I FEEL THE PAIN FOR I HAVE GONE THROUGH IT TOO

I am a common man with a simple background. I have come up the hard way in life. I am no sethia but a common man born in an ordinary household. My brother and I were raised in Zoroastrian Colony (Chickalwadi) in a 350 sq. foot apartment. After my father’s sudden demise, my family had to face a lot of hardships. During that time, my mother worked multiple jobs to help raise us as the men we are today. I understand the plight of community members because I have lived it.

Every community member at some point in time or another have knocked on the doors of the BPP. May it be for housing or monetary assistance, any kind of aid or as simple as enrolling your child for HPY. The BPP is an integral part of the community in Mumbai and we have to accept it.

Today, by the grace of Ahuramazda I am relatively successful. I am happily married to Vahbiz and reside with a roof over our head at Zoroastrian Colony. I have been appointed at the CEO of the Zoroastrian Building Fund which has a total of 38 buildings under it. My responsibilities include managing matters vary from interfacing with several Government / Municipal agencies and Charity Commissioner’s Office, to securing and monitoring the day-to-day upkeep of the Trust properties spread in different parts of the city.

However, life has not always been easy. When I was 32 years old, I wanted to start my own business. I was young and impressionable and thought everything I did would work. However, reality struck when I ran out of funds. At one point I considered not being an entrepreneur but instead take up a job in an office. My mother, who was my guiding light, insisted I continue doing what I believed was right. My mother broke all her fixed deposits and gave me her life savings just so that I could pursue my dreams. In the need of funds, I approached the then Trustee Mr. Dinshaw Mehta and asked him for a solution. I showed him my business plan which I then presented to the Board of Trustees. The Trustees after being impressed with the plan granted me Rs. 5 Lakhs through the Venture Capital Fund Scheme which they had at the time. With those funds I started my business and never looked back.

Had it not been for blessings of my friends, family and the encouragement and grant from the BPP (and the guidance from the then Trustees), I would never have been where I am today.

Success comes with sacrifices. Our youth need to be guided in the right direction by our elders. Today, the BPP is in a financial doldrum. All Schemes for the community have been stopped because of lack of funds. Without funds, our youth cannot be helped, our elders cannot be helped. It is not like funds cannot be raised. In the last 15 months, I am told the BPP has raised 50 Crores from auction of just over 25 high value flats. With the interest on deposits, the BPP is earning handsomely and with these funds they can complete various tasks. This shows that when there is a Board of Trustees who have the right intent – everything is possible.

and give back what the community gave to me. I have been working as a community activist for the last 15 years and everyone knows that I am always contactable to them for any reason whatsoever. I request you to please vote wisely. Your vote today will affect future generations. We want our youth to have a better BPP than that we have today and for that we need likeminded individuals on board to help serve the community.

Thank you Rumy Zarir – M. 9820737171

Candidate No. 11

Source: Parsi Junction