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Died: Shahpur Framroze Captain, 91, president and founder member of the UK based World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) and past president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE); at his residence in Wilmington, Kent on December 1, 2020.
"For his outstanding service to the worldwide Zoroastrian community over 60 years,” a boi ceremony followed by a Tandorasti was organized on Captain’s 91st birthday on November 1, 2020 at the Setayash Gah at the recently inaugurated World Zoroastrian House in Feltham, London and streamed live from WZO’s Facebook Page. "As a founding member of WZO, he has played a defining role in changing the hearts and minds of many within the community to follow the true path of the teachings of Zarathushtra,” noted the accompanying announcement. Exactly a month later came the news of his passing away with their website carrying his framed photo with the words, "Dear Shahpurji, we will remember you forever.”
It was in 1978 that Dr Farhang Mehr, erstwhile deputy Prime Minister of Iran, tried to convince Captain to form a world Zoroastrian body in London because Tehran and Bombay had apparently not made any headway. Two years later, following the Iranian revolution, Captain and a group of concerned Zoroastrians formed WZO when they felt an urgent need to assist displaced Zoroastrians from Iran wishing to resettle in the West. "Shahpur attended several tribunal cases in London, testifying the reasons why Iranian Zoroastrians should be allowed to stay in the UK. He also wrote to all the western governments and to USA to allow Iranian Zoroastrians to stay in their respective countries,” recalled WZO chairman Sammy Bhiwandiwalla in his eulogy at Captain’s funeral on December 17. (Ten days later Bhiwandiwalla passed away on December 27, 2020.)
"Shahpur’s courageous stand, combined with a true understanding of his own religion enabled WZO to fully embrace the principle of acceptance,” believed Bhiwandiwalla, referring to their admitting into their fold all Zoroastrians, their non-Zoroastrian spouses and children of such unions. In the 1980s Captain had endeavored to win over the confidence of The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India. However, with WZO’s insistence on giving equal weightage to their individual and association members they never succeeded in bringing the world Zarathushti community on a common platform.
A few years later, supported by a generous endowment from Mehraban and Goli Farhangi, WZO started its fund-raising activities to assist vulnerable Zoroastrians in India. With Captain’s vision, he commissioned a sample socioeconomic survey of the villages of south Gujarat that resulted in Dr Cashmera Bhaya bringing to the attention of the community the abysmal condition of 687 Zoroastrian families living in 209 villages. Determined that WZO should assist those struggling in rural areas, on his annual trips to India, Captain would visit villages in Gujarat, "meeting beneficiaries and viewing the transformation taking place in their lives. The humble Parsi farmers remember Shahpur even at present and consider him to be one of their benefactors,” stated Dinshaw Tamboly, chairman of WZO Trusts (WZOT) in India, acknowledging that it was Captain who "encouraged and motivated us to establish WZOT.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the early years, "Shahpur was a pillar of strength whenever we needed guidance and support,” confirmed Tamboly. Referring to their "very close and fulfilling relationship” since 1983 when he, Ruby Contractor and Sharokh Sharokh visited India to create awareness about the establishment of WZO, Tamboly viewed his senior as "indefatigable, focused, committed and dedicated to achieving whatever he would set out to do.”
Toxy Cowasjee, who had worked with Captain since 1992 when he invited her to join the WZO committee as their representative in Pakistan and a decade later became the editor of the WZO quarterly Hamazor,  referred to their "common bond, both hailing from the same city — Karachi — and my father (Noshirwan Cowasjee) who was Shahpur’s friend, sharing the same birthday.” Considerably influenced by the progressive thinking of Dastur Maneckji Dhalla, "We Karachiites are a breed of our own with our open-mindedness making us more tolerant of diverse views,” she observed. "He worked hard, was straightforward and didn’t mince words. Yet he was a kind and generous man, ready to help all those in need. I don’t think anyone who approached WZO for assistance went away empty handed. Shahpur found the means to give both monetarily and emotionally,” she noted. A chartered accountant who eventually started his own firm, "through his professional expertise he made WZO sound, and thankfully saw his dream come to fruition – WZO having its own building, complete with a beautiful prayer room for all to worship in.”
"May his Fravashi inspire others to dedicate themselves to serving the Zoroastrian community,” noted the current ZTFE president Malcolm Deboo referring to the different posts Captain had held during his two decades of association with the ZTFE: He was elected to the ZTFE managing committee in the 1960s during the presidency of Jehangirji Moos. Being a practising chartered accountant, he was soon appointed honorary treasurer, becoming the youngest treasurer of ZTFE. His expertise helped the association to invest prudently and he also helped raise funds towards a move to larger premises. After holding other positions as honorary secretary and vice president, he was elected ZTFE president in 1977.
A decade later he resigned as ZTFE president in 1986 when the majority in the committee decided to bar non-Zoroastrian spouses from attending the muktad and Fravardian prayers. "Shahpur was the first person, in fact the only person at one time, who would courageously offer prayers, solace and comfort, against all opposition, to those families who faced these injunctions,” witnessed Bhiwandiwalla. With his legal knowledge Captain had managed to secure for ZTFE the large Zoroastrian cemetery at Brookwood in Surrey for a paltry sum of one pound. "If it wasn’t for Shahpur, the local community and the (WZO) would not be where it is today,” added Bhiwandiwalla.
Homi Gandhi, erstwhile president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, recalled his days in London in the 1960s when Captain "encouraged Zoroastrian youth to actively participate in the activities at the Zoroastrian House. And these activities did not stop at fun and enjoyment but in helping our community and others. I remember going to Brookwood cemetery each year during the Fravardian days and cleaning out the (surrounding) areas where our ancestors’ remains are buried. I am not sure who had started this annual picnic-like event but each year Shahpur encouraged the youth to participate in it.”

 

"Passionate about everything”
 The youngest son of Khorshed Limbuwala and Framroze Captain, Shahpur matriculated from the Bai Virbaiji Soparivala Parsi High School in Karachi and graduated in commerce from Poona. He returned to Karachi and joined the accountancy practice of Arthur Andersen and Company where he was encouraged to go to the UK to improve his prospects. Shahpur proceeded to Glasgow in 1955 and obtained LLB, RA and CA degrees and finally settled down with his first wife Jilloo in Harlow, Essex, and both became active members of the Zarathushtrian community in the UK.
He loved going to the theater to see the latest productions in the West End, enjoyed listening to classical music and was a dapper ballroom dancer. Fond of the outdoors, even in his 80s he proceeded on holidays with his wife Inderjit to places like Nepal where they enjoyed their walking trips. Gardening was his other passion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Passionate about everything he took on in life, he was always helpful to those who sought his guidance or assistance,” commented Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustee Noshir Dadrawala who had known Captain for over three decades. On his trips to India, after discussing community affairs, he would always hand over to Dadrawala a big bar of Cadbury chocolate for his son who "started calling him ‘chocolate uncle’ - indeed, an appropriate epitaph for a man so sweet in his smile and by nature, and so rich in thought, word and deeds.”
"We all know that the religion of Zarathushtra is universal, that it does not countenance gender discrimination and that there is nothing in our noble religion that debars Parsi women married to non-Parsis from going to the fire temple or attending/participating in any religious ceremony,” Captain had expressed in Parsiana (see "Heartless fundamentalism,” Readers’ Forum, June 7, 2010). He had added, "The priestly class and the trustees have repeatedly missed the opportunity of uniting the community by their mindless opposition to change for the good of the community. These bodies place emphasis on keeping intact the so-called Parsi ethnicity, which in effect means practising apartheid of the worst kind against its own members just because they have married outside the community. Were they to shift the emphasis from ethnicity to the preservation of religion, the problems would be sorted out without acrimony and heart burn. If wisdom prevails, the community will reform and prosper. If wisdom does not prevail, then the community will stagnate and perish and it will not be long before that sad fate overtakes the community.”
The considerate Captain is survived by his wife Inderjit Chhabra and daughter Armaiti Bedford.