouk, thefittest among us, made the rugged climb

Atashgah rebuilt by WZO at Khinaliq

WZO plaque at Khinaliq Atashgah


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voluntarily tended the atashgah throughoutthe year.

A fewdayslater,atdawn,nearthetownofAgstafa,wewerefascina-ted byaburningwaterspringatYanarDaagBulak.Theslighttouch

of a flame spectacularly set the runningwater ablaze. The phenomenon lasted forseveral minutes, creating a sacred moment

for Ervad Kobad to recite Avestan prayers.Later, near the coastal town of Nabran, aftera dip in the waters we could be said to haveachieved hamazor with the Vourukash Sea!

A flight from Baku brought us to the west-ern province of Nakhc-hivan, on the borderswith Iran and Armenia. It is recorded tohave had dakhmas in Kharaba Gilan, and aformerly Zoroastrian village named Kodam.Unfortunately, the village is presently undermilitary control and barred to visitors. In alocal museum, there was a photo of a nowdestroyed dakhma and a thick encyclopediaon Nakhchivan recorded that the SasanianKing Yazdegard (632-652 CE) built afortress known as Torpaggala in thesoutheast of the province. In an earlierperiod, in the town of Ordubad, coins wereminted in the name of King Hormuz IV (579-590 CE). The town of Julfa afforded us aview of close by Iran, and out of thewindows of the van, Mahvash and Eddywere even able to touch the luxuriantlygreen juniper trees of their native land.

To end this account, we remind readers thatthe 100th anniversary of Dr Modi’s journey toBaku will fall on September 24, 2025. Willanyone mark the centenary with apilgrimage to the land of revered ancientfires?

References:1. My Travels Outside Bombay, Iran, Azerbaijan,Baku, By Ervad Shams-Ul-Ulama Dr Sir JivanjiJamshedji Modi BA. PhD. CIE. (1854-1933),translated by Ervad Soli Dastur of Florida.Available at: www.avesta.org/modi/baku.htm. Wethank Soli for sending us the translated text.2. Secrets of Zoroastrianism, Azernews, April 5,2018.3. Chingiz Qajar, The Famous Sons of Ancient andMedieval Azerbaijan.4. www.avesta.org/modi/baku.htm; RussianZoroastrian website, www. blagoverie.org/eng/avesta/index.phtml5. Id.6. Ateshkads in Zoroastrian Temples of CentralAsia”, SAN’AT, Journal of the Academy of Artsof Uzbekistan, 2007, Issue 3-4.

Burning water spring at Yanar Daag Bulak

Ervad Kobad reciting Avestan prayers

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7. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/958/8. SAN’AT 2007. This acknowledged historicaluse of natural and liquified gas provides a practicalpointer for newer Zoroastrian communities gettingestablished in the west.9. Galina Woodova, PhD. dissertation Lahij,Living Heritage of Azerbaijan, defended 2016through Charles University, UBVA-Near EastDepartment, History and Cultures of Asia, inPrague.10. Windfuhr, G. The Iranian Languages. Londonand New York, Routledge, 2012.11. Woodova, G. Blessings as a TraditionalResponse to Life’s Situations, Parallels in Tat andAzeri. Language and Literature, p.58-67, no 4.,Baku, ADU, 2013.12. Woodova, G., Elmi XYbYrler no. 2, ResearchPapers, Novruz in Lahij 2012, p.82, AUL, Ministryof Education of Azerbaijan, Baku, 2012; Woodova,G., Presentation and article “The Victory of Light”Symbolism of Novruz in Lahij at The EverlastingFlame conference, Delhi, India (Parzor, SOAS,2016).13. On Azerbaijan dakhmas, see http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/caucasia/azerbaijan/dakhma.htm

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Each year since 2013, Kersi B.Shroff has explored countries inCentral Asia, Russia, andAzerbaijan. In the lands mentionedin the Avesta, the traces of earlyZoroastrianism or Mazdayasnismare manifestly evident. In planningthe tour, Kersi greatly relied onGalina Woodova’s knowledge andexperience acquired throughfieldwork and extended residence inAzerbaijan.

Galina Woodova, grew up inCzechoslovakia, and is married andblessed with four children. She has livedand worked in the Siberian Altai, theCaucasus, and now in Kyrgyzstan. InAzerbaijan, she carried out researchat a remotely located ‘mountainsanctuary,’ and, having read MaryBoyce’s books on Zoroastrianism, shediscovered that the Iranian speakingLahijans have strong Zoroastrianroots. In the last seven years she hasexplored the living Zoroastrianheritage, including taking a journeythrough Gujarat, India, and exploredhistorical links to Central Asia andAltai of Avestan thought and ethics. She considers it a great privilege to have beena guide on the journey to the land of ancient fires with likeminded Kersi Shroff.

The Collected Scholarly Writings of Dastur Firoze M KotwalVolume 1

Zarrir Bhandara informs...

This is the long-awaited limited edition volume accumulating of over 75 years of hard work – a legacyof a High Priest, who dedicated his life towards interpreting, translating, explaining and teaching ourscriptures in an unbiased manner. Dastur Kotwal is the most knowledgeable High Priest of our timeswho has been well versed in performing rituals himself and is an academic scholar sought by the well-known universities of the world, whose knowledge is preserved by PARZOR / UNESCO. We are trulyprivileged to have Dastur Kotwal as a religious leader in our lifetime.

This collection of scholarly writings by Dastur Kotwal consists of about 750 pages, which gives us aninsight into a High Priest’s life, rituals performed by priests, and answers many of our questions of day today life for Zoroastrians and the future of our community as per our scriptures.

A book for every household will soon be on sale in lots of 20 copies for Rs100,000 (less than $1500).Each copy is about $70 but can be sold for more to raise funds for your respective community. To reserveyour copies, you may send an email to the Dasturji saheb at [email protected]


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Our trip to Azerbaijan inSeptember 2018 provided uswith a rich insight into thecountry’s multifaceted history

and culture. As a complement to KersiShroff’s and Galina Woodova’s travelogue,this short article is designed to highlight oneparticular aspect of Azerbaijan’s diversity,namely the number of languages spokenthere in a relatively confined space.Complementing the use of four differentlanguages within the travel group (English,Gujarati, Persian, German) and that ofAvestan as a language of prayer, the tripbrought us into contact with no less thanseven further languages, all of which arecurrently spoken in Azerbaijan. Some ofthem are hardly well-known, so a briefdescription of each may be of interest to thereader.

Azeri is spoken by the majority ofAzerbaijan’s population as their nativelanguage. Virtually all members of ethnicminorities speak it as well due to its statusas the dominant language in public life andthe main language of education. Withoutour guide, Galina’s impressive command ofAzeri, our journey surely would havepresented us with far more difficulties! I amsure that at least one Azeri phrase willforever be stuck in each traveller’s mind, asit is so abundantly used in everyday life: coxsagol (“many thanks”)! Besides Azeri wefound that a basic command of Russian,too, is still widespread throughout thecountry, contrary to the claim in a recentguidebook on Azerbaijan that knowledge ofRussian is in decline. Indeed, we observedhow in certain situations the locals like toswitch acrobatically between Azeri andRussian as if it were a game.

In the ancient village of Lahij in Azerbaijan’sIsmaili District, we encountered the Lahijilanguage, today spoken by perhaps 1400people. Lahiji is a distinct member of agroup of South-Western Iranian, spoken inNorth-Eastern Azerbaijan which are often

collectively referred to as Tat. Theclassification as “South-Western Iranian”implies a close historical relationship toPersian and suggests that some of thespeakers’ ancestors ultimately originatedfrom South-Western Iran. Until recently, nowritten form of Lahiji existed, but DadashMuellim, the highly respected teacher ofLahij, showed us a recent printed collectionof the village’s traditional folk tales in Lahiji.

While staying in Khinaliq, a village high upin the mountains of North-EasternAzerbaijan, we could hear the inhabitantsspeak the village’s unique and isolateCaucasus language, likewise calledKhinaliq. Although no more than 1000speakers of Khinaliq remain, our host at thismarvellous place, surrounded by green hillsand snowy mountain tops, assured us thatthe villagers are determined to preservetheir language, not least because it providessuch a useful means of secretcommunication when tourists are around.During a stop on the way back fromKhinaliq, we also caught some words ofJek, one more language that is exclusive toa single village. Together with some closelyrelated dialects spoken in surroundingvillages, the number of its speakersamounts to about 10,000 overall. Whilevisiting the town of Qusar, we were able tohear people converse in Lezgi, the nativelanguage of the Lezgi people, who inhabitthe North-Eastern corner of Azerbaijan andthe Dagestan province of neighbouringRussia. It is used by a comparatively largenumber of about 600 000 speakers. Finally,although we did not get a chance to hear itsspoken form, our visit to the church in a townnamed Nij allowed us to look at some bookswritten in Udi. Remotely related to Lezgi, Jekand Xinaliq, Udi is the traditional language ofthe Caucasian Albanian Church and is stillspoken by the Udis, an ethnic minority ofabout 5000 people, in the area of Nij.

Due to my personal interest in linguistics, Ifound it intriguing to gain some first-hand

Azerbaijan - a treasure trove of little-known languagesby benedikt peschl

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information about the little-known languagesmentioned. As to be expected, Lahiji (Tat),Khinaliq, Jek and Udi are all classified as“severely endangered” by the Unesco Atlasof the World’s Languages in Dangerhttp://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/.Bearing this background in mind, thecommunities’ awareness of their distinctidentity was clearly visible, as were theirefforts to preserve their unique languages.Our stays in Lahij and Khinaliq in particular,and the interaction with the local population,remain among the lasting impressions thejourney left on me.

Image credit : https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/azerbaijan-political-map.htm

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Benedikt Peschl is currently doingresearch for a PhD in ZoroastrianStudies (Avesta/Pahlavi) at SOASUniversity of London. He holds a BAin General and Indo-Europeanlinguistics and has previously worked asa research associate at the linguisticsdepartment of the University ofMunich.


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REV DR BRIAN ARTHUR BROWN ofNiagara Falls, New York, writes:

Last year, the readers of Hamazorwere introduced to my book onTHREE TESTAMENTS: Torah,Gospel and Quran, detailing the

debt owed by the scriptures of Westernmonotheism to the Zoroastrian Avesta. Asequel came out since then as FOURTESTAMENTS: Tao Te Ching, Analects,Dhammapada, Bhagavad Gita, showing asimilar debt by Eastern monism in thescriptures of Confucianism, Taoism,Buddhism and the essential Hindu text,Bhagavad Gita. The publishers, Rowmanand Littlefield, have again contracted withme for what will be published as VolumeOne of a trilogy in early 2020.

SEVEN TESTAMENTS OF WORLDRELIGIONS: with a Vedic OlderTestament and the Zoroastrian Dead ZeeScrolls will have a focus on the parts ofthe Avesta which went missing underAlexander the Great in Persia, the adventof Islam throughout the Middle East later,and finally during the An Lushan Rebellionin China. Referring to the missing portionsas “The Dead Zee Scrolls” I am building acase for the likelihood of twenty-first-century archaeology unearthing preciousAvesta material which may have beenhidden or simply lost.

In a series of speeches for the Society ofScholars of Zoroastrianism in Chicago inOctober 2018, I presented an argumentthat much of what we are looking for cannow be dug up from where it is buriedwithin the seven main texts of worldreligions.

Evidence for this realization will berepresented cogently again in the newbook with assistance from Zoroastrian andother scholars who are part of an excitingnew worldwide awareness of thecontribution Zoroastrianism has made tothe spiritual life of the world. Meanwhile,those who appreciated THREETESTAMENTS might prepare for what’sahead by acquiring FOUR TESTAMENTSor borrowing a copy from any nearbylibrary.

Seven Testaments of World Religions

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The article Rev Brown shares with usoverleaf, will be of great interest to allZoroastrians. Its going to be an exciting2020! - Ed.

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Current scholarship is divided onthe dates of the life of Zoroaster,but traditional Persian, ancientHebrew and early Christian

sources agree that the Persian prophet diedin 551 BCE during prayers in the chapel atBalkh, then the only city of importance inthe Persian province of Bactria. If so,according to his teachings, his remainswould not have been “exposed” to theelements inside the community of Balkh andburied there.

The Greek historian Herodotus, writing inthe fifth†century BCE, described the use of“high places” by Zoroastrians from their

earliest period. “It is not their custom tomake and set up statues and temples andaltars but they offer sacrifices on the highplaces of the mountains.”1 Over the courseof time these natural sacred sites wereelaborated and simple shrines were built forthe bones of those whose bodies had beenexposed to nature. These mountainmausolea became the focus of theZoroastrian pilgrimage tradition, ascompared with the later fire temples of thecities and villages.

So Zoroaster’s family and followers wouldhave looked to the nearest “high point” ofsignificance within walking distance, the

Identifying the Tomb of Zoroasterby brian arthur brown

Crypt of Zoroaster under the Blue Mosque Tomb of Hazrat Ali - Shutterstock Image. Property of Rev Brian Arthur Brown

The original crypt beneath the Blue Mosque in Afghanistan, dates to over a thousand yearsbefore Imam Ali, who locals believe to be buried there. There is only one local candidate ofsufficient celebrity from that earlier era to give the site its ancient name, The Tomb of theExalted or “Mazar-i-Sharif.” The name of the first occupant is revealed in the image ofthe“radiantcamel” or “zarath - ustra,” which, according to legend, carried thither the body ofImam Ali. The pronouncement on which this legend is based thus re-established the splendidgrandeur of Zoroaster’s tomb, set now to become more important to all religions.


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place we call Mazar-i-Sharif, fifteenkilometers to the east, accessible but highenough to honor the most important prophetof that age and location. Similar suchancient high points remain unchanged nearYazd in Iran, near Petra in Jordan andelsewhere. We call the one in questionMazar-i-Sharif, which translates as Tomb ofthe Exalted, a name it acquired only afterthe building of a mausoleum there. That siteis identified by its current name only aftermid-sixth-century BCE as a memorial forthe countless pilgrims then wishing to honorthe life and ministry of the spiritual leaderwho had turned religious life upside-downfrom one end of the Silk Route to the other.They might just as easily called it The Cityof the Tomb, but that is how the communityof Mazar-i-Sharif got its name as asettlement grew around the site on the cuspof an era described by the Economistmagazine. “Societies became recognizably“modern” in the mid-first millennium BC,during the so-called “Axial Age,” the periodin which figures such as Plato, Buddha andZoroaster appeared on the scene,promulgating their moralizing ideologies.”2

This observation, with sixth century datesincreasingly accepted for him in the twenty-first century, sets the search for Zoroaster’stomb right into the context of this bookwhich identifies him as the father of theAxial Age.

A tomb might be named after a person orafter a place, but for a city to be namedafter a tomb the person buried there mustbe exceptionally famous. Through all timethere is simply no candidate in that regionfor such an honour other than Zoroaster. Itwas identified as Mazar-i-Sharif more than athousand years before the next significantburial in that mausoleum, that of Hazrat Ali,when it was appropriately expanded againon the earlier Zoroastrian foundations.However, it was following the time of thefirst burial there that the settled area ofBalkh began to stretch beyond thegeographic Bactrian plain to a “capital” areawhich grew to become the more importantcenter.3 This fact is a key element in ourcontention that Zoroaster could not havedied in the eleventh century BCE or earlier,

since there was no such identifiable centeras Mazar-i-Sharif for another five hundredyears.

In his authoritative book on architecture inAfghanistan, the University of Edinburgh’sdistinguished archaeologist Warwick Ballcomments on the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif. “There are many non-Islamicpractices associated with this shrine, suchas the raising of a pole at Nauruz on March21 each year when Mazar-i-Sharif becomesthe main centre of the annual Nauruz (NewYear) festivities. It might be that the shrinerepresents an Islamization of a much older,pre-Islamic cult that was focussed on thissite, perhaps even of Zoroaster himself,who is traditionally supposed to be buried inthe Balkh region.”4

Because the city is named after the tomb, itis only common sense that the tomb wasthere first. The community came into beingand was settled in the sixth century BCE,co-incident with the burial of obviously themost famous person who ever lived in thatarea, whose tomb became the name of thecity which grew up around it. In fact, fromthat day until this there has never been anypersonage other than Zoroaster of suchimport functioning out of that region andburied there, with the possible exception ofAli, a thousand years later, and he wasbrought there from elsewhere.

We may, or may not soon find missingpieces of the Zoroastrian Avesta (the “DeadZee Scrolls”) a feature of this book, butincreasing evidence identifying Zoroaster’stomb provides at least a measure ofincreased familiarity and some intimacy withthis prophet who, in certain respects, wasthe first to articulate a path to redemptionfor the world and its people. Moses andHomer are profoundly significant, at least toWestern culture, like a Zoroaster who mighthave lived and died back in the mists oftime. A Zoroaster of the sixth century relatesto us like well-known figures of the AxialAge: Hebrew prophets, Greek philosophers,eastern mystics of popular religion.Identifying The Tomb of the Exalted asZoroaster’s resting place connects him

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directly with Parsees and other Zoroastrianstoday, and with devotees and practitionersof the seven religions whose testaments arethe subject of this study.

This book identifies Zoroaster’s tomb asbeing beneath the Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, one of the most beautiful buildings inthe world. Our identification of the tomb ofZoroaster fits the Islamic pattern of multipleburials in a single site, since he is regardedby Muslims as among the prophets of ThePeople of the Book. Given the paucity ofother possible candidates as occupant of acrypt beneath the tomb of Hazrat Ali, whocould the original inhabitant of themausoleum be except Zoroaster? It simplyremains for experts with twenty-first centuryhigh-tech equipment to prove thatsomebody was buried there at a lower level,somebody important enough to have thecity named after his mausoleum. We will getto that, but first let us become more awareof the whole story of the Blue Mosque andits connections to Zoroaster.

Canadian journalist Terry Glavin (NationalPost and Ottawa Citizen) described thislocation in a column after a visit to the sitein Afghanistan. “For centuries, Mazar’sglorious Shrine of Hazrat Ali has been thejourney’s end for Shia pilgrims from afar,and an everyday refuge of gardens andesplanades for the local Sunni majority. TheBlue Mosque, where everyone praystogether, is also a fountainhead of Suficosmopolitanism. It is a marvel of classicIslamic architecture built in the grandTimurid style on deep Zoroastrianfoundations.”5 The latter point is informationhe picked up on site as part of the local, butunofficial lore.

Why does it matter where Zoroaster isburied? Discovery of the tomb of Zoroasterwould be of great importance toZoroastrians today as they assume asignificant role in interfaith discussionsbased partly on facts at last, rather thanlegends about Zoroaster’s dates and theimportance of his teachings in the world ofthe Silk Route. Because of their interface inBabylon, this relationship is of interest to

Jews who may wish to know if theconnection with Zoroaster is direct ordistant. Christians increasingly identifyJesus as the Savior of the World, theSaoshyant or “Redeemer” ofZoroastrianism, rather than merely the onewho would restore the throne of David forthe Jews of the early church. The location ofthe tomb in Afghanistan and its date also fitswith self-identification of the four worldreligions further east and others, as theZoroastrian Avesta and the Dead ZeeScrolls begin to function as the RosettaStone of religion described in Part Two ofthis book. This may be a starting point inone of the most critical discussions in theshrinking world of the twenty-first century,namely the place of religion as part of theproblem or part of the solution to problemsof divisions and relationships in our time.

Local Muslim residents of Mazar-i-Sharifappear to have no objections toidentification of this site with Zoroaster. Tothe contrary, guides and tour books oftenrefer to the legend that the Blue Mosquesits on an earlier Zoroastrian foundation.Our presentation of additional evidence inthis regard at the 2018 Parliament of theWorld’s Religions was greeted as big news,and it may be regarded by some as “the bigreveal” of this book, though we are onlypresenting additional pieces of the puzzle,synthesizing them and making obviousinferences from them. It is our intention tomove from legend and speculation tohistory and fact. In doing so it may also bepossible to finally settle the long-standingdebate over the dates of Zoroaster’s birth,life and death.

This shrine is considered locally to be firstand foremost the tomb of Hazrat Ali, thecousin, son-in-law and an eventualsuccessor of Muhammad, even thoughmost Muslims elsewhere in the worldrecognize Ali’s tomb as being at the ImamAli Mosque at Najaf in Iraq. Local Muslimdevotees and tour guides in Mazar-i-Sharifhave maintained the legend which says thatthe body of Ali was carried here on the backof a white (or “shining”) camel,” secretly,long years after his earlier burial in Najaf.


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Books, brochures and tour guides recountthe story of Ali being buried at Mazar-i-Sharif in a grave which had already beenknown for centuries previous asThe Tomb of the Exalted, though theantiquity of the name has not been realizeduntil quite recently.

In Sanskrit and related languages, the word“Zarah,” is often rendered as golden,shining or white in various traditions, thoughlinguists are unanimous in lexicons that thevery best translation is “radiant.” In Sanskrit,as adopted in Arabic, Persian, old Avestanand cognate languages, “camel” is ustra (orushtra). The obvious, but only nowarticulated, meaning of the legend is thatthis memorial to Ali is mounted on Zarath-ustra, whose full name is usually translatedas Golden Camel, though radiant or whitecamel works just as well in most languages.

The original crypt beneath the Blue Mosquein Afghanistan, dates to over a thousandyears before Imam Ali, who locals stillbelieve is buried there. The pronouncementon which this legend is based re-purposedthe apparent splendour of Zoroaster’s moreancient mausoleum, the “Tomb of theExalted.” Over time this phrase has beenassumed to refer to Ali ibn Abu Talib, but theproblem assuming that the title refers to Aliis confirmed by documentary evidence.There is wide agreement with Dr AhmadHasan Dani, a leading epigraphist andarchaeologist of the Quaid-e-AzamUniversity in Islamabad, that the city wasnamed the Tomb of the Exalted since 138CE at the very least, half a millenniumbefore Ali. “This more ancient date iswitnessed by the Mazar-i-Sharif Inscription ,clearly dated from the time of Veka, a localShahi Ruler long centuries before Ali’sdeath in 661 CE and his second burial inthe year 701 CE.”6 The only prophet of notefrom that area was obviously buriedsometime before 138 CE but no earlier thanthe era soon after 550 BCE when thecapital of Bactria was moved from Balkh tothe newly established community whichbecame Mazar-i-Sharif, surrounding thetomb of “the exalted,” a highly respectedpersona, one deserving of a mausoleumapparently like no other.7

The eventual attribution of the Mazar tombto Imam Ali was perhaps understandablesince it is known that Ali travelled inAfghanistan, where his “footprints” arepreserved in stone memorials in two othercities. Mazar-i-Sharif was “revealed” ordecreed to be the burial place of Ali byHarrun Al Rashid some 40 years after Alidied in 661. Harrun was the fifth AbbasidCaliph, who ruled in Baghdad 786 to 809.The fictional book One Thousand and OneNights is set in Harun’s magnificent courtand some of its stories involve Harunhimself, a figure of great imagination. Heconsidered moving his court to the east,and eventually did move it to Syria forsafety, but appears to have consideredAfghanistan first.

Since there was already a mausoleum of aprophet in Afghanistan at the place calledMazar-i-Sharif, the Tomb of the Exalted, atomb even then of interest to pilgrims, itsuited his purpose for Harun to declare it tobe also the tomb of Ali. He did so at therequest of Ja’far as-Sadiq, who laterbecame the sixth Imam in the Shia traditionand was seeking to establish a Shiastronghold in Afghanistan. Ja’far was adescendant of Ali on the side of his father,Muhammad al-Baqir, and his story waseagerly accepted by the local population ofMazar-i-Sharif, largely Shia at the time,even if rejected by many other Muslims. It isas if these holy men were looking for aready-made shrine, popular among pilgrims.There were no such Jewish, Christian orMuslim sites that far east, but there was thatmausoleum so impressive that the nowsubstantial city was named for it, and theoccupant was the prophet associated withthe People of the Book named as Magian inthe Holy Quran. Whether they brought theremains of Ali there physically or spiritually,the announcement had the desired effect ofturning this shrine into a Muslim mosque.

It is possible that the remains of Ali weretransferred there at a time when some couldnot remember who first was buried in themausoleum. Others may have wished todeny that the prominent shrine tombbelonged to a non-Muslim persona, though

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as we have seen, burial above any prophetfrom among the People of the Book was anestablished practice. The “Chamber ofCommerce” would have encouraged therecognition of further enhancement of thesite following the declaration also ascribingthe tomb to Ali to this location.

The grave was then domed and greatlyenhanced. Sultan Ahmed Sanjar of theSeljug dynasty expanded the main structureto something even greater, resemblingpresent proportions, some three hundredyears after the purported re-interment of Ali.It was desecrated and then partially hiddenunder earthen embankment for protectionduring the invasion of Genghis Khan around1220 CE. In the 15th century CE, SultanHusayn Mirza Baygarah repaired andextended the superstructure in anoutstanding example of the Timuridarchitectural style. It has been wellmaintained ever since as the priority budgetitem in the city, province and nation. Thelatest addition is a monument to the nationalhero Ahmad Shah Massoud, a Mujahadinleader, who fought both the Soviets and theTaliban, before his assassination in 2001.

The structure†appears to be almost floating,a trick of this particular style of Islamicarchitecture, partially facilitated byintricately painted clay tiles, produced in astudio on site. Two square feet of tilingneeds to be replaced every day, havingbeen damaged by the elements or stolen bypilgrims as religious mementos. A site planof the foundations made by engineers earlyin the twentieth century showed that therehad earlier been a crypt in the smallerwalled precinct under the original mosque,razed later but with portals still remaining asgateways for the current shrine.

No carbon dating has yet been undertaken,though current techniques of archaeologicalinvestigation are equally effective. LiDARscans from space, as described by RichardFreund in Four Testaments, can revealmuch about the original site, and close upElectrical Resistive Tomography andGround Penetrating-Radar (ERT & GPR)scans are able to flesh out the story of this

mosque and its sacred precinct aspresented by Freund and his team at the2020 Dead Zee Scrolls conference inNiagara Falls. The team includes Harry Jol,an anthropologist at the University ofWisconsin, who literally “wrote the book” onGround Penetrating Radar Theory andApplications.8

Richard Freund is one of the world’s leadingarchaeologists. Since he and I write for thesame publisher, Rowman & Littlefield, hehad been asked to vet the portions of thisbook which pertain to archaeology prior topublication. Though he had heardunsubstantiated rumours about the burial ofZoroaster, it was when he reviewed the listof hints, clues and evidence listed belowthat he knew our theory about the tomb ofZoroaster was now more than speculation,and he got involved. Televised and writtenreports of the archaeological expedition toverify this identification of what lies beneaththe Mazar-i-Sharif are available under thetitle The Tomb of the Exalted. Previous hintsand clues about Zoroaster’s bones inrepose in a crypt beneath the Blue Mosquehad been rejected by scholars as merespeculation when considered individually. Inthis summary of the evidence, we precis thesupport for our model into twelvecategories, which move from speculationand conjecture to an absolutely compellingconcept when taken together.

• Cartography (lay of the land within walking distance of Balkh)• Geography (zeroing in on the appropriate high point)• Migration (population from the Bactrian plain moving east)• Nomenclature (re the name of the city and the tomb for which it was named)• Common Sense (re significance of tomb existing before city)• Local folklore (then and now)• Muslim practice (assembling prophets’ bones in sites already identified as holy)• Linguistics (identifying Zoroaster as the “Zarah-ustra” in radiant camel legend)• Politics (the theocratic mix of government and religion by early caliphs)• History (facts about Ali in Afghanistan and


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other data re dates and personas)• Architectural (reviews of structural engineering issues over the last century)• Archaeological (verification by respected experts of the twenty-first century)

This much evidence and advance informationfrom the site were enough for Freund toproclaim confidence that the proof is simplywaiting to be announced at the launchconference for this book in Niagara Falls, May29-31, 2020. The core of the shrine doescontain a tomb chamber and an antechamberfor prayer and worship, the starting point forhigh-tech investigations, untried heretofore. Aquestion which remains is whether othermembers of Zoroaster’s family were alsointerred there subsequently, while thereputation of the mausoleum grew, long yearsbefore its expansion early in the Muslim era. Ifso, are there any artifacts, and could this beeven the repository of the written materials forwhich Zoroaster was most famous. Missingportions of the Avesta found here may be thefirst cache of what we call The Dead ZeeScrolls, a motherlode of the missing Chapters6 to 27, thought by scholars like Mary Boyce,to have been composed by Zoroaster himself.Such a tremendous possibility will be revealedin the future if the investigation by ProfessorFreund’s 2020 team is able to indicate thatthere is more there than just the bones ofZoroaster.

At this point we get to the Indiana Jonesstyle speculation that some undergraduatestudents may enjoy, or the Dan Brownportion of the story for public library andcongregational book clubs, except thatsome of all of it could well be proven true.The week-long expedition is set to proceedunder the on-site administration of financialmanager Arthur Brown. The earthpenetrating radar equipment is set up atsixty predetermined target locationsidentified by Dr Harry Jol throughpreliminary scanning. Richard Freund’spracticed eye looks down one visual shaftafter another. John Bedel videotapes thesequential moments for the TV networks.

Interviewer David Bruce keeps asking“What do you see, Dr Freund?” When the

EPR cameras detect anything promising(bone, wood, even crypt-shape stones) at adepth of up to forty feet, Freund exclaims,“This could be it.” A discreet two-inch steeltube then extracts material from the levelunder consideration for identification andcarbon dating. This all takes place undergovernment permits granted to Dr OmarSharifi of Boston University and theAmerican Institute of Afghanistan Studies inKabul, and under the watchful supervisionof environmental technician Sarah Brown,trained for this at Seneca College in Torontoand present to insure absolute structuralintegrity, with no disturbance whatsoever inany part of the Blue Mosque itself.

At least that is the way things have beenscheduled to unfold by Jenny Sutacriti, mywife and research associate, who describedthe historic opportunity to her professionalgrandchildren, Arthur and Sarah, andpersuaded them to dedicate theirprofessional talents to the financial andenvironmental concerns. It is Jenny whoenvisioned the aspirational moment asDavid Bruce again asks, “What do yousee?” and Dr Freund’s replies, “I see astone structure that appears to be a crypt,with a human skeleton, and some objectswhich could be scrolls on either side of thebones.”

At this point, in real life, Freund wouldinterject. “Hold on, everybody. It is true thatBrian Brown’s evidence is enough for us tobe sure that if there is anything that fardown there, it is likely from 2500 years agorather than 1500 years ago. In that case wecan presume that it is related to Zoroaster,and that he was buried around 551 ratherthan much earlier. But we are not going tofind the Dead Zee Scrolls just like that. We’llfind something, but much analysis remainsto be done, and if its results are morespecific, we still need Afghan governmentapproval to actually excavate to the levelwhich proves that in burying Ali here andothers since that time, the custodians of thissacred precinct did indeed honour thememory and the earlier prophetic ministry ofZoroaster. This is very exciting, and mayindeed verify the site as Zoroaster’s tomb,

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but there is much work yet to be done.” Thismay be closer to the report we will receive atthe Niagara conference following theexpedition. Watch for it as a TV documentaryor a new book from Rowman and Littlefield.

Tombs of varying dimensions were added tothe Blue Mosque for a number of Afghanpolitical and religious leaders over theyears, which has led to the development ofirregular dimensions which have donenothing except enhance the beautifulstructure. The Blue Mosque is already amagnificent attraction for pilgrims andvisitors, and its current recognition as beingalso the tomb of Zoroaster will increase theworldwide interest in this shrine. It alreadyhas national status similar to WestminsterAbbey in the United Kingdom and NotreDame in France or Wat Arun in Thailandand the Taj Mahal in India.

The Blue Mosque is one of the mostbeautiful edifices on the planet, butfollowing the verifications by thearchaeological team under the leadership ofProfessor Freund, this multi-layered shrinemay attain world status more like thatattributed to the Vatican in Rome and theKaaba in Mecca. This will assist in thecurrent quest to gain a better understandingof the story of Zoroaster, the dates of hislife, and where he was buried.

References :

1. The Histories of Herodotus 1:1312. Economist, March 21, 20193. P. Leriche, “Bactria, Pre-Islamic period.” Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. 3, 1998.

4. Warwick Ball, The Monuments of Afghanistan, p. 2485. Dissent Magazine, April 5, 20116. Ahmad Hasan Dani, Proceedings of the Indian History Congress , Vol. 61, Part One: Millennium Session (2000-2001), pp. 132-1357. Afghanistan: A Treasure Trove for Archaeologists, Time Magazine. 26 February 2009

8. An Elsevier book, Amsterdam

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Canadian author Rev DrBrian Arthur Brown wasthe theme speaker at the2018 conference of theSociety of Scholars ofZoroastrianism inChicago. He is best knownfor THREETESTAMENTS: Torah,Gospel and Quran,published by Roman &Littlefield in 2012 andlaunched at Ground Zeroin NYC and at theCanadian Embassy inWashington in theaftermath of the burning ofthe Quran. It was followedby FOURTESTAMENTS: Tao TeChing, Analects,Dhammapada, BhagavadGita in 2016. SEVENTESTAMENTS OFWORLD RELIGIONand the Zoroastrian OlderTestament in 2020 willcomplete the trilogy.Brian and Jenny SutacritiBrown live within earshotof the thunderous NiagaraFalls.

The Sudreh and Kusti have becomeuniversal symbols of theZoroastrian faith. While there areno written records of when the

kusti originated and it is not certain whowove or wore the first kusti, it is clear that itis a part of the Indo-Aryan sacred tradition.It is seen in the janoi of the Hindu traditionand in the cord worn over priestly garmentsin the Orthodox Church.

Sacred Armour

The Avestan word for the sacred thread isaiwyaonghana, meaning to gird around. Itoriginates from the yasna ceremony wherea strip of the date palm is used to tie theBarsam twigs, in a ritual of uniting creation.The yasna, like the yagna, is a Bronze AgeAryan ritual which nurtures creation. Thepriest recites the ‘Yatha Hu Vairyo Mantra’,and whenever he utters the wordShyaothnanam, to act or of action, he tiesthe date palm cord into a reef knot. This isthe reef knot which is tied when the wordShyaothnanam is uttered in the kusti ritual.

So the girding of the kusti becomes symbolicof the Zoroastrian girding himself eachmorning in sacred Armour, the sudreh andkusti, to become a warrior defending Spentaor Holy Creation. Some legends state thatZarathustra initiated the kusti ritual, butaccording to the Dadestan-I-Denig and theSad Dar, these symbols have been wornsince the time of King Jamshed. Wearing thekusti is like performing Hama Zor and HamaAsho, uniting to perform good works andremaining connected with the sacred world.

Zoroastrian children learn that whenZarathustra’s father asked his son what hewanted as he left on his quest for Truth,Zarathustra asked only for the blessing ofthe sacred cord.

The Ancient Art of Kusti Weaving

Compiled from Ashdeen Lilaowala’s book Threadsof Continuity, published by The Parzor Foundationin 2013.Reproduced with permission of Ashdeen.


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Tehmina Jokhi of Navsari weaving the kusti on the jantar.She has been weaving kustis all her life for family andfriends.

domestic skill necessary for every young girland taught in all Parsi schools, kusti makinghas today become a specialised craft

practised mainly by elderlywomen. Kusti-making is an artthat takes years to master anddue to poor returns, very fewwomen take it up as aprofession.

Warp And Weft

Oon kantwanu or spinning isthe first step in the making of akusti. Most women start theprocess with a little prayer.The wool is spun into fine yarnwith the help of a chaaterdi ordrop spindle. Two spindles ofsingle yarn are then twisted toform a strong and uniform yarnknown as durry which is usedfor weaving. This process ofdouble plying is known as Val

dewanu and is done on a bigger spindle orchaaterdo.

A walk in the Parsi Vads of Navsari showswomen effortlessly spinning on theirverandahs with their chaaterdis andchaaterdos and chatting with theirneighbours.

Some women onlyspecialise inspinning the yarnand provide thespun yarn to theweavers.According to anadmirable age-oldcustom, thespinner gives theweaver enoughyarn for two kustis.The weaver, inturn, weaves onefor the spinner andone for herself.While no money isexchanged, it is anequitable barter.

Linguistically, the word kusti has variousderivations. It can be derived from Pahlavi,kust meaning direction or side, thus comingto mean, That which shows theproper direction or path. Sudreh,literally, the good path and kustithe direction finder, tells aZoroastrian how to lead his life.From another derivation, kustimay mean a badge distinguishingthose who are on the kust or sideof Zoroastrianism.

A kusti is made up of lamb’s woolor camel’s white hair representingthe animal world. This white woolis considered to be an emblem ofinnocence and purity.

According to oral tradition, the 72strands, from which the kusti iswoven, represent the 72 chaptersof the Yasna. So, a Zoroastrianwho ties his kusti with piety is saidto have acquired the merit of performing theyasna ritual. In the Hormazd Yasht, 72names of God are recited; the ritual thenalso becomes equivalent to its recitation.

Earth And Sky

Technically, the kusti is a cream-colouredthread made of wool. It is a narrow, long,hollow tube with tassels at both the ends.The length of the kusti varies from threeyards to about six yards. The average kustiis of four and half yards and is known asmapni kusti. The hollow tube isrepresentative of the two layers, the sky andthe earth. The hollow part in the middle issymbolic of the atmosphere in between,meaning that the wearer should alwaysplease and protect all clean and pure things,which exist between the sky and the earth.

Currently, Parsi women in several parts ofIndia practise kusti weaving. Earlier womenfrom the priestly class alone wove thekustis. Due to the diminishing boundariesbetween the Athornans or priestly class,and Behdins or laity, women of the laityhave also started weaving kustis foreconomic benefit. Once considered a

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The actual process of kusti weaving iscarried out on the jantar or loom. This smallwooden, folding loom consists of a simpleframework of shafts and pulleys. The jantaris specially designed for weaving the kusti,which is a narrow and tubular textile.

Weaving on the jantar is very flexible. Sincethe loom is light, it can be easily carriedfrom room to room and even whiletravelling. Most weavers believe that thisloom must have originated in Navsariaround the 1930s.

After the kusti is woven, it is taken off theloom in a complete loop. It is now handedover to the priest to be cut and consecrated.The kusti is now turned inside out with thehelp of a needle. In this process, all theloose ends are taken throughout the lengthof the woven kusti. If the kusti has not beenwoven properly and if any thread is looseand gets entangled with the needle, thenthe whole kusti is spoilt and has to bediscarded. Most women breathe a sigh ofrelief when they see the needle come out ofthe other end. The kusti is now complete.

Symbolically, the difficult process is to remindus that we have come to this physical worldfor the sake of advancing into the spiritualworld. It is not an easy task to grow spirituallyand requires focused concentration.

The loose thread at the ends of the kusti,lars, are divided into nine parts and plaitedto form a fine tubular finish. This process isknown as lar guthvanu and is done on bothends of the kusti.

Consecrating The Thread

Now the making of the kusti is complete butthe cord has to be further treated before it isused. After a thorough wash, it is placed on amuslin cloth with a small vessel containingburning coal. A pinch of sulphur is added onthe smouldering coal. The kusti and sulphurvessel is quickly covered with a largercircular vessel for 10 to 15 minutes. Thisprocess of bleaching is known as dhupvanu.Earlier, priests in the fire temple did thiswhile consecrating the kusti.

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A priest praying at the Desai Atash-Behram, Navsari.

Ashdeen Z Lilaowala is a Textile Designer specialising in thetraditional art of Parsi Gara embroidery throughcontemporary fashion creations under the label ASHDEEN.Ashdeen retails his creations through his flagship store in NewDelhi. His saris have been worn by Oprah Winfery andBollywood superstars Madhuri Dixit and Sonam KapoorAhuja. He regularly researches and writes on the subject,and is the author ofThreads of Continuity, on the traditionof the Kusti sacred threads in the Parsi community.

An interesting feature of kusti weaving isthat the jantar, being a foldable loom, doesnot occupy a fixed space. Even whileweaving, the whole warp can be removedfrom the loom and transferred to another.Whenever the weaver wishes to weave, theloom can again be stretched and the warpplaced on it.

When women are menstruating and cannotweave, they generally fold the warp andplace it aside. Very few looms in the worldhave this capacity in which a warp can beremoved mid weaving.

Symbols Of Faith

Zoroastrians had regarded the sudreh andkusti as integral symbols of faith. When onestudies and understands the intricate crafttechnique and its equally intricatesymbolism, the true significance of this ritualbecomes apparent. One hopes that thisdaily practice of the kusti ritual continueswith a new respect born out ofunderstanding, for the weavers and priestswho so quietly have woven together thiswarp and weft of the Zoroastriancommunity.

A video of Iranianladies weaving thekusti is available onthis link :VID-20190313-WA0010.mp4

Images, courtesy of Ashdeen


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Through their words, actions anddeeds people leave behind theirlegacies when they move onwardsto the next realm. There are very

few that leave behind all their materialwealth entirely as a legacy for thegenerations to come. Professor KaikhosrovDinsha Irani was one such rare individual.Prof K D Irani came to the United States in1945. Over the next 62 years he excelled intwo fields where he became a giant in hisunderstanding of these fields. One wasphilosophy and the other was the study ofthe Zoroastrian religion.

His understanding ofthe religious texts andtheir interpretation inmodern day societymade him one of theleading scholars of thelast few decades and inhis loss the communityat large lost one of its greatest visionaries.

On his passing away, the trustees of theestate of Prof K D and Piroja Irani informedfour Zoroastrian associations that they werethe beneficiaries of practically his entireestate. To commemorate this magnanimousact, the Zoroastrian Association of GreaterNew York organized an event on SaturdayFebruary 23, 2019; befitting one of itsgreatest member and to celebrate hislegacy.

The programme started with what mayprobably be the first of its kind in NorthAmerica. Three young mobeds – ErvadPorus Pavri (15), Ervad Cyrus Dadina (14)and Ervad Zal Mody (12) – performed theAtash Nyaesh and a Boi ceremony in theAtash Gah of the Arbab Rustam Guiv Dar-e-Mehr. Praying beautifully these three younginitiates, started what will hopefully becomethe transition of the older generation ofmobeds passing on the baton to theyounger.

At the end of the prayers ZAGNY PresidentAstad J Clubwala thanked each of the threemobeds and also thanked their parents andgrandparents who were present in theaudience that day.

The formal part of the function began with awelcome by Prof K D Irani’s dearest friendFramroze K Patel who was also the executorof his estate. Framroze announced that thebeneficiaries of the estate were ZoroastrianAssociation of Greater New York (ZAGNY),Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of

North America (FEZANA),Zoroastrian Assembly, andWorld ZoroastrianOrganization.

Framroze spoke ...“ Ervad Porus Pavri, ErvadCyrus Dadina, Ervad ZalMody, friends of Piroja andKaikhosrov.

“In 2007 Kaikhosrov asked me to act as atrustee, of his estate. Today, I am trying tofulfill the responsibility.

“Let me state with humility (the properGujarati word is gurav) that four Zarathustiorganizations, domiciled in the USA, are thebeneficiaries of Piroja and Kaikhosrov’sestate. They are: ZAGNY, FEZANA, WZO(US region), and The ZarathushtrianAssembly. The only individuals whoreceived cash payments were the ladieswho looked after them for more than fifteenyears.

“I remember very well, the thought-provoking words, spoken by a youngZarathusti lawyer during her daughter’sinitiation ceremony. She said, ‘that myhusband did not have to say yes, but hedid.’ Kaikhosrov could have given his assetsto any number of charities. He did not haveto give his entire estate to Zarathustiorganizations, but he did.

Professor K D Irani’s Legacy

by arzan wadia

“May you be blessed bythe joy of the right andthe peace of the just.”A Blessing given by Professor K D Irani

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“As a trustee, I amsuggesting that anamount of Piroja andKaikhosrov’s bequestto your organizationbe kept in anendowment account,and accrued incomebe used wisely toperpetuate theirlegacy.

“I urge thebeneficiaries tosupport causes that

they believed in, particularly towards thepromotion and advancement of the religionof Zarathustra. It was the wish of the donorsthat their gift should not be used for generaladministrative, operating expenses, andmaintenance of property.“It is my duty to remind you that Piroja andKaikhosrov believed that the message ofthe Prophet is universal and a Zarathusti isone who declares herself or himself to be afollower of Zarathustra. In keeping with theirdearly held belief, beneficiaries of the fundsmay be anyone who makes a consciousand enlightened decision to understand themessage of Zarathustra, regardless of thebeneficiaries’ spiritual identity and religiousorientation.

“You have various options which, in myopinion, are worth initiating and pursuing,such as -

• Organize Prof Kaikhosrov D Irani Memorial Lectures.• Organize educational events for laities and scholars of all persuasion and affiliation to enlighten them of the message of the Prophet Zarathushtra.• Support efforts to digitize and archive Kaikhosrov’s personal and scholarly papers for public access by academicians and others. As well as conserve personal artifacts that reflect Zarathusti heritage and the American Zarathusti experience.• Promote and encourage scholarship programmes to study and promote the Zarathusti religion, and provide

“Kaikhosrov was anacademician and aneducator ofdistinction, asacknowledged by hisstudents and allthose who knew him.Kaikhosrov, anesteemed, veneratedand much cherishedscholar of theZarathusti religionlived by theprinciples, tenets,and teachings of theProphet.

“He lived by it in his daily life. He was auniversal human-being. He had no use forso called doctrinal or theological restrictionsas to who can and cannot follow thetimeless message of the Good Religion.

“Another praiseworthy quality of Kaikhosrovwas tolerance, religious and personal. Henever believed that ‘what I say and know istrue; and others are wrong’. He justlybelieved that ‘like a bee gathering honeyfrom different flowers, the wise one acceptsthe essence of different scriptures, andsees only the good in all religions.’

“Kaikhosrov was not a Zarathusti high-priest, he was not a pramukh-swami, hewas not vada-mullaji, and he was not abishop or a cardinal, or a patriarch of adynasty. Like Pope Francis he used to say.‘who am to judge?’ He was very reluctant tojudge people. To perpetuate his memory,one must turn to what he enjoyed most –his passion and ability to ‘educate’.

“In his infinite wisdom he left to the VohuManah of the beneficiary organizations,as to how their legacy should be usedfor the furtherance of the ethical andmoral principles of good and evil,freedom of choice, and responsibility forone’s actions. He time and againstressed, accentuated and emphasizedthat one should ‘hearken with your bestcounsel, contemplate with your bestjudgment’.

Kaikhosrov projected on the wall throughout the proceedings


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educational assistance, at graduate and post-graduate level, for science, philosophy, and law (a subject dear to Piroja).• Allocate some funds for Critical Assistance Fund, and• Support Zarathusti studies in partnership with an institute of higher learning.

“You as a beneficiary organization havea moral and fiduciary responsibility topreserve and protect their legacy.”

Distribution made to the beneficiaryorganizations on this day were :

Zarathushtrian Assembly - US$1,090,000ZAGNY US$ 436,000WZO (USA Region) US$ 436,000FEZANA US$ 218,000Total: US$2,180,000

This was a partial distribution: 75.0% of totalestimated estate. Rest will be distributed asand when the New York State AttorneyGeneral authorizes final distribution laterthis year.

Each of the recipient organizations wereinvited to say a few words.

Daryoush Irani of the Zoroastrian Assemblyspoke about how he had met Piroja andKaikhosrov the first time and howKaikhosrov had guided him in the formationof the Zoroastrian Assembly and continuedto be a mentor till his last days.

Homi D Gandhi, President of FEZANAreminisced about the time Prof Irani broughtforth a proposal to form a Federation inNorth America. This proposal was tabled ata ZAGNY Board meeting, and later sawlight of the day as FEZANA in 1987. Homimentioned that since its inception, Prof Iraniwas a constant mentor and guide toFEZANA and his wisdom will be missed.

Astad J Clubwala, President of ZAGNYspoke of Prof Irani’s impact on all things atZAGNY. Besides having served as thePresident of ZAGNY for a term, Prof Iraniled from the front in conducting world class

seminars, workshops and congresses atZAGNY. One of the favourite things thatProf Irani enjoyed doing was speaking tokids and coming to the summer camps thatZAGNY hosted and speaking aboutZarathushtra’s teachings.

WZO USA President Kayomarsh Mehtacould not attend the function but sent in hisgood wishes and thanks to the trustees ofProf Irani’s estate. In a message that wasread out, WZO thanked Piroja andKaikhosrov for their guidance in its formationand for serving on the WZO in variouscapacities over the years.

On this occasion, Dr Keki Dadachanji, aZAGNY member delivered a keynoteaddress titled The Religion of Zarathushtra:From Vision to Practice.

Keki spoke ...“There is a tale of a man who found on theroad a large stone bearing the words,‘Under me lies a great truth.’ The manstrained to turn the stone over, and finallysucceeded. On the bottom was written,‘Why do you want a new truth when you donot practice what you already know?’

“In November of 2016, the ZoroastrianAssociation of Greater New York organizedan event around the theme ofZarathushtra’s Vision and ZoroastrianCommunity. Five distinguished speakerspresented their thoughts. ProfessorKaikhosrov Irani was one of the speakers.His presentation of Zarathushtra’s visionwas the clearest, most concise, and lucid Ihad heard. Today I would like to summarizethat vision, and explore how it can guide ourdaily living.

“Ahura Mazda conceived of an idealcreation. The totality of that vision of idealcreation is called Asha. Asha is anuntranslatable word generally rendered inEnglish as Truth or Righteousness. Ashapostulates an ideal form of existence whereall its constituents are in perfect harmony. Inpractical language, this means that no oneprospers at the expense of someone else.This vision was then actualized in the

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material world. In the material world, inwhich we live, it is possible that Asha maynot be realized, that is, the harmony may bedisrupted; that the world may go out ofbalance.”

Full text of Keki’s talk shall be available onwww.zagny.org in the coming weeks.

ZAGNY had also set up a small exhibit ofProf Irani’s artifacts, including the originalsteamer trunk he brought with him on hismaiden voyage in 1945, and many otherrelics from his estate that will find a newhome at FIRES (FEZANA InformationResearch Education System) in Houstonand at ZAGNY.

ZAGNY president Astad J Clubwalaproposed a vote of thanks to all who hadgathered at the event.

L to R : Framroze K Patel, Daryoush Irani, Homi D Gandhi & Astad J Clubwala

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The three young mobeds - Ervad Porus Pavri, Ervad Cyrus Dadina, Ervad Zal Mody

Proud family members with their mobed sons

Arzan Sam Wadiais an architect andurban designer,practicing in NewYork City. He is acore coordinator ofthe Return ToRoots programmeand serves on theBoard of theZ o r o a s t r i a nAssociation ofGreater New York(ZAGNY). He isthe current Vice-President of theFederation ofZ o r o a s t r i a nAssociations of

North America (FEZANA) and is the founder of ParsiKhabar, the oldest Parsi news aggregator on the internet.Riding a motorbike daily brings a smile to his face likenothing else.


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Thespiritual

traditionalceremonies thatwere held by theZoroastrianAssociation ofHouston (ZAH)from 21 to 24Marchinaugurated thefirst continuouswood burningAtash outsideAsia in theBhandara AtashKadeh inHouston, Texas.The events willbe etched inhistory forever.There was asense of pride inthe air. We areblessed. As ourparents andgrandparentswould say ...“Khodaiji nahaazaaro upkar”(thousands of thanks to God). The fourdays of events had 250+ attendees at mostevents, while there were 650 at the GrandGala Celebration.

21 March 2019: Thanks to the vision andgenerosity of Feroze and ShernazBhandara, the Atash Kadeh, meaning ahouse of fire, became a reality. Theevening began with an Atash Niyayaesh, aBaj ceremony, followed by a Humbandagi.Seven Ervads, using sandalwood collectedfrom the Houston community the day beforechanted loudly our Avesta prayers. Manyhad travelled from California, Chicago,Connecticut, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvaniaand SanDiego in theUS; London,UK andToronto,Canada.Ladies intheirembroideredandtraditionalmathabanoos,garas andkor nisarees,children intheir navjotefinery andspecialtopies,young andold, were allpresent tosee historyunfold andwitness thisextraordinaryevent. Asyou lookedaround theprayer

room, for a fleeting moment, you wouldhave thought that you were in an Agyari orAtash Behram. Some swayed from side toside as they prayed, others prayed from theroman script Kordeh Avesta seated, andothers just closed their eyes and wanted toabsorb the smell of sandalwood and loban.Others smiled at the fire blazing. The ladynext to me said, “I am 90 years old. I askedmy daughter, Nazneen Vimadalal to bringme from Boston. “Ajeh ketloh specialdeevas cheh.” (Today is such a specialday).” The Baj ceremony with the “darams”in the shining thali and all the traditionalsymbols were moving to witness. The firein the Afarghanyu rose even higher as if to

The Bhandara Atash Kadeh - may its fire burn for eternity

by behroze clubwala

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proclaim this special moment. The heavenswere smiling down on the Zarathushticommunity of North America. A Maachi wasperformed that evening at the prayer roomin the Zarathushti Heritage and CulturalCenter (ZHCC). The congregation lined thepath from the ZHCC to the new AtashKadeh, with battery operated tea lights intheir hands as the Ervads present tookturns in pairs to carry a small Afarghanyuholding the ash from ZHCC’s prayer roomto the new Atash Kadeh. There was not oneperson present witnessing this ceremonythat did not feel their hearts burst with joy.The day was perfect with the sun shiningabove and clear blue skies. All presentfollowed the Afarghanyu into the AtashKadeh. “Habiro Shabash Shabash” was theloud chant, as we entered the new AtashKadeh, from all the Zarathushtis from Iran, achant used by them on any happy occasion.A new era had dawned for Zarathushtis inNorth America. Onwards and forward wasthe prayer in each ones heart. May theZarathushti Kom flourish for generations tocome in North America. The sentiment ofthe moment is best reflected in the words,“Hama Zor, Hama Asho Bad”, - may we allbe united in strength and righteousness.

“Happy Nowruz” was the welcome greetingfrom ZAH Chair, Nozer Dangol at theevening dinner. “I welcome you to the dawnof a new chapter in Houston. About 40 yearsago we created ZAH, some 20 years agoZHCC and today we are proud to add theAtash Kadeh as our new spiritual center.”While thanking the entire community inHouston for lending its blessings and supportto the creation of this center, particularly thegenerous donation of the Bhandaras, hespecifically thanked Rohintan Deputy,Aderbad Tamboli, Arzi Natalia and KaiyosSidhwa for their tireless efforts anddedication. The North American CongressLegacy Scholarships and the Danesh DesaiScholarships were handed out that eveningto several children from ZAH.

Vada Dasturji (High Priest) Khurshed KDastoor, of the Pak Iranshah Atash Behramin Udvada was invited to bless and honourthe events. Addressing the audience that

evening he said, “Today is Roj Amardad,meaning perfection, a perfect day for thecommunity to launch the new BhandaraAtash Kadeh. It is important for us to createa spiritual center where we could bow ourheads in praise of Ahura Mazda and his sonZarathustra whom we revere through fire. Ibring blessings of the Iranshah to theBhandara family and this center which willhouse the first perpetual fire outside Asia.”He went on to add that “if one’s thoughtsare good, then your action and deeds willalso be successful.” He called upon futuregenerations to treat this legacy with respectand to connect to Ahura Mazda. “The placehas been created with perfection. The firewill burn and Mr and Mrs Bhandara havedone their duty. It is now your challenge torecharge yourself in this spiritual center.The fire is your friend, philosopher andguide, as we say in the Atash Niyayesh.The fire will protect you, but it is your duty toprotect the fire. Go step by step as youmove into this new era and generation.” Headded “When Zarathustra was alive, hekept what was good and reformed what wasnot good. Our duty is to keep our traditionsor we will be lost. Take the center path,think with your good mind, lead andinculcate the knowledge of our religion andpass it on to the next generation. India haseight Atash Behrams and 100s of Agyaries,some of which are difficult to maintaintoday, so cherish this Atash Kadeh andensure that the fire burns forever. Each andevery one of you is responsible to see thatthis Atash Kadeh is passed on to the nextgeneration. This fire will bring peace andharmony amongst our community. My headalways bows to the Zarathushtis who stayedin Iran and followed their religion. We areall Zarathushtis, not Parsis and Iranis.Participate fully. Do Jashans on Behram rojand special days, pray together, acommunity that prays together, staystogether. May the fire of this Atash Kadehburn forever.” There was a long silence inthe room – as the members presentcontemplated their inheritance, followed bya thunderous applause.

The evening ended with a delicious dinnerprepared by apro Naushad Mehta of


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Houston. Appetizers, Dhan Dar and ShrimpPatio with Lagan nu Custard, chai andcoffee. The dinner was generously hostedby Khushroo and Parynaz Vimadalal incelebration of their eldest son Freyaan’snavar ceremony in Mumbai in January2019.

Friday 22 March 2019 : The Vendidadprayers began at 2:00 am with sevenErvads praying uninterruptedly till 6:30 am.A small group filled the prayer room for theentire ceremony thinking, like me and myhusband Astad that such an opportunitymight not present itself soon in NorthAmerica. The spirituality of the ceremonywas surreal. As the early morningprogressed, more members joined theVendidad ceremony. Clearly, there weremany many more when chai, Malido, Ravoand Pora Bun Pau with makhan and jamcomplete was announced that earlymorning! Again, exceptional hospitality fromthe Houston community, a hallmark of themas hosts always.

The evening took us “Down Memory Lane”with an exhibit by FIRES – the FEZANAInformation, Research and EducationSystem. Aban Rustomji has worked withpassion on this project for years securingmany antiques, photographs and books thatreflect our Zarathushti culture and heritage.It is a unique collection from around theworld, permanently housed in ZHCC. Whilepreserving our heritage, Aban creates aworld of the past that is alive with reality forthe current and next generations. Thecommitment, zeal, knowledge and energythat Aban offers to this project isunparalleled. Thanks to Aban and her teamin Houston, an outstanding exhibit of acollection of old garas, embroidered kors,beaded torans, rocking chairs, an old pricelist of kastis, sudrehs, diva na kakras (wicksused to light our oil divas), sukhar(sandalwood), loban (incense), a price list ofgoodies like batasas and khatais, oldphotographs, a copy of the famed Jam-e-Jamshed newspaper, and several Persianantiques filled the room. Many wereintrigued by the kerosene stove and thelarge pressure cooker on it. To many of us,

these were nostalgic reminders of what wehave seen in our parents and grandparents’homes. The most interesting was the kustiweaving demonstration. The recentaddition includes items from late ProfessorKaikhosrov and Piroja Irani’s home in NewYork, a rare red pheta made in England forProf Irani’s father Dinshaw J Irani, a silverbowl, and Dinshawji’s briefcase with itscontents.

The evening began with a benediction bythe two youngest Ervads in Houston.

Welcoming the more than 300+ guestspresent, Aban Rustomji invited FEZANAPresident Homi Gandhi to the podium.Homi said, “Houston, we have landed. (Theaudience broke into a loud and longapplause.) In this new diaspora, the giftfrom the Bhandara family is priceless. Twocenturies ahead, the next generations willstand before your Atash Kadeh and thankyou for your vision.”

The highlight of the evening was thepresence of apri Bapsi Sidhwa, the famedstoryteller and accomplished, awardwinning novelist from Lahore, Pakistan. Iremember meeting Bapsi when shereceived the Reader’s Digest Lila WallaceWriter’s Award in the New York public libraryin 1994. She took the stage now to share“Words of Wisdom” as indicated in theprogramme. At 80, feeble but her eyestwinkling, she told us a fascinating storycaptivating the entire audience. “Today I amgoing to tell you about my little brotherFeroze Bhandara. (The audience gasped.)We were with my parents in Colaba,Bombay when my mother complained ofnausea. We thought it was perhaps the seaair in Bombay, but after a few days of thesesymptoms and wondering aloud if it wasmenopause, my relative, who was a doctor,did a thorough medical exam and told mymother she was four months pregnant. Mymother, Tehmina, was in disbelief. Iremember then being in school in Pakistanwhen the driver who picked me up monthslater informed me that I had a baby brother.I still remember seeing Feroze, (Bapsi wasthen 15 years old) and noting that he had

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such a perfect baby face with his featuresso well defined, although I am not sure thatone might say that now. He wasmischievous and disobedient as a child anda challenge for my young widowed mother.He was sent to a boarding school in Lahoreand had a difficult time, but I am sure hehas forgiven my mother now. I recall myfather talking to Feroze in Gujerati andasking him, Baba, when you grow up willyou be a doctor, lawyer or a shopkeeper likeme. Our maternal grandfather ArdeshirMama built the Mama School in Karachiand was the Mayor of Karachi. At the timeof the partition riots in Pakistan, my fatherPeshotan bought shares for the MurreeBrewery and then took over itsmanagement as the British left at the time ofindependence. Feroze went to study at theUniversity of Wisconsin, USA and onreturning with his MBA said in Gujarati tome “maharu mohnu dookkesh English boltaaakho vakhat” (my jaws hurt speaking inEnglish all the time); I want to marry a Parsigirl. I introduced Feroze to my husbandNoshir’s niece Shernaz Cowasji. Ferozehad a very difficult time navigating thatcourtship as Shernaz’s father and brotherwere very orthodox. I wonder if they evenkissed once during that courtship. (Thecrowd is in spells of laughter.) Clearly itwas a match made in heaven, as told byNazneen Khumbatta, in her recent interviewwith Feroze and Shernaz. Feroze waslucky with successful business ventures firstin San Jose, California, and then inHouston. We bless and thank you Shernazand Feroze for this beautiful Atash Kadeh.”The audience gave her a standing ovation.

The younger children of ZAH, as always,inspired and directed by their religious classteacher Veshista Kaikobad did an amazingperformance of two songs – set to popularEnglish Tunes - “Vada Dasturji thamrimeherbani, Houston veer aviya ... we thankyou.” And “as Good Zarathushtis we will doour best, with Humata, Hukata and Hvrashtrawe will respect the words of Zarathustra”.Bravo to the children. Well done.

Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor was thekeynote speaker. Addressing the audience

with humour, saying that he had brought upthe Menu to present for the evening as hewas not sure the audience would appreciatehearing from him again, he spokeeffortlessly sharing with us his wisdom on“The Zarathushti Way of Life in Today’sWorld.” His thoughts were deep, his ideassimple and sound, his philosophy drew onwhat we know, but his words were powerful.In summary he said: “Our religion issummed up neatly in three concepts ofgood thoughts, good words and gooddeeds. Can you ask yourself each daywhat is my good thought, word and deed forthe day? Ahura Mazda has given you VohuManah, the good mind. A simple way ofliving a Zarathushti life therefore would beto demonstrate humanity, show brotherhoodand practice tolerance and acceptance. Itis important for us today to agree todisagree. We cannot and should not pulleach other down. The time is right now tobe united, have a vision like our forefathersand leave legacies. Feroze and ShernazBhandara have served the community andgiven us this precious Atash Kadeh. It isnow your responsibility to cherish it andpass it to future generations. Controversiesand problems will arise, but remember, ifyou have a will, and a will to survive, youwill.” He reminded us that in creating a firefor an Agyari or Atash Behram,16 types offires are united to create the fire, so in thesame way we should strive to unite andcreate universal brotherhood. He recited theAshem Vohu, Yatha Ahu Vairyo and a partof the Hosbam prayer and their translationsand reminded us that our prayers constantlygive us the advice we need to live aZarathushti life. “Be true to yourself. It isthe easiest way to live a Zarathushti life.”He also addressed the issue of organdonation – a controversial issue among thecommunity. “The choice” he said“depended on each individual person. Forme, “I think it is our duty to donate. If wecan receive organ donations, why can wenot donate?” Concluding, he reminded usthat “Whatever is good, truthful andrighteous is Zarathushti.” Quoting theformer President of India, His ExcellencyAbdul Karam he stated, “For great menreligion is a way of making friends, small


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people make religion a fighting tool.” Thechallenge was up to us now to use ourreligion and its teachings to create a trueZarathushti life in North America.

Feroze Bhandara closed the evening byhonouring and presenting a plaque to allthose who had contributed to the makingthe Atash Kadeh a reality – Members ofZAH: Arderbad Tamboli who had workedtirelessly but always ensured good results,Rohinton Deputy who led the efforts to getthe Afarghanyus crafted, Rustom Engineer,Sarosh Contractor and many many others,the Architect – Cyrus Rivetna, the entireteam of engineers, contractors andaccountants. He also thanked Edul Daverfor his guidance from experiences with theNY Dar-e-Mehr for ZAGNY. Gratitude wasalso expressed to the 25 Ervads fromHouston, New York and London who hadprayed to bless and launch this AtashKadeh.

Rustom Engineer presented closingremarks for the evening which concludedwith a sumptuous Persian Dinner of KashkeBadamjan (eggplant dip), Koobideh, Beefand Chicken Kabobs, Rice and Herbs,Gheymeh Badamjan (split beans), nan,salad, Herbs and Feta Cheese and Jalebis.

I was able to take Feroze Bhandara awayfrom all the excitement, cameras and TVinterviewers to have a brief chat with meand my husband Astad. Feroze is quiet,deep, gentle and unassuming. His wifeShernaz, always at his side and smiling,was his “anchor.” Both were clearly thedriving force that had brought us to thishistorical moment. Through every event,they radiated simplicity, purity of thoughtand a “zen” personality. Both had put theirhearts and souls into the creation of thisamazing spiritual center but there wasnever a moment of “gloating” about the factthat they had totally funded this landmarkAtash Kadeh, the first of its kind in NorthAmerica. I asked Feroze to describe hisjourney to this day. In a soft but firm voice,introspectively contemplating he said: “Iwanted to do something worth doing. I builton the experiences I had here in Houston,

(where he had also made a generouscontribution in memory of his motherTehmina Bhandara to ZHCC) and ondifferent experiences as President of theZarathushti Anjuman in Northern California(ZANC) and the development of the Centerthere together with the Persian ZoroastrianOrganization (PZO) in 1991. In 2012, KobadZarolia, former president of the NorthAmerican Mobed Council (NAMC) andSarosh Collector of Houston approachedme saying we need to consider our secondand third generations here and have aspiritual space so they can experience thesame kind of Agyaris that we have in Indiaand Pakistan. I agreed at this point to fundthe project. It was important to us that theplace be inclusive and Sarosh suggestedthat the plan be presented to the ZAHcommunity, comprising about 250 families,with an anonymous donor. 87% of the votewas positive to build the Atash Kadeh. Welooked at several architects and newly builtcenters in Dallas, California and New York.From a ZAH Team, to several projectteams, to Nitin Desai our Engineer andCyrus Rivetna our Architect, in 1.5 years webroke ground and here we are today.”

What were some of the challenges, I asked.“Well”, he said, “there were endlessmeetings, discussions andrecommendations. Fortunately, I was ableto steer the process to completion as thedonor. I had learnt a lot from my previousexperiences and drawing from thephilanthropic endeavors of my maternalgrandparents, and my mother, wepioneered on. Our challenge is now goingforward to create the Atash KadehManagement Committee which cangenerate a structure to keep the flame alivefor the next generations, to createincentives for young dynamic Mobeds toserve here and to build a fund for themaintenance of this place, set up a feestructure for ceremonies and strategize onhow to make this Atash Kadeh serve theneeds of our young emerging Ervads andthe Zarathushti community in NorthAmerica.” The dinner that night invitedpledges and raised close to $90,000 for theAtash Kadeh Management Committee.

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Just to help you put Feroze into the contextof the man he really is ... . So genuine andcourteous, never haughty or arrogant aboutthis historical event. He was beyondgracious to meet me past midnight on22 March. As we concluded, he said, “let uswalk over to the Atash Kadeh so I can helpShernaz for tomorrow’s events.” He wastired and exhausted, but never let me feel Iwas imposing on him. Always at his side,through all the events, were his entirefamily, Shernaz, their children and theirfamilies. Stay blessed, Feroze and Shernazwith your family. The community will alwayscherish your Atash Kadeh.

I also had a chance to sit down and chatwith the architect, Cyrus Rivetna. Young,beaming with a sense of a majoraccomplishment, Cyrus recalled howZarathushtis who came early in the 60’sfocused on a place to just meet and sharecamaraderie and dhansak. He said “Prayerrooms soon were added to these culturalcenters, but having spent time in India andIran studying Agyaris, Atash Behrams andZarathushti architecture, I was influenced todesign a place that would add the ‘spiritual’dimensions. Religion for this generationneeds spirituality. “There are many aspectsthat I thought about and implemented forthis design” said Cyrus. “Three of the mostimportant were, first, the prayer hall is, asseen in Sasanian architecture and times.Second, I wanted it to be a North Americancontemporary building and third, I focusedon the details – columns as in front of manyAgyaris and Atash Behrams in India,cornices as seen in Yazd, Iran, but all thesedetails represented here are in a modernsimplified version.” Cyrus went on to saythat he wanted the building to be practical,yet have traditional elements, kusti roomsfor men and women were created, specialattention was given to a place to be seatedto remove your shoes, while at the sametime providing shoe slots for neatness, witha place to wash your hands and cleanseyourself before starting your kusti. He said “Iensured that like in most Agyaris there wasa NE-SW axis that natural light filtered in, soI added seven long windows near the

Prayer Room where ceremonies will beperformed representing the seven AmeshaSpentas. The nine skylights above theprayer room area where the congregation isseated were included. The south wall of theAfarghanyu in the Kebla had to be solid.”Cyrus clearly incorporated myriad details toensure that this first Atash Kadeh in NorthAmerica was well designed. The sandstonesculptures that greet you as you enter themain doors of the Atash Kadeh arestunning, bringing old Persian reliefs intothis spiritual space. When Cyrus took thepodium, he humorously thanked hisparents, the well know Roshan andRohinton Rivetna, icons in North America,for their unsolicited and continuous advice!

23 March 2019: The Jashan ceremony by25 Ervads was special, each one praying, itseemed, louder and louder outside the newKebla (Sanctum Santorum). Two father andson Ervads were a part of this historicceremony. The gleaming new traditionallyshaped Afarghanyu’s fire was ablaze andrising high when the first Boi ceremony inthe Kebla was performed. History waswritten. The happiness felt in the room wasunbelievable. The community felt confidentthat it will certainly light and fuel the nextsteps needed in North America for theZarathushti religion to grow and flourish.Chasni and chai were enjoyed by all.

The evening took us into the Grand GalaCelebration Dinner. 650 members werepresent, some accommodated in a tentoutside. Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor’saddress was again inspiring. Walking usthrough the various Dynasties: Pishdadian,Kayanian, Achaemenid, Parthian andSasanian he talked about the Zarathushtiscoming to India in the 7th century to Diu,near Ahmedabad, and then moving toSanjan where the Sugar in the Milkproverbial story is frequently referenced.While the Iranshah Atash had moved fromNavsari to Udvada, it has been there nowfor the last 1297 years. He referencedstalwarts from the community in India, FieldMarshal Sam Maneckshaw, the Tatas,Godrejs, Wadias, and Petits and manyothers reminding us that they had all served


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our community and that we should learnfrom them. “While India doesn’t want morechildren, they want more Parsis. The JIYOParsee Scheme had added 150 Parsichildren to our community. We must worktogether and progress together.” Hereminded us of the special support thecommunity receives in India from its PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

The evening was graced by local authoritieswho presented a Proclamation to theBhandara family, by the Consul General ofIndia and other dignitaries from within thecommunity. A delicious feast of Indian foodsatiated every appetite that evening.

24 March 2019: The events concluded witha pious Jashan ceremony led by VadaDasturji for Avan nu Parabh, Avan roj andAvan mahino. With this Parabh we showreverence to water and the oceans. Thiswas followed by delicious Chasni, chai andDar-ni-Pori made by our own Sillie Mehta.She and her husband Jehabux made closeto 80+ dar-ni-poris for this event, a labour oflove so appreciated by the entirecommunity.

Four memorable days will eternally remainin the hearts of all who attended and putHouston on the map forever. “YathaJamiyad, Yatha Afrinami – May it be so.”

q

Behroze Clubwala, resides inHawthorne, New Jersey and is anactive member of the local ZAGNYcommunity. She retired as a HumanResources Advisor from the UnitedNations Development Programmeafter a 30+ year career with them.

A Note from Ed : An amazing description of amomentous event has been shared byBehroze, making the reader part of thecelebrations. I thank her for doing this in theshortest span of time. This article hopefullywill be part of the archives in the ZAH Library.

All images courtesy of Astad Clubwala

The Bhandara Atash Kadeh, Houston

In the moonlight, the night of the Vendidad prayers

The Inner Sanctum

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Procession from Prayer Room to Atash Kadeh

Shernaz & Feroze Bhandara cutting the ribbon

Shernaz & Feroze with Vada Dastur Khurshed Dastoor

Vada Dastur Khurshed officiating

*25 Ervads with the High Priest of Iranshah performing the Jashan

Images with * credit to Yezdi Engineer,Percy Katrak & Percy Behramsha, of ZAH


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Baj Ceremony. Right after Boi Ceremony

The Vendidad Cermony

*Our Honourable Priests

‘Down Memory Lane’- Kusti weaving. Below, Toran

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*The Bhandaras with the High Priest

Cyrus Rivetna, the Architect

*Apri Bapsi Sidhwa

*ZAH Community at the ATash Kadeh opening


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What started out as a welcomerelief to Mumbai’s bludgeoningtraffic and congestion – theplan of building an

underground Metro – turned out to benothing short of heartache and disaster formost of Mumbai’s Parsi / Irani Zoroastriancommunity, as it resulted in the spiritual andstructural desecration of two of our holiestand oldest Atash Behrams – The 188-year-old H B Wadiaji Atash Behram (on PrincessStreet) and the 122-year-old Anjuman AtashBehram (near Marine Lines Station), withpotential effects on the water table ofBhikhaji Behram well.

It started back in July 2017, when theongoing Metro III (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ)work at DN Road in South Mumbai startedaffecting the structure of one of the city’soldest libraries, JN Petit Library, which wasexperiencing tremors due to the ongoingwork, and had to ultimately move the HighCourt – tired of false assurances, un-keptpromises and negligence on the part ofMumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited(MMRCL – a joint venture between theState and Central governments, buildingMumbai Metro Line 3 that would connectColaba in South Mumbai via Bandra toSeepz, a Special Economic Zone in theNorthern part of the city), which resulted ina 119-year-old ornamental limestone finialcollapsing and getting destroyed in August,2017. The court asked for a new ‘threemember committee’ to be set up to considerthe appeal as an earlier survey carried outwas nullified and the new committee woulddecide whether more protection andstructural support was essential as well asrecommendations on how to protect it.

By October 2017, the Parsi community wasrattled as the ongoing drilling andconstruction work carried out by theMMRCL was posing great structural and

spiritual threat, as the metro lines wereallegedly passing under the kebla of theWadiaji Atash Behram, raising alarm bells. Apetition, garnering comprehensive supportfrom Zoroastrians in Mumbai as well asother cities, was addressed to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, asking for histimely intervention to stop the construction,highlighting the grievances caused toWadiaji Atash Behram and Anjuman AtashBehram at Dhobi Talao (Girgaum), as wellas raising concern regarding DadysettAgiary (at Hutatma Chowk) and the BhikhaBehram Well (near Azad Maidan), whichcould be affected by MMRCL’s Metro III line.

Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor, HighPriest of Iranshah (Udvada), and member ofthe National Commission for Minoritiessought an appointment with Mumbai MetroRail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) andvisited the site office of MMRCL on 28thOctober, 2017, in a move to study the actualfacts. Later, MMRCL sent out a PressStatement stating they had provided dataabout the tunnel alignment not coming inthe way of the well or the sanctumsanctorums of the Atash Behrams.Expressing a sense of misplaced agitation,some community members took to socialmedia, stating their disappointment and alsomaligning some of the leaders of thecommunity, including Vada DasturjiKhurshed Dastoor.

Things became extremely confusing for thecommunity with various false reports doingthe rounds of social media.

Staying true to its Mission Statement, ‘TheTruth. Delivered Weekly’, Parsi Times,undertook an independent investigationalongside professional engineers to providereaders the absolute and comprehensivefacts about the issue – in an issue stating allthe structural facts about the threestructures (Anjuman and Wadiaji Atash

Mumbai’s ‘Save Our Atash Behrams Movement’ v/sMMRCL - The Complete Saga

report compiled by anahita subedar, editor, parsi times at the request of editor, hamazor

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Behrams and the Bhikha Behram Well), and their proximity to and potential consequence by theMetro 3 Alignment.

The 33.5km metro line, stretching across Colaba-Bandra-Seepz, is being managed by Mumbai MetroRail Corporation Ltd, and is broken down into seven packages or phases. The following is arepresentation of the basic facts covered. Parsi Times got in touch with Subodh Gupta – DirectorMMRC, Projects, and procured the blue-prints of the constructions of these areas and discussed withhim our communityʼs concerns, for each of these three monuments, as under:

BHIKHA BEHRAM WELL

Note : The underground area is divided intotwo layers – Soil Layer and Rock layer. Thetunnels are 22 ft in diameter. The calculationsof each facet of our places is based on theʻNearest Point of the Closest Tunnelʼ (forgreater precision). The depth and soilstructure underground is measured byMMRC with the help of a bore well. Thedimensions taken by MMRC of various facetsof our religious places are direct or indicative.

Understanding The Specifics:• The ground under the well consists of 24feet of soil layer; the rest is rock layer.• The depth of Bhikha Behram Well is 20feet, which is approximately the same areawhere the soil-level finishes and the rock-level begins.• The distance between the top-most pointof the closest tunnel and the ground surfacewhere we stand and pray is 60 feet.

• The distance between the base end of our Bhikha Behram Well and the point of the tunnel is 36 feet.• In the map, as one can see, the tunnel is not passing below the well and hence, the horizontaldistance between the closest point of the tunnel and the base end of Bhikha Behram well is 71 feet.• Hence, the diagonal distance formed between the closest point of the tunnel and the very base of ourwell is 79.60 feet.Addressing the main concern as regards would the water table of the Bhikha Behram Well be affected,Mr Gupta replied, ≈The water table is 20 feet deep. It is understandable that your ancestors who dug up the well did soonly till the soil layer existed, which is what draws water. Any digging beyond into rock layer is futile. We are digging 36feet into the rock layer and 70 feet away from the well, so in no way will the water table or its flow get affected.∆

WADIAJI ATASH BEHRAM

Understanding The Specifics:• The ground underneath consists of 20 feet of soil layer, the rest is rock layer.• Calculating from the boundary wall of Wadiaji Atash Behram, the tunnel is passing 11 feet (horizontally)underneath, which is roughly the ʻladies kusti room areaʼ.• The depth of the well of our Wadiaji Atash Behram is 19 feet (a similar understanding that shows the soil levelconcluding at 20 feet.)• The tunnel to be dug is ʻ46 feetʼ into the rock layer, after the well base concludes. The horizontaldistance between the base of the well and the closest point of the tunnel is 42 feet. Hence, the diagonal


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distance formed between theclosest point of the tunnel to thevery base of our well is 62.28 feet.• Our Kebla (sanctum sanctorum)is situated ‘22 feet’ away from theclosest point of the nearesttunnel.• The depth of the tunnel from ourground area is ‘65 feet’, whichincludes 20 feet soil-layer + 46feet rock-layer.• According to this understanding,the tunnel is not passingunderneath our sanctumsanctorum, thereby the diagonaldistance formed between theclosest point of the tunnel to thepoint of kebla is 68.62 feet.

Addressing the main concern as regards the Wadiaji Atash Behram structure getting affected due tothe vibrations when the tunnel construction begins, Mr Gupta said, “Firstly, I would like to mention that your

structure, apart from being a heritage site, is the strongest in the area“compared to all the other buildings. It is in extremely

good condition with its low weight, wooden rafter roofs and other components. Structures such as religious places, important

infrastructures and heritage sites are termed as ‘sensitive areas’ by us and we follow a very stringent criteria with regard

to its impact, while carrying out the process. We put strong limitations and even slow down the tunnel digging, which

takes place along with the concrete steel shield, created as a result of a collaborative process. This slowing down of digging

is done to contain the vibrations. As far as our last reading of vibrations are concerned, we have measured 2mm/sec

vibrations, while the permissible limit allowed at any heritage site is 5mm/sec.”

ANJUMAN ATASH BEHRAM

Understanding The Specifics:• The ground underneath consistsof 20 feet soil layer, the rest is rocklayer.• Calculating from the footpath ofAnjuman Atash Behram, the tunnelis passing 26 feet (horizontally)underneath, which is the AtashBehram’s porch area, consideringthe staircases, too.• Well: The depth of the AtashBehram’s well is 19 feet (a similarunderstanding that shows the soillevel concluding at 20 feet)• The tunnel to be dug is 42 feetinto the rock layer, after the well

base concludes. The horizontal distance between the base of the well to the closest point of the tunnelis 15 feet. Hence, the diagonal distance formed between the closest point of the tunnel to the very baseof our well is 44.59 feet.

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• Sanctum Sanctorum: The distance between the Kebla to the closest point of the nearest tunnel is 56 feet.The depth of the tunnel from our ground area is 61 feet, which includes 20 feet soil-layer plus 41 feet rock-layer.• According to this understanding, the tunnel is not passing underneath our sanctum sanctorum, thereby thediagonal distance formed between the closest point of the tunnel to the point of kebla is 82.80 feet.

Addressing the main concern as regards the Anjuman Atash Behram structure, Mr Gupta said, “We are going to

follow the exact same strict limitations and criteria for Anjuman Atash Behram as we are doing for Wadiaji Atash Behram, so the

vibrations will be extremely low and well within the permissible limit.”

The legal teams representing the cause of the safety of Atash Behrams decided to approach the SupremeCourt to continue fighting for the cause of protecting the community’s integral Atash Behrams, with legal luminaries- Fali Nariman and Zerick Dastur appearing on behalf of the Petitioners. Unfortunately, after hearings, inDecember the Supreme Court rejected the demand by the four Parsi petitioners to stop construction work ofthe Mumbai underground metro on religious grounds, adding, “Two high priests of your community have said thatconstruction will not impact on the fire temple ... the MMRCL is maintaining distance from the wells ... which could becontaminated.”

Even so, in keeping with the constant efforts of our community, in January 2019, the MMRCL informed theSupreme Court that it would shift the Kalbadevi Metro III station 20 metres away from the nearest boundarywall of the Wadiaji Atash Behram, bringing a partial sense of relief to the Parsis. Speaking to Parsi Times,Jamshed Sukhadwala said, “The legal battle, which was the last resort, lasted for eight long months, started in May 2018…It has united the community like never before, which is a very positive sign. I believe that this partial victory is thanks to the selflessefforts of a number of people who definitely deserve to be mentioned including Sr Counsel Fali Nariman; Adv and SolicitorBakhtawar Karbhari; Adv Zerick Dastur, Adv Ryan Karanjawala & Co (Delhi); architect Hafiz Contractor and his team; as alsothe entire legal and technical teams, the Co-petitioners and all the community members for their wholehearted support.”

However, just before Jamshedi Navroze,in March 2019, the community wasdisheartened and vexed to read newsreports that the Mumbai MetropolitanRegion Development Authority(MMRDA) had realigned Metro 2B nearBandra-Kurla-Complex due to securityconcerns for Shiv Sena (political party)Chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence‘Matoshree’. Speaking with the media,Jamshed Sukhadwalla said,“They have

violated our religious sentiments. They destroyed

the sanctity and desecrated our ancient and holy

fire temples. They considered realignment for a particular family’s safety. We have no objection to that. But, it shows that the

planning was never perfect. All such issues should have been taken into consideration while planning and preparing the estimate of

the project. This also means that the authorities can consider the suggestions selectively, if they want to.”

The move has been considered blatantly biased and has hurt the sentiments of the Parsi community. Voicingthe general sentiment of the Parsi community, BPP Trustee and the community’s leading visionary, KersiRanderia, shared,“Our Community’s prime concern went unaddressed, leaving us disappointed, as the non-responsive

Government machinery failed to accede to the extremely reasonable request of a minority community, known for its unparalleled

contributions to the city and the nation.” q

Bombay-based Editor of the leading community weekly, Parsi Times, Anahita Subedar is a seasoned media professional with twodecades of rich experience in the field of Media, Communications and Coaching. An MBA in Marketing and a Life/CorporateCoach, she completed her Masters in Communications from the reputed Xavier College of Communications and shares her expertiseas a Journalist, Public Relations & Brand Consultant, Coach and Educator. She’s the recipient of numerous literary and professionalawards and is an ardent dog-lover.


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There are some great minds thatcreate an indelible mark of geniusin their life and career. Fali SamNariman is one such personality.

Over the decades, he has attained theiconic status of a pre-eminent jurist and is aSenior Advocate of the Supreme Courtsince 1971. Fali Nariman is also aninternationally known jurist in InternationalArbitration. His views are not only heard inthe corridors of power – both judicial andpolitical, but also greatly revered andrespected.

Fali was born to Sam and Banoo Narimanin Rangoon, Burma in 1929. He grew up asingle child and described his childhood asa “cloudlessly happy one,” until Japandeclared War on the Allied Powers in 1941and then targeted Rangoon in air attacks.

When Rangoon was seized, the Narimanfamily was forced to embark on a longoverland journey to India, which lasted 21days – through forests by bullock cart, bycountry boat and up and down mountainousterrain by foot. When they arrived at arefugee camp in Imphal, they were informedthat Rangoon was captured by theJapanese Army. “There was no going backnow,” recalls Nariman wistfully.

From Dimapur to Calcutta and then to Delhi– marked the first turning point in youngNariman’s life, landing as a refugee fromBurma, uprooted from hearth and home. Heenrolled at the Bishop Cotton School inShimla in 1942, in the Junior Cambridgeclass and then completed a BA HonsDegree in History & Economics from StXavier’s College, Bombay. “Since therewere few options for a second class Artsstudents, I joined the Government LawCollege in Bombay in 1948,” he recalls.

The next turning point in Mr Nariman’s lifewas when he joined the Bombay Bar inNovember 1950. “During my early days at

the Bar, I came to knowand learnt a great dealfrom professional juristsjust by listening to themand watching themperform,” he reveals.

After practicing in Bombayfor nearly 22 years, FaliNariman moved to Delhi inMay 1972 as AdditionalSolicitor General of Indiafor a term of three years.He, however, resignedfrom the post on 27

thJune

1975 in protest whenInternal Emergency wasimposed by PrimeMinister, Indira Gandhi.He was the onlyGovernment Official to doso.

After his resignation as Additional SolicitorGeneral of India, international recognitioncame his way. Mr Nariman was elected as amember of the International Commission ofJurists, Geneva and later in 1989, he wasappointed as Vice Chairman of theInternational Chamber of Commerce Courtof International Arbitration, Paris. He wasre-appointed for four successive terms tillhe voluntarily retired from the Court inDecember 2005.

He was also elected Chairman of theInternational Council for CommercialArbitration in 1994, re-elected for anotherfour years and attended meetings inStockholm and several cities around theworld. Fali Nariman was Chairman of theExecutive Committee of Jurists, from 1995-97and Co-Chairman of Human Rights Instituteof the International Bar Association from2001-2004. As Vice President (1979-85)and President (1985-87) of LAW ASIA,Mr Nariman visited many parts of Asia,particularly the Philippines.

Mr Fali Nariman - a living legendby feroza jassawala

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“In life, there are no unmixed blessings.With international recognition, there alsocame International criticism for myassuming the role of lead advocate forUnion Carbide Corporation in the civillitigation arising out of the Bhopal Gastragedy,” confesses the legal luminary.

In 1998, when Gujarat witnessed manyincidents of Church burning, Mr FaliNariman was then handling the “NarmadaWater disputes,” matter in the SupremeCourt for the State of Gujarat. He calledupon the Additional Secretary of the State ofGujarat twice to stop burning of Churchesand to protect Christians. When there wasno response to his plea, he returned thebrief for the State of Gujarat in which hewas regularly appearing for more than sixyears. He further helped this matter evolveinto a case in the Supreme Court of India.

Fali Nariman is the author of several books.He has written numerous newspaper articlesand made television appearances defendingConstitutional and Minority issues over thelast 50 years. He fought for the FundamentalRights of the Jehovah’s Witnesses beforethe Supreme Court of India to protect theirrights and readmit children to schools fromwhere they had been expelled for non-joiningin singing the National Anthem.

Mr Nariman has regularly appeared for Muslimand Christian minority educational institutionsto protect their autonomous and educationalrights. He has championed secular values allhis life. Fali Nariman also enjoys the position ofIndia’s most distinguished ConstitutionalLawyer and has argued several leading cases.

Internationally acclaimed as a “Living Legend,”Mr Fali Nariman has been conferred thePadma Bhushan (1991), Padma Vibhushan(2007) Awards and the Gruber Prize forJustice. He was nominated by the President ofIndia to the Rajya Sabha from 1999-2005.

More recently, he was awarded the 19th LalBahadur Shastri National Award forExcellence in Public Administration. He waspresented the Award by Vice President ofIndia, Venkaiah Naidu at a function in New

Delhi on 14 November 2018. Mr Naidu hailedMr Nariman’s humility, courage and integritywhich defined the true spirit of this Award.The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award wasinstituted in 1999 by the Lal Bahadur ShastriInstitute of Management in memory of India’s

second Prime Minister. It is awardedannually to an Indian who is an exceptionallyoutstanding and distinguished businessleader and management administrator, forhis sustained individual contribution andachievements in the Public domain. TheAward consists of a cash award ofRs500,000, a citation and plaque of honour.

Mr Nariman is best known for his sense ofhumour and great contributions to theIndian Law system. He is an eloquentspeaker known for his positive attitude,ready wit and smiling personality which hasendeared him to audiences worldwide.

In his personal life, Fali Nariman married BapsiContractor from Bombay in October 1955.“Bapsi Nariman has supported me throughthick and thin. If I have made something of mylife it is entirely due to her,” he confessessincerely. Mrs Nariman, is an excellent chef,publisher of eight cookbooks, a dedicatedsocial worker and President Emeritus of theDelhi Commonwealth Women’s Association.She is also the greatest support and backboneof the Nariman family.

Bapsi Nariman brought up their son,Rohinton and daughter Anaheeta when theywere young, and insisted that Fali Nariman

F e r o z aJassawala”sprofile is on p88


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accept the nomination to the Upper House ofParliament, of which he was reluctant . “Sheexerted every nerve to see that we boughtthe house we now happily live in,” he adds.

The Nariman family comprises of sonRohinton who is an ordained Zoroastrianpriest, former Solicitor General of India andis presently serving as a Judge in theSupreme Court of India. Daughter-in-LawSanaya, is a writer for Indiccana Learningformerly Encyclopedia Britannica, ScienceTextbooks and espouses social causes. MrNariman’s daughter Anaheeta, works at theHinduja Hospital, Mumbai and assistschildren with special needs in schools.

Mr & Mrs Nariman have twogranddaughters, Nina and KhursheedNariman. Nina is married to Rohan Alva andpractices law. The Narimans are also dotinggreat-grandparents to Zarina, aged twoyears and Cyrus, aged seven months.

He celebrated his 90th birthday in Januarythis year, when Fali Nariman mentioned,“Our sense of humour has become zerotoday. Also our sense of fun!” This bestsums up his positive attitude towards lifethat keeps him fit and active.

“The essential thing in life is not conqueringbut fighting well. After 67 years at the Bar, Ihave come to realize that justice is elusive,sometimes unpredictable and oftenunsatisfying,” concludes the iconicpersonality. q

One of the joys of growing olderand being semi-retired is thatyou can choose what you do.These days I seldom accept

invitations to speak at gatherings, yet I amstill intrigued to attend functions at placesthat catch my historical imagination. So,when I was asked to be the guest speakerat the Guinevere dinner to an audience ofthe Knights of the Round Table at theWorshipful Company of Barber Surgeons inthe City of London, even I was tempted.The Society of the Knights of the RoundTable is a three-hundred-year-oldorganisation founded by Prince Frederick,the son of George I and the father ofGeorge II of England. The exclusive Societywas set up to follow the chivalry of theknights of old with emphasis on (courtesy,mercy, faith, generosity and hospitality) astheir model following in the footsteps of thelegendary King Arthur and his knights.The Society’s Coat of Arms; a shielddepicting the Grail Cup, a helmet, crest andthe Society’s motto “Non Nobis Solum SedToto Mundi Nati” – ‘Not for us alone but forthe whole world created’. In 2003, followingthe sudden death of the then KnightPresident, Patrick, Earl of Limerick, theSociety, hitherto an all-male club, elected towelcome lady knights. Sylvia, Countess ofLimerick became the first lady knight. Thesucceeding Knight Presidents have beenThe Earl of Athlone followed sequentially byLord Sempill, Simon, Earl of Dalhousie,Major General Douglas Kendrew, LordMarshall of Leeds, General Sir EdwardBurgess, Major General Mike Walsh,Patrick, Earl of Limerick to the presentPresident, Admiral Lord West of Spithead.

I was drawn to the knights from the time Iwas a young girl. I was enchanted with thefamous knights of old, their heroic deedsand the glamour of Camelot. Also, many ofthe more prestigious knights, includingDickens, Lord Tennyson and the founder ofthe scouting movement, Lord Baden Powellas well as many distinguished members of

A Zarathushti Knight of the Round Tableby zerbanoo gifford

Fali & Bapsy Nariman with their family

Arms of the Society

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the Royal Houses of Europe. Allcampaigners for truth and social progress.I shall never forget that evening in theBarber Surgeon Hall when I was the guestof honour at the annual Guinevere dinner. Iwas welcomed by the knights and usheredinto the grand hall. The evening was full ofwit and I sparkled because my audiencewere the most receptive, delightful knightswho were interested in everything from A toZ, from the Advancement of women to myZoroastrian heritage.

The Barber Surgeons are one of the originalGuilds in Medieval Europe. Unbelievably,barbers and surgeons had overlapped theirduties for many years, largely because inthe thirteenth century Pope Honorarius IIIhad prohibited all persons in holy ordersfrom practicing medicine in any form. So thebarbers who used to shave the priests’beards used to also sharpen their knivesand venture into surgery and elementarydentistry. This was the beginning of one ofthe most powerful livery companies and haschanged the way that I now look atsurgeons!

Some weeks after that memorable evening,I was asked whether I would be interestedin joining the Society of the Round table asone of their few women knights. I was

wooed. I was told that I had been asked onaccount of my globally recognised work inthe field of human rights and the foundingthe ASHA Centre in the Forest of Dean forthe young. The work of ASHA reflected thecharitable work undertaken by the Societyof Knights to ensure talented young peoplefrom the diverse fields of arts, music, lawand medicine were given financial supportto undertake their studies.

I was ceremoniously knighted in Novemberby the present President and acting ‘KingArthur,’ the Admiral Lord West of Spithead,at a fabulous event, worthy of Camelot, atthe Armourers’†Hall in London. Yet anotherone of the ancient livery companies of theCity of London. Attending with me was myhusband Richard and my own personalknight, our youngest son, play-write Alex;and the director of the ASHA Centre, AdrianLocher. Both Alex and Adrian escorted meto the knighting ceremony as ancientsymbols of my two squires who thenpresented me to King Arthur.

President “King Arthur”, Admiral Lord West of Spithead greeting Zerbanoo

L to R : Adrian Locher, play-write Alex (Z’s younger son),Zerbanoo and Richard (her husband)

Z e r b a n o oGifford’s profileis on p 79


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The present Knights, all with outstandingcredentials in the fields of politics, business,the arts and the armed forces, werefascinated by my explanation ofZoroastrianism as they have never had aZoroastrian Knight grace their society.Interestingly, a knight takes an oath to staywith their religion and do good among theirown people and the global community.Everything the knights stand for is what weZoroastrians have a deep understandingand respect for. Philanthropy, compassionfor the weaker members of society, fightingcorruption and greed and doing gooddeeds. All basic tenets of our Zoroastrianfaith.

At the evening of my investiture, the guestspeaker was the extraordinary CressidaDick, the first woman head of the LondonMetropolitan Police. For me it was the mostauspicious of evenings, as it was exactly100 years to that day that women weregiven the vote. So much of my life had beeninvolved in ensuring women take theirrightful place in political life. In a centurywoman seem to have caught up veryquickly in Britain. The Prime Minister is awoman, as are the leaders of the Scottishand Northern Ireland Parliaments and theHouse of Lords. The leaders of the TradeUnion Movement, Confederation of BritishIndustry, the Post Office and the LondonFire Brigade are also women. Even theBBCʼs new Dr Who has become a womanas well as the age-old bastion of maleknighthood has now welcomed a woman, -a Zoroastrian one at that!

q

The Honourable Society of Knights of the Round Table,also known as The Knights of the Round Table Club, is aBritish society which exists to perpetuate the name and fameof King Arthur and the ideals for which he stood. It meetsat the Lansdowne Club, Mayfair.

The society was formed at the Fountain Coffee House in1720, the site of the former Savoy Palace onLondon’s Strand. Its membership was drawn from authors,actors, artists, and their patrons. Famous membersincluded David Garrick, who was a member from 1761 to1776, and Charles Dickens.

It is ironic that every Zoroastrianespouses the three basic tenets of thereligion namely “Good Thoughts, GoodWords and Good Deeds”. However,

when it comes to understanding andpracticing “Good Deeds” there is a loss ofclarity. They forget that the main duty ofZoroastrians is to care for nature and itsSeven Bounteous Creations viz the sky,water, earth, plants, animals, man and fire!Though repeatedly taught in our religion, werarely protect our planet by taking the rightactions. Zoroastrians need to understandthat manʼs very survival is dependent onnature and hence, take care of everyelement of nature.

Good Deeds to protect the environment hasbeen the guiding light for the Centre forEnvironmental Research and Education(CERE), a Mumbai-based not-for-profitorganization founded by two dynamic Parsiwomen in 2002. Unlike other organisationsthat worked mainly for wildlife conservationat the turn of the century, CERE was clearthat nothing was wrong with the SevenBounteous Creations of nature and itsecosystems, but rather the problem lay inhuman beings and their destructiveinteractions with the planet be it in terms ofdeforestation, pollution, unplannedurbanization and loss of wildlife habitats.We humans had moved into lifestyles andconsumption patterns that are beyond thecarrying capacity of our planet. It is this lackof ʻGood Deedsʼ and ability to live inharmony with nature that has steadilydestroyed our planet.

Dr (Ms) Rashneh N Pardiwala, who hadreturned to India armed with a PhD onClimate Change from the University ofEdinburgh, UK, founded CERE with a paltrysum of Rs1,000, and joining Rashneh in hermission was Kitayun Rustom who had spent18 years of her life in various court battlesto save the environment from illegal

The Zoroastrian Principles of anEnvironmental NGOby kitayun rustom

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development projects.Both women wereuncertain of the roadahead for CERE butthey knew theorganisation would staytrue to its identity andalways be different inthree distinct ways:

The First Difference –their focus would be on‘humans’ and to helpthem take the rightactions for nature andlearn to live in harmonywith all other species.Therefore, the key focusof CERE is to promoteenvironmentalsustainability throughformal education,government

partnerships, corporate collaborations,grass-root level projects and awarenesscampaigns.

The Second Difference – no more courtcases as litigation is a tedious short-termapproach while awareness and education isthe path forward. We need to change themindsets of the population, including policymakers, business heads, political leadersand entire communities to bring aboutchange. People are the problem so onlypeople can be the solution and educationwould be the tool. However, unfortunatelymost education today is restricted to bookknowledge with no practical skills. At CERE,the concept of “Action to Knowledge” ispromoted because actions are moreimportant than mere knowledge. We needto walk the talk. Based on this vision,CERE has undertaken numerous turnkeyprojects such as ‘Schools for Solar‘ whereinCERE installs rooftop solar panels forelectrification on low income schools andconducts educational sessions for thestudents so that :(a) the school adopts renewable energy anddraws less from the main grid supplyingelectricity from mainly coal based thermalpower plants,

(b) students learn about environmentalissues, undertake carbon footprints, energyaudits of the school and become ClimateChange Ambassadors, and(c) savings from solar power arechannelized back in the school to helpimprove the infrastructure and teachingprogrammes. All the educational materialthat CERE develops is primarily activitybased and provides experiential learning.

A case in point is the SP Native BiodiversityGarden at Alibaug, developed by CERE asa Learning Resource Centre where biologybooks come alive and students learn aboutbiodiversity conservation throughobservation and interaction. CERE hasdeveloped educational material for otheroutdoor experiential learning centres acrossIndia like the Toyota Eco-Park in Bidadi andthe Wipro Wetland Park in Bangalore.

CERE has also developed the learningprogramme for NCERT, India’s nodaleducational agency where the programmewould reach over 50 lakh secondary schoolteachers. CERE believes that we need addone more “R” to literacy which till now is -Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic - but nowwe should add ‘Resource literacy’ as thefourth ‘R’. Without resource literacy ourchildren and grandchildren will inherit adepleted and unsustainable planet.

The Third Difference – focus on thepolluters, the manufacturers, large scaleconsumers of natural resources and thecreators of the environmental problems.Work closely with this segment of societyand show them the solutions by creatingmodels of a green economy becausebusiness cannot flourish on a dead planet.Environmental sustainability cannot bepromoted as an ideology but instead has tobe accepted as an economic imperative.CERE has been working for the past 10years to help companies green theirsystems and processes.

Based on these three main principles,CERE has innovatively created anddesigned a slew of projects in the field ofenvironmental sustainability. Foremost

L to R : Kitayun Rustom & Rashneh Pardiwala


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sustainability has made it a pioneer in thisspace. CERE has developed several e-learning programmes and has published 28titles to-date. CERE’s English ReaderSeries entitled ‘A Wisdom of Words’ is beingused as prescribed curriculum text books bymany prominent and progressive schools ofIndia. These readers prove how social andenvironmental messages are best learntthrough the medium of stories. CERE hascreated short films and e-learning moduleson topics ranging from biodiversity to agreen office. It has developed the award-winning, first green Financial LiteracyCourse aptly titled Dhan Gyan which hasbeen used by over 50,000 learners fromevery state and union territory of India.Another award winning project of CERE hasbeen creating the first solar forest in theform of an outdoor educational artinstallation called Surya Aranya or ‘Forest ofthe Sun’ that lights up the garden lights ofan office campus in Mumbai. CERE hasdesigned the first solar powered ATMmachine for a bank which has spurned arevolution in the banking sector.

Over the years, CERE has grown fromstrength to strength from humble beginnings– the organization was bravely started withjust a hope in our hearts and the convictionto do meaningful work. We fondly rememberhow kind-hearted individuals supported ourendeavours while we found our feet, whoencouraged us at every step of the way –one of whom sponsored the first rainwaterharvesting project of CERE at Malcom Baugin Jogeshwari, Mumbai.

With sheer hard work and unwaveringresolve to be true to the guiding principlesof the organization, rooted in the tenants ofZorastrianism, CERE has now progressedto large impact rural and urban projects andfinally, the efforts of CERE has gained widespread recognition. Members of CERE haveserved and are on the board of numerousgovernmental and non-governmentalbodies, such as MMR-EIS, BMC – GardensCommittee, Dahanu Regional PlanningAuthority, Human Rights Law Network,Board of Studies of St Xavier’s College andmany others. In 2005, Rashneh and Katy

amongst them is the Carbon Map & CapProgram wherein CERE undertakes carbonmitigation for large multinationals to reducetheir carbon footprint. Furthermore,promotes carbon offset through their UrbanAfforestation Project in which CERE hasgrown over 50,000 large, native trees incities across India such as Mumbai, Delhi,Gurgaon, Pune, Jaipur, Nashik and Bikaner.This project has helped sequester or absorbover 11,283 Metric Tones of carbon dioxidefrom the atmosphere and helped createnatural habitats for flora and fauna. In fact,most of the afforestation sites have nowbecome homes for a host of birds, insects,reptiles and small mammals. CERE hasalso planted over 3000 trees at the ParsiDoongerwadi (Tower of Silence) in Mumbaisince 2015. CERE plantation sites serve assmall islands of biodiversity and theendeavour is to green our concrete jungles,slowly but surely.

Like the Zoroastrian Farohar that holds a ringin the centre which symbolises the eternity ofthe soul, CERE works in a circular mannerwith a 360 degree approach, creating valuesfor everyone involved. Last year CEREdeveloped Mumbai’s largest RainwaterHarvesting System in partnership with theMumbai Police where each monsoonseason, over 38.8 million litres of water isharvested. The project was envisaged for thepurpose of augmenting the water supply forthe entire police precinct housing over 2500families of the constabulary. However,besides conserving water, the project alsohelped prevent flooding in the entireneighbourhood.

Recently, the US Indo-Pacific Command(USINDOPACOM) which runs theUSPACOM’s Environmental SecurityProgram, approached CERE for executingsustainability training programmes. “Wewere impressed by your organization’screativity and successful track record, sohope we are able to move forward withpartnering,” wrote Lynda Arakelian one ofUSPACOM’s sustainability partners.

CERE’s unique ability to innovate in thespace of environmental education and

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were both recognized as ‘SocialEntrepreneur for Change’ and awarded theAshoka Fellowship in 2005. In 2009 DrPardiwala was selected as one of Asia’s 21Young Leaders in Tokyo and became anAsia Society Fellow. In 2011, Rashneh wasselected by the Svenska Institute inStockholm for an exchange programme onCorporate Responsibility and Sustainability.In 2013, Dr Pardiwala was awarded theFord Fellowship to Columbia University,New York.

CERE hopes more and more communitiesand individuals will join hands to protectnature. We hope we can convince moreZoroastrians that Good Deeds is aboutliving in harmony on this planet andconserving precious resources by taking theright actions for a better future.

Experiential Learning at the SP Biodiversity Gardens. Check http://www.spbiodiversitygardens.com/

q

Dancing Girl Ginger Orchid at SP Biodiversity GardenRainwater Harvesting Inauguration by Police Commissioner

Asian Wasp Moth at the SP Biodiversity Garden

Schools on Solar

Snakeweed flowers


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The Gathas say “You, who havegiven your heart to good thought,reject anger and resist injustice.And in this way spread the doctrine

of justice to join the forces of right-mindedcompanions ...”

I have changed the word “righteousness” to“justice” because then this phrase means somuch more to me – as a woman, as aminority woman and as a warrior againstinjustice in my own small way.

The nature of my work has me mentoringfront line advocates who support Black,Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) women in theheart of London who, with the most complexof barriers and needs, find themselves inextreme isolation and deprivation and facingdomestic violence. They have no one to turnto, as often those who are physically closestto them are part of the problem. Many haveleft their family and support structure backhome in Bangladesh or Somalia and arealone facing the anger and injustice that ourGathas refer to.

Perhaps we believe that domestic violenceisn’t that big a deal? Two million adults ayear experience domestic abuse in the UK.Women are twice as likely to be victims asmen. It’s a big deal. It’s a huge deal. In2005 it was nine million. So if you or I arenot in a position to help, someone isbecause the number is dropping. Of course,these crimes are never recorded accuratelyanyway and nowhere more so than in theAsian community. With our strange moralsaround protecting family members nomatter what, the way our women fear whatothers may say and therefore be ostracisedand left to fend for themselves, reportingbecomes even less likely. In addition, in apredominantly white country one may fearnot being dealt with fairly by the police whoare meant to protect.

A study conducted in India in 2005 foundthat of those in relationships, 33% of

women were likely to be victims of domesticviolence. Let me repeat that – a third ofwomen in India are abused. Think of all thewomen you know who are really close toyou and imagine a third of them living inabject fear. That’s the reality in India.She is not always hidden.

She may be the one we walk past, or sitnext to on public transport. Maybe we seeher in the store, or begging as a homelessperson. Perhaps she’s sitting opposite us,decked out in beautiful clothes and jewels ata dinner party. We see the sadness in hereyes and every bit of us knows something isnot right. What do we do?

Mostly? Nothing. We do nothing. Becauseto do something would mean risking thewrath of someone who already looksunstable. Secondly, reaching out challengesus and the time constraints we convenientlyplace all around us – oh the good we coulddo if only we had the time – time. And lastly,making an actual connection would makethat woman a mirror and in facing herdifficulties, we would have to look at ours.Our own barriers are high as a selfprotection mechanism.

This self protection has to be moderated – ithas become a ‘thing’ in its own right, abarricade over which we peer every nowand then. We can justify this barrier in somany righteous ways ... . I have a careerwhich means I’m too busy, my children’seducation takes all of my attention etc, etc.The list is endless because these are mucheasier challenges to deal with than toconnect with a woman who is in urgentneed of support.

Here are some questions; what is the point inhaving a career and success at the expenseof suffering around us; what is the point infocussing on our children’s academiceducation whilst modelling that it’s ok toignore a fellow sister in need; and why pray

Domestic Violence - What can I do about it?by benaifer bhandari

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every day, profess to be a Zoroastrian andnot practice good deeds by actuallyreaching out to someone who is desperate?

I’m not suggesting fora minute that we allstop what we aredoing, put our lives onhold to becomecounsellors foreveryone in need.Actually, that isexactly what I am notsaying. When didhelping someonebecome separatefrom our every day

lives, instead of an integral part of ourexistence? In a simpler time, when we livedin villages and small towns, a woman in needwould have been supported by the womenaround her. The village’s daily rhythm wouldnot have missed a beat, yet in our nuclearfamily model we have become weaker andsomehow unable to reach out withoutenvisioning great disruption in our personalexistence.

One of the most beautiful things in Islam isthe system of Ramadan, to remind us tothink viscerally of those who have so muchless than us. The system is so progressivethat it also has a fall back caveat for thosewho really cannot fast. They can do itanother time in the year or give somethingin return – money or service.

Arguably, in Zoroastrian-ism we have itmuch harder. With our emphasis on free willthrough the support of the Great Spirit ofWisdom we all are born with, we have tocreate our own systems with our owncaveats. We have to make the choice everyday, and the point of daily prayer is toremind us of that responsibility we have, toprotect our environment – including ourvulnerable members of society. Perhaps ifwe really can’t do so because of otherpressures we put on ourselves, we can takeinspiration from our Muslim sisters andbrothers, who give so much to charity fromevery pay-packet whether in Ramadan ornot. We can look for a support service for

vulnerable women and see what we can doto help them do the work of reaching out towomen who face violence, supporting themin their great need to be safe and help themfind a brighter future.

My charity, Hopscotch Asian Women’sCentre, is one of many such vital servicesaround the country and around the world. Iam sure in your closest town there will be aWomen’s Refuge of some kind where thosefacing violence can have sanctuary. Youmay not be able to find the contact detailseasily – to protect these vulnerable womenfrom those who may be looking for them.But if we make it part of our responsibility tobe good Zoroastrians, we can always find away to make a donation, or pass on ourchildren’s clothes, or leave a food parcel.

Imagine the example we would be settingour children if we talked about domesticviolence, why it happens and, what as aZoroastrian, we can do about that. Thosediscussions would be so valuable in raisingconscious children who can see their worthto society beyond academic distinctions.That is what the Gathas ask of us. Nowheredoes it say go get the best education alwaysand have a good job that earns lots ofmoney, eat good food and then die. Whatbeing a Zoroastrian demands of us is muchricher, has much more depth and is definitelymuch more challenging than all of that.

The question is, are we up for thatchallenge of auditing our way of life? Are weup for critically appraising how we spendour waking hours and our hard earnedmoney? Can we prioritise in our lives one ofthe main principles of being a Zoroastrianand choose the one path that is goodnessbecause goodness is happiness whichbelong to one who wants goodness only forgoodness’s sake? This is what we pray forwith every Ashem Vohu we utter, we’re halfway there – all we need to do is to actionthese utterances.

In a world with such extreme deprivationand suffering, I ask you to consider anaction – even if that action is actually just athought – towards women in this world who

Benaifer Bhandari is theCEO of Hopscotch AsianWomen’s Centre, London,supporting many includingthose facing domesticviolence, isolation, and anuncertain future – helpinghelp them see that there ishope beyond suffering.Her work is an integral partof her life as she and herfamily strive to live theconstantly challengingprinciples ofZoroastrianism with everyword and action.www.hopscotchawc.org.uk


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suffer at the hands of those who should be loving and honouring them. Find that nearest refuge orwomen’s centre and make a donation, or actually reach out with a loving word to someone you knowis silently suffering. She needs an ally and you, as a Zoroastrian and warrior for peace, can be thatally.

q

After three decades of hectic work-life, I moved from the maddeningmegapolis of Mumbai to idylliccoastal state of Goa – once a

favourite abode of flower-children andhippies, and now home to some insanely-richIndians and yuppies. Few years after movingto Goa, I took to cycling. I have never been acyclist; it’s impossible to be one in Mumbai. Icame to cycling rather late, in my sixties, andunexpectedly – a chance meeting with aneighbourly duo of passionate andprofessional peddlers whose inspirationeventually worked the magic.

I took to cycling almost instantly,discovering not only did I adore it but wasgood at it. Riding solo on hills and throughthick, green cover — amidst bird songs,crisp air and morning light filtering throughtrees – soon became, and has remained, asingularly spiritual experience. Onceaddicted, you can never cease to be acyclist.

In late 2017, I fell off my bike, badly injuringrib cage. ‘No surgery, no medication, onlyrest’ was the medical mantra. Barred fromcycling for weeks, I chose to read about it.This curiosity about my predecessorsgradually unveiled that it were well-to-doIndians, mainly in Bombay and Calcutta,who took to cycling in 1890s inspired bytheir British peers. The cycles werepredominantly imported, British-made andheavy on pocket – used for leisure, sports,fitness and even global journeys!

Global journeys on cycles! That soundedincredulous and unrealistic. Digging deeper,

In Vienna, he met Gustav Sztavjanik, hiscycling mate. The duo would go on to

Parsi Cyclists and Their Global Expeditionsby anoop babani

I was amazed to discover that a group of sixcyclists — all of them Parsis from Bombayand in their mid-twenties – had actuallyventured on such an incredible journey wayback in 1923 and three of them didcomplete it over next four and half years.

This trio — Adi B Hakim, Jal P Bapasola,and Rustom B Bhumgara — became firstIndian globetrotters to undertake mostarduous journey of their lives, peddling71,000 kms — at times in 60 C, for dayswithout food and some days without water,across pirate-infested territories and inswamp lands, through dense jungles and“up 6,600 ft amongst the terrible solitudes ofthe Alps”.

On returning to Bombay on March 18, 1928,Hakim, Bapasola and Bhumgara recalledbeing “surrounded by people who had cometo receive us ... and garlanded till we wereburied in flowers,” and hoped that “thepublic of Bombay will not fail to extend(“unique welcome”) to another son ofMother India – Scouter F J Davar, who isshortly due in Bombay on the conclusion ofa similar enterprise.”

‘So, they weren’t the only ones, then’, I wasastounded once again! Three months afterSuper Six had commenced their ride inOctober 1923, Framroze J Davar – anotherParsi from Bombay and a sports-journalist –embarked upon similar expedition inJanuary 1924. His was the mostadventurous, lengthier and in-part, a solitaryjourney. The 30-year-old Davar initiallypeddled more than 5,000 km entirely on hisown, till he reached Austria 11 months later.

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peddle 110,000 km across 52 countries andfive continents, over next seven years!

Davar returned to India in October 1931.Eighteen months later, in April 1933, yetanother trio of Parsi cyclists from Bombay— Keki J Kharas, Rustam D Ghandhi andRutton D Shroff – decided to girdle theglobe on their humble bikes. They rode foralmost nine years and traversed 84,000 kmspanning five continents, before returninghome in January 1942.

Despite these grueling and perilousjourneys, the cyclists maintained meticulousdiaries and shot awesome photographs. Allof this makes a story of human ingenuityand courage, penned and pictured by thosewho rode streets of the world in 1920s and1930s – through a Europe devastated byFirst World War, newly-emerging America,strife-torn East Asia, deserts of Sahara andMesopotamia, jungles of Amazon andmountains of Alps and Andes!

An avid cyclist myself, I couldn’t resisttelling these completely unknown storiesabout India’s ‘Unsung Heroes’. So, Idecided to do research and work on a bookabout these sensational cyclists on theirexciting expeditions. While their chroniclesare a fascinating and insightful read, theydon’t reveal much about the cycliststhemselves. Who were they? What inspiredthem to take on these dangerous andimpossible expeditions? How did theyfinance their journeys? What was their post-glory life? Were they recognized by theircountry and/or community? Or, did they dieas ‘unsung heroes’?

To find answers, I needed to track downtheir families, friends and relatives. In thelast one and a half years, I have been ableto trace some of them, scattered within andoutside India. They have been extremelykind and supportive, narrating interestingstories about their fathers, grandfathers orgrand-uncles, as the case may be.

For instance, the first group of six cyclists,all of them Parsis in their twenties andmembers of erstwhile Bombay Weightlifting

Club — Adi B Hakim, Gustad G Hathiram,Jal P Bapasola, Keki D Pochkhanawala,Nariman B Kapadia and Rustom BBhumgara – left on their global expeditionswith Rs 2,000 each. “They were all workingboys and had dug into their savings”,reveals 78-year-old Rohinton Bhumgara,only child of Rustom Bhumgara. He alsocites a public lecture at Bombay’s OvalMaidan in 1920 by a French man “who hadwalked from Europe to India, and my fatherand his buddies were so impressed by hisexperiences that they decided to see theworld on their bikes.” On the other hand,according to Jasmine Marshall,granddaughter of Adi Hakim: “There was anextraordinary zeal of adventure in mygranddad. ‘Nothing is impossible’, he wouldalways tell me. A passion, I am sure, sharedby all his cycle-mates.”

Or this awe-inspiring story about FramrozeDavar, narrated to me by Homi Bhabha, 75,a retired pharmaceutical industry executive.Bhabha was nine years old when he firstmet Framroze Davar in 1952. Davar wasthen 58 and completely blind. “In thosedays, I remember two cyclists Kersi Vajifdarand Adi Mistry used to organize cycling tripsof Parsi boys from central Bombay to TansaLake or Taloja, a distance of 100 kms eachway. Even though Framroze Davar wasblind, he would cycle all the way, guided byKersi and Adi on his either side. This sceneis etched in my memory forever,” revealsHomi Bhabha.

While I was interviewing and building oralhistories, our Goa-based film club, SaxttiFilms, had joined hands with RavindraBhavan Margao to organize an internationalsports Film Festival on twin-theme ofRunning and Cycling in December 2018. Soin the interim, I decided to work on anexhibition of photographs that I hadacquired from families and friends, so as toshowcase it during the Film Festival.

The first edition of this photo exhibitioncomprises 30 photographs and is titled ‘OurSaddles, Our Butts, Their World: GlobalRides on Humble Bikes by Indians in1920s’. It was inaugurated by India’s best-


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known sports-person and athlete P T Usha and was visited by over 1,000 persons during its 5-day-long display at Ravindra Bhavan Margao, in Goa, India.

Currently, my task of tracking down families of a few cyclists, and taking the photo exhibition to othercities — to propagate these extraordinary global bicycling expeditions — continues. The time isopportune as cycling is gradually but surely making a comeback – on the back of rising concernsabout environment, health and fitness, particularly among urban communities all over the world.

To tell these stories to younger generation, preserve them for future and to perpetuate memories ofglobal cyclists, I have taken upon myself to (a) approach a Parsi business house to build a museumin Mumbai dedicated to these cyclists and (b) to canvass and persuade Indian government to confernational awards on these ‘Unsung Heroes’ of India, posthumously.

Hakim, Bapasola and Bhumgara

Adi Hakim, Jal Bapasola and Rustom Bhumgara return toBombay after 5 years

Hakim Trio in Shanghai

Donations Cards Sold by Cyclists to Raise Funds

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Framroze and Gustav in Nigeria

Framroze and Gustav atop Andes Mountains

Framroze Davar after Crossing Sahara Desert

Keki Kharas, Rustam Ghandhi and Rutton Shroff in New York, USAHEADLINES

3 Parsee Cyclists here from Bombay37,000 Miles on Bicycle, 13,000 by Train or Ship, Since LeavingIndia in 1933To spend 2 weeks in cityThey Plan to See New England and Canada, the West, China,Japan and AustraliaPublished in The New York Times, May 14 1938

Former Mumbai-based journalist and now an avid cyclist, Anoop Babani lives in Goa, India. He and hiswriter-painter wife, Savia Viegas, manage Saxtti Films. In April 2018, Saxtti Films and Ravindra BhavanMargao organized Reels-on-Wheels, India»s First-ever International Festival of Films on Cycling whichwas inaugurated by Olympic Gold Medalist in Cycling Alexi Grewal. In December 2018, Ravindra BhavanMargao and Saxtti Films organized Reels-on-Heels, once again India»s first-ever International Festival ofFilms on Running which was inaugurated by P T Usha. Anoop, who is working on the book about Parsicyclists, will be grateful for any help in contacting families of last trio of cyclists, Keki J Kharas, Rustam DGhandhi and Rutton D Shroff. His contact is [email protected]


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Symphony Orchestra of India on Tour - United Kingdom, 2019

by averell desouza

Zane Dalal √ Associate Music Director and Conductor - leading the Symphony Orchestra of India.

The SOI tour of the UK was the most ambitious one we have undertaken so far since westarted touring in 2010; six concerts in five cities covering the entire UK and all this in aspan of seven days. Yes; we have come a long way from performing a lone concert inMoscow in 2010 and a three concert tour in Switzerland in 2016. The detailed planning of

every aspect of the tour by the NCPA in conjunction with our tour manager IMG Artistes led to asmooth run of things, from airport transfers to hotel check-ins to the actual concert performances.We covered the length and breadth of the UK right from London to Cardiff to Edinburgh. Travellingby coach to the different concert venues afforded us a view of some beautiful English countrysideand rolling Scottish highlands dotted with lap dogs, shaggy ponies and fleecy sheep. I didnʼt spot

any shepherdsthough.

Playing as atightly knit groupfor close to 13years I think theSOI, a diversetalent comprisedof almost 26differentnationalities,cultures andmusical entitieshasmetamorphosedinto a highlysophisticated

ensemble to showcase a challenging and varied repertoire. We had in our bags the Symphonic suiteScheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, the violin concerti by Max Bruch and Camille Saint-Saensperformed by our music director and violin virtuoso Marat Bisengaliev, a couple of delightfulovertures, Weberʼs Oberon and Berliozʼ Roman Carnival and the expansive, romantic and fiendishlydifficult Symphony No 2 by Serge Rachmaninoff. Conducting duties for the tour were to be sharedby our Associate Music Director Zane Dalal andEnglish National Opera Director Martyn Brabbins.The piece de resistance though was PESHKAR, atabla concerto specially commissioned by the SOI,composed and performed by celebrated world musicexponent and Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain. Wehad performed the entire tour repertoire in our springseason at the NCPA, Mumbai, and so were all in finefettle. Braving the extreme English climate andovercoming a different time zone travel, I was raringto go. As it turned out, we brought summer weatherwith us, and this unusually clement weather followedus on tour. An augur of good things to come.

I was keen to see how the British musicconnoisseurs, concert going public and the press

Zane Dalal and Zakir Hussain √ acknowledge a standing ovation after theperformance of Peshkar √ Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA , Mumbai,February 16th 2019.

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would react to PESHKAR, a very inventive and innovative amalgamation of two great musictraditions. We had premiered the work in 2015 in Mumbai and showcased it in our Swiss tour tocritical acclaim, under the directorship of Maestro Dalal. A point worth noting was thatScheherezade, a work that was to be repeated as much as five times on the tour, was to beconducted by both conductors. Now each conductor has his own method of treating different musicalsubjects according to their sense and sensibilities, a different interpretative approach, a differentbaton technique and for me the challenge was reacting and responding correctly to their everynuance so that the desired result was achieved. Maestro Dalalʼs reading of the account was intense,yet placid, boisterous yet stately – creating a kaleidoscope of oriental landscapes, a tyrant Sultanand a innocently sweet but tenacious Scheherezade.

What threw further challenges at mewere the acoustical conditions in thedifferent concert halls. The 3300 seatauditorium in Birmingham was huge,such a cavernous space with a multi tierstage. Cadogan Hall in London and inhindsight my favourite performing venuebecause of its warm intimacy anddelicate ambient lighting, had a differentacoustic. Suddenly I could find hearingmyself so clearly in one hall while inanother hall my sound was just simplywashed away by the sheer brutishstrength of the brass section. My seatingon stage was not the same depending onthe layout of the stage and so myproximity to the concertmaster AdelinaHassani changed with every performingspace. We just had around two hours ofrehearsal time – nothing more than asoundcheck in each concert venue – tofamiliarize ourselves with the acoustics.

For me it was about adapting my playing technique to suit the “surround sound” so to say. I had toconstantly listen to my section and of course train my focus of attention on the concert master andconductor. In this regard I reminded myself of what Maestro Dalal said about trusting our sound andso to refrain from overplaying, rather strive to achieve a beautiful tone. The acoustics at Guildfordhad a lovely resonance that gave the entire sound an altogether new dimension. Usher Hall inEdinburgh with its multi tiered seating was equally lush and responsive.

What struck me about St Davidʼs Hall Cardiff was the bottlegreen upholstered seating that encircled a wide stage. Heretoo the “user friendly” acoustics offered us that impetus toplay our natural selves. To me it was like being seated in abeautiful garden of sound, basking in a warm glowingorchestral soundscape. St Davidʼs Hall is where MaratBisengaliev made his UK debut with the SOI. In fine form andtotal command, Marat gave a soul stirring account of theSaint-Saens Violin concerto. The second movement, a lovesong – was so pure, and refined and the 3rd movement was ahighly charged rendering. Maestro Bisengaliev gave threesuperlative performances of the evergreen Max Bruch violinconcerto – in Guildfordʼs G-Live, Edinburghʼs Usher Hall, and

Zane Dalal directs applause - and joins the orchestra in congratulatory sentiments - towardsconcertmaster Adelina Hassani - following a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov»s Scheherazademarked by exquisite violin solos.

Symphony Hall √ Birmingham. The opening venue of the tour


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back at London’s Cadogan Hall. The Bruch concerto was played by him during the SOI inauguralseason way back in 2006. He played it – then and now – with the supreme artistry and impeccableshowmanship that is the hallmark of this great violinist.

We opened with performances of Hussain’s PESHKAR in the two opening concerts of the tour, inBirmingham and London. Maestro Hussain used the work as a vehicle to display his stunningvirtuosity and dexterity of fingers. The intricate percussion rhythms and particularly his cadenza wasa treat to watch. The orchestration at the start was rather sparse with wisps of melodies played bywoodwind and brass. There were a couple of jugalbandhi spots; an interaction between tabla andsolo violin in which Hussain and the concertmaster Adelina Hassani matched each other note fornote and stroke for stroke. The concerto picks up pace in the middle section with the orchestrabecoming more present in the accompaniment. As it nears the end, the orchestra becomes a virtualjuggernaut – playing huge complex rhythmic sections in unison together with Hussain at a frenetictempo, leading inexorably to the final note. It was sheer ‘edge-of-the-seat’ excitement and I had tomaintain an absolute cool and use every ounce of concentration so as to not miss a note. Theconcerto came to its dramatic finish with a flamboyant throw of the arms by Hussain, synchronizedwith the closing flourish from Maestro Dalal, which brought the house down. Maestro Dalal, whohad led the world and euro premiere’s in 2015/16 and had conducted the work six times in concertprior to the tour – had a complete mastery of the score and safely guided the orchestra through thework, especially in the moments where we had off-beat entries, with his deft stick work and animatedbody movement. He shared a tremendous rapport with Hussain on stage and the infectious energyand dynamism so fluidly transferred to the orchestra. We had scored 5 stars in Birmingham on the19th and were to repeat the magic again in Cadogan Hall, London on the 20 th.

And it was magic indeed that Martyn Brabbins worked on the SOI in a dramatic rendering of theRachmaninoff Symphony in our last concert at Cadogan Hall, 25th February. I was a bitapprehensive about playing the Rachmaninoff after a gap of 20 days. The travel across continentsand up and down the UK and dedication of all my energies into playing the other music of the tourrepertoire, all this in six days did take a minor toll on me. I barely had any time at all to revise thework. I voiced my apprehension to our Chairman Mr Suntook in the Cadogan Hall lobby prior to theconcert. Mr Ed Smith, former Chief Executive of the CBSO seconded my opinion that perhaps weshould have had another performance in between. Touring with any orchestra – no matter theplanning – there is almost always a hiccup concerning repertoire and dates. However, we needn’thave worried and we were well prepared. Martyn Brabbins crafted a sensational performance.

At the start of the concert, in an unusual step, Maestro Dalal joined the orchestra on stage – toaccept on their behalf, a baton and a portrait of the great maestro, the late Sir Georg Solti –presented to the orchestra in recognition of their successful UK debut by Lady Valerie Solti, the

conductor’s widow, who was in attendance. We played our hearts outthat evening, the whole orchestra seizing the special moment, playing toan ever enthusiastic audience, aware that in our own little way, we hadmade history.

We made a big impact on the British audiences and got several goodreviews in the major newspapers from the otherwise ‘stiff upper lipped’British. I noticed several Indians in attendance in Birmingham andLondon which was so heartwarming. My two aunts were able to attendand were absolutely delighted to see their nephew on stage. The SOItour was an ‘out and out’ success. I am positive there’ll be more in thefuture. q

Averell DeSouza holds a position with the Symphony Orchestra of India – playing in the first violins. He has held thisposition since the orchestra’s inception and is one of the uniquely gifted Indian violinists who contributes professionally to theorchestra. A musician and teacher of considerable accomplishment – Averell has won several competitions and performed inconcert from the United States to the Far East. He has many varied interests including writing, traveling and current affairs.This piece is written and submitted expressly for the current edition of HAMAZOR – offering a first-hand musiciansaccount of the recent and highly acclaimed tour of the United Kingdom undertaken by the Symphony Orchestra of India thisFebruary, 2019.

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There is a belief that you ask thehigher beings to allow you to beborn into a certain family toexperience life that will help in your

evolutionary growth. You are allowed tochoose your ancestors, your parents andenvironment. You are also permitted to writeyour own obituary. In other words what youwould like to achieve in your lifetime.

I chose my ancestors and community withgreat care. But next time, if there is a nexttime, I would like to be an artist. I would liketo use my love of beauty to change lives byinspiring people with my originality,sensitivity, sheer mastery of colour andsubtle movement to help them see theirlives in a different perspective and also in akinder and more joyful way.

Recently, I opened my emails and saw theinspirational paintings by the artist KuzanaOgg. I felt moved. I even contemplatedtaking up art even at this ‘ancient’ age toallow myself the chance to express my owncreativity. I also knew I had to let otherpeople know about Kuzana’s dynamic art.

Kuzana comes from a long line of strongZoroastrian women involved in socialchange. Her great aunt is one of myheroines, the extraordinary Mrs Cama,whose portrait hangs in the IndianParliament, the Lok Sahba, in Delhi.Bhikhaiji Cama was from a wealthyZoroastrian family but was also a freedomfighter who took on the British Empire anddemanded home rule for India. She madehistory by defiantly unfurling the first Indianflag at the Socialist meeting in Stuttgart,Germany in 1907. Bhikhaiji’s life offers theultimate example of social commitment andexplodes the blinkered class mythology thatonly working-class heroes can be of trueworth to the causes of the masses. Shedied in Bombay despondent and lonely, butshe did help change the course of ourshared history.

One of Kuzana’s grandmothers, NajuPandole, actively worked with RajmohanGandhi in the Initiatives of ChangeInternational (former MRA). The othergrandmother, Tehmina Cama, was the firstwoman driver in India.

I still remember my own grandmother tellme of all the Parsi women. The mostalluring were the Cama girls, who werefamed for their beauty. One even caught theeye of Queen Victoria’s son, the Prince ofWales, later to become King Edward VII.

Kuzana comes from a line of great beautiesalso blessed with the rare spirit bestowedon visionary pioneers.

When I asked Kuzana’s mother Ketayun,another beauty, to sum up her gifteddaughter, she said “My daughter’s art likeher character is clear, strong and authentic.She sees and shows the diamond in a lumpof coal! She is a visionary.”

Kuzana was born in Bombay in 1971. Asshe says so poetically, her parents broughther home from the hospital on the back oftheir motorcycle, and she was a new bornmango nesting in her mother’s arms.

The first years of her charmed life weredivided between the ancestral home of herdistinguished grandfather on the famousAltamont Road, which I still remembervisiting as a teenager, surrounded by aspectacular garden and her grandmother’sexquisite Worli sea face residence.

Kuzana’s earliest memories are oftemperate weather, fragrant jasmineblossoms and cascading layers of colour. Intime, Kuzana and her infant sister joinedtheir newly immigrated parents in England.The setting changed from streets crammedwith disorderly traffic and cows to carsneatly parked in rows, but not surprisinglyKuzana preferred the crumbling palatial

Kuzana Oggby zerbanoo gifford


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structures that still lived in her mind to thenet curtains and tidy brick homes. The newplastic toys at her feet became the rudecomplement of those of tin and copper thatlay beside them. Her tiffin tucked in herluggage, Kuzana shuttled in trains, cars andplanes to boarding schools in Cornwall,Surrey, and further afield to Kodaikanal.

At the age of 10, she and her family settledin New York. It was as an art student atSUNY that Kuzana met her husband and, inlove, began painting the glorious gardens ofher childhood. They married after theirgraduation in 1995, and moved to SouthKorea, spending the next six years teachingEnglish in historic Kyung Ju.

Returning to the United States in 2001, theylived first in New Mexico, migrated toCalifornia’s Central Valley ten years later,and then returned to Santa Fe, New Mexicoin 2017.

She has participated in three artisticresidencies: in Minnesota, Sri Lanka andChina. In 2018, Kuzana was the CromartyArts Trust’s international artist in residencein Scotland. Kuzana’s extensive works nowgrace many private collectors’ homes,corporate buildings, museums, boutiquehotels and embassies.

Although she has lived, worked andexperienced life in lines, colour and

fragrances in so many places across theworld, I feel her essence is bound up withthe vitality of her rich Zoroastrian heritage.

Kuzana puts it so movingly. “My early yearsin India were flooded with noise, colour, andfragrance. My grandparents’ home inAltamont Road in Bombay was somewhatbuffered from the outside chaos of peopleand cars by lush gardens. This paradise ofquietly growing coconut trees, exotic liliesand always newly turned wet red earth wasinvaded hourly by squalling parrots andbarbarous crows. Their cries filtered throughthe foliage as though they were thesoftened echoes of the havoc on thestreets.

“Going anywhere in Bombay requiresinfinite patience and time. A simple erranddevolves into an all-day affair involving epictraffic jams. Even as a child I was distractedby the lurid Bollywood billboards rushingpast the car window.

“Bombay is steeped in perfume from yardsof jasmine and roses garlanding doors, tosandalwood burning at the fire temple, to ahundred different lunches cooking at thesame time. There is always fragrance in theair. It might be ordinary, like freshly wateredconcrete walls or the starched muslin sarisor, like the scent of raw silk stored in therecesses of a teak wardrobe. The fragranceoccupies a stratum deeper than sight orsound. Even deeper a “majesty” is alsohidden beneath the surface of things, andmajesty is an anchor that restrains andbalances the chaos of experience. Thegeneral pandemonium of Bombay in theearly 1970s served me as a visual alphabet.Through my travels and migrations, thisalphabet continues to recombine,developing into a painterly language. In anyform of communication, I have found theprinciples of restraint and balance to be themost formidable and eloquent.”

I asked Kuzana which artists she loved.Interestingly we are both inspired by thework of Matisse, whose colour and shapesand sensuality are so compelling.

At her studio in Santa Fe

Author, human rightscampaigner andfounder of the ASHACentre, a charity.Zerbanoo holds theInternational Woman ofthe Year Award 2006 forher humanitarian work,which spans fifty yearsof grassroots and globalactivism. Presented theNehru CentenaryAward, she is a pioneerfor Asian Women inpolitics. Zerbanoo madehistory being elected asthe first Liberal ethnicwoman councillor. Shehas chairedcommissions, advisedthe British HomeSecretary. Director ofA n t i - S l a v e r yInternational, she wasgiven the Freedom ofLincoln, Nebraska, forcombating modernslavery. Author of sevenbooks, her ownbiography ‘AnUncensored Life’†byFarida Master ispublished by HarperCollins.

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q

Years ago, at a posh dinner party, I was emphatically told that art lovers are divided up into twodistinct groups, those that love Picasso and those that love Matisse. Like Kuzana, I love the latter. Ifind Picasso too overpowering, masculine and definite. I find Matisse like the work of Kuzana, moremagical and able to engage all your senses in a deep connection with a more vibrant understandingof life. Like Matisseʼs timeless paintings, Kuzanaʼs art is enchanting and makes one observe life in amore thoughtful, hopeful and joyous way.

Shukatunda Suchi

Tarjani Vayu


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Readers of Hamazor cannot fail tohave been impressed eachquarter when they receivedWZO’s quarterly with its

imaginative and professional covers thesepast 17 years. The editor felt it was time forthe readers to know who Tannaz Minwalla isand with that in mind I was approached towrite.

Tannaz, is the General Manager andCreative Director of Creative Unit Pvt Ltd.The establishment is amongst Pakistan’spre-eminent graphic design houses,possibly the most prestigious. She hasworked on innumerable projects for bothPakistani and international clients in diversesectors: Media; History Arts & Culture;Education; Pharmaceuticals; Finance;Manufacturing; Telecommunications;Government and NGOs.

She exemplifies a small cadre of strong,progressive Pakistani Parsi women, at thetop of their profession in Pakistan, standingtheir ground and succeeding in positions ofleadership in an overwhelmingly maledominated business environment. In doingso, they have gained the respect andadmiration of their peers, male and female,providing role models for other women toaspire to; and playing a key role in genderequality crucial to progress and success inhuman development in the emergingeconomies of the developing world.

Tannaz has that hallmark of success:remaining faithful to her true calling ratherthan following the herd and in doing sobreaking through and smashing glassceilings.

Following a conventional education at theConvent of Jesus & Mary School in Karachi,she emerged with the basic “O Level”examination. Since then, there has beennothing ordinary or mundane about her!Initially she qualified in Fine Arts, followed

by marriage, possibly apathway expected by the nunsat her school, but Tannaz wasgoing to prove to all – she wasgoing to be exceptional in herfield. She enrolled for a four-year diploma in GraphicDesign, the only woman in herclass and emerged with a FirstClass First position, receivingthe Medal of ExcellenceAward, from the Sindh Boardof Technical Education. Shewas also awarded a Certificateof Appreciation from UNICEFfor her thesis completed onconcluding the diploma.

She began professional life in 1982 as avisualizer with International Advertising Ltd., inKarachi, where she was part of the team thatwon the contract for a complete redesign ofPakistan International Airline’s advertisements,logo, tickets and menus; repatriating thenational airline’s design business back toPakistan from a Singapore based agency.

A year later she moved from IAL to theCreative Department, Dawn Group ofNewspapers, Pakistan’s oldest and mostprestigious broadsheet Newspaper. Whilstvisualizer at the Creative Department from1983-87, moving swiftly upwards, she wasresponsible for a radical redesign and layoutof the Dawn Group’s Herald News magazine,winning accolades for it. She wasinstrumental for leading and structuringPakistan’s first ever Graphic Design Exhibitionto publicise the Creative Department’s workwinning international awards.

In October 1987, the Dawn Group hived offthe Creative Department and set up theindependent Creative Unit Ltd., appointingTannaz, Creative Director and GeneralManager where she has remained at thehelm for over 30 years, leading andmanaging the highly specialised team of

Tannaz Minwalla – Creativity is her signatureby jubin mama

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visualizers, desktop designers,photographers and illustrators. They workas a team on national and internationalprojects in the multitude of sectorshighlighted earlier.

Tannaz is a woman heading a highlysuccessful all male team, bringing arefreshing leadership style of working that ischaracterised by hard work, tight deadlinesand targets – with much laughter, hilarityand enjoyment engendered by Tannaz’sirrepressible nature. Whilst the fun maynever let up, the serious work andprofessionalism never falters, a testamentto Tannaz’s unique personality andleadership style. Though her stamp ofapproval and exacting standards areapplied across the board, the small tightlyknit team are given the latitude they needfrom Tannaz to thrive and develop.

She is straightforward and down to earth,with a raucous sense of humour, which ismost definitely Parsi in transcending allpopulation groups, making her instantlylikeable, relatable and a bundle of energy towork with. She is unselfconsciouslyZoroastrian when it comes to good deedsand has undertaken numerous pro bonocharitable projects from breath takingbeautiful artistic coffee table books toAnnual Reports, brochures etc., for theSindh Institute of Urology, the Lady DufferinHospital Foundation, the LaytonRehmatullah Benevolent Trust for the Blindand the Marie Stopes Society; as well asthe covers of Hamazor, amongst others.

Her personal pro bono contributions todesign education in Pakistan, includesserving on the Board of Studies, theAcademic Board, the Executive Board, andthe Continuing Education Board of Studiesat the Indus Valley School of Art andArchitecture till 2018. She personallymentors, tutors and develops students ofgraphic design, as well as giving theminternship opportunities at the Creative Unit.

While Tannaz’s expertise steers theCreative Unit’s work across a myriad ofsectors, it is the Unit’s work of expertise

that has been most influential in the designof Hamazor’s radically and contemporarycovers which will be always timeless.

Tannaz is married to Asfandyar, her partnerin crime and life for over 30 years, andtogether are proud parents to Taimur who issupported by them in all he chooses to do.

She lives in a home overflowing with aneclectic collection of art curated withimpeccable taste and a visionary eye.

q

Tannaz is a very special friend and at the sametime like a daughter to me. I have known her sincebirth, in and out of our home during her childhood,blossoming into an exceptional human being. Kindand generous to a fault, outspoken – sometimes abit too much – but that is Tannaz! Anyone havingher as a friend is fortunate, as those who know herwill endorse. She is an example of what one canachieve if given the right encouragement andappreciation. The school system leaves much tobe desired, it can make or break a person. It is finefor those who are academically tuned, they willdo well even without teachers. It is where thestudent is average or hasn’t found their footing,that expertise is needed to nurture the hiddenpotentials. I write this, knowing how despondentTannaz was during her school academic life, as somany others have felt and still do. The articlewritten by Jubin, her friend since their youth, is atestament of hope and encouragement for thosewho cannot see the silver lining in their future.Tannaz is an inspiration for all. With admirationand grateful thanks for all you do Tannaz withgrace and perfection. - Toxy Cowasjee

Jubin Mama has known TannazMinwalla since they were teenagersin Karachi. He lives in London butvisits Karachi regularly and no visitis complete without meeting Tannaz.He has recently collaborated withTannaz on a book commemoratingthe centenary of the Mama ParsiGirls Secondary School.


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The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to mark the centenary of the first women in the UK winning the right tovote, has launched a year long womenʼs equality campaign titled ʻBehind Every Great Cityʼ. He wants toshowcase women who have contributed in their own way to making London a great world city.

The Mayor said “women make extraordinary contributions to their communities and the city we live in, but theyare not always recognised. Thatʼs why we created the Hidden Credits Campaign. We asked Londoners to tellus about a woman in their local community who makes this city great, so that we can shine the spotlight onthem and give them the recognition they deserve”.

Shernaz Engineer is one of those 100 women to be recognised. She is also the only Zarathushti lady on thislist. Shernaz is on many charitable boards including AsianWomenʼs Resource Centre that helps women experiencingdomestic violence and forced marriage. She is a Trustee ofTamasha Theatre a touring theatre company which showcasesSouth Asian contemporary life in the UK. She is Vice-Chair ofLearning for Life which assists schools in remote areas of Nepal,India and Bangladesh. She is a founder member and Freeman ofthe Guild of Entrepreneurs and chairs their new membershipcommittee. These Guilds are an ancient institution which go back1000 years and were vital to the success of the City of London.

Shernaz chairs the UK Chapter of the World Zarthushti Chamber ofCommerce and is also a judge of the Women of the Future Awardsin the UK and Southeast Asia.

Full information available on : https://www.london.gov.uk//about-us/mayor-london/behindeverygreatcity

Shernaz Engineer on the List of 100 Women on the Mayor ofLondon»s «Hidden Credits Campaign»

q

Prof (Dr) Zenobia Nadirshaw MBE is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with a 44 year track recordof working in the National Health Service in Britain for people with Learning Disabilities and forpeople with mental health problems. She has contributed at national, international and Europeanlevel regarding the Double discrimination suffered by people with learning disabilities as well aspeople with mental health problems coming from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. She hasspoken vociferously about the need for the psychology profession and its discipline to move awayfrom its overwhelming white, western bias to a more culturally appropriate service. Through theunderstanding of the needs of vulnerable groups, Dr Nadirshaw has also made a significantcontribution in the training of psychologists and other related mental health professionals. She alsoacts as an external examiner for four university courses in Clinical and Counselling psychology. DrNadirshaw has won several Awards over the course of the years with a City of London Award in2016 and the latest one being the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in Her Majesty, The QueenʼsNew Yearʼs Honours List for 2019. WZO is proud to have her on the Managing Committee and forher attributes given to society. q

Professor Zenobia Nadirshaw MBE

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cause. Please do share this campaign withas many people, as he could use all thesupport of the community.

Burzin though still young, is an achieverboth academically and athletically, but thishas not been enough for him. He decided tobecome a Navar through choice, in 2008, atthe Vachha Gandhi Agiary in Mumbai. Whenasked why he decided to go down this path,he wrote: “My primary reason for becominga Navar was not out of duty, rather thatperforming ceremonies and being a mobedwill give me a greater sense of spiritualitythat is fulfilling. Naturally, the consequenceof becoming a Navar gave me theopportunity to serve my community in waysmy peers could not, and I feel it is my dutyto do so, continuing till my last breath.”

As of now, Burzin plans on joining the NavalOfficer Training Corps at UT Austin tobecome, hopefully, an aviator after college.

Regardless of where he settles down oneday, he is fully dedicated to continuing toserve the Zarathushti community as a priestand an active member. He also hopes thathis peers will continue with him inpreserving Zoroastrian-ism throughout theWest, as its time for the youth to rise and filltheir elders’ shoes.

Burzin Balsara – Student, Navar & Cyclist in Training

Burzin Balsara a 19-year old, is aFreshman at the University ofTexas at Austin studyingMechanical Engineering in the

Cockrell School of Engineering’sEngineering Honors Program.

In high school, his accomplishmentswere vast from competing at nationalspeech and debate tournaments to firstand best of category at the IntelInternational Science and EngineeringFair (ISEF), which yielded multipleawards, including the naming of a minorplanet (34599) “Burzinbalsara” in hishonour. He and his partner, Malav Shah,created an electric wheelchair system

that used a concept known aselectrooculography to translate a user’s eyemovement to wheelchair control. Thisenables severely disabled individuals tohave independent mobility.

Additionally, he is a member of theLonghorn SAE Formula One Racing teamand a rider in training for Texas 4000, thelongest annual charity bike ride from Austin,Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. He is riding inhonour of the science fair teacher that firsttook him to Intel ISEF and continues tosupport him, all the while battling anaggressive form of lung cancer. He aims toride from Texas to Alaska in solidarity withher fight. He rides for HOPE for a cancerfree world, CHARITY to fund research, andthe dissemination of KNOWLEDGE of life-saving cancer prevention information.

Burzin has been in fundraising for the ridesince the beginning of this year and willbegin training in the fall for this arduousand challenging ride as it entails 4000+miles in 70 days. The ride will begin onJune 1, 2020, and end in Anchorage, Alaskaon August 9th. Do go to his page bit.ly/burzin2alaska and further information on theride is available on https://www.texas4000.org/rider/2020/unassigned/burzin-balsara/ Readers and friends maywish to donate any sum towards this worthy

Electric wheelchair using electroculography


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q

On March 28, 2019, Arashasp Shroff wasawarded the Ontario Hostelry Institute’s Top30 Under 30 award. This year’s Top 30Under 30 class, featured over 150nominations from rising stars across theprovince, where winners are individualsfrom all segments of the hospitality andfoodservice industry who exemplifyexcellence and represent its future. Leadersin their fields, these individuals go out oftheir way to be the ‘best of the best’ not onlywithin their profession, but through theirwork in education, mentoring andvolunteering their time to improving theindustry.

Arashasp is currently a restaurant managerand sommelier at the CN Tower, overseeingthe beverage programme and restaurantoperations. He moved to Toronto, where heestablished himself as a leader in theindustry, graduating top of his AdvancedBeverage Management program, andaccepting the Wines of Spain award.

Minor planet (34599) Burzinbalsara in the stratosphere

Arashasp Shroff - a rising star

This young man has also played a vital rolein the re-creation of the WZCC TorontoChapter which will be hosting their thirdmeeting on April 12th this year. Arashasp isthe Secretary of the Chapter. In addition tothis, he sits on the Professional AdvisoryCommittee for the Advanced Wine andBeverage Program at George Brown and isworking on establishing a mentorship andnetworking group for young hospitalityprofessionals. q

L to R: Katrin Zeuner, incoming president, Arashasp, BruceMcAdams current president of OHI.

Shroff on ticker tape on CN Tower

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You will never know your limits untilyou push them” begins Adil S.Nargolwala, 49-year-old GurgaonCorporate Executive who has the

unique distinction of being the first personfrom India to finish Marathons on all sevenContinents of the World, run all the sixmarathon majors as well as finish anIronman 70.3 triathlon. What is even moreremarkable is that he ran the last two races– Punta Arenas in Chile and the WhiteContinent Marathon in Antarctica in January2019, back to back in a span of three days,with a broken left hand.

“I didn’t run much in the first six years fromJanuary 2009,” reveals the Marathon man.”My story of scheduled running began in2015 when I visited New York to run theNew York marathon my first big internationalmajor. At the marathon EXPO I realizedthere were five others (Boston, Chicago,London, Berlin & Tokyo) – it was a series.On my return with my wife I excitedly beganplanning to participate in all of them. Myinterest in running increased and I also ran

many local runs in Delhi andacross India in cities likeLucknow, Amritsar,Kathgodam, Jaipur,Ahmedabad, Kolkata,Shillong, Poona, Alibaug,Goa, Pondicherry, Madras,Bangalore, Ramnagara,Shimla, Ladakh, Spiti. Today Ihave finished over 250 eventsin 10 years which includecycling and triathlons too,“ headds with pride.

The dedicated runner alsoholds the Limca Book ofRecords distinction for havingrun the maximum number ofevents in a year – 60 runs in

52 weeks in 2017-18. These include anUltra marathon, marathons, half marathonsetc.

Adil is a “Triple Randonneur”. He has cycled200, 300, 400, 600 kms every year for threeyears. This honour was bestowed on him bythe Cycling Club of Paris, France. Havingachieved the International rank of “Ironman70.3” for swimming 1.9 kms, cycling 90kms, running 21.1 kms in 8.5 hours in 2017in Turkey, Adil is now undergoing training tocompete in the Ironman 140.6 challenge inSweden in August 2019.

After summitting MtKilimanjaroMarathon inTanzania, Adilcompleted theKilimanjaromarathon in Moshi,Tanzania and theGold CoastMarathon inAustralia in 2018.Expectedly, theevent in Antarcticawas his biggest running challenge yet!

About 51 participants took part in thismarathon and all completed successfully.For Adil it was paramount to complete,despite all odds, rather than concentratingon gaining a good time and place.

“I used to swim in cold water during thecoldest time of the day, but the harshconditions of freezing temperatures inAntarctica was impossible to prepare for,”confesses Adil. To prepare myself to bementally strong, I spoke to marathoners togain from their experiences,” he adds.

The runner suffered a broken hand fivedays before he was to depart for theAntarctica race, putting his entire plan injeopardy. But, keeping in mind the training,planning and financial commitment he hadalready made for the attempt, he left on thetough journey to Antarctica, nevertheless.After a bout of illness following his 60-hour

Adil S Nargolwala - The Marathon Man

by feroza jassawala

“

During his meeting with PM Modi, Adilshowed his 6 major certificate and medal


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At Antarctica

timing, course control. Nevertheless, ourraces still don’t compare to the world majorsespecially in city and crowd support.

“Running abroad is expensive. One mustalso adjust to the time difference andsurroundings, weather etc.,” explains theaccomplished athlete.

Running is an effort of the training you putin. You learn to regiment your lifestyle,nutrition and maintain discipline. To raise hislevel of endurance and training recently, Adilbegan a training schedule with his coach inAustralia and monitored by his trainers inGurgaon. The schedule consists of running,cycling, swimming and gym training foraround 20 hours every week. This schedulewill increase as he prepares for the Ironman140.6 challenge in August 2019.

Nargolwala is equally passionate about hiswork career. He heads the Talent Acquisitionfunction at WNS Global services Pvt Ltd, alarge BPM company headquartered inMumbai with offices across the globe. “Myjob is to hire 12,000+ people, so I travel 15-20 days in a month. But I never miss mytraining sessions, even if it means trainingfrom 4am and then rushing to the airport at7am!’’ he reveals, candidly.

journey to Punto Arenas, the southernmostpoint of South America, the organisers ofthe run took the group on a chartered flightto the White Continent. On landing, thegroup had to walk 3kms to the starting pointand immediately begin the race.

“The infection, fever, congested lungs maderunning and breathing very difficult. Then itbegan to snow. At subzero temperatures,overall 2200 feet of elevation and rockygravel, running was a real challenge,” heexplains.

Just three days after this exhausting run,Adil ran his second marathon – the final ofseven continents in Punta Arenas, Chile.

“You need to keep pushing yourself, or youstagnate. So, this was the next big challengefor me,” he states as a matter of fact.

The running scene in India has undergone asea change in the last few years. Runs arehappening throughout the countryeven in small towns. Promoters whoorganize large sponsored events in Indiaare professional in the execution ofmarathons and organize a good race withall facilities like water and nutrition stations,

L to R : Son Shaun, Adil, Rinchen, Son Jahan

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q

Adil Nargolwala was born in Delhi on 31August, 1969 to Shiavax and NergishNargolwala. Shiavax Nargolwala was adistinguished ICS officer of his time who retiredas Finance Secretary. He was the President ofthe Delhi Parsi Anjuman for 26 years and wasinstrumental in consecrating the ShirinbaiKatrak Dar-e-Meher (Fire temple) which servesthe Parsi community even today.

“Adil is mentally very strong. He fulfillswhatever goals he sets out to achieve withgrit and determination,” reveals RinchenNargolwala, Adil`s wife of 29 years. Sheshares her husband‘s passion for travellingand running and first introduced Adil tomarathon running. “We make a holiday ofeach running event Our Runacation of10-15 days included drives across the US,Germany, Australia etc. We try to mixrunning and holidaying,” say the coupleenthusiastically.

Adil is a passionate family man. Heconfirms it is Rinchen‘s support whichenables him to pursue his goals. Though hehas limited time with the family, he tries toensure Sunday is an activity day with sons,Jahan and Shaun. While Jahan afterfinishing his Masters degree is a marketingand branding executive with brandingcompany Yaap in Delhi, younger son Shaunis an under graduate student.

Shaun shares his parents’ love foradventure and the outdoors, and partnershis father in running half-marathons inDelhi. He is one of India‘s youngest “SuperRandonneur” at 17 years of age.

Adil steadfastly continues his family‘stradition for community service. He iscurrently the Vice President of the DelhiParsi Anjuman, where he has activelyserved as a Trustee for 27 years.

“I have been blessed to be able to serve ourcommunity in Delhi where for the past 40+years we have lived harmoniously and beenprogressive in our outlook,” concludes thehardworking capitalist who is actually inheart a socialist, revealing a passion notjust for sport but also for the community.

Feroza Cushrow Jassawala holds a MastersDegree in Business Economics from herhometown, University of Madras. She beganher career as a Publisher of Children’s books.Currently based in New Delhi, she has beena successful fundraiser and event organizerfor the Delhi Parsi Anjuman since 2015.Feroza enjoys writing for Publications,covering events and personalities in Delhi.


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Sports in general and football inparticular have been a passionateand integral part of my life, rightfrom my childhood,” begins the

ever-affable Novy Kapadia, football guru,Sports commentator-analyst and author,acknowledged as Asia`s leading footballexpert.

Born in Delhi on 2 April, 1952 to Soona andMinoo Kapadia, Novy‘s early life was spentin the comfortable environs of the Kapadiajoint family in, Chabigunj near KashmereGate in Old Delhi. The area had vast openfields where the young student first beganplaying football with the local boys.

Novy schooled at the prestigiousSt Colomba’s School and completed his BAEnglish Honours degree in 1973, MA Englishin 1975 and MPhil in Literature thereafterfrom St Stephen’s College, Delhi.Concurrently, he played in the Delhi FootballAssociation League, starting with UnionFootball Club as a fourteen year old andscoring his first league goal in 1967 at theage of 15 years, President’s Estate and laterYoung Bengal Association (YBA) in hisstudent years. He was captain of YBA in1974-75 and was also Captain of the StStephen’s College Football team and playedfor Delhi XI and the Delhi University teams.

Novy launched his own Football club –Ashoka Football Club in 1971 and begancoaching young players for the DelhiLeague. The club was based in NewRajinder Nagar where the family had shiftedin 1969. It was initially a colony based clubbut gradually young players from all overWest Delhi joined this club, which earned areputation as a nursery for developing youngtalent. He also coached the Delhi Sub JuniorFootball Team in 1984-85 and the DelhiUniversity football team in 1980-81.

In 1977, Novy began his teaching career inSGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University. He

retired as Associate Professor andConvener of the Department of English ofthe college after a distinguished career of40 years in April 2017. The academicianundertook several University and CollegeAdministrative duties during his tenure withthe Delhi University. Most notably, he wasthe Deputy Procter, University of Delhi from2003-2010; Member of the Apex Committeeof Delhi University for Prevention of SexualHarassment from 2006-2009; Councillor forAdmissions to Delhi University 2003-2016and Member of the University‘s CentralPlacement Cell 2008-2017. He was also aMember of the Sports Board of DelhiUniversity from 2010 and member of theSports committee of his College for nearly40 years.

Kapadia‘s career in sports journalism andcommentary began in 1980. However thisgot accelerated during the 1982 AsianGames in Delhi when commentators wererequired for various sports events whichwere being conducted. Initially NovyKapadia was a regular football and hockeycommentator on All India Radio. However inthe summer of 1982 he was trained at theNational Institute of Sports, Patiala on thebackground and rules of several Olympicsports. Trial commentaries were also heldthere and this workshop added to hisrepertoire and reputation. He didcommentary for several sports in the 9th

Asian Games in Delhi in 1982.

In 1980 he was in Calcutta as acommentator for the Federation Cupfootball tournament. After the semi finalmatch between East Bengal and PunjabPolice, Novy went to the ground to speak toManjit Singh, former captain of India, whohe knew personally and had played againstin university matches. Ajay Kumar deputyeditor of Sportsworld magazine of theAnanda Bazar group, Calcutta, spotted thisand next day traced which hotel whereNovy as staying and asked him to come to

Novy Kapadia - The Football Guruby feroza jassawala

“

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the ABP office at Prafulla Sarkar Street.Ajay was also from St Stephens Collegeand knew of Novy’s passion for football.Ajay made Novy write a profile on ManjitSingh, with focus on the conversation theyhad at the ground (Eden Gardens stadium).This article launched Novy‘s successfulcareer as a Sports Journalist. Later whenthe ABP group launched their English dailyThe Telegraph, Ajay and the editor MJAkbar asked Novy to work as a stringerform Delhi.

So from 1982 onward Novy worked as botha lecturer at SGTB Khalsa College,University of Delhi and in the evenings as asports journalist with The Telegraph andSportsworld magazine (which was thenedited by the late Nawab of Pataudi). Heworked as Sports Correspondent for TheTelegraph from 1982 -2005 and forSportsworld from 1980-2000 (when themagazine closed down). His journalismcareer took off from 1982 onward. In 1983he became Editor of the Durrand Annual,India’s only statistical Football journal.“Working 12-14 hours a day – as anacademic during the mornings and earlyafternoon till about 3pm and journalist andcommentator later in the day, left me notime for socializing” , comments soft spokenKapadia, whose smile is characteristic of hispersona. “Maybe this is the reason Iremained unmarried as I devoted my lifeand time in my youth to enjoying my sport –playing, commentating and writing on it,” hefurther confesses.

With the coming of satelite TV to India in the1990s, Novy became a regular TVcommentator with Star Sports and ESPN,mainly on football and also continued towork for Doordarshan and AIR. He soonbecame a sought after bi-lingual (Hindi andEnglish) studio expert on sports shows ofNDTV, CNN-IBN (now CNN-News 18),Headlines Today (now India Today TV), ZeeNews, Zee Sports, Lok Sabha TV andseveral other channels.

At present, Novy is a football and sportscolumnist with The Asian Age, The Week,Deccan Chronicle, The Sportstar and

consultant to the Limca Book of Records.He won the Wills Award for Excellence inSports Journalism in 1986 for his articleThe Other Side of the Medal published inOctober 1984 in the Business Standard(business newspaper of the ABP group) andlater in The Telegraph.

Novy has commentated and coveredseveral reputed international sports eventsincluding the World Cup in 1982 in Spain,Italy 1990, USA 1994, France 1998, Korea-Japan in 2002, Germany 2006, South Africa2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 all theEuropean Championships from 1992onward, Asian Games from 1982-2018,Olympic Games 2000, 2008, and 2012,Commonwealth Games from 1998-2018,World Cup Hockey Tournaments, SAFGames and the Champions Trophy Hockeytournaments. He is also a studio expert onthe popular Kick-off and Football Extrashows on the Sony Ten network in India.Novy was a member of the Monitoringcommittee of the Union Ministry for Sportsand Youth Affairs in 2014 and 2018 to selectcandidates for the Dronacharya and DhyanChand awards for National Sports Coaches.

As an avid reader of autobiographies,history, sports and fiction, the author revealsanother hobby. “From my young days, I haveread 10-12 newspapers daily. Earlier I usedto travel to the British Council at least once aweek, to read the British newspapers butnow I read them on my computer,” he adds.Novy is the author of over 36 researchpapers in Literature printed in reputedjournals. Some of his scholarly articles onfootball have been published abroad. Themost renowned is Triumphs and Disasters:The Story of Indian Football, 1889-2000published in Soccer In South Asia Empire,Nation, Diaspora, edited by Dr Paul Dimeoand Dr James Mills, Frank Cass, London,September 2001, p 15-41.

Since 2014 he has written three books onfootball. His book Barefoot to Boots – TheMany Lives of Indian Football published byPenguin was released by the President ofFIFA, Gianni Infantino in Kolkata during theU-17 World Cup in October 2017. This is


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the first book in India to deal with the legacyof Indian football from 1888-2017. Hisearlier books, The Football Fanatic`sEssential Guide, A History of the World Cup1930-2014; reprinted with additionalchapters as The Football Fanatic’sEssential Guide to the 2018 World Cup;Enduring Legacy – Parsis of the 20thcentury - Volume 4 - Sports and Cricket(2006); Sporting Legacies in India: MohunBagan`s 1911 Football Victory vs OlympicHockey Medals (2015) are consideredclassics in the field of Sports literature.

“Writing books in literature was the demandof my teaching profession,” explainsKapadia. So besides publishing scholarlyarticles he wrote and edited books on Parsiliterature. As he said, “Parsi poets like KekiDaruwalla; novelists like Bapsi Sidhwa,Dina Mehta, Nergis Dalal, Firdaus Kangaand Rohinton Mistry have greatly influencedme to specialize in Parsi literature.”

Kapadia‘s significant works in this categoryare novels of Bapsi Sidhwa (1996), TheParsis Madyan to Sanjan - An Appraisal ofEthnic Anxieties reflected in Literature(1997); Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy-Man: AWorkbook (2000), Parsi Fiction Volumes 1and 2 (2001) and a Foreword in ParsiCommunity and the Challenges ofModernity, a Reading of Rohinton Mistry’sFiction by Vibhuti Wadhawan (2014). Hislatest research article Love and Politics inDina Mehta’s And Some Take a Lover waspublished in a Sahitya Akademi publicationParsi Contribution to Indian Literature editedby Dr Coomi Vevaina of Mumbai Universityand released in February 2019.

Interest in Parsi literature led to philosophicquestions about the Zoroastrain religion.“Our Zoroastrian religion is very fascinating.The ideas of choice, positive thinking, doingcharitable deeds, ethical philanthrophy – allstems from our unique faith,” professesKapadia.

“Journalism helps to build oneself. One hasto adhere to a deadline, create self-discipline and engage with words,” revealsthe maverick writer and commentator. “One

also begins to think with clarity and improvevocabulary and expression,” he specifies.Highlighting the difference between radioand TV commentary, Kapadia explains,“Radio is descriptive, while on televisionone comments on what is on vision on thescreen and you add to the picture. The newtrends in commentary are to provide latestinformation, judicious comparisons, expertopinion and analysis.”

The energetic 67-year-old footballer showsno signs of slowing down. “My future plansare to do commentary in English and Hindion TV Channels, football shows on TV, helpchronicle the history of Parsis in North Indiafor a book being brought out by the DelhiParsi Anjuman and give lectures and attendseminars on sports, literature andjournalism.”

“My passion for training and experience insports and journalism, my good memory toremember lesser known facts and statistics,to read and remember about players andthe sport, my special analysis withhumorous anecdotes and historicalreferences to make strong connections,give me an added edge in my profession,”concludes Novy Kapadia with pride. q

Novy Kapadia and Rajdeep Sardesai displaying theirfootball and cricket books respectively at JaipurLiterature Festival 2018.

Novy Kapadia

Feroza Jasawala’sprofile is on p 88

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Readers of Hamazor havepreviously been informed of thecourageous lifesaving acts of themembers of the Karachi Parsi

community in the heroic handling of the PanAm hijacking incident and the brutal murder

of Pan Am Aviation Mechanic, MeherjeeKharas (Hamazor, Issue 2/2016, pp33-39; Issue 3/2016, pp38-39).

There is yet another Parsi whose criticalparticipation in the rescue missionremains to be revealed.

Soon after the hijacking, Cawas Daruwalla,a Supervisor of Telephone Services at theUS Consulate in Karachi, was hauled earlyfrom his bed and pressed into service byConsulate officials. His complexassignment was to immediately establishthree secret Hot Lines of communicationsbetween the Consulate, the Pakistan

Government in distant Islamabad, andKarachi Airport. He sprang into action andworked closely with the Inspector General ofTelecommunications in Islamabad, afterobtaining a direct Order from the President ofPakistan. Despite the lack of an up to datetelecommunications infrastructure in Pakistanand an antiquated telephone system in theConsulate, Cawas and his staff miraculouslypatched together a triangulated network by8:15 am that morning. Cawas’ highlytechnical handiwork done under the urgencyof the grave situation provided importantcommunications channels utilized during theattempts to resolve the hijacking situation.

Highly impressed by his work, within a weekof the incident a high US official who hadarrived from Washington DC offered Cawasthe opportunity to migrate to the US and takeup a job there. Cawas could not then avail ofthe offer, but later after 31 years of service hearrived in the country under the sponsorshipof the US Government. Cawas now lives inAlbuquerque, New Mexico, with his wifeFarida, and their children and grandchildrenare spread out in other parts of the country.

An End-Note to the Pan Am Hijacking Incident

United States Department of StateWashington D.C. 20520

September 23, 1986

Mr. Cawas DaruwallaTelephone SupervisorAmerican Consulate GeneralKarachi, Pakistan

Dear Mr. Daruwalla:Ms. Florence has provide me with a full accounting of thecritical role that you and your staff played during the PanAmhijacking incident in Karachi. Your work with the PTT inarranging direct lines to both the airport and to the Embassyin Islamabad on such short notice was extremely impressive.According to Ms. Florence you always seemed to beavailable when needed. Clearly your dedication set a tonefor the whole section which willingly worked long hours.Thank you for your invaluable cooperation and efficiency ata time when it was much needed.

Sincerely,(signed)

Robert C. Ribera,Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications

cc: CPO - Ms. Florence

q

Cawas was interviewed by Kersi Shroff of Derwood,Maryland, USA in February of this year for Hamazor.

Cawas was awarded meritorious serviceand cash awards from the US Consulate,which noted that he supervised a staff ofeight telephone specialists. A GroupMeritorious Honor Award given to Cawasreferred to “his sustained performance ...under most trying conditions.” In that Award,the US Ambassador to Pakistan, William BMilam, stated: “I strongly recommend that[Cawas] and his family be given an SIV[Special Immigration Visa] as soon aspossible.”

Hamazor is pleased to reproduce below aLetter of Commendation received by Cawasfrom the US Department of State,Washington DC, regarding his “critical role”in the hijacking incident.


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The delight of perusing a goodcookbook is that it takes onebeyond the mere recipeinstructions and into the realm of

culinary history and ethnography. NilouferMavalvala’s second cookbook, ‘The Worldof Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’,encompasses all these qualities, andhence, it is a definitiveParsi referencecookbook for bothgastronomy buffs andfood anthropologistsalike.

The book ismeticulously puttogether with an arrayof high resolutionphotographscomplementing thewritten recipes. Theinstructions on how toprepare are detailedyet written in simpleand understandablelanguage that even themost timid home cookwould be able tomaster. Plus, the‘Tips’ on the uniquenuances in preparingeach item are veryuseful. This ispresented in tandem with a visual glossaryof ingredients, the preparation process in aseries of images, followed finally by thepicture(s) of the completed and garnished,‘ready to serve’ item. Hence, ‘The World ofParsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ wouldbe of much value in the kitchens ofprofessional chefs as well as amateurgastronomic hobbyists.

Yet, what makes this book truly interestingis that each recipe is prefaced with anexplanation of the Parsi cultural practicesassociated with the food, many a time its

nutritional value and its origin, often tracingthe recipe’s journey from its birth in Persiato the Indian Subcontinent.

Similar to the French, the Parsis too are afood-focused people. There is a menu forevery occasion, and an occasion for everymenu. While mere eating is an

indispensablehuman activity,feasting on asumptuous mealprepared in themost exacting wayis a cultural trait.Ordinarily, and incelebrations, Parsisare known fordevouring lavishbreakfasts, lunchesand dinners. In away, the Parsiculinary culturereflects the industryand prosperity thissmall communityhas enjoyed forcenturies on theSubcontinent, eversince they landedon its shores asrefugees fromPersia.

To highlight the gastronomic ethos of theParsi community, Niloufer, in the ‘The Worldof Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’,has thematically grouped the chapters,starting with ‘Mamaiji nu Pinjru ~ Grandma’sPantry’. The recipes in this section arerarely found in other cookbooks for they aremore like family heirlooms that have orallycome down from one generation to the next.However, with mass exodus of Parsis fromthe Subcontinent to the Gulf countries,Europe, North America and Australasia,these uniquely Parsi culinary foods aregradually heading towards extinction.

‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’

a review by dinshaw patel

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‘Mamaiji nu Pinjru’ revives theseendangered foods which are mainlyaccompaniments, such as uniquely Parsistyle preserves, pickles, chutneys andspreads. And without these condiments, notraditional Parsi meal would feel complete.For instance, ‘Murumbo –Sweet White Gourd Preserve,’though a staple spoonfulcompanion with several Parsidishes, is slowly disappearingfor those who have migratedfrom the Subcontinent.Although, at first glance, itemsfrom ‘Mamaiji nu Pinjru’ mayseem a bit intimidating by thesheer traditional aurasurrounding their names,following Niloufer’s cookinginstructions makes thispreserve easy to prepare andstill as deliciously authentic asfrom Grandma’s Pantry.

Similarly, there are severalrecipes under each of the othergroupings, such as ‘MithhuMohnu ~ To Sweeten the Palate’,‘Tarkari nay Daar ~Vegetablesand Pulses’, ‘Jhinga Machi ~Seafood’ and ‘Murghi anay Gos ~Chicken and Meat.’

There is much in the book tosatisfy all diets, including lacto-ovo-pescatarian and vegan.Moreover, in the introduction,Niloufer often cites thenutritional value of theparticular food.

‘The World of Parsi Cooking:Food Across Borders’ soars onthe quality and quantity of itsrecipes. Niloufer, in everyrecipe, emphasizes theimportance of attaining theperfect sweet and savory blend to fullygratify the receptors of the traditional Parsipalate. As she herself aptly puts it;“Tikkhu-Khattu-Mitthu” (Spicy-Sour-Sweet)is considered the Holy Trinity of Parsicooking, and perfecting its balance is the

key between mediocrity and perfection inany Parsi dish.

Niloufer Mavalvala, (nee Wania) was bornand raised in the cosmopolitan port city ofKarachi, which offered a mosaic of ethnic

cuisines cooked with freshingredients and meats easilyavailable from both land andsea. Moreover, she grew upin a household with expertcooks. Her mother was herprimary guide and inspirationtowards her early culinaryeducation;“My mum Shireen in her ownright is an outstanding chefwho only believes inperfection ... It is with herinfinite knowledge andnurturing that I am able to dowhat I do best.”

Another influence in theWania household was heraunt, Villie Mehta. As anexpert on Parsi cuisine, shewas very instrumental in “...popularising the food of theParsis at Victory Stall, theTime & Talents Club.” InNiloufer’s own words;“She (Aunt Villie) has beenmy inspiration. Sharing ourpassion for food, teachingand experimenting with newingredients, she has helpedme in so many ways.”

Niloufer sums up theinfluence her two culinarymentors had on helping herto excel in her career ingastronomy;“My mother and my Aunt Villiehave been the two greatestinfluences. Mum for teaching

me the finer points of cooking with exactingmeasurements and always pushing metoward excellence. My aunt teaching me theimportance of not wasting any part of thefruit, vegetable or meat and being able tocreate through the mind’s palate.”

P h o t o g r a p h sappearing in thebook by WilliamReavellhttps://www.williamreavell.com/


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And at her parent’s home lavish lunch anddinner parties were a norm for, as shementions;“No one ever left our home without sharinga meal... . A perfect hostess (Niloufer’smother), she loved to entertain and alwayscreated different menus for every dinnerparty she ever had.”

From an early age Niloufer took keeninterest in cooking. It was her passion toshadow her elders in the kitchen while theyprepared exquisite meals, working theirhands in precision with the skills they hadacquired from their seniors.

Hence, Niloufer’s culinary training andworkshop were in her own home kitchenand it is here through her natural talent, aninnate passion for gastronomy, and sheerperseverance, that she became a trulyautodidact chef.

Under the vigilant supervision of her elders,Niloufer, by her mid-teens, had mastered allthe necessary cooking skills and knowledgeto comfortably perform at all levels of herkitchen’s ‘brigade de cuisine.’ By the ageof seventeen, she had become sufficientlyproficient in culinary skills to independentlyhold her first cooking class.

Although ‘The World of Parsi Cooking: FoodAcross Borders’ exclusively focuses onParsi cuisine, Niloufer’s culinary repertoireextends far beyond the periphery of Parsi orIndian foods. From childhood, Niloufer hastravelled extensively around the world and,in the midst, her keen interest ingastronomy has led her to understand andlearn about food cultures from variousregions of the world. Hence, it is notsurprising that several of her cookbooks,recipe blogs and cooking demonstrationshave an international flare to them. Viewingsome of the titles of e-books (for example -Persian Fusion, Moroccan, French Bistro,Spanish Tapas, Winter - A party menu,Soups, Autumn - A fun menu, Gluten Free,etc.), it becomes evident that her expertisein food culture extends far beyond theborders of the Subcontinent. Even herexperiential cooking classes offered from

her own home kitchen takes one on a globaljourney, such as, Chicken in mustard andbalsamic, Mussels in a smoked salmoncream sauce, Harira soup, hors d’oeuvretidbits and much more from all corners ofthe world. In addition, she frequently writeson gastronomy for the Huffington Post andother magazines. Niloufer also maintainsmuch presence on social media with foodrelated articles and recipes which has afollowing of over half a million readersinternationally. She has appeared onseveral television food shows and recentlygave a cooking class to “forty enthusiasticfoodies” at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu,in the UK.

With all this knowledge and experience,Niloufer Mavalvala has become acelebrated chef and an authority on Parsicuisine.

Her first cookbook, ‘The Art of ParsiCooking; reviving an ancient cuisine’(2016), was extremely well received withexcellent reviews and continues to remainin print. Between the two books no recipesare replicated and, while ‘The World ofParsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’focusses on recipes for special occasions,her first book has mainly recipes on whatParsis eat on a daily basis.

Both, ‘The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving anancient cuisine’ (2016) and ‘The World ofParsi Cooking: Food Across Borders’ (2019)complement each other and, if NilouferMavalvala in the future decides to combinethe two books and arrange themalphabetically into one, it would truly be thefirst encyclopedic compendium of Parsirecipes, beginning with ‘Akuri’ from the firstbook and ending with ‘Zereshk Berry Palau’from the second book.

‘The World of Parsi Cooking: Food AcrossBorders’ is sold for USD 30. For furtherinformation on retail outlets selling the book,visit Niloufer Mavalvala’s web page; http://www.nilouferskitchen.com

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Dinshaw Homi Patel wasborn in Karachi in 1957. Hemoved to Toronto in 1974and studied literature andphilosophy at University ofToronto. For twenty-fiveyears he worked in thecorporate world and since2001 has owned an ar tgallery. He is the author of“Prison Notebook” – afiction on existential nihilism.For more information, visithis blog;www.dinshawpatel.blogspot.com

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The covers of the Hamazor have been executedby Tannaz Minwalla of Creative Unit, Karachi,Pakistan, since 2002 to date. Though running theforemost establishment in the field of design, shehas graciously done each cover within a few daysof request, and gratis, saving WZO a huge sum ofmoney.

We, the Managing Committee of WZO, and I amsure the readers too, thank her for each stunningcover submitted over the years.

To Imran Khan, Visualizer at Creative Unit, whoalways gave his best for Hamazor covers; toMuhammad Yousuf, Admin Officer and the teamat Creative Unit.

To Shahnawaz Khan, a good friend, who has beenthe go-between for the printing of the Hamazor atKarachi, purchasing the paper and making sureeach copy is as perfect as desired, from the cameraready issue given to him. Once again done gratis.

To Adam Musa & Ayaz Naseem, staff membersof Cowasjee & Sons, Karachi, who havesupervised the franking of each copy of theHamazor at the Keamari Post Office, ensuring safedelivery to the readers worldwide.

To the Keamari Post office, for their unstintedsupport during the mailing of each issue everyquarter. This office is now 106 years old, a friendlyneighbour to Cowasjee & Sons.

To the generous donors who sponsored issues ofHamazor from Issue 1 of 2009 to date, as WZOcould no longer afford to print and postpublications onwards, a service given gratis tillthen to its members worldwide.

Since 2009 :Abtin Sassanfar [Late] – Paris, France : 3 issuesAnonymous – Karachi, PakistanBehram Baxter – San Diego – USABella Tata & Zarine Dastur – Vancouver, Canada

Fali Nariman – Delhi, IndiaHappy Minwalla – Karachi, Pakistan : 4 issuesKeki Bhote [Late] – Chicago, USAKZBM & IRM – Karachi, PakistanMehroo Bhote & family – Chicago, USAMehroo Bhote & her friends – Chicago, USAMehroo Bhote & WZTF – Chicago, USA / London, UKNariman Irani [Late] – Karachi, Pakistan : 4 issuesRostam Yeganagi – USARumi & Hilda Sethna – Isle of Man – 5 issuesSmita Godrej – Mumbai, IndiaThe Firuz Madon Foundation – London, UK : 3 issuesThe Sorab and Hommie Mehta Trust – Karachi, PakistanWorld Zarathushtrian Trust Fund – London, UK : 5 issues

Specifically to these individuals who came forward to assistwith information or images whenever requested :

Arzan Wadia, editor of Parsi Khabar – USADinshaw Tamboly, chairman of The World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust – IndiaJehangir Bisney, India – who kept me updated with all the going-ons in India throughout these years.Jehangir Patel, editor of Parisana – IndiaMalcolm Deboo, president of ZTFE – UKRoshan Rivetna, past editor of the Journal – USA... and to many others

A sincere and grateful thanks to each and every onementioned above.

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Acknowledges


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Aaron Rustom – USAAban Daboo – USAAban Kekobad – New ZealandAban Rustomji – USAAdi Davar – USAAdi Merchant – IndiaAditi Sen - CanadaAditi Shah – IndiaAdrian Locher – UKAfshad Mistri – USAAli Jafarey – USAAlmitra Patel – IndiaAmbassador Jamsheed Marker – Pakistan [Late]Amina Jilani – Pakistan [Late]Amrita Gupta Singh – IndiaAnahita Dua – USAAnahita Fitter – USAAnahita Mukherji – IndiaAnahita Subedar – IndiaAnoop Babani – IndiaAnton Zykov – FranceAntonia Panaino - ItalyAnushae Parakh – PortugalAnver Alikhan – IndiaArash Karimzadeh – UKArashasp Shroff – CanadaArdeshir Anoshiravani – USAArdeshir Cowasjee – Pakistan [Late]Ardeshir Damania – USAArdeshir Marker – PakistanAritha Wickramasinghe – Sri LankaArman Ariane – USAArmita Dalal – USAArthur Pearlstein – USAAryenish Birdie – USAArzan Wadia – USAAshdeen Lilaowala – IndiaAttorney General of India, [former] Soli Sorabjee – IndiaAtul Pant – UKAudrey Munro – UKAva Khullar – IndiaAysha Ghadially – USABabak Salamaty – IranBachi Karkaria – IndiaBanoo Batliboi – India

Acknowledges the Contributors

Barbara Panvel – UKBehram Pastakia – USABehramjee Ghadially – CanadaBehroze Clubwala – USABehroze Taraporewalla – USABella Tata – CanadaBenafsha Engineer – UKBenafsha Shroff – IndiaBenaifer Bhandari – UKBenedikt Peschi – GermanyBenita Fernando – IndiaBergis Desai – IndiaBeyniaz Edulji – IndiaBinaifer Sahukar – IndiaBlair Southerden – UKBorzoo Nadjmi – USABrinda Gill – IndiaBurjor Patel – IndiaBurzin Atashband – UkraineCarol Andrade – IndiaCharles ChoiCliff JohnsonCyrus R Cowasjee – PakistanDadi Surti – UKDagmar Halff – The NetherlandsDaleara Jamasji-Hirjikaka – CanadaDanny Khursigara – Hong KongDara Patel – CanadaDaraius Bharucha – CanadaDarayus Motivala – UKDarius J Khambata – IndiaDariush Irandoust – UKDaryoush Jahanian – USADastur Kersey Antia – USADastur Khurshed Dastoor Kaikobad Dastoor – IndiaDastur Maneckji Dhalla – his writings – Pakistan [Late]Dastur Nowrooz Minochehr-Homji – his writings – India [Late]Debayani Panja – IndiaDebbie Starzynski – CanadaDeborah SmithDebra Kolah – USADeelnavaz Tarapore – USADeena Guzder – USADelshad Karanjia – IndiaDhunmai Dalal – USA [Late]

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Di Cutterham – UKDiana Dinshaw – USADiana Vania – CanadaDilnaz Boga – IndiaDilshad Patel – IndiaDina McIntyre – USADinsha Mistree – USADinshaw Avari – PakistanDinshaw Patel - CanadaDinshaw Tamboly – IndiaDinyar Mistry – AustraliaDogdau Mehta – IndiaDolly Dastoor – CanadaDorab Mistry – UKEddie Khambata – IndiaEdul Davar – USAEdul Kanga – CanadaEllen Goldberg – USAErvad Darayus Bajan – IndiaErvad Jehan Bagli – CanadaErvad Mehernosh Bhadha – PakistanErvad Ramiyar Karanjia – IndiaErvad Rostam Bhedwar – UKErvad Soli Dastur – USAErvad Tehemton Mirza – CanadaFali Nariman – IndiaFarah BalaFarah Ferozepurwalla – PakistanFarah Minwalla – USAFarah Shroff – CanadaFarah Unwalla – New ZealandFarhad Cooper – UKFarhad Fatakia – USAFariborz Rahnamoon – CanadaFarida Bamji – CanadaFarida Master – New ZealandFarishta Dinshaw – CanadaFarobag Cooper – USAFarrokh Vajifdar – UK [Late]Farroukh Isfand-Zadeh – RussiaFarroukh Jorat – AzerbaijanFarrukh Dhondy – UKFarzana Mojgani – IndiaFarzane Goshtasp – IranFehmida Khory – PakistanFereshteh Khatibi - UKFereshteh Yazdani-Khatibi – USAFeroza Jassawala – IndiaFeroza Seervai – India [Late]Ferzeen Bhadha – PakistanFirdose Vandrevala – IndiaFiroz Pestonji – AustraliaFiroze Patel – Pakistan

Frank Wong – UKFred Sarkari – USAFreny Manecksha – IndiaGalina Woodova – KyrgyzstanGodrej Dotivala – IndiaGool Rustomji, from her writings – Pakistan [Late]Goolrukh Gopta – IndiaGregory A Rixon – USAHemant Pathare – IndiaHilla Guzder – IndiaHoma Petit – IndiaHomai Modi – IndiaHomee Shroff – USAHomi Davier – USAHomi Dhalla – IndiaHomi Gandhi – USAHomi Khusrokhan – IndiaHomi Vakil – IndiaHoofrish Bisney – IndiaHormazd Siganporia – IndiaHormuzd Katki – USAHoshang Bhoot – IndiaHoshang Merchant – IndiaHufrish Taraporewala – UKIndrajit Gupta – IndiaIsphanyar Bhandara – PakistanJack Tindale – UKJahangir Oshidary – IranJalil Doostkhah – AustraliaJameel Yusuf – PakistanJames Wiener – USAJamshed Pishdadi – USAJamshed Turel – CanadaJamsheed Kanga – IndiaJamshid Zartoshti – BelarusJangoo Mistry – USAJarafshan Mistry – New ZealandJehangir Darukhanavala – USAJehangir Mehta – AustraliaJehangir Pocha – India [Late]Jenni Mehta – UKJennifer Rostami – USAJimmy Dholloo – USAJimmy Suratia – UKJimmy Suratia – UKJonathan Reynolds -Jose Luis Abreau – MexicoJubin Mama – UKJulia Irani – NorwayJune Ash – Channel IslandsK E Eduljee – CanadaKaiwan Irani / Spencer Karanjia / Godrej Umrigar – Pakistan


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Kaizer Irani – CanadaKalpana Desai – IndiaKambiz Sakhai – USAKaran Bilimoria – UKKatayoun Bekhradnia – UKKatie Bhujwala – IndiaKayomarsh Mehta – USAKeki Bhote – USA [Late]Keki Gandhi – IndiaKersi F Engineer – USAKersi Limathwalla – IndiaKersi Meher-Homji – AustraliaKersi Rustomji – AustraliaKhosro E Mehrfar – USAKhushnuma Driver – USAKimia Ravari – FranceKitayun Rustom – IndiaKobad Ghandy – IndiaKourosh Ziabari – IranLaurie Goodstein - USALouiza Rodrigues – IndiaLt Gen Adi M Sethna – India [Late]Lylah Alphonse – USAMagdalena Rustomji – USAMaharukh Shroff – IndiaMahernosh Dumasia – IndiaMahiar Dastoor – IndiaMahjabeen Sadik – CanadaMahnaz Naveed Shah – PakistanMahrukh Cama – USAMajlend Bramo – ItalyMalcolm Deboo – UKManeck Bhujwala – USAMargaret Mountford – UKMarjorie Husain – PakistanMarzban Giara – IndiaMassoume Price – CanadaMehelli Bhagalia – USAMehelli Dinshaw – PakistanMeher Amalsad – USAMeher Cawasji – PakistanMeher Gandevia Billimoria – IndiaMeher Marker Noshirwani – PakistanMeher Master-Moos – IndiaMeher Toorkey – UKMeherbanu Bakhtiary Bustani [Late]Mehernosh Shroff – IndiaMeheryar Rivetna – USAMehli Colah – IndiaMehlli Bhagalia – USAMehr Pastakia – USAMehraban Shahrvini – CanadaMehran Sephri – Iran

Mehrbanoo Bustani – Iran [Late]Mehrborzin Soroushian – USAMehroo Kotval – IndiaMichael Stausberg – GermanyMichelle Mama – CanadaMinaz Kanga – SingaporeMinocher Vakharia – PakistanMira Pawar – IndiaMishi Saran – IndiaMithi Chinoy – IndiaMithoo Coorlawala – IndiaMitra Dinyari – USAMitra Mehr – SwitzerlandMobed Ardeshir Khorshidian – IranMobed Dinshaw P Magol – IndiaMobed Kamran Jamshidi – SwedenMobed Mehraban Firouzgary – IranMobed Rostam Vahidi - USAMohammed Rajpar – PakistanMonaz Patel – IndiaMurali Menon – IndiaNaomi Bhappu – USANatalie Vania – USANauzer Bharucha – IndiaNavaz Bustani – UKNavroze Seervai – IndiaNazneen Thanawalla Spliedt – USANikan Katibi – USANiloufer Mavalvala – CanadaNiloufer Randeria – USANilufer Mama – CanadaNoshir Avari – UKNoshir Daboo – IndiaNoshir Dadrawala – IndiaNoshir Khambatta – USANoshir Lam – IndiaNoshir Umrigar – UKOnaldo Alves Pereira – BrazilPallan Ichaporia – USAParinaz Gandhi – IndiaParth Phiroze Mehrotra – IndiaParvez Damania – IndiaParvin Farin – UKParviz Tanavoli – IranPauruchisty Kododwala – IndiaPaurushasp Jila – UKPerin Divecha – UKPervin Sagar – USAPerviz Dubash – AustraliaPerzen Patel – IndiaPheroz Austin – CanadaPheroza & Late Rohinton Setna – USAPheroza J Godrej – India

Phil Sidhwa – CanadaPhilippa Minoo Vafadari – UKPhiroz Writer – IndiaPorus Dadabhoy –Pourchisty Sidhwa – PakistanProf Alan Williams – UKProf Alison Betts – AustraliaProf Almut Hintze – UKProf Anahita Sidhwa – USAProf Antonio Panaino – ItalyProf Constantine Sandis – UKProf Daniel Sheffield – USAProf Elizabeth Tucker – UKProf Farhang Mehr – USA [Late]Prof Hulmut Humbach – GermanyProf Jamsheed Choksy – USAProf Jenny Rose – USAProf Jesse Palsetia – CanadaProf John R Hinnells – UK [Late]Prof Kaikhosrov Irani – USA [Late]Prof Khanna Omarkhali – GermanyProf Mehrdad Shokoohy – UKProf Mitra Sharafi – USAProf Naheed Malbari – PakistanProf Philip Kreyenbroek – GermanyProf Rukshana Nanji – IndiaProf Sheryar Ookerjee – IndiaProf Stanley Insler – USA [Late]Prof Touraj Daryaee – USAProf Yasmine Jhabvala – SwitzerlandProf Zenobia Nadirshaw – UKRaiomond Mirza – UKRamu Ramanathan – IndiaRashid Mehin – USARashna Batliwala Singh – IndiaRashna Ghadialy – USARashna Tata – New ZealandRita Engineer – USARita J KapadiaRoeinton Khambatta – UK [Late]Rohinton Rivetna – USARonnie Screwvala – IndiaRonny Contractor – IndiaRoshan Rivetna – USARosheen Kabraji – USARoshni Rustomji-Kerns – USARostam Yeganegi - IranRubina Patel – USARuby Contractor – UK [Late]Rukhsana Lawyer – PakistanRumi Sethna – Isle of ManRusi Sorabji – USARussi Ghadiali – Singapore

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Shirin Kumaana-Wadia – USAShirin Mistry – AustraliaSimin Bharda – IndiaSimin Patel – IndiaSmita Godrej Crishna – IndiaSohrab Anklesaria – PakistanSoli Dastur – USASooni Taraporevala – IndiaSoonoo Taraporewala – IndiaSoonu Engineer – UKSudha Ganapathi – IndiaSuna Kanga – Singapore [Late]Sunnu Golwalla – PakistanSuranjith Senaratne – Sri LankaSusan Karani – USASyrus Irani – IndiaT Michael Womack – USATaj Gohar Kuchaki – IranTakeshi Aoki – JapanTanaz Khory – CanadaTarun Nanda – IndiaTeenaz Javat – CanadaTehmi Damania – USATehmus Mistry – New ZealandTehnaz Bahadurji – IndiaTenaz Dubash – USAThrity Umrigar – USATinaz Karbhari – New ZealandTooran Shahriari Bahrami – IranTouraj Daryaee – USATushna Patel – PakistanUmbereen Beg-Mirza – PakistanUsheen Davar – USAVahishta Bharucha – IndiaVahishta Canteenwalla – CanadaVeeranganakumari Solanki – IndiaVera Dinshaw Springett – USAVera Katrak – Pakistan [Late]Vera Rustomji – UKVesta Sarkhosh Curtis – UKVijay Chrishna – IndiaViraf Daroga – PakistanVirasp Mehta – Pakistan [Late]Xerxes Wania – CanadaYaaminey Mubayi – IndiaYasmin Pavri – USAYazdar Haveliwala – PakistanYazdi Parekh – Hong KongYesmin Madon – AustraliaYuchyit BhattacharjeeZaab Setna – UKZain Mavalvala – CanadaZameer Palamkote – India

Zane Byramji – USAZane Dalal – USAZareer Masani – UKZarin Shroff – PakistanZarine Boyce – USAZarrah Birdie – USAZartosht Azadi – USAZeba Vanek – USAZehra Bharucha – AustraliaZenobia Ravji – USAZerbanoo Gifford – UKZileena Doctor – Singapore

Many Authors since contributing have movedtheir locations - present ones have been given.

Similarly quite a few having contributed overthe years are no longer with us.

As Editor, I wish to thank each andevery contributor for sharing theirtime, expertise and willingness tocontribute to the Hamazor, aswithout their support 62 issueswould never have been possible.

Russi Lala – India [Late]Rustam Abdukamilov – UzbekistanRustom Birdie – USARustom Darrah – PakistanRustom Engineer – USARustom Kevala – USARuzbeh Mowdawala – IndiaSabeena Gadihoke – IndiaSaid RezaSam Balsara – IndiaSam Doctor – IndiaSam Kanga – CanadaSam Kerr – AustraliaSammy Bhiwandiwalla – UKSanaya Master – New ZealandSandeep Dahisarkar – IndiaSarika Mehta - IndiaSarosh Bana – IndiaSarosh Cooper – IndiaSarosh Manekshaw – USASasan Jahanian – USAScott Smith –Shahin Bekhradnia – UKShahpur Captain – UKShahpur Maneckji – PakistanShahriar Shahriari – USAShahrokh Mehta – USAShahrokh Shahrokh – UK [Late]Shahrokh Vafadari – UKShahrukh Khambatta – New ZealandShaista Tayabali – UKShanta Acharya – UKShantanu Das – IndiaSharath Ahuja – IndiaSharmeen Mehri – USAShavak Madon – Isle of ManShazeen Limjerwala – IndiaShazneen Munshi – UKShazneen Rabadi Gandhi – USASheeraz Wania – CanadaShekufeh Zonji – USASheri Qualters – USAShermeen Kaikobad – PakistanSherna Gandhy – IndiaShernaaz Engineer – IndiaShernaz Cama – IndiaShernaz Engineer – UKShernaz Italia – IndiaShernaz Petigara – New ZealandSherry Batliwala – IndiaShiraz Engineer – UKShiraz Patodia – IndiaShirin Ebadi – Iran

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