Died: Ervad Nadir Ardeshir Modi, 95, eminent solicitor, erstwhile president of the Athornan Mandal (AM) and co-founder of the Young Collegians’ Zoroastrian Association (YCZA), in Bombay on June 5, 2025.
For residents of the Dadar Parsi Colony, Modi was "a savior.” Appearing gratis, he had won the court battle for upholding the legality of the Parsis-only covenant of over 100 buildings in the ungated Parsi Colony. When this covenant had been challenged in a bitterly fought litigation in the Bombay City Civil Court, Modi represented The Parsi Central Association Cooperative Housing Society Limited, one of the oldest residential societies in the city. "A lawyer par excellence, a humane person, an erudite personality and a community friend is how one can best describe Nadirsha. Due to his efforts we still stay in such sylvan surroundings,” remarked Dinyar Panthaki, chairman of the Mancherji Edalji Joshi Memorial Trust in Dadar.
Top: Ervad Nadir Modi;
center: at the felicitation accorded
to Modi (front row, 3rd from r)
Photo: Sarosh Daruwalla; sylvan
surroundings of Dadar Parsi Colony
Photo: Jasmine D. Driver
"Without him, Dadar Parsi Colony would have lost its Parsi character,” senior Dadar community activist Mithoo Jesia had endorsed Modi’s candidature when he contested the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship elections in 2008. "When I took on the Dadar Parsi Colony case, I did not realize how much time I would have to put in…” Modi had stated at a campaign meeting when he met voters as one of the seven members on the panel of the Adult Franchise for Progress (AFP). Contrary to popular perception that elections by adult franchise would deter eminent individuals from offering their candidature, the AFP slate had included leaders from the corporate, medical, legal and financial world. Besides Modi who the AFP panel was convinced would make an ideal chairman, there was Tata Memorial Hospital director Dr Ketayun Dinshaw, managing director of HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation) Keki Mistry, leading income tax jurist Sohrab Dastur, real estate scion and philanthropist Byram Jeejeebhoy, charity management expert and columnist Noshir Dadrawala, and BPP trustee and construction expert Maneck Engineer. "(We are) seven horses for the chariot of the community. We come from the same stable and have learned to work together!” Modi had then declared. Shortly thereafter, due to his wife’s illness, Dastur had opted out of the fray and Muncherji Cama was supported by AFP.
Above, from l: Ervads (Drs) Ramiyar Karanjia and Pervez Bajan,
Dasturs (Dr) Firoze Kotwal and Khurshed Dastoor, Ervad Nadir Modi;
2nd row: Kersi Commissariat, Dorab Tata, Bakhtiar Bhesania, Modi
Even though Modi as also five other AFP candidates did not win the trusteeship elections in 2008, the savant’s familiarity with community institutions was highly respected. As recalled Dinshaw Tamboly, managing trustee of the WZO (World Zoroastrian Organisation) Trust, "It was my good fortune to have come into contact with Nadirsha, sometime in late 1995/early 1996, when AM and WZO Trust embarked on a joint venture to support mobeds. It was also a time when I was contemplating contesting election for BPP trusteeship. With his wide and varied experience Nadirsha not only gave an indication of what being a BPP trustee would involve but also encouraged and motivated me in many ways. Sharing his wisdom, guiding, supporting and mentoring me, his sagacious advice was, ‘Don’t pick a fight; pick a solution.’
"I recall his telling me that the first step in the acquisition of wisdom was silence, the next was listening to and memorizing what others were saying and the final to draw our own conclusion and act as per what we thought was correct, irrespective of what others thought or did. Whenever a troublesome issue would arise, he would quote George Bernard Shaw ‘We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience.’ A titan of our times, he opened my eyes to the fact that a good leader should lead for a time and then vanish, before his ashes douse the fires that he had himself lit,” added Tamboly.
"It is difficult to say whether he was well known and respected in the community for his lineage from his grandfather Sir Jivanji Modi, or for his own legal prowess as N. A. Modi Solicitor and Advocate or for his founding YCZA from whose gates over 100 Parsi couples got married. Nadirsha was a man of multi-talents,” remarked YCZA trustee Kersi Commissariat whose close association with him spanned nearly 62 years from the time Kersi was a teenager.
Even while he pursued his legal practice and declined offers of judgeship, Nadir taught English at Jai Hind College and mercantile law at H. R. College. He founded YCZA in 1952 with Jai Hind College vice principal Prof Khurshed Sheriar. Happy to be in the company of jovial youngsters, Nadir had earlier joked, "As an Ahmedabadi I don’t like giving any smile free but I like getting free smiles.”
From l: Berjis Desai, Dinshaw Tamboly, Mithoo Jesia, Dr Ketayun Dinshaw, Sohrab Dastur,
Modi, Maneck Engineer, Byram Jeejeebhoy
Yet another YCZA trustee Zarine Commissariat recalled her association with this organization when activities for students of all colleges would be organized on Saturday evenings, initially at the Jivanji Modi Hall at the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute, and subsequently at the Modis’ residence. She gave Nadirsha credit for encouraging her "to take part in debates and elocution competitions as also conduct games that started my passion for public speaking.” The weekly meetings would end with the singing of Chhaiyé Hamé Zarathushti to piano accompaniment by Nadir’s wife Homai.
During a fundraising drive for YCZA, "Nadirsha publicly announced that Kersi and I should pair up as I would be able to persuade concerned executives to release advertisements while Kersi would be able to guide me to the relevant offices, as I lacked a sense of direction! This constant interaction enabled us to know each other better and we have now been married for 53 years!” revealed Zarine. Their friendship with Nadirsha continued until the end, jointly investing in a holiday home, enjoying his stimulating discussions, traveling together to destinations in India and overseas.
To mark the silver jubilee of YCZA in 1977 Nadir started a cosmopolitan public trust, YCZA Educational and Charitable Fund with four of his close friends, Sheriar, solicitor Bakhtiar Bhesania, banker Dorab Tata and chartered accountant Kersi. With his soft corner for the visually challenged students, the trustees would give special attention to these applicants from Bombay and the hinterlands of Maharashtra who sought scholarships. Among the constants in his life was the Wednesday lunch for almost 30 years with Bhesania, Tata and Kersi!
Ordained as a navar and maratab in Navsari, the venerable priest chaired the AM and was a trustee of community institutions like the Wadia Atash Behram, Boyce Agiary, Sethna Charities, Cama Convalescent Home. Frequently attending community functions wearing a priest’s pugree, he would say, "Dharam vagar kaum nahi rahsé ané kaum vagar dharam nahi rahsé (without religion the community won’t survive and without the community there will be no religion).” When facing flak from orthodox community members he would reason, "Sensible compromises are a must for a small community like ours… Change is the law of life and adaptability is the law of survival. The wise man remains between the two extremes of orthodoxy and reformism.”
The astute advocate is survived by his sons Peshotan and Noshirwan and daughter Nawaz Modi Singhania.