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"Those that peddle isolation must face the fact that the world is so interconnected and fast-moving that those that are unable to seize the moment are just forgotten and worse side-lined,” believes Zerbanoo Gifford, president of The World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO), advocating inclusivity, parity and adaptability for the community to progress. Besides being a human rights campaigner and director of Anti Slavery International, she has been among the pioneers of Asian women in British politics, elected councilor of Harrow in 1982 and emboldened to stand for parliament. The ASHA Centre that she founded in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire in the UK is a charity working for the enrichment of young adults.
Gifford is convinced, "WZO is our Zoroastrian community’s true world body as it embraces Zoroastrians worldwide without any distinction and carries out the tenets of the faith as Zarathushtra would have wanted.” Responding to queries from Parsiana by email she shared her vision: "I see the WZO helping to break down barriers that unnecessarily divide us. I also see WZO investing resources in our young and celebrating and engaging the talents of our women worldwide. I see WZO working to underline the progressive work of women being allowed to train to become priests. For many years I was interested in women in the Church of England campaigning to be allowed to be priests. Today they are bishops. I think in time we will have many more outstanding Zoroastrian women priests conducting navjotes and ceremonies for our faith.”
She realizes though that her best intentions are meaningless unless she has the support of "the global WZO board and thoughtful Zoroastrians worldwide.” Zerbanoo was unanimously elected president at the last annual general meeting of the WZO in October 2022. Working with her on the global board are chairman Rumi Sethna who has been in office since February 2021. Their team additionally includes vice president Shirin Mehri; honorary treasurer Dinyar Modi; honorary secretary Benafsha Engineer-Mulla; joint social secretaries Armaity Engineer and Manijeh Parki; religious coordinator Shahin Bekhradnia; president, US, Kayomarsh Mehta; president, Canada, Sam Vesuna; president, New Zealand, Darius Mistry; youth coordinator  Ervad Jimmy Madon; and members Darayus Motivala, Rustam Dubash and Prof  (Dr) Zenobia Nadirshaw of the UK; Ervad (Dr) Kersey Antia, Maneck Bhujwala, Dr Parmis Khatibi and Kersi Shroff of the USA; Ervad (Dr) Jehan Bagli and Fariborz Rahnamoon of Canada; Homi Khusrokhan and Meher Amersey of India; and Russi Ghadiali of Singapore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When her father Behram (Bailey) Irani was invited to serve as the founder president of WZO at the First World Zoroastrian Congress hosted by the Shah of Iran in 1960 and organized by Dr Farhang Mehr, then deputy Prime Minister of Iran, "the world was a very different place… The main issue was to bring the Iranian and Parsi Zoroastrians together or at least let them interact and understand each other. It was to have a global voice that was heard in the corridors of world power when needed to support our people in hardship. WZO was instrumental in helping Iranian Zoroastrians resettle and also making sure that world bodies like the United Nations knew about Zoroastrians, our faith and our people,” she remarked. Gifford considered her father "a bridge with a great sense of humor, a big heart and a love for his community and family.” Hailing from Poona, he created his own wealth, his hotels in London being popular among those passing through UK.  His mother though had been brought to India as a baby refugee from Yazd.
"Our forefathers and mothers moved from Iran to save their religion and they adapted to the conditions placed on them by their Gujarati hosts. The Iranis in the 19th century left their homeland to travel as refugees to India to start a new life away from social and racial injustice. They adapted to the British raj and did well. Lately our community from India and Pakistan and from Iran have gone to the new world and have adjusted to life there and flourished. We must adapt to survive. We have become ‘an endangered species’ because we have been slow to accommodate change,” she commented. 
According to Zerbanoo, ""The important accomplishments of WZO are that we have chapters outside of the UK and we do sterling work” responding to medical as also emergency appeals in times of natural disasters. "WZO was the first to ensure the legendary Dinshaw and Bachi Tamboly had the resources to help our poorer brethren in farming and seeing that they had loans to start small enterprises,” she reminded. Extending educational gifts and loans, "We believe education costs money but so does ignorance.” Besides assisting Zoroastrian refugees to resettle, WZO has also been aiding Zoroastrians in places like Azerbaijan and Kurdistan.
"Most importantly we have tried to keep our community together, especially those that married out and were foolishly barred from our places of worship and burial. We welcomed them to remain involved in our faith thus stopping the hemorrhage of our people. We did not reject people or make them feel unwanted.”
She alluded to the efforts of WZO, nearly four decades earlier, to form an international world body with two wings, one of individuals (the current WZO) and another of federations from around the world. "There were several meetings with the then leaders of those organizations, but ultimately, politics and ego took over and the idea was shelved,” she reported. When the Global Working Group (GWG) was formed over a decade ago, "WZO was not invited. GWG has deliberately excluded WZO because of the insistence of a few members. The GWG should look at how they operate and why they feel scared of the real voice of Zoroastrians...  I have never imposed myself on anyone. It is pointless and unproductive.  It is always better to wait to be welcomed and then to make a vital and valued contribution,” Gifford is convinced.
Continuously endeavoring to make the Zoroastrian religion and its adherents known to the wider public through her speeches and writings, she recently co-authored a book with Farida Master titled Z to A of Zoroastrianism that was released at the 12th World Zoroastrian Congress in New York last year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Describing herself as a historian and researcher, Zerbanoo commented, "I am overwhelmed by the sheer genius and goodness of our ancestors (who) gave us the most enduring legacy. They were world trailblazers.” She is distressed though when people say, ‘"We are a faded people, divided, lazy and living on past glories.’ We have it in our very being to be great and we are. We have just been side-lined by a little pettiness and fear of others,” mentions the optimist.
Efforts are undeway to create a permanent exhibition on outstanding Zoroastrians, courtesy globally acclaimed vaccine manufacturer Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, at the well-appointed WZO House, so that visitors could learn of "the immense impact we Zoroastrians have made from as far as Iran, Hong Kong, Aden, Singapore, Pakistan, India, US and Britain.”
Always keen to promote creative endeavors, Gifford referred to the efforts of Dr Persis Driver and her colleagues from around the diaspora who are putting together a manual which WZO will publish to educate children in fun ways on the Zoroastrian faith and the impact we have made on the wider community.
Commenting on the discontinuation of the WZO quarterly, Hamazor, Gifford who has authored seven books stated, "It was the brainchild of Toxy Cowasjee (of Karachi) and was beautifully presented and very informative. As someone who had written for Hamazor I was asked to continue but no one can do what Toxy did. To try is foolish. I don’t believe in duplication as it wastes precious resources. The global community has Parsiana and the FEZANA Journal.” Additionally websites like Parsi Khabar and Zoroastrians.net, plus ZASHA, the one conceived by her, which was launched at the 12WZC, further seek to disseminate information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Privileged to sit on Oxford University’s India Centre for Sustainable Development,” 72-year-old Gifford is determined to step down as WZO president after two terms (elections are held every year): "I am a strong believer that no one should hold office for more than two terms. Not even the President of the US is allowed that privilege. Only dictators try to carry on forever… There is a global consensus that we need to trust and ensure that our young people take up the mantle of leadership with our blessings. Our young need to learn and also be supported to be adventurous and think big again. They have it in their DNA to be outstanding. I am fed up with those in power forever mouthing that the youth are our future. I think we have been feeble in our vision and ability to enrich their lives. We have given them our outdated prejudices and not inspired them to be great as is their special heritage.”
Taking pride that the ASHA Centre hosted the first World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum in 2018, she commented, "The whole group that attended has gone on to be ethical and vital leaders. They lived and worked together for 10 days at the ASHA Centre and so made lasting friendships across countries and disciplines. There is nothing like being together which I call ‘building belonging.’ Our young mostly are ‘unlistened voices.’ They are open to life and to the whole world. They are not frightened of ‘others’ but are inclusive and generous.” She was all praise for the "devotion and hard work” of Arzan Wadia, president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA), who too had attended the Leaders Forum.
Among her family members contributing to the progress of ASHA Centre is her husband Richard who while using his legal acumen to pursue public interest litigation concurrently makes time for developmental work at ASHA Centre, masterminding the construction of new complexes last year. Son Mark and his wife Monie are reorganizing affairs at the ASHA Centre as it transitions from 15 years of a European-funded project to a new business model. Another son, Alexander, is artistic director of the Marylebone Theatre.
 She is reassured that "Zoroastrians are returning to the core teachings our Prophet preached thousands of years ago. A very simple and wonderful message of listening to your conscience and then doing what is right and good. The onus is on oneself. You can’t just hand over responsibility to someone else. You are here to change the world into something good and beautiful and magnificent. How profound is that? You are here to ‘seek happiness in the happiness of all.’ How wise is that?”