Chairman Saheb!

Dinshaw Mehta Takes Over As BPP

Chairman

They say when you really want something, the whole universe conspires to give it to you -- despite the conspiracies hatched against you!

Today at noon, when the newly-elected BPP Board met for the very first time, Dinshaw Mehta sat in the Chairman's seat.

We are told it was the most natural thing for him to do since he is, by convention, the rightful occupant of the position, by virtue of seniority, having completed two successful previous terms as Trustee.

BPP CEO Mehli Colah confirmed later that when the new Board met, Dinshawji was appointed Chairman.

Carrying the mandate of the community as he does, may he now lead us with the vision and the sagacity that we so sorely need.

We wish him the very best for the seven years ahead. Do you have ideas, suggestions, expectations or a road-map for the new Chairman and his team?

Post them on the blog, or email me (zfeatures@gmail.com), and I'll put them forward. This is, after all a 'People's Punchayet', voted in through Universal Adult Franchise. The community has given them its vote -- now the Chairman and his team must honour its committment to act in our best interest at all times.

BPP Gets it’s ‘Super Seven’!

From left to right: Rustom Tirandaz, Dinshaw Mehta, Khojeste Mistree, Arnavaz Mistry, Yazdi Desai, Noshir Dadrawala, Jimmy Mistry

What a historic moment for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), the apex body of the Zoroastrian community, when its new Board of seven Trustees, voted in by the first-ever Universal Adult Franchise, was declared this evening at the packed-to-capacity Banaji Atash Behram Hall.

The ‘Super Seven’ comprises Arnavaz Mistry (10030 votes), Dinshaw Mehta (6791 votes), Jimmy Mistry (6588 votes), Khojeste Mistry (5292 votes), Yazdi Desai (5101 votes), Rustom Tirandaz (4790 votes) and Noshir Dadrawala (4681 votes).

The new Board is to assume office at noon on October 23, at the BPP office at Fort. The community can now heave a sigh of relief that weeks of frenzied duelling for the seven seats is now finally over – and the life can hopefully return to normal again!

The grand finale, however, was not without its nail biting moments. Until well into the afternoon, the situation seemed static, with the same candidates in the lead, in exactly the same order. Then, slowly, once the Dadar ballot boxes were opened, the picture began changing.

Dr. Ketayun Dinshaw started slipping from seventh place, and Rustom Tirandaz (who had been at that slot a day ago) returned. Not only did he consolidate his place there, he then jumped up the queue to sixth place, putting Noshir Dadrawala at seven. Nadir Modi, who has been a respected community stalwart, and was one of the popular candidates in the reckoning, finished close behind Dadrawala at 4648 votes.

The people’s verdict is, necessarily, reflective of the people’s pulse. And there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind now that the community has given a clear vote for tradition and traditionalists.

Dinshaw Mehta and the WAPIZ duo of Khojeste Mistree and Yazdi Desai are confirmed religious conformists, as is Rustom Tirandaz, an old associate of Mehta and a former BPP Trustee.

Arnavaz Mistry is an acclaimed social worker, with her heart in the right place, and this explains the overwhelming faith placed in her with a record 10,000 plus votes. Jimmy Mistry is the new kid-on-the-block, raring to get the community going, but also a traditionalist who has affirmed “I’m 100 per cent orthodox” (in an earlier interview with your columnist).

That leaves the sole representative of the AFP in the BPP, Noshir Dadrawala. He has long been admired for his religious scholarship and writings, and for being a traditionalist, something he defended time and again during the election when his leanings were called into question.

The mood was upbeat, as the newly-elected Trustees exulted in their victory. It was especially heartening to see Khojeste Mistry and Noshir Dadrawala, whose WAPIZ and AFP, respectively, have been gunning for each other these past weeks, shaking hands and promising to work together harmoniously. Both confirmed they meant it when they said, “Let bygones be bygones.”

This is the spirit with which the new Trustees must assume office. The community has been riddled with rift, and sorely needs a healing touch. The new Board must endeavour to act cohesively, placing the interests of the community in housing, education, old age care, and welfare above petty politicking. They should also be determined to respect the people’s verdict and last out the seven-year term without drama. The community cannot afford another election.

Let’s Stop This Trustee Bashing

It’s unbecoming of an enlightened community like ours, that such humungous hatred has, in recent times, been hurled at the Trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), now in their last days in office.

Not just unbecoming but ironic too, because the most virulent and vocal of BPP bashers are today among the very people who are trying every trick in the trade to step into the shoes they have so savagely stomped upon!

But the outgoing Trustees of the BPP must have some merit, and you don’t have to believe everything you are led to, even if it comes via a so-called “shocking video film” that, not surprisingly, thrashes the Trustees (calling them “small men with no heart”) and, then, surprisingly, sidles up to two of them for support!

Lest the community forgets, it is these Trustees we have turned to over the past several years and, human lapses notwithstanding, they are, individually and collectively, men of stature, although we may not have agreed with them on everything.

The least we can do is give them a fitting farewell with a kind word for all that has been done. At least a lot hasn’t been undone, as could well be the case with some of the newcomers.

Strident campaigning is one thing, diligent delivery quite another. Blaming one’s predecessors is a tempting ploy for electioneering, but it can also be a pitfall when performance doesn’t match promise. Anyone who has any experience of working as a Trustee will affirm that it is essentially a thankless task!

More so since our community is plagued with a feed-off-the-BPP syndrome. Almost from birth, every Mumbai Parsi believes it is the BPP’s bounden duty to house him, educate him, support him, sponsor him, and then some! Anything that goes wrong in a Parsi’s life is eventually blamed on the BPP. This has to stop.

The BPP is here to facilitate the community, not to spoon feed it. Parsis have to take the onus of their lives in their own hands and stop playing the blame game, fuelled by those who ostensibly hate the BPP, but inherently harbour the ambition of being at its helm themselves!

Meanwhile, our final felicitations to Minoo Shroff, Burjor Antia, Dinshaw Tamboly, Dadi Engineer, Dinshaw Mehta and Maneck Engineer, for negotiating rocky seas, and occasionally rocking each other’s boat – but hanging in there through hell and high water, anyway!