"I have not retired. I will be concentrating on mobedi now,” said Ervad Framroze Mirza when asked by Parsiana on December 4, 2024 why he had stepped down as coordinator of the Prayer Hall at Worli. "My services are very much in demand for prayers, weddings and navjotes. I have just performed a chahrum (fourth day after death early morning prayers) ceremony. But I can no longer cope with managing, which I have been handling since the Prayer Hall started functioning nine years back on September 1, 2015. In fact, I had handed over the keys to trustee Dinshaw Tamboly last year,” he added. The 72-year-old Mirza who has been practicing mobedi for 57 years has been praying for those opting for cremation for 25 years. "I have the blessings of these souls,” he said with satisfaction.
A public notice dated December 2, 2024 issued by the Prayer Hall Services and Maintenance Trust stated that due to his advancing age Mirza is no longer able to manage the day-to-day running of the Hall. Ervad Rumi Panthaky has been appointed as chief priest to make arrangements for obsequies. Panthaky may be contacted by telephone on a 24x7 basis at +91 9769456266 or, if the number is not reachable, on +91 9137430373.
Top: Ervads Framroze Mirza (l) and Rumi Panthaky;
above: interiors and exteriors of Prayer Hall (inset)
"Prayers are important,” Panthaky, a freelance mobed who has been performing navjotes and weddings for intermarried Parsis for over a decade, told Parsiana on December 4. The 57-year-old Tardeo resident said he also prays for people opting for burial or cremation and has been called to places outside Bombay such as Nagpur and Jhansi to conduct funerary prayers. "The mode (of disposal) chosen is up to each individual, but prayers should not be denied to anyone.”
Separating the roles of chief priest and manager, the Prayer Hall’s trustees plan to appoint another person to maintain cleanliness, security, repairs and other services as required. The manager will be present daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and also while any obsequies are being performed.
There have been changes in the Prayer Hall Services and Maintenance Trust board of trustees of as well with the resignations of Farzana Mojgani and Silloo Billimoria in October 2024 due to professional and personal commitments. The current board comprises Tamboly, Homi Khusrokhan, Keki Elavia, Karl Tamboly, Sarosh Bharucha, Adil Wadia, Vispy Wadia, Kerssie Wadia and Homiyar Madan.
S. V.