Jiyo Parsi campaign: Senior citizens to be rewarded for babysitting

Anton Zykov, Actor Nauheed Cyrusy, Dr Shernaz Cama and Lara Balsara interact at the event. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

As part of the third leg of the Jiyo Parsi campaign, which aims to arrest the dwindling Parsi population, the Parzor Foundation on Thursday announced several financial incentives for members of the community. Termed as Jiyo Parsi Care, the initiatives would encourage senior citizens to take care of the children of Parsi couples and establish a symbiotic relationship within the community.

Speaking about the initiative, Sam Balsara, chairman of Madison World said they came up with the schemes based on the feedback they received from the community after the implementation of the second phase of the Jiyo Parsi campaign. "As part of the feedback, people said, 'It's all very well for you to say have children, but who is going to look after them? Who will go to work to earn money? Who is going to pay their medical and school bills?' These schemes will be helpful. We will also try to address other issues that the community brings up in future," he said.

The first of the three schemes focuses on couples with a joint income of less than '15 lakh/year. They will be given an amount of '4,000 every month till the child turns eight, in case they need to put their wards in crèche. Senior members of the community were also being urged to take on the responsibility of looking after kids, for which they would be given an honorarium of '3,000 per child until he/she turns 10. Senior citizens, who live with their children and at least one grandchild, would get an assistance of '4,000 every month.

Actor Nauheed Cyrusi and Anton Zykov, a scholar of Zoroastrianism, among others, attended the event. The initiative has been set up in collaboration with an advertising agency, Madison BMB, the Bombay Parsi Punchayat and the Federation of Zoroastrian Anjumans of India. Meanwhile, referring to the recent Supreme Court verdict on construction of a tunnel underneath the Atash Behrams, Dr Shehnaz Cama, president of the Parzor Foundation, said the community was upset, hurt and frightened.

"The world has suffered every time a community has disappeared. The Parsi community is inching towards extinction. Though people are sad, there is a desire to fight back and protect the group's identity," she added.

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