When Ervad Darab Kanga of the Badnera Amravati Parsi Ajuman Daremeher appealed for help to move the holy fire to a lower pedestal as the existing one was too high, individuals from Nagpur responded. Due to Kanga’s recent accident, it wasn’t easy for him to raise his arms to tend to the fire, noted Nagpur resident Khurshid Dalal. Badnera is about 160 kms west of Nagpur.
"On March 3, 2019, a few of us went by road (to Badnera),” wrote Dalal. Jamshed Mehta of Nagpur was already assisting Kanga with odd jobs "for the past two or so months (while the priest was unwell).” Kanga has served the 130-year-old fire temple in Badnera since the early 1960s, Dalal noted. "Between Badnera and Amravati (approximately 10 km away), there are three Parsi families, nine individuals in total,” Dalal stated.
Nagpur residents (above) assisted in cleaning the Badnera fire temple (top);
above right: Akola agiary Photos of fire temples: Global Directory of Zoroastrian Fire Temples
"Neville Cassad took the lead and others including his wife Lily, Razmin Chinoy, Aftab Bharucha, Nerges Bharucha, Farnberg Bharucha and Sohrab Kanga accompanied Jamshed Mehta to do the needful,” noted Dalal, who edits the Nagpur Parsi Gymkhana’s journal bawabuzz. The cleaning and shifting took around an hour "and we helped the panthaky do some other odd jobs like stock up the kathi and dust the carpets,” Dalal noted. "The trustee of the Badnera fire temple Zubin Dotiwala and his wife Farnaz arranged for sumptuous breakfast at the daremeher. We were back in Nagpur by late afternoon.
"Some among us went ahead to visit the (Poonawala Dastoorji Jamshedji Edulji Dastoor Jamaspashana Daremeher) in Akola,” noted Dalal. The Akola fire temple is 20 years older than the Badnera fire.