SURAT: The babbling and wails of infants from apartments in Bai Bamasipore Memorial Zarthosthi building in Saiyedpura in Surat have begun to raise the hopes of the local Parsi community, dogged by a fast dwindling population.

The community’s plan based on ‘we give you a roof and you give us children’, to motivate young Parsi couples to marry and have children, is yielding results as the future generation takes its first tottering steps in this building.

The 24 flats in this apartment have been given free of cost to young Parsis, who pledged to marry within the community and have children. In the last couple of years, seven kids have been born here.

Built at a cost of Rs 35 lakh, with contributions from Parsis in Iran and UK and partly funded by Surat Parsi Panchayat, this building has literally proved to be an ‘incubator’ of hopes for Parsis.

Nevil Amalsadiwala (31) and his wife Kainaz got a flat in this apartment after they got married about three years ago and now they are proud parents of a daughter, Yovela. City-based computer operator Nevil, the only child of his parents, wants to have a second child shortly.

For many years, marriage was not on the minds of Eric Dutiya (28), working with a private bank here and Yasmin (23).

“We planned to get married soon after we were promised a flat in this building last year,” says Yasmin, who is expecting her first child in the last week of December this year.

“With a roof over our heads, we have been able to raise our family,” say Adil Kasad (30) and his wife Dilshad (25). Their son Sheroy (2) was born here and now they are planning to have a second child.

Original article in the Times of India