My Dear Fellow Zoroastrians, I consider it my good fortune to have been born a Zoroastrian, and to be part of our small but wonderful community. However I am deeply saddened about the several issues which are dividing our community into so many groups, while what our community needs the most today is UNITY.
I BELIEVE that the Trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet can playa very important role in forging this much required unity in our community. The trustees can by its decisions on important issues, unite our community. A lot needs to be changed in the working of our BPP, the trustees should be made more accountable to the community, also the administration of our valuable assets should be made more transparent. While it is always good to have Trustees with an illustrious background, but in my humble opinion what is more important is that our trustees should be good human beings first, who are sensitive to the woes of the beneficiaries, whom, they have been elected to serve.
They must be honest, compassionate, humble and also approachable to the common man and not only to the elite. Also they must be willing to uphold our age old religion, traditions, beliefs and customs for which our ancestors left Iran and settled here in India.
Due to my constant interaction with several members of our community, who visit my ‘PARIS BAKERY’, on various issues of our Community, I was encouraged and advised by a majority of them to contest the ~PP elections and when elected endeavour to bring about the changes required in the working of the BPP. With the following BELIEFS and VISION in mind I have decided to contest the BPP trusteeship elections and when elected I will do my utmost to serve our community, uphold our religion, traditions, and customs. I will do my best to regain the Lost glory of our apex body, alongwith the the support of the other trustees.
DOKHMENASHNI
Being a staunch orthodox Zoroastrian, the doongerwadi issue is very important for me. Our dokhmenashni system of disposal of our dead, needs to be strengthened and I will endeavour alongwith fellow trustees to make every possible effort to revive and strengthen this system which has been prescribed by our scriptures as the only mode of disposal to be adopted by Zoroastrians. I am proud to be an active volunteer of a group which is doing selfless service to the community by Cleaning and repairing the various dokhmas all over the country.
RELIGION
I will impress upon the other trustees that we should in all matters concerning our religion consult our high priest and mobeds and not take decisions on important issues such as dokhmenashni, intermarriage etc without their sanction.
HOUSING & YOUTH
Trustees should not behave like private landlords and have a more humane approach with regards to housingg in particular. My focus as a trustee will be on our youth, who are the future of our Community, they should be encouraged to marry within the fold and couples waiting to be married should be given utmost priority while allotting flats, instead of the present system of selling flats to the rich and undeserving. I will endeavour to ensure no BPP flats are kept locked up while, hundreds are on the waiting list of the merit rating system. Also the existing policy of thrusting leave & license agreements on legal heirs of deceased tenants should be scrapped. Incentives, such as a bigger accommodation, should be offered to married couples in order to encourage them to have more children and thus increase our numbers rather than advocating conversions as is being done by certain groups. Enterprising Zoroastrian youth, should be offered financial assistance with soft interest rates for starting new business ventures.
My candidature has been proposed by Mrs. Ratoo Dastoor, of Cusrow Baug, who is a well known social worker and activist. It has been seconded by our respected Ervad Aspandiar Dadachandji, Panthaki of the Vatchha Gandhi Agiary, both of whom have known me since several years now. Though I am a successful baker by profession, I have always had our community’s issues very dear to me and have always involved myself with groups that work for the betterment of our community and to protect our religion. I am also an active member of the National Congress Party of Mr. Sharad Pawar and am at present Vice President of the Mumbadevi taluka. My ‘PARIS BAKERY’ is very well known amongst the majority of our community for ‘excellent quality’ and ‘friendly service’. When elected I will provide the same ‘QUALITY’ in my ‘TRUTHFUL SERVICE’ to the community, to whom I will always be approachable and available whenever they need my help.
MAY OUR COMMUNITY UNITE AND PROSPER.
DANESH KAIKHUSHROO NEJADKAY