We thank all our participants for the overwhelming response to our Jamshedi Navroz 2024 Contest, ‘My Most Inspiring Parsi Person / Personality’. Heartiest Congratulations to our following Top 5 Winners! [Winners are requested to email us at: editor@parsi-times.com to collect your gifts.]

 

Contest Winner: Freyana Farhad Wadiwalla (Sharjah, UAE)

Salute To Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

In the land of bravery, where stories unfold,

Lies the tale of Sam Manekshaw – courageous and bold;

With a big hat and a smile so wide,

He led the army with joy and pride.

 

In battles fierce, where heroes stand,

General Sam was the guiding hand;

His words were strong, like a lion’s roar,

“Jai Hind!” he’d say, inspiring more!

 

In 1971, he led with might,

A victory so bright, like stars at night;

But not just serious, he liked to jest,

With a twinkle in his eyes – he was the best!

 

A hero in uniform, with a heart so grand,

Sam Manekshaw, in our hearts, will forever stand.

 

Contest Winner: Meher P. Sutaria 

Bravo To Our Boman Irani!

“If there’s passion in your heart,

And fire in your belly,

There’s no one who can stop you,”

Believes aapro Boman Irani.

 

Boman is certainly an inspiring man,

Who’s essayed many roles in life;

A precious gem of the Zoro clan,

He conquered all odds and strife.

 

He served tables at The Taj,

And dutifully ran his family shop;

No work for him, was small or large,

He worked hard, without a stop.

 

He nurtured a passion to become an actor,

And resolved to take a leap of faith,

His relentless pursuit was the main factor,

That catapulted him on screen and stage.

 

Now there’s no looking back for him,

As he grows from strength to strength;

In an ocean of talent, he had to swim,

To reach his desired pinnacle, at length.

 

Boman is an actor par excellence,

His humour is beyond compare;

T’was his steadfast perseverance,

That made him a flamboyant debonair.

 

Contest Winner: Mahtab A. Bivalkar (Singapore)

Pestonjee And Me

 More than a millennium ago,

A mysterious magus knocked on my door;

Pestonjee proposed to marry me,

Promising many-a-sweet freebie!

 

Philanthropic, stoic and kind,

He turned out to be merry, wild, even silly;

Though on occasion, his tongue

Did let loose some of that Parsi profanity!

 

Throughout our tumultuous journey,

Enigmatic Pestonjee was a paradoxical cornerstone;

Despite being obscure, tiny, negligible,

His noiseless involvement made life’s potpourri incredible.

 

Every nukkad, alley or underbelly –

He left no stone unturned,

His watertight promise embraced me,

Even when I burned.

 

Often made into a laughing stock,

He sportingly thought nothing of it;

His wizened gaze knowing

Not much time left to bear it.

 

I still have a long way to go,

Pestonjee may not keep up;

His love stands infallible, his impact – indelible,

I follow his legacy, “Never give up!”

 

Contest Winner: Niloufer J. Lakdawala

The Great Ratan Tata

That charming smile, that twinkle in the eye,

That bespoke suit with the silken tie;

That mellow voice, that disarming face,

A picture of poise, dignity, and grace.

 

Circa 2008, his life came apart,

The ruin that faced him tore at his heart,

Grimly he resolved like a phoenix to rise,

And make it again the cynosure of all eyes.

 

Humble in spite of his wealth and fame,

Such a credit to his family name;

Amidst the filthy display of wealth all around,

His charity work does not make a sound.

 

This priceless jewel on the community’s crest,

Shines so brilliantly above all the rest;

Ratan Tata is the name, you must have guessed,

Undoubtedly, he is better than the best.

 

Contest Winner: Kevin Daruwalla (Age: 9 years)

My Sweetest Grandpa

You support us in everything, and make it look so easy,
You are always there for me, even when you are so busy.
You are so kind and have such a brilliant mind,
You solve crosswords without leaving a single word behind!

Put Akuri, Dhansak, Patra-ni-macchi, Caramel-custard aside,
Your patru of love and sweetness is one of its kind;
Though yours is a small car, compared to the neighbour’s van,
I will always be your biggest fan.

The bestest grand-dad ever is you,

With whom I will always learn something new;
Put all the riches of the world aside,
You will always find me by your side.