Intermittently residing on and off the pavement outside the F. D. Petit Sanatorium at Cumballa Hill in Bombay are four Parsis who whilst evoking community concern have shown how charity can be all consuming.
Seventy-two-year-old Mehroo Boman Umrigar, her son Viraf and daughter Sanobar with Jal Elavia have been squatting on the pavement ever since they were evicted from the Sanatorium premises. Like some other homeless families they used to shuffle from one sanatorium to the other once the permissible tenure was over at one abode. After the Bhabha Sanatorium at Bandra discontinued transit occupants, this family like some others continued to reside at the Petit Sanatorium, mentioned Elavia to a sympathetic listener who wished to assist the quartet. Since the families failed to vacate, the Petit trustees filed suits against them and got them evicted. When asked whether they had received any compensation, they gave an evasive response.
Why do they choose to keep returning to this pavement? This is an area familiar to them with the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital within easy access should a medical emergency arise, they said, adding that they are also able to earn their living in this area selling rangoli paper and similar handicrafts. The Sulabh Shauchalaya at Kemps Corner and the Grant Road Railway Station are used for bathing and toilet facilities.
In mid September, only Sanobar and Jal remained on the pavement as Mehroo and Viraf had apparently moved to Navsari to reside there in a leave and licence accommodation. Sanobar and Jal wanted to find a job and settle down in Valsad or Deolali. Jal claimed he had a job offer there. When offered monetary assistance to relocate on the condition that they would furnish complete contact details of their prospective employers, the duo asserted they are not "forcing" anyone to donate.
A clarification on behalf of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) had been issued by its senior executive (welfare) Cawas Panthaki two years ago. According to his statement carried in the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly at that time, "The BPP trustees took a very sympathetic view and went out of the way to give them peremptory admission at Parukh Dharamshalla and even overlooked the observance of the norms about the age (normally 60 years and above are admitted) and accommodated both mother and son free of charge. Parukh Dharamshalla offers morning tea, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, not to mention many donors who on and off give in cash and kind to the residents.
"Later on it was found that they were earlier housed and became squatters at F. D. Petit Parsi Sanatorium. By receiving a monetary compensation of Rs 10 lakhs for alternate premises from the Petit Trust, they had left the Sanatorium but were continuing to sit outside the Sanatorium premises. It is unfortunate (that) they despite being comfortably housed and fed at the Parukh Dharamshalla without any hassles, have resorted to their old habit of going back daily to the…Sanatorium premises carrying a big plastic bag and begging.
"They are found to be very abusive, rude and violent in their behavior and language with other residents of the Dharamshalla as well as the staff members. The mother and son were counseled by none other than the BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta to behave themselves at Parukh Dharamshalla but there is hardly any improvement. The BPP is in a fix…"
And so also are the charitably minded, socially conscious Parsis who would like to assist these disadvantaged brethren.