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The 174th anniversary of Poona’s Sardar Sorabji Patel Agiary, celebrated on May 3, 2017, saw the fire temple restored to its former glory.
Built by Poona resident Sorabji Ratanji Patel in 1843, the single-storey structure surrounded by a lush green garden — the oldest fire temple in Poona — is today dwarfed by box-like high-rises, but remains a haven of sanctity in the midst of the city’s jostling crowds and chaotic traffic. The fire temple’s spacious grounds also house a prayer hall which is used by Sir Cowasji Jehangir’s family, and a 45-ft-deep well which is currently home to several fish and four large tortoises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Age has taken its toll on the Agiary, and although it has gone through a few renovations over the years, in 2016 trustees Mehernavaz Vakil, her son Jehangir, Col Sohrab Pudumjee (Retd), Dara Damania, Roshan Chindhy and Khushroo Dastoor decided to undertake a full-scale restoration of the Agiary. Jehangir, a lawyer who runs a construction business, oversaw and executed the project. "Our challenge was to reactivate a community space,” he says. Bombay-based architect Kaiyan Mistree along with Jehangir carried out a structural survey and found that the walls had been damaged due to water seepage. "We also found that many of the Agiary’s wooden beams and columns were infested with white ants,” Mistree adds.
Using Facebook, Instagram and other social media to create awareness of and raise funds for the project among the community, Jehangir and Mistree began the restoration work in May 2016. The challenging project had its share of surprises for them both. For example, when the prayer hall’s asbestos ceiling was pulled down, they were amazed to find that the false ceiling from an earlier renovation had covered up the stately original Burma teak beams and trusses. Their decision to expose and reinforce the beams and trusses has added an air of grandeur to the room. "By removing the false ceiling, the height of the prayer hall increased by six to seven feet,” Jehangir  reveals. "We also had to scrape off at least eight layers of paint from earlier renovations from the Agiary’s doors and furniture to reveal the natural grain of all the teak.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Italian Carrara marble floor was polished, the walls were treated with a special chemical and painted, the wooden benches were scraped and polished, the ornamental moldings on the columns in the prayer hall, muktad room and at the entrance were restored with a special gold gilt and the limestone motifs on the exterior of the building were recreated in cement. A stained-glass asho farohar, made and donated to the Agiary by Lady Jasmine Jehangir and her sister Binaifer Karanjia, adds a splash of color to the prayer room, the walls of which are lined with sepia-toned portraits and photographs of the Agiary’s priests, patrons and donors. Several of the photo frames had to be repaired and polished. With meticulous attention to detail, the electrical wiring and light fittings were replaced with 24 custom-made ceiling lamps in the traditional "handi” style.
Ervads Jimmy Udwadia and Zarir Bhada, who have been the priests at the Patel Agiary since 2002, are delighted with the end results of the restoration. "The changes will make a lot of difference to the Agiary and the community. We are very grateful to our chairperson Mehernavaz Vakil and the trustees for proceeding with the restoration of Poona’s oldest Agiary. Our thanks also to Jehangir Vakil and Kaiyan Mistree who played a big role in the project,” says Udwadia.
Bhada agrees, "Everyone who visits the Agiary is full of praise for the improvements that have been made. It is still a work in progress because other rooms and the Cowasji Jehangir Hall are under renovation. It is all for the good of the community.”
Much of the credit for the success of the renovation goes to Jehangir and Mistree. Despite — or possibly, because of — their youth (both are in their early thirties) they have pulled off the project with the winning combination of expertise, enthusiasm and initiative. With the Patel Agiary project nearing completion, they are both already looking to the future. "What we need is more youth involvement in such community projects, and more empowerment of young trustees,” states Jehangir. Five years ago, the Kadmi and Shehanshahi Anjuman Dar-e-Meher in Poona, also known as Komra ni Agiary, had been restored thanks to the munificence of Dr Cyrus and Adar Poonawalla (see "Patrons in Poona,” Parsiana, January 7, 2012). "The Patel Agiary project has taught us a lot. Kaiyan and I have done a lot of groundwork and now have not only a blueprint but also the expertise and contacts that could be used for similar restoration projects elsewhere. The model developed by us can be used by other trusts who are planning to restore their fire temples. In fact, Kaiyan and I would be happy to collaborate on a pro bono basis for other community renovation or restoration projects in India,” says Jehangir.
Interested parties can contact them at jehangir.vakil@gmail.com and kaiyan.mistree@gmail.com