Neville Sarkari, founder trustee of the Zarin Neville Sarkari Foundation in Denver, USA, who has earmarked two crore rupees to motivate athornan parents to enroll their children in India’s only functioning Zoroastrian seminary, the Dadar Athornan Institute (DAI) (see "Priestly study subsidy,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, January 7-20, 2023), hopes to see the number of students double at the Institute. Speaking at a meeting of the students and parents of DAI at the Mancherji Joshi Hall on January 29, 2023, Sarkari stated that he hoped to see future high priests from among the students. The philanthropist said he would give further donations as and when required.
Top, from l: Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia, Neville Sarkari, Dinshaw Tamboly, Binaifer Sahukar, Bachi Tamboly;
above: happy students and parents of the Dadar Athornan Institute
The scheme, to be implemented by the Athornan Mandal (AM) that runs DAI, and the World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust Fund (WZOTF), will make available between eight and 10 lakh rupees to each student boarder who completes his navar, maratab and the school leaving certificate exams. A note on the meeting was sent to Parsiana by WZOTF chairman Dinshaw Tamboly, enclosing DAI principal Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia’s report.
After a humbandagi led by Karanjia, Tamboly explained the scheme to the parents present. Lauding Sarkari’s generosity, Tamboly and Karanjia stated it was the philanthropist’s concern about future priests that made him contribute the earmarked sum. The scheme was finalized "after relentlessly working for days and months with concerned people to come up with a feasible blueprint,” stated their note.
"Never before had such a large amount been earmarked for a better future of the priestly class… Many schemes had come and gone but this will stay as the seed money has already been obtained and the scheme will function from its interest,” noted Karanjia. "Times have changed, the community is now looking after the priests and the ball was in their court to match the interest shown by the community… A seed has been sown, which would turn into a huge tree in the years to come, and bear magnificent fruits for the community in future.”
Trustee of Empowering Mobeds, WZOTF and AM’s program to impart skills to the clergy, Binaifer Sahukar said that the students need not give up pursuing dreams, but at the same time also work towards being full-fledged priests.
The parents voluntarily signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to participate in the scheme. Sarkari, Dinshaw and Bachi Tamboly were offered floral tributes and thanked for their contribution to the scheme. F. J.