In October, Phiroze Edulji was assigned to look after South Bengal as a vice president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). With aim to ensure that Hinduism and Sanatan Dharma is well protected, Edulji aims to stand for the cause of Hindus.
A resident of old Parsi Colony in Kolkata’s Khorshed Madan Mansion, near Maula Ali Mazar near Sealdah – Phiroze Edulji is a lawyer at Calcutta High Court, where he has been practicing since 1997.
As Edulji is struggling with his foggy reading glasses, he was seen surrounded by books on Indian Penal Code, Judiciary, Zoroastrianism to name few- beside a cup of smoking ‘Earl Grey’ that was kept sequentially on the tabletop. But what drew attention was a stack of scripts and literature of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
But what do the scripts and literature of RSS and VHP have to do with a Parsi man?
“At the heart of Hinduism is Zoroastrianism. Both are from the same source. There is no difference between a Hindu and a Zoroastrian. In fact, if you go through our ‘Zend-avesta’, you will find the word ‘Hindu’. This drew my attention towards RSS 12 years back and in October 2020 after Durga Puja, I was assigned to work for VHP as its South Bengal’s Vice President,” Phiroze Edulji said.
“When I was studying at National Law School in Bengaluru, my batchmate Vikramjit Banerjee told me about RSS. Later, he introduced me to some Sangh leaders in Kolkata. I was influenced by the RSS and since then (almost 12 years) my journey as a ‘Swayam Sevak’ started. I fought many cases for the cause of Hindu rights which include the ‘Shastra Puja’ which was banned by the Bengal government a couple of years back,” he added.
Further narrating his journey he said, it’s not a question of holding the vice-presidential post but standing for the cause of Hindus. “My raison d’être is to ensure that Hinduism and Sanatan Dharma is well protected as long as I live,” he added.
Born and brought up in Kolkata on June 10, 1973 – Edulji had lost his father Naval Edulji- an Indian Navy employee in 1992 when he was 18-year-old. And his mother Perviz passed away in 2012, she used to work for the British Oxygen Company.
Explaining the religious blend in his life, Edulji said, “I think Zoroastrianism, Hinduism got into my DNA from my father. He was born in Jabalpur but later he shifted to Allahabad and this could be the reason that he was inclined towards the Sanskrit language. Probably he was the only Parsi in India to have excellent command over Sanskrit language and in 1992 when he left us, he told me to keep track on the ‘Ram Janmabhoomi’ case. So I started following the Ram Janmabhoomi proceedings very closely, personally, I didn’t get a chance to be a part of the legal team because it was handled from Delhi but the judgement is very close to my heart. Even for my father two cases including Ram Janmabhoomi and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose were close to his heart.”
Edulji is also an avid watch collector and among many collections – he is emotionally attached to his fusee vintage gold pocket watch, his mother’s HMT and Rolex Seamaster.