Just as the centenary celebrations of the Dadar Athornan Institute (DAI) ended, this Institute, like the rest of the world, too faced the coronavirus pandemic. But even in these trying times, the DAI held up and did relatively well. In the academic year 2020-21, there were two new admissions, one from Bombay and the other from Navsari, taking up the tally of students to 26.
The Institute’s Athornan Mandal management and the parents unanimously decided that it was too risky to keep the students at the Institute, and hence they were sent home just a day before the nationwide lockdown on March 23, 2020.
School studies started in earnest since June 2020 with the Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly High School opening online. In July, our bhantar (prayer) classes too started online.
The Institute is extremely grateful to the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong- kong, Canton and Macao which, through the WZO (World Zoroastrian Organisation) Trust Funds and the good offices of Dinshaw Tamboly, gifted Lenovo laptops to senior students from Std V onwards. This was indeed a boon that proved very helpful to the students to embark on their online studies.
Our donors and patrons miss the regular functioning of the DAI, especially those who so kindly and regularly sponsor breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and arrange outings for our students. After a while, the students too started missing the Institute which came as a surprise to the staff as well as the management.
The Athornan Mandal management was kind enough to retain the staff, paying their salaries throughout. The staff too worked tirelessly: the resident staff from the Institute, and the remainder from home.
The Institute has started the process for new admissions for June 2022, and has already received three confirmed new admissions for the next academic year. We expect many more Athornan (priest) children to take the benefit of this unique Institute.
On the auspicious occasion of Jamshedi Navroz, we earnestly appeal to the community to generously help this premier Institute for training priests. At present, this is the only Institute of its kind for producing full-time practicing Yaozdathregar priests who can perform higher rituals like the yasna, vendidad and the nirangdin.
Donors and patrons can help with cash or cheques payable to "Athornan Mandal,” sent to: The Principal, Dadar Athornan Institute, 651-52, Firdausi Road, Parsi Colony, Dadar, Bombay 400014, India (tel: 022-24138086) or by online remittance. For more details, please visit our website: www.dadarathornaninstitute.org
Ervad (Dr) RAMYAR P. KARANJIA
Principal, Dadar Athornan Institute
ramiyark@gmail.com