The public controversy brewing over ex-students continuing to stay in the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) run Gamadia Boys’ Hostel in Tardeo raises the issue of what to do with community assets that are underutilized. There are said to be a little under 50 students/working people housed in single rooms in the Hostel; a dormitory that can accommodate around 10 boarders has reportedly remained vacant over many years. As our birth rate irreversibly declines, so does the number of students seeking accommodation.
By permitting those who have completed their studies and are working to continue to reside, the BPP has taken a sympathetic and humane approach. For out-of-Bombay residents, market rate rents can prove exorbitant, comprising a large percentage of a person’s earnings, leaving little aside for other expenses. Paying guest accommodation fees can range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 depending on the location and the neighborhood. Youngsters can apply for BPP housing if they are married or are preparing to do so. But till then they have to manage on their own resources.
Does the trust deed permit alternate use? The BPP website (bombayparsipunchayet.org) states, "If any student stops his studies (he) has to vacate the Hostel room.” Can trustees alter the settlors’ objectives without public discussion or legal approval? Would it not set a perilous precedent if the donors’ wishes were tampered with by subsequent trustees without following due process? Already one of the Hostel residents has sent a legal notice dated April 30, 2025, through two lawyers based in Madhya Pradesh, questioning the grounds for his dismissal from the Hostel after reportedly staying there for eight years and paying Rs 3,000 monthly charges. The lawyers claim "false allegations” are being leveled against their client and that he is being harassed by the Hostel warden.
Managing such facilities is fraught with predicaments. A warden has to maintain discipline without appearing harsh, unjust or biased. One hostelite stated that outstation youth were treated differently. Local youngsters were not obligated to assist in cleaning agiaries or performing social work. In addition, the hostelites were being disparaged.
BPP chairman Viraf Mehta told The Free Press Journal (May 3, 2025): "There have been allegations of drug usage and aggressive behavior. We are weary of letting 30-year-old working men stay with 18-year-old students.”
The recently renovated, 28-room Shirinbai Dinsha Mody Hostel for Parsi Women at Worli which can accommodate up to 70 working women is also reportedly underutilized.
A similar problem once faced schools originally founded for Parsis only. As the community numbers dropped and the classrooms emptied, the courts were approached. As author/lawyer Armin Wandrewala noted in her book, Brick by Brick, Thought by Thought… The J. B. Vachha High School, though the trust deed had specified the School "could only admit Parsi Zoroastrian children… (the) wishes of a donor, testator or settlor…can, if necessary, be changed to suit the next best beneficiary so that the bequest or charitable disposition does not go unutilized in the absence or unavailability of the exact beneficiary or beneficent purpose as set out” (see "Opening doors to all,” Parsiana, January 7-20, 2025).
One can understand the BPP’s compulsions for wanting to do things quietly and without public debate. But as trustees they are aware that deviating from the objectives of the trust deed, assuming they have done so, leaves them vulnerable to criticism. Parsiana has not seen the Gamadia Hostel trust deed so we asked the BPP chairman via WhatsApp on May 6 whether the trust had issued any statement on the Hostel. He replied that one was being prepared; but till May 16 no clarification was received.
But aside from the Hostel, the BPP also runs the Lady Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir Health Unit nearby and the F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla at Khareghat Colony. Both these institutions are essential for an aging, ailing community but sadly there are not enough Parsis to avail of these highly subsidized, assisted living facilities.
The BPP must initiate a public dialog on how our declining numbers are impacting community institutions and how best they can still serve the purpose for which they were originally created. But unfortunately the trustees opt to keep things secret.
Withholding information is exercising power. In authoritative regimes like the one in India (we rank 151 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index in 2025) only information is meted out that shows the party in power in a positive light. The rest is kept secret and if sniffed out, the consequences are dire for those who dare publicize their failings. The BPP trustees are secretive about goings-on, opting to project a facade of camaraderie while in reality divisiveness festers below the surface. Although claiming to be akabars, trustees shirk their role as leaders. Appearing for agiary salgirahs, Navroz celebrations or functioning as real estate brokers/developers does not absolve them from providing guidance or direction. With the BPP silent and The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India being more or less laid to rest, who does the community turn to for leadership? Does the role by default fall to the courts or to various lobbies — religious, social or economic — or to social media with all its biases, prejudices, half-truths and lies? The BPP election scheme sadly has no provisions for accountability. Three of the present serving trustees will be ineligible to seek reelection as the scheme restricts the tenure to two terms of five years each. The other four can stand for reelection in 2027 should they wish to do so. If we want to know of the board’s achievements or struggles, we may have to wait till then.