The best present priests can give the community is knowledge, believes Dastur Khurshed Dastoor. The Udvada High Priest was addressing those assembled at the Annual Day function of the Dadar Athornan Institute (DAI), the only Zoroastrian seminary in the country and indeed the world, on December 17, 2023 at the Institute’s Mancherji Joshi Memorial Hall. "The Athornan Mandal, especially through this Institute is doing that since years… The Institute has given the community dasturs, priests and scholars of repute.” Reminiscing about his days at the DAI, Dastoor emphasized that teachers are the pillars of any institution. He recalled then principal Ervad Rustomji Panthaki as well as his teachers both at DAI and the Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly (DPYA) High School where priests-in-training go for their secular studies.
Top, from l: Dastur Khurshed Dastoor, Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia, Roxana
Parelwalla, Ervads Spenta Karkaria, Cyrus Sidhwa and Meherzad Turel;
above: students offering benedictions
Ervad Spenta Karkaria, who has been recently elevated to the position of the vice-principal of DPYA and Ervad Cyrus Sidhwa, teacher at both DPYA and DAI as well as editor of DAI’s magazine Knowledgiate, who has served the Institute "continuously for 50 years” were both felicitated with special awards. Ervad Meherzad Turel of Surat received the annual Rustomji Panthaki best ex-student award. A priest at Surat’s Goti Adaran "for more than 35 years,” where he currently offers boi every night, Turel is a senior vice president at Kotak Mahindra Bank. The genial principal of DAI, Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia sent Parsiana a note on the event. He provided the highlights of the year gone by and lauded the students’ achievements in academics, prayers, extracurricular activities like Shahnameh, elocution, quiz and sports competitions.
Chief guest, DPYA principal Roxana Parelwalla, stated that she was associated with DAI "even before she joined DPYA,” having been requested to conduct the entrance test for new admissions to DAI. "Thereafter, being a Parsi teacher, students from DAI were invariably placed in her class.” She was "witness to the growth of the Institute.” Introducing Parelwalla, joint honorary secretary and trustee of the Mandal Ervad Cyrus Darbari lauded her "long and illustrious career spanning almost four decades.” She "worked tirelessly to get laurels for the school and played a crucial role in raising its standards.” Parelwalla distributed trophies, medals and cash prizes to students in various categories and also released Knowledgiate. Armaity Tirandaz, then chairwoman of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, was present on the occasion.
A humbandagi was conducted by students Ervads Zhian Turel and Huzan Engineer. DAI teacher late Ervad Keki Panthaky was remembered. Students Kaiwan Sidhwa and Delyaz Panthaki showered Avestan benedictions on the audience. All the 14 students participated in "DAI has got Talent,” showcasing monajats, Shahnameh recitals and prayer recitation, football dribbling, synthesizer playing and dancing.
Karanjia stated that "this year’s (magazine), dedicated to Bombay also carries with it a free gift of a special 2024 calendar based on Parsi statues and stamps from all over the world.” A copy is available for Rs 100 at the DAI (email: info@dadarathornaninstitute.org; phone: 022 24138086).
Darbari’s vote of thanks included special mention of honorary teacher Mahbanu Contractor. The Parsi anthem, the national anthem and light refreshments followed. F. J.