After over 35 years at the helm of the Thana Agiary Fund (TAF) and the Thana Zoroastrian Charity Fund (TZCF), Homi Talati officially stepped down. Thana’s Parsi Zoroastrian community came together on June 1, 2025 to honor the man whose name became synonymous with leadership, integrity and devotion. His legacy will serve as a moral compass for generations, notes an email received from Khurshed Pastakia, trustee of TAF and TZCF.
Homi Talati (l) being felicitated by Bomi Boyce
"Homi Uncle,” as he is fondly known, was the steady hand guiding Thana’s Parsi institutions through decades of change. His leadership style was marked by quiet determination and humility: as a reconciler, a unifier. He never raised his voice, yet when he spoke everyone listened. The biggest lesson he taught was how to lead without ego, mentions the email.
With his dedicated efforts and under his visionary guidance charitable housing projects such as Patell Apartments, Minocher Shroff Building and Ahuna Building were constructed, in which over 100 Zoroastrian families reside today.
Even at the age of 91, Talati commutes from Jogeshwari in the west to Thana in the east to attend trust meetings, dedication that is inspiring and humbling. Through his efforts he ensured that the Cawasji Patell Agiary remained not only functional but spiritually vibrant, well-maintained and lovingly preserved.
Born in 1934, Talati had a distinguished professional career at Metal Box in Delhi and later as vice president of human resources at Fibreglass Pilkington, before devoting himself to community service, his true calling. Talati’s life stands as a quiet testament to what it means to serve with dignity and wisdom, notes the email.
At this farewell meeting, tributes were offered to other long-standing contributors to the two trusts: the late trustee Kurus Shroff, former chief executive officer Minoo Vacha and Ervad Behramshah Sidhwa, for their commitment and contribution.
Talati handed over the reins to a new team of trustees led by Bomi Boyce as chairman, Pervez Bhesania, Kaizad Billimoria, Khurshed Pastakia and Firdosh Kotwal.