Speakers at the Holiday Programme for Youth urged
the participants to follow their dreams
Roxan Driver
"Failure is going to be a very important part of your learning and what that will teach you no amount of lectures or speeches can or ever will. Failure is never final. Don’t wallow in self-pity. Shed arrogance. Be humble. If you are not, life will teach you to be humble,” advised Khushnuma Kapadia, director, marketing and communications, Marriott International, who was guest of honor at the valedictory function of the 29th Holiday Programme for Youth (HPY). In her impassioned speech she recounted her life story which has been dotted with failures and her subsequent rise to the top to a rapt audience of students, parents and invitees on May 31, 2015 at the J. B. Vachha Girls’ High School hall in Dadar.
"Have the gumption to try something new… Don’t find fault with everything. If you don’t like something, do something about it. Don’t blame it on someone else. Work smart but don’t forget to work hard,” counselled the ex-HPYite. Since last year the guests of honor invited at the valedictory (and inaugural) functions have been ex-HPYites who have lived up to its motto of "striving for excellence” and established themselves in their chosen careers.
Diana Marfatia (left) and Azmin Vania
The Organizing Committee showing off their moves
The month-long program, the vision of Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee and vice chancellor of the Bombay University, the late Dr Mehroo Bengalee who initiated HPY 29 years ago, is conducted in May every year. Though the HPY, the pilot project of the BPP for Parsi students who have appeared for their school leaving examinations, has been held at The Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsi Charitable Institution at Charni Road for the last 19 years, this year due to extensive renovations being carried out at the school, the venue was shifted to Dadar’s J. B. Vachha School.
"We encourage our boys to lead but ‘call the girls who lead bossy.’ We are socially wired that our girls are meant to nurture and our boys are meant to lead. Change that outlook. The day we realize that women are equally competent and make that an interesting fabric of our psyche, will we as a world, as a nation achieve true progress. Because if men are building a future, it is the women who are creating history,” she ended her speech to a standing ovation.
Chief executive officer, direct sales and senior vice president (marketing) of Eureka Forbes Marzin Shroff who was chief guest preferred to mingle with the audience rather than stand at one place and talk. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation and an interactive session with the children, Shroff put his viewpoint across. Reflecting on his adolescence he said that it was very unfortunate that there was no program like HPY then. "We had no options in our times. It was science, commerce or arts. Today you have so many career options. Go out, do something unique, create new businesses,” he encouraged them.
"Follow your passion, your dream. Do something that you want to do. Don’t do the conventional thing. Do something that will create a life changing moment. Do not do what everybody else is doing just because your mother said so, or your friend said so… if you love what you do you will never have to work for a single day of your life,” was his sage advice.
Chief coordinator of the Programme Azmin Vania summed up: "If you breathe HPY, you don’t need oxygen and if you live HPY, you’ll never lack for confidence… The community needs go-getters, not ego-lovers; visionaries, not the complacent; virtuous, not the vile.”
Clockwise from top left:
Marzin Shroff, Khushnuma Kapadia,
Ashdeen Lilaowala and Dr Khushrav Bajan
"The friendships made here will last for a very long time,” said HPY mentor Diana Marfatia whilst praising the current batch who have been "really involved, committed and energetic, keeping the spirits of the organizers high. They have successfully completed all the tasks laid out for them throughout the month, including the new challenge we gave them to register as many past HPYites that they possibly could on our website to enable us to build our data bank. I’m sure you will be amazed at how our participants have managed to handle all this work, in addition to the myriad other tasks they were expected to accomplish in the past 28 days.”
With 176 participants, of whom 78 were girls and 98 boys, HPY 2015 had students from 72 schools of Bombay and as far as Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Nagpur, Navsari, Pardi, Poona, Surat and Vapi. Two children came all the way from Dubai! Of the 32 out-of-towners, 21 were housed at the F. S. Parukh Dharamshalla at Hughes Road. The BPP provided bus service to ferry the participants to the venue at Dadar.
At the evening’s entertainment finale a few HPYites showcased their talent after which the Organizing Committee (OC) set the stage on fire with their moves. Guests, parents and children finally partook of caterer Jimmy Gadiwala’s sumptuous five-course meal.
The inaugural
On May 3, 2015 the School hall was filled to capacity with parents and anxious faces of the teens who had just shrugged off the burden of their Std X exams and the baggage of text books, test tubes, formulae, tuitions and coaching classes.
Consultant physician and head of the critical care and emergency medicine at Hinduja Hospital Dr Khushrav Bajan shared his life lessons for the benefit of youngsters at the inaugural function on May 3. "Dream big; make the right choices; don’t sit in your comfort zone; have good communication skills; be respectful and grateful always. Give whatever you try your best, and if your best is not good enough, do better,” counselled the chief guest. He told the youngsters to believe in themselves and to trust their potential as "you have limitless potential. Manage your time well. Just like there are two sides to a coin there is always another side to everything.” Just change your perception and do not feel pressurized, he said and ended with the wise words: "Never give up. Always be a winner, never a loser.”
This year the guest of honor was ace fashion designer Ashdeen Lilaowala who had come from Delhi where he resides. Participant at HPY in 1996 and organizer in 1997 Lilaowala shared his life’s three mantras: Be honest, work hard and enjoy life. Wanting to become a doctor when in school, he joined Wilson College in the science stream. "I hated every minute of it. I wasn’t doing well and the marks were not great either. I told my parents that I wanted to do something creative… Somewhere deep down, this strength came from being a part of HPY! The fact that I had heard and spoken with so many professionals who were pursuing their dream careers and being successful at it, gave me the courage to embark on my own journey.”
"You have this magnificent opportunity to prepare yourself for life; this platform gives you a kaleidoscopic view of your future. Do not waste it,” was his message to the youth.
From left: (1st row): Arnavaz Mistry, Khojeste Mistree, Armaity Tirandaz and Jimmy Mistry; Godrej Dotivala; Bakhtawar Dastur;
Jimmy Gadiwala, Delna Talati and Anahiz Patel; (2nd row) HPY 2015 title winners Anahita Karanjia, Kayan Dadyburjor, Behram
Kapadia and Zaara Dastur; winning team —Achievers; (3rd row) Individual best participants Meghami Mehta, Ketayun Mistry,
Jeyhaan Carnac and Pashaan Gandhi with Marzin Shroff (center); blood donation trophy winners, Enactors, with Shroff; (4th row)
Dara Doomasia, Zeshah Davar and Dinshaw Mehta; Shahaan Devierwalla with Khushnuma Kapadia; WZCC trophy winners
The program
Much has changed since 1987. HPY packs in much more than options on career guidance. Personality development, social service, music, dance, sports and fashion have all been woven into the fabric of HPY. This year Routes to Roots was added: an activity that focuses on the community’s traditions and rituals, our rapidly forgotten mother tongue and culinary expertise.
From lectures by captains of industry, social workers of repute, internationally acclaimed professionals, gallant men of the armed forces, religious scholars, sporting legends and Bollywood stars to visits to old age homes and Della Adventure in Lonavla (courtesy BPP trustee Jimmy Mistry), the one-month packs it all and more, for a token fee of Rs 750.
The children sweat it out during games like cricket, football, baseball, basketball, throwball, volleyball (this year played at the Dadar Parsi Gymkhana). Also new this time was the Reconnect Program where past HPYites can register their names to make a new data base of past participants.
The World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) conducts a workshop on entrepreneurship. As part of their "giving back to society” a blood donation drive is also conducted with the help of St George and The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospitals. A financially underprivileged Zoroastrian child is initiated into the fold at HPY every year as well. Young Benaifer Shelengi was navjoted this year.
For all the mothers who were worried "ké maaru bachhu khasé su (What will my child eat)?” wholesome lunch, evening snacks and Rasna cold drinks twice a day were provided by Gadiwala.
Time for gratitude
"Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments towards organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results,” said Vania while conveying her thanks to her "dynamic team that is as united as it is diverse.”
"For providing leadership that is righteous, compassionate, capable, visionary and yet rooted… who in spite of having several commitments and being very busy, just cannot stop breathing HPY,” Marfatia, who has been mentor to HPY since 2009 and is revered as a mother figure, was thanked amid thunderous applause.
Vania then went on to appreciate the efforts of the "roots of the HPY tree,” the OC: sports-in-charge, "the extremely enthusiastic and reliable” Rayomand Mistry; performing Arts-in-charge "diva” Khushnuma Daruvalla; "yummy mummy” senior organizer Kainaz Kasnavia; "technical wizard without whom administration would be almost impossible” Huzan Forbes; and Hormuz Ragina, literary arts-in-charge and HPY’s "blue-eyed boy whose wit is exemplary and enthusiasm contagious.”
Efforts of the group organizers who form the "bark of that HPY tree” — Frahim Adajania, Ayesha Mehta, Delraaz Bunshah, Yohann Dastoor, Danesh Avasia, Armaan Arethna, Saisha Bacha and Arzan Mehta were also appreciated as were Gadiwala, "father figure, crisis manager and guide,” and Bakhtawar Dastur, assistant executive at the BPP who has worked for HPY since its inception.
New initiate Benaifer Shelengi with her family
A few participants shared their insights with Parsiana. In true bawa style Farad Daruwalla of St Xavier’s High School said he loved everything, the organizers, the students but the most important was "the food. It also helps you find your inner talent,” he added. Though shy at the start as he knew only a few people, Mr HPY Behram Kapadia of Cathedral and John Connon School said that the program "made me a better and more confident person.” Though she found some sessions to be a bit boring, when J. B. Vachhaite Anahita Karanjia looked back she felt "they were very informative.” The Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly High School student Kayan Dadyburjor was of the opinion that "HPY is the platform where most of us realize that we are more talented than we thought.”
Poona resident Zenia Dastoor of Dastur Girls High School was transformed from a timid, hesitant girl into a confident, independent woman. "I was a typical Parsi handa (hooligan) before, but HPY has transformed me into a completely different person,” confessed Rushad Mirza. Sporty Rohaan Variava of Surat looked forward to participating in all the sports events, but "performing on stage was not my cup of tea. Fortunately, the stage fright has disappeared after coming to HPY,” he acknowledged.
When asked if there were any suggestions for bettering the program, answers ranged from extending the duration, "better drinks,” installing air conditioning (in the hall) due to the excessive heat, adding athletics and swimming to the sporting events. One participant felt that HPY was "too hectic… where one has to sacrifice one’s sleep…” but found it "worth it in the end.”
The words of the HPY song ring true: "You’re a window to the future,/Our first step has just begun,/This month of May is the best part,/Of being Zoroastrian!... HPY, you’re one of a kind,/Another we won’t find…,” reverberating in every HPYite’s heart forever.
And the winners are…
Winners all (clockwise from top left): Rohan Variava, Hoshedar Chichgar,
Danesh Dumasia, Ayesha Mehta, Farishte Bhesania, Minocher Gandhi,
Farad Daruwalla, Saisha Bacha, Jehaan Adajania and Rushad Mirza
Judged on essential factors like charm, attitude, camaraderie, regularity, punctuality, proactive and enthusiastic behavior as well as success in various events and competitions are the Mr and Ms HPY title winners. Anahita Karanjia was crowned Ms HPY 2015, while the Mr HPY 2015 title went to Behram Kapadia. Zaara Dastur and Kayan Dadyburjor were runners up.
Best participants of the four groups were: Jeyhaan Carnac (Achievers); Pashaan Gandhi (Creators); Ketayun Mistry (Enactors) and Megami Mehta (Performers).
Literary arts prizes: Carnac bagged the Best Debator and the Literary Arts All-Rounder titles. The debating team of Dastur and Carnac came first while Shazneen Vazifdar and Zarastyn Mistry stood second. Khooshmin Mirza and Jal Jussawalla came first and second respectively in the media presentation round while in Just-a-Minute the winners were Karanjia, Tarana Nargolwala and Dastur.
Sports: Surat lad Rohan Variava was declared the Best Sportsperson. In cricket Kaiwan Randeria and Farad Daruwalla were winners while Danesh Avasia, Jehan Panthaky, Yohaann Dastoor and Zarastyn Mistry excelled in football. Farman Songhadwala and Mikhail Joerevala reigned supreme in volleyball; Tanya Mogrelia and Anaisha Divwala stood first and second in throwball. Shahvir Sarkari and Malcolm Engineer excelled in basketball and in baseball the winners were Aaron Mistry and Farzan Batty.
Performing Arts: The Best Actor title was shared by Danesh Dumasia and Jehaan Adajania while Ayesha Mehta and Saisha Bacha shared the Best Actress titles. Ardeshirshaw Nariman and Burjis Ghodawalla were best supporting actors and Parinaz Marolia and Karanjia were best supporting actresses. First place in dramatics went to Pashmin Dardorewala and second place to Farzan Dalal. In the fashion show segment the winners were Meherzad Motafaram and Delzad Checker while Sarah Pavri and Tarana Nargolwala came second. Best male model was Variava and Farishte Bhesania the best female model. Farad Daruwalla and Minocher Gandhi shared the best catwalker (male) titles and their female counterparts were Dastoor and Karanjia.
Dadyburjor and Zeeba Vevaina took home the WZCC trophy. The Master Chef first and second place went to Hoshedar Chichgar and Rushad Mirza. The Enactors team won the blood donation trophy, collecting 68 of the total of 241 bottles of blood.
The overall best team of HPY 2015 was the Achievers with 632 points.
For scoring 96% at the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) exam in 2014 Delna Talati of the J. B. Petit High School for Girls was felicitated with the Piroja Fali Forbes Award (silver salver and a cheque). The BPP Award for securing 94.5% in SSC (Secondary School Certificate) went to J. B. Vachhaite Anahiz Patel. She also received a silver plaque and a cheque.
Two other community achievers were felicitated. At the inaugural function on May 3 young national shot put champion (under-14) Zeshah Davar was given a medal, certificate and Rs 25,000 by the BPP. She has been coached by sports veteran Dara Doomasia. "Dashing and confident,” ex-HPYite Shahaan Devierwalla who along with five other karatekas was compressed in a six layered sandwich of nails (being the youngest in the group), was felicitated with a medal, plaque and a cash purse of Rs 25,000 from the BPP at the valedictory function. This feat was performed in Milan, Italy on July 11, 2014 which got the karatekas entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. A video of this record breaking feat was shown to the audience.