"The turnout of 160 plus bawas, bawis and nallas (young ones) was overwhelming,” noted Kunashni Davar, about the Zoro Kids Club Diwali bash on October 19, 2019 for community members and children of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The Zoroastrian Club where the event was held, was beautifully decorated with diyas, fresh marigold flowers, creative rangoli designs, and fun Diwali-themed photo props, she noted. Davar and her core team of Ruksha Hormusjee and Nazneen Reporter have banded together to "bring Zoroastrian children of the twin cities together.”
Top and above:"Ghagras, saris and kurtas" at Hyderabad’s Zoro Kids Club event
Children got to transform plain diyas with paints, little trinkets "and lots of creativity.” Both the young ones and the adults enjoyed getting complimentary mehendi (henna) and tattoo designs done. Davar said that "the sound of dandiya sticks in keeping with the disc jockey’s songs resonated with the lovely night spent as a community.” The highlight of the evening was a fun ramp walk for all age groups to show off their traditional attire. "Judges Noshir Mehta, Rashna Mistry and Gulshan Bamboat had a tough time picking winners in each age category.” The "best dressed” included Aryan Vesuna, Uzairin Daver, Shiamak Bhatela, Anaisha Chenoy, Zubin Kapadia and Binaz Jilla. Indian appetizers were followed by "a delicious Parsi dinner.”
Reporter said, "We were delighted to see everyone engaging with each other and rejoicing. As Diwali is a time for spreading love and light, we made sure that everyone involved had a wonderful time.” As noted Hormusjee: "It was fun seeing ghagras, saris, and kurtas all around.”
Conceptualized and organized by Zenia Bhatela, Cherissa Jilla, Armaan Chenoy, Anaisha Chenoy, Shiamak Bhatela, Farah Bhagat and Khushnum Hansotia, compere Fram Desai conducted the evening "with poise and kept the crowd engaged.” The young ones went home with complimentary homemade chocolates sponsored by Fashutana Bhagat. Keki Irani helped with the hall logistics and décor while Abad Wadia catered the dinner. Rangoli designs were created by Sneha Mehta; dandiya sticks for the event were lent by the Bamboat family.
Beyniaz Edulji