"We welcome Rustom and Ratan to the board of trustees of the Adaran, and look forward to working with them for the continued welfare of our Adaran, and of the Calcutta Parsi community,” stated Yezdezard Dastoor, trustee of the Ervad Dhunjeebhoy Byramjee Mehta’s Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran in Calcutta. Rustom Daroga and Ratan Postwalla were elected trustees on May 29, 2022 to join existing trustees Dastoor and Jemi Bilimoria, noted Postwalla.
Clockwise from top l: Ratan Postwalla, Rustom Daroga,
Yezdezard Dastoor, Jemi Bilimoria
Postwalla has, over the past 25 years, been an active community member in the eastern city, closely involved with a majority of their institutions, including the Calcutta Parsee Club and the Calcutta Parsi Amateur Dramatic Club. Daroga has previously been trustee and honorary secretary of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman for several years, and was also the north zone representative on the executive council of The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India. He was additionally president of the Delhi Chapter of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce.
A third candidate was Calcutta High Court lawyer Phiroze Edulji. He is vice president for the right-wing Hindu organization Vishva Hindu Parishad.
Long-standing trustee of the Adaran, Noshir Tankariwala passed away in September 2020 (see "Highest honor,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, September 21-October 6, 2020).
Among other tasks before them, the new board will have to litigate on who has the right of entry to the fire temple. Calcutta resident Prochy Mehta and her daughter Sanaya Vyas have filed an originating summons in the Calcutta High Court when Vyas’ children were denied entry. She is married to a non-Parsi.