In the article "On water, wishes and worship” (Parsiana, April 7-20, 2025) by Berjis Desai, on the occasion of the tercentenary celebrations of the Bhikha Behram Well (BBW), there are two misleading statements.
Desai writes: "Unlike fire temples having a trust deed whose beneficiaries are only Parsis which empowers the trustees to bar entry to others, BBW had no trust deed. In 1954, a public religious trust was registered to manage the Well. In most cases the trustees are legal owners of the property. The Well was never anyone’s property; hence the trust only seeks to maintain, manage and protect. Who owns the Well? Dedicated to the general public, the answer is the city of Bombay. The trust can manage it but does not own it.”
The Bhikha Behram Well Trust would like to state that in 1953 Dadabhai Limji Panday had the Trust registered. Its objects are: "For religious worship and devotion by person professing the Zoroastrian religion as well as for providing drinking water for the public and for maintaining a water trough attached for horses and cattle… The objects of the trust are mainly for worshipping and devotion of the Zoroastrian religion and therefore entry is allowed for Zoroastrian Parsis only.”
From time to time when new trustees were appointed, a deed of appointment was registered in the office of the Sub-Registrar of Assurances, thereby vesting trust property in the trustees. The Trust also files returns and accounts in the office of the Charity Commissioner.
Desai also writes: "Until recently, offices were supplied water from BBW. No longer, due to the growing consciousness of drinking RO (reverse osmosis) filtered water. Of course, the faithful continue to guzzle BBW water. Soli cares not for E. Coli!”
We wish to clarify that at the BBW we have installed two RO filters and the trustees regularly have the water checked so that no soil substances are present in it. Also, to prevent the water from contamination, the trustees fought a 14-year legal battle with the Rotary Club of Sunrise starting from the Bombay High Court right up to the Supreme Court of India. To date, nobody has complained to the trustees about contamination of the water in BBW.
Dr B. H. ANTIA
Chairman, Bhikha Behram Well Trust
bhantia@mullas.net