The Dadar Athornan Institute Keep the flame alive 1 CONTENTS 4 From The Editor 5 Contributors 11 Highlight: Dasturji Meherjirana 12 Leaving behind a legacy of love and wisdom – Noshir Dadrewala 13 Obituary - Burjor Avari 14 WZO Report: Inauguration of the World Zoroastrian House and Felicitation and Honoring of WZO Chairman Shahpur F. Captain - Sammy Bhiwandiwalla 30 WZO Report: Celebrating Jashne Tirgan at World Zoroastrian House - Shahin Bekhradnia 32 WZO Report: Hounslow Friends of Faith Walk starts at WZO’s new community centre – Darayus S Motivala 35 WZO Report: Seminar on Zoroastrian Religion, History and Culture held in association with the Firuz Madon Foundation and the World Zarathushtrian Trust Fund - Sammy Bhiwandiwala 38 Preservation of Zoroastrian heritage: Endangered oral and written material in Iran - Saloumeh Gholami 40 Becoming a WaterMaker – Meher Bhandara 42 The Dadar Athornan Institute – Keeping the flame alive – Ramiyar Karanjia 44 Jamjoji – Leeaa Contractor 46 Moving Towards “Frashokereti” – Jimmy Madon 48 Preserving the Parsee Gujerati Language – Bhavya Dore 49 Racing Parsees – Jehangir Rustomjee 52 The Power of Film to connect Zoroastrians – Tanya Hoshi 54 Think before you leap: Genetics, testing and its consideration – Huafrin Kotwal 56 The 4 Great Zoro Test Cricketers - Kersi Meher-Homji 59 Walking Tour: Stumbling upon Mumbai’s Parsis of yore – Vinayak Talwar 61 The Minimalism of Maximality – Mazda Turel 63 Restored Atashgah of Khinalig: the highest fire temple of the world - Farroukh Jorat 66 A new model of Mobedi in North America – Arda-e-viraf Minocherhomjee 68 An XYZ summer well spent – Shazneen Limjerwala 70 Habits maketh the man – Ashdin Doctor 72 Bardipada Water Project – Dinshaw Tamboly 73 QueerZ - Fereshteh Bulsara, Nadia Jam, Nasha Katrak & Farhad Cooper 2 M e m b e r s o f t h e M a n a g i n g C o m m i t t e e London, England Mr Shahpur Captain Er Jehan Bagli Mr Rostam Yeganegi Chairman Toronto, Canada Vancouver, Canada E-mail: E-mail: Email: Mr Russi Ghadiali [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Singapore Mr Sammy Bhiwandiwalla Mr Dadi E Mistry Mr Darius Mistry E-mail: President New Delhi, India Auckland [email protected] E-mail: E-mail: New Zealand Dastur Kersey Antia [email protected] [email protected] E-mail: Vice President Mr Darayus S Motivala Mrs Meher Amersey [email protected] Illinois, USA Hon Secretary Mumbai, India Mrs Toxy Cowasjee E-mail: E-mail: Email: Karachi, Pakistan [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] E-mail: Mr Kayomarsh Mehta Ms Shahin Bekhradnia [email protected] President, US Chapter Hon Secretary Illinois, USA E-mail: E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Mrs Monaz M Patel Membership Secretary E-mail: [email protected] Volume LXXX Issue 2 2019 Edited and Compiled by: Natasha Mistry Toronto, Canada Design & layout by: Farshad Engineer Toronto, Canada Cover Credit: Photo of the Dadar Athornan Institute by- Prasad Ramamurthy Mumbai, India 3 HAMAZOR - ISSUE 2 | 2019 From The Editor am equal parts nerves and excitement as I write this, ready to for Mobedi in North America. present to you my maiden edition of Hamazor. Led so deftly by the I But it is not just the past that we must look to, we have to enjoy the highly esteemed Toxy Cowasjee for 17 years, I am in awe and slightly present and look at ways to embrace the future, as individuals and as nervous about the size of the shoes I am about to fill. I am eternally a community. The numbers enrolled at 7th World Zoroastrian Youth grateful for the advice, words of wisdom and generosity that she has Congress held in Los Angeles earlier in the summer should be an eye provided to me during this handover period. I certainly hope you will opener. Zoroastrian youth from all walks of life and all corners of the have an enjoyable scroll through the variety of essays compiled for globe are looking to connect intellectually and otherwise with their your knowledge and enjoyment, in this edition. 'own'. As Er. Jimmy Madon describes in his essay, we hope to move This transition of editorship, along with the wonderful Jashan towards Frashokereti, one step at time. As active priest and lecturer, ceremony that I witnessed for Parsi New Year, at the Ontario he attempts to engage the younger, perhaps distant generation, by Zoroastrian Community Foundation (OZCF) in Oakville, Canada, got making the religion more 'user friendly', accessible and applicable to me thinking about the concepts of preservation and continuity. This our time. The first time ever, were the voices of Queer Zoroastrians jashan was conducted by 5 young mobeds while the older generation (QueerZ) given an opportunity to open up, communicate, educate gracefully provided guidance and encouragement to them. I felt a joy and engage the delegates. This section of our community has for knowing that there is hope for my children's generation to have priests long been ignored or sidelined or worse, excommunicated. 'QueerZ' to look up to and perform religious ceremonies in their lifetime. have taken the brave step to initiate this conversation within the community and I cannot wait for them to feel the strength of your support. Onwards and upwards, I hope this New Year brings all the readers of Hamazor and our Zoroastrian community the world over, the best of health, love and peace. Natasha [email protected] Photo: Young mobeds on Parsi New year at OZCF in Ontario, Canada (L to R Nekzad Ilava, Hormuz Javat, Kevan Madon, Kamran Panthaki and Arman Panthaki) As Zoroastrians we are eager to preserve our rich, sometimes piecemeal heritage and there are efforts world-wide to do just that. Please see Dr. Gholami's and Farroukh Jorrat's articles on their undertakings so far. Now, greater strides need to be made to preserve our Athornans and empower the future of our priesthood. As Dinshaw Tamboly recently mentioned in his article in the Parsi Times, mobeds are truly the lifelines of our faith. Without having a well trained, educated and articulate generation of mobeds, the lifeline that links to the future of our religion and community will be eventually lost. Bearing this in mind, please respond positively to the appeal from Dr. Ramiyar Karanjia for not just sustaining the Dadar Athornan Institute, but ensuring that it thrives for the next and future generations of mobeds. Additionally, the North American Mobed Council (NAMC) takes some brave steps in proposing a new model 4 HAMAZOR - ISSUE 2 | 2019 CONTRIBUTORS 5 HAMAZOR - ISSUE 2 | 2019 Noshir H. Dadrawala is the CEO, Centre for Shahin Bekhradnia, a Zoroastrian of the Yazdi Darayus Motivala has been a committee member of Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP) through which Iranian tradition, is a teacher of ancient history and WZO since 1995, some 24 years or so. He is currently he has been offering compliance related advisory classical civilisation, a Justice of the Peace and a the Jt. Hon Secretary, His previous roles within to nonprofits and corporate social initiatives. His legal consultant. Her academic background is from WZO include Membership Secreatry, President and current international affiliation includes serving as Oxford University where she graduated in Russian Chairman. He is dedicated to WZO and is a firm member on the advisory board of the International & French, and then completed a postgraduate thesis believer in equality for all, irrespective of gender, Center for Not-for-profit Law (ICNL). Earlier, class or ethnicity. He takes part in the local Inter-faith in anthropology on issues of Zoroastrian Identity in he was on the Board of Worldwide Initiatives for activities, is welcoming to non-Zoroastrians married Grantmaker Support (WINGS) as also Asia Pacific the 20th century. She has published several articles to Zoroastrians and believes that Zoroastrianism is Philanthropy Consortium (APPC). In India, he and given talks on Zoroastrianism, and is active in open to all if they wish to follow the tenets of the serves as a trustee of a few Foundations namely inter-faith movements and organisations. She is the religion. Darayus is an IT graduate (1972), now the Forbes Marshall Foundation, Everest Industries Joint Secretary of WZO. retired living in an Oxfordshire village with his wife, Foundation and the Bombay Community Trust. Arnavaz. Darayus is also a senior Trustee of the Noshir has authored several resource books and Chilterns Multiple Sclerosis Centre. is also invited as a speaker at many local and international conferences and as guest faculty at leading business schools. He is also trustee of the Bombay Parsi Panchayet. Sammy Bhiwandiwalla together with his wife Dr Saloumeh Gholami took her PhD at the Meher Bhandara lives in Mumbai, India. She is the Ursula started their own company in 1970 and after University of Goettingen. She is currently a Director of WaterMaker India Pvt. Ltd. and can be 35 years in business they decided to call it a day. Both senior researcher at the Faculty of Linguistics, reached at [email protected] for have always taken an active interest in community Cultures and Arts of the University of Frankfurt, further information or collaboration. matters in the UK and were greatly influenced by Germany. She has conducted extensive research the actions and sincere beliefs of individuals such as on the preservation of Zoroastrian culture in Iran. Noshirwan Cowasjee, Shirinbanoo Kutar, Shahpur Since 2010 Saloumeh Gholami has been working Captain and many others, that in a changing world on locating, digitizing and studying of Avestan it was necessary to create a more balanced and manuscripts and historical documents, as well equitable community within the UK.