The World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce
members narrated their engagement with youth
Farrokh Jijina
Youth [within the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC)]… are now rocking and rolling,” said Behroze Daruwalla, chair of Women Entrepreneurs (WE) international. As master of ceremonies at the Chamber’s 15th annual general meeting (AGM) of the India region on September 29, 2018 at the West End Hotel in Bombay she invited Jehaan Kotwal, global youth wing director to speak. "The young who are working hard are not seen, but they are there, making a difference,” he said.
Listing the eight events organized in the financial year 2017-18, (speed networking, sessions on crypto currency and social media marketing among others), he recalled that the most satisfying sessions were the ones with the students attending the Holiday Programme for Youth (HPY). "They come from sheltered backgrounds… We showed them the big picture,” remarked Kotwal about the participants at the program. HPY, organized under the auspices of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) is a month-long interactive workshop for students who have completed their schooling and are preparing for college. While senior members of the WZCC have interacted with HPY participants over the years, this is the first time that "five members of the youth wing spent half a day with the students, with business games,” Kotwal told Parsiana. "We taught them to think big…They were excited at the prospect of having a budget of Rs 400 crores (USD 54 million) to play with to develop a marketing plan” for their theoretical soft drink businesses, he explained.
(From l): Xerxes Dastur, Capt Percy Master, Jehaan Kotwal, Villie Daruvala, Veera Mundroina, Javed Jaffrey
(From l): Behroze Daruwalla, Farrokh Rustomji, Viraf Deboo, Tehmasp Bharucha, Master,
Phiroze Kharas, Dastur, Tehemton Dalal, Aspi Antia
"Look at youth with a positive mindset,” urged Kotwal. On the sidelines of the meeting, Kotwal listed for Parsiana the five "top industry experts” who have committed themselves to mentoring the young members of WZCC: businessman Boman Irani, entrepreneur and confectioner Kainaz Messman, advertising professionals Adil Malia and Lara Balsara, and BPP trustee and India director of WZCC Xerxes Dastur.
The youth wing had set for itself a target of involving 2,000 Parsi youth this year. Till the date of the meeting, however, they had touched 700 and were hopeful of impacting 300 new members by the end of the year, noted Capt Percy Master, president of the India region. In his welcome address and introductory remarks to the approximately 65 attendees at the meeting, Master said that "our youth have the ability… what is lacking is will… the response from youth to organizations like WZCC is poor.” (Kotwal clarified to Parsiana that this is indeed true in certain quarters, but is changing gradually.)
The Bombay chapter under the leadership of chapter chair Tehemton Dalal had organized 12 events during the year, including factory visits, sessions on productivity enhancement, goods and services tax, while the Poona chapter led by Maharukh Bharucha had tied up with the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce for organizing certain events, said Master, summarizing the activities for the year. Five events were conducted by the newest chapter, Bangalore, led by Air Chief Marshal Fali Major (retd), while the Homai Mehta led WE hosted three events independently and two with the parent body WZCC, Master added. Chief executive officer of the Chamber Aspi Antia and his staff team in the India office came in for commendations from Master.
A fund set up jointly with the Dinshaw Tamboly led World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust Funds (WZOTF) to encourage startups has a corpus of approximately one crore rupees (USD 134,935) including about Rs 55 lakhs (USD 74,214) from Zoroastrians overseas. The Chamber aspires to increase the sum five-fold, noted Master. He appealed to Zoroastrian business houses to support the fund with donations "so that more youth can be helped.” Applications for funding are being screened, Master informed the audience.
Regional director India Phiroze (Philli) Kharas detailed that a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) has been formed to help and mentor applicants to make a business plan. The BAC comprises of Kharas, Master, advertising professional Sam Balsara, lawyer Zerrick Dastur and global secretary Adi Siganporia. This business plan would help the BAC decide whether the business proposition intended to be funded is credible and has the capability to generate cash over time, and to see that funds disbursed are returned within the specified time frame. He enumerated the must-haves in the business plan: does the product or service meet a well-defined customer need; how does the product or service provide more value to customers and how is it differentiated over competition; estimated investment. After approving the business plan the BAC will mentor the applicant to write a result and performance statement for key positions in the organization to enable the BAC to monitor their performance on a quarterly basis, explained Kharas. "We have a written procedure which defines each step... right from the time a letter from an applicant is received, to the completion of legal formalities by WZOTF, followed by the disbursal of funds,” he explained. When member Shavak Bhumgara noted that making quarterly reports for the perusal of the BAC may be time consuming for an entrepreneur, Kharas responded that a new business needs to be in good shape from the beginning. "Either you start the business well or you do not start at all,” he noted.
Kharas apprised the members of an August 18 meeting with Farhad Unvala, senior trade and investment adviser, technology, in the department for international trade in the British High Commission at Bombay. "Unvala was very enthused at the opportunity to help members and Parsi businesses who wish to initiate a dialog with appropriate businesses in the UK.” The Chamber intends to seek information from Parsi business houses who wish to collaborate with UK businessmen. With a goal to select up to 10 businesses for a visit to the UK to meet appropriate business houses there in early 2019, "Unvala has stated that these applications will be reviewed jointly and shortlisted after an interview,” explained Kharas. "We will start mailing our letters to Parsi business houses from next week. We have identified over 50 names from the advertisements in the August 7 issue of Parsiana,” noted Kharas.
"Platform for various activities”
A surplus of Rs 3.80 lakhs (USD 5,128) was generated from an income of Rs 37.80 lakhs (USD 51,005) with investments at the close of year totaling Rs 60.20 lakhs (USD 81,231). The accounts for the financial year 2017-18 were presented by honorary treasurer Tehmasp Bharucha. An audited set is available on WZCC’s website. Farhad Hozdar and Company have been reappointed as auditors for the current year.
Master, Dastur, Daruwalla, Tehmasp Bharucha and Viraf Deboo would continue to hold office till the 2019 AGM while honorary secretary Rustomji had decided not to seek a second term in office. Daruwalla will take over the position. A director can serve for two terms. Poona chair Mahrukh Bharucha had resigned citing personal reasons, with Tehmasp Bharucha taking over as the leader of that chapter.
Detailed reports for the chapters were read out by Dalal for Bombay, Tehmasp Bharucha for Poona and by member Veera Mundroina for Bangalore. Office bearers from the garden city were not present. The report for WE’s India activities was read out by vice chair Villie Daruvala.
Wishing the newly appointed committee the best of luck, immediate past global president Minoo Shroff said, "We have done what we could…. (the Chamber) needs a fillip…take more interest.”
Responding to a question from the floor on whether the Chamber can help those in their 40s who suddenly find themselves jobless, Dastur noted, "Networking is the key… people should learn to help themselves…We provide the platform with our various activities… It is for each member to avail of all that is available.”
"Doing what I loved”
Chief guest and keynote speaker for the evening, actor, dancer and comedian Javed Jaffrey "grew up with Parsis,” he said. In a free-wheeling dialog with Behroze Daruwalla, Jaffrey, who was there at the invitation of Bombay vice chair lawyer Jamshed Mistry, said, "You (Parsis) are like ants… I see a lot of bonding, working together… I am here to show my respect for the community.” The 55-year-old showman recollected that one of his first award winning performances was with danseuse Rukshana Toddywala, a tape of which he sent to filmmaker Subhash Ghai, and which was highly appreciated. "I did not work for that bungalow or this Ferrari (material needs)… I was doing what I loved,” he said about his career.
A good speaker, but not the right person for our kind of audience, was the general observation of a few in the audience that Parsiana spoke to. Cocktails and dinner provided networking opportunities for those present.
"Continue with BPP activities ”
Felicitating Dastur on his appointment as BPP trustee in the July 1, 2018 elections, Master hoped that Dastur would "continue with all the activities of the BPP,” which was met with amused smiles and a few chuckles from the audience. Dastur later clarified that he would "not like to continue with all activities of the BPP but to change some practices,” alluding possibly to his election manifesto proposing changing the way the BPP functions.