The Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce named Dr Dhun Noria "Business Woman of the Year” at a special event on June 19, 2004 announced World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) Canadian regional director Bomy Boyce in a missive forwarded to Parsiana, dubbing Noria "a true entrepreneur with a success story.”
Silicon Valley, California is the venue of the WZCC annual meeting on December 28, 2004 announced Jamshed Gandi, chapter chair of the WZCC in San Francisco. The meet is planned on the eve of the North American Zoroastrian Congress. The program will address current trade issues and future economic ramifications. To join the event access their website www.wzcc.org.
Noria:"success story”
Representatives of nine countries, where Navroz is celebrated as the beginning of the year in the traditional Zoroastrian style, met in Tehran on August 10, 2004 and appointed Iran to pursue the issue of registering the festival on the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, notes an announcement forwarded by Behram Pastakia of Metropolitan Washington. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Kazakhstan signed the resolution. Turkey and Uzbekistan announced they would sign at a later date. Though Tajikistan did not attend the meet, it has announced its decision to sign the resolution later. Countries proposing masterpieces for registration with UNESCO are required to present the necessary documentation including two copies of a film on the subject, the establishment of a five-year program to preserve, safeguard and revitalize the cultural masterpiece. Iran was required to submit all documents by September 30.
A book titled The real story of Freddie Mercury, written by Russian author Mariam Ahundova describes the late singer as a serene, inspired personality who "brought the light of his religion and his soul into his music,” notes an e-mail from the author to creating awareness@yahoogroups.com "The song My Fairy King from the Queen’s first album narrates Achrimun’s (sic) desecration of the world. The ritual bracelet that Freddie (born Faroukh Bulsara) used to wear on stage, symbolized the defeater of daevas and the defender of the Zoroastrian religion. His concert clothing also symbolized the Zoroastrian religion. White color, his favorite one, is the Zoroastrian ritual color. The red clothes with an emblem of the panther are the ancient symbol of the Persian warrior who fights against the evil and defends people. We can see Freddie’s Zoroastrian ritual gestures while performing on stage or in videos, but the real meaning of such gestures is not clear to uninitiated observers,” states Ahundova. She says she is searching for people who knew Freddie privately and who can help to clear his name and confirm that he was a good and a noble man. Ahundova can be contacted on e-mail ameshaspentas2000@yahoo.co.uk