Kersi Randeria Shares…
Since the last two years, I have been sincerely trying to make things work smoothly and peacefully at the BPP, to put aside all the old differences, personal attacks and senseless infighting.
My efforts started with putting on the BPP agenda, a request for developing an internal ‘Code of Conduct’ for the Trustees. My colleague Trustees Noshir Dadrawala, Zarir Bhathena and I had often discussed this, over numerous cups of tea. Noshir, therefore, immediately put forward a well-written document for all the Trustees to discuss, debate, edit and collectively accept and finalize, as a way of functioning, not so much for our personal egos or issues, but for re-building the image of the BPP and the overall benefit for the Community.
This attempt and Noshir’s note languished on the agenda – forgotten and then buried over time. This was our first failed attempt.
However, not one to give up easily, I proposed ‘BPP 2.0’. The idea was to bring in good people, into constituting a ‘Consultative Committee’ comprising people from various walks of life including ex-Trustees, stalwarts and men and women of stature.
‘BPP 2.0’ took off, and with Xerxes, Noshir and I pushing – started with a bang. The Consultative Committee and the present Trustees discussed the way forward, exchanged ideas about various projects and decided that the best way to improve and foster BPP’s image, would be to deliver honest promises to our community.
March 2020 onwards, the combination of the coronavirus outbreak and some unfortunate, disruptive attempts, slowed down the progress that BPP 2.0 should have made by now. However, we continue to be hopeful…
From the end of March, after the lockdown began, the BPP Trustees started and took forward various initiatives, like setting up a Helpline; Distribution of Food Grains, Utility Items; Providing Medicines/Financial help; and finally, even providing cooked food to over 200 Parsi households across Mumbai. I believe, that the pro-active active role I played during this period upset some people, who then decided that the best way forward to counter my work was to try and malign me and spoil the goodwill that I’ve earned and cherish in the community.
A published pamphlet, by the name of ‘Parsi Junction’, took birth when Mumbai Samachar publication’s supplement – ‘Metro Junction’ – was stopped, mostly due to BPP Chairman Yazdi Desai’s filing a Defamation Case against the Camas – the owners of Mumbai Samachar – and Dinshaw Mehta.
Parsi Junction is NOT a newspaper – it is a tool of propaganda. It is not registered, does not have an RNI number, and does not provide the mandatory specifics like the name of its publisher or where it is printed, etc. It is an attempt, in the form of a pamphlet, to bring out an anonymous publication which would be difficult to legally attack, in terms of complaints and defamation alternatives. It seems to be the perfect tool to attack individuals through lies, manipulative reporting and baseless allegations, secure in the knowledge that any legit action against the people behind this, would be difficult legally.
The first salvo was fired from the shoulders of a Mr. Parvez Driver (who is now passed away) – a long-time confidante and associate of Dinshaw Mehta, and one who had benefitted financially through ‘his’ largesse, at the cost of the BPP! Parvez Driver’s name was used as Parsi Junction’s Printer, Publisher and Editor trying to portray it as a one-man-show. However, those who knew the late Parvez Driver would tell you that English was never his strong point, and he would not have been able to string together five grammatically correct sentences in English, leave alone write the entire content.
Even so, one need not go too deep to prove who is really behind this publication, as even when Parvez Driver was hospitalized, the publication continued! After his passing away, within a few weeks later, Parsi Junction emerged yet again, this time using one Kersi Sethna as its new frontman! Sethna, again, is an old friend and long-time acquaintance of Dinshaw Mehta, who lives in a flat in Cama Baug, which is in the name of Dinshaw Mehta’s wife – Pansy. It is popularly known that Dinshaw Mehta is Parsi Junction’s whole and soul – printer, publisher and editor, et al. This is reinforced by the fact that it is Mehta himself who sends out this publication online to individuals and groups via e-mails and Whatsapp forwards from his personal e-mail ID, leaving no doubt as regards who is the real operator behind the scenes!
This view is further strengthened by the fact that the entire correspondence between the current BPP Trustees, in terms of every detail that transpires in and between the Board Meetings is also available in this publication! One can safely presume that it is obviously current BPP Trustee and son of Dinshaw Mehta – Viraf Mehta who is sharing all the information and correspondence with his father.
I have often wondered why then, does Dinshaw Mehta not put his name to this pamphlet. Is it because he is scared of the legal cases that will follow? Or is it that since his name doesn’t appear anywhere, he feels he can (and does) take the license to publish falsehoods and twisted, malicious and baseless allegations, without his name appearing in the byline or as the editor or publishers and therefore get away scot-free!?
Only some months ago, Dinshaw Mehta asked me if I was going to re-contest the BPP elections in 2022. I laughed and asked him why he was so concerned about my future plans. He was brazen enough to tell me that if I stood for elections then I would be the BPP Chairman and if I didn’t contest the elections, then his son, Viraf Mehta would be the Chairman! He had, of course, assumed that Noshir would not recontest. It’s subtle political motivations as these that reason as to why Dinshaw Mehta attacks people like Yazdi Desai and me. The other reason is that Yazdi and I have stood firm on various issues to protect our properties and our funds, which gets in the way of his mala fide intents.
Dinshaw Mehta has also found a willing ally in Phiroze Amroliwalla who does not hesitate to make the most vicious, dishonest and disgusting allegations and whose only purpose and aim in life is to try and sell off and profit from the THREE BPP CHAIRTY FLATS and migrate permanently to Canada to live with his son. And this, I’ve opposed, as should any Trustee, in his/her capacity as the guardian of these charity flats.
It’s rather unfortunate that Amroliwalla, in his spiteful need to malign me, didn’t think it beneath himself to even target and attack my 92-year-old mother, who chooses to and lives in her marital home, which she has lived in since 1955, and happens to be the same building in which she was born. This, coming from a man, who is in illegal occupation of 3 flats, who refuses to pay the license fee and the service charges, and spews venomous lies about being bribed by me and so on!
What such perverse and malicious behaviour deserves, I do not know, but I do know it doesn’t deserve to be dignified with a response. It is beneath any respectful person to deal with a degenerate like Amroliwalla and I will most certainly not respond to his false and baseless allegations. Some diseases, hopefully, fade off on their own…
Despite being repeatedly asked and advised by innumerable community members and well-wishers, to share the reality of such situation in Parsi Times, I have always hesitated and shied away from involving this publication in these unacceptable exchanges. I chose to rise above this melee, ignore these unpleasant and false allegations and continue to serve our community with sincerity and dignity. But when the attacks got increasingly intolerable and crossed all lines of decency, I heeded the advice of my well-wishers, lest my silence be misconstrued otherwise, and therefore, over the past couple of months, I have shared the truth with the Community via Parsi Times, to counter and expose these miscreants spreading falsehoods.
Hopefully, this will be the last time I would need to resort to publishing a response to the rubbish being maliciously spread about me, over the last few months.
Truth is, those who know me, will never doubt me. But those who don’t know me, need to be told at least once, that people whose sole agenda is to malign others – like Amroliwalla, who occupies three BPP flats, even as he spends half a year in Canada and who does not pay occupation charges – cannot and should not be given any cognizance.
The next time I address you in Parsi Times, I’m hopeful and fairly certain of sharing positive achievements of the Trust and welfare for the community.
- Dhunji Will Be Missed - 11 September2022
- Founders Note - 13 August2022
- FOUNDER’S NOTE - 19 March2022
