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For over two years The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) has not convened either an executive council or annual general meeting (AGM) in person or on an online platform. This was brought to the fore in a resolution passed by 19 anjumans of Gujarat at the West Zone B meeting at Bejan Baug in Valsad on July 18, 2021 calling upon the Federation secretary to convene an AGM by October 1.
Altogether three resolutions were passed at the West Zone B meeting chaired by Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada. The first and longest resolution expressed confidence in Sam Chothia, vice president of West Zone B and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Defunct Anjumans Committee (DAC), and derided the online weekly newsletter Parsi Junction (PJ) that has been regularly maligning him. The second resolution sought a transfer of Federation and DAC records to any place other than the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since Parsiana was not able to attend the meet, the invite for which came only four days prior when our Navroz issue pages were being readied for the press, as against the fortnight’s notice given to other anjumans, for this write-up we had to depend on inputs from various sources. These included Dastoor, Chothia, Brig Jahangir Anklesaria (retd), president of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat, Homi Pithawala, president of the Bardoli Jarthosti Anjuman, a report on the meeting that appeared in the PJ of August 1 and a communication from Cmdre Medioma Bhada (retd), vice president of South Zone.
While the representatives from Ahmedabad and Bardoli indicated that no vote was taken on the resolutions that were prepared in advance and read at the meeting, Dastoor asserted that he categorically enquired "whether any anjuman was against the resolution or wanted to abstain.” Even Dinshaw Mehta, the erstwhile chairman of the BPP who continues to remotely hold the reins of the BPP and had attended the West Zone B meet as a trusted representative of Bardoli along  with Pithawala, did not express his dissent. According to Dastoor, Mehta just kept repeating, "This has been planned in advance.” To ensure minimal acrimony at the meet, Dastoor had laid the ground rules requesting that there be no personal attacks by members and all remarks be addressed to the chair instead of each other.
The first resolution affirmed "firm support to Chothia… for his integrity, dedication, sincerity and untiring efforts with which he had served the various anjumans of West Zone B since 2014. The malicious and utterly false accusations made by Parsi Junction, a publication with no credibility, is a deliberate attempt to malign the impeccable reputation of…Chothia and the anjumans that form West Zone B. It is becoming quite obvious that the policy used by the editor and owner of this publication is to ‘divide and rule,’ creating confusion and unease amongst the members of the community which… suits the needs of the ones with ill intent to attain their personal agenda and settle their scores.” The resolution urged community members "to disregard such fake information printed malafidely in the above newsletter” and seek clarifications from West Zone B representatives on "any issue, controversy or topic raised by the print media.”
The second resolution sought transfer of FPZAI and DAC records and accounts statements from the BPP office "to any place so that (they)… become easily accessible... Any information related to the above when demanded by our vice president is not provided under the pretext that the records or documents are not found or have been misplaced. If such acts of non-cooperation continue then it is high time that all the records of FPZAI West Zone B and DAC be shifted.”
The third resolution urged the Federation honorary secretary Farrokh Rustomji to convene an AGM in the next 45 days and include in the agenda the appointment of "authorized signatories to the FPZAI bank accounts as per Clause 20 of the Rules and Regulations.” It further reiterated the need to "reconstitute the DAC for effective working (and) to effect the transfer of funds of Defunct Anjumans Khatas from BPP to FPZAI.”
Copies of the resolutions were marked to all the office bearers of the Federation. When sharing the resolutions with Parsiana Bhada wrote, "Rest assured the situation is the same for all the zones.”
Chothia conveyed in a telephone chat with Parsiana that after the FPZAI AGM over two years ago in July 2019 the Federation had not met so he wanted to update the members on the work he had done for the defunct anjumans, more so since the PJ repeatedly makes "false allegations” against him.
To counter the allegations that he had sold land in Junagadh, Chothia stated that the memorandum of understanding was signed in 2014 when Mehta was chairman and Sorab Katpitia of Surat was handling the defunct anjumans portfolio. Regarding property in Diu, the portion that was originally dakhma and sagdi land falls under the Archeological Survey of India. Additionally, there is another portion that has been encroached. The DAC is currently trying to safeguard land that the government is seeking to acquire, he said. In Rajkot, "a scheme had been filed in 2010 for better management; there is no intention to sell the land,” said Chothia adding that the Punchayet says they cannot find the Rajkot file with records. He regretted that he is receiving "no support” from the new board of Punchayet trustees who are under Mehta’s sway. After the demise of erstwhile BPP chief executive officer Cawas Panthaki, "can’t find the file” is the usual response he gets from the Punchayet.
Pithawala voiced his concern: "Report aapyu (was given). What is the conclusion? Concrete kaam thayu nathi; ék paiso aayo nathi (no constructive work has been done or a single paisa remitted to the FPZAI account)” from negotiations concerning defunct anjumans. He enquired from Chothia who is also the managing trustee of the Valsad Anjuman why no progress had been made on the Tithal Sanatorium land. To prevent 15 acres of land on the seafront from being lost to the community, Mehrwan Irani (erstwhile president of the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman) and his wife Binafshay had with a battery of committed Parsi lawyers pursued the matter up to the Supreme Court to get a verdict in favor of the community in 2004. The Iranis had then assigned the affairs to the neighboring Valsad Anjuman, to rebuild the sanatorium that was in a state of disrepair to honor the wishes of the benefactor.
According to Chothia, two ladies had managed to get themselves inducted as trustees although no change report had been filed and this matter took time to resolve at the Charity Commissioner’s office. He further mentioned that when the case was won in the Supreme Court, the lease deed was not cancelled with the result that Vipul Shah and, after his demise, his son claimed the lease continues to stand. Of the 15 acres, 12 acres are now proposed to be sold to a developer from Baroda who is willing to resolve the pending disputes while concurrently building a sanatorium for Parsis on three acres of the remaining land.
Pithawala regretted that the Valsad Anjuman has been unable to oust even the encroacher on the periphery of their own Doongerwadi property. "Parsis believe in courts, rules and regulations,” not realizing that inordinate legal delays result in community properties being usurped. Land belonging to our forefathers should remain within the community by "by hook or by crook…ék bija no pag khèchso tau community né faaydo nathi thavanu (If you pull down each other it will not result in progress for the community),” Pithawala cautioned those at loggerheads. He felt accusations of misappropriation of trust funds are usually made by disgruntled members because they did not get a share of the spoils. When there are so many brains and retired Parsi judges who can arbitrate why do we want other communities to make fun of us? he wondered.
"What is the purpose of the Federation?” asked Pithawala before proceeding to give a response, "To keep the anjumans together; to partake of their joys and sorrows.” He was unhappy that smaller anjumans are allowed very little time to give an account of their functioning at Federation executive council meetings, the usual command from the office bearers being "jaldi karo (make it quick). For the rest of the year, the major anjumans dominate, for at least one day let the smaller anjumans have their say,” Pithawala continued.
According to the PJ report, "Chothia… whose third term expires this month had called a meeting to give a show of strength before his proposed reelection… It was a pre-planned and well-orchestrated meeting to ensure his election and continuation from his Zone but his continuing as CEO of DAC portends ill for FPZAI… All he (Chothia) talked about was to encash the land value of various defunct anjumans that he was keen to sell. No discussion on the impact of Covid on dakhmenashini and solutions to counter the impact took pace.”
Chothia though told Parsiana that Dastoor did give an account of the number of Parsis who had succumbed to Covid in different areas of Gujarat. There was also reference to the Surat Parsi Panchayat case which was then pending before the High Court seeking permission for Parsi Covid corpses to be consigned to the dakhmas instead of cremating them. The assembly was informed that Pardi Anjuman had land adjoining their Doongerwadi which they were willing to set aside as a burial plot for Parsi Covid victims from any area.
Recalling the High Priest’s observation that "we are not achieving anything by flinging mud at each other and should instead do something constructive,” Anklesaria felt that defunct anjuman matters that predominate discussions can be better resolved if "instead of one man handling so many properties, two or three people are delegated to look after different areas.” Anklesaria believed the four hours devoted to the West Zone B meet clearly indicated that "such meetings should be held more often.”