The 62nd salgirah celebrations of the Kaikhushru Pallonji Katrak Dar-e-Meher (file picture below) in Delhi was an evening of fun and music and thoughtful content as well, wrote Dr Kainaz Dotivala Shroff.
Top: Children of the Farohar group of the Delhi Parsi Anjuman;
above: Shanaya Tuli, Jehangir Cama
"The show started with a short musical performance by The Farohars, the Delhi Parsi Anjuman’s group of children aged four to 14, who sang monajats and a funny song. Their teachers, Dotivala Shroff, Rukshana Shroff, Kerman Mehta and Urvashi Sidhwa, then showcased their experience of participating in the session on ‘Reimagining Religious Education’ at the World Zoroastrian Congress in New York in July 2022. Their presentation was in the form of a film, which had been put together by a former Farohar, Freya Sidhwa, explaining their teaching methodology and highlighting their innovations and achievements over the last three decades,” Dotivala Shroff wrote. They stole the show, she noted.
The Farohars meet regularly to learn about Zoroastrianism and Parsi culture. Former Farohars Shanaya Tuli and Jehangir Cama shared their life experiences. Tuli talked about her struggle with depression, which led her to attempt suicide. She spoke about her serious injuries, long hospitalization and the trauma that she and her parents underwent, noted the report. "With brave resolve she came through the ordeal a stronger and a better person… She spoke about her journey to encourage people to seek professional help if undergoing mental trauma.”
Highlighting the need to address issues of mental health and seek remedial action before it was too late, Tuli mentioned that "life had given her a second chance and she wanted to share her experience to prevent other families undergoing her trauma.” A professional filmmaker, Tuli’s account left "many an eye in the audience wet.”
Cama talked about his new award-winning medical technology company Artio Sense Limited that has been spun out based on research at the University of Cambridge. He explained how the founding team got together through a series of fortuitous conversations facilitated by the collegiate system at Cambridge, to start developing a novel surgical aid to add to a key unmet need in orthopedic surgery.
Scholarships, which are given to the Anjuman’s young students each year but had been held back due to the last two years of lockdown, were distributed at the event.
"For a change the food menu was a lavish north Indian spread” with vegetarian and non-vegetarian Punjabi dishes, noted Dotivala Shroff. F. J.