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The report on the individual anjumans is the fifth and final installment on the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anju-mans of India executive council and general body meeting held on September 23 and 24, 2006. 

Surat

"There is an acute shortage of housing in Surat,” said Surat Parsi Panchayat (SPP) president Darayas Master. The Panchayat last year allocated 24 flats to Parsis of whom seven were newly wed. Seven children had been born. He said that the SPP policy was "we will provide you with a roof, you provide children.” Another 24 flats were also allotted of which five were given to couples "who will be marrying shortly.” Another 40 flats are in the pipeline. Master thanked the Bai Maneckbai Jeejeebhoy Trust and specially trustees Scylla Vachha and Mehli Cama. Some of these flats would be for full-time practicing mobeds "Pugree pehrela, topi nahi chalé” (priests wearing the white turban, not caps). A further 64 flats at a cost of Rs 2.5 crores are on the anvil. The SPP will allot Rs 25,00,000 towards the costs. On the Panchayat’s vacant land 7,000 bawal tree saplings have been planted under the guidance of timber merchant Farroakh Govadia. The saplings have a 15-year gestation period, said Master. Referring to the floods this year in Surat which caused the city Rs 25,000 crores in damage plus loss of human lives, Master said the deluge also affected the Parsis. The Panchayat gave Rs 2,000 to each affected Parsi family to enable them to celebrate Navroz. One hundred and sixty applications had been received for damage caused to property in possession of or belonging to community members. Around two to five crore rupees worth of damage has been caused to community property. There are around 3,500 Parsis in Surat and 1,000 in the surrounding villages. The SPP has four schools comprising 10,500 students of whom "not even 200 are Parsis,” lamented Master. Parsis prefer to put their children in convent schools.

Thana

 Eight births, seven navjotes, two weddings and 22 deaths were recorded by The Thana Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman, stated trustee Kaizad Billimoria. The An-juman is in the process of compiling a directory of its members and other Zoroastrian residents of Thana. Information of around 890 people has been collected, noted Billimoria. A flat acquired at the Ahura building has been given on leave and license basis at a nominal amount to an elderly widow. Efforts are on to revive the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy School and to raise funds to renovate Thana’s 226-year-old agiary.

Valsad

"Of the 600 Parsis in Valsad more than 200 are young,” said Valsad Parsi Anjuman Trust Funds and Properties representative Sam Chothia. They have a youth association and the anjuman holds social and religious programs.

Vyara

There are 35 families in Vyara and around 15 families in the surrounding area, said Vyara Songadh Parsi Zoroastrian representative Bahadur Jokhi. The anjuman, located 65 km to the east of Surat, has a dadgah and a dakhma with six acres of land adjoining the Tower of Silence. They have planted teak and bawal trees on the grounds, said Jokhi.

Other anjumans/associations

"There are 12 to 15 youths in Davier” out of a total of 60 Parsis, said Marzban Wadia, representative of the Davier Parsee Zarthosti Anjuman Fund.

The agiary in Ilav has been downgraded to a dadgah, mentioned Ilav Parsi Anjuman representative Dr Mehroo H. Panthaki. Ilav wanted "brotherly” assistance from the SPP. 

"The youth are making good progress” in Ankleshwar, said Ankleshwar Parsi Punchayet representative Bomi B. Kavina. But the level of education available locally "is low,” he added.

 According to Kerman Batliwala, secretary of the The Parsi Anjuman, Jabalpur, there are around 30 families in Jabalpur. There are plans to build a 150-bed hospital on land adjacent to the Parsi dharamshala. The project would generate one-and-a-half crore rupees as a deposit and Rs 40,000 as monthly rent.

The Jhansi Parsi Anjuman has 40 Parsis and reported eight deaths, said representative Ronny Dick. The town has no youth, he reported. 

"There are hardly six to seven families in Panchgani,” said Kersi M. Tamboli, representative of the Panchgani Zoroastrian Anjuman. Neighboring Mahablesh­war has three to four families. Two of the leading hotels in Panchgani, Mount View and Il Palazzo are owned by Parsis. Tamboli said that Panchgani was still a far better place than most to enjoy one’s hard earned holidays.

The Satara Zarthosti Anjuman is "very small but very successful,” said representative Jamsheed Kanga. The Cooper family are the sole residents and look after the dadgah. His brothers-in-law offered to hire any Parsis in their factories but few want to go there, he noted. But during World War II many Parsis opted to move to Satara fearing that Bombay would be bombed!

The Saronda Parsi Zarthosti Anjuman also has no youth, lamented representative Dinshaw Patel. 

Federation honorary treasurer Farrokh Rustomji who works with the R. D. Sethna scholarship fund mentioned the trust extends scholarship for professional courses to Parsi Irani Zoroastrians and others. The trust gives on a one time basis loans up to Rs 25,000 for studies within India and up to Rs 75,000 for overseas studies.

Those attending the annual general meeting were: Hoshang and Daulat Debara from Agra; Areez Khambatta, Farrokh Kavi­na, Kersi Daruwala and M. Billimoria from Ahmedabad; Capt Homi and Shireen Dandiwalla from Allahabad; Bomi Kavina from Ankleshwar; Yazdi and Anahita Desai from Badnera; Pervez Mehta, Kersi and Yasmin Sanjana from Bardoli; Khojeste Mistree from Bel­gaum; Pilloo Ginwalla from Bharuch; Minoo Shroff, Dinshaw Mehta, Dinshaw Tamboly, Maneck Engineer, Burjor Antia, Mehli Colah, Cawas Panthaki, Godrej Dotivala, Pareecheher Davier­vala and Hoshaang Gotla from Bombay; Noshir Paghdiwalla from Borivli; Bahadur Postwalla from Calcutta; Parvez Italia from Chikhli; Firoz Jamshedji and Hushang Vakil from Dahanu; Marzban Wadia from Davier; Keki Gandhi from Delhi; Dr M. H. Panthaki from Ilav; Bomi Hirjee from Indore; Mehrwan Irani and Pervez Irani from the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman; Shovir Irani from FOZYA; Kerman Batliwala from Jabal­pur; Ronny Dick from Jhansi; Tannaz Parakh and Firoza Punthakey Mistree from Khergam; Edul Bhagwagar and S. K. P. Doongaji from Nagpur; Farroakh Govadia and Hoshang Wania from Nargol; K. M. Tamboli from Panchgani; Sarosh M. Poonawalla, Jhangir Mandvi­walla and Dinshaw Patel from Saronda; Jamsheed Kanga from Satara; Jehangir Bisney, Aspi Debara and Omim Debara from Secunderabad and Hyderabad;  Zubin Amaria from Solapur; Mani Clubwala co-opted from south zone;  Pervez Bhesania and Kaizad Billi­moria from Thana; Baman Cama from Vadodara; Sam Chothia from Valsad; Mehli Colah from Vesu; Bahadur        Jokhi from Vyara and Federation treasurer Farrokh Rustomji. The Press was represented by Jam-e-Jam-shed, The Bombay Samachar and Parsiana.