Parsis in Bardoli and Navsari held events condemning the recent terrorist attacks at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. About 400 students and teachers of Bardoli’s Parsi Zarathushti Educational and Charitable Trust’s English Medium Schools took part in a march on February 19, 2019 to express concern over the attacks, trustee of the Schools, Pervez Mehta informed Parsiana. The Gujarat Mitr of March 20 reported that after the march through the town, the participants, led by School trustees Pervez and Shahzaad Mehta observed a two-minute silence. A memorandum was presented to the deputy collector of the town, condemning the attack and empathizing with the families of the dead and the injured. On February 14, a convoy carrying Central Reserve Police Force personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber in Pulwama, resulting in the deaths of 40 personnel and the attacker.
Clockwise from above: Jashan and candlelight homage in Navsari to
victims of terrorism; marching in Bardoli to condemn Pulwama attacks
Tributes were paid to the police personnel in Navsari on February 23 at a program organized by the cultural division of the Sorabji Burjorji Garda College Trust at the Seervai Party Plot of the Dossibai Kotwal Parsi Orphanage grounds. Researcher and Navsari resident Marzban Giara sent a note to Parsiana about the event. A candle march around the Orphanage grounds by the audience, led by a band and special police cadets of D. K. Tata School, with the orchestra playing patriotic songs followed.
Earlier, Dara Deboo, College Trust chairman welcomed the gathering. The program began with a jashan performed by 16 priests and trustee Kersi Deboo narrating the story of Jashne Sadeh. Kersi and Dara, and co-trustees Yazdi Kasad and Hormuz Avari presented scholarships to Parsi students of the arts, science, commerce, and law colleges managed by the Trust. D. K. Tata School principal Bomi Jagirdar was the master of ceremonies for the event.