Welcome to Bahrain Zoroastrian Association

The History

For a considerable time now, whenever some Zoroastrians get together in Bahrain, it has been noticed that a frequent question is "How many of us do you suppose there are on the island?"

At the best of times, and in almost any community, a ques¬tion such as this is not easy to answer with accuracy. In Bahrain today with its rapid rate of growth and develop¬ment, the population has multiplied rapidly, bringing in new faces. The Zoroastrians have not lagged behind and it is gratifying to see a fair increase in our numbers. The problem has been, in fact, getting to know of the new arrivals. Whereas most seek out their kinfolk, some -perhaps because of pressure of work or the location of their work or residence, or simply lack of opportunity -have been unable to meet the rest of us here, and hence this bulletin is a modest effort to stretch out a welcoming hand to the new,or the not-so-new arrivals on this happy island. We also hope this will help to knit us into a close better acquainted community.

We are endeavoring to produce this very first publication in the hope of reaching every single Zoroastrian on the island. Many of them perhaps do not know that an institu¬tion such as the Bahrain Zoroastrian Anjuman is in existence, and it is hoped that when these people see the Newsletter, they will contact other Zoroastrians on the island. After all, we acknowledge the fact that interna¬tionally, we are a very small community - the number of Zoroastrians throughout the world is estimated at 120,000. We would, therefore, be most interested to discover how many of us live in Bahrain, so if you know of any other Zoroastrian, please let us know.

We are sure that a person who joins or wishes to join the Bahrain Zoroastrian Anjuman wants to know more about it -what is it - why does it exist - what is its purpose, etc.? These are natural questions from anyone who wants to get acquainted with an institution. We take this opportunity of answering those questions at the outset.

The summer of 1951 was a notoriously bad one. Of course, in those days, the luxury of air-conditioning was out of the reach of most people. At the time, there were just three Zoroastrian ladies on the island, all three of whom were expectant mothers. Two of them had very successful confinements, producing (or rather adding to the community) two bonny boys. The third lady, sadly, did not have the same joy as her baby was stillborn. The Zoroastrians on the island were faced with the problem of where to inter the baby. They searched high and low for a solution, but faced a brick wall wherever they turned. It was then that the Hindu Community, who had been living in Bahrain for many decades and had fortunately acquired for themselves a cremation ground from the Government, graciously consented that the baby could be interred in one corner of their crematorium. The incident preyed on the minds of the Zoroastrians in case the same problem reoccurred.

Mr. Jamshed Marolia, who was the then oldest Zoroastrian resident here, and who had excellent contacts with Government and other sources, decided to find a solution to the problem. He approached the Ruler of Bahrain - at the time Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the father of-the present Amir, Sheikh Eisa Bin Salman Al Khalifa - seeking his assistance.

With typical Bahraini generosity and graciousness, Sheikh Salman immediately instructed the Government that a suitable piece of land be granted to the community to be developed as a cemetery.

Various locations were studied, test holes were made to ascertain the suitability for our requirements, and finally a plot of land, measuring 150' x 150' was granted to the community in what was then believed to be a remote corner of the island.
Jamshed Marolia rightly felt that the land could not possib¬ly be registered in an individual's name, and suggested that a body be formed in whose name the land could be registered. Accordingly, the Bahrain Zoroastrian Anjuman came into existence on 9 September 1956.

At its first meeting, a draft constitution was drawn up as to the aims, objectives and regulations of the Anjuman, but basically from the outset, the intent of the Anjuman was that:

(1) They be the owners of the cemetery; and

(2) A forum of all Zoroastrians on the island is held at least once a month.

Then as now, bachelors outnumbered the families, and these bachelors wholeheartedly backed the Anjuman, rightly hoping that this would give them an opportunity of enjoying mother's home cooking from time to time!

Jamshed Marolia was elected its first President. That was twenty-seven years ago and we are delighted that the Anjuman has regularly held functions, where as many Zoroastrians as possible have got together to enjoy the fraternal spirit, and, of course, a good lunch or dinner.

On numerous occasions, these functions have been arranged through the kindness of some Bahraini business friends in their gardens, where a dip in the pool was most welcome.

We hope that all Zoroastrians here will contribute positively to the welfare of not only our community, but also perhaps in a small way to that of this happy little island on which all of us enjoy our stay.

This being our first Newsletter, we have not yet decided on a name and we would welcome suggestions. We hope to be able to produce four of these newsletters a year. At this juncture, we are not sure of its length or its contents. Much depends on your co-operation and assistance, so do come forward with your views and ideas and let us know all about the community in Bahrain and in other parts of the world -in particular, about our brethren who make notable contribu¬tions to the community.

If there is any information you wish to have about the Anjuman, please feel free to come and discuss with any of us. The Managing Committee presently consists of:

PAST PRESIDENT	:	Ester S. Bamji
PAST SECRETARY	:	Adi G. Lawyer
PAST TREASURER	:	Nozer H. Mistry

The Bahrain Zoroastrian Anjuman came into existence on 9 September 1956 in a rather unexpected way. The story began in the summer of 1951 with an unhappy occurrence; such circumstances are part of life and living.
but such circumstances are a part of life and living.

In New York, Los Angeles, and many other places throughout the world, the Zoroastrians get together from time to time and people travel for miles to attend the functions. It is often at such functions that by chance, one meets an old childhood friend or someone from one's home town or city or a friend of a friend, and thus one does not feel so lost or lonely in a foreign land.

Whenever we see new Zoroastrian faces in our midst, it makes us happy to know that they are being offered jobs, coming out here and doing well. It is a good feeling, when a Zoroastrian excels in his or her profession.

Every club, committee, etc., of any size normally sends out periodically some sort of bulletin or newsletter. In many ways, it helps to bring people together, for when you read names and certain tidbits about people - whether a marriage - whether an addition to a family - whether someone changes jobs or goes on holiday - it facilitates communication when meeting those people for the first time and is thus a starting point for making friends and getting to know one another better, which is really our major aim. Considering that the Zoroastrians are so few in number and that most. Of the time we come in contact with other communities, we sometimes really long for our own kind and then we don't feel quite so homesick.

OLD FLASH NEWS!!

We had heard that Mr. Minoo Giara was chosen as "EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR" for 1983 by Gulf Hotel, which has a total staff of 380. In October 1983, he was elected "EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH" by the Hotel. Our heartiest congratulations to him.