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The Byramjee Nowrojee Javeri Dar-e-Meher in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) "has managed to survive for four-and-a-half years after panthaky Ervad Kershasp Aibara’s death” with assistance from behdin pasbaans from Davier, Navsari, Surat and Bombay, wrote Adil Byramji, fire temple treasurer. Behdin pasbaan Marzban Wadia performed the 10 days’ prayers for the muktads this year, with four boi ceremonies daily. He also performed a total of eight jashans, including five on the Gatha days "in his melodious voice,” stated the treasurer. After the Navroz and Khordad Saal jashans, Wadia explained certain religious tenets of Zoroastrianism to those gathered in the Agiary hall, and also sang some devotional and other songs, Byramji stated.
"Every year, most of the Parsis assemble in the Dar-e-Meher hall for a jashan on Jamshedi Navroz, Parsi New Year and Khordad Saal. Frequently, on these festivals, all of us go for a contributory dinner to a good restaurant in Kanpur. Earlier, we used to have the dinner in the Dar-e-Meher compound itself,” wrote Byramji. The eldest member of the 30-35 member community is about 85 years of age, and the youngest, 15. There have been two or three deaths and no births in the last three years, he reported.
Byramji’s co-trustees on the fire temple trust are president Jamshed Mehta, vice president Jamshed Billimoria, secretary Firdausi Pateland members Danish Rustomjee, J. S. Mistry and Mehli Sadri.
"At the moment, we have almost sufficient funds (for the Dar-e-Meher),” stated Byramji. A few years ago, after appeals in the Parsi Press "a number of generous Parsis sent in their donations, large or small, (whether) Indian or living abroad... Also, a number of our relatives in Bombay agreed to collect donations on our behalf.” The Dar-e-Meher trust "also received a lot of help from other anjumans such as Madras, Agra, Nagpur and even Toronto (where we don’t know anyone at all).” Byramji appreciated the support from the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) Trust Funds, the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao and an unnamed Bombay-based trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the seventh year that the muktad prayers have been performed in the fire temple by behdin pasbaans affiliated to the M. F. Cama Athornan Institute’s Ex-Students’ Association, noted Byramji. "They come in turns, each of them staying for about two or three months,” he elaborated. At no time during the last three years was the Dar-e-Meher without a behdin pasbaan, he appreciated. Expressing gratitude to Ervad Cyrus Dastoor who runs the behdin pasbaan program at the Institute, Byramji noted that during the first two years, Adil Rangoonwalla had performed the muktad ceremonies. In the third year, Farrokh Katgara and Wadia jointly performed the ceremonies, after which Wadia has been doing so single handed. "We would also like to thank (all the behdin pasbaans who have served us) Faredoon Patel, Meherji Malegamwala, Gev Bhathena, Yezdi Postwala, Jamshed Mistry, Sarosh Billimoria, Sorab Irani and Behram Unwalla,” Byramji appreciated.