Rustom Daroga has been reelected president of the 115-year old Calcutta Parsee Club (CPC) at the annual general meeting (AGM) held on August 26, 2023. He heads a 10-member committee comprising vice presidents Cyrus Confectioner, Burjor Khambatta, Rayzad Bulsara, Dinyar Mucadam, treasurer Boman Parekh, secretaries Rasheed Jeejee- bhoy, Anahita Gupta, Jamsheed Davar, socials-in-charge Farhad Master and junior representative Danesh Tarapore.
Master was elected to the new post of socials-in-charge that had been created at an earlier general meeting. Office bearers for all posts were elected unanimously and none of the posts was contested, Daroga emphasized. Three committee members, vice president sports Jahan Mehta, honorary secretary Khurshid Bulsara and junior representative Yasna Buchia from the previous committee declined to continue due to personal reasons.
Sitting, l to r: Cyrus Confectioner, Burjor Khambatta, Rustom Daroga,
Rayzad Bulsara, Dinyar Mucadam.
Standing, l to r: Boman Parekh, Rasheed Jeejeebhoy, Anahita Gupta,
Jamsheed Davar, Farhad Master, Danesh Tarapore
"Women have been full members of our Club for nearly 100 years now,” he stated. Intermarried Parsi women can be full members of the Club but their spouses and children cannot be members. "A general meeting was held last year to change the rule to allow children of intermarried Parsi women to become full members, but the resolution was defeated,” Daroga said.
The Club which serves the 350 or so Parsis of the West Bengal capital "bounced back with a vengeance” after the pandemic, according to the 2022-23 annual report. A membership drive resulted in over 70 persons either becoming new members or converting ordinary membership to life. The Club, whose activities encompass sports, cultural and social events, functions from a "tent” on the sprawling maidan (see "Covering Calcutta,” Parsiana, December 7, 2017). As the woodwork inside the Club had become infested with termites, the entire panelling was removed and replaced with aluminuim extrusion sheets.
The report stated that under Mehta’s earlier leadership, and with Yohan Confectioner’s organization, the Club hosted an intra-club mixed basketball tournament, a three-a-side futsal tournament and "the very popular” five-a-side football tournament. CPC emerged champion in the cricket tournament for the Jiji Irani Championship. Their under-14 members showed keen interest in football under the guidance of Rayzad Bulsara, but the annual sports meet had to be cancelled due to insufficient enthusiasm and non-availability of the field.
The social committee and elected representative Khushmand Buchia, with support from others, organized dinners on Khordad Sal and Jamshedi Navroz, the annual Tea-with-Zee and gahanbar remembering past president Beji Bulsara, a picnic at the Bowreah Jute Mills, a gara raffle, tambola sessions, antakshari and quiz programs. The Club’s anniversary was celebrated with a live Hindi music program and dinner. The children’s party-cum-fancy dress event "was held a little late this year owing to the various other events taking place during the winter months. It was held at the air conditioned Olpadvala Memorial Hall and was thoroughly enjoyed by the young and the old.” The Parsi Food Festival, held after a gap of some years, attracted 400 people and "needless to say, everything was sold out.”