Bombay Parsi Panchayat trustee elections sees four newbies on board

Adil Malia, one of the new trustees; Anahita Desai polled 5,547 votes, highest among the contestants; Hoshang Jal had started several social initiatives during lockdown and Maharukh Noble, a Nepean Sea Road resident, polled 3,802 votes

The Bombay Parsi Panchayat polls for seven trustees that took place on Sunday saw four new people elected to the BPP trusteeship. The newbies, not novices in terms of work, acknowledged the greater bandwidth and power the seat gives them, adding that they need to leverage that with caution and responsibility.

Anahita Desai, who polled 5,547 votes, highest among the contestants, said, "I am honoured that so many people felt I am fit for the job, but that brings with it responsibility and the weight of people's expectations." Desai added that it was time to bring the curtain down on the "politicking" and certain agendas being pushed within the BPP, resulting in internecine strife. "The community is sick of it. I want to see the BPP in robust financial health now. Credibility has been lost to some degree because of the infighting, and donations have been drying up. We have to get the Panchayat back on track in these aspects," she said.

It's Dial C for corporate, not conflict or controversy for Adil Malia who comes on board with the belief that it is high time "corporate leadership is part of society/community organisations". "Qualified and trained corporates can bring their experience to these outfits," said Malia. When asked about the tumult in the BPP, Malia said, "Friction and factionalism is part of many social organisations. It is important though to peg that back and create an environment which is mitigating rather than litigating." What Malia meant is that "there has to be much more dialogue and discussion on community issues" so that the BPP moves forward together and gets results as a team.

Social work

Some candidates have been involved in working for the community on smaller platforms, and the BPP will help them broad base these efforts. Hoshang Jal from Colaba contested in 2015 but did not get voted in. Seven years and 3,994 votes later, he is part of BPP trusteeship. "I have been involved in social work for the community for years now," said the Cusrow Baug resident, adding, "I think my initiatives during the time when the pandemic crippled our lives completely may have been a factor in my election, though I cannot be certain. We need to stress youth-oriented schemes and taking care of our vulnerable, older persons. I had an initiative where one young person took care of an elderly person during the recent lockdowns. In this way, the younger person became a one-point contact for the elderly person."

Maharukh Noble, a Nepean Sea Road native who polled 3,802 votes to win a seat, said, "This is a leap from a smaller canvas for social/community work to a bigger platform. I floated an initiative during COVID called Adopt-a-Mobed. Our priests do not have provident funds or gratuity, so this is what we can do to help them. Each Mobed got a hamper to help them during the crisis. This was not charity - it was a gesture of thanks for the work they do. I have started a group of karsevaks who are in charge of cleaning and maintaining our fire temples. There is a medical centre in a south Mumbai colony started by me… The BPP seat empowers a person to do more in such spaces. I also think we need to start tackling issues, such as tenancy or leave 'n' licence, head on as some of these need very urgent attention and resolution."

The other trustees on the seven-person board are Viraf Mehta, Ervad Xerxes Dastur and Armaity Tirandaz.