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A haute haven

Major refurbishment at the Zoroastrian Building in Hong Kong results in a trendy, well-equipped center
Parinaz M. Gandhi

Be proud of your club. Protect it as you would your own place. Use it, and above all, have fun as we probably now have the most luxurious Parsi club in the world,” urged Neville Shroff, president of the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton and Macao at a function on December 8, 2012 to celebrate the completion of major refurbishment and development work on the third and fourth floors of their Zoroastrian Building.

Realizing that space constraints was inconveniencing the growing strength of Zoroastrians in Hong Kong, numbering 235 at the last count, the trustees opted to renovate their premises. They viewed the development as "essential and integral for the present and future benefit of our community in Hong Kong.” In the 23-storey centrally air conditioned Zoroastrian Building that was built in 1993, four floors have been reserved for community use and the remaining floors in the glass and concrete commercial tower are rented out for commercial use, the income from which has enabled the association to generously sanction donations for community projects across the globe. With major refurbishment on the third and fourth floors the trustees have been able to offer "a safe, comfortable and relaxed ambience for their large functions.”
After a jashan ceremony by Ervad Homyar Nasirabadwala at their prayer hall on the fourth floor, community members assembled on the third floor for the ribbon cutting by Neville Shroff,  and Rusy Shroff, the seniormost member of the Zoroastrian community in Hong Kong who at 95 years of age continues to take an active interest in the family’s philanthropic work. In fact, Rusy and his wife Purviz made a significant donation towards the current refurbishment of the third floor premises that accommodates The Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee Hall. Participating in the cake cutting and a champagne toast were many members of the community, making Neville Shroff comment, "I was humbled and honored to see them grace this wonderful occasion in such large numbers.”
Their modern club, equipped with the latest up-to-date audiovisual system and a state of the art kitchen, is now geared to provide a comfortable place for the community to fraternize and socialize as also welcome guests.
Conception to completion

A specially constituted eight-member Refurbishment Committee, chaired by trustee Kawas Pavri, was formed to oversee the project. Working with him on the Committee were co-trustees Neville Shroff, Viraf Parekh, Rustom Jokhi and Pervin Shroff, with the support of Farida Shroff, Roxy Jokhi and Chermeen Parekh. "It has taken over a year of countless meetings, emails, phone calls to accomplish what we see today,” announced Neville Shroff thanking members of the Refurbishment Committee for their "dedication, opinions, differences of opinions, efforts and hard work to see this through” and specially acknowledging the efforts of "Kawas who with his unwavering dedication, meticulousness to detail and commitment, and endless hours of meetings, sometimes till late at night, made sure this project was on track at all times.”
The decision to pursue this project was taken after endless internal consultations with their decorators PDML and their contractors who recommended that a complete overhaul of the premises with major repairs to the floors was overdue, and which if neglected would result in a rundown and dilapidated club. From conceptual designs and layouts to detailed designs and programing of the works, the fixtures and budgeting, weekly meetings monitored the progress of the project.
Whilst the renovation work was on, the Anjuman and the Social Hall Committee arranged alternate venues for their usual events to minimize inconvenience to the Hong Kong community. "The cooperation and support by the community was tremendous and highly appreciated,” remarked Neville Shroff who felt that community members needed to be appreciated for "their patience and understanding during this renovation. I am sure they feel that the wait was worth the time.”
With youngsters under 21 constituting 27 percent of the Zoroastrian community in Hong Kong, the objective of this overhaul was in the interest of the next generation, summed up the president. To him, the refurbishment is "an important step forward for our community in Hong Kong as it symbolizes our unity and harmony whilst providing a conducive atmosphere for social interaction for both adults and children alike.”