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REMINDER: Manifestation in Meditation: A Father’s Day Special Virtual Event

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Join 2021 Father’s Day Transformational Special MANIFESTATION IN MEDITATION with Global Leading Holistic Health Guru And Corporate Life Coach Dr. Mickey Mehta from India & Professional Speaker And Author Of  Bread for the Head ™  Meher Amalsad from California. The program shall be moderated by Yazdi Tantra Founder – ZOROASTRIANS.NET & WZCC Global Vice President.

 

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Saturday, June 19, 2021  07:00 PM PST,  10:00 PM EST

Sunday, June 20, 2021  07:30 AM IST,  2:00 AM GMT

This Special M&M Show Is Dedicated To All The Fathers Of Humanity. Join For This Transformational Session Focused On The Connection Of Manifestation With The Law Of Attraction And Meditation;  And How It Links With The Sublimation Of Creation.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82882666433
Meeting ID: 828 8266 6433

Passcode:  SWEETM&M

Time: June 19, 2020  07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Time: June 19, 2020  10:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Time: June 20, 2020  07:30 AM  Indian Standard Time (IST)

Time: June 20, 2020, 02:00 AM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

Time: June 20, 2020, 06:30 AM   IRAN

Time: June 20, 2020, 06:00 AM   UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Time: June 20, 2020, 07:00 AM   PAKISTAN

Time: June 20, 2020, 10:00 AM   Hong Kong and Singapore

Time: June 20, 2020, 12:00 PM   Sydney, Australia

Time: June 20, 2020, 02:00 PM   New Zealand Time

Speakers Bio

DR. MICKEY MEHTA

Dr. Mickey Mehta completed 50 years of yoga with 39 years of Pioneering experience  in the Health And Wellness industry.

Dr. Mickey Mehta is a leading global holistic health guru and a corporate life coach to Bollywood superstars, top politicians, India Inc. and several Miss Worlds and Miss Universes. The recipient of ‘The Health and Wellness Icon of India’ award by Economic Times and is among the ‘100 Most Impactful Wellness Leaders of the World’ as announced at the Global Wellness Conclave 2018.

He is considered the first personal trainer of India, the first fitness columnist and the first fitness TV and radio presenter in India. He has trained police, army, navy and air force personnel.

An honorary double doctorate in Holistic Health and Life Sciences, from the Open International University for Complementary Medicines. He is author of best sellers ‘The Shoonyam Quotient’ and ‘Lose weight gain shape’. Also, a speaker at Harvard University, IIMs, IIT and held holistic health workshops globally.

The author, poet, philosopher, the brand, the institution, the legendary – DR. MICKEY MEHTA who gets you Energized, Naturalized, Optimized, Maximized, Wellness Revolutionized and gets you IMMUNIZED and MICKEYMIZED!!!

Follow: https://twitter.com/mickeymehta
Like: https://www.facebook.com/drmickeymehta
Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeymehta/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickey_mehta/

 

MEHER AMALSAD

Meher Amalsad is an Engineer, Educator, Inventor, Professional Speaker and published Author of Bread for the Head ™

This gift book is filled with thoughts, ideas and affirmations that inspires the heart, motivates the mind and transforms the soul, with prime focus on Parenting, Unconditional Love, Spiritual Consciousness, Success, and Excellence. This work which is rooted in ‘ROLE MODELING rather than RULE MODELING’ has been used by corporations, schools, children, parents, teachers, hospitals, wellness centers as well as healing and rehabilitation centers. His work has been showcased to over hundred million people across the globe through his appearance on numerous Radio, Cable, Satellite and Television Talk Shows nationwide.

His philosophies are simple yet applicable in each and every aspect off life. (www.Bread4TheHead.com)

His purpose is to help others excel academically, discover and maximize their true passions, and become their authentic best selves.  His work is focused on EMPOWERING PEOPLE to create a footprint of success, in them. Meher has served as the Founding Chair of the North American And World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses since 1985. He has worked as a Program Manager for Hughes Aircraft Company, which is one of the top Aerospace Defense Companies in the world. His life’s work has been focused on creating UNITY  WITHIN DIVERSITY IN HUMANITY.


Woven In Time: The Story Of The Parsi Gara Sari

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They hide within their folds the story of voyages at sea, the old trading routes and the rise and blossoming of an entire community

Article By Shaeroy Chinoy  | Elle

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Traditional Indian textiles and art forms speak volumes about history, the regions they come from, the culture and art, but often there is a deeper story. The Parsi Gara is one such great example. They hide within their folds the story of voyages at sea, the old trading routes and the rise and blossoming of an entire community.

In the 19th century, when Parsi traders took to the high seas to trade with China, they discovered a beautiful silk fabric called gaaj or paaj. So exquisite was its beauty that they ended up buying yards to take home. These saris soon became a symbol of status. Combining the beauty inherent in four cultural traditions – Persian, Chinese, Indian and European – this exquisite textile form remains an intercultural craft.

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The embroidery on a Gara sari, as it came to be known, is exquisite. The motifs are influenced by the flora, birds, fruits, and even scenes and stories of Chinese origin like the bridges, pagodas, boatmen and shrines. It’s like an entire story woven onto a piece of clothing. There are various techniques like the Satin stitch, crewel stitch, stem stitch and French knots used to create these intricate masterpieces by hand. Garas were traditionally seen in royal colours like purple, dark green, wine, orange-red, maroon, black and magenta. For a Parsi woman, it is mandatory to wear a Gara for any one of the pre-wedding functions. To date, it is worn in the traditional style wherein the head is covered. The saris are considered heirlooms in the family and are fiercely protected by the womenfolk – just like an expensive piece of jewellery.

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We caught up with designer Ashdeen Lilaowala, who retails the Gara sari, to know more about trends, things to remember while investing in the sari and more. Excerpts.

ELLE: What gives the Gara an heirloom status in a Parsi family?

Ashdeen Lilaowala (AL): It isn’t easy to pinpoint specific factors that may lead to a Gara acquiring heirloom status in a Parsi family. It is a complex combination of emotional factors such as who the Gara originally belonged to, the occasion it was bought for, and the richness of the embroidery, the colour and aesthetics and the overall condition of the piece. That being said, we Parsis have a reputation for being collectors and a tradition of carefully preserving our textiles and artefacts.

ELLE: What, according to you, is the significance of the Gara today? How do you keep the traditional art form relevant?

AL: Ours is a small community, and this niche craft is being practised by a handful of people. As much as people love the craft, there is always a risk that in the future, it might become obscure and lesser-known unless we actively document and conserve it. At the beginning of my career, I worked closely with UNESCO’s Parzor Foundation to do exactly that. But a lot more efforts in this direction are needed to keep the tradition alive. We are closely in touch with the younger generation to understand their needs and constantly think about how we can strike the perfect balance between keeping the essence of the Gara alive while innovating in applications.

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ELLE: What are some of the most in-demand Gara designs?

AL: Contemporary interpretations and stylised versions of typical Parsi Gara motifs such as China-Chini and kors find applications on our Gara-Inspired saris, alongside flora and fauna motifs representing the Zoroastrian reverence for nature.

ELLE: What are some of the things one should consider while investing in an authentic Gara?

AL: Gara embroidery is an aesthetic that has evolved over the years. An authentic Gara is hundred per cent hand-embroidered—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Besides that, I would say always invest in a brand that comes from the heart of the Parsi community. There are so many imitations around.

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ELLE: Can the motifs of older Garas be transferred onto a new sari?

AL: It is part of the Parsi Gara tradition to transfer richly embroidered borders traditionally known as kors, from old damaged Garas to newer ones. In our studio, we have been repairing and transferring old Garas for our clients. It is an intrinsically green and eco-friendly textile culture.

ELLE: How do you train your artisans in this unique art form, and how do you equip them to shape your vision?

AL: Our artisans are at the centre of our enterprise, and I am so grateful for them. Most of them hail from West Bengal and are traditionally trained to work with the aari needle. Over the years, we have slowly trained them in the Parsi aesthetic and specialised techniques like the French knot or khakha, which you will find extensively in Parsi Garas and our other saris.

Photos: Ashdeen Lilaowala

Iranshah Offerings Website Launched

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Our dear mentor Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor informs us…

There is a new website www.iranshah-offering.com.

We can use it to humbly request an offering of Sukhar, Kaathi, Maachi and light divo on our behalf.

Payment can be done through NEFT after placing the request.

Please share with all the Zarathoshtis worldwide. It is especially helpful during the time of the pandemic when we cannot visit Udvada in person.

You can also use the following link for the Udvada Muktad Scheme

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Prime Bandra plot de-reserved, Petit trust strikes deal for housing project

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In 1909, Hamabai Framji Petit sold all her jewellery for Rs 12 lakh to buy a plot in Bandra to establish an orphanage for Parsi girls.

In 2021, the Petit family, which controls the trust that runs the Bai Avabai Petit Girls’ School, plans to exploit a prime 2.2-acre vacant plot behind the school near Bandra’s Carter Road, for a residential project.

TOI has learnt the trust has entered into an agreement with a builder, KBK Realtors (Kotharis), to develop the land. According to property market sources, the plot has development potential worth a couple of thousand crores given its location. A south Mumbai-based chartered accountant with expertise in selling Parsi trust properties is believed to have initiated the deal.

Article by Nauzer Bharucha | Times of India

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The state government too has lent a helping hand to the Bai Avabai Framji Petit Trust by deleting all the public amenity reservations on it. Under the city’s development plan, the plot was reserved for 1) municipal market with old age home and students’ hostel, 2) playground, 3) park/garden and 4) school. However, on March 12, 2021, the state urban development department issued a notification removing these reservations, thereby allowing the trust to develop the plot. While the reservation for the municipal market/old age home/students’ hostel has been entirely deleted, the reservation for playground, park and school has been relocated on another open ground nearby, which also belongs to the Avabai Petit school.

“With the reservations for public amenities gone, this plot has suddenly become a gold mine because of its prime location,” said a property market source. Property market sources expressed surprise that reservations for a playground and school have been relocated on a plot located inside the existing school campus which is already used as a playground.

One of the school trustees, who spoke to this newspaper on the condition that he is not named, confirmed the trust wants to monetise the land. “We plan to upgrade the existing school infrastructure; perhaps build a college too,” he said. Asked if the trust had taken the mandatory permission from the charity commissioner’s office, the trustee said, “It will be done in due course of time.”

“We have not sold the land to the builder. The developer is only advising us on how to exploit the plot and procure permissions. The trust will be selling the flats,” he said. Developer Rajendra Kothari of KBK Realtors said his firm is providing consultation to the trust and helping it procure the permissions. He denied there was a formal agreement with the trust to develop the property.

Property experts said it is mandatory for a trust to issue a public notice, inviting bids from potential developers if it wants to develop or sell its property. However, the trustee told TOI this will be done after the charity commissioner’s sanction is taken. “Everything is at a preliminary stage now,” he added. However, documents made available to this newspaper show that the trust has already received Rs 1 crore from KBK Realtors.

The Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls’ High School was established in Bandra in 1913 as an orphanage for Parsi girls, but turned into a cosmopolitan school for girls in 1963.

Doyens of medical service: Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College in Pune celebrates 75th foundation day

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The hospital had played a crucial role during the 2009 Swine flu outbreak and even now, before PMC could upgrade its hospitals with ventilators and tertiary care, Sassoon was the only government hospital providing tertiary care to Covid-19 patients

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A panoramic view of Sassoon hospital on the 75th anniversary of BJ Medical College, which is attached to the hospital. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

The Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College (BJMC), which is attached to Sassoon General Hospital, is celebrating its 75th foundation day on Wednesday, June 23. The hospital has played a pivotal role in providing tertiary care to not just residents of Pune, but also to districts in the state. Students from BJMC are recognised internationally for their published work in international journals and medical services provided by them at the hospital.

The hospital had played a crucial role during the 2009 Swine flu outbreak and even now, before PMC could upgrade its hospitals with ventilators and tertiary care, Sassoon was the only government hospital providing tertiary care to Covid-19 patients.

Dr Shashikala Sangle, aged 64, retired on May 31. She has been associated with the hospital for the past 45 years since she was a student and headed the department of Medicine.

Dr Sangle said, “BJMC has definitely carved its niche as being reputed for generating the most honest and hardworking alumni and staff. I had a student who wanted to study further in the US and her examiners who saw her report and saw the BJMC name, without any further questions admitted her. The decades of hard work has earned this name. BJ has produced many important medical research works.”

Dr Sangle also describes the Swine flu outbreak period. She said, “When we look at it in retrospect, Swine flu was not as big as Covid-19. We were able to manage it in just one building. However, with Covid-19, the sheer numbers and the complications and also the post Covid-19 complications are a bigger challenge. However, even during the pandemic our cardiac catheterisation lab was functioning smoothly and also chemotherapy of cancer patients continued. We took all due precautions and tests and ensured that other vital routine treatments are not hampered.”

While the hospital was founded in 1867, the BJ Medical school was founded in 1871, after completing 75 years, the school was expanded to BJ Medical College in 1946.

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BJ Medical school and the Sassoon hospital campus first opened in the year 1871. (Courtesy: BJ medical college)

Right from its foundation till now the hospital has been supported through charities and CSR funds form the community and philanthropists.

On June 23, 1946, BJ Medical College was founded and Dr B. G Kher, head of the Bombay government, laid the foundation stone. The college has been named after Parsi philanthropist Byramjee Jeejeebhoy who donated the land in 1871. The medical course of MBBS was affiliated to the University of Poona (Pune) in 1949.

Some of the historic moments in the hospital include the birth of Avtar Meher Baba who was born in the old maternity ward in the hospital, and the father of the nation, Mahatma, Gandhi who was operated upon for emergency appendectomy in 1924 by a British surgeon Col Murdoch with an Indian anaesthetist Dr Datey in attendance. The main building of BJMC was inaugurated by Dr Radha Krishnan in 1952. The first Principal of the BJ Medical College, which started with 50 students, was Dr BB Dikshit, a renowned academician

Annually 200 students are admitted for MBBS and 143 for post-graduation. At any given time, now, 1,700 students are on the campus with more than 2,000 staff including 268 faculty members. Presently, courses of MBBS, MD, MS, PhD, Diplomas, MCh (CVTS), MSc, GNM, BSc Nursing, DMLT, PGDMCH, and PGDGM are offered here.

Some of the path-breaking research works by the college are Dr Dikshit’s work on the role of acetylcholine in sleep and Dr Bhende’s discovery of the Bombay blood group. The hospital also has its name in the Jablonski’s Dictionary of syndromes, for the syndrome discovered, by Dr Ganla and Dr MJ Narsimhan.

In the last two decades, the colleges has been sought out by many research institutes including Department of Science & technology (DST), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Outreach services in mental health, preventive medicine, human reproduction research, tribal research, through national agencies like ICMR, and international agencies like WHO and UNICEF got underway. With the initiation of large-scale research projects the Institutional Ethics Committee was born. The Infosys super speciality building on the campus is catering to super speciality services for patients.

A six-week extended nevirapine (SWEN) study was conducted with this grant over the period of 2002-2007 for prevention of mother to infant transmission of HIV. This landmark study was published in Lancet (2008), which led to modification of guidelines by WHO for prevention of mother to infant transmission of HIV in breastfeeding population in resource poor areas. This gave BJMC the capability of international grade research.

After this successful demonstration of research capability, NIH USA granted Clinical Trial Unit to BJMC in collaboration with JHU for 2008-2014. BJMC-JHU application in response to RFA of NIH was among the first five amongst applications from all over the world.

In 2005, through the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) the HIV treatment center (ART) was started giving treatment free of charge. Presently more than 24,000 HIV infected patients are registered in the ART centre and 12,000 are on free ART. BJMC is recognised Government TB treatment centre with 4,000 tuberculosis patients/suspects per year.

BJMC and Sassoon helped fight the 2009 H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak in Pune and Maharashtra. In February 2010, BJ also promptly handled the casualties of German Bakery bomb blast.

Prominent community donations include food for all patients prepared by donation from the Shrimant Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Trust and the hospital has also contributed when it provided complete medical coverage to the athletes who participated in 30th Asian Athletics Games at Balewadi, Pune.

Dr Murlidhar Tambe, dean BJMC said, “Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we cannot celebrate it as a grand event. However, the hospital has proven its worth in time. For our 2025 vision board we had proposed a Cancer hospital, a dental college, physiotherapy college and multiple super-specialities, for which we have submitted our proposal to the government. Hopefully, we get approval for some. The research work of students from BJMC has been recognised globally and also the care provided by our staff and students is noteworthy. Now is the time to expand and introduce new courses of UG and PG in various faculties.”

Bringing out the real flavours of South Auckland, one food enterprise at a time

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An innovative business accelerator programme is not only helping people get a foothold in the hospitality industry but, as Justin Latif reports, it’s also changing the way South Aucklanders think about their local cuisine.

When it comes to food in South Auckland, greasy corner-store takeaways or brazen fast-food franchises might spring to mind.

Article by Justin Latif | The Spin Off NZ

But three local female entrepreneurs want to change that perception.

The trio are part of a wave of newly established, authentically South Auckland food businesses, being supported by a council-funded business-incubation programme called The Kitchen Project.

Upending stereotypes, however, doesn’t come without some challenges along the way.

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Perzen Patel sells her Dolly Mumma products at the Parnell farmers’ market every Saturday. (Photo: Supplied)

Beyond butter chicken

After leaving Mumbai, India, where she ran a catering business with her husband, Perzen Patel decided she wanted to offer Kiwis an alternative to the watered-down curry pastes commonly found in supermarkets.

“It has always been at the back of my mind that I want people to know there’s more to Indian food than just butter chicken.”

She hopes her Dolly Mumma products not only introduce customers to a wider variety of curry flavours, but are also really easy to use.

“Typically when someone wants to cook a curry, you either buy a sauce from the supermarket, or you go it alone, and you get 20 different spices from the Indian shop.

“Hopefully we can be that middle ground. It’s a fresh product, not made with preservatives, using my grandmother’s recipes, but essentially it’s still a paste, so you can just tip and go.”

She credits The Kitchen Project with helping her to hone her products as well as being a sounding board.

“I call my business mentor ‘my therapist’ because I could call her anytime to get help with each and every issue that would arise.”

The Takanini resident says another motivation is to show people that South Auckland cuisine is more than what’s commonly available.

“So much of the food that’s available in our area is fast food or your traditional European fare, and it’s not really reflective of the people who live here. I’m really passionate about showing people a real version of Indian food, not just this one version that people have in their minds.”

Continue reading the entire article here

Jamsetji Tata tops global list of top 10 philanthropists from last 100 yrs

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Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation today released the 2021 EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century, a ranking of the world’s most generous individuals from the last 100 years

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, founder of the Tata Group, has topped the EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century. The report pegs the current value of his donation – mainly to education and healthcare – at $102.4 billion with the start of his key endowments way back in 1892.

Article by Puneet Wadhwa | Business Standard

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Tata is the only Indian in the top 10 list. The other Indian among the top 50 is Azim Premji, former chairman of Wipro, who is ranked 12th. Bill Gates & Melinda French Gates, Henry Wellcome, Howard Hughes and Warren Buffett are among the top 5. Mackenzie Scott, the former wife of Jeff Bezos, Donated $8.5 billion directly to charities, most ever in a single year by a living donor.

The ranking is based on Total Philanthropic Value, calculated as the value of the assets adjusted for inflation, together with the sum of gifts or distributions to date. The data was derived from publicly available sources and in certain cases directly as shared by the foundations.

Jamsetji Tata, known for his ventures within the cotton and pig iron industry, set up Tata Iron and Steel Works Company (TISCO) in Jamshedpur, now known as Tata Steel in Jamshedpur. Founded in 1907, Tata Steel now operates in 26 countries including India, Netherlands and United Kingdom, and employs around 80,500 people, according to reports.

“The total philanthropic value of Tata is made up of 66 per cent of Tata Sons, estimated at $100 billion, solely based on the value of listed entities,” the EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century report said. CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 10 LIST

Wipro’s Premji, on the other hand, agreed to give away at least half of his wealth by signing the Giving Pledge in 2013. He started with a $2.2 billion donation to the Azim Premji Foundation, which focused on education in India. He topped the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List for 2020.

Around the world

The world’s 50 most generous individuals in the last century came from five countries, according to the EdelGive Hurun report, overwhelmingly led by the US with 39, followed by 5 from the UK, China (3), India (2) and Portugal & Switzerland (1 each). Their donations amounted to $832 billion, of which $503 billion are in foundations today and $329 billion have been disbursed in the last century.

“It is surprising that Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have not made the cut in this list. The stories of the world’s biggest philanthropists of the last century tells the story of modern philanthropy. The legacies of the world’s earliest billionaires such as Carnegie and Rockefeller, through to the Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s of today, show how wealth created has been redistributed,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report.

Adding: “Many of the philanthropists made the donation in the second generation rather than the first, such as the story of the Ford Foundation, which was set up by the son of Henry Ford.”

The top 50 individuals, according to the report, collectively contributed $30 billion, or 6 per cent, of their total endowments as annual grants. With $8.5 billion donations, MacKenzie Scott is the biggest annual grant maker followed by Warren Buffett ($2.7 billion) and Bill & Melinda Gates ($2.5 billion).

The other Indian on the list is Azim Premji of Wipro, who has virtually given his entire fortune of $22 billion for philanthropic causes

Tata Group founder ranked world’s top philanthropist in 100 years. Another Indian in top 50

Article in Live Mint

1624437413-8875Not Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but Indian industry’s doyen Jamsetji Tata has emerged as the biggest philanthropist globally in the last 100 years by donating $102 billion, as per a list of top-50 givers prepared by Hurun Report and EdelGive Foundation.

Tata, the founder of what has now become a group spanning interests from salt to software, is ahead of others like Bill Gates and his now-estranged wife Melinda who have donated $74.6 billion, Warren Buffet ( $37.4 billion), George Soros ($34.8 billion) and John D Rockefeller ($26.8 billion), the list showed.

“Whilst American and European philanthropists may have dominated the thinking of philanthropy over the last century, Jamsetji Tata, founder of India’s Tata Group, is the world’s biggest philanthropist,” Rupert Hoogewerf, the chairman and chief researcher at Hurun said in a statement.

Setting aside two-thirds of ownership to trusts engaged in doing good in various areas including education and healthcare has helped Tatas achieve the top spot in giving, he said, adding that Jamsetji Tata’s giving started in 1892 itself.

The only other Indian in the list is Azim Premji of Wipro, who has virtually given his entire fortune of $22 billion for philanthropic causes.

Hoogewerf said there are a few names like Alfred Nobel which are not even in the list of top-50 givers of the last century, while some others are not a surprise.

A majority 39 people in the list are from the US, followed by the UK (5) and China (3). Total 37 of the donors are dead while only 13 of them are alive.

Three individuals added more than $50 billion in a single year, led by Elon Musk with $151 billion, on the back of the rise of e-cars, whilst e-commerce billionaires Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Colin Huang of Pinduoduo added $50 billion each.

“At this rate, expect to see fifty or more break through the $100 billion-mark within the next five years,” Hoogewerf said.

The total donations by the 50 givers are pegged at $832 billion over the last century, of which $503 billion came from foundation endowments and $329 billion from donations to date.

Khurshedben Naoroji: The singer who preached nonviolence to bandits

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In most countries, the life of an elite, sophisticated woman renouncing her career as a classical soprano to preach nonviolence to bandits and kidnappers would merit significant study and attention. Yet in India, the woman in question, Khurshedben Naoroji, is largely unknown. Historian Dinyar Patel recounts her forgotten story.

The writer Ramachandra Guha once described the world of Indian biography as “a bare cupboard”. Curiously, most scholars of India eschew writing life stories. A new book, with contributions from many of Guha’s students and colleagues, helps to populate these empty shelves with some remarkable characters.

Khurshedben Naoroji

Article by Dinyar Patel | BBC

One of them is Khurshedben Naoroji, who was born in 1894 into an elite Parsi family. Her grandfather, Dadabhai Naoroji, was India’s first nationalist leader and the first Indian to serve in the British Parliament.

In her youth, Khurshedben lived in the poshest quarters of Bombay (now Mumbai) and became an accomplished classical soprano. Family and friends dubbed her “bul” or nightingale.

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image caption India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru attended a concert by Khurshedben in Bombay (now Mumbai)

In the early 1920s, she relocated to Paris to study music, but found herself culturally adrift in Europe until she crossed paths with another expatriate woman, Eva Palmer Sikelianos.

Sikelianos, a New York aristocrat, had relocated to Athens where she became one of the principal architects of a revival of classical Greek culture.

Their conversations about Greek and Indian musical traditions resulted in the setting up of a school of non-Western music in Athens.

Khurshedben left classical music behind in Paris and flourished in Greece, donning Indian saris and holding impromptu Indian music concerts.

Remarkably, “Mother Greece” – as she referred to the country – helped refocus her energies on Mother India. As Sikelianos’s biographer Artemis Leontis notes, Khurshedben spoke wistfully about India and about joining Mahatma Gandhi’s movement for freedom from the British colonial rule. When Sikelianos solicited her help for the first Delphic Festival, Khurshedben turned down the offer, instead returning to Bombay.

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image copyright Konstantinos Psachos House Archive, Hellenic Folkl

image caption Khurshedben, centre-left in a dark dress, at a function in Germany in 1924

Soon, she moved to Gandhi’s Sabarmati ashram in Gujarat where she encouraged Gandhi to widen women’s involvement in nationalist activities. Gandhian activism, she told a newspaper, allowed for “the great awakening of women” – and women were “not going to stop their work so well begun”.

For Khurshedben, this work soon shifted to an unusual location: the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP – now in Pakistan and called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Deeply conservative and beset by tribal scrimmages and banditry, the region was about as distant from her Bombay as was possible. Perhaps that is what drew her to the place.

It’s unclear how or when she first travelled to the Frontier, but by the early 1930s, this elite Parsi woman was a well-known figure in NWFP politics. She befriended Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the “Frontier Gandhi” who led a nonviolent pro-nationalist movement amongst Pashtuns.

Whenever she irked authorities, Khurshedben cheerfully submitted to imprisonment by the British, once writing to Gandhi from a prison in Peshawar (a city in today’s Pakistan) that “the fleas and I kept each other warm”.

As Khurshedben spent more time in the NWFP, she comprehended a thorny political challenge.

Gandhi had encouraged her to promote Hindu-Muslim unity and support for the Indian National Congress. This was impossible, however, while local Hindus remained terrorised by Muslim dacoits – bandits who conducted kidnapping raids from nearby Waziristan. These bandits, who terrified British and Indian policemen, stoked communal tensions.

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image caption Khurshedben was arrested in 1931 on charges of unlawful political activity among other things

For Khurshedben, the answer to this dilemma was obvious – she would approach the dacoits, encourage them to desist from banditry and embrace Gandhian nonviolence.

Her Congress colleagues in the NWFP – all men – were mortified. Despite their protests, in late 1940 she began long tours on foot through the desolate countryside, meeting and conversing with locals. She counselled womenfolk about the evils of banditry, turning the mothers or daughters of dacoits against the practice.

Bandits were flummoxed about how to deal with this plucky woman who sallied right into their camps. Some expressed remorse about their activities but on at least one occasion, Khurshedben wrote to Gandhi about nearly being shot. “Bullets hissed in the sand near me,” she recalled.

Remarkably, her approach yielded results. By December 1940, kidnappings had plummeted, improving communal harmony. Even local British authorities, her former incarcerators, now praised her.

But one challenge remained.

A group of kidnapped Hindus were being held in Waziristan, a place that British policemen dared not go. Khurshedben decided to go even though she was conscious of the risk to her life: and if she was captured alive, she told Gandhi that dacoits would ask him for a ransom or “chop off a finger or a(n) ear”.

Unfortunately, she was unable to reach the kidnappers. British authorities arrested and jailed her before she crossed the Waziristan border. She cycled through prisons until 1944. Evidently, this elite woman from Bombay was too grave a danger for the British Raj.

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image caption Gandhi criticised the government’s treatment of Khurshedben

Khurshedben never returned to the NWFP. In August 1947, she watched in agony as the region was wrenched away from undivided India; a few months later, Gandhi lay dead.

Information on Khurshedben’s life almost completely disappears thereafter. Following Indian independence, she worked for various government commissions and even resumed her singing career before passing away, most likely in 1966.

In a sense, Khurshedben’s story is hardly unique. Thousands of remarkable life stories like hers remain to be told, with scattered, moth-eaten archival records patiently waiting for a storyteller.

This is especially the case for women, including Khurshedben’s female nationalist colleagues. There is plenty of space for them in the bare cupboard of Indian biographies.

Dinyar Patel is the author, most recently, of a biography of Dadabhai Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism, which was published by Harvard University Press


A Happy 100th Birthday to Khorshid Jobani

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A 100 years of Zoroastrian celebration and tradition. Khorshid Jobani has seen a lot of changes within the Zoroastrian culture. She was born on July 12th, 1921 in Quetta when it was still under British rule and later saw the independence of Pakistan. She had one older brother and one older sister. She lost her parents at a very young age but was taught the many traditions of our culture such as prayers, respect and the ceremony of a Navjote. For a short while she was in the care of her paternal grandfather, who continued to keep the Zoroastrian flame burning inside her. She married at age 13 and had 4 children of her own, one of which passed shortly after birth.

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Khorshid Jobani had limited schooling, yet she speaks many languages and learned how to read and write. She taught herself how to sew sudreh, bake bakra, nan khatia and delicious achars for which she became well known in her community. Knowing the importance of being educated, Khorshid and Rustom lived and raised their children in Pune, India, making sure they all completed and excelled in their studies. After her husband passed in 1980, she immigrated to Canada to be closer to her children and continue the traditions of the Zoroastrian faith. Her pride and joy are her 3 kids and their spouses, her 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. She wholeheartedly believes in the 3 main tenets of Zoroastrianism, good thoughts, good words and good deeds. She exudes all of them and anyone privileged to meet her will definitely understand.

Khorshid Jobani is a symbol of strength, devotion and true goodness in this world. She is made of pure love. She continues to be a huge part of the Parsee community in Toronto Canada. Although the pandemic has slowed her meeting people, she is always seen on virtual social events and online yoga classes. She is still an active participant in raising funds for the OZCF Agyari project which is very important to her. She has instilled and passed down many facets of the Zoroastrian culture to those around her, always ready to give advice and console on family, love, traditions and religion. These days, she spends most of her time in Mississauga, Ontario usually enjoying episodes of Family Feud and Indian Idol. She is a true testament that prayers, the pursuit of health, and the blessings she gives and receives from Ahura Mazda keeps her young in mind, body and spirit.

That is why we celebrate this milestone birthday. Everyone of us has a special place in our hearts for Khorshid Jobani and we are blessed to have her in our lives.

Please join us in wishing her good health and happiness.

Happy Birthday.

Love, Your Family

Ba Humata Lecture Series: July 2021

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The July 2021 Ba Humata Lecture shall be held on Sunday 04 July 2021. The topic of discussion is Creating a Bountiful and Prosperous Earth with the Good Mind (Yasna 51.5 and 51.7 and related prayers)

On Sunday, July 4, 2021

8:00 AM Pacific | 11:00 AM  Eastern | 3:00 PM GMT | 7:00 PM  Dubai | 7:30 PM Iran | 8:30 PM India

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83408826220

Meeting ID: 834 0882 6220

Passcode: BAHUMATA

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The seventh Webinar Features The Following Global Zarathushti Icons:

  • Ervad Kaivan Antia (Australia)
  • Mobed Dr. Mehraban Pouladi, PhD  (Iran)
  • Behnaz Nanavatti (India)
  • Alayar Dabestani (Iran, Canada and USA)
  • Dr. Karishma Koka, PhD  Founder, Host And Moderator of Ba Humata

More info on: Https://Ba-Humata.co.uk

Name Navi Mum airport after JRD: Kin

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Amid the controversy over the naming of the greenfield airport at Navi Mumbai, a member of the Tata family has thrown in the hat for JRD Tata, who brought civil aviation to India.

“I respectfully suggest that the new airport at Navi Mumbai should be named after JRD Tata, the father of Indian aviation,’’ said Piloo Tata, a member of the Tata family. Piloo Tata is the widow of Minocher Tata, whose grandfather and Jamsetji Tata, founder of Tata group, were siblings.

Article by Manju V | Times of India

Last week, the state government announced its decision to name the Navi Mumbai airport after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray. On the other hand, project-affected locals have demanded that the airport be named after late D B Patil, the leader of Peasant and Workers Party (PWP).

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Into the foray is now the name of a candidate whose name is intertwined with Indian aviation history. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata flew the historic 1932 inaugural flight, carrying airmail from Karachi’s Drigh Road Aerodrome to Mumbai’s Juhu aerodome aboard Tata Airlines.

“J R D Tata pioneered aviation in India, and was responsible for starting our national airline, first known as Tata Airlines, and then renamed Air India after it was nationalised. He headed Air India as its Chairman for decades with great passion. He put India on the international aviation and tourism map. I cannot think of any other name which would be more appropriate to be linked with our International Airport,’’ said Tata, speaking to TOI.

“In memory of this undisputed pioneer of civil aviation in India, and in appreciation of the international passenger airline he started, I appeal to the authorities concerned to name the new airport at Navi Mumbai, the ‘J R D Tata International Airport’. He is the most deserving person for this honour. His name should be remembered and linked with Indian civil aviation for ever, ” she said.

Unlike India, most of the countries with aviation history dating back to the fledgling years in the first half of the twentieth century have airports named after their aviation pioneers.

In the US, the birthplace of aviation there is a strong tradition of honoring aviation pioneers. California’s San Diego international airport is named after Charles Lindbergh, Dayton airport honors Wright brothers, Atchison-Kansas airport is named after Amelia Earhart. Some other examples are Milwaukee airport, named after William “Billy” Mitchell, an American military aviation pioneer, Chicago-O’Hare named after naval aviator Edward H. “Butch” O’Hare and Oklahoma airport named after Wiley Post, the first pilot to fly solo around the world.

Among the examples in other countries are Sydney international airport which takes its name from Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who operated the first trans-Pacific flight from US to Australia. Turkey’s Istanbul airport is named after Sabiha Gokcen, the first female Turkish fighter pilot. Lyon airport in France named after Antoine De Saint-Exupery, the pioneer of international postal flights.

In India, not a single airport is named after an aviation pioneer. Airports largely honor former Prime Ministers, freedom fighters or historical figures. Among the airports named after prime ministers are the Delhi airport named after Indira Gandhi, Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi), Deoghar in Jharkhand named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Varanasi (Lal Bahadur Shastri) and Lucknow (Chaudhary Charan Singh). Those named after freedom fighters include Ahmedabad (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel), Port Blair (Veer Savarkar), Patna (Jay Prakash Narayan), Kolkata (Subhash Chandra Bose), Nagpur (Dr B R Ambedkar), Ranchi (Birsa Munda). Among the airports named after historical figures are Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji), Indore (Ahilyabai Holkar), Bengaluru (Kempe Gowda, who was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire) and Jaipur (Maharana Pratap). Then there are some exceptions like the Durgapur airport in West Bengal which is named after Bengali poet, writer, musician Kazi Nazrul and the Srinagar airport is named after Kashmiri Sufi saint Sheikh Ul-Alam (Nund Rishi), Amritsar after saint Ramdas and Bhopal after Raja Bhoj of the Paramara dynasty.

India’s oldest running newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, turns 200

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India’s oldest running newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, turns 200

The Gujarati newspaper, with its office located in an iconic red building at Horniman Circle in Mumbai’s Fort area, was first published in 1822.

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The office building of Mumbai Samachar in Mumbai.

On July 1, India’s oldest running newspaper, Mumbai Samachar, will enter its 200th year.

Article by Benita Fernando | Indian Express

The Gujarati newspaper, with its office located in an iconic red building at Horniman Circle in Mumbai’s Fort area, was first published in 1822. It was founded by a Parsi scholar Fardoonji Murazban, who had experimented with various other publishing options before landing on this successful print run.

Formerly called Bombay Samachar, in Gujarati the paper has always run as Mumbai na Samachar. It started as a weekly edition, primarily covering the movement of goods across the sea and other business news, such as the sale of property, and passed through several hands until bankruptcy turned it over to the Cama family in 1933.

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The newspaper was founded by a Parsi scholar Fardoonji Murazban.

The Cama Norton and Co used to supply ink and newsprint to the publication. When the possibility of liquidation loomed ahead, the court decided to transfer the company to Muncherji Cama to avoid a situation where staffers would lose their jobs.

Hormusji Cama, who took over as the director of Mumbai Samachar nearly 40 years ago, said, “It is great that we managed to survive for 200 years and while none of us may survive, and even print may not survive, I hope Mumbai Samachar will see 300 years.”

Mumbai Samachar is best known to Mumbai’s public as the striking colonial-era red building which houses its office and printing press, outside which Cama’s vintage cars are often parked.

Currently, more than 200 staff members and offices across four other centres apart from Mumbai, bring out a single daily edition of the paper, making it the oldest running vernacular newspaper in India. Mumbai Samachar also publishes a panchang (astrological almanac).

Survey on Zoroastrians-by-Choice’ and their interactions with ‘Zoroastrians-by-Birth

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Our dear friend and PhD. student Ruzbeh Hodiwala is conducting a survey as part of his dissertation. In November 2020, we had published his first pilot survey request, and he has further tweaked that for this final survey. Please take some time and help him get the data he needs.

Ruzbeh

Survey on Zoroastrians-by-Choice’ and their interactions with ‘Zoroastrians-by-Birth

This research is part of the doctoral project of Ruzbeh Hodiwala, a Ph.D. student who is conducting an ethnographic study of ‘Zoroastrians-by-choice’ under Professor Almut Hintze at SOAS, University of London.

Survey I: For Zoroastrians-by-choice

https://forms.gle/bJcEsyJmAm6mkpuT9

Ruzbeh

Click on the above survey link, if you were born into a non-Zoroastrian family – where both mother and father are/were born non-Zoroastrians, i.e. they were legally assigned a non-Zoroastrian identity at birth and you decided to accept the Zoroastrian identity by undergoing a Sedreh-Pushi ceremony; or you/your family publicly identified as non-Zoroastrians but privately remained Zoroastrians, so you accepted the Zoroastrian identity by undergoing a Sedreh-Pushi ceremony.

Survey II: For Zoroastrians-by-birth

https://forms.gle/mBkyDgsfar6jYhzd7

Ruzbeh

Click on the above survey link if you are a Zoroastrian who was born into a family where ‘both’ the parents or ‘at least one parent’ – mother ‘or’ father – is/was born a Zoroastrian. You can undertake this survey if you have not undergone a Navjote/Sedreh Pushi ceremony but identify yourself as a Zoroastrian.

If you are a ‘Zoroastrian-by-choice’ who has not undergone a Sedreh-Pushi/Navjote ceremony or you are waiting to undergo a Sedreh-Pushi ceremony and would like to participate in the project, please contact the researcher at ruzbeh_hodiwala@soas.ac.uk or by completing the contact form at https://www.neozoroastrianproject.com/contact.

After clicking on the survey, you will see additional information on the eligibility criteria and have the option to proceed to a different survey based on your eligibility. If you are still unsure about which survey to complete, please contact the researcher at ruzbeh_hodiwala@soas.ac.uk

The surveys are best viewed on a device with a large screen and can take up to 20 minutes to complete.

A Persian version of Survey – I will be available shortly. If there are enough requests, the surveys will be translated into other languages.

Thank you

Ruzbeh Hodiwala

Sir Homi Mody … Dadabhai Naoroji: Five Parsis behind Mumbai’s street names

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These five roads in Mumbai are named after politicians, bankers, lawyers and activists who had two things in common: one, they were Parsi, and two, they all contributed to the development of Mumbai, and India as a whole.

There is no community in Mumbai as wealthy as the Parsis. Bombay owes a lot of its historical glory to them. The British clearly thought favourably of them, given the linkages they formed with the community. In 1877, Sir J.R. Carnac, governor of Bombay, is said to have told them: “I would ask you to remember that you have what is called the very bluest blood in Asia.” Until 1946 – a total of 63 Parsis had been knighted. Today, they muster up a population of less than 80,000. But their credibility is inversely proportional to their dwindling numbers. Mumbai real estate is dominated by them. Even today the perception among a large home buyer audience is that they will not be deceived and duped by Parsi builders.

Article by Vishal Bhargava | Moneycontrol

As rich as that perception may be, even richer is the history of the community. In last week’s column, I wrote about five personalities behind Mumbai’s streets. In this week’s piece – I write about five Parsis behind Mumbai’s streets.

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Sir Homi Mody Street, Fort: Mody was a lawyer, businessman and administrator. After joining as a partner in a textile firm, he led the textile industry’s campaign for protective tariffs against foreign competition. At the age of 32 in 1913, he was elected chairman of the Bombay Municipal Corporation, where he remained for the next 29 years. He joined the Tatas as director in the 1930s and stayed on for the next 25 years. He was knighted in 1935. His son, Russi Mody, would later on go to become the chairman and managing director of Tata Steel. Today – the street on which the headquarters of the Tata Group stands – is named after Homi Mody.

Veer Nariman Road, Fort, and Nariman Point, Marine Drive: Next to the Sir Homi Mody Street is a road named after Khurshed Framji Nariman – also known as Veer Nariman. He hit the spotlight when he launched a ferocious attack against British administrators over the Backbay Reclamation scandal in 1928. The project was toned down thereafter in scale. Nariman later became Mayor of Bombay from 1935-36. A year later, after being passed over in the selection of chief minister – which went in favour of B.G. Kher -he sparked a controversy with complaints of communal bias. His name is, however, retained widely even today among masses, as the business district of Nariman Point is named after him.

Sir Pochkhanawala Road, Worli: Sir Sorabji Pockhanawala was a pioneer with regards to banking for India. At the age of 30, he founded the Central Bank of India in 1911. The aim of the bank was to establish an Indian-controlled bank that could take on the British banks. It was the first commercial bank that was owned and managed by Indians. Today, the street named at Worli after him – has the headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Bureau as well as premium residences like the Piramal House

Dadabhai Naoroji, Fort: Naoroji was the president of the Indian National Congress in the 1890s and early 1900s. Earlier in his life, he went against popular opinion and opened schools for Indian girls. After visiting Britain and seeing the prosperity, he unleashed one of the most powerful arguments against imperial rule. In 1867 his ‘drain of wealth’ theory blamed Britain for draining India. He also fought for a place in British Parliament and won by a narrow margin in the 1892 election. His name graces the street where the iconic CST Railway Station is today, and extends to sections which command numerous iconic structures like the JN Petit Library and the Oriental Building.

Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, Fort: No single individual has done as much for the city of Mumbai as Mehta. A lawyer-turned-politician, he drafted and supported the Bombay Municipal Act of 1872 – seven years after the Bombay Municipal Corporation was created. The Act provided for a municipal corporation and a town council. Half the members of the BMC and three-quarters of the members of the council were to be elected by the people. The rest were to be government appointees. Mehta later became the municipal commissioner of Bombay in 1873 and later its chairman. Mehta was initiated into politics by Dadabhai Naoroji, and both were founders of the Indian National Congress. The statue of the man is placed outside the BMC headquarters in Mumbai. The road with his name at Fort is surrounded with offices of banks today.

First of Many: Delnaaz Irani revisits Commander

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This week’s First of Many features Delnaz Irani. In the 86th edition of our series, the actor talks about her first acting project, Sri Adhikari Brothers’ TV show Commander (1992).

Delnaz Irani never had an ambition to become an actor, and started acting only to earn some extra pocket money. Ironically though, the actor found her calling in the profession and is still here after three decades with a slate of work in both Bollywood and TV. She has appeared in films such as Pyaar Mein Twist, Bhootnath, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, Ra.One and Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum apart from TV shows such as Yes Boss, Son Pari, Shararat, Baa Bahoo Aur Baby, Jamai Raja, Ek Deewaana Tha, Choti Sarrdaarni and more. She even participated in reality shows Bigg Boss 6, Comedy Circus, Nach Baliye and Zara Nachke Dikha.

Many may remember her as Sweetu in her Bollywood debut Kal Ho Na Ho (2003), but she had been in the industry for more than a decade when she did the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer.

Elaborating more on how she got into acting, Delnaz Irani spoke about her debut project, Commander.

Article by Mimansa Shekhar | Indian Express

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Which was your first acting project? How did the project come to you?

My first project was this television show called Commander in 1992. It was a Sri Adhikari Brothers show, made by Gautam Adhikari and Markand Adhikari. They did so many shows and Commander was one of their first production, directed by Gautam bhai.

I started working in theatre after I completed my class 10, which was 1989. I was only doing plays from 1989-1991. I think Gautam bhai needed a young Kitty sort of a character, because he was making a Karamchand kind of a series. I hadn’t even finished my college then. I got a call to play Ramesh Bhatkar’s secretary, who played the Commander. Ramesh Bhatkar was a very popular Marathi actor. They first made Commander in Marathi and then Hindi. Zee TV had just arrived in India and Commander was on Zee. Both Gautam bhai and Ramesh Bhatkar are no more now.

I come from a very middle-class Parsi background, and my dad said my mother had to be with me on the set. My mother thought this is just a one-off thing for me as I was still a college student. I’ll make some extra pocket money with this.

What do you remember of your first day on set?

I don’t remember much from the first day. We had Nagi Villa, Utpal Villa and other such bungalows in Juhu, in Madh Island. We shot in bungalows with no AC. All I knew was I was in safe hands and was working with the best director-producer of that time. And the secretary of Commander was the thing.

I was a typical ‘firang’ looking girl with blonde hair and wore western clothes. People thought Gautam bhai had brought a foreigner. Though I don’t even remember what the name of my character was, but that was my first appearance on screen.

Commander even had a very popular title track. They had an amazing style of making thrillers. I actually learned on job. As I was still studying, I wasn’t sure that this was my career. Unlike others who know that acting is their calling, I was just going with the flow.

Were you nervous?

I was nervous everyday because Gautam bhai would be screaming. If I wanted to become an actress, it would’ve been a different ball game. But I was never concerned if my lines were less, or I didn’t get to do this in a scene. I was very raw and didn’t have much to do in the show. I only needed to look pretty, and make some funny comments, which would annoy Commander. This was my character. The money was peanuts. After I did Parivartan, I started dating Rajeev (Paul) in 1994 and then my mother’s responsibility became his responsibility, which he happily took. We got married also in 1996.

Gautam bhai was a Gujarati and he would only talk to me in Gujarati. I was a Parsi so he would call me “Parsan”. He had the shot so clear in his head, and I had no clue what was a round trolley, a crane. He would say “take your lighting” and I didn’t know what he meant. He taught me little things.

clip_image002Delnaz Irani and Ramesh Bhatkar is a still from Commander which aired on Zee TV. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube)

How was the rapport with your co-stars and crew when you got to meet or work with them again later?

All my scenes were with Ramesh Bhatkar in Commander. Every episode would introduce a new person. I just had a rapport with Ramesh ji. He used to call me on my birthdays till he was alive. I was in my second year of BA, doing a lot of college activities. For me, this was like my work which I need to do and leave. Today, I love to make friends. But In Commander, I was too busy with my life away from set.

Gautam bhai and Markand bhai were two people I kept working with again and again. They were the producers of my longest running TV show called Yes Boss. That’s where we built a rapport. Markand bhai’s wife Kanchan bhabhi cast me in Yes Boss. Then SAB TV happened and I was there in every second show. They treated me like a child and took pride in the fact that they introduced me.


Parsi body’s plea in Gujarat HC: Order reserved

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The Gujarat high court on Friday heard the petition filed by a Parsi religious body and reserved its order on the demand to permit them to dispose of the bodies of those who died of Covid-19 according to their religious tradition and not to force them to cremate the bodies.

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The Surat Parsi Panchayat Board had filed the petition saying the central guidelines to dispose of bodies in case of Covid-19 death is silent on the Zoroastrian tradition of disposal of body and recognizes only two modes of disposal – burial and cremation. It sought directions to the authorities to permit Parsis to follow their tradition of leaving the body at the Tower of Silence, Dokhmenashini. The court said a plea was filed at a belated stage since guidelines were issued more than a year ago, and case has only academic importance.

The petitioner’s counsel, Asim Pandya, submitted that there is no scientific data presented by the government to prohibit the Parsi community from carrying out Dokhmenashini. The Centre has not opposed the demand and the local authorities claimed that they are following the guidelines only. The state government is silent on the issue.

Pandya also submitted that Parsis are such a miniscule minority that their religious practice of disposal was not taken into consideration while preparing guidelines. He argued that only a law can stop people from practising religious rituals and the guidelines are not a law.

Senior advocate Percy Kavina, who was present at the hearing, interjected that for 7-8 decades, the Parsi community has started burying bodies at many places across India. He said it is not anathema or sacrilegious, if bodies are buried. To this the petitioner’s advocate submitted that liberal people may take liberty, but this is an individual’s choice . The judges commented that the present pandemic was novel and there is no question of individual’s perception.

Jim Sarbh on playing Homi Bhabha: Role is special because of shared Parsi heritage

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Jim Sarbh honoured to pay tribute to India’s brightest scientists as he plays Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys; Ishwak Singh steps into Vikram Sarabhai’s shoes.

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First look of Jim Sarbh as Homi Bhabha in the web series

Bollywood has had more than its share of biopics on athletes, war heroes and freedom fighters, but little screen time has been devoted to the scientists that the country has produced. With ‘Rocket Boys’, director Abhay Pannu intends to show that scientific discoveries make for stimulating stories as he offers a dramatised retelling of the lives of Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai, thus celebrating their contributions to the fields of atomic and space research. Finding actors who can do justice to the geniuses could not have been easy, but the director has found his leads in Jim Sarbh, and Ishwak Singh of Paatal Lok fame

Article by Letty Mariam Abraham |Mid Day

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Ishwak Singh in his on-screen avatar

As he shares his first look as Bhabha in the SonyLIV series, Sarbh says that stepping into the celebrated nuclear physicist’s shoes was an honour. “Taking on the role of Homi Bhabha is special, partly because of our shared Parsi heritage. But more importantly, it is [a privilege] because he was an interesting, driven, Renaissance man. His dedication to scientific process and discovery, his notes on arts and culture, and his ability to have a good laugh make him a delicious character to play,” says the actor, who began shooting for the Nikkhil Advani and Siddharth Roy Kapur-backed series in late 2019.

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Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha

A story about India’s brightest minds is incomplete without Sarabhai, considered the Father of the Indian space programme. The show will study his early years of research. Singh remembers saying an enthusiastic ‘yes’ to the project right after the narration. “The concept of [remembering] India’s science heroes grabbed my attention. As a youngster, I was fascinated by stories of space and what lies beyond. By playing Vikram Sarabhai, who established the Indian Space Research Organisation, I will help other enthusiasts know more about his accomplishments.” The series, shot across Mumbai, Pune and Rajasthan, marks his second project with Advani after Unpaused.

Coomi Kapoor: The Tatas, Freddie Mercury & Other Bawas: An Intimate History of the Parsis

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Bombay’s first rioters and go-getters

Spurred by the events of the now infamous Ratan Tata versus Cyrus Mistry controversy, Coomi Kapoor explores the history of the Parsi community through its most prominent names, and how they transformed cities with their entrepreneurial genius

Jane Borges | Mid Day

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Bombay was once synonymous with the Parsis. And, the Parsis with Bombay. Reading Delhi-based author-journalist Coomi Kapoor’s new biography of the community, The Tatas, Freddie Mercury and Other Bawas: An Intimate History of the Parsis (Westland), we are made aware of this, once too many.

Such was their presence in the 19th century, that unlike today where the Parsis are invisible in numbers, they dominated every sphere of life, be it business, education, trade, commerce or culture. The statistics are remarkably telling. Back in 1860, there were 615 Parsi students in high school in Bombay, compared to 441 Christians, 239 Hindus, 15 Muslims, and 22 others. Nearly 60 years later, though amounting to only 0.03 per cent of the city’s population, they earned 7 per cent of the engineering degrees, 5 per cent of the medical degrees, and 2 per cent of science degrees.

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A decent part of Kapoor’s book engages with the Ratan Tata versus Cyrus Mistry controversy. A photo of Ratan Tata (centre) and Cyrus Mistry meeting then Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in Delhi in 2011. Pic/Getty Images

“The Parsis were among the earliest residents of the city. They even predate the arrival of the British,” Kapoor tells us, in a telephonic interview. “The Portuguese king handed over the island of Bombay to the English, as part of his daughter Catherine’s dowry in 1688. But, the first Parsi fire temple was built as early as 1673 [in the Fort area],” says Kapoor. “So, they were obviously here long before that.”

For the next 200 years or so, the Parsis would grow from strength to strength, but the dog-loving community’s revolt in 1832, is likely to have alarmed the British, feels Kapoor. Around “200 Parsis had attacked policemen” who were rounding up stray dogs, who were to be culled by the British authorities. Known as the Bombay Dog Riots, one of the first instances of rioting in the modern history of the city, the event would mark a change in the social fabric of the city. “Until before this, the British had encouraged the Parsis to come from Gujarat to Bombay.” But after this incident, the authorities felt the need to diversify the population, actively encouraging other communities to migrate to the city as well. “It changed the whole composition of Bombay.”

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Revolutionary leader Bhikhaiji Cama, who came from an aristocratic Parsi family quit her job as Dadabhai Naoroji’s secretary, to join the extremist wing to fight for India’s freedom. Pic courtesy/Wiki Commons

Kapoor’s interest in the history of her community and her own roots, began late. During a pilgrimage to the Parsi heritage sites in Gujarat—Sanjan, Navsari, Udvada and Surat—a person escorting her had enquired whether her ancestors were from Navsari or Surat. Having grown up in Mumbai with little knowledge about her community, Kapoor remembers being stumped by the question. “I hadn’t until then taken any interest in tracing my maternal ancestors in Pune,” she says. As she explored her family tree, she learnt that her paternal family was from Surat, and her mother’s from Navsari; her maternal grandfather, Dastur Nosherwan Jamasp Asa, was the high priest of the Deccan, Poona, now Pune. This discovery took on a whole new meaning, when she was “fortuitously” asked to pen a book on the history of the Parsis.

“I was thinking how to do it, when in 2016, the Tatas had their famous fallout. And I realised immediately that it would be my intro [for the book].”

A decent part of Kapoor’s book engages with the Ratan Tata versus Cyrus Mistry controversy—and Kapoor admits, maybe even “disproportionately”. The role of Nusli Wadia, chairman of the Wadia Group, and a director on three major Tata company boards for several decades, only added to the corporate boardroom stand-off.  But, this convergence of the business families, also enables her to delve deeper into exploring their past. “I followed the story keenly, reading everything that was being written about them in the business newspapers. But, I realised the articles weren’t really capturing the history of these colourful characters, and why they are fighting today,” she adds.

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Music icon and member of English rock band, Queen, Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara but appeared uninterested in his ethnic roots. Pic/Getty Images

The Parsis practise Zoroastrianism, which is considered the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. As per the account in Kisseh-i-Sanjan, written in the 16th century by the Parsi priest Bahman Kaikobad Sanjana, they are said to have arrived in India around the 8th century. Legend goes that the Persian migrants, who resisted conversion to Islam, left their home fearing persecution. A small group landed in Sanjan, a port in Gujarat, where they were granted asylum by a Hindu Gujarati king, Jadi Rana, if they adhered to certain conditions, writes Kapoor.

The cast of characters in her book is as wide as it’s varied, from businessmen, lawyers, doctors, academicians, to politicians, including the unassuming Feroze Gandhi overshadowed by his wife Indira Gandhi and cultural mascots like Zubin Mehta and even Freddie Mercury, who appeared uninterested in his ethnic roots, so much so that “in 2005 when a prestigious Parsi publication compiled an encyclopaedia of eminent Parsis of the 20th century, it did not mention Freddie”. There’s Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia—a descendant of Nusli—who was the founder of Bombay’s shipping industry. “The Parsis saw an opportunity in Bombay, and they took it,” says Kapoor. “Even before the British came, the city served as a natural port. They were actively involved in trade, and were happy to mix with the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British, becoming the agents, translators, and shipbuilders.” Lovji and his brother Sorabji, who hailed from a longline of shipbuilders from Surat, were invited by the British to Bombay to build India’s first dry dock. Seven generations of the Wadia family continued in the family profession. The family today is best identified with its textile group, Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Company. “Not many have heard about Jeejeebhoy Dadabhoy, who is known as the father of the industrial age in Bombay. He started a steam navigation company [Bombay Steam Navigation Company], due to which many more people started migrating and moving to the city, making it a financial capital.”

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Coomi Kapoor’s interest in the history of her community began late, during a pilgrimage to the Parsi heritage sites in Gujarat when she was asked whether her ancestors were from Navsari or Surat. Pic/Nishad Alam

The role of Parsi women in education, philanthropy, the arts and even India’s independent struggle, also offers interesting insight into their early emancipation. “They were educated much earlier than most Indian women, and so, had this head-start. This is why they were among the first to break the glass-ceiling.”  Among the more remarkable women was Bombay-born revolutionary leader Bhikhaiji Cama, best known for unfurling the precursor of the Indian flag at a conference in Germany, almost 40 years before the country won its Independence. “Hers was a very inspiring story. Here was this woman from an aristocratic family, which was beholden to the British government. But, she was a total rebel, and a rebel to the extreme,” adds the author. “She quit her job as Dadabhai Naoroji’s secretary, and went to London, becoming part of the extremist wing. She also believed Hindi should be the national language of the country, and was willing to protect Veer Savarkar, whom her community considered an anarchist, and even took on the blame for him, for sending pistols from Europe to the revolutionary leaders back home. When she returned to India in the last years of her life, her community totally disowned her. But, one cannot ignore that Bhikhaiji was remarkable, and far ahead of her time.”

India’s first woman architect – a tribute to Perin J. Mistri

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For many Indian women, the 1930s was a fundamental time, particularly in the political domain with their increasing participation in Independence movements.  The advent of the Art Deco style (then simply known as ‘modern’ or ‘style moderne’) in Bombay[1]  at the same time, ushered in a short-lived but significant era in Mumbai’s architectural and modern history. In 1936, the field of Indian architecture witnessed another landmark event – the professional qualification of the first Indian (and even Asian) woman architect, Perin J. Mistri (1913-1989).[2] Yet, a retrospective look at the narrative of Indian architects reveals that women architects were rarely documented when compared to their male counterparts.

Article by Theertha Gangadharan for Art Deco Mumbai

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Perin Jamshedji Mistri was born in the illustrious ‘Mistri’ family of engineers and ‘master builders,’ from Navsari who had been in the profession for generations before her.[3] Her father, eminent engineer and architect Jamshedji Pestonji Mistri, founded the ‘Mistri & Bhedwar’ architectural firm (later Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar), responsible for extensive works in the city such as the sublime Art Deco picture palace Metro cinema at Marine Lines and HSBC bank building at Fort (formerly known as the Mercantile Bank, until it was bought by HSBC in 1959), numerous mills, buildings in neighbourhoods like the Dadar Parsi colony, and many more. Perin’s younger brother, architect Minocher ‘Minoo’ Mistri would also go on to become a significant name as one of the founders of the Indian art and architectural publication, Marg. However, unlike her comparatively well-known father and brother, there is a dearth of information available on Perin and an even lesser acknowledgement of her works and accomplishments.

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Perin’s photograph in a 1936 newspaper announcing her as the first Indian woman architect. Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.

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HSBC Bank building, designed by Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar in association with J. A. Ritchie and L. Palfi. Source: Art Deco Mumbai Trust

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Mumbai’s Deco landmark – Metro Cinema, designed by Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar with Thomas W. Lamb. Source: Art Deco Mumbai Trust

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HSBC Bank building, designed by Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar in association with J. A. Ritchie and L. Palfi. Source: Art Deco Mumbai Trust

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Mumbai’s Deco landmark – Metro Cinema, designed by Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar with Thomas W. Lamb. Source: Art Deco Mumbai Trust

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“Being the first girl, dressed in simple skirt and blouse, she caused quite a flutter in the all-male bastion, even as she showed great talent in design.”

– Madhavi Desai, Women architects and modernism in India,

on Mistri’s enrolment in J.J. School of Art’s architectural department.

Hailing from a Parsi family, Perin had access to an English education; several Parsis received an English education from Britain (the ‘land of learning’), which was viewed as a way to advancement at the time.[4] After a Gujarati education in Bombay, she became a boarder at Miss Kimmin’s High School in Panchgani and shifted to England at the age of 10, finishing her education from Croydon High School.[5] According to her son (Dossu Bhiwandiwala), she was originally interested in the legal profession, but joined her family’s architectural practice upon her father’s request to become ‘his eyes’ for the firm, due to his own declining eyesight.[6] She subsequently returned to Bombay where she received her Diploma in Architecture from the J.J. School of Art in 1936. Her aptitude for the architectural field can be inferred from the fact that she stood 4th amongst the 16 successful candidates (out of 40) that passed the exam.[7]

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Photograph of Perin as a child. Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.

Being the first woman student of the architectural department was a novel happening and a turning point for women professionals. An indication of the opinions regarding women architects during her time at the School can be found when she (aptly) led the opposition in a debate with the subject ‘Women should not become architects!’ against G.B. Kshirasagar for the J.J. Literary and Debating society.[8] Mistri joined her father’s firm ‘Mistri & Bhedwar’ in 1937, where she practiced for almost 50 years as a partner.[9] Perin witnessed Mumbai’s transition into a ‘modern’ city, from its way of life under colonial rule, to the new ideals of modernity propagated by the independent nation.

“Think of the great opportunities then that a lady architect, trained to build and to beautify, has in shaping the destinies of great cities. And this beauty, in cement and stone and steel, is more lasting than the thin veneer of charm that some beauty parlours specialise in giving to fair and frail complexions.”

–P.P. Kapadia’s Presidential address,
July 1937 Journal of the IIA, on the ‘First lady architect’ [Perin]

Mistri was also the first woman member of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA).[10] The Institute began as an association of past J.J. students of architecture and evolved into an influential organisation affiliated to the Royal Institute of British Architects (R.I.B.A.) with their own quarterly journal. The Presidential address in the July 1937 Journal of the IIA (JIIA) proudly named Mistri as the ‘First Lady Architect in Bombay’ as well as the only “lady member” of the IIA. It also mentioned the influence that mothers and women had in the fortunes of the household historically, and noted that women were still said to be the architect of their family and fortunes in several ways while making their contribution felt outside of it as well. The kind of contribution that a woman architect would bring to the field is then speculated by mentioning that the building and beautification of cities (in cement, stone & steel) by them would be more lasting than the ‘thin veneer of charm’ applied on ‘frail and fair complexions’ by some ‘beauty parlours.’[11] Though well-intentioned and attempting to be flattering to the woman architect, the praise seems frivolous and in poor taste when seen through today’s lens. It also reveals the kind of roles and contributions that were expected from women professionals in architecture within the patriarchal settings of those times.

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Perin’s name listed under candidates for membership in the July 1936 Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects (JIIA).

“One of the most significant contributions of Mistri as part of the IIA was being a member of the ‘Entertainment Committee’ which organized the pivotal 1937 Ideal Home Exhibition held in Bombay. Termed as a ‘one of a kind exhibition’ in India back then, it has been recognized over the years as an influential event in the discourse of modern Indian architectural history.”

Mentions of her activities as a member of the IIA in their journals serve as a source of documentation of her time there. One of the most significant contributions of Mistri as part of the IIA was being a member of the ‘Entertainment Committee’ which organized the pivotal 1937 Ideal Home Exhibition held in Bombay. Termed as a ‘one of a kind exhibition’ in India back then, it has been recognized over the years as an influential event in the discourse of modern Indian architectural history. It heralded a new era that contributed to the rise of apartment living and showcased to the public the premise of an ‘ideal home’ and the various amenities offered by modernity. Pictured below is Perin Mistri, seated with the rest of the members of the organising committee which consisted of prominent (male) architects of India at that time. The committee included luminaries like Yahya C. Merchant, several presidents of the IIA like the thrice-elected P. P. Kapadia, J. B. Aga, and S. H. Parelkar among others who contributed immensely to the growing landscape of modern architecture via numerous building designs, articles on town planning and civic design, advocacy of architectural education and public awareness through talks and exhibitions, participation in municipal committees etc.

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Perin seated with the rest of the 1937 Ideal Home Exhibition organising committee. Source: Journal of the IIA, January 1938

The 1935 January JIIA recorded architects’ opinions during the discussion following Claude Batley’s talk ‘This new architecture,’ conducted in the previous year on the emerging styles of modern architecture. Perin was stated to be on the side of the ‘new architecture’ from a ‘woman’s standpoint,’ wherein she opined that if men were compelled to do housekeeping, they would realise how avoiding cornices, carved ornament and other ‘dust-traps’ was an ‘advance.’[12] Her contribution was recognised as being ‘practical’ by one of the other members of the discussion (F. J. Bilia) who pointed out that the elimination of dust-traps was imperative to maintain the hygienic conditions of an increasingly populated city; he was also pleased to see sons and even daughters of prominent architects taking up their mantle while absorbing newer ideas.[13] Perin’s opinion from a woman’s point of view showcased a fresh perspective that perhaps the male architects would not have considered, as domestic spaces were relegated to women during those times. Her critique was not just of the style of architecture, but also an empathetic take on the difficulties faced by women in the household (and possibly even domestic workers),[14] while also pointing out the lack of support by men in domestic issues. Perin was not afraid to make her point about design by bringing her gender to the forefront, a remarkably bold position to take in 1934 given that she was only 21 entering a male bastion.

“Batley’s pedagogy prepared Perin Mistri for practice in her father’s office. Both Batley and her father designed in the Art Deco style as a bridge between Indian tradition and European modernism.”

– Mary Woods, Women Architects in India: Histories of Practice in Mumbai and Delhi

Unearthing official records of Mistri’s works is a difficult task due to the unavailability of information. The paucity can be attributed to several possible reasons, such as a lack of organized documentation of women architects (though it is not ascertained that this was in the case of women architects only) and the conservative atmosphere of the times. Naming of firms after male family members, and roles relegated to women being subordinate in nature to the ones given to men in the professional sphere, have also been stated as reasons for women architects going largely unrecorded.[15] The sketches and records of her building designs that do survive, exhibit several typologies from residential to commercial, public and private buildings, from hospitals and factories to mills, offices etc, demonstrating her wide range of expertise and scope of work.

One of her first works was the charming ‘Shengre La’ building, a ground plus one Art Deco residence (sometimes spelt as Shangrilla or Shangrila) tucked away in a bylane at Carmichael road, Cumballa Hill. The influence of Claude Batley’s (as well as her father’s) teachings on the amalgamation of Indian traditional features of verandahs and balconies, and colonial bungalows with that of modern architecture is visible in the building.[16] Nearly concealed by the foliage present in its surroundings, it is adorned with multiple curvilinear balconies and contains an entrance canopy. The wide long balconies, ample windows and open spaces enable cross ventilation and capturing of natural light. The building was made for a relative of her father, Sir Behramji Karanjia.[17] It also features ornamental metal grilles in the Deco style, a central tower structure and a streamlined form.

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The cream-coloured central tower and entrance canopy of Shengre La, Cumballa Hill, peeks through the surrounding green cover. Source: Art Deco Mumbai Trust

Design sketches and photographs of her other works in Mumbai showcase that they were mostly executed in the modernist style, which was seen increasingly from the 1950s onwards. These include the impressive St. Stephen’s Church at Nepean Sea road, with some influences of Le Corbusier’s style and Art Deco inspired elements in its interior.[18] She also designed the Khatau mills in Borivali, several health centres for the Salvation Army in Mumbai (Byculla) and Ahmednagar, an extension to the Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, the Cable Corporation of India office, the Ganges Printing Inks factory, renovated the St. Elizabeth’s Nursing Home in Malabar Hill, and ‘Kanta’ building for Dr. L.H. Hiranandani amongst others.[19]

Mistri not only designed works domestically but also internationally, with several of her works both in India and abroad earning her acclaim. According to her son, she was invited by the Queen to Buckingham Palace for her work as the Chief Architect of the Salvation Army hospitals in Africa and India, received a German award by the company ‘Siemens’ for a cable factory and a Belgian award for ‘saving’ a hospital in Mumbai through innovative design.[20] She was also consulted by the then American media corporation giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), for the building of Metro theatre,[21] wherein all of her modifications for the building were incorporated. Most of her works contained inventive and practical designs, while also keeping in line with the modern materials and styles of the times. Another honourable point of her professional career occurred when she was requested to design the family home of famed architect Sohrabji Bhedwar (who designed the Art Deco Eros Cinema in Bombay) at Forjett Street[22] – a singular recognition of her practise considering who made the request.

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Sketch design of St. Stephen’s Church at Nepean Sea road, built around the 1960s in the modernist style with some Deco-inspired interiors. Image Source: Images of works courtesy of Dossu Bhiwandiwala in https://www.designstri.com/post/imagining-a-conversation-with-perin-mistri

Perin was also the Founder President of the first Indian ‘Soroptimist Club’ in Bombay, started  after receiving a charter from the London Club to begin one in India.[23] In a rare instance of a press interview, she mentioned that it had 21 women members who were executives or in other high positions in their respective fields, and listed some of the main objectives of the club such as the advancement of the status of women, maintaining high ethical standards in professions and even environmental issues etc; she also mentions that it was possible to balance her home and professional life due to the support of her husband.[24] Perin married Ardeshir H Bhiwandiwala, the founder of the Great Eastern Shipping Company, though she kept her maiden name for her professional works.[25] Her hobbies, as colourful as her design sketches, included gardening and hockey (she formed the first women’s hockey team and club)[26] along with some considerably eclectic ones like Herpetology or the study of snakes at Haffkine’s institute.[27] She also owned a farm in Karjat, something that was almost unheard of for a woman, and introduced the ‘Friends of the Trees’ society[28], these being only some of the instances that showcased her passion for nature and environmental issues. She was also passionate about music and adept at singing and playing the piano, often hosting musical evenings at her home. Perin’s niece and Minocher’s daughter Tina Sutaria shares, “The musical soirées at her home are spoken about even today. Musicians and vocalists from everywhere were invited to perform in exchange for an interval of high tea, laid out Buckingham Palace-style with butlers, damask table linen and enviable silverware.”[29]

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Perin Mistri, Founder President of the Soroptimist Club in Bombay in a Kaiser-i-Hind issue. Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.

According to her son, she had an independent and strong personality, and was not one to compromise on the design of the buildings; she was also known for being tough on contractors. He further states that she had not mentioned any gender-related difficulties faced by her in the male-dominated field, and only those related to corruption.[30] However, architectural historian Mary Woods’ book briefly mentions Perin’s frustration regarding the limitations of working in a family business in her later years, as told to her by another woman architect.[31]

Her family and the Press described her as a charismatic, focussed and larger-than-life individual with a ‘hands-on’ attitude who preferred to do the work herself; yet she was also understated and modest at the same time. Her nature was personified in her works, as Tina Sutaria recounts –

“Her style was rather distinct from that of her father’s and brother Minoo. It was more simplistic with cleaner lines and less ornate. In fact, it personified her no nonsense, no frills thinking. Her buildings, very much like her, seemed to say, “Let’s get on with it”. They were functional, practical, easy to maintain and still spoke loudly of character.”[32]

Her building designs included openness, space, and light, with no felling of trees in the process – amenities that were especially necessary for the overcrowded city of Mumbai. If any trees had to be cut, she would personally ensure that they were re-planted on the same property in a way that would add to the green view from inside.[33]

On a personal level, her siblings shared a respectful and affectionate relationship with their father, the late great architect J.P. Mistri. When Perin inquired about the formidable list of works under his belt, her father had replied – “Don’t worry about what I’ve done, tell me what you’re going to do with yours”[34]–  emphasising the need to be independent of the family firm’s legacy and instead creating one of her own. Although the three architects in the family had differing styles, an underlying sense of pragmatism and an unassuming, focussed nature can be said to have been shared by all.

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Perin with her family: Perin standing in the centre with parents Baimai and Jamshedji Pestonji Mistri and brothers Minocher (left), Tehmurasp (centre) and Cawas(right). Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.

Today, a greater recognition of Mumbai’s Art Deco buildings has brought an appreciation of the significant role of Indian architects and firms in embedding the style onto the urban landscape of the city. However, even a cursory look at the partner names of these well-known firms shows a glaring lack of women architects. One can only guess the daunting atmosphere that surrounded the only woman student at the J.J. School of Art’s architectural department (though she was said to have enjoyed her time there) and later the only woman member of the IIA at the time. Her background and upbringing certainly aided her in her professional life. Access to an English education – thanks to Bombay’s Parsi reformists in the late 1800s who advocated women’s education in the community[35] – allowed her to attend her college classes, and her family firm’s established name in the architectural and engineering field was an added bonus.[36]

Despite these privileges, it would have been an intimidating and lonely experience, albeit a necessary one, if women were to foray into the architectural field and make their mark. Women architects like Minnette De Silva who followed shortly after Perin, worked at ‘Mistri and Bhedwar’ as an apprentice after being suggested by the Khataus.[37] She would later become a founding member of Marg along with Perin’s brother Minocher Mistri. Perin’s comments and actions (such as setting up the first Soroptimist Club in India), suggest that she was empathetic towards women’s issues and actively tried to advocate them; possessing a tough persona would also have been a requirement to be taken seriously as a professional in a male-dominated field.

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The Mistri – Bhiwandiwala families (Left to Right): Ardeshir Bhiwandiwala (Perin’s husband), Mani Mistri (Minocher’s wife), Minocher Mistri and Perin Bhiwandiwala (née Mistri) along with Tina Sutaria (Minocher and Mani Mistri’s daughter) and a friend. Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.

“She was unrelenting in her demands professionally and was a hard task master. However, there was an artistic and very feminine side to her.”

– Tina Sutaria on her aunt Perin’s disposition

Ditchburn, Mistri and Bhedwar closed down in 1993.[38] Perin and the firm’s legacy ended in 2009 with the death of her brother Minocher, who was the last surviving member of the firm.[39] Their family remains committed to preserving the legacy by creating a logbook of the firm’s priceless archival documents like drawings, blueprints, survey maps, renderings on Irish linen or tracing paper, etc, archiving and digitising 3000 out of 5500 of them till date. Piecing together the scarce information available on her life and works depicts a skilful and determined individual who led one of the oldest and most reputed Indian architectural firms for more than half her life. There is a need to not just commemorate her pioneering role as the first woman architect in India, but also to study, document and acknowledge her in a larger context as a versatile and inventive architect of the modern Indian era, in the same manner we document male architects.

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From L-R – Minocher Mistri (seated fourth from the left), D. W. Ditchburn, and Perin Mistri with the office staff of their architectural firm Ditchburn, Mistri and Bhedwar. Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.

Perin Mistri passed away in 1989. Tina remembers the words whispered to her by Ardeshir Bhiwandiwala (Perin’s husband) at the time – “She was an amazing woman. The world will never see the likes of her.”[40] As Perin effortlessly donned numerous skins as the first Indian woman architect, head of a prestigious firm, founder president of the Soroptimist Club, a passionate advocate for environmental issues, a music aficionado, a dedicated family person and many more, one can conclude that the statement was true.

Theertha Gangadharan for Art Deco Mumbai
Theertha is a researcher with a Master’s degree in History from the University of Mumbai. Her main research interests include the making of modern Bombay and its art, architectural and natural history.

References

Header image: Perin Mistri with her family – Perin standing in the centre with parents Baimai and Jamshedji Pestonji Mistri and brothers Minocher (left), Tehmurasp (centre) and Cawas (right). Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.
Thumbnail image: Perin’s photograph in a 1936 newspaper; Source: Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri

  1. The name ‘Bombay’ is used in this article to refer to the period before its name change to ‘Mumbai’ in 1995.
  1. Several sources call her ‘the first professionally qualified woman architect of India’ – the same is implied here by calling her the first woman architect of India. Some Indian newspaper articles also proclaim that she was the first woman architect in the whole of Asia.
  1. “M.J.P. Mistri – Descendant of Master Builders: An interview with Smita Gupta,” in Vistāra – The Architecture of India, Carmen Kagal, ed., Exhibition Catalogue, (Bombay: The Festival of India, 1986), 222-226.
  1. Zerbanoo Gifford, The golden thread : Asian experiences of post-Raj Britain, (London: Grafton Books, 1990), 31.
  1. “Perin Mistri,” The Hecar Foundation, n.d., accessed May 21, 2021, http://www.thehecarfoundation.org/perinmistri.html
  1. Perin Mistri: The Protégé, the Partner and the Parent, an exclusive with Dosu Bhiwandiwalla” Design Stri, December 4, 2020, https://www.designstri.com/post/perin-mistri-the-prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9-the-partner-and-the-parent
  1. R.P. Chatterjee, ed., and K.R. Khosla, comp., His Imperial Majesty King George V. and the Princes of India and the Indian Empire (Historical- Biographical), (Lahore: The Imperial Publishing Co., 1937), 171.
  1. Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi, Photograph of Shilpa Sagar, Sir J.J. College of Architecture Literary & Debating Society journal, 1932, from the archives of the Sir J.J. College of Architecture (Mumbai, India) in Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi and Rachel Lee, “On Margins: Feminist Architectural Histories of Migration,” ABE Journal [Online], 16(2019), accessed on May 24, 2021, https://doi.org/10.4000/abe.7126 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
  1. The Hecar Foundation,“Perin Mistri.” 
  1. Mary N. Woods, Women architects in India histories of practice in Mumbai and Delhi (London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018), 17-21.
  1. P.P. Kapadia, “Presidential Address,” Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects, IV, no.1(July 1937) : 258.
  1. Claude Batley, “This new architecture,” Journal of the Indian Institute of Architects, I, no. 3 (January 1935): 104.
  1. Ibid.
  1. According to Prof Mary Woods, Perin could’ve likely had domestic workers to maintain the household, and was thus aware and sympathetic towards their difficulties. “Class historically has been an issue with the architectural profession. The definition of the professional historically was as a “gentleman” removed from the marketplace.” Mary Woods, email message to author, May 3, 2021.
  1. Smita Dalvi, “Editorial,” Tekton, 5, no. 1 (March 2018), https://tekton.mes.ac.in/issues/volume-5-issue-1/editorial/
  1. Woods, Women architects in India, 25.
  1. Design Stri, “Perin Mistri: The Protégé.”
  1. Woods, Women architects in India, 25-27.
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.
  1. Design Stri, “Perin Mistri: The Protégé.”
  1. Ibid. Though it is not mentioned which Metro cinema building she contributed to, it can be assumed that it is the one in Mumbai which was designed by her firm Ditchburn, Mistri & Bhedwar. 
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.
  1. A.T., “IN THE PUBLIC EYE – MRS. BHIWANDIWALA : Club For ‘The Best,’” Onlooker, June 1971, XXXIII, no. 5, Collection of Ar. Minocher J. P. Mistri.
  1. Ibid. Perin explains that Soroptimism comes from ‘sister’ and ‘the best;’the club  had women from executive positions in their fields. One of the activities that Perin performed as the president was inaugurating a new wing of Carmel Convent school, Bombay in 1977, as given in their ‘60 years celebration’ book – https://anyflip.com/bmqa/wxtp/basic/51-100.
  1. Madhavi Desai, Women architects and modernism in India narratives and contemporary practices (London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019), 48, Google Books.
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.
  1. Madhavi Desai, Women architects and modernism, 51. A ‘Perin J Mistri’ is also listed as a member of a wildlife preservation committee in Bombay Natural History Society Journals in the 1940s and 50s, which could possibly refer to the architect.
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.
  1. Ibid.
  1. Design Stri, “Perin Mistri: The Protégé.”
  1. Woods, Women architects in India, 27-28
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.
  1. Ibid.
  1. Ibid.
  1. Jesse S Palsetia,The Parsis of India: Preservation of Identity in Bombay City, (Leiden; Boston; Koln : Brill, 2001), 150.
  1. According to Mary Woods, the lectures at J.J. School of Art were conducted in English which only students from Westernised families could understand. Architect Pravina Mehta would later insist that their studio programs be written in Gujarati and Marathi, when she taught there.  Mary N. Woods, Women architects in India histories of practice in Mumbai and Delhi, (London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018), 25.
  1. Minnette De Silva, The Life & Work of an Asian Woman Architect, (Colombo: Smart Media Productions, 1998), 59, Google Books.
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.
  1. Reema Gehi,“Building upon a legacy,” Mumbai Mirror, November 3, 2019, https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/others/sunday-read/building-upon-a-legacy/articleshow/71872536.cms
  1. Tina Sutaria, email to Art Deco Mumbai Trust, May 5, 2021.

2021 Global Virtual Graduation Ceremony

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With graduation ceremonies being cancelled or turned virtual around the world, students have not been able to truly celebrate their well-deserved achievements. As a community, please join us to celebrate the Zoroastrian youth triumphs from around the world at the first Global Zoroastrian Graduation Ceremony.

 July 18th 2021

8:00 AM Pacific | 11:00 AM Eastern| 3:00 PM  UK | 8:00 PM Pakistan | 8:30 PM India | 7:30 PM Iran | 11:00 PM Hong Kong, Singapore and Perth Australia

The ceremony will feature Zoroastrian youth speakers, the procession of graduates, followed by a Humbandagi.

The online graduation shall be graced by eminent Zarathushtis

  • Jimmy Mistry
  • Dr. Mickey Mehta
  • Dr. Karishma Koka

Through this event, graduates will be able to celebrate their feats with our worldwide Zoroastrian community.

We look forward to seeing you at this special event!

ZOOM Call Details

Topic: Global Virtual Graduation
Time: Jul 18, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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