Editors Note: Recently the hugely successful and fantastically run initiative Jiyo Parsi teamed up with one of India’s oldest newspapers, and the bastion of Parsi news Jam-e-Jamshed; to have a personality development and grooming workshop for Parsi males between the ages of 18-45. While the advertisement could have done with some of the brilliant wordsmithy one saw in the first Jiyo Parsi campaign, the lack of it created a ruckus in the community.
The workshop is catered towards providing social and life skills to Parsi boys so that they can work towards finding Parsi spouses. While the marketing may have needed a second look, the intentions are good, and also the need of the hour.
Communities all over the world do similar exercises. In fact this is more prevalent in the West and the developed countries amongst Church groups and Jewish groups. They organize camps and activities at all levels with one of the primary goals being that participants find life partners from within the fold. Somehow we as a community seem to shun this idea.
This two hour workshop is not being forced upon anyone. The naysayers should back off, because their negativity is overflowing into regular cultural conversations and then the non-Parsi media takes this initiative, slaps on tacky stereotypes, makes a “catch all” headline and plasters it on the front page. Mumbai Mirror a leading tabloid seems to have found out that all the issues of the world have been solved. All the problems about our great nation have been eradicated and the only one remains is what a miniscule community does to get their boys to marry girls from their own communities. No wonder its a tabloid !
To Jiyo Parsi and Jame-Jamshed, continue to do what you are doing. Only thing I’d request is to get a marketing/PR professional from within the community involved, to help you through the pitfalls in areas that are not your core competencies.
Dikra, this is how you woo a woman
After Jiyo Parsi, it’s Patao ParsiAt a special meet organised later this month, prominent Parsis will advise bachelors in the community how to date, and ultimately marry, girls within the community
Article By Linah Baliga, Mumbai Mirror
Don’t take mom’s calls during a date. Buy flowers for her. These are some of the tips Parsi men will be getting in an upcoming meet organised to help them woo Parsi women.
A joint initiative by Jame-Jamshed (a community paper) and Jiyo Parsi, a team of panellists will lead the way in mentoring Parsi bachelors aged between 18-45 years on September 22 at RTI hall, next to Vatcha Gandhi Agiary.
Calling Parsi boys ‘mama’s boys’ Dr Ashdin Turner, a dentist on the panel, said he will aim to advise them to let go of their mother’s apron strings. “Parsi boys are mollycoddled and are attached to their mothers. I will tell them to be courteous, and not be on the phone with their mothers, when they are on a date with a Parsi girl. Otherwise the date will be disaster. They should bring flowers for the girl without telling her that their Mama chose the colour of the flowers,” he said.
Giving his own example, Dr Turner said that he got married when he was 29 years old and his wife 23. They now have two teenaged children. “Nowadays, we have boys and girls who are marrying very late. I will mentor some of the Parsi boys and get them to understand how to win the hearts of the Parsi girls before they get won over by a non-Parsi,” he said.
Shahzad Davar, a fitness expert, will speak about the importance of physical fitness and exercise. “It ultimately trickles down to some level of attraction. I will give them tips on what they can do to be fit, including diet and exercise,” said Davar.
Hormuz Ragina, India’s JAM master, who speaks for Just A Minute on a topic without stammering or stuttering is the third panellist, whose role will be to boost the confidence of Parsi boys. “A lot of boys in our community are shy while approaching women. I will guide them to channelise their energies in the right direction,” said Ragina, who also wants youngsters to inculcate the habit of reading. Ragina added that he has some mantras to enhance their personality. “I will tell them to learn three new things in a year. Like learning a new language or an instrument. It is about expanding their intellect and grey matter and that is what will make them attractive,” he said.
Pearl Tirandas from Jiyo Parsi Foundation said that the meet would be an interactive session where participants will have the opportunity to exchange thoughts, experiences and ideas with a panel of men who are successful in their personal and professional lives.
A 40-year-old Parsi bachelor, who will be attending the session, told Mirror on condition of anonymity, “We are just looking to settle down as quickly as possible. Parsi girls are more educated than Parsi boys. So it is difficult to get a Parsi girl to marry at a young age. I am 40 years old and I have not found a bride yet. The session will be helpful for people like me.”
The Jiyo Parsi scheme was a government initiative launched in 2013 to stem the decline of India’s Parsi population. The latest 2011 Census put the number of Indian Parsis at 57,264, a fall from 114,000 in 1941. By 2021, when the population of India will be 1.2 billion, the number of Parsis is expected to be 58,000.