1 Overview
• Origins • Purpose • Tour • Long-Term Vision • Where We Are
2 Origins
• The Idea
3 Origins
• The Idea
• Q: Why India instead of Iran? – Difficult given current political situation. – When tensions settle, we will eventually expand to Iran.
4 Origins
• The Idea
• Tying with UNESCO-PARZOR • 11 year track record of working on Zarathushti causes, esp. in Gujarat. • UNESCO recognized. • Apolitical.
5
What do we want participants to experience?
• Bring together young Zarathushtis from across the world to recognize their shared commonalities and traditions.
• Participate in educational and community- service oriented activities which reinforce and reinvigorate their community identity.
6 How Will RTR Trips Work?
• Organize subsidized tours for youth – And eventually unsubsidized trips for other interested groups.
• Usually 10 days in India – Exploring Mumbai and Gujarat. – Initial tour will be 14 days and will include WZC.
• Small groups – 15-20 participants, plus organizers and guides.
• Two types of tours – Track A: Will feature religious institutions. – Track B: Will emphasize social and cultural institutions. 7
Why Subsidize?
• Some Zarathushti youth cannot afford such a trip. – We could price discriminate, but problems come about.
• Participants who have the means will contribute to the community in other ways. – Well-heeled participants will see people and institutions that can use their support.
• Organizers will not receive subsidies.
8 Nargol / Varoli River
9 Sanjan
Archaeological site of the first Dakhma Parsi settlement 10 Sanjan
Sanjan Stumbh Memorial Column WZO Guest House
11 Udvada
12 Iranshah Atash Behram
13 Udvada
14 Surat
Kadmi Atash Behram Shenshai Atash Behram
15 16 17 Navsari Atash Behram
18 Meherjirana Library
19 Traditional Crafts & Kusti Weaving
20 Dahanu
21 Mumbai
• Heritage Tour Walk
• Bikha Behram Well
• Irani & Parsi Restaurants
• Dadar Food Institute
• Atash Behrams and Agiaries
• Cusrow Baug
22 Dadar Madressa
23 Jimmy Mistry’s House
24 Participants After the Tour
Upon returning, participants from the initial tour will:
1. Be expected to take leadership roles in their local and national Zarathushti communities.
2. Have opportunities to remain engaged with what they have experienced.
25 RTR is Not Just A One-Off
• Participants will remain active as alums.
• Initial trip will take place Dec 2013-Jan 2014. Subsequent trips will take place regularly, just like Birthright- Israel.
• Hence the need to develop a corpus.
26 Where We Are
• Mapped the tour & itinerary for inaugural trip.
• Constructed and designed the website.
• Currently accepting applications.
• Raising money.
27 Program Management Committee
• Dr Shernaz Cama, co-chair
• Aban Marker Kabraji, co-chair
• Dinsha Mistree, North America ([email protected])
• Rosheen Kabraji, UK/Europe and Pakistan
• Shireen Havewala, India, Iran, and UAE
• Kaiyan Mistree, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand
• Representatives from contributing national associations (youth)
28 Youth Liaisons
Dinsha Rosheen Shireen Kaiyan 29 www.zororoots.org 30