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.

Final Results

This is the final tally of votes as polled at the BPP Elections 2008 by all 32 candidates:

1 Arnavaz Jal Mistry - 10030
2 Dinshaw Rusi Mehta - 6791
3 Jimmy Rusi Mistry - 6588
4 Khojeste Pudam Mistree - 5292
5 Yazdi Hosi Desai - 5101
6 Rustom Sheriar Tirandaz - 4790
7 Noshir Homi Dadrawala - 4681

8 Nadir Ardeshir Modi - 4648

9 Ketayun Ardeshir Dinshaw - 4601

10 Manek Hormusjee Engineer - 4224

11 Keki Minoo Mistry - 4109

12 Bomi Darasha Kavina - 3828

13 Shirin Dara Choksey - 3752

14 Muncherji Nusserwanji Cama - 3634

15 Byram Nanabhoy Jeejeebhoy - 3391

16 Phiroze Cawasji Amroliwalla - 2719

17 Danesh Kaikhushroo Nejadkay - 1622

18 Urvax Kekhashru Dhanda - 1239

19 Dr. Syrus Darvish Irani - 1211

20 Ervad Framroze Sohrabji Mirza - 1048

21 Tehmtan Jamshedji Dumasia - 935

22 Viraf Jehangir Kapadia - 924

23 Kuresh Behram Zorabi - 661

24 Darayus Behram Kabraji - 645

25 Adil Dinshaw Irani - 603

26 Er. Yezdi Pestonji Framji Panthaki - 494

27 Tehmasp Rustomji Mogul - 435

28 Farrokh Pheroze Munsiff - 211

29 Kersi Minocher Patel - 205

30 Yazdi Framroze Madon - 200

31 Cyrus Aspi Patel - 169

32 Sarosh Nadirshaw Gandhi - 164

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.

BPP Poll Counting

DAY 3, in progress
Vote counting is in progress and just post-lunch this was the tally:
1. Arnavaz Mistry - 8,398 votes
2. Dinshaw Mehta - 5,898 votes
3. Jimmy Mistry - 5,392 votes
4. Khojeste Mistree - 4,622 votes
5. Yazdi Desai - 4,460 votes
6. Noshir Dadrawalla - 4,049 votes
7. Dr. Ketayun Dinshaw - 3,912 votes

The Dadar boxes have just been opened. These are the last lot of boxes remaining, so results will finally come in later this evening. Until then...

Avhe Poll Khulech!

Results on Day 2
Counting was still progressing when this post was published, so there are bound to be changes by the time they close for the day (which, I was told, could be around 2 a.m. or even later). The Banaji Astash Behram Hall is to be vacated on Thurday morning for a wedding, one is told, so they are hurrying up to finish the counting by tomorrow evening.

The Khareghat, Rustom Baug, and Cusrow Baug boxes are all done. The votes from the Andheri boxes were being counted at the time this was written (just after midnight).

The results are as follows:
1. Arnavaz Mistry - 6410 votes
2. Dinshaw Mehta - 4646 votes
3. Jimmy Mistry - 4003 votes
4. Khojeste Mistree - 3631 votes
5. Yazdi Desai - 3509 votes
6. Noshir Dadrawalla - 3040 votes
7. Dr. Ketayun Dinshaw - 2935 votes
will keep you posted....

Avhe Poll Khulse…

Results at the End of Day 1
The moment of reckoning has arrived. At a little past two p.m. on October 20, at the Banaji Atash Behram Hall, the counting of the ballots began with the Khareghat boxes being opened first. At the end of the day, the leads were as follows:

Arnavaz Mistry – 1704 votes
Dinshaw Mehta – 1349 votes
Jimmy Mistry – 1120 votes
Khojeste Mistry – 1006 votes
Yazdi Desai – 913 votes
Shirin Choksey – 767 votes
Bomi Kavina – 756 votes

Of course, this shall be subject to change day by day, and later minute by minute. Following close on the heels are Noshir Dadrawalla (737 votes) and Dr. Ketayun Dinshaw (695 votes). The community has cast its verdict. Now, we eagerly await the unfolding results…

Why are the Parsis spoiling for a fight?

By the time dusk fell over the Dadar Parsi Colony on Sunday, some 13,500 Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians had cast their votes at the various centres where the BPP election was conducted over three weekends (all the way from South Mumbai to the suburbs). From a total of approximately 27,000 registrations, making allowances for some duplications and migrations, a ball-park fifty per cent turn out ratio is not bad at all.

The Parsis got into the mood of the moment and, mayhem apart, made sure they exercised their franchise, including the elderly and infirm, who infamously made it to the front page of the ‘Mumbai Mirror’ in an expose that shocked the community.

Clearly, this election has not brought out the best in us, and it will take us some time to live its disruptive despair down. Neither is there any sense in repeating all that repulsed us – the dirty tricks, the mudslinging, the brash money power that was flaunted in everybody’s face by any candidate who could afford to do so, the complete absence of a code of conduct – none of which should resurface at future elections.

But the whole point of problems is that their solutions should be worked upon, in as agreeable and ethical a manner as possible – and in a way that does credit to the reputation of Parsis as an educated and enlightened community.

Irreconcilable Ideologies
It is now as clear as the sky on a cloudless October morning that the community is split wide open. There are, among the various issues we are wrestling with, the predominantly pugnacious one of divisive beliefs.

Any hope of a reasonable rapprochement between the traditionalists and the reformists has been scuttled by reported incidents of intimidation and violence. Reports that came in from Dadar on Sunday were shocking, with police complaints being registered and the protagonists (key players from both factions) playing the inevitable blame game.

Since we were not eye witnesses to the incident, it becomes impossible to pass judgement, except that when prominent people get embroiled in unsavoury episodes, that involve allegations of aggression, it sends disturbing signals through the community. Most of us are, today, just befuddled bystanders awaiting the return of better sense, as the slanging bouts rage on.

But symptomatic eruptions are only manifestations of an underlying malaise. And we know what it is. When two diametrically disparate ideologies are struggling to dominate, the community is going to be continually pulled in two different directions. The vicious wear and tear of this power struggle is wearing us out, however well disguised it may be.

On the face of it, everybody in this election has committed themselves to upholding tradition and respecting the religion by rejecting conversion and cremation. Huge amounts have been spent in order to ostensibly advertise the intention to abide by the faith, because it was, perhaps, discovered that the electorate is largely conservative and not in the mood for radical reform.

So, many erstwhile agendas were quickly cloaked, as Born-Again ‘Believers’ did a ‘radical’ roundabout turn from their reformist mission and swore, no less, that personal preferences would never be allowed to impinge upon the Punchayet.

Brave words – and ones we are willing to take at face value – but it will be interesting to see exactly how these promises play out. Because if everybody is admittedly on the same ideological page, why is there so much discord?

Enlightened Leadership
Will these elections really give the community what it needs: enlightened leadership that can weld the warring factions into a working partnership? Or is this an idealistic pipedream?

Perhaps, we need to look outside of ourselves, since the global village is now a universal phenomenon. Extremism only breeds terrorism, and partnership creates prosperity. Can people with differing points of view be brought to common ground, for the greater good of the community?

Here is where we need dynamic leaders, who can rise above politics, power play and see the larger picture. The High Priests have to play a more proactive role. And, for this, the community has to respectfully solicit their guidance because on matters of religion, which are so crucial to resolving our conflicts and, in the long run, will determine our survival, there is no better authority we could defer to than the learned High Priests.

For too long have we marginalised them and, in the absence of our real leaders (the High Priests along with other right thinking elders who can chart a unifying vision), virtually anybody with a loud voice jumps up and appoints himself a wannabe leader, demanding obeisance to freely express opinions that are often absurd.

And, ultimately, if East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet, can we at least agree to live and let live? Or maybe even disagree a little more agreeably, without an obsessive desperation to dominate, because through these ongoing conflicts nobody is convincing anyone, anyway – and, eventually, we just may have to go our own separate ways. A chronically dysfunctional marriage has to end in divorce.

But, before that, can an earnest attempt at least be made to harmonise the two sides and see if we can emerge more cohesive again?

Perhaps, Dinshaw Mehta, who is, by all accounts, foremost in the reckoning as the next BPP President, and who has been recently declared by some as the Brand Ambassador for “Fevicol”, could attempt, with his new Board of Trustees, to stick together the unstuck hinges on both sides – jaraa barobar, “Fevicol” saathe!

Seriously, the new BPP Board owes to it to community to at least try and bring back some amity into our messy midst again. Before another brawl breaks out…

An ‘Independent’ Point of View

As the BPP election winds down, with the grand finale this weekend at the Dadar Parsi Colony (the bastion of the community), an interminable journey over a very bumpy road will come to a welcome halt.

But before we bound out in relief and block the bizarre shenanigans out, there are many lessons to be learnt – and it will be to our peril if we ignore them. To make some sense of the nonsense that has consumed us, will be an important exercise in self-examination. And one that will have to be undertaken, if the unique Universal Adult Franchise scheme is to evolve into a more mature exercise.

Right now, perhaps, it would be interesting to look at the elections through the eyes of a few of the independent candidates, who decided to brave the ballot brouhaha solo, for reasons best known to them, having neither the backing nor the big bucks that some of the lead players do.

The two rival groups are actually quite insulated. Despite their combative positions, and whether you or I agree with their ideology or not, the hurly burly of the election makes little or no difference to them as they have powerful, mega money-bag backers, and a well-cultivated constituency they are catering to, whose support they can count upon.

A few (very few) of the independent candidates are persons of affluent means and they, too, are well ensconced in their wealth, having the infrastructure in place to conduct a campaign that costs a lot – in terms of time, energy and money.

But what of those who are attempting to paint on a very large canvas, with a very small easel? The majority of candidates (18 according to our estimate), who are doing this more as a solitary endeavour, with rationed resources, hoping to be the dark horses who will bolt past the finishing line and find themselves favoured with victory? Well, their surprise will be as great as ours!

And while we wish each of the candidates, irrespective of affiliation or intention, the very best in this last phase of the polls, because a democratic process is so much larger than our own preferences and perceptions, we focus on a few independents, to see how the election has been treating them…

Phiroze Amroliwalla
“This isn’t my first election. I contested in 1993, when there were two vacancies and 1600 voters. I was an Independent candidate even then. I believe in being independent as I don’t like to get influenced by anybody on issues – the good of the community matters above all else. Trusteeship means not violating the trust of the community. I was among the first to pioneer Universal Adult Franchise – it was on my 1993 manifesto. It hasn’t quite worked out the way I would’ve wanted it to. I had asked for a fresh voter register, based on proof of address and identity. The BPP has merely taken the existing register, with many people who have passed away or migrated still on it, and there’s no authentic data bank available within the community regarding the electorate – their age group, professions and so on. We also don’t have a Code of Conduct.

“The liberty to spend crores affects the chances of independent candidates. My time and integrity is worth more that the crores many others have spent. I’m not a consumer product to be marketed – the way some candidates are being pitched to the public. I have 25 yrs of social work behind me. I would like to join the community in asking certain candidates, ‘What is there in the BPP board room that you are spending crores to get in?’ I have hardly spent a lakh, and feel I have overspent! It’s my own money, no donor, group or company is subsidising me. My cost per vote is hardly 10 rupees – for others it’s thousands of rupees. I’m disappointed candidates feel the need to spend so much. You must earn your votes – not buy them.”

Rustom Tirandaz
“For me, as an independent candidate, the single biggest disappointment is that a ‘dirty tricks department’ has been working overtime through the Parsi press, and they have ganged up against one man – Dinshaw Mehta. This has made me sad. But Adult Franchise is a great phenomenon. On the first day, 500 people went back without voting. I could never have imagined this happening in the past! The enthusiasm has galvanised and unified the community.

“After 41 years in public life, and after having been a BPP Trustee in the past, I need to just let people know I am in the fray today. I don’t have to give dinner, lunch and breakfast to anybody. I’d much rather not become a Trustee, if this is how it has to be done. My ball game is different. I don’t have to prove my bonafides.

“But all things said and done, Parsis have high personal integrity. The BPP employees may not be very well paid, but they have the highest integrity. Some candidates fear rigging, duplication of votes and so on, but I think our people have a conscience. Parsis don’t cheat.

“Lastly, look at how people are coming out to vote in such large numbers! This proves without doubt that the BPP is the real world body of Zoroastrians. Now, nobody can ever claim to be representing a world body because all those world bodies put together will not have 27,000 Zoroastrian members, like the BPP does!”

Urvax Dhanda
“Because there is no Code of Conduct, independent candidates like myself are facing lots problems. Since the bigger players are spending so much money, we too are being compelled to stretch our resources and are getting dragged into making exorbitant expenses over these elections. In earlier elections, this was never there.

“I am also upset with the manner in which they are conducting the elections. Pre-marked or ‘crossed’ ballot papers are surfacing. Once it can be a mistake, or even twice or thrice, but more than that and we are beginning to suspect foul play. When we bring this to the notice of the Election President, it is just dismissed.

“At Bharucha Baug, last Sunday, the box with fresh ballots papers, that should come sealed, came with the seal broken. The Election President did not allow us to do even a random check to see if the ballot papers inside were not tampered with. The attitude of the Election President is very disheartening. Right in the beginning many of us had complained about this, but no notice was taken. Independent candidates are just ignored and taken for granted. As a result, most of us have lost faith in this election – although we are fighting to the finish. Even many voters are keeping away because they wonder what is the use of coming to out vote if there could be rigging and people who haven’t been voted for end up in the Punchayet? But the good thing of being an Independent is the support one gets from the community – they seem quite fed up of the ‘groups’. ”

Dr. Kuresh Zorabi
“Having contested political elections before, since I am from the Nationalist Congress Party, I find this BPP election rather amusing. There are many malpractices. When we try to point them out, as independents, our voice is not heard. As it is, many of us find the Election President rather biased towards one group. Firstly, all campaigning should have ceased 48 hours prior to the elections. Here you have candidates almost following voters into the booths, trying to influence them, induce them, offer them food and goodies. It is like a mela!

“There was no need to take so many weeks over it, either. They should have had it over one weekend, and declared the results within a week. We have become a joke. In political circles I keep getting asked, ‘Parsi log ka election kabhi finish hoga!’ We are a small community, and our election process cannot take four weeks. People are just getting fed up – both the voters and the candidates. Whenever the elections are held next, there needs to be a proper Code of Conduct so that in the future we do a better job of the elections.”

To the Polls, the Parsis go…

And so it has come to pass that the Parsis are in the throes of the polls. America shall follow some weeks later, and the barrage of candidates, still landing up at our doorsteps, almost has us wondering whether Barack Obama might come campaigning into our baugs – loudspeaker and food packets in hand! With elections in the air, just about anything can happen. And we Parsis are quite a constituency – small in numbers, but certainly not insignificant.

The tremendous Parsi zeal to overcome the odds was in full evidence on both weekends, especially as on the first day at Khareghat Colony people stood in queues for up to three hours to validate their votes. The teething trouble miraculously vanished overnight, and thereafter all has been calm on the bawa front… Are you kidding! Not a day goes by without some squeamish skirmish.

But despite the glitches, the good thing is we’re getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. This election has really been crucial for the community, and it’s heartening to see such strong numbers coming out to give their vote and participate in a democratic exercise that will enable us to chart the course ahead.

Of course, we’re reminded of that fateful flight from Persia, over a thousand years ago, so starkly and strikingly shown on stage recently by Mallika Sarabhai in the dance drama, ‘And Then They Came to India’, courtesy Dr. Villoo Morawala Patel’s Avesthagen.

And, we wonder, as we negotiate through turbulent waters today, what would those few shiploads of our ancestors be thinking and feeling about these elections – if they could? Would they wonder whether all their hardship, their travels and travails through hell and high water, had been worth the while? After all, they too could have inter-married, converted, and adopted alternate methods of disposal then and there in Persia, and spared themselves the trouble of charting an unknown course to India. And we wouldn’t even be fighting today, divided into our contentious and combative camps, because we would have become a footnote in history as the race that committed genetic hara-kiri.

Are we on the verge of committing heretic hara-kiri, a thousand-odd years later? That would be a shame. But with the community out to vote in such large numbers, one is hopeful. What has kept us going all along, through the best and worst of times, is our unflinching faith. If we can hold on to it, as we have in the past, and make a wise choice, even as we head into the last of our ‘voting weekends’, the huge effort and expense of holding these elections will be vindicated.

Calling GenNext
The average voter profile appears to be tilting in favour of the older segment within the community. Not too many young faces are seen. What could be the reason? Is it apathy? We know of several friends and contemporaries who just never got round to getting themselves registered. Reason – too busy, not interested, plain lethargy.

Another explanation could be the miserable manner in which community elders are conducting themselves, with hate campaigns circulating relentlessly. Many young people just don’t see the point of partaking in a process that has struck such a discordant, dismal note. To enthuse the youth, the focus will have to shift from antagonism to idealism, from bitter to better agendas.

Vote for me…
Campaigning appears to be continuing almost all the way into the balloting booth. It’s amusing to see some candidates rushing to greet voters and hissing numbers at them – hoping this last ditch effort will enable a ‘cross’ to be cast in their favour.

Surely most people who’re coming in to vote have already decided who to pick, and such blatant attempts at self-promotion would be in vain? At any rate, some code of conduct should be put in place at the election venue at least.

What’s on the menu?
Trust the Parsis to turn almost anything into a party. While there are differences of opinion on everything under the sun within the community, there’s utter unanimity when it comes to eating.

Food packets are virtually being passed around along with the ballot papers. At every venue, there’s a new menu! On Sunday, at Andheri’s Bharucha Baug, there was falooda and fortune cookies, in addition to other heavy snacks. Do Parsis think better on a full stomach? You bet!

Sinners v/s Saints
In the ultimate analysis, nobody’s perfect. Yesterday’s heroes are today’s villains – and tomorrow’s heroes again – depending upon which paper you’re reading. Virtues are exaggerated and shortcomings amplified, to the point where minute molehills start resembling entire mountains ranges.

One keeps having to sift the chaff from the grain and, frankly, it’s getting exhausting. It will be a good thing when the elections conclude this Sunday. At least some overworked imaginations will get some rest – and the community a break from all the bilious bickering.

Just in jest
Apropos of a hoarding Mumbai woke up to last week – it seems it was a bit disconcerting and disappointed quite a few Parsis, who don’t particularly enjoy community matters being put out into the public domain.

To quickly paraphrase, we’re told the hoarding went – ‘Vote for AFP: Na na…’

Oops! Are we mistaken? Perhaps it was – ‘Vote for AFP: Na na… Chudasama!’

Whatever it may have been, poor Mr. Chudasama, the genial do-gooder, misguidedly got embroiled in the pot-boiler of Parsi politics. He should, at the very outset, have said Na na…

Meet Rustom Hormazdiyar: BPP's Bristling Election President!

Rustom Hormazdiyar faces the prospect of an exceptionally onerous October. As Election President for the first-ever BPP ballot by Universal Adult Franchise, he is overseeing voting, over three consecutive weekends, by the Parsi community across the city, and the eventual declaration of results by the twenty-seventh of this month.

Several issues have already arisen: his alleged partisan stance, chaos on the first day, a few pre-marked ballot papers, and no code of conduct, in the absence of which campaigning continues almost all the way into the ballot booths, smear attacks against candidates persist, and big money continues to be splashed to impress and entice voters.

In a bid to ensure that fairness and transparency is maintained throughout the election process, Rustom Hormazidiyar, although self-effacing and a confessed “introvert”, agreed to be interviewed. It must be conceded that despite the reservations of some candidates, there would be few takers for his job!

You are in the saddle again. Tell us a bit about past BPP elections…
The first time I was invited to preside over the BPP elections was in 1981. Back then, there was a movement in the Parsi community to reform electoral practices. Previously, the Trustees were elected by the ‘Sau nu mandal’ – or a group of 100 people, which was later expanded into an Electoral College.

Even in 1981 there were two rival groups, one of which was the Committee of Electoral Reforms (CER) – a radical group wanting reform within the community. At the time, B.K. Boman-Behram, the then Chairman of the BPP, appointed me Election President – he was staunchly orthodox in his views.

Jamshed Kanga and others in the CER questioned my appointment. They thought I would be prejudiced against them because Boman-Behram had appointed me, and since he was orthodox I would be orthodox too (nothing is further from the truth – I am completely modern in my views!).

That year Boman-Behram became Mayor of Bombay and the elections were very vexing – the CER made his life miserable. He got a heart attack. Caring little, the CER continued to harass him. There was an erroneous perception in the community that he was corrupt and took money for allotting flats. But Boman-Behram was a man of sterling integrity. Lady Cowasji Jehangir, who was the BPP Chairman before him, said at the felicitation held in his honour at Cusrow Baug that she firmly believed his middle name was integrity – such was her faith in him. He was venerated by all other communities except Parsis.

Why the persistent allegation that you are pro-AFP in this election?
I’ve got friends in the AFP, some of who were very anti Boman-Behram in the 1981 elections and accused me of being his man. But I am nobody’s man. I am the man picked for preserving the election’s sanctity, which has to be maintained at any cost. Boman-Behram knew I was impartial and would not take anybody’s side. Even this time when I was appointed, a lot of efforts were made to malign me, but five of the six Trustees stood by me.

Since 1981, every time there has been a BPP election, they have invited me as the Election President (except in 1993, when I was abroad). I am totally independent and refuse to take sides. I have never voted in any election, because I did not belong to the Electoral College. This June, I donated Rs. 25,000 to become a Donor Member under the new scheme, but I have no intention of voting for anybody. When they asked me what my donation was for I said jocularly: “For a crematorium at Doongerwadi!”

I have contributed to the Doongerwadi Fund because it costs a lot to consign a body at the Doongerwadi, and the fund is always in a deficit. We Parsis have become too dependent on the BPP for everything from birth to death, and expect it to subsidise our lives, while many of its Trust suffer deficits. So I thought of contributing to the Doongerwadi trust. Personally, though, I have no problems with a crematorium coming up at Doongerwadi.

How will you ensure neutral supervision of the elections in these trying times?
You cannot convincingly prove to anybody that you are honest. People jump to conclusions without any evidence. If I was supposedly partial to Boman-Behram (who was a staunch orthodox) in 1981, how can I be partial to the AFP (who are just the opposite) today? Lack of understanding and often no attempt at understanding is the root of the trouble in our community.

In 1981 I changed the counting procedure. Both Chairman Boman-Behram and CEO Anklesaria said the CER would pounce on me. I said, let them. I go by the People’s Representation Act 1951 on all points where the BPP Act is silent. A private election scheme cannot have all points covered in its Act.

Tampered ballot papers have been surfacing?
I will explain exactly what happened at Khareghat Colony (where the allegation of tampered ballot papers arose), when all 32 candidates are before me at the time of counting the ballots. We are an alarmist community. Let your conscience be the final arbiter, is what I believe in. Forget about anybody’s opinion – it does not matter to me. I am now 81-years-old, how much longer will I live? What good will tinkering with the election process do to me?

What about the safety of the ballot boxes?
They are secure in a ‘strong room’ and we have totally ensured their safety. They are sealed in the presence of the candidates, who will also be present at the time of breaking the seal open.

What process is in place to count the votes fairly and squarely?
We will conduct the entire exercise at Khareghat Colony. All the candidates will be present. People are fearing the worst and attributing motives to everybody. Even a saint would have been doubted in these circumstances. What is at stake? Seven Trustees you can get rid of seven years later – or even take to court, in the interim, if you are unhappy with their functioning. I am fed up with all this mud-slinging.

You’re obviously upset over the current allegations. But by your own admission you were attacked in 1981 also…
My conscience is clear, although I am considered to be a very eccentric Parsi! But I believe no Election President can be partisan – or he must be dropped like a hot potato. I have a track record of 28 years; nobody can match it. Prior to my retirement, I was General Manager and Company Secretary with Ahura Chemicals for 22 years. People know what I am about. But nobody is perfect, and neither am I. I have stopped expecting people to change, because I cannot change myself.

Who are the key people in your team?
I have two scrutineers, who remain in the presence of the ballot boxes all along. They guide the voters. After the election process they will help to pick out ballot papers, which are invalid. This should be done prior to the counting process, but this will be resented by some candidates. We can’t appease every one. We will follow certain practices. The computerised results, as they are counted vote by vote, will be watched by the candidates. It will take some days to count thousand of votes. Results will be declared by October 27.

How come there is no code of conduct?
Do you have to be told to behave honestly? The unfortunate part is the BPP never envisioned somebody would come out and splash such big money. Ordinarily, this is called an election malpractice. But why are so-called educated Parsis falling for it? Are they so hungry that they require a free dinner? There is an umbilical connection between Parsis and food! Yes, practises have to be framed for electioneering.

The first day fiasco upset many…
At Khareghat Colony we had restraints of space and we were slightly delayed, because of which there was a huge queue. I am sorry about that. This never happens generally. All arrangements are handled by the BPP – I’ve nothing to do with them and am not supposed to organise them. But the next day at Rustom Baug was very smooth.

Calling all Parsi Voters, Your Attention Please...

D-day is here – the first of three successive ‘voting weekends’, which will bring us our ‘Super Seven’ for the brand new BPP board! By now, much murky water has flown under the bridge and the reflections we’ve been seeing of many a candidate, courtesy the conjectures made by rivals, are rather morbid.

Not surprisingly, most Parsis are incessantly asking: Who do we vote for?

There is confusion, uncertainty and apprehension. Many people are finding it difficult to pick seven straight aces from a pack comprising quite some jokers! However, it is our contention that we should desist from getting personal.

While expressing a point of view is perfectly valid, attacking another person isn’t. Everybody is entitled to follow their own path. It’s only when this jeopardises our faith that we must protest, not against the person, per se, but against the path he/she is pushing us to pursue.

Every determined Zoroastrian who stays steadfast to the faith is Ahura Mazda’s soldier – and His army can never be vanquished. Each voter today is one such soldier, and needs to value the unique gift that has been bestowed upon us through Universal Adult Franchise.

To make an unwise decision would be to let down future generations, because the wrong people within the apex body will set the wrong agenda that will undo centuries of our unique and lustrous lineage, and the standing of our community, which has to be preserved, without cutting corners.

So, who do we vote for? The answer is simple: Let us vote for those who are completely committed to preserving the faith, without any compromise. We need to vote into power people who have, time and again, defended the many pillars of Zoroastrianism, including Dokhmenashini, not merely by empty words, but by actions that have upheld its sanctity, even as they have worked toward strengthening this esteemed institution.

Yes, we need to vote for people who have not succumbed to the pressure of supporting the demand for a ‘Cremate ni Bunglee’ at Doongerwadi, because that was never the intention of the Settlors when they created a community haven for Dokhmenashini. This, however, isn’t the only issue.

We need to vote for people who are not pro-conversion, and be very wary of those who talk about ‘Parsi-panu’ rather glibly on public platforms (but are actually supporting agencies that are setting up so-called ‘Cosmopolitan agiaries’). The purity of our agiaries is paramount, and opening them up unwisely will only accelerate intermarriages and the final decimation of our fold. In olden days, even if five Parsis went to a small town in India, the wealthiest among them established an agiary, a dar-e-meher, or a dadgah in the house.

They survived in very small numbers in the remotest Indian outposts (Kanpur, Agra, Allepi, Hubli and so on), only because they were staunch. How can we, today, slight their sacrifices by suggesting that what they did was old-fashioned and we need to “move with the times” instead?

On the contrary, we need to vote for people who have worked with, and will continue to work with, and not against, the learned High Priests, whose guidance on religious matters is crucial to our community.

This humble submission is placed before you: If you have a medical problem, won’t you go to a top doctor? If your accounts are a mess, will you not take the advice of competent Chartered Accountant? If you need to build a bungalow or redo your home, won't you engage an architect/interior designer? Then why is it that on religious matters we don’t go to our learned High Priests (the best possible experts on the subject), but allow a section of the lawyer lobby to lead us into the Courts instead, where mostly non-Parsi judges (with the greatest respect to them) are expected to deliver religious interpretations of our ancient and sacred faith?

Think about it. We need to save our community from such misguided litigation and the consequences thereof. We most certainly need to vote in new Trustees who will stand firm by the faith. And not sympathise with all those who want to scratch their private itches publicly, while inflicting open wounds upon the community, expecting the courts to then embalm their aberrations!

We need to vote into the BPP Trustees who have done some service to the community, which has served our best interests, because past performance is a good judge of whether future promises will be borne – or still born.

Accelerated education for our youth, empowering them professionally, encouraging marriages within the community at an earlier age (with a focus to facilitate a two-child family, with some childcare infrastructure in the baugs), looking after the aged, and a vibrant agenda that energises the community is the need of the hour.

We need Trustees who can deliver this. And, there’s no reason why, with the community’s support, they can’t.

Carefully, thoughtfully, and with a prayer, we need to cast our votes – for progress, along with preservation. Let us have a BPP Board that will bode well for our community and our religion. All else will follow. Because if we lose our religion and Zoroastrian ethos, nothing else will matter.

PS: The picture atop this blog is of the ruins of Persepolis. The Parsis lost all they had in Persia. Will the same happen in India again, if people who aren’t committed to the faith get elected as Trustees and end up destroying our legacy… one sincerely hopes not.

Khojeste Mistree: Keeping the Faith

It must take some courage to be Khojeste Mistree! For years he has been relentlessly reviled and rebuked – yet has stood steadfast to the principles of the faith, without fear or favour.

His scholarship is astounding, his erudition inspiring, and he is arguably the Brand Ambassador for the Zoroastrian faith today, both nationally and internationally. Yet, there is a section that tears him down, without understanding or appreciating the vital role he is playing in bridging the past with the present, and the future, so we don’t repeat history’s mistake of losing what we have – under siege, from within and without.

Marginalised and misunderstood, even his detractors will concede he deserves a fair hearing…

Why is religion so important in these elections?
Our identity and religion are linked. Hence, religion becomes an important ingredient of our identity – and vice versa. At this juncture, the community has the opportunity to endorse the two once and for all, because without our religion we will lose our identity.

What are the key issues?
Since the past seven years the community has been convulsed over Dokhmenashini. Yet, despite everything negative printed and propagated against it, 96.25 per cent of Parsis/Irani Zarathushtis still opt for it. This has surprised the reformist element. The other hot potato is conversion. An impression of gender inequity has been created. However, we have a 100-year tradition of accepting the progeny of intermarried men, because we follow a patrilinear pattern (incidentally, I haven’t created it so I wonder why people hold it against me!). The Jews, on the other hand, who are also a minority, wrestled with similar issues and allowed only the girls’ children into their fold (and not the boys’ –until this day) because they follow a matrilinear system. You can either follow one or the other.

How did your journey into Zoroastrian scholarship start?
I gave up my CA practice in England, even as I was being offered a partnership in the firm, which was unusual for an Asian in those days. I went, instead, to Oxford to study our religion academically and from an intellectual point of view. I went through the whole gamut of our theology, ancient language, history and other facets that facilitated a better understanding. With this background I had the vision of making Zoroastrianism more accessible to my community, so I came to India to share the beauty and greatness of our faith. I thought to myself – how best can I do this? The answer was through education. So Shernaz Panthaky and I set up Zoroastrian Studies (ZS) in 1979 – with the intention of disseminating religious knowledge in a modern way. Let me add, my vision for the community is not only religious.

What else is on your agenda?
Through ZS, very early on, I realised that while we’re a wealthy community, there are pockets of poverty that need continued social welfare. For years I have been going to poor Parsi homes in Mumbai, Surat, Navsari and across Gujarat – stressing the core ZS belief that the haves must help the have-nots. Poverty alleviation remains an issue for us.

Another ongoing issue is raising the level of education in Parsi schools. Here, again, I’ve been working for decades, creating awareness for a better type of education for our poorer Parsi children.

Why did you start WAPIZ?
I found that although I was working diligently in the area of religious education for years, on important issues appertaining to the community my voice was one in the wilderness. Seven years ago, the Doongerwadi came into the eye of a storm, with some very rich and influential Parsis claiming it was a health hazard. In order to intellectually combat the misinformation, I realised I needed a platform – or else the community’s boat would sink. That is when WAPIZ was formed. We were successful in preventing a ‘Cremate ni Bunglee’ from being given even then.

We also opposed the formation of a World ‘Zoroastrian’ body, from which the ‘Parsi/Irani’ nomenclature had been dropped. Again, we democratically fought it by being nominated through smaller anjumans so we could attend Federation meetings. The reformists came without being affiliated to any place, as representatives of Mumbai. If we tried to do the same thing, we were debarred! So we had to get smaller anjumans to nominate us and at the Federation meeting, by a 90 per cent majority, we were able to defeat the move to join a World Body where the definition of ‘Zoroastrian’ was unacceptable to the community.

With WAPIZ, we are thinking of the wellbeing of the community not just for today or tomorrow, but for a long time to come.

Why are you so controversial?
I have been relentlessly battered by a very biased Parsi press, which is controlled by rich and radical ‘reformist’ groups. It suits them to build me as a figure of hate, to continually attack me, my wife, children, and even my late parents. These are people with vested interests. To them, being traditional is like being from the Taliban. Tomorrow, if I sang the reformist tune, I would be their darling beyond anybody’s belief! But I have to sleep with my conscience, and for the last 30 years have worked without compromising our religion in any way. Why do the learned High Priests support WAPIZ completely? It is because ours is the view of religious scholarship, of tradition, of following the right Zoroastrian path. Is that a crime?

Why is your WAPIZ page so strident?
Maybe we’re human, and after years of swallowing untruths told about us we are retaliating and telling our side of the story, sharing with the community what we think they also need to know. Maybe if the Parsi press started giving us a fair deal, things could change.

How will you coalesce with a mixed BPP board?
One will always work from the position of consensus, unless people want to do things that are ethically or religiously wrong. I’m only too happy to work together to bring about a better quality of life for the community, to initiate welfare, education and youth activities, religious education, and whatever else is in the best interest of the community.

Why does the WAPIZ panel have only four candidates?
Because we realise the community does not want any one group to dominate the Punchayet. And we respect that. We are four individuals who have like-minded goals and beliefs. We are not divergent in any way – on our panel you will not find someone claiming to be traditional, someone claiming to be reformist (although no one is claiming that any longer!).

We have a track record through WAPIZ that proves our credentials. We are telling the truth – if we say we are here to preserve the religion, you can check our record and see we have never done anything against the faith. We have never supported conversion or cremation or anything that goes against the learned High Priests’ valued guidance. We are not claiming to do anything we have not already done.

Dinshaw Mehta is in an alliance with you?
Yes, WAPIZ endorses Dinshaw Mehta because we require a sense of continuity in the BPP.

People feel you are hypocritical…
In my personal life, I have not violated even the tiniest bit of tradition. I practice what I preach. Yes, my brother has married out. I couldn’t stop him. My nephews do visit agiaries – thanks to a legal judgement given before my birth! I have never stopped children of intermarried men from availing of their rights – although personally I prefer both boys and girls marrying within the community to preserve our unique racial and religious profile. My mother was cremated as she expired in the US. It was my brother’s decision – I didn’t attend her funeral. Her prayers were said as per the custom laid down for all Parsis expiring abroad, where Dokhmenashini isn’t available. I have neither made any religious rules, nor broken them.

It’s alleged you’re in the “business of religion”…
I want to tell our youngsters, please stop studying and wasting your time! Join me instead, there’s big money to be made! (He says in jest).

The truth is I’ve invested a lot of my own money into what I do. I’m a person of independent means, and it’s nobody’s business how I live. But I must clarify, I have never asked for first class tickets or fat fees in advance for a lecture. Today, if I were a top lawyer, doctor, or accountant, I could do this and would even be admired for it! But a religious scholar isn’t allowed such privileges. Anyway, I have neither expected nor asked for them.

JIMMY MISTRY: “I’m not eyeing the BPP with ambition”

Jimmy Mistry should have had an identity crisis by now, because he’s so many different things to so many people. To some he is the flashy guy who flaunts his fancy cars and goes over-the-top with his extravagance! To others he is a bawa Barack, the youthful agent of change, who organises friendship rallies and Gary Lawyer dinner-and-dance nights at the Dadar Gymkhana (like he has this Sunday).

Still others see him as a spendthrift and allege he is sometimes in financial straits. Yet, for many, he is a philanthropist who has dug into his pockets time and again, to support a slew of causes adopted under the umbrella of his Parsi Resource Group (PRG), where many volunteers come forward to work with him for the uplift of the community.

Will the real Jimmy Mistry please stand up! Well, the only way, is to let him have his say…

Why do you want to become a BPP Trustee?
I desperately want to bring change into the community. Let us understand one thing. I don’t need the BPP to get anything going for me. I have too much going for me already, whether it is on the work front or with PRG. But given my ability to drive things to a logical conclusion, I can shake, rattle, roll, push and even kick people into action, in order to make things happen. It doesn’t make sense for me to put my time into it otherwise. I intend to take over certain things and make them happen, and move in with my infrastructure if necessary to ensure that this gets done.

Any specific plans?
A cashless medical scheme across the community would be the first. According to my research, there are 50,000 plus Parsis in Mumbai. Let us assume 1000 or even 2000 of them need housing, this means barely 10 per cent of the community has a housing problem. Then why is it that housing takes up 90 per cent of our energy! My focus would be to improve the living conditions of those who have been housed.

How do you intend doing it?
As I see it, the community has three big challenges. Ninety per cent have a roof over their heads. But medical expenses are a big issue. As parents grow older, their life’s savings get spent on hospitalisation and often their children also have to dip into their savings. For the past three years, I have been paying out of my own pocket for cashless medical insurance for mobeds, their wives and children. Countless mobeds have benefited from this. It is well known that in a group policy the premium comes down by 40 per cent. So the whole community can come under this umbrella. Those who can afford will pay their own premium, and for those who cannot we’ll pitch in. I wish to bring out a certified list of poor Parsis in Mumbai, where the collective family income is less than Rs. 15,000, which will be verified by the baug committees for authenticity. Once we have that data, we will look out for donors to subsidise these families.

The next challenge is education and jobs for our youth. I am very serious about getting Minority Status for the community and Dr. Mehroo Bengalee has recommended my name to the Maharashtra Chief Minister for appointment to the State Minorities Commission. I want to hold a referendum on our Minority Status issue, so that when we take our petition to Delhi some Parsis don’t stand up and say we don’t need this. It is my intention to go in for Minority Status within a year’s time.

The third challenge is retaining Parsi property within the community. I opposed the proposal to turn the Cama Athornan Madressa into an international school because I believe community property has to be used for community purposes.

There’s a great fear of letting a builder into the BPP…
I know. But you require a builder if you want to solve the massive housing issues that keep arising. Who better than a builder to help with municipal laws, government permissions, repairs, and so on? I am developing a township in Indore right now that is the size of Dadar Parsi Colony and Matunga put together. Let me bring that expertise in. And I repeat, no Parsi property will ever go into the hands of a non-Parsi as far as I am around. Besides, I will be with six other Trustees, so it is not as though I can do what I like at the BPP.

Your own building in Dadar, Della Tower, is mired in controversy.
Yes, there was litigation, protests and petitions, but the courts dismissed them. Let someone come forward and prove there is one thing wrong with what I have done. I have re-housed all the old tenants, ensured that the ‘Parsi-only’ covenant status has been kept, when I could have had it annulled and sold the flats at far higher rates to non-Parsis, if my intentions were not on track. And I am creating a 9000-square feet Zoroastrian exhibition centre that will tell our story to the younger generation. I have also spent Rs. six crore on the Persian elevation of the building to assert our pride in our roots and culture. I want this building to be a symbolic masterpiece for the Parsi community. I have recently acquired an old Kutchi building at Wadala, where the covenant status had lapsed. I have restored the covenant to ‘Parsi-only’.

Why are you spending so much on your campaign?
I am grateful to God for blessing me with abundance and am only doing my best to reach out to the community that is spread all over Mumbai. How else do I connect with them, unless I organise election meetings? Please also realise that such a lot of ill has been spoken about me that I need a fair chance to counter it. Also, it’s a fact that I pull in large crowds, so I have to ensure people can hear and see – hence the lights, the projection screens, the stage. When I do something, it has to be up to a certain standard. Do I have a choice about not spending? But it’s true that because of me the others have ended up spending more than they would have. My brochures and hoardings are slick – I like doing things well!

Are you in alliance with any group?
Not at all – my campaign is going so well it speaks for itself. I see myself as the bridge that will connect everyone. Let’s face it, we’re going to get WAPIZ, AFP and independents into the BPP. I can talk straight and won’t be cowed down, and can be the connecting point between the others.

Will you be able to get along well within the BPP?
When you are on the job, you do it and move on. If you cannot do it, you shouldn’t be there. It’s time we had a professional work culture within the BPP, starting with the Trustees.

Where do you stand on religious issues?
I am completely orthodox and do not support any change within the religion. We have no right to change anything that has been part of our religion and rituals for hundreds of years. I am totally opposed to a ‘Cremate Ni Bunglee’ at Doongerwadi. Those who want to opt for alternate systems of disposal should buy their own piece of land and construct their own ‘bunglees’ or prayers halls. This cannot happen inside Doogerwadi or any of our agiaries. They must also arrange for their own priests, and not expect any of our priests to oblige.

Whatever anybody may say, through PRG I head the largest mobed’s association in the world today, and I have not tried to change a thing because I claim no understanding of our religion, only a great love for it. Whether it is conversion or anything else, things must continue as they are. Because one small change results in a string of changes – and the repercussions come much later.

Are you all set for Trusteeship?
I’m not eyeing the BPP with ambition. I believe I am destined to bring change into the community. Just give me one year – and see the difference I make. Despite all my professional achievements, what brings me real pride and joy is when I see myself doing something for my community.

NADIR MODI: Nobody can ‘Remote Control’ me

Nadir Modi, well-known legal eagle, and has been assiduously involved with community activities for aeons. He is certainly no stranger to anyone even remotely connected with Parsi matters, although he has preferred to shun the spotlight.

A man of his eminence could have been nominated to the Punchayet, instead of being put through the rigours of an election, with all its attending accusations, apprehensions, and ill will. But life is a great leveller, indeed justly so, and if there is anything these testing times are teaching the community it is that everybody is equal before an electorate, freshly fuelled by the adrenalin of Universal Adult Franchise.

So Nadir Modi steps into the dock and agrees to talk, in what is, admittedly, a very rare interview…

Q. What is the crucial need of the hour for the community?
A. The strategic need is both quantitative and qualitative uplift. The problem of declining numbers needs to be addressed. As there is a quantitative decline, the qualitative part also suffers since the number of Parsis who can be up there in different streams, whether it is the Services, the private sector, or different professions, also suffers. This is a problem that will require the help of many experts, in many areas, to redress. That it has been done in the past, history affirms. Of course, it would be a slow growth programme.

Q. What is the main issue?
A. The problem with our community is that a lot of young people confess that if they could have found a suitable life mate from within the community, they would not have married out. It is for similar reasons that many remain unmarried.

Years ago, Professor Sheriar and I were teaching at the Jai Hind College. We were in our early twenties and our Principal was a great admirer of the legendary Jamshed Mehta of Karachi. He allowed us to start the Young Collegians Zoroastrian Association (YCZA), with members from all other colleges. Those days, students had more time and we, being younger, were more in tune with their aims. The organisation grew automatically. We started with nothing but the desire to come together. We found that the community had a warm heart and wanted to help young people. We approached Sir Homi Mody who, at his age, used to avoid functions, but he came and boosted our association. Adi Marazban came, and so did Bobby Taleyarkhan. We used to organise talks, picnics, bhel and sail parties around the harbour, Udvada and Navsari trips and lots of hikes. We had a series of events called ‘Free Fridays’. It was largely left to the students to manage, and as they came together, had fun, argued, and formed friendships, many fell in love and got married. There is a mile-long list of Parsi couples who emerged out of the YCZA!

None of this happened by design. I have come to the conclusion that people do not marry to increase the numbers of the community. They marry because Mother Nature prompts them to mate. I have encountered countless grown up people being overcome with emotion and weeping because their son or daughter has married outside the community. The truth is young people want to be left alone. Most would keep older people at bay! This is the reason we seldom see young faces at community functions, because the young seek out the young. What we need is to set up the infrastructure where they feel they are ruling the roost, and not set it up in a ham-handed way. In each baug or colony, if we can provide that infrastructure, enthuse young leaders, then Mother Nature would do her work!

What is happening now with inter-communal marriages is that Mother Nature is once again doing her work. There was a time when every tenth person in Mumbai was a Parsi – this is certified by the Census of the late 18th or early 19th century. Young Parsis no longer meet so many other young Parsis today, and in most cases it is just a lack of contact.

Q. Was it difficult to reconcile to your children marrying out of the community?
A. One can reconcile to just about anything in life… these are painful areas to recount and recollect.

Q. What would be your priority upon assuming Trusteeship?
A. I would not like to assume anything, least of all winning the election! But given the chance I would like to see unity. If, as Trustees, we can work like friends, then even if we disagree we would carry no animus. We could, perhaps, occasionally give into each other.

Q. What about the differences, which seem irreconcilable?
A. Where are there? Let us run through them… Regarding the crematorium at Doongerwadi, I can say in capital letters: NO. It only brings home the necessity for increased communication within the community. There is an originating summons pending in the Bombay High Court, filed by Jamsheed Kanga, Dr. Aspi Golwalla and Homi Khusrokhan, raising two questions: Firstly, does the Doongerwadi trust deed enjoin the Trustees to give the bunglees for the last rites of persons opting for alternate methods of disposal, and, secondly, if it does not enjoin this does it allow it?

You may wonder why the Trust deed does not speak clearly in the first place. The fact is it was written in a different age, and the language can now be reinterpreted.

Q. The community would like to know your opinion.
A. Trustees cannot have personal opinions. Technically, they are caretakers and not owners of the Trusts they oversee, and they are bound by the Trust Deed. My personal opinion is that we must obey the law, as we are a law abiding community.

But having stayed at Doongerwadi for four days when both my parents passed away, I can say that it is, for Parsis, a God-blessed place. It is so beautiful and soothing, with Nature’s healing touch that you fall “half in love with easeful death” (as Keats wrote).

Any kind of disposal of a dead body necessarily has its emotional overtones. But contrary to what people say about Doongerwadi being a health hazard, I have seen reports of the WHO stating that cadavers not brought in touch with the water don’t show signs of spreading disease.

Of course, people object to there being a slight smell at times, but what happens when you drive past Sassoon Dock! You cannot change the system just because of a slight smell. And there is little doubt that when Doogerwadi was set up, it was not contemplated for anything other than Dokhmenashini. Also, I have friends who stay near Chandanwadi and the black smoke that comes into their homes is a real problem.

Q. Where do you stand on ‘acceptance’ or conversion?
A. To my mind it is an invitation to disaster. It creates hostility and is harmful in the extreme. The 1909 judgement defines who a Parsi is, and that legally sanctioned definition is accepted today.

Q. Your leadership of the Athornan Mandal is under cloud because of your litigation against a priest.
A. That is a professional matter. I take up the brief of anyone who comes to me.

Q. Is there no moral obligation to protect a priest, as head of the Mandal?
A. I am morally obliged to not just protect but even help a priest, and I have spoken with him several times in my office. The present Trustees decided not to have the Panthanky system and offered this priest the Manager’s post instead. He declined and decided to fight in court. I think it is now more of a legal question than a moral one.

Q. There are apprehensions that the promoters of your panel could influence you with their radical views.
A. If they think they can they are mistaken. Whatever be their values, they are their own. I have not sold my soul or mortgaged my mind. I am not a pliant person – not a yes man. Nobody can remote control me.

Q. Will you have the time?
A. One always makes time for what one wants to do.

Q. And this is what you really want to do?
A. I have readily agreed, but not hungrily agreed. I would be very careful of anybody who is hungry for the office. One has offered, and one believes in a Greater Will. We are all subservient to that Will.

The Importance of being Dinshaw Mehta!

Dinshaw Mehta is in the eye of a storm. Conversely, there are those who insist that Dinshaw Mehta is ‘the storm’! He is a volley of unstoppable energy that has turned the otherwise placid Punchayet upside-down and inside-out. He has his hecklers, vocal and voluble ones, but he also has his supporters – from amongst the rank and file of the community, all the way up to the High Priests – who see him as an approachable, earnest and incredibly hard working Trustee who has, over his past two terms in office, consistently delivered, despite the damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t campaign against him.

He is standing for elections again. And the din of his detractors is deafening. Are they merely a bunch of empty vessels making noise? Or is there smoke behind the ire of their fire? Either way, it’s only fair Dinshawji has his say.

Q. Is there life beyond housing at the BPP?
A. It’s a huge priority, but not the only one. Today we have about 900 persons on the waiting list and from amongst them about 700 are genuine and we must provide them with homes. But, apart from them, I would like our housing schemes to also include a lot more Parsis who live outside the baugs. I believe bringing them into the fold will greatly enhance community life. One in five marriages is an inter-caste one, and that isn’t good for us. Parsis must marry within the community, and living within the Baug culture encourages intermingling. Navroze Baug is the best example of the maximum number of Parsi weddings taking place within a baug. I would like to see this happen across baugs and would love to bring many more Parsis into our baugs through redevelopment, since that is now an option open to us.

However, I am totally against the sale of Parsi properties and opposed the proposal to sell the Parsi Lying-in hospital, the Marazban Sanitorium in Lonavala, and so on. Neither do we need the so-called builder lobby to step in. The Punchayet is fully capable of developing its own properties and retaining them within the community.

Q. More construction/allotment means more controversies for you?
A. Let people say what they want to. There are always disgruntled elements, although I try to help as many people as I can. It is now being alleged that only my friends get flats, in which case half the community could be called my friends since I have helped so many people! Take the case of Maneck Davar – he has paid the Punchayet well above the offer we had at the time, and this is known those making false allegations. He was given the flat with the consent of all the other Trustees, so why am I being blamed?

Q. Why are you being blamed?
A. It’s pure slander and personal victimisation, as I have fallen out with my one time friend and business partner, who is himself taking an active interest in Parsi politics. Ideologically, we fell apart when he started demanding a crematorium at the Doongerwadi. When virtually the entire community opposed it, he came back with the innocent proposal of a ‘cremate ni bungli’ at Doongarwadi, where prayers could be said for those opting for alternate methods of disposal. I was open to it, until he revealed that his intent was to get a toe-hold into Doongerwadi through the ‘cremate ni bungli’ and eventually bring a crematorium in.

I was alarmed, as this is certainly not in the interest of our community. He has very radical views about ‘acceptance’, ‘conversion’ and ‘cosmopolitan agiaries’, which I cannot subscribe to. He is now seeking to be the king-maker of the community and I am paying the price for blocking his path. In religious matters I believe we need to go by the guidance of our High Priests.

(Mr. Mehta elaborated further upon the above the above at his public meeting at Godrej Baug, and sought to clarify that the many allegations against him are baseless and motivated).

Q. Your Co-Trustees have also not found it easy to work with you?
A. That’s untrue. We may disagree on policy issues, but all decisions, especially flat allotments, are taken jointly by all of us.

Q. Another allegation is irregularities at the time of flat allotments/sale…
A. All payments are made by cheque to the Punchayet, although at times we do get brokers involved. Say someone comes to sell his flat, claiming he has an offer for just thirty lakhs. In reality, he may have an offer for forty. So we ask a broker to get a few more clients and bids, in order to assess the right market price. Brokers sometimes lie and ask for a couple of lakhs in cash, saying the Trustees are asking for it. When this comes to light, we blacklist the broker.

Q. What about the Doongerwadi hoardings issue?
A. In 2000 the late Siloo Kavarana came up with a suggestion to generate revenue for the Doongerwadi through hoardings. When all the Trustees agreed, in 2001 we got five contractors to bid and were offered between Rs. 600 to Rs. 850 per square foot. Tony Lewis was the highest bidder. Then Anahita Pundole went on her crusade and everything went into limbo. Meanwhile, Doongerwadi was declared a heritage precinct. We finally got back to all the original bidders, asking them to get both Heritage and BMC sanctions and revert if they were interested. This was in 2006, and only Lewis managed it. He was awarded the contract at Rs. 1200 per square foot, with a 10 per cent escalation every year. Anahita Pundole agitated again and we made it clear to Lewis that not a single tree was to be cut or we would cancel his contract. We did that, when he started cutting some trees, and that is where the matter stands.

Q. How will you get along with your co-Trustees this time?
A. I’m very comfortable with most of the candidates. I have known Nadir Modi and Noshir Dadrawalla for years. There should be no problem. I would be really happy to work with WAPIZ. Rustom Tirandaz has been a former colleague; Arnavaz Mistry is a social worker. There are many other good people.

Q. Is the acrimony getting to you?
A. At every election there is acrimony. If I show you the cuttings of the 2001 elections you’ll see it was much the same. Only those who are attacking me now were supporting me then!

Q. What else is on your agenda?
A. We have to look after our poor more effectively by bringing all the Trusts together and ensuring that piecemeal doles are consolidated into a substantial sum. We have to encourage marriages within the community and preserve our religion. And we need to increase the BPP corpus.

Q. Your family background is in politics?
A. My late father, brother and sister have all been Corporators from the same seat since 1965. We have never lost an election. Almost always, the contesting candidates have lost their deposits! There must be something good my family has done to get this sort of adulation from the area we represent. In 1981, when I decided against opting for mainstream politics, but got into Parsi politics instead, my father wondered whether it was a wise decision! But I had already made up my mind.

Election imbroglio

As the elections get more feverish, in the onslaught of over-reactions, there are unintended casualties. One such involves a prestigious community institution for which we have the highest regard, a hospital that is impeccably run in the service of Parsis.

A senior representative of the hospital wishes to clarify (read previous post for details) that the authorities had not intended to influence doctors into supporting a particular panel. As it turns out, a petition in support of the panel was made available to doctors willing to sign it “of their own accord”. Hence, there should be no discord! If some doctors did not share this perception, there could have been a misunderstanding.

While signature campaigns have their pitfalls, we hope the matter rests, and the management can continue with their sterling social service.

Oh Doctor, You're in Trouble!

With regard to the support that a certain high profile panel of contestants is claiming from leading doctors within the community, it has been brought to notice that some top doctors, whose names are cited, are feeling rather slighted.

Privately, they have expressed disapproval over the manner in which they were tacitly coerced into putting their signatures on the campaign by bigwigs associated with the hospital where they are all empanelled.

They feel there was no need for them to be dragged into a political dilemma by publicly making them endorse a particular panel, when there are good candidates across the board. So, why did they put their signatures? A couple of them confessed that to not conform would be to recklessly ruffle the feathers of the big birds.


Which reminds us of a witty ditty, suitably modified: “Oh Doctor, you’re in trouble. Well, goodness gracious me. For every time a certain man is standing next to thee... A flush comes to the face and the pulse begins to race. It goes BPP/BPP, BPP/BPP, BPP/BPP boom!”

This brings us to another question: what sort of panel would need the ‘support’ of so many top, multi-disciplinary doctors? Certainly not a very healthy one!

However, this is said in lighter vein. What appears unhealthy are only the tactics, which are not necessarily perpetrated personally by the candidates of the said panel.

New Trustees Need: Time, Talent, & Tenacity to Preserve our Tenets

Finally, we come down to the quintessential question that justifies life’s journey: how much time do we have?

This is being asked over and over again in the context of the various candidates and their ability to commit themselves to the onerous task of Trusteeship. While it’s true that some people appear way too over-committed to be able to spare the time needed to attend to a large Trust like the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, and its many attending and ongoing issues, it’s ultimately up to each individual to be able to deliver – and there’s no prescribed formula for time management.

Some very successful people effectively subscribe to the adage: the more you do, the more you can do. Their energy, acumen, and ability to multi-task efficiently, is inspiring, and there’s no reason to assume they will not give off their best once they have committed themselves to something.

On the other hand, we get fliers slid under our door almost every day from some very well-intentioned candidates, claiming to have the time – but to what avail? Especially since these candidates haven’t the experience or ability to give leadership at the apex level, which the BPP really needs.

Ultimately, it’s a balance of time, talent, temperament, the tenacity to hold steadfast on to our traditions, and the temerity to take on those who mischievously undermine time-honoured tenets for vested interests, that will define the next Trustees of the BPP.

Let us, together, determine who these seven worthies will be. In the coming weeks, this column will bring you interviews with leading players – one-on-one conversations, frank, forthright and fearless – that will enable us to objectively make up our minds.

Cast your vote online

For the first time in the history of the community there is a live, online opinion poll where you can vote for your preference for the Trustee of the Bombay Parsee Panchayet (BPP).

Click on http://zoroastrians.net/bpp-elections/ to view the candidates, their manifestoes/profiles (where available), and then cast your vote online.

Your voice is important and should be heard. Cast your vote in large numbers and contribute to the process!

Please also feel free to pass this on to your friends and relatives who would be interested.

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!