Commending philanthropy explained he could make greater profits “obedient student,” the seasoned politi- Billionaire philanthropist Dr Cyrus by selling his vaccines at Rs 20 a dose cian stated, tongue-in-cheek. Poonawalla intends to direct a portion instead of Rs 5 to 10. But “instead of Dr Parvez Grant, managing trustee of of his charities to fight cases of “rapes making more money than I already have, RHC, stated 25 million lives had been and other atrocities” against women. I deprived my son, Adar, of 10 billion saved by the low cost vaccines produced He pledged to set aside several crores, dollars. But like his mother, his money by Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of maybe even “hundreds of crores” for the goes to underprivileged children” and (SII). SII has manufactured around 1.3 cause. The Poona based entrepreneur other charitable causes. In 2015 Adar billion vaccines. “Every second child has conveyed this message on August 5, donated Rs 100 crores to the Poona his vaccine,” stated Grant. The doses had 2018 to a packed to capacity hall in the Municipal Corporation for the Clean City helped eradicate deadly diseases such as city’s JW Marriott Hotel. The low cost, Initiative (see “A clean collaboration,” meningitis, measles-rubella in several high volume vaccine manufacturer was Parsiana, January 21, 2016). countries. A new vaccine for rabies is being felicitated on receiving an hon- Poonawalla referred to the evening being readied and a “cure” for dengue orary doctorate from the University of function as a “magic moment” and attrib- is in the pipeline. Massachusetts (UM) as well as to mark uted his success to “God’s blessings.” He The cardiologist noted that 300 nurses the inauguration of the Villoo Poonawal- admitted he had lost faith for a number would stay comfortably in the new nurs- la Nurses Hostel at Ruby Hall Clinic of years due to certain circumstances es’ quarters named in Villoo’s memory. (RHC) in Wanowrie. Villoo was Cyrus’ but now his belief had been “revived.” RHC is the largest hospital complex in late wife. He recalled he gave her large The function at the Marriott was , he informed the gathering. amounts of money but had no idea where hosted for Poonawalla’s “close friends” He mentioned, to much applause, that she spent the monies. She gave it to the by his friend from his school days, Mar- Poonawalla had been nominated for the disadvantaged, he said. atha strongman Sharad Pawar, founder Nobel Prize. The world’s largest producer of vac- leader of the Nationalist Congress Party The UM citation noted that “What cines (in terms of volume), Poonawalla and a once and present prime minister most distinguishes the SII is the philan- aspirant. Around 600 thropy that imbues the very heart of your Alongside: Sharad to 700 guests that business,” (see “Paean for Poonawalla,” Pawar (l) Photo: comprised much of Parsiana June 21, 2018). The UM Wikipedia, Dr Cyrus the cream of Poona parchment mentioned the vaccines are Poonawalla; society were pres- distributed in 150 countries and SII has below: the stage, ent. Pawar recalled partnered with the MassBiologics of set to felicitate Cyrus as a student their medical school that “resulted in the Poonawalla was “exceptional,” recent launch of a novel rabies treatment, in that once after a RabiShield (the first ever rabies human late night chicken monoclonal antibody) which is believed dhansak party for will save some of the 50,000 lives lost his classmates at each year to this virulent disease.” his house, he fell asleep in class the Plastics: good and bad next morning. The “Plastics do not litter, people do… Ban- teacher sarcastical- ning plastics and replacing plastic with ly told him to bring paper is not helping the country at all,” a bed the next time affirms former industrialist, executive so he could “sleep committee member of the Indian Centre comfortably.” Ear- for Plastics in Environment (ICPE), and ly the next day international board member of the World Cyrus showed up in Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce Phi- the classroom with roze (Philli) Kharas. a bed! He was an The discovery of plastics and the

12 Parsiana August 21, 2018 subsequent develop- states, “Plastic is the widespread uptake of the material,” ment of plastics ap- an excellent ma- according to the executive summary of plications is a good terial, we just use “Fade” that he shared with Parsiana. example of disrup- it irresponsibly… Having done his undergraduate tive innovations, the the problem is with studies in product design from the MIT ex chairman of Eco- ‘one time’ use.” Institute of Design in Poona, Katila plast Limited, sup- Imagine instead is proud of his family’s design back- pliers of co-extruded snapping the top ground — great-grandfather Minocher polyethylene and off the packaging Lakdawala was “an expert craftsman, co-polymer films, Phiroze Kharas (l), Sheroy Katila (r); of single-use food cabinet maker and exported wooden noted in an interview center: Prototype of containers using and beverage prod- toys.” Father Feroze, vice president of with Parsiana on bio-degradable material from Katila’s ucts like ketchup, Forbes Technosys, a company of the August 10, 2018. concept paper sugar, salt, pepper, Shapoorji Pallonji Group that was “one Set up in 1999, ICPE chilli flakes, salad of the first to introduce self-service kiosks is the nodal agency recognized by the dressings and other condiments, using in India.” During a nine-month internship government to handle all issues related the contents, and throwing the container at Godrej Interio, Sheroy was part of a to plastics and environment. Member into a sink to dissolve without leaving any team that successfully designed a suite of a panel discussion on “Plastics for traces or residue. According to Katila, this of functional, cost effective furniture Sustaining Development” held at the is possible. Alternatively, the packaging for hostel rooms. Post graduation, he Bombay Gymkhana on June 8, Kharas can be collected in a bin to be remolded was employed with a multi disciplinary noted that the tendency is to judge and reused, he noted in an interview with design company where he worked on plastic by the litter in our environment. Parsiana on July 4. Noting that plastic furniture design and “unconventional According to him, studies in class I cities and plastic derivative material used for larger-than-life metal sculptures.” in the country show that plastic waste packaging “has a life of 500 years,” in municipal solid waste averages only according to Katila, using sugar based Jhabvala’s journals between seven to eight percent. bio-materials that work together, one About two months before author and Based on can “replace plastics in certain contexts.” screen writer for Merchant-Ivory Produc- life cycle anal- A graduate from the Royal College of tions Ruth Prawer Jhabvala died in 2013, yses studies Art, London, where he attended a dual she told her daughter Renana to donate conducted by master’s course in innovation design her collection of papers to the British Bousted Con- engineering run in conjunction with Im- Library, UK. Eleven large boxes were sulting, USA, perial College there, Katila stated that in transported from America to Britain, as Kharas shared his final year, he worked on Project Fade a result of this bequest, stated a report some statistics — a product concept for packaging that is in the MumbaiMirror (MM) dated July with Parsiana: aesthetic, convenient to use, “and vitally, 10, 2018. These “incredibly rich papers, plastic carry 100% degradable.” The project, he says, a goldmine for literary historians and gen- bags consume 40% less energy during “goes beyond the nominal paper-bag, production and generate 80% less solid cloth-bag ethic of how we endanger the Below: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s waste after use than paper bags. On the environment ourselves.” The engineer is journal; bottom: the writer other hand, during production, paper yet to patent the process, while design Photos: British Library bags generate 70% more air pollutants copyright is pending, he stated. In a de- and 50 times more water pollutants than tailed note, he explained that “Fade” will plastic bags. A kilo of plastic takes 91% “deliver planned obsolescence, reducing less energy to recycle than an equal man’s mindless, unplanned waste.” amount of paper. Is the concept workable? “Yes,” he The focus of ICPE is to spread aware- replied, admitting that it is not unique. A ness about getting maximum value from company in Hyderabad is making cutlery plastic waste, said Kharas. Waste plastics from millets, he stated. On packaging in are an excellent raw material for tar for general, he pointed out that the computer roads, while waste from tetrapacks and company Dell uses corn-starch laminates can make excellent pallets for and agar-agar composites for moving material in factories and benches packing its products. “They are for schools. “Many times tougher than capitalizing on a trend. My job as wood,” he noted. “Everyone must un- a designer is to take the industry derstand that the environmental legacy to the next level.” we leave behind for future generations Calling himself a futurist, will depend on our commitment to use Katila explained that ideas that products that in comparison with other disrupt innovatively take time alternatives create the least burden on to reach the market. “Typically the environment,” (it takes) 20 years and above Echoing Kharas’ sentiments, industri- between the technical innova- al and innovation designer Sheroy Katila tion, commercial application and

14 Parsiana August 21, 2018 At an event organized by the Library that their husbands were apprehensive on July 3 to celebrate Jhabvala’s life, about transferring assets to them, on the writer Anita Desai recalled that “The first ground “that income accruing from the published author I met was Ruth.” That asset would ultimately become a burden meeting helped Desai break the notion on them,” reported the Daily News and of authors being grand old ladies and Analysis of July 11, 2018. grand old men writing on history and had earlier urged Goyal to do colonialism. The panellists at the evening away with the requirement of providing of readings and discussions included a father’s name for women while apply- Desai, Ivory, and producer and friend ing for a Permanent Account Number, Catherine Freeman, while actor Felicity “keeping in mind...single, divorced and Kendal read from some of Jhabvala’s separated women.” works. The MM report quoted Freeman’s Gandhi was married to the late Sanjay, comment that Jhabvala was “extremely whose father Feroze was a Parsi. undomesticated,” had a sweet tooth and “loved being made to laugh.” Assertion of authority Industrialist and chairman of the Wadia Needling the baby Group Nusli Wadia’s (pictured) bid to “We want to highlight the issue so that carry out organizational changes at the Above: Illustra- such a blunder is not repeated in the 86-year-old top educational trust Modern tion by Cyrus future,” Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, chief Education Society (MES) funded by his Jhabvala (along- operating officer of Bai Jerbai , has been challenged. Academi- side) Illustration: Hospital told mid-day of July 20, 2018. cian Dilip Joag, grandson of Vishwanath British Library A two cm needle left in the left buttock Joag, a key founder of MES has alleged of a two-day-old baby was successfully that Wadia, who has eral readers alike, will offer a rare insight removed after a two-hour surgery at the functioned as the into the world of Jhabvala.” A summary Hospital. The baby’s parents had ear- president of the So- of the Library’s recent acquisitions lier taken the infant to a private clinic ciety since 1998, is hosted on their website noted that the in Chembur for vaccinations. After 21 attempting to seize “papers offer research potential across a days of birth, when the baby developed control of its vast wide range of disciplines, post-colonial a mysterious fever, and treatment for properties and oust studies being only the most obvious... influenza by a local doctor did not yield prominent mem- The archive comprises drafts, notebooks results, he was rushed to Wadia Hospital bers, according to and other working material and a small X-rays revealed that the needle was news reports. amount of publishing correspondence embedded in the capsule of the left hip The Society runs seven campuses in relating to her prose writing and plays. joint. “The baby has recovered une- Bombay and Poona — Nowrosjee Wadia It also includes some digital material.” ventfully without any complications,” College (established 1932), Cusrow Jhabvala won a Booker Prize for her pediatric surgeon Dr Pradnya Bendre Wadia Institute of Technology (1938), novel Heat and Dust and two Oscars was quoted in the report, about the first- D. G. Ruparel College (1952), New Law for her adaptations of E. M. Forster’s of-its-kind case for the Hospital. College (1954), College A Room with a View and Howards End. (1969), Institute of Man- According to the Library’s website, she Taking up for women agement Studies and Research (1993) and published 12 novels, five collections of Union minister for women and child de- College of Engineering (1999). short stories and 20 screenplays, both velopment Maneka Wadia and his son Ness approached original works and adaptations of classics Gandhi (pictured) the Charity Commissioner (CC) in De- in collaboration with Ismail Merchant has urged the union cember 2016, requesting to be allowed to and James Ivory. finance minister Pi- form a new constitution for MES. They Born in 1927 in Germany, Jhabvala’s yush Goyal to amend presented a draft document, claiming family fled to England in 1939. It was the income tax law so that the trust did not have an authentic during her studies in England that she met as not to tax assets and authorized constitution, noted the and fell in love with architecture student gifted to women Mirror of May 17, 2018. Nusli Cyrus Jhabvala, who “went on to enrich by their spouses. A has also reportedly suggested that he be her novels with his illustrations, and her tweet from Gandhi said that the provi- made MES president for life. Accord- life with his wit and charm,” noted MM. sion was originally formulated in the ing to the Wadias, while a senate looks Cyrus was the son of trade unionist Sa- 1960s, assuming that women would not after MES’s overall administration, vaksha Jhabvala. The article noted of the have any independent taxable income. day-to-day functioning is handled by life author’s two-decade stay in India after Section 64 of the Income Tax Act adds members, led by the secretary. Nusli’s her marriage to Cyrus that, “Fired up by income from assets gifted by husbands application suggests that life members the vibrant colors, warm weather and a to their wives to the taxable income of had disregarded the senate’s authority. contrast to ration-hit England, Jhabvala the husband. The minister made the rec- Dilip, who is not a member of MES, found India...much more fascinating ommendation based on representations has filed an intervention petition, urging subject than the India of the past.” made to her by Indian women who feared the CC to dismiss Nusli’s application

15 Parsiana August 21, 2018 and has argued that the Wadias have not and ovarian cancers. Prabha was also in North India she noted. substantiated their allegation that MES advised to have the operation by the is being badly managed. Calling Nusli’s doctors who were treating her earlier. Charity, thy name is… move “undemocratic,” Dilip told The When she consulted Parikh, she was All government-aided private hospitals Hindu of May 16 that he has “seen the advised against surgery as she had only in the state run by public charitable trusts Society function very smoothly” on the one mutation “and there (were) chances will be required to add “charitable” to basis of the constitution framed by his she won’t get cancer,” said Parikh. their names so that poor patients easily grandfather. know they can avail of free or conces- “My heart aches” sional treatment under the reserved quota, Editing a gene “Rajiv has a job but Sanjay doesn’t and according to a new order of July 19, 2018 The removal from the embryo of a po- is also involved in an expensive venture,” issued by Maharashtra state Charity tential gene that could cause cancer has then Prime Minister wrote Commissioner (CC) Shiv Kumar Dige. been achieved with in February 1971 about her sons to her Reportedly, there are more than 400 such pre-implementa- principal secretary Parmeshwar Narayan hospitals in Maharashtra, including over tion genetic testing (P. N.) Haksar. She was referring to her 70 in Bombay. (PGT) by Dr Firuza younger son’s involvement with the peo- The CC is of the view that since the Parikh (pictured) of ple’s car project that evolved subsequently word “charitable” does not appear in the FertilTree-Jaslok into Maruti Suzuki. The boys’ father was names of these hospitals, poor patients International Fertil- a Parsi, of . are often clueless whether these are char- ity Centre, reported “He (Sanjay) is much like I was at itable hospitals or not. But if “charitable” his age — rough edges and all — that or “dharmaday (charitable)” is added to (ToI) of July 29, my heart aches for the suffering he may the name of these hospitals, there would 2018. PGT helps identify genetic defects have to bear,” she noted. This was quoted be no doubt in the minds of the patients within embryos and serves to prevent by Haksar’s biographer, Congressman wanting to be admitted in these hospitals. certain genetic diseases or disorders from Jairam Ramesh in Intertwined lives: In September 2017 Dige, pretending to being passed on to a child. P. N. Haksar and Indira Gandhi. Re- be a poor patient, had visited Nanavati While the doctor has successfully viewing the book in Hospital and was used PGT to help couples have children (IE) on June 23, 2018, Congressman denied admission. without genetic conditions such as thal- Mani Shankar Iyer pointed out that the Subsequently, he or- assemia, the “editing” of an oncogene secretary “tried to warn (Indira) of the dered a criminal case (the cancer-causing gene) was a first for danger to her and her country of letting against the trustees of India, she told ToI. Worldwide, “PGT has motherhood undermine her role as India’s this Hospital, noted been used to keep out BRCA1 (breast leading political personality.” Centre for Advance- cancer) and BRCA2 genes in roughly Bharatiya member of ment of Philanthropy 150 cases,” Parikh said. parliament was quick to (CAP) chief execu- Thirty-seven-year-old Bangalore defend the image of his father Sanjay. tive officer Noshir resident Swayam Prabha, a patient When Ramesh dubbed Sanjay’s Maruti Dadrawala (pictured) on the Centre’s of Parikh’s, had a BRCA1 mutation. a failed car at a public lecture in Poona, blog. Parikh’s procedure involved transferring Varun referred to Ramesh as “an acci- As per section 44A of the Maharash- to the mother-to-be, with a family his- dental politician writing about a failed tra Public Trust Act, private charitable tory of the dreaded disease, only those bureaucrat.” He went on to describe hospitals are mandated to reserve 10% embryos without the BRCA1 mutation, Maruti as India’s largest industrial suc- of their beds for poor patients (whose explained the ToI report. “While two cess, post-Independence. annual income is below Rs 85,000) embryos were not viable, two carried the “Sanjay’s Maruti company was and 10% cent for economically weaker mutation and the remaining two didn’t,” liquidated in 1977 and a commission sections of the society (individuals according to the newspaper. of enquiry was held to look into the whose annual income is less than Rs Five years ago, actor Angelina Jolie manner in which the company flouted 1.6 lakhs). had undergone operations to remove her rules and failed to produce a roadworthy “In our opinion, orders like this breasts and ovaries after being diagnosed indigenous car,” wrote senior columnist smack of judicial activism…Instead of as having both BRCA1 and BRCA2 Coomi Kapoor in IE on June 24. “After judicial restraint quasi-judicial author- mutations that heighten the risk of breast Sanjay’s death, Indira Gandhi... salvaged ities like the CC are becoming activists Maruti Ltd and the company entered into and are compelling or attempting to Below, from l: Indira, Sanjay and a partnership with Suzuki of Japan,” control organizations which they are Varun Gandhi she noted. Kapoor stated that “Varun’s only supposed to regulate within the point is that the land, frame-work of the law,” said the CAP infrastructure, name and blog. On a practical note, the blog notes concept of a people’s car that “the CC does not seem to have were thanks to his father, taken into consideration the fact that even if the end product official change in name would mean was different.” Sanjay’s obtaining a new Permanent Account statue stands in the Maru- Number (PAN), changing the name in ti factory “in gratitude,” continued on page 36

16 Parsiana August 21, 2018 EVENTS AND PERSONALITIES continued from page 16 all bank accounts and (complying) with all other regulatory bodies.” VJTI report “unreliable” The “Save our Atash Behrams” peti- tioners have disputed a report by the Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technolo- gy (VJTI), which stated “the proposed tunneling work (using TBM) for the Metro 3 line passing under the (Hor- musji Bomanji) Wadia and (Zarthoshti) Anjuman Atash Behram building shall not have adverse effects on the structures,” nor would the proposed construction of the Kalbadevi Station, five meters from the Wadia Atash Behram. The report was prepared and submitted pursuant to a Bombay High Court (BHC) order (see “Realigning the line,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, August 7, 2018). Appearing on behalf of senior law- yer Berjis Desai, structural engineer Jamshed Sukhadwalla, religious schol- ar Ervad (Dr) Rooyintan Peer and two trustees of the Shah Varzaavand Trust before Justices A. S. Oka and Riyaz Chagla of the Bombay High Court on August 13, 2018, counsel Navroz Seervai submitted that the VJTI report of August 9 is “unreliable” and that “incorrect figures” were used to arrive at the finding that no adverse impact would occur. He also made a plea that VJTI personnel who signed the report be present for subsequent hearings. According to mid-day (August 9) Sukhadwalla stated in an affidavit that the report “lacks independent analysis and solely relies on data provided by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL).” The bench directed MMRCL to respond to the petitioners’ affidavit, as well as on how they would implement VJTI’s recommendations on constant monitoring during the construction phase. According to reports, the govern- ment has not responded to the bench’s directive of July 25 mandating a clar- ification of its stance on Article 25 of the Indian Constitution that guarantees free profession, practice and propaga- tion of religion. The clarification was sought by the BHC as the issue pertains to protecting the religious sentiments of the community.

Written and compiled by Farrokh Jijina

00 Parsiana August 21, 2018