I would like to share some more details in addition to those provided by our dear friend Nazneen Thanawalla Spliedt about the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Zarathushti Anjuman of Northern California (ZANC) ("Be involved,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, December 21, 2019-January 6, 2020).
The celebration on November 2, 2019, followed by dinner and entertainment, turned out to be a bigger celebration for Parsiana’s longtime contributor of articles from California who was present at the function dressed in a dagli and sporting his father’s 91-year-old pheta manufactured by Chinoy Bros, Bombay.
L-r: Shermin Sorabji DeBiase, Rusi Sorabji, Nazneen and Ehler Spliedt
At the start of the ZANC program the master of ceremonies for the evening, Percy D. Kanga, announced: "We have in our midst one of our young members who is also celebrating his birthday today — his 90th!”
As the "young man” stood up, he was greeted with thunderous applause from the over 250 people present who sang "Happy Birthday” for him. Homi Gandhi, president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America approached the gentleman’s table and enquired: "Are you Rusi Sorabji?” He then had a photograph taken with the birthday boy. Some of the young ladies from the Persian Zoroastrian Organization followed suit, while others took selfies and ZANC officials too joined in the picture taking.
During the evening’s celebrations the "young man” also participated in the gara and dagli parade.
SHERMIN SORABJI DeBIASE
Los Angeles, California, USA
shermin_2000@yahoo.com