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The summer heat did not dampen the high energy of the participants of the 35th  Holiday Programme for Youth (HPY) 2022 present at the valedictory function held at the non-airconditioned hall of the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsi Charitable Institution on June 5, 2022.
The heat notwithstanding, with faces masked, young girls were dressed in high heels and short skirts, long locks falling loose on their shoulders, the boys dapper in suits, a few with signs of manhood sprouting on their visages. The flagship program of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) saw the presence of five of the seven new board members of the trust, namely BPP chairwoman Armaity Tirandaz, trustees Viraf Mehta, Xerxes Dastur, Anahita Desai and Hoshang Jal, along with BPP deputy chief executive officer Shehnaaz Khambatta. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of the former BPP chairman, Yazdi Desai, Anahita’s late husband.
The evening started with invoking Dadar Ahura Mazda’s blessings by Ervad Firdaus Pavri.
Sharing some life lessons with the audience was the chief guest, former Bombay High Court Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla, who observed that a diligent student "with average intelligence steals a march over a student who though better endowed does not put in the hard work that is necessary to shine...
"As growing children, you must have the ability to guard against individuals who in the garb of friendship misguide and lure you towards the forbidden path.” Therefore, choose your friends carefully, he counselled. Happy to be amidst the Gen Next of our community, he mentioned that one must have complete and unconditional faith in one’s prayers and have pride in donning one’s sudreh-kusti. "Do not try to become rich and famous overnight, for shortcuts seldom pay. Don’t forget your community upon attaining success and fame… Try and return a small and humble piece of your achievement back to society and your community...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Every child finds it difficult to cope with ‘no’ as an answer from their parents. At such times we very unfairly start comparing our parents with the more lenient ones of our friends and feel that they don’t understand the present generation,” he said, voicing the apprehensions of the youth. When parents say ‘no’ they have their reasons "which you may not understand… Be grateful to your parents, obey them, look after them in their old age… Blessings from one’s parents help every child to soar!” At the end of his speech Kathawalla received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Jumping off the stage and speaking from the floor where he felt "more grounded,” was the guest of honor for the evening, Hormuz Ragina. The compere termed him India’s best JAM (Just A Minute) master. With his tongue-in-cheek humor he mentioned that it took the organizers eight long years to realize his potential and invite him as a dignitary to the Programme! Thanking HPY mentor Diana "Dee” Marfatia, Ragina mentioned that she was the reason "I got out of my shell.” [As a child, he lamented, he was bullied in school and it was Viraf (Mehta) who would save him!]
"You finish school, you get a job, you find a girl/boy, you get married and then you die,” was how he explained the journey of life. "Please don’t marry your first girlfriend/boyfriend; you’ll only fight more during lockdowns,” he jested. On a serious note, the head of corporate communications at Eureka Forbes mentioned that "99.99 percent of people work for a pay cheque, not for passion… Dreams last forever, time doesn’t. Use it well. Stop going out in your colonies and doing handagiri  (coarse, bigoted behavior). Learn a language, play an instrument. If nothing else, learn saying ‘I love you’ in different languages. It helps,” he laughed. No matter who tells you "You can’t do this,” be it your parents, teachers, anyone, "Don’t listen to them. If you think you can achieve it, you bloody well go ahead and do it. If you really, really want something, nothing can stop you from achieving it,” he concluded.
"Imperfections are a part of life,” stressed Tirandaz. Stand up for what you believe in, have confidence in yourself. You are young, vibrant, energetic youngsters who are our community’s building blocks for a better tomorrow. You are privy to new technologies… Respect your elders for they have knowledge, wisdom and experience.” While she advised the participants to cherish their families, the 77-year-old ended her speech hoping that the participants carry with them the gyan (knowledge) acquired over the two weeks at HPY as they step out into the world.
"Confidence has replaced anxiety, knowledge has replaced ignorance and most importantly, strangers have become friends,” mentioned Marfatia in her address, happy that the participants had managed to successfully complete all the tasks expected of them.

 

 

 

 

A lot goes into organizing HPY: months of discussions, brain storming, meticulous planning and scheduling, contacting every resource person, registering participants, coordinating with the caterer, sound professionals, etc, she explained in an email to Parsiana’s queries. Her "well-knit and hardworking” organizing committee comprising Huzan Forbes (technology expert), Ayesha Mehta (literary arts and social service overall), Zaara Dastur (performing arts overall), Danush Dumasia (sports overall) and group organizers Sanaya Mehta, Zehan Tafti, Deanna Elavia, Jenai Billimoria, Parinaz Cooper, Ushaine Gandhi, Yohan Malao and Zavish Velati were felicitated with flowers, a certificate and a cheque from the BPP. The work of BPP senior executive Bakhtavar Dastur was also appreciated.
HPY has groomed over 7,000 children over three-and-a-half decades. An idea which was mooted by the late (Dr) Mehroo Bengalee, a visionary and erstwhile BPP trustee bore fruit in 1987. HPY took a break in 2020 due to the pandemic but in 2021 bounced back on the virtual platform combining the children who had passed the school leaving exams in 2020 as well as in 2021. The Programme in 2022 was held over two weeks instead of an entire month as class 10th exams of all boards other than SSC ended only in the third week of May. So to run a program from the third week of May to the third week of June would not have been practical and any school would need to be vacated by June 1 as the new academic year would start, Marfatia explained the rationale.
This year there were 128 participants — 67 girls and 61 boys. Ninety-six of the children were from Bombay and 32 came from cities like Ahmedabad, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Goa, Poona, Surat, Thana and Bulsar. Fifty-two schools sent their wards of which 17 schools were from across the country and 35 from within the city. In 2010 the number of participants was 193 and in 2015, 176.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, HPY performed the navjote of an underpriviledged child. Benafsha Adil Marolia was initiated into the faith this year.
The inaugural
"From my experience and education, if at the age of 31, I could go back in time and meet my 16-year-old self, what advice would I give him?” queried Dr Malcolm Homavazir, chief guest at the inaugural function on May 22.
Addressing the eager faced audience seated in the air-conditioned hall of The Alexandra Girls English Institution, the director of internal quality assurance cell of the Atlas SkillTech University (a school of design and innovation) answered this query in the form of three messages. "In life we juggle with three balls, two of which are made of rubber, one of crystal. Work, and family and friends are the rubber balls. If we drop them, they will bounce back. What we can’t afford to drop is the crystal one which is our health… which is easiest to compromise…
"Don’t chase money! Money chases good, hard work and consistency. There is nothing that can replace these in the long run… Lastly, create your own identity,” he advised. "There is nothing like a right decision. Take a decision and make it right. There is nothing on this earth called the best job. There is a job, make it the best,” he ended his address.
According to Noshir Dadrawala, program director, legal and corporate social responsibility at the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy and then BPP trustee, the most important thing in life is to "find purpose, find joy.” Competence, courage and compassion are the three ‘Cs’ important in leadership. He told the youngsters to have "faith in yourselves, your beliefs, your creator… Put your stamp of excellence on whatever you do and be committed to everything,” was his sage advice. "Be persistent, don’t give up. Any failure is not failure, it is a learning curve. Believe in your dreams, visualize them. Whatever you do in life, enjoy it. Because life is meant to be enjoyed,” he ended wishing he was there (pointing to the audience) instead of here (on stage) as "it is so much fun being there…”
"You don’t know what I am going to say… neither do I,” jested the guest of honor Jehaan Nicholson who was "honored to be invited.” The nuclear engineer’s wise advice was "do what you want to do. From being a clown in a circus to becoming the prime minister of your country, the world is your oyster. Learn from failures. Don’t get disheartened. If you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on. There is no shame in asking for help. Listen to the wisdom of your parents and close friends. They might not be experts in your chosen field, but they have your best interests at heart.”
The 27-year-old, who is on the board of The Indian Youth Nuclear Society, mentioned that he was an introvert as a child, but HPY opened up a whole new world for him. Fondly recalling his HPY days back in 2010 full of fun, dhamaal and maja ["Gadiwalla nu su bhonu hattu (what food caterer Jimmy Gadiwalla served!)], Nicholson mentioned that the Programme will play a very important role in your life. It will mold you. It will help your develop skills and at the same time give you an opportunity to showcase your talent.
Lastly, he encouraged the children to believe in "yourself even when the whole world doesn’t. There is nothing too difficult or impossible in this world. It all depends on your mind-set. Go out there and conquer the world!”