“It is NEVER too late to get involved in the community and we always welcome fresh new faces who are as passionate as us in making a positive difference by engaging and bringing the youth together”

 - Sanaya

Hi Sanaya! Welcome to our coffee chat and it’s a pleasure to have you as our second guest!

1.   Can you please tell us about yourself?

Hi, I’m Sanaya Khambatta and I am 25 from the UK. I come from a business and technical background, having studied Information Technology Management for Business at university, and currently am working as a Senior Technical Consultant at IBM. I am extremely passionate about encouraging others to pursue a career in the technology sector and run yearly internships for university students and industry talks to share knowledge, skills, and expertise within the field. Being a proud Zoroastrian in the UK community, I have always enjoyed socialising with other Young Zoroastrians (YZs) which encouraged me to become more active and involved in the community. As a direct result of this, I am currently the Vice President of the Young Zoroastrians of the UK and Co-Chair for the 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress (8WZYC) in London 2023, which is a huge privilege.


2.   How did you get involved with the English Zoroastrian community and what drives you?

Growing up, my family always ensured that I had a strong sense of community. As a result, I always had Zoroastrian friends and engaged with them socially on a regular basis, whether that be through attending Sunday religious classes at our Zoroastrian Centre, where I had the opportunity to learn about the religion or having people over at our house. My parents ensured they always attended celebrations or events at the Zoroastrian centre whether that be Navroze, or community led initiatives etc., and encouraged me to surround myself with other Zoroastrians as well as the traditions and values of our community. These friendships continued over the years and became more and more important as I grew up. I loved that sense of belonging and being involved with others my age who weren’t just from school or extra-curricular activities. This helped shape my identity and instilled in me the values of Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds.

My main driving factor for getting involved and even now is to create an environment whereby the future Zoroastrian youth have that same feeling of a sense of community I did and to allow them the opportunity to grow and connect with each other. It is equally as important to get involved in community-based events as educating themselves on our religion, understanding their background/roots, and our traditions. I want individuals to follow the religion not because they must but because they want to be part of this community and environment.


3.   How does the UK Zoro Youth stay in touch? Social events, volunteering, meet-ups, etc.?

Pre-covid the UK YZ committee would organise and participate in several events on a yearly basis, in addition to other ad hoc activities to bring together our youth community including having our own volleyball team, Christmas ice skating, meals out, karate classes, sports days, gymkhanas, and other social activities. Every year 30+ YZs are welcomed with open arms on our annual weekend away at the ASHA Centre, within the heart of the Forest of Dean. This trip is a chance for Young Zoroastrians to engage in a weekend of various games and activities, spiritual bonding, teambuilding, religious  discussions, and relaxation combined with engaging creative exercises. Year upon year this truly is one of the highlights of our social calendar as it allows us to meet and spend quality time with individuals, who we may not have met otherwise, explore our religion in a new way, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.

We largely communicate via social media pages (Instagram and Facebook) to engage with and reach our youth on a national level as well as spread awareness of community-based events and initiatives. Post- COVID we are looking to restart our social activities in a safe environment, to get the youth more involved, to expand our YZ committee, to return to the Asha centre, and to focus on the organisation of the 8WZYC.


4.   Being the co-chair of the upcoming 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress to be held in London in 2023, how excited are you to be spearheading this major global Zoroastrian event?

I am extremely delighted to be co-chairing the 8WZYC and we have a strong and enthusiastic team of volunteers to help bring our vision to life! These events are so important in bridging the gap between our global youth and to create a collaborative community. I hope that this congress will contribute towards a legacy for the community and provide a more sustainable future for generations to come. Furthermore, it provides the ideal opportunity to encourage the future generations of the Zoroastrian youth to work together to celebrate, educate, teach, and bond over the religion. I know we have big shoes to fill from previous years, but we are certainly up for the challenge, and I am excited to welcome our global YZ community to London with open arms!


5.   Can you tell us about some of the challenges you’ve faced or are facing with the preparations for the Youth Congress?

For us one of the biggest challenges so far has been the uncertainty that comes with the pandemic and for the future state of the world. At present, rules and regulations are changing on a weekly basis here in the UK and there is no real assurance of when life will get back to what we consider to be ‘normal’, we have just adjusted to a new norm with limited capacity events, closure of venues and travel restrictions. We want to ensure we can accommodate participation from our global youth; however, we have to factor in how we make an event of this size safe to do so in the new world and put into place contingencies if limited capacity and travel restrictions still exist


6.   I remember meeting you at the Los Angeles Youth Congress in 2019, and you shared some of your amazing ideas with me, will you be incorporating some of them in the London edition? What did you personally like about that congress?

As with any event everyone has ideas and visions and it can be a struggle to incorporate them all, however, we have been taking on board comments from the global youth, especially those who attended the last congress and other previous congresses, to learn from the past and create an even more enjoyable experience for the attendees. I still have notes on my phone from the last congress of things I wanted to remember to incorporate for the 8WZYC! At the end of the day this is a congress for the youth by the youth so we want to take their feedback and ideas on board where we can so watch this space for some exciting things to come!!

With the 7WZYC in LA I loved the fact that everyone stayed in one location. I feel this was vital in getting to know and meet others as when panel talks or events were not going on, we had the opportunity to relax in a social environment with other participants. We were able to connect with others whom we may not have been able to otherwise, as they were from different geographical locations, and often we would have ‘after-parties’ where we would all get together after an event to unwind and spend more time with individuals who we had maybe even met during the day. I strongly feel this would not have been possible if at the end of the day everyone were to go back to their respective accommodations and that would have created a different vibe and environment for the congress as you would not have built those close bonds and friendships with other attendees by the end of the week.


7.   What kind of volunteers is the UK Zoro Youth committee looking for? Also, with London being such an international hub especially for newcomers and international students how do you as an organization unearth these enthusiastic members and what opportunities are out there for them to serve the community?

We were looking for dedicated and motivated individuals who would love to play an active role in helping to grow and bond with our youth community in London. Our YZ committee wishes to encourage the Zoroastrian Youth to network, organise and participate in a variety of events and activities, catering for mixed interests and collaborate with other like-minded individuals on a national level, ensure the YZ community is an inclusive space, and to encourage unity among the YZ community.

With regards to the 8WZYC, we have several individuals on our committee who have had little involvement with the Zoroastrian youth community here in the UK and those who have never attended a congress before! London as you say is such an international hub and we have members of our team who did not grow up here however want to be actively involved in the community and get to socialise with other Zoroastrians. For the congress, we started our search by targeting our social media channels, mailing lists from the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE), attendees of previous YZ events, and word-of- mouth. We were also very fortunate to be given the incredible opportunity by multiple global Zoroastrian publications to produce an article series that is released every few months focusing on the people behind the 8WZYC congress and our progress, while in turn reaching a global audience to attract more volunteers (check out www.8wzyc.com to read these). A lot of our volunteers are extremely excited at the thought of participating and helping to put their stamp on the congress as well as experience the more social side of being a Zoroastrian and to connect with like-minded individuals who want to serve the community. They wish to create those lasting friendships and bonds on the future of our religion, and we hope that this experience will be extremely fulfilling for them and of course for them to have fun in the process too!


8.   Lastly, what message do you have for all our community members reading this on how and why they should get involved?

It is NEVER too late to get involved in the community and we always welcome fresh new faces who are as passionate as us in making a positive difference by engaging and bringing the youth together. In a world of rapidly developing technology, it has become easier than ever to engage with the global community and there are so many initiatives and events that you can get involved in especially virtually. COVID has just proved that to us, that as community led activities and engagements were more prevalent than ever using webinars and virtual discussion forums. Even if it is just through attending an event, you are still making an effort with the community, and you could meet some wonderful people along the way! We are also always looking for individuals who want to help contribute to a successful 8WZYC so if this sounds like you, please feel free to get in touch at  8wzyc@ztfe.com or reach out directly!


Thank you so much Sanaya, for your work and service.

We are rooting for you and the entire 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress organizing team!

FULL ARTICLE

NAMC Institute of Zoroastrian Studies

 Presents an online summer certificate course:

AN INTRODUCTION TO ZOROASTRIANISM

Faith, History, Modernity and Connections with Major Religions

 Start Date: July 5, 2021

On-line classes: Saturdays at 2 pm EDT starting July 10,2021

Course Description:
This course will provide the student with a brief introduction to Zoroastrianism, its doctrines, rituals, practices, and history, giving the student a window into Zoroastrianism and its influence on other succeeding faiths and raise appreciation of this ancient, relevant, and living faith in our modern society.

Instructors:        

Ervad Tehemton F. Mirza

Kayomarsh P. Mehta

Course Curriculum: https://namcmobeds.org/online-course-an-introduction-to-zoroastrianism/

To Register, please email: vicepresident@namcmobeds.org

For more information, please visit https://namcmobeds.org/

We are extremely honoured that Ervad Ramiyar Karanjia, Principal Dadar Athornan Institute and renowned Avestan scholar will start the meeting with a Ham-bandagi and give a short talk on “Timeless Zoroastrian Legacy”.

CYRUS AND ZOROASTRIAN LEGACY TO WORLD DEMOCRACY, THE U.S. FOUNDING FATHERS, U.S INDEPENDENCE AND CONSTITUTION

How “The Education of Cyrus,” Cyropaedia, and
Zoroastrian (Avesta) ethics and morals influenced

1. The Byzantine and Islamic rulers of Middle Ages
2. The Enlightenment ERA
3. French Democracy
4. AMERICAN Founding Fathers
5. American Constitution
6. The American Declaration of independence
7. Thomas Jefferson considered Cyrus as his Hero.
8. In the opinion of. highly respected U. S.  attorneys: The U.S. Constitution influenced the Indian constitution
9. How Wadia built ships helped Britain defeat Napoleon in Sea battles.
10. How the U.S. National Anthem was inspired on Wadia built ship MINDEN

Time: Jun 25, 2021 10:00 AM EST

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82504817036

Meeting ID: 825 0481 7036

Passcode: 917646

FEZANA reaches milestone fundraising goal of $1.1 Million (USD) in partnership with the University of Toronto, establishing first-ever FEZANA Professorship of Zoroastrian Languages and Literature at the University of Toronto

Transformative and sustainable for future generations, the endowed professorship advances the academic study and understanding of Zoroastrianism and its contributions to the world   Burr Ridge, Illinois, USA, June 16, 2021 – FEZANA, the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, at its 34th Annual General Meeting announced it has reached its matching fundraising goal of $1.1 million (USD) in partnership with the University of Toronto, officially establishing the FEZANA Professorship of Zoroastrian Languages and Literature at the University of Toronto. This milestone achievement will transform and advance the study of Zoroastrian languages and literature in the Western hemisphere for future generations, and marks an historic moment for FEZANA, its member associations and small groups, and the hundreds of patrons who donated to turn concept into reality.   A worldwide search for a candidate to fill the position shall begin in the summer/early fall, with the goal to have  a selected candidate in place to start their position at the University of Toronto in July 2022.   “The establishment of the FEZANA Professorship at the University of Toronto creates an academic milestone for the Zoroastrian community in North America,” said FEZANA President Arzan Sam Wadia. “In our more than three decades of FEZANA’s existence, this has been the single largest capital project we have initiated, and its completion is deeply gratifying to the entire community. What is truly unique is the collective participation of individuals and institutions from around the world. FEZANA will forever remain grateful to every donor who helped realize this dream.”   “This generous gift from the FEZANA community propels our Zoroastrian studies program as a leader on the global stage, greatly elevating its significance and contribution to the study of Zoroastrianism,” says Tim Harrison, chair of University of Toronto’s Department of Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations (NMC), in which the professorship will be based. “This professorship will help us greatly increase the number of students able to read and understand the ancient languages of Avestan and Pahlavi, and advance research and publications on the translated texts and their context in history. Ultimately, it will help raise awareness of Zoroastrianism around the world.” The milestone project was initiated in 2019 by FEZANA under the leadership of Homi D. Gandhi, immediate past President of FEZANA.   “It is important for faith-based organizations like FEZANA to invest in scholarship and educational opportunities for their communities and the world at large,” Gandhi said. “By fostering a greater understanding of the tenets that guide our lives, we can better understand other faiths who may believe differently, and in turn, achieve a global unity based on cooperation and understanding.”   The concept of an endowed professorship was first presented in 2017 at FEZANA’s 30th Annual General Meeting, by Erv. Dr. Jehan Bagli who had met with University of Toronto representatives to broach the idea. Dr. Bagli worked closely with Gandhi, and both devoted energy and enthusiasm toward the fundraising effort. In total, more than 250 generous donors supported the cause, including Zoroastrian individuals, associations, institutions and foundations in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Europe and North America.   FEZANA recognizes the following religious, academic and executive leaders for their behind-the-scenes leadership and guidance that helped advance the cause: Ervad Arda-e-viraf Minocherhomjee, President, North American Mobed Council; Behram Irani, FEZANA Fundraising Lead; Sean Elavia, FEZANA General Counsel; and Professor Yuhan S-D Vevaina, Bahari Associate Professor of Sasanian Studies at The University of Oxford.   “The inestimable and multi-generational value of investing in religious and historical education is not simply a utilitarian concern, but a fundamental tenet of Zoroastrianism to be found in every stage of Zoroastrian literature, from the Avestan sacred texts to those written today in the global diasporas,” Oxford’s Prof. Vevaina commented. “FEZANA is to be truly congratulated for its profoundly forward-thinking commitment to the highest levels of academic scholarship on Zoroastrianism, and I genuinely hope this is the just beginning of many more endowed positions to come which will reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of Zoroastrians living and thriving across the breadth and depth of North America and beyond.”   “The FEZANA Professorship in Zoroastrian Languages and Literature at the University of Toronto ensures a foundational religion, and its heritage will be studied in perpetuity,” said Prof. Jamsheed K. Choksy, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at the University of Indiana - Bloomington. “This is a much-needed undertaking of enduring value.”   Zoroastrians are followers of one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions founded by the prophet Zarathushtra more than 3,000 years ago in ancient Iran. Zoroastrians have long served as bridge builders in interfaith dialogue, believing in truth, righteousness, charity, beneficence, respect and care for the environment, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.   Zoroastrianism flourished as the imperial religion of three Persian empires, those of the Achaemenians, Parthians and Sassanians, and was the dominant religion from Turkey and eastward to China during those times. North America’s Zoroastrian community includes those who arrived from the Indian subcontinent, known as Parsis, and those who came directly from Iran seeking religious freedom.   About FEZANA   Founded in 1987, the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) represents a diverse and growing Zarathushti community in the western diaspora. Guided by the blessings of Ahura Mazda and the teachings of prophet Zarathushtra, the non-profit federation serves as the coordinating body for 27 Zoroastrian associations and 14 corresponding groups in Canada and the United States. The activities of FEZANA are conducted in a spirit of mutual respect, cooperation and unity among all member associations, and with due regard for the Zarathushti principles of goodness, truth, reason, benevolence, implicit trust and charity toward all mankind. Visit www.fezana.org and follow FEZANA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @TheFEZANA.     ###   Media contact: Jim Engineer Chief Communications Officer FEZANA pr@fezana.org

Download In PDF Format

he The California Zoroastrian Center (CZC) presents Drawing Contest 3:lifornia Zoroastrian Center (CZC) presents Drawing Contest 3:

Dear friends, This year marks our 35th fundraiser for The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital. Last year, thanks to your generosity, we sent a record $ 102,000. Every cent went towards the treatment of COVID patients. Every bed in the hospital was occupied then and still is, however, the hospital has carved out a section for COVID in order to manage all patients and perform other procedures. Due to the realities of the pandemic and its aftermath, the hospital has made plans to upgrade or buy new equipment. Further details refer to PGH Equipment Donation. The hospital under the CEO Dr. Ganguly, who managed 200 military hospitals when he retired, told me when he joined the hospital, “You don’t think I can manage a 200 bed hospital?” He brought changes to the staff’s attitude and glowing testimonials from relatives and patients. Examples are shared in the attachment and on hospital’s website. Though there were a couple of complaints, the COVID-19 vaccination distribution is well organized. The staff’s gentle manner has earned praises. Even my Jain friend’s sister, living in Breach Candy, went to PGH to pay for her shot and was very happy with the arrangement, distancing, cleanliness, and even the tea/coffee at the end was hot! This year, we are still in the COVID state of mind. The hospital has got donors for building an oxygen plant and for the first CT Scan machine to be installed, however, they need a good A/C system first. In the words of Mr. Hector Mehta, “the A/C plants are integral towards our COVID fight. They centrally supply the whole Jokhi wing and the A-1 (COVID) ward. Jokhi wing houses the ICCU, which during this pandemic 90% of the patients are being treated for post-Covid sequelae, especially pneumonia, stroke, myocardial infarctions, etc. It also houses the X-ray dept. where CT scan will be lodged and the Path Lab, where all the radiological and other diagnostic investigations for the COVID patients are carried out. None of these departments, including the CT Scan, can function without maintaining the desired cool temperature. Your donation for the A/C plants will actually go a long way towards the overall treatment of our COVID patients.” Jamshed and I have donated $10,000 towards this project. Hopefully, this is our last year for COVID-related fundraising. In honor of PGH, we will hold our annual jashan on SUNDAY, JULY 25th at 11:30 am, at our beautiful Dar-e-Mehr. Lunch will follow the jashan. Those who wish to attend please RSVP at 516-378-4516 or email - ghad@optonline.net. Kindly let us know so we can prepare accordingly. What can you do? Either click on the "Donate Now" button now, or donate by sending your donations payable to ZAGNY - Critical Assistance Fund. You can also send the checks to: (a) us at 2686 Belcher St., Baldwin, NY 1150-3937, OR (b) ZAGNY Treasurer, Cyrus Pavri, at 961 Franklin Turnpike, Allendale, NJ 07401-1315 Donate Now Hope you will go deep in your pockets to assist PGH in this global crisis. We thank our friends from USA and Canada for your tremendous support, encouragement, and generous donations for a very worthy cause - taking care of our sick and needy. Please visit PGH’s revamped website https://bdpetitparseegeneralhospital.org/ as some of the recent testimonials from patients and relatives will warm your hearts. Ushta te, Yasmin & Jamshed Ghadiali 2686 Belcher St. Baldwin, NY 1150-3937 516-378-4516 ghad@optonline.net

This Saturday Learn more about PERSIS: A Persis Khambatta Story

A Walk Down Persis Lane:

The FEZANA Talks #22

Join us on Saturday June 12th for this exciting exploration of the career of Parsi actress Persis Khambatta. To many, Persis Khambatta was the woman who turned heads as Lieutenant Ilia in the film Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979), but to many of those from the South Asian and Parsi community, Persis’ pioneering journey across the globe was a historical moment of being seen.  The panel invites the FEZANA community to join a conversation with the filmmaker Vaishali Sinha, alongwith artists Sooni Taraporevala and Farah Bala – whose paths crossed with Persis Khambatta. Together we will explore Persis’ work and ambitious journey, and learn from each other the Persis we know. We invite you to join us as we collectively walk down Persis Lane. PERSIS is an ongoing documentary film exploring the legacy of the unheralded model-turned-actor Persis Khambatta.    Saturday June 12th, 2021 9 AM Pacific | 12 Noon Eastern | 5 PM UK | 9:30 PM India

Speaker Bios

SOONI TARAPOREVALA

Sooni Taraporevala is an award-winning screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker. She is the author/publisher of 2 editions of the photo book PARSIS A Photographic Journey1980- 2004, a popular and critical success, now out of print.. In 2017 Harper Collins published her photo book Home in the City Bombay 1977 – Mumbai 2017. Her photographs are in museums & collections worldwide. She won a national award for her debut film LITTLE ZIZOU and was awarded a Padma Shri in 2014. Her latest film YEH BALLET that she wrote and directed is streaming worldwide on Netflix. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

FARAH BALA 

Farah Bala has worked as a performing artist and producer for over two decades in Theater, Film-TV in South Asia and the US. She is also an Audie nominated voiceover artist. Some recent Film-TV credits include Quantico, Orange is the New Black, Steven Soderberg’s High Flying Bird. Farah has simultaneously used the tools of the theater in arts education, developing social-emotional learning in NYC public schools, international volunteering initiatives, and professional environments globally and across industries. 

She is currently Founder & CEO of FARSIGHT, a leadership development consultancy that prioritizes Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. 

Farah’s speaking engagements include Yale University, Ford Foundation, Voice America, NY Travel Festival, Travel Unity, Adirondack Diversity Initiative, Oregon Shakespeare Fest, Asian American Arts Alliance, among others. She is a sought after speaker at national conferences, most recently at SHPE and SASE. Farah is also the creator and host of FARSIGHT FRIDAY, a video podcast started in 2020 in response to the heightened racism and divisiveness of marginalized communities. She is featured in Umbrage Edition’s national award-winning book Green Card Stories as one of 50 profiles of recent immigrants from around the world.

VAISHALI SINHA

Vaishali Sinha directed/produced the feature documentary ASK THE SEXPERT (PBS, Netflix India) about a 92-year-old sex advice columnist in India who gains popularity despite the ban on sex education in schools in several states. The film traveled to over 40 film festivals, won Best Documentary Award at New Orleans Film Festival, a Critics Choice Award in India, and a Grierson Nomination for Best Entertaining film.

Vaishali also co-directed/produced the award-winning documentary MADE IN INDIA about the personal stories behind the phenomenon of outsourcing surrogacy to India. The film premiered at Hot Docs Film Festival in Canada and aired on PBS in 2012. Variety called it “an engrossing feature” and The Hindu wrote “the film does not judge, it only states and allows the viewer that prerogative.”

Vaishali is from Mumbai and currently resides in New York with her husband Fred Lassen, a Music Director and their 6-year-old son Luca.

Join on Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting Topic: A walk down Persis Lane: The FEZANA Talks Time: Jun 12, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) https://zoom.us/j/96651255724?pwd=Vms5UWk0bVVlWlRhd21YdENobVRUUT09 Meeting ID: 966 5125 5724 Passcode: FEZANA / 507413 Dial by your location https://zoom.us/u/augThaiBg

CRRF sponsors first-ever National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism in Canada

The CRRF is a proud sponsor of the first-ever National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism hosted by the University of British Columbia.  The event will take place over two days beginning on June 10, 2021.  Join the National Forum on Anti-Asian Racism and contribute to these crucial discussions. Through open conversations with key figures in education, health care, media, the corporate world, the not-for-profit sector, and government, we’ll produce bold actions and key priorities to be implemented across the country. Participate in these discussions and help shape the fight against racism!