ZANT NEWS A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas www.zant.org March 2012 ZANT EVENTS 03/03/12: ZLC Breakfast 03/11&12/12: ZANT Youth lock-in 03/11/12: Children/Teen Religious class 03/11/12: Vohu Manah Group 03/17&18/12: Gahanbar Panjeh 03/21/12: Nourooz Meet & Greet 03/24/12: Nourooz Function 03/31/12: Woodworking Class 04/06/12: ZANT Camping ZOROASTRIAN CALENDAR 3/2: Mehrgan Jashan [S] 3/12-3/16: Ayathrem Gh [S] 3/16-3/20: Panjeh Gh [F] 3/20: NouRooz [F] INSIDE THIS ISSUE Upcoming Events 2-4 Vohu Manah Gems 5 Youth Corner 6 Key Card Access 7 Article 8 Kids Corner 9 Treasurer s Corner 10 MESSAGE FROM THE ZANT BOARD O Ahura Mazda, God Omniscient, witnessing all the beauties of nature You have created, we feel happy, and feel the urge to turn especially to You. We bow our heads, and raise our hands up. We ask for Your guidance through Your gifted progressive mind. God Omniscient, we thank You for all You have granted us. We thank You for all You shall grant us. We shall remain praising You and preserving Your creation. We want to serve, as long as we can, our own selves, our families, our neighbors, our countrymen, and our fellow human beings on this good earth. We shall serve them all through righteousness and with wisdom. We shall join hands with every good man and woman to unite in mind and body, and to cooperate in thoughts, words and deeds in order to create an ever-new, ever-progressive, and ever-better world. We know, this is what You wish. Therefore, this is what we wish and what we work for. (Inspired by the Gathas, Haptanhaiti, and Farvardin Yasht) The Zoroastrian, February and March 1987 NouRooz will arrive on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 12:14am ZANT wishes its family and friends a Very Happy and Prosperous NouRooz 2012!! NouRooz Pirooz Baad! BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Social Director Director Director Zal Parakh Saghar Behroozi Pearl P. Balsara Khurshid Jamadar Delnaaz Irani Afsaneh Samiya Boman Godiwalla Mailing Address: P.O. Box 271117 Flower Mound, TX 75027-1117 ZANT Center: 1605 Lopo Road Flower Mound, TX 75028-1306 We welcome and encourage feedback from our community. Please send comments or suggestions to The Communication Representative or mail to ZANT, P.O. Box 271117, Flower Mound, TX 75027 ZANT News - March 2012 1
UPCOMING EVENTS CHILDREN AND TEEN RELIGIOUS CLASS When: Sunday, March 11, 2012 Time: 11:15 am Where: ZANT Center 1605 Lopo Road Flower Mound, TX 7502 Children, please remember to bring your folders & caps/ scarves to each religious class. We will begin each religious class with prayers in the Prayer Room at 11:15. Please come by 11:00 am so you can sign-in your kids names on a sheet that will be there, for Tan Dorosti prayers. For further details, please contact Pearl P. Balsara. VOHU MANAH GROUP Date : Sunday, March 11, 2012 Time: Where: 1:30 pm ZANT Center Topic: Reciting Daily Prayers The topic for this month s Vohu Manah Group is dedicated to reciting (chanting) daily prayers with correct pronunciations. Please come and join us as Mobed Poras Balsara leads this educational session. "Vohu Manah" represents good thinking, and Vohu Manah Group meeting is a learning and discussion forum to nourish our minds. Join us as we learn and discuss the above topic. For questions, please contact Anahita Sidhwa. WOODWORKING CLASS Date : Saturday, March 31, 2012 Time: 10am to 12noon Where: 2142 Rohne Dr., Cedar Hill, TX 75104 Adults & youth come and join us for a fun filled woodworking class, taught by Pheroz Tengra. Please let us know about any project you are interested to work on. For further information and to RSVP please contact Saghar Behroozi. CHILDREN & YOUTH SEWING & ART/CRAFT CLASS March sewing & art/craft class is cancelled due to Nourooz practices. For more information please contact Dilnawaz Rustomji. ZANT 2012 NOUROOZ SHOW PRACTICE SESSIONS When: Sunday, March 4, 11, & 18th Time: Communicated to participants Where: ZANT Center ZANT is getting ready to show-case some talents! Our kids are working hard to entertain everybody at the upcoming ZANT Nourooz function. ZANT YOUTH LOCK-IN Date: Sunday-Monday March 11-12, 2012 Time: 3:30pm on Sunday to 6:30pm on Monday Where: ZANT Center ZANT youth are organizing a youth lock-in for ages 10-18 years. The emphasis of this lock-in is to allow free time for youth to interact and develop their own programs. There will be fun programs such as learning how to shuffle, learning effective chess moves, and making your own short movie. This is a great opportunity for developing youth leadership skills while getting to know each other better. Adults will be present to supervise. More detail will be provided to participants upon sign up. There will be a minimal fee charged to cover the cost for food during lock-in. ZANT LADIES CLUB BREAKFAST ZANT LADIES CLUB is hosting a breakfast on March 3, 2012 A delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs with garlic, toast and hot tea will be served from 9 to 10 am. Everyone welcome Reservations required The ZLC will provide the eggs and toast. The garlic will come from the ZANT garden. Please RSVP to Mary Tengra by March 1st. This is a team activity when too many cooks will certainly make great scrambled eggs! After breakfast we will have an outside activity. ZANT News - March 2012 2
UPCOMING EVENTS CONTINUED GAHANBAR PANJEH Date: NOUROOZ CELEBRATION Date: Saturday March 24, 2012 Time: Saturday March 17th from 11am to 3pm Sunday March 18th from 11am to 1:30pm Where: ZANT Center Gahanbar Panjeh will be held at the ZANT center for the first time on March 17 & 18, 2012. This ceremony is conducted according to the Fasli calendar and is comparable to Mukhtad Prayers. On both days, prayer session will be followed by a Pot luck lunch. Dessert will be provided by ZANT. ZANT has invited Mobed Sirous Hormozdi to conduct Gahanbar Panjeh. Please make a note of this important event and plan to attend. For more information please contact Saghar Behroozi. NOUROOZ MEET & GREET Date: Wednesday March 21, 2012 Time: 6-8:30pm Where: ZANT Center ZANT welcomes all to our first NouRooz Meet & Greet, an integral part of the NouRooz tradition, on Wednesday March 21, 2012. Come and visit friends and community members and enjoy tea and light pastry as we start the new year at our center. 6pm to 12am Where: Double Tree Hotel in Dallas ZANT LADIES CLUB (ZLC) Thanks to all the ladies who came out. Thank you to everyone who donated to help the hungry and homeless. It was a lot of fun learning how to wear a Sari in different ways and different styles. Everyone had an idea about how they should be worn. Learning a few tricks on how to drape and pin will be very helpful in the upcoming NouRooz season. A BIG THANK YOU to Zenobia DadyBurjor, Nina Kalianivalla, & Dilnawaz Rustomji. They provided snacks and brought Saris for everyone to try on. All the models looked fabulous. Calendar of Future Events: March, - Enjoy your family and the celebrate the season of NouRooz. No meeting will be held. April 29 th, 2012 - Dallas Arboretum picnic. May 27 th, 2012 - Tahitian Dance and Food June 24 th, 2012 - Berry Picking. July 29 th, 2012 - Bollywood Dance Workout. August 26 th, 2012 - Pottery Painting. September 30 th, 2012 - Bowling October 28 th, 2012 - British High Tea Party. November 10 th, 2012 (2 nd Saturday) - Fun Fundraiser. All ZANT Ladies who would like to receive an evite invitation for all current and future ZLC events please e-mail your request to Mary Tengra and/or Neenaaz DiLucci. All ZANT Community Ladies are Welcome! March 24th, 2012 is not far off, are you ready to celebrate NouRooz 2012 with your fellow ZANT members? By now, everyone should have received the Invitation and some if not most of you have already sent in your reservations. If not, please send them in so that we can assure a seat for you. We sure are looking forward to celebrating NouRooz with all of you. For details please refer to the attached NouRooz flyer. If any questions, call Delnaaz Irani. ZANT GARAGE SALE As you clean house and prepare for the arrival of Spring, save your garage sale items for the upcoming ZANT Garage Sale event. Please bring in items to the ZCNT and store them in the shed, depending on the amount collected, we will have a garage sale in April or September. For questions please contact Keshvar Buhariwalla. ZANT News - March 2012 3
UPCOMING EVENTS CONTINUED ZANT OPENING FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY Date: Saturday May 5, 2012 Our ZANT Center will be celebrating its first anniversary on Saturday May 5, 2012 and this special occasion deserves a special party! We have enjoyed a year of religious, social and cultural activities under this magnificent roof, so let s get together and celebrate with thanksgiving prayers followed by fun, food and fellowship. The evening will begin with Machi prayers, and each person attending will light a candle to encircle the Afargaan and create a circle of light symbolizing the one family of ZANT. Next, there will be ZANT food and fun bazaar our volunteers will have goodies for sale those interested in enjoying dinner and light shopping will avail themselves of the many choices that will be available. The money raised from these proceeds will benefit ZANT and booth volunteers combined. Everyone who has been to ZANT events knows that our expert chefs can rival the best restaurants, so plan your family feast with our volunteer chefs! There will also be games, music, dancing and other fun activities for kids and adults. We envision this as a true community event with everyone contributing to make it a success. We are planning to have tables that will sell goodies like dhansak, aash, kebabs, bhelpuri, cookies, pizza, cold drinks, etc. The library room could host people selling artifacts, and there will be games outdoors to keep the active ones entertained. If each booth donates at least 50% of its profits to ZANT, it will be an enjoyable evening with some useful results. Plans are still being finalized so if you would like to volunteer, please call Delnaaz Irani or email her with your ideas and reserve your spot in the ZANT Bazaar today! CAMPING 2012 Date: April 6-8, 2012 ZANT is excited and looking forward to our CAMPING 2012 trip. The date is set, Easter weekend, Friday, April 6th to Sunday, April 8th, 2011. Lake Hugo State Park in Oklahoma is a great location for our camping trip and we have our cabins booked for all the families who called and paid in advance. We are getting together our meal plans and preparation duties between the participating families to have a great weekend. Final cost will be evenly shared between all who participate. All who have paid and registered will be contacted separately by Delnaaz Irani via email. If you have any questions, please send email or call Delnaaz Irani. ZANT CENTER RENTAL The ZANT center is available to rent for your private events and special occasions. For rental requests please contact our Rental Coordinator Delnaaz Irani. ZANT Rental rates are $300 for members, $600 for nonmembers. For more information & view of the Agreement Form please refer to the ZANT website www.zant.org. ZANT News - March 2012 4
PAST EVENTS Vohu Manah Gems At the February Vohu Manah meeting, Anahita Sidhwa presented some research on the vernal equinox and why Nourooz should be a world-wide celebration. Since prehistoric times people have used the sky to tell time and use it as a clock and a calendar. Considering that even the mythical King Jamshid identified the spring equinox and called it Nourooz or new day, the question was how ancient civilizations deciphered the equinox and then transmitted the knowledge to future generations. Using some models the audience saw how the path of the sun varies through the year, but on the day of the equinoxes, (approximately March 21 and Sept 21) the sun rises due east and sets due west for all locations on earth. There are many monuments all over the world that are aligned with astronomical markers like the rising or setting of the sun or certain stars on various dates. Stonehenge, the Egyptian Pyramids and El Castillo in Mexico are some of the well-known sites. For Zoroastrians, the grand celebrations at Persepolis on Nourooz are well known. But the staircases at Persepolis have a strange symbol, that of a lion attacking a bull. Anahita wondered why the bull, a revered symbol of the universe s soul, would be portrayed in such a subservient position. The answer comes from archeoastronomers who say that this symbol really represents the constellations of Leo (lion) and Taurus (bull). During the Achemenian era when Persepolis was built, Taurus would be sinking in the west at sunset and Leo would be up overhead. This view of the night sky helped our ancestors pinpoint the arrival of Nourooz! Because the earth s axis precesses in a 26,000-year cycle, this Leo over Taurus view occurs much later in spring at the current time. But what is the significance of the equinox for us who have digital clocks and calendars at our fingertips? Like a flag, a symbol is what you make of it! Anahita chooses to let the equinox sun represent the golden mean it is not too hot, nor too cold. The equinox represents a date on which all parts of earth enjoy an egalitarian sun, and it is appropriate to let this symbolize the principles of moderation that are important to Zarathushtis. Lives lived with balance, on a moderate path, ensure happiness and progress. Woodworking Class The final stage of preparing the letter stand was completed. The wooden dowels were re -checked for alignment, wood glue was applied to different pieces and assembled. Using a Flash Cut Saw, the extended length of the dowels were cut, and flushed with the surface. All the edges were tapered/rounded using a block plain initially and then a final touch of sand paper to smooth the surfaces and the rounded edges. Finally applied some paste finishing wax and ended the task by buffing the surface. QUICK POINTS **Zeke Kassock graduated 2 years ago with a degree in Linguistics and Middle Eastern Languages. In the time since, he has been studying Old Persian, Middle Persian and Avestan. In his studies, he has been able to study and reproduce the Pahlavi Dinkard Books 3-5. Realizing its importance, he has reprinted and published the Dinkard books, becoming live on Amazon.com a weeks days ago. For more information please refer to the following website: http://on-lyne.biz/dinkard/dinkard%20book%20demo.pdf. **The XVI North American Zarathushti Congress 2012 will take place on August 2-5, 2012 in New York. This congress is sponsored by Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York with the theme of Zarathushti Existence in the Contemporary World. For more information and to register, please refer to www.fezana.org or www.zagny.org. ZANT News - March 2012 5
YOUTH CORNER **ZANT is excited to announce that we officially have a Youth Subcommittee with Rustom Kharas as the chairperson. The future seen for the Youth Subcommittee is as a thriving extension of ZANT, conducted by young adults and watched upon by elders. This subcommittee will engage the youth in a social manner, while incorporating religious education thus creating a close network of ZANT youth who can support each other and become future ZANT leaders. Youth Subcommittee needs youth volunteers to serve as members or assist with youth activities. For more information, please contact Rustom Kharas or Saghar Behroozi. **The Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) and the Zoroastrian Sports Committee (ZSC) proudly announce that registration for the 13th Zoroastrian games from June 29 to July 3, 2012 are now open! We invite you to take advantage of our early bird deadline of March 22, 2012 and register to attend and participate in the 13th Zoroastrian Games held at The Magnificent York University in Toronto, ON Canada. We encourage you to register early as all spots for athletes, housing, and social events will be on a first-come-first-serve basis - and we tend to reach capacity very fast. For more information and to register please visit any of the following websites: www.zso.org, www.zathletics.com, www.zgames-2012.com. If you have any questions, please email us at: ZGames2012@yahoo.ca. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR YOUTH Shayan and Ahneesh Mohanty both competed in the Senior Division of the Beal Bank Dallas Regional Science & Engineering Fair (DRSEF) on the 25 th of February, against over 700 students from the North Texas Region. Shayan s project was entered under the category of Sr. Electrical Engineering and Ahneesh s project was entered under Sr. Medicine and Health. After winning first place in their respective categories, their projects went on for consideration for the Grand Prize. Shayan was awarded the Grand Prize in Sr. Physical Science and Ahneesh the Grand Prize in Sr. Life Science. This was the first time in the history of the DRSEF that two siblings received the coveted Grand Prize in the same year with two different projects! They will both be going on to compete at the 2012 INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, PA. WZCC YOUTH CAREER CONNECT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM The WZCC North Texas Chapter is proud to announce the launch of a new career mentorship program for ZANT Youth. The Youth Career Connect program will help match local Youth with career Mentors from the community. Seeking a Career Mentor? The WZCC invites Youth (15-35) to register for this program. If you (or your child) would like to be matched with a Career Mentor, please email Eric Engineer and include: Summary of education and work experience to date Career aspirations over the next 5 years and the next 20 years Description of the ideal mentor (industry, function, experience level, age, gender, etc) Interested in becoming a Career Mentor? Based on local Youth who have already expressed interest in the program, WZCC is actively seeking Career Mentors of various ages (25+) and experience levels in the following areas: Education / Teaching Engineering / IT / Architecture Finance / Accounting / Investing / Insurance / Real Estate Medicine / Life Sciences Sales / Marketing / Advertising / General Management / Consulting Small Business / Entrepreneurship If you you d like to Mentor in one of the above areas (or any other), please email Eric Engineer and include: A short summary of your education and work experience, the number of mentees you d be willing to mentor, the number hours per month you d be willing to commit. ZANT News - March 2012 6
GAHANBAR PANJEH Gahanbar is one of the most ancient Zoroastrian celebrations. Under Pahlavi language, the word Gahaan-bar or Gahan-bar is referred to as Gasaan-bar (derived from the word Gaas). In the Avestan language, it is referred to as Gato meaning time, occasion, or date. Gahanbar means the time of harvest, especially the group effort of collecting harvest. The Gahanbar celebration is closely tied to the customary vocation of the time which was agriculture and farming. There are six Gahanbars in a year, each lasting for 5 days. The six Gahanbars are also thought to reflect the six stages of creation. The sixth Gahanbar is called Gahanbar Panjeh or Panji (panj means five in Farsi), also known as Hamas-pat-madem. The word Hamas-pat-madem means equal length of night and day (i.e. 12 hours of night time and 12 hours of day time). In Avesta, the word Hamas-pat-madem is derived from the word Areto.kareNna, Areto=righteousness, karenna=deed. According to Zoroastrian belief, man was created during Gahanbar Panjeh. The Zoroastrians celebrate Gahanbar Panjeh during the last 5 days of the year before the beginning of the Spring. Before the Gahanbar, the Zoroastrians clean and organize the house and prepare traditional food while awaiting the spirit of the departed on the fifth day. It was during the Gahanbars that the community brought in their harvest and fruits (as much as they could afford), to be shared will all. The affluent and poor alike participated in Gahanbars as a community duty to bring food, make fire or just take part in the festivity. In the Gahanbars, it was expected of the rich community members to help the needy by providing food, which served as a very significant community support system. In modern time, when Zoroastrians celebrate a Gahanbar, they put a white cover on the floor with the following items: Atash as a source of light, mirror to signify light, rice and Avishan (dry leaves), Lork or dry fruit consisting of seven different dry fruits and nuts, fresh fruits, cypress branch, and Ashu Zarathushtra s picture. For Tan-dorosti Prayers, the fresh fruit is left uncut till after the prayers. For the departed, prayers are recited on the last day, and the fresh fruit is cut during prayers to signify Hamazoori (unity in beliefs). Source: Az NouRooz Taa NouRooz: The Traditions of Ancient Iranian Zoroastrians, By: Kooroush Niknam ZCNT KEY CARDS ARE HERE!! The ZCNT Key Card Access system is now operational. Obtaining a Key Card gives you the flexibility to gain entry to the Center at your convenience any day of the week or on weekends, during the posted hours (Sun-Thurs, 6 am-12 midnight, Fri-Sat, 6 am- 12:30 am). Obtaining your very own card is easy Be a member Complete a Key Card Liability Form ( go to www.zant.org, click on Forms) Submit your signed form to ZANT with a cheque payment of $50 OR become a ZOMF Visionary or Friend and get a FREE Key Card Once you have mailed in your form with payment to the ZANT P.O. Box, please allow one week for your request to be processed. Once your request has been processed a Key Card will be mailed to you, and you will be notified either by email or by phone. Upon receipt of your Key card, you will need to notify Arbez, so your Key Card can be activated. It s that simple! Please note that both your membership and your Key Card must be renewed every year (by December 31 st ), in order to remain active. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact Arbez Patel. ZANT News - March 2012 7
A PARSI WE ALL NEED TO KNOW Manekji Hateria was born in Surat, India in 1813 and left for Bombay with his family when he was 5 years old. He received quality education in Bombay and mastered a number of languages including Farsi. He loved his ancestral land, Iran, and was particularly touched by the heroic struggle of the Zarathushtis who had stayed behind in Iran and was always interested in reaching out to them. In 1853, the wealthy Parsi businessman Sir Dinshah Petit at the urging of his wife Gulestan Banu founded the Society for Amelioration of the Zarathushtrians of Persia and created the Persian Zarathushtrian Fund. The first delegate to be sent by the Society to Iran was Manekji Limji Hateria. Manekji Hateria first traveled to major cities in Iran. In Tehran, with the help of British Ambassador, Sir Henry Rawlinson, he was able to meet with Nassir-ul-Dinshah, the Ghajar king, and engaged him in a prolonged conversation, after which the king showed interest in learning more about Zoroastrian beliefs. In Tabriz, he met with the crown prince, Muzafar-ul-Dinshah. He purchased copies of many literary books in Iran and took them back to Bombay to preserve. Upon his return to Bombay, he reported on the urgent needs of Zarathushtis of Iran and asked for assistance. He also wrote two books on his findings and returned to Iran with considerable funds for his rescue mission. At the same time, Nassir-ul-Dinshah, traveled to visit several countries including England. While in London, he met 5 important Parsi figures including Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji, the first member of the British Parliament from India, and Shapurji Saklatvala who was also elected to the house of commons. They appealed to the Shah to repeal the much dreaded Jizya tax that was a crushing burden to the few remaining Zarathushtis, and also to restore their civil rights and afford them educational and economical rights and freedoms. Back in Iran with the help of British and French emissaries, and in reference to the favorable view of Zoroastrians the Shah developed in London, Manekji was able to convince Nassir-ul-Dinshah to consider granting Zarathushrians their civil rights and restructuring the Jizya tax. The Shah developed confidence in Manekji, thereby enabling him to carry the reforms he envisioned for Zarathushtrian. These reforms also improved the lives of all Minorities in Iran. Some of the most important achievements of Manekji Hateria are as follow: 1. Removal of Jizya tax: Manekji s first action was to get Nassir-ul-Dinshah to grant an immediate reduction by almost 11%. Second step was to get the Shah to agree that in lieu of collection from individual Zarathushtis in Kerman and Yazd, the annual total sum would be paid directly from Bombay by the Society for Amelioration of the Zarathushtis of Iran. Finally, with Manekji s consistent efforts, in 1882, a Royal decree resulting in the abolishment of Jizya for all minorities of Iran was issued. 2. Educational Initiatives: At the time, Zarathushtis were denied the right to schooling. The only education they could receive was through home schooling. Manekji s initiative to avail educational opportunities to the Zarathushtis in Iran had three points of focus: establishment of schools, training of qualified teachers, and enabling Zarathushti youth to get schooling on a full time basis. Manekji was able to secure a decree from Nassir-ul-Dinshah, granting permission to Zarthushtis for establishing schools. Other minorities were beneficiaries too. Up to 30 schools for boys and girls were established in Yazd and Kerman through Manekji s direct or indirect efforts, with most funding coming from the Society in Bombay. The initiative to find and train qualified teachers meant finding local teachers, getting qualified teachers from Bombay, identify qualified local Zarathushtis who could go to Bombay for training. Arbab Keikhosro Shahrokh (Kerman teacher and national leader), Master (Ustad) Khodabux, Miraza Borzu Amighi (renown principal of the Iran Shahr Zarathushti Boys High School in Kerman) were amongst the ones who received their educational training in India and returned to Iran and served the educational needs of generations of Iranian Zarathushtis and non-zarathushtis. Mirza Soroush Lohrasp, who received schooling in Beirut was another example of such teachers. Master Pistonji and Mr. Master were examples of educators who came from Bombay to teach at the Zarathushti schools in Yazd. This was the beginning of the establishment of many more schools and training of many fine Zarathushti teachers who served the Zarathushti and Iranian students. 3. Establishment of Community Infra-structure: Realizing the importance of setting up formal community infra-structures, Manekji was able to get Royal permission for the establishment of two Zarathushtrian Associations, one in Kerman and one in Yazd to look after the interest of the local Zarathushtis. The Anjumans (associations) became the formal arm of the community in running the affairs of the upcoming communities, and in making representation on behalf of the Zarathushtis in the governmental bodies. 4. Re-institution and establishment of the Temples and Towers of Silence: Manekji was instrumental in getting local high officials recognizing the ownership of Zoroastrian properties. He allocated funds for the construction of the new towers in Kerman, Yazd and close by villages. 5. Community Reform: Manekji spent considerable amount of time and effort amongst Zarathushtis of Kerman, Yazd, nearby villages, Shiraz, and Tehran to reform their communities towards better social practices. 6. Other contributions: Manekji Hateria also brought about many improvements in areas such as providing better medical care to Zarathushtis. Manekji Limji Hateria died in Tehran in 1890 and was taken to the one of the dakhmas built by him. His marble statue exists at the Secretariat Office of the Naseri Zarathushti Anjuman of Kerman, Iran. A commemoration ceremony for Manekji was held in Tehran at Firooz Bahram High School in 2009. Some Zarathushtis in Iran have named their children after Manekji Limiji Hateria. Many Zarathushtis believe Manekji Limji Hateria brought about the miracle needed to save the diminishing number of Zarathushtis in Iran. Manekji was a true Zoroastrian whom should be known to every Zarathushti. Source: 1. Tarikh-e Zarthushtian, Farzanegan-e Zarthushti, by Rashid Shahmardan, 2. Internet site: http://derafsh-kaviyani.com/english ZANT News - March 2012 8
KIDS CORNER A Prayer Dear Ahura Mazda, Bless me with Good Health Keep me Happy Bless me with Wisdom & Knowledge So I can keep my heart Strong, Healthy & Happy! Thank You Ahura Mazda! Religious Class: By: Nina s Religious Class Kids Our January Religious Class started with Yazdi uncle lighting the fire and chanting the Atash Niyaesh... This was followed by the Tan Dorosti prayer during which he read the names of all children who were present. Thank you, Yazdi uncle! In keeping with the Valentine s Day celebration, little kids class discussed ways in which we can keep our hearts healthy, happy, and strong. Eating right and exercising were two ways,but being good Zarthushtis, how can we forget thinking good thoughts, speaking kind words, and doing good deeds? The children then colored a picture of a happy heart in walking shoes with a brain, a mouth, an a helping hand! To end this discussion the kids came up with their own prayer that has been printed above... Our middle-age group learnt about Fravahar, one of the best-known religious-cultural symbols of Zoroastrianism. Adapted by Pahlavi dynasty from earlier Mesopotamian & Egyptian reliefs Represent a Fravashi (guardian angel) & reminder of one s purpose in life live such that the soul progresses towards frasho-kereti (union with Ahura Mazda) Also, derived from Avestan word Fravarane which means I choose Meaning of the different parts of this symbol face, torso, center circle, wings, hands, tail & 2 curved tassels Found in various carvings at Persepolis, the rocktombs of Achaemenid kings We are reading the story of Zarathushtra s life. Our teen/older children was conducted by Saghar Behroozi, in the absence of Sherezade. They covered various topics: Explaining Zoroastrianism to non-zoroastrians Differences & similarities with other religions Watched clips of play performed in CA by teens. Thought for the Month: Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it -Bill Cosby A nickel ain t worth a dime anymore -Yogi Berra Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later... - Og Mandino Laugh It increases your Face value! What was the pirate movie rated? - arrrgh! Why did the cookie go to the doctor? -Because it was feeling crummy. What did the duck say when he bought lipstick? - Put it on my bill. Why did the chewing gum cross the road? - It was stuck to the leg of a chicken!!! What did the egg say to the other egg? - Let's get cracking! What do you say to a cow that crosses in front of your car? - Mooo-ve over. Children s Religious Class: Our next religious class will be held on Sunday, March 11, 2012, at 11:15 am, at the ZANT Center. Children, please remember to bring your folders and caps/scarves to each religious class. We will begin each religious class with prayers in the Prayer Room at 11:15am Please come by 11:00am so you can signin your kids names on a sheet that will be there, for Tan Darosti prayer. For further details about the Religious Classes, please contact Pearl P. Balsara. (Kid s Corner logo courtesy of Zoroastrian Studies, India) ZANT News - March 2012 9
ZANT P.O. Box 271117 Flower Mound, Texas 75027 ZANT NEWS To: ZANT NEWS A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas www.zant.org March 2012 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 271117 For: Check # Flower Mound, Texas 75027 Date ( ) General Fund ( ) Building Fund Amount $ ( ) ZOMF ( ) Other 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 - March 2012 10