Prof Kaikhosrov Irani and his wife Piroja bequeathed
USD 2.6 million to ensure propagation of the Zarathushti religion
Behroze A. Clubwala
The daily existence of Prof Emeritus Dr Kaikhosrov Dinshaw Irani and his wife Piroja exemplified the life of true Zarathushtis – full of kindness, concern for mankind, a gentleness that was beyond description and a search for truth, Asha, righteousness and Vohu Mana. Having left this world, the two have bequeathed all their assets currently estimated at USD 2.6 million (Rs 18.1 crores) to ensure that the Zarathushti religion lives on forever. Approximately 75% of the assets were distributed among the four beneficiary organizations — The Zarathushtrian Assembly, Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY), World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO), and Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) — last month.
KD, as he was fondly known, was an intellectual, a renowned philosopher, a teacher, writer and thinker. A mentor to many, and addressed by the majority as Professor, he was known throughout the world for his ability to teach and share the knowledge of our religion. Always by his side, Piroja had a sharp intelligence, charm and gentleness. They had met as young lawyers in Bombay, working at the solicitors firm Mulla and Mulla.
Clockwise from l: Prof Kaikhosrov Irani at the
inauguration of New York Dar-e-Mehr; with Piroja;
Kaikhosrov in his younger days
Ervads Zal Mody, Cyrus Dadina, Porus Pavri
Lovji and Mehru Cama, Homi Gandhi, Sima Shidfar, Darius Irani, Armaity,
Framroze and Arnavaz Patel, Behroze and Astad Clubwala
The formidable couple must have been smiling down at us on February 23, 2019 at ZAGNY’s newly built Dar-e-Mehr, in Pomona, New York, which Prof Irani had inaugurated on March 26, 2016. Framroze K. Patel, erstwhile president of the FEZANA, as trustee and Kaikhosrov’s dearest friend, announced the ratio of distribution such that 50% of the assets were assigned to the Zarathushtrian Assembly based in Anaheim, California; 20% to ZAGNY whose membership constitutes Zarathushtis from the tristate area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; 20% to WZO, US Region Ltd. in Burr Ridge, Illinois; and 10% to FEZANA. In addition, special donations of USD 25,000 (Rs 17.40 lakhs) each were allocated to the Seth Rustomji M. Kooka Boys Orphanage in Surat and the Bai Avabai F. Petit Girls Orphanage in Bombay. They also left generous amounts of money to their health aides.
The function began with a boi ceremony and an Atash Nyaish prayed loudly and confidently by our three youngest mobeds at ZAGNY without any lead senior mobed. Contributing to this historic first were Ervads Porus Pavri and Cyrus Dadina, both 14 years old, and Zal Mody, aged 12. ZAGNY president Astad Clubwala welcomed Framroze and his wife Armaity. He also welcomed the beneficiaries, Darius Irani and Sima Shidfar from the Zarathushtrian Assembly, and Homi Gandhi, president of FEZANA. Kayomarsh Mehta from WZO, US Region, regrettably could not be present. Introduced also were Alicia Klat Ragusa, lawyer and counsellor to Kaikhosrov and Piroja for over 20 years, as well as their investment advisers Laura Abadsantos and Henry Saint Surin. Clubwala added that his personal take-away from the Professor was the "simplicity of his thought. He could share the message of Zarathushtra with any audience. Professor taught us to do the right thing for the right reasons and inspired us all to live with justice and compassion.”
On display at the function were memorabilia from the Iranis’ home: an antique trunk with a list of items it had carried: a rare red pheta, made in England by Battersby Hats for Chinoy Brothers in Bombay (the iconic pheta makers of Bombay), his tuxedo jacket and waistcoat, a special photograph of Kaikhosrov, when he was barely two or three years old, being taught prayers by his father Dinshaw, silverware from their home, with one exquisite ornate piece engraved "To Mr. Dinsha Irani From Sir Cowasji Jheangir, 27th March 1936.”
A short film on the life of Kaikhosrov, developed by ZAGNY’s Ferzin Patel with her high school aged son Davin, drawn mainly from an interview he had given in recent years, inspired the audience. Emotional yet eloquent, Framroze recognized his best friend and mentor Kaikhosrov "as an academician, an educator of distinction and an esteemed, venerated and much cherished scholar of the Zarathushti religion who lived by the principles, tenets and teachings of the Prophet.” He said that "Professor was a universal human being. He had no use for so-called doctrinal or theological restrictions as to who can and cannot follow the timeless message of the good religion. Kaikhosrov had the qualities of tolerance, both religious and personal. He was so reluctant to judge people.”
Framroze recommended that the beneficiary organizations keep in an endowment account the bequests and use only the interest to perpetuate Kaikhosrov and Piroja’s legacy to "educate, particularly towards the promotion and advancement of the religion of Zarathushtra.” He added, "It is my duty to remind you that Piroja and Kaikhosrov believed that the message of the Prophet is universal and a Zarathushti is one who declares herself or himself to be a follower of Zarathushtra.” The entire Zarathushti community is indebted to Framroze for undertaking this mission of disbursing Iranis’ assets with diligence and panache. Framroze also acknowledged Kaikhosrov’s special friends, the late Eruch Munshi, Dinshaw Joshi and Khorshed Jungalwalla, as well as Lovji Cama, Ness Lakdawala and Sam Vesuna.
Gratefully acknowledging the largesse, Darius Irani recalled discussions with Kaikhosrov from1983 until1990 when the Zarathushtrian Assembly was established. He pledged the Assembly’s continuing efforts towards "making the religion available to the entire world.” He remarked that the Assembly will continue to deliver the message of Zarathushtra that began 3,757 years ago. Gandhi recalled that Kaikhosrov was present when FEZANA was created and noted that "FEZANA has appointed an ad hoc committee of scholars to review proposals for the use of this bequest. FIRES (FEZANA Information Research Education System), which works under the auspices of FEZANA, will also preserve, protect and perpetuate Kaikhosrov and Piroja’s legacy by preserving all the writing and texts that Professor had left behind for FEZANA.” Clubwala stated that "ZAGNY would establish an endowment fund and the proceeds would be used to spread the knowledge of the religion. An annual KD lecture series will be held inviting world-wide prominent speakers. In addition, scholarships will be established to fund Zoroastrian studies. A group of Zoroastrian scholars will also be constituted to visit schools and universities to further spread the knowledge of our religion.”
The keynote speaker at the event was Keki Dadachandji of ZAGNY who spoke on "The religion of Zarathushtra: From Vision to Practice.” Dadachandji recalled that on March 5, 2017, Kaikhosrov was 95 (he passed away on June 29, 2017) when he addressed ZAGNY members on "Zarathushtra’s Vision and Zoroastrianism Today.” According to the keynote speaker, "The presentation was the clearest, most concise and lucid that I had ever heard. Therefore, it is a fitting tribute today to summarize and explore how it can guide our daily living.”
The highlights of his message were: Ahura Mazda conceived of an ideal creation. The totality of that vision is called Asha, generally rendered in English as truth and righteousness. Asha postulates an ideal form of existence where there is perfect harmony. The first Gatha, Ahunavaiti, Yasna 29 Verse 1, opens with mother earth seeking help. "For whom did thou create me and who so fashioned me? None have I to protect me save Thee.” In today’s world we see destruction of natural resources. The gap between the rich and poor is increasing. This is not the harmonious universe Ahura Mazda had imagined.
Ahura Mazda has given us Vohu Mana, the good mind. It is not the mind in the ordinary sense of the term, it is not intellect, but it is a natural intuition that enables us to grasp what is right and wrong. Once the wrong is recognized, we are expected to correct it so that we may practice good thoughts, words and deeds. Each of us makes a choice and lives with the consequences of that choice.
If we all possess Vohu Mana, why are we unable to distinguish between right and wrong? Zarathushtra asked his father who was a priest. He was explained, "because my son, our inner intuition is clouded by greed, fear, anger and hatred. If we purged our minds of all these selfish tendencies, Vohu Mana will unfailingly tell us what is right.”
How can we progress from vision to practice? Just as laws like gravity govern the universe, whether we believe in them or not, natural or spiritual laws exist but the results are not as easy to perceive. The first expression of the natural laws is "unity of life.” Being kind and compassionate is necessary for living in harmony with the unity of life.
The second expression of the natural laws is the law of karma that evaluates not just our deeds but also our thoughts and intentions. The practical application of this law recommends a three-part formula: choose the right goal; choose the right means; and if the results of your efforts turn out differently, accept the limitations of your control and offer the outcome to Ahura Mazda. This way it is possible to be at peace with yourself and move forward.
When we speak, the word of the mouth should go through three gates: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? In rare cases when there is genuine conflict between truth and kindness, kindness should take precedence. A starting point to cultivating right speech is to learn when to be silent and to listen with complete attention and respect to others, especially when what we are told is not what we want to hear.
The event drew to a close with the reading of a letter from Zarine Weil, Kaikhosrov’s niece, thanking Framroze for his dedicated role as a trustee. A framed photograph of Kaikhosrov and Framroze engraved "With gratitude from ZAGNY” was presented to Framroze and a bouquet of roses to his wife Armaity.
With clarity and conviction
One’s journey on the spiritual path begins when one comes across great teachers like Kaikhosrov. In spite of being the fountain of wisdom on our religion, it was unbelievable that he could demonstrate such humility. Every time he spoke, everyone listened and learned. He could speak about the message of the Gathas endlessly. He was a man of stature, vision and unsurpassed in his ability to share the knowledge of our religion with clarity and conviction.
Considerably influenced by his father Dinshaw in whose footsteps he had followed to pursue his legal profession, his father’s knowledge of the Zarathushti religion too was a defining force in his life. His father’s hope for him was that "he would be a good servant of his people” and Kaikhosrov fulfilled his hope – and even more. He went on to study our religion and became one of our foremost spokespersons.
Having come to the United States in 1947, he taught Philosophy of Science at The City University of New York (CUNY). His first job at CUNY as Adjunct Lecturer was at a higher than normal rate, $4.75 an hour instead of $4.25, because he had a hand-written recommendation from Albert Einstein whom he knew at Princeton University. Kaikhosrov taught for 41 years, retiring at the age of 90 years.
In 1988, Kaikhosrov republished the translation of the Gathas, the Hymns of Zarathushtra, written by his father, which carried an introduction by Rabindranath Tagore. In the words of Tagore, "Zarathushtra was the one who showed the path of freedom to men, the freedom of moral choice, and the freedom from blind obedience…”
Kaikhosrov taught the essence of our religion to all he met. His ability to share his insights was unparalleled. He will live in our history books forever. How fortunate were we at ZAGNY to know him and hear him speak innumerable times. How fortunate were we who sat in his "adult classes” and listened to his philosophical talks about our religion. The room full of ZAGNY members and guests were counting their blessings for having benefitted from Kaikhosrov and Piroja’s presence and influence not only during their lifetime, but even now as recipients of their generosity.