The fourth of November went down as a memorable day for the Parsi families of Ahmedabad. On the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the NGO ‘Ushta-Te Foundation’ a grand function was organised at the Zorastrian Hall, Kankaria in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Brig. Jehangir Anklesaria( President Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat and Guest of Honour), Dr. Delnaz Jokhi, Persis Khambhatta, Shirin Kanga, Dr. Shernaz Cama (Chief Guest) , Minni Patel ( Managing Trustee) Binaifer Dastur,Dr. Armaity Davar and Pearl Sabavala
It was because of the foresight and magnanimity of FOUNDER TRUSTEE EMERITUS Meher Medora that the Parsis of Ahmedabad have benefitted from Ushta-Te’s generosity for the last twenty five years.
The Managing Trustees, Shirin Kanga, Minnie Patel , Pearl Sabavala , Dr. Delnaz Jokhi, Khushnum Avari and Binaifer Dastoor ensure the well-being of this Institution and are taking it to greater heights.
Dr. Shernaz Cama was the Chief Guest of the gala function. Dr Shernaz is the founder and President of PARZOR. PARZOR is an initiative that aims to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the Parsi community in India. It focuses on various aspects such as language, arts, crafts, and history, with the goal of ensuring the continuity and awareness of Parsi traditions.
Dr. Cama recently received the prestigious Dr. Sarojini Naidu’s Nightingale of India award, last month.
The other distinguished dignitaries included Brig. (Retd.) Jehangir Anklesaria, President of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat, and Persis Areez Khambatta, the wife of the late Industrialist Padma Shri Areez Khambatta.
Outstanding students and other deserving candidates were honoured and felicitated for their achievements in various academic as well as for the extracurricular achievements.
An Audio Visual Presentation captivated the audience and took them down Memory lane. It showcased the memorable activities carried out by Ushta-Te over the last twenty five years.
The air was charged with a sense of sweet nostalgia as parents, past and present, relived pleasant memories and experiences of the eventful years gone by.
After invoking the blessings of God in the earlier part of the evening, the little kids of the Zarathushti Awareness Group of Ahmedabad, dazzled the captivated audience with their dancing skills.
Truly mesmerising performances were followed by yet another explosive show…. The “Generation Walk” which included the parents in this act. The enthusiastic parents expressed their exuberance and danced in tandem with their children, moving to the tunes of old Hindi songs. Melodies strung together like rows of pearls, one charming family after another, to the foot tapping beats and the encouraging claps from the audience.
The grand celebrations came to a close with a vote of thanks and the renditions of the anthems sung with sincere reverence.
The loud cheerful call of “Chalo, jamva aavoji” filled the air with ecstatic excitement as the hungry masses headed towards the scrumptious feast of Parsi delicacies. No celebration is ever complete without whetting a hungry Bawa stomach!
Thus, the grand celebration witnessed by hundreds of Parsis will most certainly go down in History as one of the most notable evenings the Parsis of Ahmedabad have ever experienced. Function held on November 4, 2023 at the Zorastrian Hall, Kankaria, Ahmedabad.
ZAGA ( Zarthosti Awareness Group Ahmedabad) Photo Caption ( from left to right):