"Tonight, we acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made to the British economy and culture by the Zoroastrian community,” noted a welcome accorded to the 15 select guests who attended a high-profile dinner at Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London on September 26, 2025. Co-hosted by the Mayor, Alderman Alastair King DL and Lord Karan Bilimoria, "It is the first time, to our knowledge that the Lord Mayor has welcomed and hosted members from the Zoroastrian community,” added the message, acknowledging that "though tiny in numbers, barely 5,000 in the UK, Britain would not be the same without the contribution of the Zoroastrian community.”
"Going far beyond simply being another formal dinner, it was an affirmation of identity, a reminder of legacy, and a celebration of values that have sustained our people for millennia,” declared Bilimoria. "The evening was filled with warmth, candor and pride. Again and again, I heard our guests speak of the qualities that define Parsis: integrity, loyalty, enterprise and generosity.” The dinner started with a prayer by Ervad Yazad Bhadha, resident priest at the Zoroastrian Centre in Harrow.
Most of the invitees that evening were finance and business leaders. They included Sir Ron Kalifa, managing partner at Brookfield Asset Management and senior independent director at the Bank of England; Cyrus Kapadia, chief executive officer (CEO) of Lazard UK’s Investment Banking business; Sirous Wadia, operating leader at K1 Investment Management; Percy Marchant, managing partner of an investment advisory firm St James Global Partners LLP; Javid Canteenwala, chief financial officer for the UK & EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa) regions at Compagnie Financiere Tradition S.A; Zarir Cama, prominent banker who had held several senior leadership roles at the HSBC Group; and Perses Sethna, CEO of the consultancy firm PRT Partners Ltd. Additionally there was Bapsy Dastur, chief legal officer at the Landmark Group; clinical psychologist Prof Zenobia Nadirshaw; environmentalist and entrepreneur Perses Bilimoria; Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) president Malcolm Deboo, trustee Rusi Dalal, interfaith officer Ruzbeh Hodiwala; and UK chapter chair of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce Shernaz Engineer.
Above, 1st row, from l: Malcolm Deboo with Pope Leo XIV: Zoroastrian delegation with members of
the Vatican Photos: © Vatican Media; 2nd row: Mayoress Florence and Mayor Alderman Alastair King,
and Lord Karan Bilimoria (standing 7th-9th from l) with Zoroastrian invitees at Mansion House
Photo: Raj Bakrania
The feast comprising patra ni machhi, chicken farcha, jardaloo ma gosh no pulao and lagannu custard was prepared by celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala of Café Spice Namaste.
The dinner also marked the 200th birth anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji, the "Grand Old Man of India,” who became the first Indian elected to the House of Commons in 1892. Besides being a founder trustee of ZTFE he was the longest serving president of the association. "His writings on the ‘drain of wealth’ from India to Britain challenged the conscience of the empire, and his life remains an inspiration to all of us who believe in speaking truth to power. In Britain, we have remained few in number but determined to contribute far beyond our size… That dual identity — both rooted and open, both particular and universal — is what has enabled us to thrive,” summed up Bilimoria.
A parliamentary reception in the House of Lords to celebrate Naoroji’s bicentenary was to be originally hosted by Bilimoria on September 3 but was postponed to December 12 due to strike action by the parliamentary security staff, stated Deboo.
The next event where ZTFE will be represented is the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the 1965 declaration from the Second Vatican Council which is the foundational document for the Catholic Church’s relationship with other faiths. A five-member delegation comprising Deboo, Dastur, Bhadha, Hodiwala and Ervad Zubin Bhedwar will be visiting the Vatican on October 28. "The legacy of Nostra Aetate reminds us that dialog is not just an intellectual endeavor but a moral and social imperative. This occasion offers a meaningful opportunity for us to come together in the spirit of hope and unity,” noted the invite to the event. The evening function will follow a three-day event under the auspices of an interfaith body in Rome when Hodiwala will participate in a session entitled "Healing the Earth, Healing Humanity,” and the two priests will recite a short benediction.
Five months earlier too ZTFE representatives were at the Vatican to mark the inauguration of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, according to a report sent by the ZTFE president. On May 18, Deboo, ZTFE treasurer Javid Canteenwala, Hodiwala, co-chair of ZTFE’s Young Zoroastrians (YZ) Dr Zal Canteenwala and YZ vice chair Freyan Khambatta attended a solemn mass for the inauguration of the Pope’s Petrine Ministry at St Peter’s Square. They were then invited to a fellowship lunch held in the reception area of the Paul VI Audience Hall used by successive Popes since the 1970s. Attendees were seated at mixed tables to encourage interaction among representatives of different faiths and to emphasize the importance of working together to ensure meaningful representation in national and international policy frameworks.
The following day, representatives of various churches, ecclesiastical communities and religious traditions were invited to a private audience with the Pope in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. Adorned with Renaissance frescoes, the Hall serves as a formal reception room where the Pope receives guests. Emphasizing the need for unity in a strife torn world, Pope Leo XIV commented, "Now is the time for dialog and building bridges. I am therefore pleased and grateful for the presence of representatives of other religious traditions who share the search for God and his will which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures… Each of the communities represented here brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion and commitment to the good of humanity and the preservation of our common home… We can be effective in saying ‘no’ to war and ‘yes’ to peace.” He reinforced the need to promote "the culture of dialog as the path, mutual collaboration as the code of conduct, reciprocal understanding as the method and standard.”
Subsequently the Pontiff personally interacted with each delegate. The ZTFE representatives presented him a copy of The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination publication that includes an image of Raphael’s renowned painting The School of Athens located in the Vatican which depicts Zarathushtra holding a celestial globe. A copy of the Tamam Khordeh Avesta plus the ZTFE sesquicentennial medallion were also gifted to the Pope.
According to Deboo, "ZTFE’s participation reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to interfaith engagement… The participation of three youth members highlights ZTFE’s efforts to involve younger members in its activities and foster their engagement with broader societal and global matters.”