Re: Request For Parsi Community Kitchen

Rohinton R. Surti, your heart and mind are in right place, with regard to your letter in PT about the suggestion for a Parsi community kitchen, based on an article you read in TOI about how Bohra community is running a kitchen for the welfare of their community members.

But what is good for the goose, is not good for gander! Our community does great welfare work too. But instead of prepared food, we distribute packages of rice, dal and oil and consumables to the needy and economically disadvantaged.  We refrain from delivering prepared foods because dietary requirements differ as per individuals – wrt usage of salt, spice, allergies, etc. Taking into account these problems, it is best for us to deliver raw packages and let each individual cook his/her food according to their preference.  After considering this, you will agree that our system is the best.

There are many organizations in India doing this service without any fanfare.  Their volunteers climb many flights with heavy packages in their hands for delivering to the needy people at their doorstep! For eg., there is the ‘Young Rathestars’ – their branch in America is run by Rohinton Madon, a retired Director of a small bank in New Jersey as also the late Eruch D. Munshi’s ‘BD Petit Parsee Gen. Hospital’ and Sriji Iransha’s ‘Kathi Fund’. Besides these, Fezana magazine regularly appeals for help and we fill their ‘kitty’ to reach out to people who need help.

In Navsari, under the auspices of WZO, our lion hearted Dinshaw and Bachi Tamboli are reaching out to the needy of our community who are living in remote villages near Bharuch, Surat, Billimora, Udvada and Bulsar. I will not forgive myself, if I missed our good old Jam-e-Jamshed! Our community members are ‘feeding this kitty’ since a long long time.  They respond to this the trust we put in them by spending every single penny for the welfare of our community.

Keep the Parsi spirit alive and be proud of it! God Bless!

Adi Burjorjee Gandhi

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Good Job By Punchayet!

I read Parsi Times on 26-11-16 and was pleased to read the manifesto of Trustees of Parsi Punchayet. These Trustees are doing good service for our Parsi community, after being rusty for many years. They have opened up the gates of Parsi Punchayet for the poor. The Punchayet was founded with the purpose and motive to eliminate the miseries of the poor. They are working for the purpose specially, allotment of houses in Parsi Baugs. They have allotted over 65 flats in one year to Parsi families. This is a good job and the Parsi community is thankful to them.

There is a great problem before this Punchayet to settle the claims of words at different places. Due to Govt. Policy those workers are demanding their rights as if they are working in an industry. Demand of raise of monthly salary is difficult to settle as a social institute has to settle such demands with a limited source of income. Kudos to our elected members to settle such demands at par.

This is a social charitable institute so those two elected members of the Punchayet should understand that this is not an industrial unit where you show your distant apathy. They should forsake their personal egoes, and work for the institute. If they have personal conflict with other members they may please resign. To show such apathy is not a good reflection when you work for the cause of a charitable institute.

Thanks to all members of the Parsi Panchayet. May the Lord guide them well for the good work they are doing.

Ratan Mir

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Senior Citizens Plea!

Senior Citizens need help from Railways in local trains for their day to-day travelling. Seats marked 1-7 allotted to seniors (only 7 bench-seats) are not adequate and we end up being jostled to the end of compartment and have to battle it out in overcrowded trains during peak hours.

There is necessity to accommodate us (Sr. Citizens) in disabled compartments and increase the size of such compartments. Time and again such requests are printed in regional/vernacular language papers along with English Newspapers but no heed is paid by The Railways or the Government. Can we all work towards solving this problem and reaching this plea to the necessary ears?

Hoshang Sethna