"Your contributions and role in society go a long way to create the secular, egalitarian and inclusive India we all work for,” noted Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) when felicitating five Parsis, with other members of minority communities. "The DMC Awards are given to exceptional people of the minority community,” he announced at the felicitation. Instituted in 2018, the awardees for 2019 include Adil Nargolwala for sportsmanship; Ranvir Singh Saini (whose mother is a Parsi) for golf; Jeanie Aibara for academia; Feroza Jassawala for community service; and Khursheed Nariman who was specially felicitated for her sculptures. Other award categories include human rights, print and electronic media.
Awardees are selected on the basis of recommendations by DMC’s advisory and peace committee members, empanelled community organizations and on the basis of information collected by the DMC chairman and members. The pandemic and the ensuing lockdown caused the ceremony to be restricted to separate small gatherings in the Commission’s conference rooms between June 10 and 20, 2020.
Top: Adil Nargolwala (center); above from left Feroza Jassawala, Jeanie Aibara,
Khursheed Nariman, Ranvir Singh Saini
Vice president of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) Nargolwala has over 250 races to his credit, having run in 15 countries and 39 cities in India across various terrains. He prides himself for being the first and only Indian to have completed gruelling sports challenges Ultraman and Ironman, having run in six world major marathons on seven continents (see "Intrepid Ironman,” Sports, Parsiana, October 21, 2019-November 6, 2019). Saini has overcome a disability with his strong will and has achieved many medals for his golfing activities. At 18, he was the first Indian to have won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Special Olympics in 2015, followed by a silver medal at Abu Dhabi in 2019. Aibara, principal of Ambience Public School and inclusive educator has over three decades of experience as an educator, having been honored by the Federation of Public Schools, Delhi among others. The special needs department in Ambience supports holistic education. "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled,” she believes.
A fundraiser for DPA and for the Phil and Mary Clubwala Trust in Madras, Jassawala’s efforts have been appreciated by both entities. Her efforts were "the main reason for the growth of our Anjuman corpus,” noted the Anjuman’s annual report for 2017, while the Trust recorded her "dedication and commitment” in a special resolution. She is a regular correspondent for Parsiana. A post graduate from The University of Arts, London, Nariman’s background in political science has greatly influenced her sculptures which depict communal harmony. She works with various mediums but specializes in bronze (see "Interconnected,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, July 21-August 6, 2019).