- LOOKING ZANT A ZANT ACTIVITIES BACK ZANT MOTHER CELEBRARTION ZANT M NIGHT GAME ADULT. NouRuz 2009

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1 ZANT NEWS A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas April 2009 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD The month of March has been a busy but fruitful month for us here at the ZANT. The March 8 AGM meeting was very successful and our community elected four new members to the board of directors. Farieda Irani, as vice president, Keshvar Buhariwalla as social director, Roya Kaviani Bidanjiry as board member and Delna Godiwalla as board member. We welcome their new and fresh ideas on the board and we look forward to use their talents and experience in furthering the goals of our association. The three departing board members cited a couple of common issues as their reasons for resignation. The board s response will be published with the minutes of the March 8 AGM. This is a season of renewal and rejuvenation and we celebrated the arrival of the Jamshidi New Year along with 180 of our friends and family with a Jashan prayer followed by children s dances, dinner and music well into the night on Saturday March the 21 st at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dallas. The ZANT president, Kamran Behroozi in his brief remarks welcomed all the participants at the NouRuz function, wished everyone a happy new year, recognized all the individuals who have contributed their time and resources towards the Zarathushti community goals over the last 20 years and spoke of a strong and vibrant entity that ZANT has become since it s founding two decades ago. He emphasized on two worthy goals amongst many and they were to welcome and assist all Zoroastrians into the area and to provide a home devoted to the practice of the Zoroastrian faith. With Ahura Mazda s blessings and our community support we will make steady progress on those and other worthy community goals, and the steady flow of newcomers into our area will guaranty the supply of new ideas and energetic minds to assist in achieving those goals. With best wishes in the New Year for all. ZANT E ZANT EVENTS 4/11: ZANT Religious Class and Egg Hunt (pg. 5) 4/25: Adult Game Night (pg. 2) 5/10: Mother s Day Picnic (pg. 2) May: Ladies Night Out 6/6: ZANT Gahambar (pg. 10) June: Men's Night Out July: Father s Day & Tirgan BOARD OF DIRECTORS INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ZANT Activities 2 Poem by B. Kaviani 3-4 Kids Corner 5 ZANT Center Update 7 Tracing Our Roots 7 Observing Gahambars 8 Monthly Goodies 9 FEZANA News 9 ZANT News - April

2 ZANT A ZANT ACTIVITIES - LOOKING BACK NouRuz 2009 This year our NouRuz festivities were combined with ZANT's 20th Anniversary Celebration. As always, much planning and preparation went into this event which was held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Dallas. The celebration was attended by 180 members and guests and a gala time was had by all. The evening started with a Jashan ceremony performed by our four local Mobeds. There was a short break for mouth watering home made treats thanks to the Atashband, Behroozi and Bidanjiry Families. This was followed by our Children's Square Dancing which impressed the entire audience. There were many accolades to be handed out that evening; a special honor to Cyrus Rustomji from ZANT, Children's Mehergan awards, Sports Day awards, and a recognition of our newest Mobed, Ervard Burzin P. Balsara, from the North American Mobeds Council (NAMC). Everyone's appetite was ready for the extensive dinner buffet that awaited. As the dance floor was being brought to life, a special visitor appeared, Amoo Nou- Ruz! ZANT would like to thank Adil Adi for entertaining one and all as only he can in his beautifully stitched Amoo NouRuz attire. With the children happy with their new gifts, the adults were left to dance the night away. Thank you to all those who came to this year s event, who supported ZANT through the 20th Anniversary Souvenir book, who participated in the silent auction and to all the rest who played a part in making this event special. ZANT M ZANT MOTHER OTHER S DAY CELEBRARTION This year Mother s day is on Sunday, May 10th. ZANT is planning a trip for our special Moms to the Dallas Arboretum to enjoy May flowers. We are considering renting a pavilion. Plan to meet there at 11:00am. The plan is to get volunteers to make the following: chicken salad, egg salad and potato salad. We require volunteers for bread, chips, crackers, fruits, drinks and assorted desserts. This will be the basic menu and we will meet, find a wonderful location, make our sandwiches out there and enjoy the beautiful scenery - all our moms! If you would like to attend and volunteer to bring one of the above or maybe you have your own suggestion, please let us know by Friday, May 1st. If you would just like to attend and be part of our ZANT Family enjoying nature and time spent together, also please RSVP by May 1st. Once the list is compiled, the volunteers will be notified by the Sunday before of how many people they need to prepare their dish for. The discounted group rate for the Arboretum is $6.50/ adults, $4.50/ kids (4-13), $5/seniors, there is a $5 per car parking fee. There will be more details, but please plan on attending and enjoying this special day set aside for Mom's! Please RSVP to Keshvar Buhariwalla at keshv@msn.com or call (972) ADULT GAME NIGHT We are planning an evening of game filled fun for adults, seniors and our teens. Carom, Chess, Backgammon, Rummikub, Cards, Board Games like Monopoly, Taboo will be provided for entertainment in a casual setting on Saturday April 25 th from 7pm to 10 pm at the Wellington Athletic Club, 3520 Furlong Drive E. Flower Mound, TX Please feel free to bring along other games/ board games of your choice for all to enjoy, as well as snacks to share. Our children have always been the focal point of our ZANT social activities. While we will continue to make our children our first priority, we also respectfully request that this be an adult only affair so that all present can enjoy the evening in a relaxed setting. We will be ordering food and sharing the cost of dinner at a nominal charge of $10.00 per person. Participation in dinner is not mandatory. If you would like to have dinner with us please let us know in advance to better facilitate our planning. Farieda Irani (farieda@planoswimming.org) or Roya Bidanjiry (roya.bidanjiry@sbcglobal.net) or Delna Godiwalla (delnag@verizon.net) if you plan to attend. Please RSVP by April 18, ZANT News - April

3 TOWARDS BUILDING A ZARATHUSHTI COMMUNITY IN NORTH TEXAS (A poem by our own Mr. Bahman Kaviani translated to English by Roya Kaviani Bidanjiry) ZANT News - April

4 TOWARDS BUILDING A ZARATHUSHTI COMMUNITY IN NORTH TEXAS (A poem by our own Mr. Bahman Kaviani translated to English by Roya Kaviani Bidanjiry) So many Zarathushtis from India as well as Iran Drifted across the globe and left their homes behind whether in the harshness of winter time or happiness of spring they left due to cruelty of the times, searching for a better living Sadness in their hearts as they left their mother land to and fro they went in search of a new homeland One such place was found in Texas of the USA Some Zarathushtis of the old call it home nowadays They are happy to meet and greet each other hello Talk and have discussions in harmony and concord Efforts of many good people it took to create our ZANT Support poured in by so many lending a helping hand Why the word 'ZANT', one may wonder Let's solve it letter by letter as we ponder N and T together, they stand for North Texas known for sunshine and hot summer days by all of us Z and A are for Zoroastrian Association People of loving hearts and strong conviction Many days and nights they spent in search of a property for their Dare Mehr The building committee was formed and they looked at real estate everywhere Finally came success as a property was for sale in Flower Mound Everyone was happy as what they had sought, at last they had found News came that the building's ground breaking had started But that the funds were running low and more money was wanted I went to see for myself the tractors at the site Engineers and workers laboring with all their might No room was left in my heart or mind for any doubt I was certain our Dare Mehr would soon come about For this NoRouz we will celebrate and be happy Smiles on our faces, hearts filled with joy and glee a tribute we owe to those who worked hard at each step along the way from board members to building committee to members and donors everywhere Our thanks go to each and every one for all the help and prayers in bringing about this day May Ahura Mazda, the one and only Divine Creator of all things Grant us all everywhere, health, success and happiness as blessings! CONDOLENCES Mr. Alfredo Reyes, beloved father of Darys Reyes (wife of Shahryar Irani), passed away on Friday, February 20th, 2009 in San Jose, Costa Rica. He shall always be remembered as the sincere, kind-hearted gentleman with a zest for living and helping anyone and in any way possible. His loss will always be felt but his memories shall radiate light on those he touched upon so graciously. May his soul rest with God in Eternal Heaven. ZANT News - April

5 A NouRuz Prayer for kids Jelly Bean Prayer Red is for the love and passion, Green is for growth and rejuvenation, Yellow is for the sun so bright, Orange is for the edge of night. Purple is for the color of Royalty, White is for faith and purity, Black is for the hour of sorrow, Pink is for the new tomorrow. Give a bag full of jelly beans, Colorful and sweet, Tell them it's a Prayer... It's a promise... It's a NouRuz Treat! (Source: Concept from the Internet) Religious Class: The March religious class started with Aunty Pearl showing all the kids the book on Ahura Mazda s 7 Creations that the middle-aged religious class had written & illustrated. It is indeed a beautiful book. Not only is it informational, but it is a great keepsake for the kids too. Everybody should have one. This particular class was a wonderful time of bonding among the children of all three classes. Aunty Nina had prepared a brochure for NouRuz and a copy of it was given to each of the older kids, along with other information about Nouruz. The 21 kids present, were divided into 7 groups & each group was assigned 1 of the 7 items of the Haft Seen Table. Under Sherazade's guidance, the older kid in each group was to explain to the younger kids the Persian & English word for the item & its significance on the Haft Seen Table. After having 10 minutes to prepare their group, each group came up & presented their Haft Seen item to all. Each child got a copy of the brochure and Aunty Pearl also had a little NouRuz gift for each attendee. NouRuz & ZANT 20th Anniversary Celebration: Under the professional guidance of Wayne Shoemaker, our kids gave a beautiful Square Dance performance at the ZANT function! THANK YOU! Afshan, Alea, Amy, Anahita, Anaiza, Arish, Aryana, Benaisha, Burzin, Cyrus B, Cyrus S, Danesh B, Danesh KIDS IDS CORNERC C I, Edul, Faryan, Hormuz, Khshaeta, Malika, Mithra, Natasha, Nikita, Olivia, Piran, Rayomand, Rohan, Ruzbeh, Sanaya, Sascha, Serena, Shirzad, Stivant, Tishtrya, Zaal, Zahira, Zayne and Zeena Also, many thanks to Ruth & Vispy for introducing us to Wayne & to all the parents for bringing the kids for the practices! Egg Hunt: We are planning to have an Egg Hunt after the next Religious Class. Please remember to bring your baskets to collect the eggs. Venue : Buckhorn Park (Activity Playground) 3599 Mission Ridge Road, Plano, TX (5 mins drive from Balsara residence) Date : Sunday, April 12, 2009 Time : 12:45 pm We ll have pizza & soda at the pavilion & share the cost. RSVP by April 9 to Pearl Balsara. Joke Time (Laugh it increases your face value) Q: The turtle took two chocolates to Texas to teach Thomas to tie his boots. How many T's in that?? A: There are 2 T's in THAT! Q: If you were in a race and passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in? A: 2nd place! Q: What starts with a P and ends with an E and has a million letters in it? A: Post Office! Thoughts for the Month: A journey of a thousand miles Begins with a single step -Chinese Saying Fall seven times, Stand up eight! -Japanese Saying All that I can, I will. -French Saying Children s Religious Class: Our next religious class will be held on Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 11:30 am, at the Balsara Residence. Please note: We will NOT have a Religious Class in May For further details about the Religious Classes, please contact Pearl Balsara. (Kid s Corner logo courtesy of Zoroastrian Studies, India) ZANT News - April

6 Ninth World Zoroastrian Congress (WZC2009) Dec. 28 to January 1, 2010 in Dubai. Please do plan to attend. Check out the website for registration information. The awards committee is soliciting nominations to recognize distinguished Zarathushtis. The awards categories are: Category A: Outstanding Zarathushti Award Category B: Excellence in Performing Arts, Painting or Literature Award Category C: Community Service Award Category D: Technology and Engineering Award Category E: Excellence in Medicine Award Please visit for details of rules and procedure for nomination. GOT IDEAS? We're looking for your new ideas! With a new year at our doorstep and a few new faces on the ZANT Board, your social director is looking for new ideas! Are you in the young adult or kid group, or maybe the older adult, kids in college group? Maybe you are a senior citizen or a family with little kids. Well we want to hear from you. What activities would you like to see ZANT organize? Please take this opportunity to send us your feedback as to what we can do better. We have a wonderful Social Sub-committee and if you are interested in adding your name to this group, please feel free to participate in that manner. Please send your comments to Keshvar at keshv@msn.com. Available on sale for $10 CREATIONS OF AHURA MAZDA A Book Written & Illustrated by Children of ZANT This literary work includes the Amesha Spentas and the Seven Creations, the Zoroastrian Creation story, the 30 days of the Zoroastrian Calendar, and finally a few puzzles and activities to keep the mind sharp in regards to Zoroastrianism. This book is a must have for every Zoroastrian home library and we urge our community to purchase this special Limited Edition for your own family and friends. Please support our kids hard work and effort in raising funds for the ZANT Building Fund. ZANT 20th Anniversary Souvenir Our ZANT 20th Anniversary Souvenir book was a big success. If there is anyone who would like to purchase an extra copy for $10 please contact Keshvar Buhariwalla at or keshv@msn.com. Supplies are limited, so please reserve your copy today. For all those who participated in this souvenir book, but were not able to attend, your copies will be mailed to you shortly. ZANT News - April

7 ZANT C ZANT CENTER UPDATE Over the past two months there has been little noticeable change in the appearance of our site, yet a lot of work has actually been accomplished. All of our underground utility connections have been completed and the pouring of concrete for the driveway and parking lot has begun. Progress was slowed a bit over the past two weeks with the wet weather, but has picked up again nicely. By Friday April 4, we plan to complete a major portion of the concrete parking lot and driveway. If all goes well, and if the weather cooperates, we should have our building foundation completed and ready for framing by late April. Our projected construction cost estimate still looks very good. We have incurred additional costs on our utilities and other site work items caused by certain unforeseen issues. Yet these costs have been offset by bid reductions from various other building contractors. Overall, our total project cost is inline or below our original estimates from last fall. Our target milestones for the next few months are as follows: April: Complete site preparation (to include: site excavation and grading, utility connections, parking lot concrete, building foundation concrete) May through June: * Construct building framing. * Begin various building trades (electric, plumbing, air conditioning, etc ) * Begin exterior masonry and roofing If you would like to learn more about the project or have any specific questions, please contact Jamshed Rivetna at (972) TRACING OUR ZOROASTRIAN ROOTS OOTS: ZANDIEH DYNASTY (1766 ( AD) Zandieh tribe was part of Lorr tribe who lived in Malayer. Nader Shah moved this unknown tribe to Khorasan. Kareem Tooshmal, one of the army soldiers, led the tribe back to Malayer and from then on, Kareem Khan was chosen as the leader of the tribe. Kareem Khan was very kind, just, and passionate towards ordinary people and their needs. He defeated his two major rivals, Mohammad Hassan Khan Ghajar and Azad Khan Afghan and took over all of Iran except for Khorasan which had a blind ruler. Kareem Khan always told the truth, chose righteousness, and forgave his enemies. Because of his humanistic characteristics people loved him and supported him strongly. Not only the Muslims, but also the Christians and Armenians followed him. During the last 14 years of his 29 years of his leadership, Iran didn t have any intrusions and people lived in peace and happiness. Kareem Khan died from natural causes in 1796 A.D. After Kareem Khan s death, history repeated itself: rulers and successors fought over power and Iran s unity once again was lost. Agha Mohammad Khan Ghajar, the strongest enemy, attempted to take over different regions of Iran. The last Zandieh king was Lotf-Ali Khan. He was a very skilled and brave fighter and won many fights against his rivals including Agha Mohammad Khan. Due to betrayal of one of his followers in Kerman, Lotf-Ali Khan was captured by Agha Mohammad Khan who killed him mercilessly and treated the people of Kerman with much cruelty. This was the end of Zandieh Dynasty and beginning of Ghajar Dynasty. It is important to note that during this time, India was exporting garment and fabric to the world, and Europe was experiencing freedom of thought and rapid expansion of art and science, The steam engine was discovered leading to multifold efficiency in industrial production in other parts of the world. Sources: 1. Tareekh-e Iran (History of Persia) by: Hassan Pirnia, Abass Eghbal Ashtiani, and Dr. Bagher Agheli 2. Tareekh-e Kamel-e Iran by Dr. Abdolah Raazi 3. Chekideh Tareekh-e Iran by Hassan Naraghi 4. The Aryanpur Progressive Persian-English Dictionary by Manoochehr Aryanpur Kashani with collaboration of Seyyed Mostafa Assi (The content of the above article is directly translated from the named references. For questions and comments please contact Saghar Behroozi or ZANT.) ZANT News - April

8 OBSERVING GAHAMBARS According to our Zoroastrian Traditions, 6 Thanksgiving Ceremonies or Seasonal Feasts, called GAHAMBARS are held throughout the year. Each of these feasts is connected with an aspect of creation. In order, the Gahambars celebrate the creation of heaven, water, earth, plants, animals, and humans. Each Gahambar observance stretches over five days and includes four days of worship and a final day of community. On the fifth and last day of a Gahambar, there is a feast in which every member of the community participates. Everyone is expected to contribute something, whether it is food, time, or prayers. The ZANT Board would like to observe the Gahambars some using Fasli dates, some Kadmi and some Shenshai calendars. Since it is very hard to find a place (at an affordable price) that would allow us to do a Jashan during the Gahambar, until our ZANT Center is ready, we are planning to have a Humbandagi relevant to the Season/Creation of the Gahambar and have a community feast. Also, if the Gahambar days fall during the week-days, the week-end before or after, depending upon the availability of a location, will be chosen for celebrating the respective Gahambar. Considering the dates stated above, the earliest we can have a Gahambar would be the Maidyairem Gahambar according to Shenshai calendar, from May 31-June 4. With kids starting Summer Break from June 6 th, it would be an ideal day to celebrate the 5th creation, Animal kingdom & the starting of holidays! For details confirming this date please check out the upcoming newsletters. Our plan is to keep this FREE for all. Hence, as per our traditions, we are looking for Sponsors / Cosponsors. Our current estimate for a Gahambar is $500. We are also looking for volunteers to help cook Parsi and Iranian delicacies so all can partake in this feast. Food costs will be reimbursed. Please call Pearl P Balsara either for your contributions or help. No. Name of Gahambars Seasons Creation Dates 1 Maidyoizarem Mid-Spring Heaven (Sky) April 30 May 4 (F) Aug 29 Sept 2 (K) Sept 28 Oct 2 (S) 2 Maidyoshem Mid-Summer Water June 29 July 3 (F) Oct 28 Nov 1 (K) Nov 28 Dec 1 (S) 3 Paitishem 4 Ayathrem Early Autumn (bringing in corn) Mid Autumn (bring in of the herds) Earth (Harvest Festival) Plants 5 Maidyarem Mid-Winter Animals 6 Hamaspathmaidyem Pre-Spring Humans Sept 12 Sept 16 (F) Jan 11 Jan 15 (K) Feb 10 Feb 14 (S) Oct 12 Oct 16 (F) Feb 10 Feb 14 (K) Mar 12 Mar 16 (S) Dec 31 Jan 4 (F) May 1 May 5 (K) May 31 June 4 (S) Mar 16 Mar 20 (F) July 15 July 19 (K) Aug 14 Aug 18 (S) ZANT News - April

9 FARESHTA CHALLENGE A FEZANA INITIATIVE I (from Jerry Kheradi, FEZANA Fund and Finance Committee, Chair) Dear FEZANA As sociation Presidents/ Representatives, Committee Chairpersons and other yahoo group members, I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of you and your families a very happy and healthy Nou- Ruz. May you be blessed with good health and prosperity for the coming New Year. Following in the footsteps of the successful Thousand Points of Light campaign, we have developed a new campaign for raising funds for FEZANA. This new campaign is in the form of a North American challenge and will be named the "FARESHTA CHAL- LENGE". Ahura Scholarship For a community to thrive, it must nurture the leaders of tomorrow. Persian Zoroastrian Organization (PZ0) announces Ahura Scholarships for academic year Details and application are available for download from the PZO website: FEZANA Scholarship Program FEZANA announces its Academic Scholarship Program for the academic year. Scholarships are awarded for undergraduate as well as graduate studies in North America. For details and application please visit fezana.org or contact Dr. Dolly Dastoor at dollydastoor@sympatico.ca The "FARESHTA CHALLENGE" will essentially be in the form of a competition. We will be dividing all the North American Zarathushti associations into teams. These teams will be grouped together as far as possible in their own geographical areas. The first goal is to increase support and awareness for the FEZANA Funds and programs and in this challenge, each team will try and raise as much as possible for the various FEZANA Funds. We will keep a track of all the donations raised by each of the individual teams and calculate the total donated through December, Essentially, this will be a competition for a period of two years to raise money and see which team raises the most money for the period from January, 2009 to December, The names of all the associations of the winning team will be announced at the North American Congress in Houston in December, Each Association of the winning team will be presented with a plaque. The second goal of this "FARESHTA CHAL- LENGE" is to build community spirit and increase awareness of the larger Zarathushti community by having the local associations working together for a united cause. Donations from association members or individuals to any of the FEZANA Funds will be credited for this challenge. Read more about "FARESHTA CHALLENGE" in the spring issue of the FEZANA Journal. Be an "Angel" and please circulate this to all your association members and friends so that we can make this FARESHTA CHALLENGE a new success for FEZANA. Thank you and with regards to one and all, The Funds and Finance Committee, Jerry Kheradi, Chairperson, Morvarid Behziz, Co-chair, Katayun Kapadia, Treasurer, Sassan Nadjmi and Celeste Kheradi MONTHLY GOODIES Many thanks to everyone who participated in the pori-making session in March. We had a good time, made $110 for the Building Fund and used our combined skills to make dar ni poris. Stay tuned as we improve our recipe and make better poris in the future! As announced previously, the Monthly Goodies plan for the next few months is have a 4-person dinner dish for sale. The dish will be available on the second weekend of the month and the scheduled dishes are chicken tikka masala and rice for April (Simin Engineer), chicken curry and rice for May (Arnavaz Vakharia) and chicken with apricots in June (Charlotte Kharas). To place your order please call Anahita Sidhwa at or afsidhwa@verizon.net. Each dish costs $30 and will feed four people. ZANT News - April

10 ZANT P.O. Box Flower Mound, Texas ZANT NEWS To: ZANT NEWS A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas April 2009 Keep this stub Please detach and return this side Accept my contribution of: for your records. with your contribution payable to: ZANT" and mail to: ( ) $10 ( ) $20 ( ) $30 ( ) $40 ( ) $50 ( ) $ To: ZANT ZANT Treasurer P.O. Box For: Check # Flower Mound, Texas Date ( ) General Fund ( ) Building Fund Amount $ ( ) Other ( ) Newsletter FROM: Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community. Help us pass on the good religion to future generations. ZANT News - April