Archive

"The Faces of Today is designed to preserve and archive today’s Zarathushti diaspora and the Zarathushti way of life, in the hope of offering future generations a snap view of their ancestors and forebears,” noted an announcement seeking participation in the project initiated by the Zoroastrian Youth of North America (ZYNA), a youth-centered committee of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA). By developing an effective communication network, ZYNA has been endeavoring to promote North American Zarathushti youth leadership and to educate the youth to further the knowledge and understanding of the Zarathushti faith, its heritage, history, culture, etc.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The nearly 100 submissions received for the Faces of Today project were shared by ZYNA on YouTube as part of their Navroz program on March 20, 2021. The many visages of infants, toddlers, navjote initiates, graduates, newly-weds, and the varying moods of families at home, outdoors, on vacation were all presented as a prelude to the ZYNA countdown for Navroz that is celebrated to mark the onset of the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.
The Navroz virtual events planned by ZYNA and hosted by the co-chairs Parshan Khosravi and Farzin Avari as also FEZANA chief social media officer Tanya Hoshi, included prayers and explanations of Navroz besides a music program bringing together talent from across North America. The Canadian artistes included violinist Jamshed Turel, pianist Roham Behmanesh, soprano Meher Pavri and singer Ardavan Taraporvala. Performing from the US were 86-year-old pianist Phil Shroff and his grandson Zal, flautist Mahfrin Santoke, and pianist Faramarz Rashidi.
The musical numbers specially selected by the artistes tied up directly or indirectly with Navroz celebrations. Our last Nowruz, tweaked from Our Last Summer by Abba, reminisced of celebrations in ancestral Iran. A tribute to the red sumac berries placed on the traditional haft seen table resulted in the singing of Sole Mio, a well-known Neopolitan folk song that pays homage to the sun. The trilingual Gole Yakh/ Edelweiss, sung in Persian, German and English to convey the beauty of poppies and edelweiss, was a tribute to the hyacinth on the haft seen tables. Also on the table is sharbat, a drink made from flowers or fruits and a departure from wine, which invoked the French number O vin, dissipe la tristesse calling for wine to dispel all sorrow and to live a short life to the fullest.
Other springtime activities were alluded to in the Flower Duet from the opera Lakmé, Pigeons in the Park that painted a pretty spring picture and Circle of Life that reflected on the arrival of the new with the departure of the old. Also heard was Bésame Mucho, popular at every wedding, navjote and festive celebration but relevant during World War II when beseeching kisses before impending separation.
Lauding the cooperation of her co-chair "Parshan (see "Four to the fore,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, October 21-November 6, 2020) for being so ready to get to work and change the world,” Avari considered these virtual events vital to connect Zarathushtis with their families at home and others around the world. "We hope to bring people together in these challenging times and provide a sense of joy and hope as we ring in the New Year together as one community,” noted Avari in response to queries from Parsiana.
"I hope to be a leader who brings the Zarathushti youth from across the continent together because it’s in this sense of belonging that I have found my purpose,” stated Avari who hails from Atlanta. She remembered attending the NextGenNow Conference in Chicago in 2007 when just a college freshman where she got an opportunity to meet "people who shared both my faith and my passion to create a sense of community.” The following year she attended the World Zoroastrian Congress in Houston and even performed with the World Zoroastrian Symphony Orchestra.
Before she left Houston she had decided she would start a Sunday School for Zoroastrian children in Atlanta "not because I suddenly had all the answers but because now I knew who to reach out to for help when I needed it… (and) because I didn’t want the other kids in Atlanta to feel different like I have so often felt. Teaching Sunday School has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” said Avari who currently teaches chemistry and environmental science at Georgia Connections Academy. She completed her Masters in Science Education from Kennesaw State University and earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Georgia. "The only Indian kid in my whole school, oft-times I didn’t know exactly where I fit in… In some ways it’s exciting being different and sharing your life’s experience with the people you interact with; sharing how our cultures are different and yet so familiar. In other ways it’s been a responsibility I’ve carried my whole life.”
Having participated in the first Return to Roots program in 2013 which she described as an "opportunity of a lifetime,” she mentioned that staying in India for a fortnight during which she got to learn of the community’s resilience and perseverance while appreciating its art, history, food and prayers "made me a stronger leader both within and outside of the community.”
Drawing her strength from the FEZANA fraternity and her family, Avari referred to the contribution of her parents Maharukh and Khurshed who "instilled faith in the very center of our household,” brother Eric for keeping her grounded, Jim Engineer who invited her to the Chicago conference, Dinsha Mistree who was the anchor for Return to Roots and FEZANA president Arzan Wadia "for mentoring the new group of Zarathushti leaders in North America.” Currently ZYNA is seeking to expand and strengthen its committee by inducting two youth from every FEZANA member association.