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Eleven meritorious Zoroastrian students have been selected for the J. N. Tata Scholarships for 2010-2011 awarded by The Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians. Dr Nawaz B. Mody, director of the trust informed Parsiana that the number of Parsi applicants has decreased marginally from 23 (2.18 percent) in 2009-2010 to 22 (1.87 percent) for the current year. All the selected Parsi scholars, barring five, are from Bombay. Of the others, two hail from Gujarat and one each from Delhi, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu.

With six male and five female scholars, the gender ratio seems to be well balanced this year. Seven of the youngsters will be heading for the US while the others will attend universities in the UK. The range of subjects they will tackle is wide and varied. One will pursue advanced studies in media and communications and another in journalism, specializing in arts and culture; two will qualify in architecture, specializing in urban planning and design; one each will be doing management studies, counseling psychology, information technology (business), biomedical engineering, fine arts, animation and interactive technology and electrical engineering.

The Jamsetjee Nusser-wanjee Tata Endowment Scheme was founded in 1892 with a generous trust fund of Rs 25 lakhs. It evolved into The Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians in 1938, cementing and perpetuating the ideals of the enlightened and far-sighted founder who was aware of the value of education.

Parsi awardees:

Kerban Homi Billimoria of Jamshedpur hopes to use her specialized skills to bring crucial issues affecting Indian society into the open and seek solutions by influencing diverse sections of society. A student of the Sacred Heart Convent in the Steel City, she completed her BA specializing in journalism and communication from the Manipal Institute of Communications in Karnataka and will be joining the London School of Economics and Political Science for an MSc degree in media and communications. 

Mazneen Hafez Dalal schooled at the Mount Carmel High School in Ahmedabad and did her MA in clinical psychology at Baroda’s M. S. University. She will pursue her MS degree in counseling psychology at the University of the District of Columbia, USA. Aware of the dearth of good mental health facilities in India, she plans to return after acquiring her PhD and start a mental health institute to cater to the needs of affected people.

An alumnus of Activity High School, Parizaad Jimmy Khan of Bombay did her BCom degree from H. R. College of Commerce and Economics. A survivor of the terrorist attacks in Bombay on November 26, 2008, she has worked for more than seven years as a features writer in leading national newspapers including The Indian Express, Eye and Mint Lounge. She will attend the renowned Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in the USA where she plans to do her MA degree specializing in arts and culture. To "write more fluently about art and culture and showcase India’s heritage and legacy in these fields” is her aim.

Mehrzad Neville Kootar studied at the Maneckji Cooper School, Bombay and obtained his BE degree in electronics from the Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli. He has secured admission for the Master of Science degree in Information Technology (Business) at USA’s Carnegie Mellon University. On completion of his studies he looks forward to returning to India where the "IT market is ever booming” and plans to make a "career in management consultancy.” He "aims to become head of IT in one of the top 10 management consultancy firms in India.”

Veer Rostum Nanavatty, who attended Doon School, Dehradoon, graduated with a BArch from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University in Ahmedabad. Having secured admission for the post professional master’s degree in architecture, specializing in urban studies at the Yale University, USA, he has received the Individual Resource Scholarship. Deeply conscious of the architectural and urban challenges confronting India which need to be addressed at several levels, the young man hopes to acquire greater theoretical and analytical proficiency which will deepen his understanding of architecture to encompass questions of history and culture as well as sustainability and ecology.

After studying at Poona’s St Vincent’s High School and doing his Bachelor of Architecture from the Allana College of Architecture in that city, Shahan Dinyar Patel is headed for the Oxford Brookes University in the UK where he has received the School Indian Scholarship for an MA degree in urban design. Through his work in the field he hopes to contribute to the improvement of cities by designing spaces which are serviced by better infrastructure to improve the quality of human life.

Kairus Yazdi Pir studied at Christ Church School and completed his BE degree at the Watumull Institute of Electronics, Engineering and Computer Technology in Bombay. He has secured a full graduate research assistantship for the PhD program in biomedical engineering at the Florida International University, USA. On his return to India after completing his studies he plans to provide much needed health care facilities in the field of engineering associated with medicine.

A student of St Anne’s High School in Poona and Baroda’s M. S. University where she specialized in painting for her Bachelor of Visual Arts degree, Feroza Bakhtyar Pooniwala plans to work toward her MA degree in fine arts at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, which is part of the University of Arts, London. As an artist she is looking forward to exposure to various mediums including new media, which will enhance her creativity and enable her to study different cultures, lifestyles and peoples which will be represented in her work.

Danesh Burzis Taraporevala schooled at St Mary’s School and obtained his BDes and BSc degrees in animation from the Thakur Toonskool Advanced Animation Academy and the Rachana Sansad College of Applied Art and Craft in Bombay. He will pursue his master’s degree in animation and interactive technology at the Savannah College of Art and Design, USA. The talented animator hopes to put his skills to work at one of Bombay’s best animation studios and ultimately set up his own studio in India and direct his own movie.

Cyrus D. Vakil, who completed his Bachelor of Management Studies degree from the H. R. College of Commerce and Economics in Bombay, has secured admission for the MSc degree in marketing and strategy at the University of Warwick, UK. Using the expertise acquired at the course he looks forward to a successful career in the world of international marketing on his return to India.

On completion of her PhD degree Farah Percy Vandrevala’s long-term goal is heading research projects either at Intel or AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) after she does her Master of Science degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, USA. She completed her schooling at the Canossa High School and her BE degree specializing in electronics and telecommunication from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology in Bombay.