When senior civil servant and erstwhile president of the Indore Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman (IPZA) Bomi Heerjee passed away on February 19, 2024 in Calcutta, "The messages of condolences that poured in were a testament to the fact that here was a man who lived and dedicated his life to the service of the nation.
"His integrity and no-nonsense approach saw him become commissioner of Indore and Bhopal, ultimately reaching the highest level when he attained the designation of secretary to the union government,” noted his son-in-law Cyrus Madan, trustee of the Calcutta Zoroastrian Community’s Religious and Charity Funds.
Bomi and Shireen Heerjee
Heerjee’s other postings included secretary of general administration, capital projects and housing in Madhya Pradesh state, chairman of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited, and in the ministries of law, home and minorities in Delhi. "But his best was reserved for last when he was appointed adviser to the governor of Jammu and Kashmir… He spent three critical years there during the insurgency period between 1990 and 1993, before stepping away from public service,” stated Madan.
Born in Calicut, Kerala, Bomi was the youngest son of Mehera and Jal Heerjee. After completing his schooling there, he went on to graduate from Loyola College, Madras. "Offers from leading corporates must have been tempting for the young man but it was the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) that was the most alluring and in 1956 he was selected to join the service and assigned to the Madhya Pradesh cadre,” stated Madan.
After retirement, Bomi and his wife of 61 years, Shireen settled down in Indore where he was inducted as a member on several boards including the Holkar (erstwhile royal family) managed Khasgi Trust. He was president of the IPZA for over 25 years. He was also spokesperson for the various problems and challenges faced by Parsi anjumans all over Madhya Pradesh and attended numerous meetings of the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India.
Current IPZA president Dara Unwala told Parsiana about Bomi’s notable contributions to the community during his stint as president: collected funds and got a new dharamshala constructed; obtained state government approval to appoint a Parsi District Matrimonial Court; arranged for funding for a new bungli at the dakhma; arranged funds for new residential blocks for their panthaky and manager; renovation of their dadgah.
Longtime Indore resident Zarine Cama described Bomi as "the most dignified, soft-spoken, dedicated, honest and no-nonsense type of a person… I was like a daughter to them. So on a personal level… what I could say would run into a eulogy!”
Advancing age and Covid made Bomi and Shireen decide to settle in Calcutta in 2020 to be closer to their family. Turning 90 on December 10, 2023, his birthday cake mentioned that he was in his 20th home in 17 towns and cities. Madan stated that Bomi was an avid reader, fiercely patriotic and nationalistic. "He lived by the values of honesty and integrity… greatly admired and respected by his peers and many, many more who he mentored in the services and also by his large circle of friends.”
Bomi is survived by his wife Shireen, and children Kaizad, Trista Madan and Havovi Joshi.