Aspi Firoze Ghadiali, who has served as nasessalar (pall bearer) for the last 25 years in Navsari, was rendered homeless last year, along with his brother Sarosh, who lives with him and repairs fridges and air-conditioners for a living – when their house collapsed, because of age and wear and tear, which the structure was unbale to hold up any longer.

When a couple of months had elapsed without much help coming their way, the good Parsi Samaritans of Navsari – Rohin Edul Kanga and Khurshed Homi Desai (Trustee, Navsari Atashbehram) – came forward to take up the cause of building a new home for the bachelor brothers.

In addition to personally donating towards this cause, Rohin Kanga and Khurshed Desai also took on a funding initiative for this project by drafting an application on behalf of Aspi Ghadiali and circulated it on social media. Soon, they received numerous positive responses from community members who wanted to contribute and help towards restoring a home for the Ghadialis.

These included individuals, agencies, trusts as well as suppliers providing material on a cost-to-cost basis, from not just Navsari, but all over the country, with sizeable help coming in from the Bhargsath Committee – Atashbehram Trust; Shernaz Cama (Delhi); Nariman Family Trust (Delhi); Bhadurji Family Trust (Chennai); and Meher Sarkari-Rabadi (Bombay). The collective contributions of all generous donors facilitated the reconstruction of a brand-new home, comprising a ground floor plus two floors, for the Ghadiali brothers.

Speaking with Parsi Times, a grateful Aspi Ghadiali shared, “Till now I’m still unable to comprehend how things just fell in place and the funds came in and my house was rebuilt within just four to five months! For this I am very grateful to Rohin Kanga, Khurshed Desai as well as everyone who contributed in any way.”

“I am thankful to Dadar Ahura Mazda for choosing me for this project. I also thank all my humdins for helping Aspi and trusting us,” said Rohin Kanga, who was instrumental in making this good deed happen. Sending an important message to the community, Khurshed Desai, Trustee – Navsari Atashbehram, added, “It was quite an experience to work with Rohin. Through this platform, I would request all my Parsi fellow to preserve the immovable properties around Navsari Atashbehram. I request fellow Parsis to buy property around Atashbehram, if possible.”

Kudos to all who participated in and contributed towards this noble venture, with a special thanks to Zarin Kanga for sharing it with the community via PT.

 [Parsi Times looks to celebrate and highlight the selfless efforts of all community members who go the extra mile to help others. In addition to instilling a sense of pride in Being Parsi, these inspiring stories set the precedent for all! Do share your stories with us at editor@parsi-times.com ]