Two octogenarian Parsi ladies living alone in Trichur, Kerala were among the beneficiaries of the relief efforts of WZO (World Zoroastrian Organisation) Trust Funds (WZOTF) and the Diana Bharucha led Kinder Trust undertaken after floods affected parts of south India in August 2018. The total of Rs 36.35 lakhs collected in response to appeals by WZOTF was used to provide succor to families in 30 villages in Kerala and 10 in Coorg district of Karnataka. Aid provided included food items, cleaning material, clothing, medical consultations and medicines. Rehabilitation efforts include promoting self employment through bee-keeping and the establishment of a tailoring center to make cotton carry bags. A project to start a coconut oil extraction cooperative is on the cards.
Top: Mobeds and students on a heritage walk: "opening minds";
above: WZOTF and Kinder Trust: aiding the flood affected
The vision of Empowering Mobeds (the WZOTF-Athornan Mandal initiative) includes "opening minds, creating awareness of our glorious past that would act as guidelines for the present (for mobeds),” believes WZOTF chairman Dinshaw Tamboly. The core group of priests of the initiative conducted a heritage walk for 68 students of the Dadar Athornan Institute and the Bai Avabai F. Petit Girls’ School on December 9, 2018. Locations covered included the Bhikha Behram Well, statues of illustrious Parsis in the Fountain area, and visits to two fire temples in the Fort area. The guides and commentators for the walk were Ervads Hormuz Dadachanji, Farzad Driver, Sheherazad Pavri, Firdaus Pavri, Meher Modi and Kerman Fatakia.