At its centenary celebrations, The Bombay Parsee Association
recalls its services to the community
It was founded 102 years ago as The Grant Road Parsee Association and "took up the problems of the residents with the municipality, police, railways, B.E.S.T. and the government. It soon helped in solving the problems of unemployment and education, started Avesta classes, a marriage bureau, a labor union — the textile league, a lavad mandal, a loan relief fund, a navjote fund, religious and navjote prayer classes,” notes an article penned at the organization’s 75th anniversary by then president Vispi Dastur. The Association was later renamed The Bombay Parsee Association (BPA).
Dastur’s son Xerxes, BPA’s current president noted at the delayed centenary celebrations held on November 5, 2022 at Cama Baug that the organization has rendered "yeoman services to the country and the community (for 102 years), an achievement in itself especially when infant mortality is the case with many organizations.” The pandemic had caused the celebrations to be postponed from 2020.
The BPA newsletter dated November 5, states: "The BPA has been holding several competitions, prominent of which are the prayer competitions which attract around 300 to 400 competitors with a separate group for students of the athornan madressas and other athornans. It also conducts kusti spinning and weaving competitions as well as essay, elocution, Shahnameh (recital), etc competitions. It gives free lunch or snacks, etc to the participants as well as taxi fare, etc in the case of kusti weaving competition.”
From l: Adale Patel, Vispi Dastur, Shahrukh Kathawalla, Xerxes Dastur,
Cmde Aspi Marker (retd), Rusi Bhumgara, Dastur Keki Ravji All photos: Kaizad Chinoy
Top row, from l: Tehmina Peer, Armaity Tirandaz,
Maharukh Noble, Pervin Sidhwa, Viraf Mehta, Marazban Wadia;
2nd row: Aloo Shroff, Jamshed Mistry
It was at one of the annual prayer competitions held by BPA in 1968 that eight-year-old Shahrukh Kathawalla competed. A resident of Malcolm Baug in Jogeshwari, Kathawalla and his two siblings aged five and 10 were trained by Najoo Lovji, the then secretary of the BPA and a resident of Malcolm Baug where "I was born and resided.” On the day of his first competition, his mother "had a muscular pull in her back because of which it was impossible for her to walk.” There was no one to bring us to the distant Charni Road venue, they sorrowfully informed Lovji. The thoughtful and dedicated teacher then requested her brother to escort the trio to The Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution building.
The teacher did not consider "the participation of a Zarthoshti child in a prayer competition a casual event,” Kathawalla pointed out. He received the sixth consolation prize and was not given any cash award but some books which he read. "Though initially I was upset not to be in the top three, I was very happy to go on stage and receive my prize at the hands of Justice Dinshah Madon at the annual prize distribution ceremony.” To prepare for the next year’s competition Lovji instructed him to pray "slowly and concentrate on my pronunciations.” The examiner asked him to recite the Din-no-Kalmo. "I brought home the first prize.” Kathawalla, a retired judge of the Bombay High Court who was chief guest at the function told the gathering that after his retirement he had attended several community functions as chief guest but the BPA event held "an exceptional pleasure and joy” for him.
The jurist wanted to emphasize the importance of prayers to the gathering that included a bevy of students from the Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls’ High School at Bandra who won many of the prizes. "I must fairly mention and give full credit to the Avabai Petit School more particularly Yasmin Charna, who year after year encourages the Zoroastrian students of the School to participate in the prayer as well as kusti spinning and weaving competition… after regularly imparting the requisite training to them… Prayers can move mountains,” Kathawalla stressed. "Faith has stood the test of time. (People today) pray on a need basis rather than recite prayers daily.” He regretted that the number of participants in the competitions had dropped from 350 in the past to 200 this year.
A section of the audience
Kathawalla sponsors the prizes in memory of his late sister Navaz. The amounts have increased manifold over the years. In view of several complaints received from the participants and/or their parents that they cannot be made to compete with participants who are already navars, a special category was introduced for the students from the madressas who were also navars… Unfortunately the recitation of the monajats and briefly explaining the meaning of the prayers which the child recites during the competition is now removed from the syllabus...
"Before I part for the day, I would like to caution one and all present here not to compromise or dilute our religious beliefs, practices and tenets in any way whatsoever. Unfortunately, the section of the community seeking to do so often justifies its stand on two meaningless catch phrases: "Vakhat sathé chalvanoo jaruri chhè (we have to move with the times)” and "Aapré jo em nai karsu toh kom khalas thai jasé (if we don’t do this the community will be finished).” These people often forget that ours is a faith that has truly stood the test of time, faced persecution from other faiths and yet retained its own unique identity and racial traits for the past several centuries!”
Cmde Aspi Marker (retired), who presided as the election commissioner at the May 2022 Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship elections and has been associated with BPA for over two decades, was the guest of honor. He said he was "very impressed with all the (BPA’s) activities.” "Vispi had come to meet me in 2004, while I was still in the navy, to request for a naval bugler for the Martyrs Day ceremony which the BPA hosts annually at Khareghat Colony (every September 5). I made sure the bugler was there even after I retired. I have not missed a single ceremony in almost 20 years!”
The founders
The BPA "was established in 1920 by Bombay’s well known architect Vicaji A. Taraporewalla along with M/s Kaikhushru Dubash (solicitor), Shiavux Jhabvala, Dhunjibhai Patel, Framroze Shroff, Dr Marzban Kothawalla, Major Sohrab Bamji, Burjorji Daruwalla and Jehanbux Vatcha,” noted Vispi in his article. "Taraporewalla was the first president and M/s Dubash and Jhabvala the first honorary secretaries. The first patrons were Sir Hormusji Cowasjee Dinshaw Adenwalla, M/s Taraporewalla and Kaikobad Cowasji Dinshaw Adenwalla…
"BPA published a Parsee Businessmen’s directory (1940) dedicated to its first patron, Sir Hormusji C. Dinshaw Adenwalla;” religious talks delivered by Sohrab Jamshed Bulsara (1944); An Ideal Daughter, Wife and Mother (1948); Paydast Patrika (1950) of which copies were presented to BPP for keeping at Doongerwadi, noted the article. In 1968, 5,000 more copies of a revised edition were printed and distributed free to the BPP and the public. BPA also assisted in the publication of books by Dastur Khurshed Dabu. During World War II, the BPA started a war gift fund while members served as Air Raid Precaution wardens. "The organization also protested against black marketing during the war and held meetings under the presidentship of that well known British journalist and freedom fighter Benjamin Horniman…
"They took keen interest in procuring eye donations, family planning, eradication of beggary, etc and took up the matter of Parsi holidays and the need for Parsi members in the Viceroy’s Committee, Legislative Assembly and Council, etc… For more than 50 years the Association pays annual homage to India’s great son Dr Dadabhai Naoroji on his birth anniversary, Sir Hormusjee Dinshaw Adenwalla and at the War Memorial to the Parsi and other soldiers, sailors and airmen who sacrificed their lives for their country during World War I and in subsequent wars.
"It has taken up the matter with the department of posts for the issue of postage stamps in honor of Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Madam Bhikaiji Cama, Dr Dadabhai Naoroji (1963) and again in 1992 at the time of the Parliamentary centenary, Sir Phirozeshah Mehta, etc… We would be failing in our duty if we were not to mention Jehangir F. Shroff, our member for more than 50 years and our president for 25 years…”
The BPA office bearers are Vispi (president emeritus), Xerxes, Nadir Modi, vice president, Tehmina Peer, honorary general secretary, Aloo Shroff, honorary joint secretary, Jamshed Mistry, honorary treasurer along with managing committee members Adale Patel, Rusi Bhumgara and Pervin Sidhwa.
A contributory Parsi dinner was served by the popular caterer Jimmy Gadiwalla.