Even at 82 years old, famed maestro Zubin Mehta conducts with the same vigor and passion that have brought him worldwide fame. Last year, Mehta announced his plans to step down as music director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he’s held for 40 years. He sat down with CBS News’ Jamie Wax ahead of one of his final U.S. concerts with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to talk about his six decades of conducting. 

Published by CBS News

Zubin Mehta was born into music. His father was the founder of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in India. 

“I heard music in my home before I spoke. So I don’t remember whether I sang first or spoke Gujarati, my mother tongue. And I went to a Jesuit school in Bombay where all the teachers and priests were fans of my father. So they would ask me for tickets for his concerts,” Mehta said. 

Mehta left Bombay to study music in Vienna and by just 21, was filling in for maestros around the world. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s he would conduct the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 1980s, he served as music director for the New York Philharmonic and was named music director for life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Despite posts all over the globe, he said he never experienced prejudice for being from India.

“One of the great things about playing with Zubin is that you’re not just playing with somebody who is a wonderful conductor, but you’re also playing with somebody who is a personal friend,” said internationally-acclaimed violinist Itzhak Perlman. who first played for Mehta in his early 20s. “I’ve never seen such energy before.”

Perlman estimates he’s played for Mehta more than any conductor in the world.

“You know, there are many conductors who are fine musicians and so on and so forth, but that little – that little element which is the communication between the musician and the conductor sometimes is missing… And then you have somebody like Zubin, you know, he goes in and he just goes like that and it catches you.”

Over his six decades of conducting, Mehta has received accolades ranging from a Kennedy Center honor to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But his proudest accomplishment has to do with his time at the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he held for 40 years.

“The Israel Philharmonic is like no other orchestra today in the sense that they live through crises, political crises, every few years. And it makes no difference to their work schedule. Public comes, as usual. The last crisis we had was when Hamas would throw regular bombs on Tel Aviv… Not one concert was canceled. Public came every evening. And when sirens went off, we stopped, then we went on again.”

Mehta remembers taking the orchestra to India when diplomatic relations between the countries were restored 25 years after the 1967 war.

“With Itzhak Perlman. The orchestra played without any fee, nor did Itzhak receive anything. And for me, it was a kind of culmination to take my orchestra to my country,” Mehta said.

Mehta is a living example of music’s unique capacity to bring countries and cultures together. 

“Don’t ever underestimate the power of music in general. I’m not talking only of classical music… People are listening to music all the time and it does make a big difference. Just imagine a world without all this. Impossible.” 

The eminent Vada Dasturji, Dasturji Dr Firoze Kotwal enthralled the packed hall at the Empowering Powering Mobeds program on July 22, 2018 with his talk on the highly technical aspects of the Muktads.

He commenced his speech with a rider that the aim was an ” attempt to give knowledge and not issue any kind of fatwa.” The choice to use this knowledge judiciously was left to the listener.

His humility comes as a breath of fresh air, after the stifling exhortations of self styled religious experts.

Direct Youtube Link

Present today only in hundreds, the Parsi community of Pakistan, especially in Karachi, yearn for positive change and an inclusive atmosphere for all minorities. This hope stems from the upcoming general elections.

Time and again, members of the community have confessed to fleeing abroad in the face of the ‘insecurities’ that minorities face in the country. When asked what they look for in a candidate, the majority look for a leader who bears the rights of minorities in mind and can make changes to the current political fabric.

The community looks for someone who can not only commit themselves to turn the country into a secure place for those who currently live under the fear of discrimination, but can actually live up to them. The Parsi community awaits change and recognition of minorities and their rights in political manifestos.

Article by Muneeba Anwar Khan, tribune.com.pk

Jamshed Patel, 51, told The Express Tribune, “As a minority, we feel insecure and threatened most of the time. Although I don’t intend to leave Karachi ever, we are sending our kids abroad where they don’t face discrimination.”

Auzita Bhurucha, 19, was of the opinion that someone “who is against the prosecution of minorities and will allow them the freedom to practice their religion freely” is ideally what a candidate should have in their manifesto.

Dr Naheed Malbari shared that multiple community members vote and always participate in the electoral process. “My grandmother and members of our family and community vote each time. We pull up a wheelchair for her and we all go together to vote.”

Jazmine Vania, 22, said that her faith in the electoral process has diminished. “Of course, we prefer voting. But there are no fair elections, so mostly people don’t go to vote,” she said. “Personally, I do not feel insecure. It is just that we are dwindling in numbers and ours is a small community, so the chances of our voices being heard are fairly low.”

Journalist Dilaira Mondegarian told The Express Tribune that she only voted to see new faces in the government and end the dynasty-style rule which is in vogue of all the political parties. “Although they all had half-baked, blinkered manifestos, I’m voting for ‘change’.”

Mondegarian remains doubtful about her vote this year. In 2013, she recalls that her husband went to the polling station but his vote had already been cast. He was told, “our party provides protection to the Zoroastrian community”. This time, however, nobody came knocking on our door for votes, she added.

“This is also largely because the Zoroastrian population in this country is too small to affect change anymore,” she added.

With the community still undecided about the elections’ outcome, many said that handing the reigns of the “democratic show” to a new entrant may positively impact society. None of the former leaders lived up to their promises or our expectations, members of the community added.

The Parsi community is hoping for political parties to change direction and come out with an inclusive manifesto that takes care of the rights and protection of everyone. With a dire need for change in the country, much of the hope lost is owing to the long history of promises unkempt and forgotten.

We are happy to bring you an exclusive Introduction to Movement Therapy by our good friend Dilshad Patel

To become the best possible version of ourselves; we must develop a grounded understanding of self-concept and self-awareness. What better way to discover our humanness, strengths, weaknesses, the good and the bad than by effectively using the amazing personal resources available to the body, mind and spirit.

Movement is a non-verbal statement of a person’s feelings, energy and desire to communicate something from within. The mind and body are connected and they work as a unit of reciprocity. There is a direct co-relation between posture, our cognition as well as our mental and emotional states. For example, if we constantly indulge in negative thoughts, they influence our feelings and emotions. This in turn influences our posture, movement and actions. Therefore it is important that we move because motion influences our body image and this leads from a change in body image to a change in our attitudes as well as our perception of self.

Let’s take a look at a case of depression. For example, if a person is depressed, the physical manifestation is that the spine droops downwards and perhaps the chest concaves inward. Due to this postural change, the breath becomes shallow and constricted. Psychologically, there is a feeling of being low, emotionally the person feels down and sad, cognition might be impaired due to anxiety and confused thoughts. Also more often than not, people with depression are usually socially withdrawn.

In such cases, the Movement Therapist may add subtle changes to the existing movements and posture of the client’s body. The therapist mirrors the client’s movements and meets them where they are at physically, emotionally and mentally using their bodies. It is during this movement dialogue, that a process of empathic reflection takes place and the patient begins to feel heard and understood.

The Movement Therapist may then make subtle changes to the existing movement patterns. Thus effectively creating changes in the way the person perceives themselves and their depression. Patterns may be repeated, new ways of moving may emerge and connections to the client’s behavior and relationships are uncovered.

So for example in the case of depression, the therapist would perhaps straighten out her back and shoulders, and engage the depressed client in the movement experience. When there are more options in a person’s movement world it equates to more options in his thinking ability and therefore changes in his behavior.

Although positive change and success may be subtle, when a person’s posture is upright, the breath changes from shallow to deep, the shoulders become extended backwards and the head, neck and back rise upwards.

It should be noted that a person cannot have a slouched posture when the shoulders are retracted backwards at the same time. The aim of Movement Therapy is to engage the body, and release the mind from unwanted thoughts as the movement takes over making the participant mindful of just being in the present moment in an active and organically induced meditative state.

These non-verbal cues that come from the client are further interpreted and the therapist then responds using new movements to create success in the body and psyche. In the most ideal scenario, the inner thoughts of the client unfold through a cathartic process.

Although this dyad of straightening back and shoulders creates incremental success for the client, imagine if there is change by enhancing every aspect of the client’s movement sequence creating a whole new way of functioning for the person.

Thus, movement therapy assists in releasing stress, strengthens the mind-body connection and enhances mental, physical and emotional well-being.

Similarly, we all know that when a person is angry, the movement pattern is to walk in a rigid, direct, and forceful manner. A person’s gestures, posture, facial expressions and the muscles in the upper and lower extremities of the body become tense. Breath is shallow, held in and restricted.

People express this anger in one of two ways: inwardly or outwardly. Deep hurt, fear, loss of some sort or frustration in turn manifest as anger. Some people implode inwards (suppress their anger) and some explode outwards.

Movement aids in physical release and the movement therapists thus provides the angry person a safe place to express and acknowledge the anger, as well as pent up emotions, and have an outlet for release of these emotions.

Movement Therapists work primarily on the psychological or mental issues that contribute to a certain condition, injury or illness using movement interventions.

Let’s take a look at how Movement Therapy is different from yoga or dance or Tai Chi. Yoga makes use of definitive postures or asanas which help the person in improving health. So to benefit completely, the person has to attain those specific postures. Therapy means to repair or build. It means working through a specific issue by delving deep and understanding the need for repair. Although yoga, dance and Tai Chi have healing properties and therapeutic value, they are very different from Movement Therapy. Yoga, dance and Tai Chi employ standardized techniques and aesthetic considerations that form their cores of their formal education. Learning yoga, dance, and Tai Chi have numerous benefits as do running, going to the gym or even playing a sport. All three disciplines prescribe definitive movements which enhance overall well-being.

However, dance, yoga and Tai Chi do not employ specialized psychotherapeutic interventions or treatment methods. Movement Therapy does and it is psychotherapy using movement.

MFH- Movement for Healthcare-Bringing the Arts-in-Healthcare

In today’s times, there seems to be a trend of people who are at a standstill point in their lives, trying to find motivation, or achieve inner peace and happiness. With Movement for Healthcare (MFH), people find solutions by moving in order to find themselves and the beauty within their lives once again.

The program is an introduction to the basic principles, techniques and methods of effectively using movement concepts with therapeutic value, for enhancing the over-all well-being of a person.

The main goal of this initiative is to improve the health related quality of life by enhancing an individual’s psychological and physical well-being through some fun-filled therapeutic dance and movement sessions.

Many prestigious hospitals in India have adopted the MFH Program.

Dilshad has worked with patients having low-lung capacity at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai, India and I have conducted various educational seminars and programs for patients with Parkinson’s disease at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, stroke patients at H.N. Reliance Hospital as well as for heart patients at Asian Heart Institute.

Her intention is to build a community of MFH practitioners and equip more people so that they can use movement for better health within the hospital setting at various hospitals in Mumbai and the US.

MFH has a mission to deliver the immense benefits of Movement Therapy to the maximum number of patients with varying conditions, injuries, and illnesses.

Movement Therapy For Sports (MTS®)

MTS®- is a unique performance optimization tool – MTS®- Movement Therapy for Sports, a training method to work with athletes and sports teams innovated by Movement Therapist Dilshad Patel.

MTS®- Movement Therapy for Sports uses a scientific approach that enables athletes and sports teams to fully maximize their potential. It is a motivational tool and a training method that uses movement to tap into the psyche, empowering individual athletes, as well as sports teams, to find inner peace, release stress, gain strength and stability, improve their energy levels and create new internal pathways to achieve mind-body synchrony. ©

While in India, her program MTS®- Movement Therapy for Sports has been adopted by elite sports teams like the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier Cricket League and the Canadian National cricket team during their training for the 2011 World Cup. MTS® has also been adopted by professional golfer Sharmila Nicollet. She is the youngest Indian to qualify for the Ladies European Tour and has even played an exhibition match with Tiger Woods. She has recently been appointed by the ‘GoSports Foundation’ to train India’s current no. 1 Rhythmic Gymnast-Meghana Gundlapally for the World Cup preparation.

When would MTS® help a cricketer or a golfer?

A seasoned and experienced cricketer already has an innate potential and capability to perform well. However, sometimes there might be some hidden issues and mental and physical hurdles that the player might be facing which contribute to poor performance.

MTS®-Movement therapy for sports then addresses those hidden issues and thoughts that may be the reason behind the unfavorable outcome in his game.

Why is MTS® important for cricket?

Cricket requires synchronicity of movement from the players, both in the context of fellow team members and in context to oneself. It is imperative that a cricketer becomes proficient at intuitively understanding teammates’ body language, his own in relation to them, and in relation to the ball. Given this dual purpose inherent in the sport, it becomes all the more important for the mind-body connectivity to be strengthened.

For example:

· The ability to catch a ball traveling at a high speed would be affected by one’s ability to focus visually, correctly gauge the ball’s spatial orientation, the timing of arriving under the ball at the right time and in being able to execute the movement without injury to self.

· In sports where precise execution of certain movements is crucial to success, analyzing this process becomes necessary. By observing the movements of a player, the MTS®-Movement therapy for sports professional can identify, diagnose and as a consequence, offer a solution to remove mental and physical barriers that impede movement. Every part of the brain and body is activated through MTS®-Movement therapy for sports.

Just as sports can be rewarding, it can also be stressful. The athlete faces numerous sources of stress that could range from competitive situations, relationships with support staff, fear of performance failure, personal and family stress, social support, isolation and many other external stressors. These stressors inevitably impact the cognitive, emotional, physiological, behavioral, mental, physical and social well-being of the player. The perception of stress can greatly impact the coping method and thus impact the performance of the athlete.

Understanding the source of stress results in addressing it; which in turn helps the athlete cope with stress better. The player is encouraged to find solutions within his personal resources organically, through movement.

In conclusion, MTS®-Movement therapy for sports professionals play a significant role in helping the player to go beyond externalizing and thinking about his or her difficulties. To externalize is not to see oneself as the source of one’s own experiential process but rather as outside of it. To think implies that the athlete has a cognitive or an abstract understanding of his or her difficulties yet lacks an emotional involvement with them. Therefore MTS®-Movement therapy for sports professionals’ help athletes by going deep into the subconscious mind, while in action and thus address those specific issues that are unique to the player, which then helps them to find solutions to issues from within, moment by moment as the movement occurs.

MTS®-Movement therapy for sports professionals analyze these movement patterns to bring about desirable change that impact the player both physically and mentally.

About Dilshad: Dilshad has intensively worked as a Movement Therapist’ both in India and in the US. She trained at the Harkness Dance Center-(approved coursework by the ADTA) in New York. She has collaborated with a well-renowned Houston based company-Rhythm-India, through which she runs both her programs. Some of her noted work includes ‘Movement Therapy for Sports’ with the Indian IPL Team Rajasthan Royals (Seasons 3 and 5) and the Canadian Cricket team (during the ICC World Cup 2011).  She has introduced Movement Therapy to hospitals in India with a view to enhance the psychological and physical well-being of patient populations, through her program, Movement for Healthcare (MFH). Her life’s purpose is to positively impact the health related quality of life by spreading the joy of movement, exercise and dance.

DIlshad’s Story

Her journey in dance and movement started at the age of 4 – she studied Indian classical and Indo-fusion dance at the prestigious Nateshwar Nritya Kala Mandir with the guidance of her beloved Guru Chayya Khanvate in Mumbai, India. At the age of 18, she became an instructor and member of the dance company at Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA)-one of India’s foremost Bollywood and Indo-fusion dance institutes. Through SDIPA, she had the wonderful experience of travelling and performing all over the world. In her 8 years with them, she taught approximately five thousand students of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities.

But before this happened for her, at age 18, she didn’t have much direction towards pursuing the right career path. She decided to take a sabbatical from education and found herself at cross roads. Not once did it occur to her, or her parents, that joining a dance class would have such a positive life changing impact on Dilshad’s life.

That’s when she found her true calling as a member of a dance company. She was getting into shape, making new friends, experiencing a healthy level of competition, and most importantly – getting true encouragement from her peers and mentors. Dance and exercise taught her patience, resilience, and discipline.

Teaching dance made her realize she wanted to do more with exercise and movement. Observing the positive changes that were taking place in the children and adults who came from extremely stressful environments and varied backgrounds made her realize the importance, benefits and value of movement and exercise. She began a process of self-discovery through dance.

While at the SDIPA institute, she had the exposure and opportunity to teach people from underprivileged backgrounds and people with physical disabilities, which motivated her to pursue education in dance/movement therapy.

She left the SDIPA institute in 2005, went back to school and completed her Bachelors degree in psychology and philosophy. She then went on to pursue graduate level education in dance/movement therapy via the alternate route –( approved coursework by the ADTA ) from the 92^nd Street Y, Harkness Dance Center, New York.

While pursuing the alternate route via a three year summer intensive program, she  was able to carry out her work in India, with the guidance of supervisors, which is when she started conducting sessions for various demographics-corporates, patient populations, athletes and prisoners to name a few.

In 2010, she founded an organization that pioneered the use of movement therapy for professional athletes as well as patient populations in India through her programs Movement Therapy for Sports (MTS®) and Movement for Healthcare (MFH).

She currently lives in Houston, where she has collaborated with a well-renowned company called Rhythm-India, through which she runs both her training programs. She continues to carry out her work in India, for a few months in the year. She is also pursuing her Masters in Exercise Science/ Physiology from the University of Houston, Clear Lake.

Dilshad has presented her work as an international panelist at the 42^nd ADTA-American Dance Therapy Association’s annual global international conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2012. This was evidenced in an article that was published in the AJDT-American Journal of Dance Therapy documenting her work in India.

Unless you have been living in a cave, you know the rock band, Queen. For the last forty years, their music has been played at sports stadiums, movies, radio stations, and personal music players. The new film Bohemian Rhapdosy will explore the creation of the band and the life of Freddie Mercury. The songwriter and creator of Queen led an intensely private life. He rarely spoke about his upbringing.

Article by Corey Barnett | World Religion News

AA is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Singer-Songwriter Was More religious Than You Think

What few people do not know about Mercury was that he was born in East Africa and was raised in a strict Zoroastrian family. Zoroastrianism is a faith primarily practiced by Parsees whose ancestors are from ancient Persia, now known as Iran. Zoroastrian is considered by some religious experts to be the oldest monotheistic religion. Zoroastrians first conceived concepts like Heaven and Hell and an eternal struggle between good and evil. The religion is relatively small. There are less than 500,000 followers.

Freddie Mercury did not actively practice Zoroastrianism for most of his life. But he did still connect with his faith. He once remarked to an interviewer “I’ll always walk around like a Persian popinjay and no one’s gonna stop me, honey!” Zoroastrian priests did his funeral ceremonies. Some rock music historians have linked his operatic themes of Bohemian Rhapsody to the religious themes of Zoroastrianism. Freddie Mercury’s sister Kashimira told reporters that “I think what [Freddie’s] Zoroastrian faith gave him was to work hard, to persevere, and to follow your dreams.”

The movie will be released on November 2, 2018.

This is the text of a talk given by Berjis Desai at the recently concluded 11th World Zoroastrian Congress in Perth Australia. Berjis is an eminent legal counsel, journalist and columnist residing in Mumbai India. The text of the article is published with his permission.

1. WHAT IS INTELLIGENT CONSERVATISM

1.1 While the Zoroastrian faith is not in any imminent danger of dying, the Parsis, as a racial group, face an existential threat. This presentation sets out as to how this threat can be diminished, if issues, dividing the community, are intelligently resolved. This applies predominantly to the Parsis in Mumbai and other parts of India, and to a limited extent, to the diasporas around the world.

1.2 These issues are: racial identity including adoption and conversion, admission into places of worship; disposal of the dead, dealing with non-Parsi Zoroastrians, managing community and philanthropy institutions and combating Indifference.

1.3 For those denying that Parsis face an existential threat, the following three statements are adequate. Our fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world. We have the highest number of bachelors and spinsters in the world. Our demographic decline rate of 12% per decade is one of the highest in the world. The existential threat, is, therefore, real and accelerating.

1.4 For more than four decades, I have been one of those arguing for a more ‘open door’ approach. However, we have now reached an inflection point in the struggle to survive. Preserving our uniqueness is critical. Maintaining our distinct identity is critical. We no longer have the luxury to fight each other. Intelligent conservatism is, therefore, the need of the hour.

1.5 What then is Intelligent conservatism? Avoiding extreme views on either side of the socio- religious spectrum; capturing the common middle ground upon which all but a few agree – that is, Intelligent conservatism. Intelligent conservatism may not always be politically correct or doctrinally pure. It is simply pragmatic. Its sole objective is to increase our numbers without losing our uniqueness. We must avoid offending the sensibilities of a large number of Parsis, and thereby, minimise the differences within the community. If we achieve this, we have a decent chance to survive. This presentation explores as to how we can make Intelligent conservatism, the consensus view.

2. RACIAL IDENTITY

2.1 Around 1900 onwards, the great religious controversies began. The Bombay High Court delivered its judgement in November, 1908 in Petit V. Jeejeebhoy, and the Privy Council in 1925 in Bella V. Saklat. Stripped of legalese, these cases dealt with the issue of who was to be regarded as a Parsi, in situations involving conversion, interfaith marriage and adoption. Neither judgement conclusively settled this prime controversy, and 110 years later, this continues to agitate minds.

2.2 The undisputed legal position is that (1) the child of a non-Parsi father and a Parsi mother is not a Parsi; (2) A non- Parsi cannot be converted to be a Parsi; and (3) adoption of a non Parsi child by Parsi parents does not make such child a Parsi. The reformists grudgingly accept the above legal position but are increasingly making efforts to change it.

Interfaith married women

2.3 It is beyond any doubt that a Parsi woman, who marries a non-Parsi, continues to be a Parsi Zoroastrian; unless it can be conclusively established that she has undergone conversion to her husband’s faith. If such a woman asserts that she continues to be a Zoroastrian, the mere fact that she is known by a different name after marriage (as is the custom amongst many Hindus) or that she is a part of her husband’s Hindu Undivided Family for taxation purposes, does not imply that she has forsaken her religion. Hence, the Goolrukh Gupta case is precisely the kind of litigation, which is damaging and unnecessary. Cash starved community charities can ill afford legal costs; rights of a woman being violated makes for bad publicity in the secular press and diminishes community goodwill; more importantly, it creates bitterness and increases the divide in the community. Let us therefore not agitate any such well-established legal position.

2.4 On the other hand, as the Fiddler on the Roof would put it, the litigation recently filed in the Calcutta High Court to assert that a navjoted child of a Parsi mother and a non-Parsi father, is, a Parsi, is to be welcomed for the following reasons.

2.5 Liberals are confident that post the Constitution of India with Article 14 guaranteeing equality between the sexes as a fundamental right, Petit and Bela are bound to be overturned. The traditionalists are equally sanguine that the Courts will regard the intention of the founder of a fire temple trust as paramount; and no such founder, a hundred years ago or more, would have ever wanted his Agiyari to be open to children of non-Parsi fathers. Constitution of India and Declaration of Human Rights are irrelevant; ultimately what matters is the interpretation of the Agiyari trust deed. The right to religious freedom is also a fundamental right and every religious minority has the right to regulate the entry of outsiders into their places of worship. There is considerable merit in both sides of the argument. However, we require a conclusive determination of this issue by the Supreme Court. It is highly likely that the Calcutta case will ultimately provide this determination. Both sides must accept such determination gracefully and then bury this controversy, once and for all.

2.6 Purely from the perspective of Intelligent Conservatism and regardless of one’s views on ethnic purity and the like, we must hope that the liberal view is upheld. It will not result in every such child becoming a Parsi. However, it will certainly prevent the loss of many Parsis. Presently, too many Parsis are being lost, on this

account. Unable to bring up their children as Parsis, interfaith married Parsi mothers become indifferent to their religious and communal identity. Many young Parsis are also repulsed by what they regard as unjustified discrimination; and start disregarding themselves as Parsis. In this battle, we cannot afford to lose a single Parsi. Every person who is thus lost also forecloses the possibility of his child being brought up as a Parsi. We require warriors in this battle. A liberal interpretation will result in the addition of many such invigorated and enthused warriors. Considering that the trend of Parsi women marrying interfaith is dramatically accelerating, this is the single biggest threat to our survival. The only way to eliminate it, is, to regard such children as Parsis.

3. OUTRIGHT CONVERSION

Will this open the flood gates for non-Parsis to swamp us? Will this encourage the heretics to indulge in outright conversion – even if neither parent is a Parsi? The answer is an emphatic No. It is almost impossible to contemplate any Court in India upholding the validity of any such naked conversion. Intelligent conservatism dictates that we do not require any Joseph Petersons or Russians being ordained as priests. The Prophet may have ‘enjoined conversion’, as the Court observed. However, in the present situation, it is suicidal to advocate or encourage outright conversion. The image of marauding hordes annihilating our unique identity is a nightmare, which we cannot even contemplate. Custom of over a thousand years has now sanctified into law, that Parsis do not, cannot, and will not, convert.

4. ADOPTION

What one cannot do directly, cannot be done indirectly. Therefore, it follows that Parsis adopting a non-Parsi child will not make such a child a Parsi. Presently, there is no legislation which enables Parsis to adopt. A Parsi is, therefore, presently unable to legally adopt. We should therefore, work towards enacting a law which permits Parsis to validly adopt a Parsi child; but not a non-Parsi child. This may, at first blush, sound politically incorrect and offensive. However, adoption cannot be used as a device for outright conversion. If a Parsi is permitted to adopt a non-Parsi child, over a period of time, evidence will blur about whether such a child was born a Parsi or not; and result in indirect conversion, by the backdoor. Liberals may contend that such adoption will be rare and ought to be permitted. However, history is replete with instances where the entry of a single finger has managed to bring down a giant barricade. If we cannot afford outright conversion, we also cannot have adoption of a non-Parsi child.

5. ENTRY INTO PLACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP

5.1 A similar balanced approach is required on the issue of non-Parsis entering a place of religious worship.

5.2 It is gravely offensive to prohibit non-Parsis from viewing the face of our dead. This is neither a religious dictate nor any time sanctified custom. Only in the last 150 years or so, this practice arose in the aftermath of Parsi Muslim riots in Bombay. Obviously, the justification is long gone. It is emotionally disturbing to the Kith and Kin of the deceased and also results in a loss of goodwill among fellow communities. Many opt to be cremated for this reason. It is time that we discontinue this obnoxious practice.

5.3 At the same time, we ought to banish the thought in some liberal minds, which wants free entry of non-Parsis into our fire temples. Firstly, it would be going against the express wishes of the founder of the fire temple to restrict entry only to Parsis; and is unlikely to be upheld by a Court of law. In any event, it would be disastrous to even flirt with this idea. Can you imagine a serpentine queue from the Western Express Highway upto Udvada village to worship the Iranshah? The turmoil and damage it would unleash is simply unthinkable. A majority of practicing Zoroastrians do believe that the entry of a non Parsi into a consecrated fire temple is against the Scriptures and will diminish the protective power of the enthroned Fire. Once again, Intelligent conservatism demands that we preserve and cherish the environs of our fire temples. Reasons of expediency, hurting religious sentiment, fear of being overrun and ritualistic purity – all demand that we reserve our fire temples only for Parsis. Prayer halls housing a non-consecrated fire is not an Agiyary. Such halls being open to all, is, therefore, a non-issue.

6. DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD

6.1 Alternative modes of disposal other than Dokhmenashini are now freely available. However, the dilemma persists in the mind of many a practising Zoroastrian, who prefers to be cremated but yet wants to exit from the serene, soothing and soul satisfying environs of the Towers of Silence. It is enormously difficult to recreate the ambience and facilities of the Towers, in any prayer hall. Is a modus vivendi possible? Installing a crematoria or a burial ground in the Towers is presently not a feasible option. Apart from serious legal and environmental difficulties, such a move will stir a hornet’s nest; and, therefore, has to be shelved.

6.2 Since it is virtually impossible to revive the vultures, it is time to abandon hare brained schemes to create an aviary for breeding vultures; and instead focus on technologically improving the efficiency of solar panels, to prevent undisposed remains for a long time and its consequent ill-effects.

6.3 So far as post-funeral prayers are concerned, we must establish a level playing field, to the extent practicable, whether the disposal is by cremation, burial or the Towers. Since permitting prayers in the Towers itself for those being cremated. Is a contentious issue, let us stop agitating it. However, so far as the fire temples are concerned, even presently, most permit prayers for the crematees barring the first four days. There is no justification for carving out such a period. Eliminating such minor sore points will help us focus our energies on critical issues. It will also generate a ‘feel good’ factor in the community.

7. HARNESSING NON-PARSI ZOROASTRIANS

As an alternative to other strategies for survival, non-Parsi Zoroastrians (NPZ) are our Plan B. In keeping with the principles of Intelligent Conservatism, NPZ cannot enjoy the same rights as Parsis. However, as our co-religionists, it is imperative that we have sustained interaction with them. An occasional World Congress is obviously not sufficient. Large charities have to take a lead, and finance youth exchange programmes between Parsis and the NPZ. This will result in understanding each other’s cultural ecosystems. The rapidly accelerating trend of interfaith marriages is unlikely to reverse. Isn’t it better, therefore, if there are same faith marriages between Parsis and the NPZ? The children of such marriages would be regarded as Parsis (assuming parity between the sexes is achieved in the near future). Let us not forget that NPZ are our co-religionists. Gradually, letting them enter our fold, through marriages, will be a tremendous booster – demographically, culturally and even from a viewpoint of genetics. It may be reiterated that one is not advocating conversion of the NPZ as Parsis, but a gradual and slow assimilation through marriages.

8. MANAGING COMMUNITY & CHARITY RESOURCES

8.1 We do not even recognize that we are facing a grave existential crisis. Instead of optimizing our vast financial and intellectual resources to evolve a strategy to survive; we are behaving like crabs, viciously trying to bring each other down. Give us 9 Parsis and there will be 10 opinions now sounds like a sick joke. In most places, our so-called leadership is intellectually bankrupt. A handful of people control community institutions, as if it was their backyard. In recent times, dialogue and debate have degenerated into diatribe. Differences are mostly personality based and not issue based. This attitude has to be reversed.

8.2 It is incorrect to blame the method by which these leaders are elected to office. Any method will throw up the same circus and the same bunch of not so comic performers. We can no longer afford to dismiss vicious internal dynamics by benignly terming it as usual Parsi politics. Repulsed by this infighting, and not being able to co-exist with nasty street fighters, the honest and the good, who wish to serve the community, shy away.

8.3 We must consider it our sacred duty to wisely select our leaders. We must not think in terms of loyalty’ or affiliation to a particular group or dominant individual but focus exclusively on the merits of the candidate – track record of service, integrity and ability to work harmoniously with others.

8.4 Another reason for this state of affairs is Indifference. An overwhelming number of Parsis are disinterested or totally indifferent to community affairs. Indifference is a deadly killer. It is a cancer on our community’s survival prospects. How do we combat this indifference? On this, hinges our survival.

9. COMBATING INDIFFERENCE

9.1 Firstly, let us bring down the tone of the debate and discussion on any dividing issue. We can no longer afford to be strident in our religious views or indulge in name calling. Strangely, both the traditionalists and the reformists are actually comrades in arms. They are both willing to contribute time and resources, as they are both interested in their community and in the Faith. The problem lies with the silent majority of Indifferents – whose only interest is availing benefits of community housing and community charity, and lining up, once in a while, to vote for a candidate propped up by one group or another. These Indifferents have to be convinced as to why it is their sacred duty to join as a soldier in this struggle.

9.2 We feel momentarily misty eyed when ‘Chhaiye Hume Zarthosti’ is played. We must feel misty eyed, every day, remembering the Herculean struggle to save the Holy Fire from being extinguished; the insurmountable odds against which we have not only survived but prospered; the aura of protection being constantly accorded by hundreds of Holy Fires around the world. Each of us has to be convinced that it is worthwhile to preserve and save Parsi culture – as an anthropological rarity, if nothing else. We have to stop feeling like a community. We have to start feeling like a Nation -develop legitimate pride in our unique value systems, beliefs and the way of life. Israel is the best example to emulate. In practical terms, it also means fending for each other, to the extent possible. If someone dubs it as communal bias, so be it. It is badly required. A few days ago, traditionalists and liberals joined forces to prevent the Mumbai Metro Project from structurally and spiritually injuring two of our Atash Behrams. Such episodes are galvanizing points to fire the imagination of the entire community and give a feeling of being unified. Increasingly, we will have to be alert and vigilant to fight for our community’s rights.

10. CONCLUSION

Intelligent Conservativism requires a change of mindset, all around. We have to get rid of our labels – orthodox or reformist; traditionalist or modernist; progressive or isolationist. We have to all become Conservationists with the single minded objective of ensuring survival without losing our unique identity. We must ignore our doctrinal differences and regard each other as a part of a crusading army, determined to wake up the Indifferents, from their slumber. As Time ticks away inexorably, we have to give up our ‘isms’ and our egos and even political correctness and adopt a pragmatic, sensible approach to forge a consensus on contentious issues.

New Book traces the history of Indians in Shanghai. The number of Indians living in Shanghai was possibly at its peak in 1936, at around 3,000. They were a mix of burly Sikh policemen and busy businessmen mostly from the Sindhi, Parsi and Bohra communities.

Article by Sutirtho Patranobis | Hindustan Times

A new book tracing the history of Indians who lived and worked in Shanghai in the middle of the 19th century could rekindle interest in a mostly forgotten chapter of ties between India and China.

The bilingual book, ‘Stray Birds On The Huangpu: A History Of Indians In Shanghai’, will be released this month. An anthology of 25 write-ups by 21 authors mostly from India, China, the US and Taiwan, the book trains an eye on the lives a disparate group of Indians led in Shanghai from around the time of the first Opium War in 1839.

“The Huangpu is the river that flows through Shanghai, it is the reason for Shanghai, the city’s liquid heart. For centuries, the river is how people reached and left the city, and we thought it the perfect symbol,” said Mishi Saran, a Hong Kong-based Indian author who has lived in Shanghai and is the author of the book, ‘Chasing The Monk’s Shadow: A Journey In The Footsteps of Xuanzang’.

The number of Indians living in Shanghai was possibly at its peak in 1936, according to records of the city’s municipal authority, which put the number at around 3,000. They were a mix of burly Sikh policemen and busy businessmen mostly from the Sindhi, Parsi and Bohra communities.

The same records show 700 to 800 Sikh policemen were on duty in Shanghai at the time, said Zhang Ke, professor of history at Fudan University, who edited the book along with Saran. “Today there are two kinds of remains: gurdwaras and houses built by successful Parsi businessmen,” Zhang said.

The book project was floated by the Indian consulate in Shanghai and the city’s Indian association approached Zhang in July 2017 to be a part of it. It helped that Zhang was researching China-India cultural ties in modern times.

“Indians played a very active role in the city life of Shanghai,” he said, adding the Parsis and Jews from Mumbai and Gujarat were successful businessmen and were influential. The book covers nearly 180 years of India-China history from the Opium Wars to the present day.

“It showcases a select bouquet of Shanghai-centric stories, aiming for selective depth rather than all-encompassing breadth. My favourite way to know Shanghai is through the stories of the people who walked its streets. As the book reveals, there were plenty of people of all stripes who came from India and did just that,” said Saran.

For many, reading the book could become one way of knowing how some Indians lived and made Shanghai their home so many years ago.

We are thrilled to share the news that our very dear friend Dr. Cyrus Farokh Hirjibehedin is a 2018 Royal Microscopical Society Medal recipient 

RMS Medal Series 2018 Winners Announced

After a difficult decision-making process, the RMS is proud to announce the winners for 2018, spanning all microscopy techniques and applications.

A new series of Medals was launched by Royal Microscopical Society in 2014 to coincide with its 175th anniversary. The series is designed to recognise and celebrate individuals who make outstanding contributions to the field of microscopy across both the life and physical sciences.

RMS Medal for Scanning Probe Microscopy for outstanding progress made in the field of scanning probe microscopy

Dr Cyrus F. Hirjibehedin from University College London

Cyrus F. Hirjibehedin has made outstanding contributions to the field of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) through his study of atomic-scale quantum nanostructures, revealing new insights into low-dimensional systems. As a Professor of Physics, Chemistry, and Nanotechnology at University College London (UCL), Dr Hirjibehedin applied SPM techniques to study how the local environment affects the properties of quantum nanostructures at the atomic scale. Results from his group are at the forefront of using SPM to study quantum phenomena at the interfaces of atomic layered materials, including novel Dirac materials like silicene as well as thin, polar insulators like copper nitride and sodium chloride. In recent papers in Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Communications, his group has explored how electronic coupling mediated by atomically thin insulators or molecular ligands can be used to tune the properties of a quantum spin system, enable novel forms of charge and spin transport (like magnetoresistance) through an atomic or molecular spin, and even induce bistable polarization in atomically-thin layers of rock salt.

Dr Hirjibehedin has also applied SPM techniques to gain new insights on low dimensional systems, ranging from defects in traditional semiconductors like silicon to novel layered materials like graphene and silicene, including recent work published in Advanced Materials showing that silicene domain boundaries are a novel template for molecular assembly. Very recently, Dr Hirjibehedin has moved from UCL, while retaining an Honorary Professorship, to join the Quantum Information and Integrated Nanosystems group to apply his expertise in the field of quantum computing.

The work that Dr Hirjibehedin has done at UCL built on his experience as a post-doctoral research assistant in the group of Dr Don Eigler and Dr Andreas Heinrich at the IBM Almaden Research Center. There, Dr Hirjibehedin pioneered the application of SPM to create spin systems with atomic precision and to perform inelastic electron tunnelling spectroscopy on them. This powerful way of accessing collective, low-energy spin excitations in artificially engineered nanostructures has revolutionised scanning probe studies of magnetism. Today, many world-leading groups utilise this uniquely powerful spectroscopic technique that is analogous to electron spin resonance yet applicable with single atom resolution – work that has received over 1000 citations – to study a broad range of quantum magnetic phenomena. At IBM, Dr Hirjibehedin also contributed to outstanding progress in the development of combined scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of atomic manipulation that directly measured the force needed to move an individual atom across a surface.

Internationally recognised as a leader in the SPM community, Dr Hirjibehedin has given invited talks at 58 conferences, including 2 plenary and 4 semi-plenary/keynote talks, as well as 89 invited seminars, including 10 colloquia, at universities, government research laboratories, and private companies around the world; he is also a member of the Programme Committee for the 2018 International Conference on Nanoscience + Technology (ICN+T), one of the preeminent conferences in the fields of scanning probe microscopy as well as nanoscience and nanotechnology. In the last few years, Dr Hirjibehedin has written “News & Views” articles in Nature Physics and Nature Nanotechnology to provide insights and perspectives on new work in the field of spinsensitive SPM, and was the guest co-editor for a special section in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter highlighting recent advances in SPM. From 2010-2017, he also served on the Scientific Committee for the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory in Zaragoza, Spain, providing external advice for their SPM group.

Dr Hirjibehedin has played a leading role in both the development of SPM techniques for the fabrication and spectroscopy of atomic-scale electronic and magnetic systems as well as in advancing the understanding of quantum nanostructures.

PhD candidate in Iranian Studies/History of Religions (2 positions of 1.0 FTE)

University of Leiden – Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion

Qualification type: PhD

Location: Leiden – Netherlands

Funding for: UK Students, EU Students, International Students

Funding amount: €31,624 to €40,430, £28,219.11 to £36,076.98 converted salary* gross per year.

Hours: Full Time

Placed on: 24th July 2018

Closes: 7th September 2018

Reference: 18-308

Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion is looking for a

PhD candidate in Iranian Studies/History of Religions (2 positions of 1.0 FTE)

Vacancy number 18-308

Project description

The PhD candidate will carry out research in the framework of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) funded project, Keepers of the Flame: The Reconfiguration of the Zoroastrian Priesthood in Sasanian and Early Islamic Times, led by Professor Albert de Jong. This project examines the history of the Zoroastrian priesthood in two periods of transformation: the Sasanian Empire and the early Islamic period. The project as a whole aims to answer the question how Zoroastrianism survived the loss of its empire. The project will study the build-up and transformation of the Zoroastrian priesthood in the context of innovative theorizing about longue durée history of religion, the transformation of Iranian identity, and the role of religious specialists.

The PhD candidate will join a research team that will consist of four members: two PhD candidates, one post-doctoral researcher, and the project leader. They will participate in regular team meetings and present their research findings at scholarly venues, as well as in field trips to Iran and India.

Key responsibilities

The two PhD candidates will each study a specified topic within the project focusing on a particular period:

Our Faculty/ Institute

The Faculty of Humanities is rich in expertise in fields such as philosophy, religious studies, history, art history, literature, linguistics and area studies covering nearly every region of the world. With its staff of 995, the faculty provides 27 master’s and 25 bachelor’s programmes for over 7,000 students based at locations in Leiden’s city centre and in buildings in The Hague.

The PhD students will hold a position in the Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion (LUCSoR). LUCSoR brings together expertise in specific religions with a comparative approach that draws on a variety of humanistic and social scientific disciplines. In an open discussion and with a fresh pair of eyes LUCSoR strives to understand religion in a changing world. LUCSoR works closely together with the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS).

Terms and conditions

We offer a fixed-term post from 1 December 2018 until 30 November 2022. The appointment will initially be for 12 months and if evaluated positively, with an extension of 3 years and must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis. The salary range for a PhD student is from €31,624 to €40,430 gross per year (pay-scale P) based on a full-time appointment.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.

Diversity

Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Information

Enquiries can be made to Professor Albert de Jong via email a.f.de.jong@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Applications

Applications must be received no later than 7 September 2018. Interviews, including short research presentations, are planned for the end of September 2018. Applications should be in English, and be submitted to vacatureslias@hum.leidenuniv.nl, with the items listed below included in this order in one single PDF document named ‘FAMILY NAME – Given name – 18-xxx’:

Founder of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla has been nominated from India for the prestigious Nobel Prize, said Dr Parvez Grant, Managing Trustee of the Ruby Hall Clinic. He was speaking at a felicitation event of Dr Cyrus Poonawalla who was recently conferred an honorary ‘Doctor of Humane Letters’ degree by the Massachusetts Medical School at Boston for his unparalleled work in the field of immunisation at the global level.

Speaking at the event on Sunday at Hotel JW Marriot Dr Cyrus Poonawalla said that after fighting against various diseases his next aim is to fight against rape cases and atrocities on women. “I will try to rope in legal help and fight such cases. Also, as people have advised me I will take help from non-government organisations for the cause,” added Poonawalla.

Veteran actor Kabir Bedi hosted the event and Dr Cyrus Poonawalla was felicitated by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar. Dr Parvez Grant said that Serum Institute has produced vaccines for measles, diphtheria, tetanus and other diseases and now  has developed a cure for rabies. “Rabishield, the cure for rabies was developed by Serum Institute and is said to cure rabies. Similarly, Serum Institute is working on a vaccine for curing Dengue1,” added Dr Grant

Speaking at the event, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar recollected memories of college days with Dr Cyrus Poonawalla. “He was good in extracurricular activities and has marked his name at the global level. Dr Poonawalla for the past 50 years has relentlessly driven the immunisation drive across the world and has been producing the most affordable vaccines in the world. Dr Poonawalla’s primary motto has been to produce life-saving drugs and vaccines and protect every child from diseases.”

While talking to reporters at the event, Dr Poonawalla said, “What caught the attention was the contribution that I and my Institute has made in providing vaccines to over 20 million underprivileged children in the world at a very low price. Serum Institute has been successful in bringing down the number of deaths of small children by providing vaccines at a lower price.” Dr Poonawalla said that his focus has always been to provide vaccines at a low cost. “I could have sold the vaccines at a higher cost. I have deprived my son of extra 10 billion US dollars but my son is stepping on the footsteps of his philanthropic mother and is giving to the society by opening schools, hospitals and cleanliness initiatives in the city,” added Dr Poonawalla.

Noted personalities such as Sakal Chairman Pratap Pawar and Sakal Managing Director Abhijit Pawar, actors Sanjay Dutt, Sanjay Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Chunky Pandey, businesswoman Anu Aga, businessman Atul Chordia, Adar Poonawalla and MLC Anil Bhosale were present for the event.

Dr Poonawalla was awarded the Padma Shri in 2005 for his contribution to medicine, and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by the number of doses produced and sold globally. Built on the philanthropic philosophy of easy accessibility and provision of protection for underprivileged children of the world. WHO-accredited S11 vaccines are used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunisation programmes, saving millions of lives throughout the world.

She is survived by her husband Feroze and daughters Khushcheher and Mahzeebar. The funeral took place on Monday.

Article by Pooja Pillai | Indian Express

Renowned ballet teacher Tushna Dallas, who counted among her students many of India’s leading contemporary dancers, passed away in Mumbai on Monday. She was 76.

Dallas had been ill for the past few months. She is survived by her husband Feroze and daughters Khushcheher and Mahzeebar. The funeral took place on Monday and the Uthamna ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday at Dungarwadi.

As the founder of the School of Classical Ballet and Western Dance, which was a first-of-its-kind in the country, Dallas was widely respected as a pioneer in ballet and other forms of western dance in India. Her journey began with a visit to the Ice Capades in the USA as a four year old. “She decided that she wanted be an ice-skater. But when her mother pointed out that there is no ice in Mumbai, she switched to ballet,” said Khushcheher. She picked up the basics of the dance form when she went to a boarding school in Kodaikanal, where she received instructions from a nun who was trained in ballet. She then went on to do a teacher training course at the London College of Dance and Drama, where she qualified in nine forms of dance, including ballet, ballroom dance and Latin American dance. She graduated in 1962.

Dallas began teaching ballet in Mumbai, with a batch of four students, in 1966 and soon established her dance school. Khushcheher, who trained under her mother before going on to the Royal Academy of Dance, joined the school as a teacher in 1993. Dallas herself remained active and for the past seven years she had been teaching at the Shiamak Davar Dance School.

“Anyone who is anyone in dance today, including Terence Lewis, Shiamak Davar, Ashley Lobo, trained under her at some point. Many students who learned from her, eventually established their own schools. My mother used to say that she had planted some seeds, which sprouted and blossomed into these flowers,” says Khushcheher.

When the Parsis first landed in India sometime in the 7th century to escape persecution in Iran, they promised King Jadhav Rana that they would sweeten the Indian community as sugar sweetens milk. That was nearly 1,200 years ago in Sanjan. If that was in Gujarat, in Secunderabad’s Sardar Patel Road, the Iranis have lent their own flavour to the ‘sugar and milk’ story. Instead of milk, the family has added sugar to carbonated water with a dash of vanilla, ginger, lemon, orange and a host of other flavours. They then mixed carbon dioxide to make it bubbly and fizzy.

First started by Jehangir Sheriar Irani, the Iranis have been into the business of aerated drinks since the 1940s under the brand name of ‘Spenses’ — perhaps the first and oldest aerated drink in the city. Nearly 80 years on, Jehangir Sheriar’s son Shahveer Irroni is taking forward what he calls the ‘Spensational’ legacy of his father. The Iranis supplied ‘Spenses’ to the Nizams, Golconda Army, Vazir Sultan Tobacco Company, Indian Airlines, HMT Bearings, ECIL and a host of other industries in the twin cities. Decades after its launch, the business has not lost its fizz, surviving even the onslaught of Colas. “I remember, a Saudi royal family took a carton of our aerated drink Spenses. The Nizams, even the Babu Khan family, patronised our product for years, especially during Eid,” Shahveer Irroni informs as he pores over tattered files to show some old correspondence with the Nizam’s government.

Shahaveer, who dropped the ‘A’ from Irani and added an ‘O’ with an extra ‘R’ for the sake of numerology, learnt the nuances of the aerated soft drink business first from his father when he was a teenager and later from his mother Dhun Jehangir Irani. Nearly 30 years after taking over the business from his father, Shahveer, now 58, has the same ‘zing’ he once had as a 13-year-old. At his office on Sardar Patel Road, Shahveer, accompanied by his filmmaker son Jehangir Irroni, informs that J S Irani & Co has recently repackaged the glass bottled ‘Spenses’ to ‘Spems’ in pet bottles with the same 80-year-old adage: ‘The real test lies in the taste alone’. While the family’s ‘Ice Cream Soda’ has refreshed their patrons for long, Jehangir says a host of other flavours like Orange, Fruit Tonia, Ginger Ale have been there for years. “The ice cream soda gives a delicious feeling of softness in the mouth, but you must have it chilled,” informs 32-year-old Jehangir. Spenses, Shahveer, says was popular at most Parsi ceremonies, be it Navjote or weddings just as ‘Dhansak’, ‘Lagan nu Bhonu’ or ‘Gajar Mewa Nu Achaar’.

The Irani family also ran the famous Plaza Supper Bar attached to Plaza Cinema on SP Road, where the Subbarami Reddy Complex now stands. Plaza Cinema was the only movie theatre in the country that had a licence to not only run a bar, but also allowed Bacchus lovers to sip a beer or down a whiskey peg while watching a movie. Army men used to pop in to wet their whistles, while some artists and writers spent their lonely hours brooding over their booze. The bar enjoyed a pride of place in the city’s history, a favourite haunt for the well-heeled in Secunderabad. During the movie break, some moviegoers would pick up a drink with a packet of chips just as one would grab a bucket of popcorn these days. “My mother Dhun Jehangir Irani and my brother Cyrus Irani managed the bar for some time after the demise of my father at a young age. Later, I took over the business,” Shahveer recalls managing the bar after he turned major (18).

Since it enjoyed a close proximity to the Gymkhana Grounds, the Plaza Bar was a watering hole for Hyderabad’s most famous cricketers who represented India. After a tough session at the nets, the cricketers would then head to the bar for a drink to unwind. Jockeys and stud owners used to pop in for drinks as the bar was close to the race course which was once located at the Gymkhana Grounds.

Close to the bar was John Burton & Co at what is now the Coromandel House. It is another lore that Scottish tailor John Burton, the finest draper and tailor of the yore, had stitched ‘sherwanis’ for Nizams.

“The bar used to open to the theatre along with a canteen which was also run by our family,” recalls Shahveer. The bar had to wind up its business after former chief minister and matinee idol NT Rama Rao imposed prohibition in 1994, forcing some to head to Bidar to have a beer. The bar is now lost to history, although some old timers still say cheers to the times gone by, while others shed tears.

Behram Palkhivala, the younger brother of Nani Palkhivala, passed away last Friday (27th July). Not many lawyers know of the enormous role he played in the writing of Kanga and Palkhivala’s “Law and Practice of Income-tax”.

Article by Arvind P Datar | Bar and Bench

After the death of Nani Palkhivala in 2002, the Palkhivala Memorial Trust in Mumbai decided to commission two books: one was a biography by MV Kamat and the other, a book that would chronicle his legal journey, by Soli Sorabjee and myself.

Little did I know that our book,“The Court-Room Genius” would be a truly life-changing experience for me.

Soli Sorabjee listed out all those who were in close contact with Nani Palkhivala and I had to interview all of them. At the head of the list was Behram Palkhivala. As a tax lawyer, I had heard about Behram and knew that he was the co-author of the book which was the Bible for all tax practitioners.  I was also told that he had extensive practice before the Income-tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) at Mumbai.

I took an appointment and first met him in the latter half of 2002. I was to meet him on several occasions and recorded several interviews with him. Over the years, I came to not only respect him but also developed enormous affection and admiration for him.  He was very generous with his time and could vividly recall numerous incidents and anecdotes that made “The Court-Room Genius” readable and inspirational.

Of the hundreds of people that I have met in the course of almost four decades of practice, Behram was one of the few persons who did not have a single harsh word to say about anyone. Even with those he did not agree with, he would only gently express his disagreement with what that person had said or done.

The other remarkable quality was never speaking about himself or praising himself. Behram had also preserved important news-cuttings on the important cases that had been argued by Nani Palkhivala particularly the Privy Purses case, the Kesavananda Bharati case and the Mandal case. Similarly, all of Nani’s articles were retained and meticulously archived. This research material was invaluable in the writing of “The Court-Room Genius”.

Apart from Behram, I had the unique opportunity of interviewing several eminent people who had worked closely with Nani Palkhivala. Among them were late Justice YV Chandrachud, former Chief Justice MN Venkatachaliah, Fali Nariman and his son Justice RF Nariman, Harish Salve, DM Popat and Ravinder Narain. There were numerous other chartered accountants and lawyers that I had the privilege of interviewing for this book.

After the interviews were complete, I began the arduous task of writing the book chapter by chapter. I had earlier discussed the format with Behram and would send him each chapter for his comments. The interesting thing was that the drafts had already been corrected twice at my chamber but, within a week, it would come back with several corrections of spelling mistakes and errors of syntax etc. which we had missed.

Each time, I would think to myself: how could I have missed these errors? It was a great learning experience to see him substitute a word by another that was more appropriate or suggest a rearrangement of the paragraphs.

Till this day, I have not met any other individual who corrected drafts so meticulously and painstakingly. The eminent Chartered Accountant, Dilip Choksi, who had prepared the Eighth Edition, told me that it was the proud claim of the Palkhivala brothers that there was not a single error in their book.

Finally, “The Court-Room Genius” was completed and was released by Chief Justice SH Kapadia in January 2012 at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Mumbai.  It was a glittering function attended by several prominent citizens of Bombay but for me, the most important people at that function were Behram Palkhivala and his family. Eventually, the book sold extremely well and a substantial part of the credit must go to Behram.

“The Book”

“The Law and Practice of Income-tax” was first published in 1950 and instantly became the authoritative commentary on the subject. Chief Justice Chagla affectionately referred to it as “The Book”.

Few people know that Nani Palkhivala began writing this book soon after he enrolled in 1946 and joined the chambers of Sir Jamshedji Kanga. Fewer people know that the entire manuscript of the first edition was typed out by Behram as, in his words, they could not afford to engage a stenographer at that time.

It was my good fortune to be requested to prepare the Tenth Edition of Kanga & Palkhivala. In the course of my interviews, Behram had told me about all the difficulties they had in preparing the first edition. In the Foreword to the Tenth Edition prepared by me, Behram set out the manner in which the various editions of this magnum opus were written. It is best to reproduce a few paragraphs from that Foreword:-

“Initially, a friend of Nani did the typing work. But when, after typing some pages, he was reluctant to continue, I took over. I had not learnt typing, and therefore typed mostly with the two forefingers. The entire commentary was typed in this laborious fashion on Nani’s portable Remington typewriter. I typed the commentary on foolscap, making an estimate of how much space would be needed at the bottom of each page for typing the footnotes and therefore how much of the upper space should be used for the text.”

As and when the commentary, or a convenient part of it, under each section was typed out, Nani went through the typescripts and then sent them to the press for preparing the proof.  Thus, the three processes of writing the commentary, typing it, and printing it, went on simultaneously.

……………

For the first four editions, the commentary was entirely prepared by Nani. For the fifth and sixth editions, I prepared notes from judicial decisions in the form of rough commentaries and Nani modified them wherever necessary. For the seventh and eighth editions, I prepared the commentary and Nani finalised it.  For every edition, Nani carefully studied the relevant judicial decisions and statutory amendments, preparing or finalising the commentary. I prepared Part II of the first three editions and volume II of the remaining five editions.

During his last years, Nani was in extremely poor health, and I had no wish to bring out further editions of the book on my own. So, in 1990, the eighth edition ended the work we had done together for more than forty years.

After “The Court-Room Genius”, I resumed working on the final drafts for the 10^th edition of “The Book”.  A team of brilliant young lawyers had assisted me in the preparation of this edition and drafts of various sections had already been prepared.

I asked Behram if he could go through the final typescript of the most important sections in the commentary. He told me that he would be unable to do so because he founded it very strenuous to read the text.

After two years of intense work, the 10^th edition was published in 2014. The book release function was held in January 2014 at Bombay. Former Chief Justice Bharucha graciously agreed to preside over the function and the doyen of the tax bar, Soli Dastur, also agreed to address the audience. Despite frail health, Behram agreed to briefly speak on the occasion that evening.

Meanwhile, I reached Bombay that morning and drove straight to Behram’s home and showed him the first copy of the 10^th edition. The moment Behram saw the book, his eyes became moist; he hugged me and said, “Nani would have been so proud to see this edition”.

That evening Behram said something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. He remarked that this edition had been prepared by his “younger brother” and of which his “elder brother” would have been so proud. These words brought tears to my eyes and it made years of effort of our entire writing team worthwhile.  It also set a very high benchmark that we have to maintain in the years ahead.

I had gone to Mumbai on August 29, 2016, to meet Behram on his 90^th birthday.  A few friends were also there and it was wonderful meeting him and his family; his wife Dhan, who is also a lawyer, his sons Jehangir and Phiroz and his daughter-in-law Rashmi. For almost a decade, I had visited their home several times and always came away energized with the warmth of their affection.

To me, Behram will always remind me of the painstaking effort and meticulous attention to detail that must go into the writing of any book. May his soul rest in peace.

Bomb blasts, the trial of General Musharraf, socialite parties and beer from a Parsi-run brewery are some of the things Indian journalist Meena Menon experienced during her stint in Islamabad. Her book, Reporting Pakistan, highlights the spirit of ordinary people in the face of political tumult.

This review of her book is written by Anahita Mukherjee and was first published in Parsiana, a magazine for the Zoroastrian community.

That Pakistan produced excellent Irish Cream, beer and flavoured vodka was one of many revelations about the country that Meena Menon discovered while living in Islamabad. She was one of two Indian journalists stationed in Pakistan in 2013. It was here that she sampled the fine products of Murree Brewery.

In a Muslim country under prohibition, where alcohol is considered haram (anything that is forbidden by Islamic law), it’s unlikely that anybody other than a Parsi could have gotten away with running a brewery. It’s often joked that the over 150-year-old brewery landed on the wrong side of the border post-Partition.

Pre-Partition, the brewery was jointly owned by a Parsi, Hindu and British family. In 1947, its Parsi director, Peshotan Bhandara, bought over the company stakes from both his British partner as well as the Hindu partner who headed to India. “That a Parsi gentleman was ready to stay back in Pakistan post-Partition shows just how much faith the community had in the newly formed country at the time,” says Menon in an interview with Parsiana.

Her book, Reporting Pakistan, mentions how Murree Brewery supplied drinks to the Pakistan army right till Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto banned alcohol consumption in the 1970s, a policy continued by Zia-ul-Haq. While Murree Brewery had to close production at the time, the Bhandara family’s close association with the Pakistani administration allowed them to re-open the brewery and even sell alcohol at licenced outlets.

It’s at one such outlet, in a dingy room in one of three five-star hotels in Islamabad authorised to sell liquor, that Menon would buy the six units of alcohol per month that her permit allowed her. She was often the only woman in a jam-packed room full of customers out to grab Murree’s products. (Murree Brewery is the only company officially allowed to manufacture alcohol in Pakistan. The rest is supplied illicitly).

Only expats and non-Muslims are officially allowed to buy alcohol in Pakistan, and Menon found that she was able to get an alcohol permit in Islamabad with far greater ease than she was able to open a bank account. There was such a high demand for alcohol that Menon was often surprised to find that on most days, stocks of beer had run out. She was most disappointed at having to leave several cases of beer behind in Pakistan, when her visa was abruptly terminated by the Pakistani government, and she was summarily sent back home to India.

She was lucky to get her hands on Murree’s Irish Cream, which to her chagrin, was discontinued midway during her nine-month stint in Islamabad. Irish Cream was not in great demand in a country which, despite prohibition, preferred hard liquor.

Menon remembers the time her car was chased by a mob of men as she was leaving the outlet at a five-star hotel; they were resentful of the quantity of alcohol she was allowed to purchase.

The scibe sorely missed being allowed to visit the brewery in Rawalpindi, as her visa confined her to Islamabad. However, she did have the pleasure of meeting Peshotan’s grandson Isphanyar Bhandara, who now runs the brewery his father and grandfather once ran.

She writes of how proud Bhandara is of the quality of his beer made with Australian barley and German hops, which, he insists, is better than Kingfisher. That’s something Menon concedes. She writes of Bhandara’s desire to set shop in India, something he came very close to doing in recent years, signing a deal with an Indian businessman. Bureaucratic hurdles have kept the venture from taking off.

Parsis are far better treated than other minorities in Pakistan. Contrary to popular perception in India, Menon found that Hindus aren’t the worst off, though in Sindh province, girls are allegedly forcibly married and converted to Islam. The minorities that suffer most are Muslim minorities who are viewed with suspicion and dislike in a largely Sunni country. Ahmadis and Shias face numerous human rights violations; the killing and disappearance of Ahmadis is commonplace. Menon conducted detailed interviews with Ahmadi families, as well as those of other minorities like Christians, who have suffered greatly and often been driven from their homes.

Parsis, though, have largely escaped persecution. Menon believes this may have something to do with their miniscule population — what Bhandara calls “a winding-down community” — with many of its members migrating abroad. The Parsi population numbering under 1,500 in Pakistan is dwindling at a faster rate than in India. “Parsis are largely viewed as a business community that minds its own business,” observes Menon.

In addition to the Bhandaras and their thriving brewery, the Avari chain of hotels is another Parsi establishment that flourishes. Menon and I had visited Avari Hotel in Karachi in 2011, while on an exchange programme between journalists of the Mumbai and Karachi Press Clubs.

Byram Avari, chairman of Avari Hotels, had told me of how Parsis first thought of leaving the country under Zia-ul-Haq’s reign, when he tried “forcing the teaching of Urdu in Parsi schools.’’ The law was overturned when Avari became a member of parliament in 1988. He attributed the recent migration of Parsis from Pakistan to the country’s worsening law and order condition.

While researching a piece on the Parsis of Pakistan for The Times of India, I had spoken to Muhammad Badar Alam, the editor of Herald, a popular magazine. He spoke of how the Parsi community was placed high on Pakistan’s social ladder, and they were not under direct threat. Pakistan however is a country that does not respect plurality, he added.

“Every community has different problems, whether it is in a village or a city, but I would put my finger on religious intolerance as the biggest problem staring the minorities,” Bhandara had earlier told Parsiana in an interview a few years ago. In addition to running Murree Brewery, he is also a member of Pakistan’s parliament, where he represents minorities.

While Parsis may be both sensitive and aware of what other minorities face in Pakistan, there is often an almost unreal quality to the lives they lead. In Karachi, where the Parsi community is well-entrenched, I found salt-and-pepper haired Parsi women in knee-length skirts wandering through old-world Parsi baugs many of which had grand pianos in the hallways of their homes. The lives Parsis led in Karachi appeared identical to that of Mumbai Parsis.

“I keep telling my family abroad that no matter what happens in Pakistan, the Parsis will continue to wine and dine and make merry,’’ Zarine Mavalvala, the former principal of Mama Parsi Girls’ School in Karachi, had once told me.

Wining and dining were two things Menon found in abundance in Islamabad, a beautiful leafy city often far removed from the rest of Pakistan. It’s been joked that Islamabad is 15 kilometres away from Pakistan.

While Menon describes in great detail the lavish parties she attended in Islamabad, the realities of Pakistan sometimes pierced through the tranquil city. She found herself reporting on two bomb-blasts that occurred during her stint there, one of which was very close to her home. She had the opportunity to cover some rather momentous events, such as the former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf’s trial, where she found herself in close proximity with the chubby-faced dictator.

Perhaps of greatest historical value are Menon’s records of the everyday interactions she had with people who stood up to Pakistan’s establishment, some of whom were later found dead under mysterious circumstances. Her descriptions of Islamabad’s social life are in stark contrast with the country’s political turmoil, a telling reminder of the almost schizophrenic nature of life in Pakistan.

While reams have been written about terrorism in Pakistan, its army and its unstable democracy, Menon’s book is riveting for the love and affection she received from the ordinary people she met. This often ran counter to the undercurrent of hostility she sometimes faced from officials. Many befriended her despite the fact that her movements were being watched. She was constantly followed by two men, presumably part of Pakistan’s intelligence establishment, who tailed her in a most unintelligent and bumbling manner.

Her lucid, chatty style of writing makes the book immensely readable. While some parts are disturbing, such as the death and disappearance of Menon’s friends and acquaintances, she refuses to let the dark side of life in Pakistan overshadow the resilience of ordinary people there.

Her book is peppered with delightful anecdotes of her favourite restaurants, the places she regretted ordering dosa, silver trinkets she bought from colourful bazaars, and the ‘Madrasi’ stereotypes she had to contend with as a South Indian in Pakistan, not too different from what she faced in parts of India.

Many years ago, a young Indian woman told me how surprised she was to see images of a ‘normal’ Pakistani housing society on TV. She had heard so much about terrorism in Pakistan that she never imagined that there were regular people living in regular homes in the country. Perhaps for this reason alone, both India and Pakistan need more journalists like Menon in each other’s countries.

The Parsi community, known for its entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities, has been a significant part of the history of Amritsar. The city, known for its open heart and the ability to seamlessly merge different cultures together, has its own special connection with the Parsi community.

Article by Neha Saini | Tribune News Service

One of India’s most famous sons, Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, was born in Amritsar. Popularly known as Sam Bahadur (Sam, the brave), he was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.

Another famous Parsi from the city is fondly remembered as the Grand Old Lady of Amritsar. Tehmi Bhandari, a woman who was much ahead of her times, opened the doors to luxuriously hospitality and global flavours with the famous Bhandari guesthouse. So, as the Parsi community celebrates its new year, city, too, fondly remembers its lost legacy.

“The Parsi community had a significant presence in Amritsar till early 80s. They had established business here and were quite active part of the city’s cultural and social map. Tehmi Bhandari’s father had ice factories and her family was close to Sam Manekshaw’s and my late father,” shared Ashok Sethi, a former media professional and a businessman. He remembers how Tehmi was the first woman in the city to set up her own business. “She is probably someone, who was one of the pioneers of the hospitality sector in Amritsar. She became the first woman in these parts to run a business when she converted her palatial home into a guesthouse, which became the favorite stay option for foreign visitors in those times.”

In the early eighties, the onset of terrorism hit the community bad. “Most of the Parsi families gradually moved away from the city, settling in Delhi and Mumbai,” said Sethi. Tehmi was the last of Parsi community to remain in Amritsar. With her demise, her family too moved away.

Dr Pusphinder Singh, a historian, said Tehmi and Manekshaw were the last link of the city with the Parsi community. “The Parsis had brought a lot of cultural influences with them, despite being a very exclusive community. The younger Parsi generation either lost their status in the community by marrying outside their community or by migrating to other countries.”

Reminiscing about the Parsi palate

As the Parsi New Year begins, Hyatt Regency is paying homage to the Parsi community’s legacy in the city by hosting a food festival dedicated to them.

“With Amritsar having a deep connect with the Parsi community and the Parsi food being very rich in texture, much like Amritsari food, it made perfect sense to host a Parsi food festival for our patrons. The Parsi New Year gave us the perfect platform to do so. Parsi delicacies like Dhansak, Patrani Machhi and Salli Jardaloo are some of the dishes that were a part of city’s food legacy,” shared Shiiv Parvesh, head chef of Hyatt Regency, Amritsar.

Dina Pestonji wanted to inspire women through her book, Surviving Myself

A Toronto woman has written a book about her struggles with an eating disorder, recovering from a car crash and two strokes, hoping her challenges will inspire other women.

Article by Lisa Xing | CBC

Despite having plenty of love and affection from her family, Dina Pestonji, now 35, still felt different from other girls with “pale skin and blue eyes,” according to her book, Surviving Myself.

The book explores her ensuing decade-long battle with anorexia, a near-fatal car crash and a pair of strokes that nearly crippled her. Pestonji has gone on to give two TEDx talks and is now a motivational speaker.

Pestonji says she did not talk about her issues as a child, in part, because of her Indian heritage.

“You brush it under the rug and move on,” she told CBC’s Our Toronto. “I never really took the time to heal.”

Dina Pestonji suffered two strokes at the age of 29.Photo by: Provided by Dina Pestonji

Despite graduating from the University of Toronto and later earning her master’s degree at ESCP Europe Business School, as well as successfully working in the financial sector, it wasn’t until she suffered two strokes at the age of 29 and wrote about it that her worldview started to change.

2 strokes

In late 2012, Pestonji was hospitalized after she started slurring her speech, and got severe headaches and shooting pains along her entire body.

Doctors found a mass in her brain. She was in hospital for a week undergoing tests, but the physicians could not pinpoint what was wrong. Pestonji was sent home with medication.

The next day, the first day of her new job, she was hospitalized again.

Dina Pestonji ran a half-marathon 10 months after her strokes.Photo by: Provided by Dina Pestonji

“My parents didn’t know when I would wake up,” she said. “I had to have emergency brain surgery.”

When Pestonji eventually awoke, she had lost her speech and ability to function on her right side.

“It was a month or two after when saw myself in the mirror and I remembered I had a job, a condo, everything,” she said.

“I had lost all that. That point was the worst day of my life. I’m literally starting from scratch and I need to learn the alphabet.”

Half marathon

When asked how she went from learning the alphabet and how to walk again to running a half marathon merely 10 months later, Pestonji is humble.

“I needed to be myself again and show myself I could do it,” she said.

“It was just me proving to myself I’m the same person. I had to have something to say at the end of it.”

She credits having a loving family and friends and a team of physical therapists who pushed her.

“I was lucky to have a supportive team. I’ve never thought anything I’ve ever done is really remarkable,” she said.

“I was given a circumstance and my body and mind worked together. I’ve learned to love myself and be kind to myself which I never was before.

“I was always going after goals and goals and goals. I never took the time to stop and reflect and be thankful for what I’ve been able to accomplish. Hopefully, that inspires other women and girls to do the same.”

Registration for the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress has opened, per an email communique from the organizers.

The 7WZYC shall be held in Los Angeles from July 1 – 6, 2019; and returns to USA, for the first time since the inception of world youth Congresses way back in 1992.

Parshan Khosravi, Chair of the 7WZYC writes

As the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress brings the Congress back to California for the first time since its inception, the Zoroastrian youth of California are determined to once again set the vision for what it means to be a Zoroastrian in today’s increasing need for a strong and united global community. It is in that light that we have set the ambitious goal of bringing over 600 Zoroastrian youth from around the world to California on July 1st – 6th of 2019; and with your help, we are confident that we can reach this goal.

Next year’s Congress was awarded by the Global Working Group to the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA). FEZANA invited its member associations to bid for hosting this event. The California Zoroastrian Center (CZC) won the bid to host this four-yearly event.

Registration for the Congress is now open and the first 100 registrants get a super early-bird price of US$ 399.99

The congress in brief….

• Who: 18-35 year old Zoroastrian Youth from around the world
• What: Sign up for the World Zoroastrian Youth Congress today!
• When: July 1-6, 2019
• Where: Los Angeles, CA USA
• Why: Learn about the Zoroastrian religion, network with peers and other professionals, and make new friends from around the world!

To find out more about the congress visit www.wzycongress.org

To register: Click the “I’m an Early Bird” button below…use the code FIRST100 to get the early bird price of $399.99!

Our dearest friend Marespand Aspandiar Dadachanji, ace vintage car restorer wins 1st and 3rd positions at the Pebble Beach Concourse D’Elegance.

Top Indian automotive journalist and good friend of Parsi Khabar Adil Jal Darukhanawala writes…

“Crowning glory for one of India’s most respected & capable restorer of vintage & classic cars Marespand A. Dadachanji. “His” cars took first & 3rd in class plus also won the Lucius Beebe Trophy for most impressive Rolls-Royce at Pebble Beach yesterday. First place went to Amir Ali Jetha’s magnificent 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental with Gurney-Nutting coachwork as ordered by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. Third place went to Jagdish Thackersey’s Bentley 3.5-litre carrying coachwork by Antem of France as ordered by the Maharaja of Telcher. @evoIndia @FastBikesIndia”

At the Pebble Beach Concourse D’Elegance

Motor Cars of the Raj will take center stage at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Most of these cars were sold into India when they were new, during the period of British rule, and many remain there. The art for our entry application was inspired by this 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental by Gurney Nutting, which was initially made for the Royal Family of Jodhpur. It has been lovingly cared for by its current owner, who will be bringing it to Pebble Beach from Mumbai.

Five cars from Mumbai are competing in the world famous annual beauty contest for vintage automobiles — the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.

Article by Srinivasan Krishnan

Members of Mumbai’s vintage and classic car community usually hang out on Sunday mornings near Horniman Circle in Fort. They swap notes, catch up on car talk, get tips on restorations and gently rib each other about their prized possessions. The reflections of the lavish, Italian-Gothic-influenced buildings and the severe lines of St Thomas Cathedral highlight the swoopy shapes of the diverse set of old cars that are parked all around — the objects of their affection.
But today, five cars that belong to certain members of the community are parked far away from Horniman Circle and will be found on the other side of the planet. To be specific, in the hushed environs of the 18th Fairway of the Pebble Beach Golf Links in the Monterey Peninsula of California, USA, with the mighty Pacific Ocean serving as the backdrop. They are competing againtst each other and a bunch of other formidable competitors in the world’s most famous beauty contest for vintage and classic cars, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

This prestigious event was first organised in 1950 and is held annually.

Businessman Abbas Jasdanwala’s 1923 Lanchester 40HP

Car collectors finesse their priceless possessions down to the last nut-andbolt and ship them to his event. Then they lavish their cars with high quality spit-and-polish and display them at the course while competing across various categories. A highly qualified jury evaluates the cars based on their styling, technical brilliance, history, originality as well as their levels of restoration. Some of the finest, exotic and rarest cars ever built in the 135-odd years of automotive history can be seen at the Pebble Beach Concours.
This year, it’s rather special, as one of the seven major categories is ‘Motor Cars of the Raj’. India has had a long automotive history and some of the most exceptional cars ever built made their way here, gracing the garages of maharajas and nobles spread across the subcontinent. These cars were put together based on the specifications of the royalty, reflecting their tastes, requirements, preferences, idiosyncrasies and even eccentricities. All of which made them rather unique in the world of vintage and classic automobiles.
Manvendra Singh Barwani is a well-regarded name in Indian and international heritage car circles. Singh, who is also an author and restorer, is the curator of the cars that are participating in this category as well an honorary judge at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “After the success of this Class in 2012, the organisers felt that the show attendees really enjoyed the cars, their uniqueness, their stories… So they reached out to me to see if it was feasible to do the Class again and get the cars from India. The entries offer a good selection of the type of cars that came to India and various body styles,” Singh says.
Of the 11 cars participating in the Motor Cars of the Raj category, nine are from India, and five from Mumbai. All the cars in this category have a royal provenance, which means they have either been ordered or owned by Indian royalty in the past. City businessman Nishant N Dossa’s 1936 Alvis Speed 25 is one of them. “There were very few 3.5-litre Alvis Speed 25s produced and this car was specially ordered by the Maharaja of Mayurbhanj (Odisha),” he says. Dossa reels off more details, “The car was ordered from the Alvis dealer in London and delivered to Mayurbhanj royalty in January 1936. While Alvis supplied the chassis, the beautiful Sports Tourer body style was built on it by the famous coachbuilding firm of Vanden Plas.”

The 1936 Alvis Speed 25 belongs to SoBo resident Nishant Dossa (inset)

Joining the Alvis are four other Mumbai cars: a 1923 Lanchester 40 HP, a seven-seat tourer once owned by the royal family of Gondal in Gujarat; a oneoff 1921 Fiat 501 S Corsa which is modelled after a Fiat racing car of the 1920s and ordered by an impressed Maharaja of Patiala who actually saw the racing car in action in Europe; a 1935 Bentley 3.5-litre featuring a sports drophead coupe body style built by the French coachbuilding firm Antem and which was purchased by the Maharaja of Talcher (Odisha) in 1942; and finally, a 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental with a swoopy streamline coupe body style by Gurney Nutting, UK. This Rolls-Royce is supposed to be the last of its type ever built and was originally ordered by the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
Businessman Abbas Jasdanwala, who has an enviable collection of cars which are restored and maintained at his own facility, Midtown Motors in Byculla, is pretty chuffed to be taking his Lanchester to Pebble Beach. “All my cars are like dreams come true, but I felt that my Lanchester would be the car that will be appreciated the most. It is mechanically perfect, totally trouble-free,” he says. The Lanchester was a technological tour de force of its era and was equal to, if not better than Rolls-Royce, when it came to refinement and sophistication. “When you get a chance to display your cars at such an event, it’s a rare opportunity. This is the first time I am going to Pebble Beach and I am especially happy that my young grandson will be there, as he is also passionate like me about cars,” says Jasdanwala.
Nitin Dossa, the father of Nishant, who is also chairman of the Vintage and Classic Car Federation of India, says, “It’s a great honour that there are five cars selected from Mumbai of the nine cars from India that are participating in this category. I am sure we will make India proud.” Meanwhile, at Horniman Circle, the tension and excitement will be palpable this morning.

The author writes about vintage and classic cars. He tweets @SriniKay

The 1921 Fiat Corsa was once owned by the maharaja of Patiala

Thrity Umrigar was born in Bombay and came to the U.S. when she was 21 for graduate school. She’s worked as a journalist, is the best-selling author of numerous novels, and is a Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University. I had the pleasure of interviewing Thrity about her new novel, The Secrets Between Us, a sequel to her critically acclaimed bestseller, The Space Between Us, from 2006. The Secrets Between Us continues the story of Bhima, Maya and Sera Dubash, and brings Parvati, a minor character in the first novel, to the forefront with Bhima. The result is a poignant story as they and other women in the novel bridge the space across the intersections of class, privilege, power, gender and sexuality to forge friendships that transcend societal boundaries. Below are excerpts from our conversation Spenta Cama had with Thrity

SC: I know you grew up in Bombay, going to a Catholic school. Who or what were your strongest influences growing up?

TU: My father was a huge influence on me. He was not a very educated man, but a great storyteller and philosopher. Another strong influence was my family’s servant, Bhima (also the name of the protagonist in The Space Between Us and The Secrets Between Us). I was devoted to her. I felt I saw her for who she truly was, beneath the impoverishment. She had grace, dignity and class and I loved her.

SC: How does being a Parsi Zoroastrian woman influence your writing?

TU: Maybe because we’re a minority community and told every few years we’re on the verge of extinction that I think there’s a thread of melancholy running through my writing when writing about the Parsi community. There’s also an aspect of paying tribute, of commemorating a community that is pretty damn special and that may one day cease to exist. It’s subconsciously affected my writing.

SC: How did you initially decide on the characters of Sera Dubash and Bhima?

TU: The character is based on the real Bhima though the events in the novels are made up. The origin of the book comes from me wanting to tell the story of domestic servants in India. It’s such a great rich, textured story that is important to tell about middle class India.

SC: It seems important to you for the poor to be seen. A passage from the book reflects this: “[Bhima] understands now what Maya finds unbearable about their life together – not the poverty, not the horror of slum life, but the dreadful isolation . . . She and Maya are disposable people, and if they disappeared tomorrow, no one would mourn them or miss them.” Tell me about the messaging behind this.

TU: There’s a tendency we all have to define poverty as a lack of economic means. But people can be very poor even if they have money. Government programs or social workers don’t give enough thought to the internal mechanisms of poverty – the dreadful loneliness, isolation and the not being seen. The Space Between Us is an external novel that deals with the physical hardship of being poor through descriptions of the slum and the lack of money. The Secrets Between Us is more internal, dealing with the social isolation of poverty. Bhima constantly stumbles throughout her life because of her illiteracy and pays a tremendous price for that – in pragmatic ways as well as her own lack of surety and confidence.

SC: As many of your readers may never set foot in India, is writing about the class distinctions political, educational or both?

TU: It’s not meant to be sensationalistic or to spread a political message. (Regardless of which country we belong to) we’re all on the same planet and we all have a responsibility to other people. I want every word I write to be a service to the story itself, and, if I write an honest book, there will be recognition by the readers of a part of themselves in the story – they may not see themselves as a slum dweller in Mumbai necessarily, but there will be a recognition in some part of their heart in what Bhima is thinking. By telling a particular story, a connection is formed, born out of empathy, and the story becomes universal and I have done my job.

SC: Violence plays an unfortunately large role in the female characters’ lives. The adversities some of them face would crush even the best of us. But there is a glimmer of light. You write, “Even in the depth of their despair, hope runs like electricity throughout the basti. It is what makes the woman with no legs weave wicker baskets that she sells to a fancy shop. What makes the blind boy’s mother spend her days picking rags to pay his school fees.” How do you provide hope to women in such circumstances? Is it part of your personality or what makes great fiction?

TU: It is part of my personality. The characters are providing hope to me and not the other way around. The evidence of this hope is everywhere in India – the joyousness and hopefulness takes my breath away. People are living for and through their children, and thinking, “I didn’t make it, but my kids will.”

SC: Who is your favorite character you’ve ever created?

TU: I loved writing about Parvati. I understood that despite her abrasive exterior, she is wounded from inside. I enjoyed writing about the duality.

SC: Who is an author you’d like to have dinner with and what would you like to discuss?

TU: I’d like to make it two authors: Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison. I’d love to have them over my house, serve them wine and listen to them talk.

SC: Thank you for your time and representation of Parsi Zoroastrians in American literature with thoughtful, strong characters.

I find that in exceptional fiction, while the story may be made up, the characters are people true to life with their complexities, strengths, faults, desires and passions. When you’ve completed such a story, its reach goes beyond your heart in penetrating the depths of your soul and you will be enriched because of it. Dear readers, go out and get a copy of The Space Between Us and its remarkable sequel, The Secrets Between Us, to share in this intense exploration of the human heart.

Websites: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Between-Us-Novel/dp/0062442201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534969153&sr=8-1&keywords=the+secrets+between+us+by+thrity+umrigar

www.umrigar.com

Spenta Cama is an attorney, living and working in New York who is passionate about social justice issues. She is an active member of her local Zoroastrian organization, Zoroastirian Association of Greater New York. She loves reading Parsi Khabar so she can keep up with the interesting news and events of the Parsi and Zoroastrian community, particularly abroad.