On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Bai Motlibai Wadia Adaran in Malcolm Baug which was celebrated by the N. M. Wadia Charities (NMWC) and Malcolm Baug Zoroastrian Association (MBZA) on May 4, 2013, a bhoomi puja was performed by Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla for the Late Homai and Jimmy Nadirshah Kathawalla Memorial Hall to be constructed adjacent to the Adaran building. The entire cost of construction for the Hall will be borne by the Kathawalla family, mentions an email received from MBZA trustee Framroze Gotla.
Top l): Burjor Antia releasing e-book as Dastur Firoze Kotwal looks on; (above) Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla (2nd from r) with time capsule; (alongside from far l): N. Kotwal, Framroze Gotla, H. Talati and Ervad K. Panthaki
The celebrations commenced with a morning jashan held inside the Adaran and another jashan led by Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal that evening. MBZA president Bomi Bacha welcomed guests to the function and spoke briefly about future plans for the Adaran. Senior solicitor Burjor Antia, chairman of NMWC, addressed the gathering and released a 20 gram silver coin depicting Motlibai Wadia on one side and the atash on the other, as well as an e-book commemorating Wadia’s life and 150 years of the Adaran. Several persons, including the Adaran staff, were felicitated, Gotla reveals. The function concluded with dinner hosted by the Kathawallas, during which Malcolm Deventri, a Malcolm Baug resident, entertained those present with soulful music.
Built by Bai Motlibai Wadia in memory of her father Jehangirjee Nusserwanjee Wadia, the Adaran was consecrated on June 10, 1863 at Pitha Street in Bombay’s Fort area. Later, around 1945 it was shifted to the H. B. Wadia Atash Behram premises before being re-enthroned at its present location inside Malcolm Baug on April 29, 1966, the email reveals its history.