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"Whatever you do in life, let there be a never ending intention to touch the sky,” advised Air Chief Marshal Fali Major (Retd), president of the Bangalore chapter of the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce (WZCC) that was hosting the awards function on the evening of December 16, 2017 at Clarks Exotica Convention Resort. He advised the youngsters in the audience to adopt the Indian Air Force motto — "Touch the sky with glory” — if they want "to forge ahead in life.”
Those who were glorified that evening were Feroze Bhandara, owner of the flourishing Ardenwood Group, a real estate company in Houston, who was named the Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year, Dr Ferzaan Engineer, pharmaceutical scientist and healthcare entrepreneur based in Bangalore who was declared Outstanding Professional of the Year, and upcoming lawyer Zerick Dastur of Bombay who was felicitated as the Outstanding Young Professional of the Year.
Their pursuit of glory has been "a journey and a destination.” As Major had earlier remarked, "The journey has to be honorable and courageous” for each one’s destination or "highest limit” will always differ. The former air chief further reinforced the importance of the word "touch” and differentiated it from "reach or push” which has different connotations.
"We live in very unusual times. Change is taking place at breakneck speed,” observed WZCC global president Edul Daver, adding, "Big corporations having a rigid managerial structure are being made irrelevant by new companies with a flat structure. If companies cannot change, sooner or later they will become history.” For those who are bold, "opportunities are limitless,” stated Daver, urging entrepreneurs to be "tolerant of failure” by adopting an attitude similar to Thomas Edison who invented the carbon filament light bulb after repeated attempts, purportedly saying he had not failed a thousand times but knew 1,000  ways a light bulb cannot be made. Glad to see "WZCC spreading its wings with increasing involvement of young adults,” he reminded the members, "it is not easy to change developed minds.” He was particularly appreciative of the "Bangalore chapter that has worked very hard to welcome the global community.”

 

 

 

 

"We share a passion for the next generation,” remarked chief guest Dr Peter Garland, speaking on behalf of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) where he is executive vice chancellor. "The ability of education,” believed Garland, "is to think differently and creatively into the future.” Enthused by the "ability of this nation,” he was excited to work "with the fastest growing democracy… to learn from partners in India.” With increasing global connectivity, he was confident the "value of learning from different cultures and diversity,” would benefit not only students at the 14 universities governed by PASSHE but students in India aspiring for double degrees or summer research projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Leah Divecha

 

 

 

 
 
Celebrating the awardees
"We have gathered here to celebrate the success of our community members… Year after year we come across Zarathushtis who make us proud to be alive in this day and age,” announced Behroze Daruwalla, global chairperson of the Women Entrepreneurs wing of WZCC before proceeding to explain to the celebrity audience the modalities of selection by a panel of judges from five continents who independently rate each nominee, after which the points are compiled by the WZCC head office in Bombay and communicated to the global president who announces the winners to the international board. Besides proven success in profession and/or business, a candidate and his work are graded on global presence, involvement with WZCC and other trade and commerce organizations, and contribution of time and effort towards various causes.
"Compared to the other commerce chambers in the world, WZCC may be young and small in numbers. However the Zarathushti community has always been acclaimed as a marvel as it functions and works with the right wisdom, intelligence and ability to improve and impact the lives of other community members around them,” stated Daruwalla prior to introducing the award winners.
Lahore born Bhandara’s family owned wine shops and the famous Murree Brewery in Rawalpindi where he worked as a teenager. His father Peshotan had bought over the share of the British and Hindu partners at the time of partition to become the sole owner. After qualifying as an engineer and completing his post-graduation studies from the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University, Feroze worked with Ford Motor Company and Ford Aerospace before he ventured into real estate investment. His Ardenwood Group, owns and manages commercial buildings and residential apartments. With his expertise he was able to convert even a crime ridden apartment complex of over 430 units into a safe haven for many Indian and Pakistani families who reside and enjoy a comfortable life. His philanthropy has been repeatedly extended to the community in Houston for whom he earlier built the Zarathushti Heritage and Cultural Center and recently donated nearly  $  1.2 million (Rs 7.65 crores) to build the atash kadeh. Supported in his endeavors by his wife Shernaz, their Feroze and Shernaz Bhandara Charitable Trust generously contributes to the education and medical needs of the global community.
"At times, life can deal surprises,” said Feroze in his acceptance speech, forewarning prospective entrepreneurs that despite having "a vision, goals and a master plan,” unforeseen developments may compel them "to adapt to changed circumstances, think outside the box and take calculated risks.” In search of favorable business circumstances, he moved from California to Houston which he found has "minimal red tape, less stifling rules and regulations, no state income tax.” Support from Shernaz and the family, his co-workers, bankers and attorneys he considered crucial for the growth of his business. Convinced that "an entrepreneur has to be involved with the larger community,” he felt that political and administrative connections lay the ground for effective policy decisions. The ability "to serve my community gives me great satisfaction… as also leaving a legacy for the community at large.”
Engineer was among those who launched the international clinical research industry in India after earning his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of South Carolina and attending management programs in India, France and North Carolina. He was the chairman and chief executive officer of Quintiles India from 1997 to 2011, served on the board of Quintiles Transnational and headed their clinical research business in Australia, China, India and Singapore. An American multinational company, Quintiles was known to serve the combined industries of health information technologies and clinical research. Engineer established and led Cenduit LLC (limited liability company), a joint venture between Quintiles and Thermo Fisher Scientific which became a world leader in the field of specialized software for pharmaceutical research. Four years ago he became an independent entrepreneur and founded Medwell Ventures which offers home healthcare services in four Indian cities through 11 branches and 1,000 staff under the brand name of Nightingales. He is currently focusing his attention on Cytecare, the 150-bed, organ-based cancer hospital that he established in Bangalore and wants to replicate in other areas.
"You don’t need a lot of resources to start an enterprise,” asserted Engineer who found that "Bangalore has a very enabling culture.” Citing the case of Artiman White Space Investments that is willing to "invest in entrepreneurs building white space companies (where unmet and unarticulated needs are uncovered to create innovation opportunities),” Engineer said, "Everything is possible if you have a dream and perseverance.” More than a project, investors are looking for "team, team and team… for even if one project fails, the team will survive and make another project.” Partners can be found even for social ventures, pointed out the professional entrepreneur, alluding to the success of Mitti Cafes (in Karnataka which serve organic multi-cuisine fast food and fresh juices) where everyone employed is differently abled except the head cook.
A triple gold medallist from the Bombay University, Dastur graduated in commerce from the H. R. College and in law from the Government Law College. As proprietor of Zerick Dastur Advocates and Solicitors, the legal firm he started in 2017, the young lawyer’s practice areas are dispute resolution, regulatory and policy, trade and competition, capital markets and securities. Appearing for clients in high courts and even the Supreme Court, his practice takes him before statutory tribunals and regulators including the Competition Commission of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Tariff Authority for Major Ports. Besides writing articles for national publications on corporate, commercial and competition law issues, he also contributes a column, "Legally Speaking” in Jam-e-Jamshed.
The award serves a dual purpose: "a recognition of (one’s) efforts and those who have paved the path for you to succeed, and a source of motivation and inspiration to strive higher and compete with yourself,” said Dastur. "2017 has been a year of change for me,” acknowledged Dastur who started his independent practice after gaining experience with J. Sagar Associates when he got to interact with "great clientele on great matters.” Convinced that his decision to set up independent practice arose from his "self belief,” Dastur assured the youth in the audience, "Do not be afraid to give wings to your passion. Do not be afraid to do something unconventional. Money, success, fame cannot be the determining factors” for all decisions.