One of the positive spin-offs of the summer camp organized by XYZ (Xtremely Young Zoroastrians) Foundation between May 21 and 27, 2023 is that some children have started, or are making an attempt to speak in Gujarati, noted organizer and volunteer Zenia Jalnawalla. Asked to narrate well known fairy tales in the vernacular under the event Ek divas ni vaat chhé (Once upon a time), Red Riding Hood became Lal Basketwali, Three Little Pigs Tann Dukkar and Beauty and the Beast Sundari ané Jaanvar. "This event we held for the first time…We gave them a day to practice and then each of the six groups made their presentations the next day,” she told us. "Some parents have written in to us saying their wards are making an attempt to converse in Gujarati,” Jalnawalla said. Another activity was the recitation of monajats (Zoroastrian devotional songs). "So naturally they had to focus on Gujarati,” she said.
XYZ children reciting monajats
XYZ founder Hoshaang Gotla told Parsiana on June 4 that "the kids partake in various activities, but informing them about our culture and religion is very important… They don’t speak Gujarati because it’s not spoken at home or in school, but at XYZ, when they had to recite a story and enact it in Gujarati only, that really got all of them going… Similarly, kids don’t know too many monajats… We conduct these small competitions so that they can understand what the monajat means and enjoy participating and will hopefully learn at least one.”
Held at the Dadar Athornan Institute, the Camp’s other activities included brainstorming on relevant topics, cookery sessions, dramatics and cricball at Cusrow Baug. "The Camp’s finale was a day out at Farm Regency Resort in Gorai where nearly 100 of us, including volunteers, seniors and parents, soaked in the sun,” Gotla stated. Snacks were provided on all days by the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, while Team Adventure provided the logistical support.
Summer camps are held every alternate year, with children from all over Bombay participating. This year saw 60 young participants. The previous camp in 2019 had 122 participants spread out over four venues. Gotla ascribed the drop in numbers to the fact that "many were travelling, plus International Baccalaureate schools were not closed this month.” There had been no camp in 2021 due to the pandemic.