Died: Zarin Rustom Cooper (pictured below), 92, founder president of the Ladies’ Wing of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC), and a political and social activist; on March 22, 2020 in Bombay.
"It is almost certain that there is no safe place at the top to be held without effort, either by men or by women. A woman will be called upon to put in far greater effort than a man. Each performance must necessarily be an improvement on the previous one. It is not by doing easy things that one attains the highest potentialities but by matching one’s wits with tough adversaries and
overcoming difficulties,” Cooper was quoted in the brochure on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the Ladies’ Wing three years ago.
The Ladies’ Wing had been inaugurated in 1967 to help the less fortunate members of society while promoting the economic, social and educational interests of the business community. As Zarin’s husband Rustom was then the president of IMC, Zarin was given the honor of leading the Ladies’ Wing, a convention that has continued over the years. In the history of the organization, Zarin has been described as "an extremely capable president with views that were light years ahead of her time. She believed strongly that women need not be confined only to home and hearth; indeed they were the nation’s greatest untapped resource when it came to assuming more intensive roles in business, industry and profession.”
Recalling her two-year tenure as president, Zarin had mentioned "there was great camaraderie among us; everyone had their say in a democratic manner.” With their political connections, Zarin and Rustom knew Prime Minister Indira Gandhi well and for the IMC’s diamond jubilee celebration in 1967, they invited her to grace the function.
Valuing the principles of democracy and freedom, Zarin had joined the Indian National Congress in the 1950s. She was an executive committee member of the Bombay Pradesh Congress Mahila Vibhag (women’s wing), secretary of the Family Welfare and Family Planning Committee of the Vibhag as well as on the editorial board of the Bombay Pradesh Congress Committee journal Congress. Rustom’s interest in politics drew him to the Swatantra Party and he became its founder member. In the late 60s, when the Swatantra Party became the official opposition to the Congress, Zarin graciously opted out of politics.
In 1975, Zarin, Rustom and their two daughters moved to Singapore where the couple established a financial and infrastructure consultancy, Coopers Private Limited. While Rustom travelled in Asia, Africa and Europe, Zarin managed the legal aspects and administration of the firm. Zarin was a regular visitor to Singapore’s famous Changi Prison where she acted as a volunteer and counselor. When maestro Zubin Mehta visited Singapore in 1984 with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Zarin, being related to Zubin, arranged for the Parsis of Singapore to meet him at their home.
Zarin Cooper (3rd from r) when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addressed
the Indian Merchants’ Chamber in 1967
Top: Zarin and Rustom with Prof Amartya Sen (center);
above: Zarin with Mother Teresa
Zarin was born into the well-known Mehta family of Navsari. Her grandfather Mancherji Manakji Mehta who was involved in the Indo-China trade was interred at the Parsi Cemetery in Hong Kong. In 1915, the family established the D. N. Mehta Hospital with Zarin’s father Dr Phirojsha Mehta being in charge.
Zarin was educated at Dastoor School, Poona and did her BA Hons from St Xavier’s College followed by LLB (Hons) from the Government Law College in Bombay. She then passed the Bar Council examination of the Bombay High Court. The Government of Maharashtra later appointed her a justice of peace and honorary presidency magistrate.
Both Zarin and Rustom continued to be involved with various charitable, religious and social service initiatives in India, Singapore and UK. Zarin considered her meeting with Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa and participating in a private mass in her chapel in Calcutta, one of the most momentous occasions of her life.
As daughters Feroza and Farida say of their mother, "She exuded a kindness and warmth which endeared people to her. When friends and associates remarked on her long and eventful life she would always say, ‘I have nothing to boast of other than what God has done in my life.’”
The gracious grassroots worker is survived by her daughters Feroza and Farida. P. G.