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As managing trustee of the Wadiaji Parsi Anjuman Baug and patriarch of the only Parsi family that now remains in Calicut (a coastal province nestled at the foot of the Western Ghats in Kerala), Darius Phiroze Marshall took care of the 150-year-old fire temple and the burial ground that catered to Parsis not just in Kerala but also parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka until his demise on March 23, 2023 at the age of 90. Believing in and practicing the fundamental tenets of Zoroastrianism — Humata, Huktha, Hvarshta — Marshall, who was the vice president (south zone) of The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India, also hosted one of the Federation meetings in Calicut over three decades ago.
"Age is all about numbers; attitude is what matters,” he propounded, continuously proving that he was self-driven and passionate about every aspect of life, be it work or play.
Reputed as a "doctor of cars” in Calicut, Marshall initially worked under his father Phiroze who had opened the first automobile spare parts shop in the Malabar region in 1920 and expanded the business to include an automobile workshop with imported machines from Germany. Darius’s grandfather, Jamshedji Ratanji Marshall, had sailed along with other enterprising Parsi men from Bharuch to the shores of Calicut, and set up a coir factory there in 1858. In the subsequent decades the enterprising Parsi pioneers set up the first sawmill, the first tile factory and the first soda water and sweet drinks factory there.
 With his diverse interests, for 50 years Darius was involved with the Rotary movement, serving as president and later as Rotary district governor. Equally committed was he to Junior Chamber International (JCI) serving as national trainer in leadership and public speaking, as president and later as national vice president, and remaining a JCI senator for life. He was also a highly respected Brother of the Masonic Lodge. Interested in preserving India’s rich heritage he served as a member of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). Keen that timely medical aid be available in his area, he took the initiative in founding Trauma Care, Calicut.
His passion for rifle shooting led him to take up the position of vice president, Calicut Rifle Club, retaining it for several years while winning 10 gold medals and six silver medals in the National Rifle Shooting Championship in the Veterans’ Category. As committed to rowing, for decades he served as president of the Calicut Boat Club. His involvement in sports, especially tennis, billiards and snooker, made him compete in and also organize national-level tournaments as president of the Calicut Cosmopolitan Club. His love for motor racing had led him to participate in and win the Madras High Speed Race and South Indian Rally with a resurrected accident vehicle as his first racing car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fourth of five children of Phiroze and Bacha (née Vakil) Darius married Katy (née Aibara) and was an awe-inspiring and loving father to his three children — Zubin, married to Jasmine (née Hakim); Nazneen, married to Zalu Gazder; and Farzan. His grandchildren — Sarah and Sanaea — loved him and looked up to him as a role model.
Darius never let age overpower him. He never rested on his laurels. He never stopped helping those in need. In Leigh Hunt’s poem, Abou Ben Adhem, the eponymous character states: "Write me as one that loves his fellow men.” Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest in the list of those "whom love of God had blest.” Darius’s name too would figure at the top of that list; for blessed is he who remains eternally in the hearts of all those who loved him.