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Not all dreamers are winners but all winners are dreamers… When a dream is good, the means will always follow,” reassured Capt Percy Master, the newly elected global president of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) at the awards function "reluctantly held on the Zoom platform,” on February 20, 2022. Since the presentation of the mementos to the 2020 and 2021winners had been deferred due to Covid restrictions, "the international board felt the awards would lose their importance if delayed any further,” he added at the online event hosted by the Pune chapter. The mementos have been dispatched to the chapters/regions where the awardees are located, to be handed over in person at their next meeting.
Besides businessmen and professionals, WZCC also recognizes "intellectual and social commitment… for these coveted and highly prestigious awards,” the president reminded the nearly 60 global participants who had joined in for the function. "To succeed we have to keep in step with ever changing technology… At WZCC we do business as per ethics laid down by our religion and our forefathers and continue to do our business with honesty and integrity,” he further asserted.
"Normally one expects a chamber of commerce or a businessman to cut corners with profits as their sole motive. The exception is a Parsi gentleman or a Parsi lady,” declared retired Supreme Court judge B. N. Srikrishna who, as the keynote speaker at the event, dwelt on "Influence of Parsi Zoroastrian Community on Development of Law and Business in India.” Having come to associate eminent Parsi jurists with common traits of being "steadfastly honest and (having) integrity of character,” Srikrishna believed the philosophy of karma yoga or doing one’s duty without expectation of reward is enjoined in the Zoroastrian ethos. "I don’t know why a Parsi exhibits these and my other compatriots cannot,” he wondered. "A true Zoroastrian or a true human being who seeks to become an ashavan” would follow the triplet of humata, hukhta, hvarshta (good thoughts, words and deeds) which in Sanskrit would be equated with sumata, subhashita and sukriti.
Having learnt Gujarati from his Parsi friends in college and having daily heard his daughters who went to a Parsi school recite the Ashem Vohu at home, the respected judge mentioned that in due course he came to learn that the invocation advocated "doing good for the sake of goodness…to make the world a better place.” He considered awards "a great encouragement, a great incentive for the winners to better themselves in the years to come.”
For 2021, the recipients of the four coveted awards were Piruz Khambatta (Outstanding Zarathushti Entrepreneur), Prof Farrokh Mistree (Outstanding Zarathushti Professional), Urvakhsha Tavadia (Outstanding Young Zarathushti Entrepreneur), Armene Mody (Outstanding Zarathushti Social Entrepreneur). For 2020, the winners were (see "Come up with new ideas,” Parsiana, February 7-20, 2021) Dr Rustom Kanga (Outstanding Zarathushti Entrepreneur), Dr Zarthustra Amrolia (Outsanding Zarathushti Professional), Rahul Bansal (Outstanding Young Zarathushti Entrepreneur) and Dr Yasmin Ghadiali (Outstanding Zarathushti Social Entrepreneur). The achievements of each of the awardees carried here were read out by Benaifer Parva, a youth from Poona, and previously shared with Parsiana by WZCC office bearers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chairman and managing director of Rasna, Khambatta is the third generation from his family to be involved in promoting the low cost soft drink concentrate business. Today it controls 85% of the concentrate market with 12 manufacturing plants in India and two abroad, and exports to 53 countries. Khambatta additionally serves government institutions such as the Task Force on Ease of Doing Business while serving as ambassador for Make in India initiatives and Champions of Change. As chairman of Rasna Foundation and trustee of the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust he devotes time to education and health too.
In his acceptance speech, Khambatta likened an entrepreneur’s role as "lighting a lamp and keeping it alive, protecting it from the storm… A business is a lot like a safari. You don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow.” The Zoroastrian doctrine of right and wrong can withstand the business pressure for quick returns, he felt. "The goal is to be straightforward… have corporate ethics… It is not important how much you own but how much you contribute to society…” Offering to support the WZCC and the community 24/7 he felt "the nation should come first in every individual’s life such that in the coming decade India emerges from a developing country… to an economic superpower.”
Mistree is currently professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma (OU). With his wife, Prof Janet Allen he co-directs the Systems Realization Laboratory at OU to help students reach their full potential to be the next generation of professors. Mistree has co-authored two textbooks, four research monographs and 450 technical papers. He is intimately involved in social causes such as the Freedom Employment Academy in Delhi, remote internships to international students, mentoring, etc. To him goes the credit for establishing and teaching at Sunday Schools in Sydney, Houston and Atlanta. Currently, on behalf of WZCC he is coordinator for Zoroastrian Faculty Network’s monthly webinar series to help the next generation of Zoroastrians learn how to create economic, social and intellectual value. He had earlier served on the Awards Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA).
Humbled to receive the award from a "community that is investing in improving the quality of lives of others,” he named members of his family, fraternity and community "who have  influenced me,” from whom he imbibed that "educating others is important… giving time to the community is important.” Involved with Zoroastrian associations in the northern and southern hemisphere he was appreciative of the welcome extended to him and Janet. Convinced that "talented people can come from any institution,” he is now engaging in opening opportunities for higher learning for Zoroastrian youth.
Obtaining his MSc in Power Systems Engineering from the State University of Buffalo, New York in a record time of nine months while simultaneously working 40 hours per week in a restaurant, Tavadia was able to prove his caliber. As an undergraduate engineering student he had built a hybrid motorcycle. In graduate school he developed a business plan for which he received a $ 3,000 (Rs 2.3 lakhs) course waiver. Within two years of starting his business Ruzen Inc in 2017 with help from his father Rayomand, Urvakhsha had shipped their ‘Do It Yourself’ modular solderless system  to 110 countries across six continents to clients like Airbus, Nasa and Isro. The product, designed and developed by Ruzen, a simple looking plastic cap having a metal contact inside, facilitates connection of Lithium-Ion batteries into battery packs, eliminating the need for special instruments and skills. Along the way he showed resourcefulness and raised $ 58,000 (Rs 44 lakhs) using Kick-Starter, a crowd funding system, and also received an interest free loan of Rs 25 lakhs from WZCC in 2019. Tavadia, not yet 35 years old, is now diversifying into dental and surgical equipment, online seafood and meat delivery as well as hydroponics and mushroom cultivation. He was unable to attend the online awards function.

 

 

 

 

 

On learning that 61% of Indian women were illiterate, Mody gave up a very satisfying teaching job in Japan to return to India, determined to improve the lives of India’s rural women. Although she had neither funds nor experience in the social sector, with help from well-wishers in Japan and social activist, Dr Banoo Coyaji she set up Ashta No Kai in 1998 which in Japanese means "For a Better Tomorrow.” Her innovative strategies have helped to transform the lives of thousands of rural girls in 10 villages in Shirur Taluka of Pune District. Her own academic graph demonstrates her determination. After graduating in Poona in 1967 she completed her Master’s in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Columbia University 26 years later. Another 25 years later, at age 70, she got a second Master’s degree in International Relations from Tufts University in Massachusetts in 2018.
Unable to attend the awards function, Mody’s speech was read out by Dr Dolly Dastoor, editor of FEZANA Journal. Mody dedicated her award to the "women in our villages who believe in my vision, who inspired and encouraged me to continue despite the many challenges we together face.” As she further reminded, "problems of illiteracy, poverty or gender discrimination are not of the underprivileged alone but of all the marginalized that concern us all.”  She is particularly gratified when rural women become economically independent and start participating in their own development campaigns against social maladies like alcoholism, dowry and early marriage. "My journey from educator to social entrepreneur and activist has been of rich discovery and learning,” she remarked.  
Sydney-based Kanga is the founder and chief executive officer of iOmniscient, an organization that provides solutions using artificial intelligence for companies in 60 countries. Their system to find lost children has been successful in theme parks and Disney World where nearly 100 children are lost daily and is thereafter being offered free to third world countries that cannot afford them.
In his acceptance speech Kanga acknowledged how "Zoroastrian principles helped to guide me through my entire business and personal life.” The foundation of leadership is the realization that "you are responsible for everything you do; the buck stops with you.” Goodness in thought, word and deed translates to "integrity and trust that helps in growing business relationships.” The Zoroastrian religion enjoins individuals to choose wisely. "If you enjoy doing what you do that is the true measure of success,” he felt.
Amrolia who co-founded XTX Markets in the UK in 2015 has seen his firm rise to "number one in the European equities market and among the top three players in the commodities market.” The third largest foreign exchange liquidity provider globally, currently XTX trades in 13% of the European equities and 10% on the Indian Stock Exchange. Since 2017 XTX has donated over £ 30 million (Rs 300.69 crores) to charity.
Referring to his decision to turn entrepreneur at the age of 52 with a mission statement "to make financial markets fair and more efficient for everyone,” Amrolia recounted his journey as a banker turned entrepreneur. Viewing Prophet Zarathushtra as "the first scientific philosopher,” Amrolia urged the youth of today to also study sciences, whether it is computer science, biomedical research, material science, quantum computing, anticipating these fields to make progress where "one can take risks… and become entrepreneurs.”
Boston-based Bansal, who is in his early 30s, is the president and chief executive officer of TribalVision, an outsourced digital marketing company, he acquired in 2020. Prior to that, he was a founder member of an investment banking advisory services firm Greentech Capital Advisors that was sold to a Japanese financial company Nomura in 2019. He is actively involved with the March of Dimes, a global nonprofit that seeks to improve the health of babies.
"I grew up valuing the notions of certainty and security… Yet what helped me to grow the most was when I wasn’t secure and wasn’t certain, when I had completely uprooted myself,” said Bansal giving credit to his parents Persis and Rakesh, and his brothers for their constant encouragement and support in his entrepreneurial journey. Learning the value of "teamwork and cohesion,” the youngster described himself as a "smoke jumper” who was willing to be scalded by fire to emerge as "a capable and worthy entrepreneur.”
Ghadiali, a New York based dentist by profession, has empowered women by providing seed money for their businesses and assisted with fund-raising for The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital (PGH). Her annual fund-raisers over decades have helped her garner nearly six $ 812,000 (Rs 6.14 crore). In her acceptance speech she recalled her joy when she grudgingly learnt to share balloons and other treats as a pampered five-year-old free patient at PGH. She believes the Zoroastrian way of life can be summarized in "honesty, hard work, education and generosity.” To succeed as a social entrepreneur, purpose, dedication and networking are important, she added.
The award winners are the "crème de la crème who remind us that our community is full of talent that shines bright from all corners of the world,” stated outgoing WZCC president Edul Daver, in his vote of thanks. He advised the awardees "to follow Zarathushti values, earn your wings every day and share your success with the community and the needy. That will lead to true happiness.”
The function that lasted for nearly one-and-a-half hours ended with 10 minutes of instrumental music on the piano and drums by talented community artistes from Poona.