Archive

The Vesu Anjuman near Surat (which until six years ago had about 30 to 40 families and was regularly distributing financial aid to the indigent) has requested The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) to manage its affairs. Sam Chothia, vice president of West Zone B and chief executive officer of the FPZAI’s Defunct Anjumans Committee (DAC) reported on this development at the annual general meeting on January 21, 2023 at the Banaji Atash Behram Hall.
The Igatpuri anjuman in Maharashtra which manages an agiary, dharamshala and tower of silence had earlier requested the Federation to take over the management and functioning. While a change report had been passed in 2018 including the names of then Federation president Yazdi Desai and vice president Mancher Mubarakai, following the demise of Desai, demitting of office by Mubarakai and death/resignation of other Igatpuri trustees, a fresh change report will need to be filed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At its meeting, the FPZAI passed a resolution that all appointments on any trust is co-terminant with appointment as office bearer/trusteeship of FPZAI and the anjuman. It was further resolved that all appointees to various positions on the FPZAI will continue in their respective positions so long as they continue to be trustees of the underlying anjuman/body which is the member body of the FPZAI. In the event that they cease to hold the position in the underlying body/anjuman, their successor in the underlying body /anjuman will automatically be deemed to be appointed to that respective position for the residual period of the earlier appointee’s term.
Although no DAC meeting has been held after 2019, nor could any defuct anjumans be visited during the pandemic from March 2020 to June 2022, Chothia circulated a 28-page report on 20 locations where the DAC is trying to work out a solution. For nearly four hours until the meeting ended post 7 p.m. on the first day, there was discussion on the DAC’s work in Diu; Pardi, Khambhat, Nadiad, Nanded, Rajkot, Suvali Domka and Deesha in Gujarat; Dharwar, Bijapur and Hubli in Karnataka; Neemuch, Harda, Bhopal and Bina in Madhya Pradesh; Igatpuri, Bhusaval and Nanded in Maharashtra; Allahabad and Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh and Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
"It is a sad fact that community properties worth crores of rupees in places where there are few Parsis remaining or even no Parsis left are already lost to the community through encroachment and lack of records,” noted Chothia’s foreword. "The FPZAI wants to monetize the assets of our community which are lying unused, in dilapidated condition, which are in danger of being encroached… (or) usurped by land mafias. The amounts recovered from selling of these community assets will be used for the welfare of the Parsi community itself. The FPZAI feels it is a practical solution where the community is unable to protect its properties physically or legally in remote places where there are hardly any Parsis residing.”
"How are we going to look after our properties?” wondered Udvada High Priest Dastur Khurshed Dastoor. "Sell it, encash it,” advised former FPZAI president Dinshaw Mehta, now representing Bardoli, adding, "There comes a time when you have to let things go. For everyone here, the community comes first. But the time has come to let go.” Reiterated Federation treasurer and Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Xerxes Dastur, "None of us wants to sell, but if push comes to shove, then a sale has to be done in a transparent manner.”
Vice president of the National Commission for Minorities Kersi Deboo recommended, "Let’s get together and find a solution. First we have to come to a consensus within the community and then resolve.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safeguarding assets
Portions of community lands in Diu are under the Archeological Centre or acquired by the Government for road widening or solar projects or encroached by unauthorized occupants. (According to the literary treatise Qissa-i Sanjan, the Parsis first landed on the Diu island and 10 years later moved to Sanjan. Diu is a Union Territory near the port of Veraval in Gujarat.) Following Chothia’s meeting with the collector and mamlatdar it was decided by the DAC that a society under the aegis of the FPZAI be registered under the Society Registration Act to secure and sell community properties there. The office bearers of the Society will be Khurshed Dastoor, Rohinton Engineer from Daman, Ardish Vapiwala from Vapi, Marazban Baria from Bilimora and Chothia. "Get the market value of the place on ground zero and thereafter strike a deal,”  recommended Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat president Brig Jahangir Anklesaria (retd). Engineer mentioned, "We cannot expect a fair market price will be paid. We will get a discounted rate.”

 

 

 

 

"Let’s get professionals involved because DAC is not able to manage. They will give us an idea. Some benchmark,” recommended Xerxes Dastur. Khushroo Deboo of Nargol too supported this suggestion saying, "It’s a very tough job. We need realty consultants. Karé ké nahi karé, naam khaddaavanuch chhè (whatever you do, your name will be tarnished).”
The Pardi Parsi Jarthosti Anjuman has sought the DAC’s help to safeguard its dakhma and tower of silence land which has been in its possession for 140 years and was acquired by the government to build the Aadarsh Nivasi Shala girls school as also the sewage treatment plant. Chothia filed a special civil application in the Gujarat High Court which granted interim relief in the form of restraining the respondents from entering the lands or carrying out any construction work.
 The DAC has agreed that FPZAI trustees be appointed as office bearers of a trust and a scheme be finalized for administration of the Dharwar anjuman in north western Karnataka that has approximately one acre of unencroached aramgah property. Considering the boundary wall has broken, South Zone vice president Cmde Medioma Bhada (retd) urged Chothia, "Open your mouth. This forum will sanction money. If the boundary wall is not built, the land will go.”
Chothia was more concerned that in many cases the lawyer’s fees have yet not been paid, making Xerxes Dastur enquire with the BPP staff why the monies are not being released. According to him, "Some of these things the BPP is funding like transport, advocate fees but some things may have fallen through the cracks. If there is money, it will be released immediately.” Considering the DAC had earlier received a financial deposit against proposed sale of land in Dharwar, Chothia  wanted  to know, Rs "60 lakhs kya gaya (where have the 60 lakh gone)?” The buyer had also alleged around Rs 15 lakhs had been paid to a FPZAI delegate to facilitate the sale. Desai had made the allegation at an earlier meet. The prospective purchaser now wanted that amount back in addition to the official deposit.
Regarding the Neemuch Parsi Anjuman in Madhya Pradesh that had signed a custodianship agreement with the  FPZAI over two decades ago and is now managed by seven trustees appointed by the FPZAI, it was reported that efforts to monetize two properties are still continuing although one of them is mired in litigation. Since the tenure of former BPP trustee Noshir Dadrawala as Federation honorary secretary and Farrokh Rustomji as joint secretary had come to an end, BPP trustees Desai and Zarir Bhathena had expired and Kersi Randeria is no longer a BPP trustee, Mehta felt new members should be appointed in their place. It was therefore deemed necessary to pass a new resolution to amend Article 13 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Federation which will now specify "when a member ceases to be a representative of the anjuman, he ceases to be on any FPZAI committee.” Chothia further referred to illegal encroachment on community property in Neemuch by a Parsi residing in Bombay against whom a civil suit has been filed. Mehta was concerned that the DAC is seeking to "evict a Parsi from his ancestral property.”
At Harda in Madhya Pradesh, where portions of the 23.5 acre aramgah land is encroached, the suit filed by the FPZAI was disposed of around 2020, but due to shortage of funds, no appeal has yet been filed. Concerning two acres of the encroached aramgah land in Bina also in Madhya Pradesh where the title of the land ownership shows "government,” a civil suit  has been filed to declare FPZAI as the owner but the State Government has yet to file their reply.
The 10 members in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh have been able to safeguard their 68,750 sq ft aramgah property from encroachment but have sought assistance of three lakh rupees towards construction of part of the compound wall. The 10 members of the Hubli anjuman in Karnataka are able to take care of their 2.5 acre aramgah property, as also the Seth Hormusji Navroji Belgamvala Daremeher (dadgah) where redevelopment is taking place to help the anjuman earn funds to maintain their properties.
The lone resident of Raipur in Chhattisgarh Khurshid Buhariwala who along with Thrity Wadia had originally sought Federation assistance to protect 1.72 acres of aramgah property told Chothia last October that they do not require FPZAI help. Earlier they had agreed that names of three office bearers of the FPZAI be added along with two of theirs as the new trustees in whom the property would vest and the records be changed accordingly.
At Khambhat in Gujarat, even before the name of FPZAI office bearers could be added as trustees of the Modiji Agiary Trust (where no fire temple remains but is a haven for stray dogs and cats) as also the 7.75 acre aramgah property that is encroached, a trespasser has filed a suit against the FPZAI. The DAC is now defending the suit. Brig Anklesaria mentioned that they have sought details and put an application under the Land Grabbing Act.

 

Active surveillance
In Rajkot, Khushman Tamboli was keen to protect aramgah land but being a resident of Ahmedabad he has not been able to assuage the apprehensions of the local community members. "The old people in Rajkot are fearing for their life. They do not support you,” said Khurshed Dastoor. The aramgah land at Bhilwas was encroached and some antisocial elements tried to dig open the graves. The DAC has been liaising with trustee Jungoo Cassod who was willing to have FPZAI office bearers appointed to the Rajkot Anjuman as trustees. Tamboli though alleged that Cassod who has "not come to Rajkot for the last 12 years” has made simultaneous deals with the FPZAI as also a Muslim gentleman.
At Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh it is alleged by some local members that from an unorganized association of persons some trustees have formed a society of persons to alienate community property, known as Jehangir Baugh. They have reportedly "entered into a deal of one crore rupees for property worth 15-20 crores,” according to Jhansi representative Vispy Ichhaporia. The property is vulnerable with a threat of alienation. With Kersi Deboo’s intervention, a status quo has been maintained.
In the view of Xerxes Dastur, "These are community properties; 90% of the problems are created because our own community members are doing wrong things. Why are we encouraging the locals to encroach and then sell as if it is their personal kitty?”
The 20-30 members of the Bhusaval anjuman (in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra) are trying to protect their property from a non-Parsi who is claiming to be a tenant of the aramgah land. The local members are bearing expenses from their own pockets and investing time and energy in protecting the land at peril to their life. They are willing to appoint two members from the FPZAI on their board of trustees.
On hearing from Mehta that the Federation would give 30% of the sale proceeds earned from monetizing community property to the local anjuman, Bhusaval president Dr Nariman Kavina said, "This is the first time I’m hearing 30% goes to the local anjuman. If only that percentage, no local representative will come forward. I would suggest 50-50 division if the Federation is doing the legwork. If the local anjuman is doing the legwork, then nothing (should go to the Federation).”
Since Xerxes Dastur mentioned that there are Parsi lawyers willing to give their services pro bono, Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman representative Pervez Irani stated, "Involve one legal person with Sam (Chothia) for each of the projects identified by him. Share the names of all (lawyers) who have volunteered.”