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"She chose to send Rohinton for his priestly training,” stated jurist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Fali Nariman, crediting his wife Bapsy for their decision to ensure their son, Supreme Court Justice Rohinton, took his priestly training. Noting that Bapsy’s family are behdins, Fali commented tongue-in-cheek that "Zoroastrians believe that when a behdin marries an athornan, the path to heaven is opened for them!” Fali was being felicitated by the Parzor Foundation on February 11, 2020 at the Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) Hall for the Lifetime Achievement Award announced for him during the Iranshah Udvada Utsav 2019 (IUU 2019). The jurist had been unable to be present in Udvada for the end-December fete in the south Gujarat town. Dastur Khurshed Dastoor, key member of the organizing committee for IUU 2019, extolled Fali’s integrity and high moral standards. The High Priest stated that the decision resulted in a Zoroastrian priest occupying a bench at the apex court, for the first time. There was a tinge of pride in Dastoor’s voice as he acknowledged the honor given to a fellow priest.

 

 

 

 

"As one of the greatest defenders of the Constitution of India, he has resisted all attempts to tamper with it,” stated Parzor director Dr Shernaz Cama. She commended Fali’s appeal for probity in public life and his fight against corruption as a member of the Rajya Sabha. "While his brilliant mind and his kind heart are universally acknowledged, we in Delhi have also enjoyed his sense of humor and the anecdotes he relates whenever he has the occasion to speak” at community gatherings.
The jurist is a founder-patron of Parzor. Cama lauded Fali’s generosity with his time for the community and the causes that he believes in and upholds. Parzor has been singularly fortunate to have had his guidance and support for its work for over two decades and for his fund raising efforts to assist them in the protection of Parsi Zoroastrian culture and heritage, noted Cama.
Fali had been told in the past by World Zoroastrian Organisation Trusts chairman Dinshaw Tamboly that by the end of this century there would be only 8,000 to 9,000 Parsis left. He stated that he was "happy to be getting the award now or else there would have been hardly any audience to applaud” him! Fali’s life and work have been a blessing for the community, country and humanity, noted Tamboly. "Every citizen has benefitted directly or indirectly from his efforts to safeguard the highest principles of morality,” he appreciated.
Dr Niloufer Shroff of Parzor offered a vote of thanks.

 

It was in the backdrop of violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that the Delhi Parsis celebrated the 58th salgirah of their Kaikhushru Katrak Daremeher on December 17, 2019. The somewhat nervous organizers kept their fingers crossed that the guests would come despite blocked roads and traffic holdups, as citizens and students had had a face-off with the police in some parts of the city. This was especially so as the chief  guests were the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr Ali Chegani, and Udvada High Priest and member of the National Commission for Minorities Dastur Khurshed Dastoor. Chegani has been expressing the wish that the Parsis strike a fruitful relationship and work together on programs of mutual interest.
The organizers’ fears were belied when the guests started trickling in. An Iranian calligraphist wrote out the names of the early arrivals in the Farsi script for them as keepsakes. Chegani and his wife were greeted with the traditional aachhu michhu. Welcoming the chief guests, Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) president Ava Khullar stressed that in every Parsi’s heart there is a special place for Iran and every year several groups travel to Iran on pilgrimages, visit Zoroastrian sites and come back spiritually rejuvenated. Dastoor referred to these places as being our "spiritual chargers” exuding positive and vibrant energy. He spoke of fire as the son of Ahura Mazda, through whom one reaches the creator. "He is our friend, philosopher and guide to whom we go both in times of happiness and sadness.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chegani started his talk by reciting the tandarosti prayer in chaste pronunciation as the audience listened in sheer amazement. "If we closed our eyes we could have easily been in a fire temple,” one guest remarked. Iran would always be home, and it was important for each Parsi to breathe the air and touch the earth of their homeland, stated the ambassador, noting that Parsis would "be  welcome at any time  — paper  visas, long  term  validity, no questions asked.” His descriptions of Iran — with snow-clad mountains, lush  green  fields, desert  sand, food, color, the ancient, the modern — were so warm and welcoming that Delhi Parsis were  all set to apply for their  visas and book  tickets  for  Iran!  
Chegani and members of his entourage mingled freely with the Parsis and chatted with great ease over dinner catered by a new Italian/European eatery Cafe Pasticcino which is run by DPA trustee Parvez Nowrojee.  All in all, a pleasant and successful event organized by our social center committee headed by Ashdeen Lilaowala.
Ava Khullar