Notwithstanding the early hour and the inclement weather, a large number of devotees attended the Havan gah maachi offered by Ervad Hormusji Unwala on September 21, 2004 to mark the onset of the centenary of the Bai Maneckbai Nusserwanji Chenoy Dar-e-Meher in Hyderabad. Thereafter the jashan was led by Ervad Aspandiar Dadachanji of Bombay with 11 other mobeds from Secunderabad-Hyderabad. Pestonji Baria who has been serving the agiary and the Trust as honorary secretary and treasurer for the last 22 years was felicitated with a shawl as were the other mobeds of the agiary Unwala, Cawas Umrigar, Tehmton Unwalla, Kerfegar Antia and Mehernosh Bharucha by trustees Minocher, Mehernosh, Nadir and Daraius Chenoy. President of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman of Secunderabad-Hyderabad (PZASH) Goolbanoo Chenoy, on behalf of her ailing husband Yadgar, president of the Bai M. N. Chenoy Dar-e-Meher Trust, presented a gold coin and suit to Ervads Yazdan Unwala, Sheryar Bhesadia and Urvaksh Bharucha who were recently ordained as priests, notes a press release from Antia, managing committee member of PZASH and president of the Zoroastrian Club.
After a group photograph of the community followed by chasni and brunch, the members attended a thanksgiving maachi in Rapithvan gah offered by the tenants living in the agiary complex. The evening schedule included the screening of Once in a life time preceded by a talk by Dadachanji on the shifting of the sacred Tavri fire from Navsari to Godrej Baug. The gahambar dinner was then enjoyed by the Zoroastrians of the twin cities. The credit for decorating the agiary and for organizing the gahambar and dinner the previous day at cost should go to Gool Wadia and her son Abad, writes Antia.
Community members outside the Chenoy Dar-e-Meher Alongside: Ravesh presenting memento to Zenia Bhumgara as Antia and her parents look on
The three-day celebration started on a lighter note with the staging of a popular Parsi natak (play) Malta naam ni mohkan by Dinyar Tirandaz. With admission being free, almost the entire community was present as it was after decades that a Parsi natak was being staged in Hyderabad. The next evening there was a magic show by Bombay’s Mehlly Bhumgara and his six-year-old daughter Zenia. Chief guest Hossein Ravesh, consul general of the Islamic Republic of Iran offered to make all arrangements including immediate issue of visa at Hyderabad for any Parsi desirous of visiting Iran.
Time and travel were the very reasons which had led to the foundation of this Chenoy Dar-e-Meher, noted the release. Since Zoroastrians residing in Hyderabad had to spend two hours to travel to the neighboring Secunderabad agiary by bullock-cart or tonga, the Chenoy family of Hyderabad purchased a piece of land in 1890 in an auction with the intention of building an agiary which finally came into existence on October 16, 1904 (mah Ardibehesht, roz Ardi-behesht).