RTR Fellows 2016

“The exhibitions were a perfect showcase of the cultural heritage of the community, fostering a sense of pride about what our ancestors achieved.”

Jehangir is originally from Delhi, but is presently a Biophysicist conducting research at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. He studied Physics first at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and then at Trinity College, Cambridge where he completed his Doctorate in 2015. His research involves developing new microfluidic techniques to study biomedical questions, ranging from antibiotic resistance in bacteria to the differentiation of stem cells. Besides science, Jehangir is a pianist and has recently developed an interest in photography. He has also been actively involved with the UNESCO Parzor project since its inception.

Sheherazad was born and brought up in Mumbai, India. He underwent his priestly training at the Dadar Athornan Institute along with his studies at the Dadar Parsee Youths Assembly High School. Thereafter, he attended Jai Hind College from where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology. Sheherazad offers priestly services at the Banaji Limjee Agiary, Fort, Mumbai. He is passionate about travelling and convinced that his calling lies in the direction to voice his opinion among many and get people together to preserve our Mother Nature.

“This Program has given me a sense of Leadership and a will to get more educated about our Religion and Community Matters.”

Farhad Khorasani was born in Tehran, Iran. From a very early age he was fascinated by the culture of Iran, the Shahnameh, Zoroastrianism and everything related to the epic history of Iran. At the age of 25, after completing his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree, he moved to Los Angeles, CA. He is now graduating with his second Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from California State University Northridge. Farhad is the President of the Iranian American Wrestling Association, a nonprofit organization established to promote sports diplomacy and exchanges between the US and Iran, following a program by the US Department of State to bring the people of the two nations together in the new era of US-Iran relationships. Farhad is also CEO of the Iranian American Sports Association, a nonprofit organization undertaking a plan to build the first Iranian community center in Los Angeles.

“I am impressed by how loyal the Parsis of India have remained to their ancestors and roots and this created a sense of community with them.”

“The trip was definitely a life changing and eye opening experience, which changed my view of the world, my country and history of our ancestors.

I will implement the thoughts and the experience in my life and try to spread the culture in my close social circles.”

Natasha Karanjia was born and brought up in Karachi, Pakistan. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and an MBA in Marketing, and also has a keen interest in International Politics. She is currently working in a telecommunications company in the marketing department. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking and outdoor sports.

“[In RTR] being shown both the orthodox and liberal schools of thought the participant is free to discover and ask questions.”

“The experience has changed me forever.

I want to get more involved in the community and help others, spread the knowledge of what I have learnt and carry the legacy forward.”

Parisa is a recent graduate from UC Berkeley in Political Economics and Global Information Technology. She currently works in the San Francisco Bay Area at a guidance and engagement platform startup developing applications. In the future she hopes to return to studying Environmental Economics and contributing to her ultimate goal of attaining complete sustainability in our ecosystem. Parisa continues to seek out and integrate Zoroastrian values into her everyday life while continuing to recognize that Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds are simple proverbs which can apply to all humanity globally.

“We came into the trip as complete strangers divided by country borders, cultural boundaries, language barriers and still found we all had something in common that bound us together.”

“As a leader and a camp counselor in North America I will strive to bridge the gaps between the Iranian Zoroastrians and Parsis.”

Afreed was born in Bombay but moved to the Middle East with her parents when she was two years old.  From the Middle East her family migrated to Canada and Afreed has been actively involved with her local Zoroastrian Community in Toronto since her parents first took her to the Dar-e-Meher in 1989.

Afreed has been on the ZSO Executive Board, ZSO Archives Committee, Co-Chair of the Youth Committee and ZSO Religious Classes Committee. Afreed also joined FEZANA Committees from 2003, when she started as Co-Chair of ZYNA and organized numerous ZYNA Youth Meets and Co-Chaired two Youth Congresses in Toronto and Miami.  Afreed has attended eleven Zoroastrian congresses all over the World and has been a speaker at five of them.  Afreed is also the main representative for FEZANA at the United Nations.  When she is not volunteering, Afreed works at the Bank of Montreal as a Network Design Specialist.

Sanaira Mondegarian was born in Karachi, Pakistan and is currently an undergraduate student at SUNY Plattsburgh, in upstate New York. Having an interest in conservation and environmental activism has led her to major in Environmental Science, hoping to focus on marine biology in the near future.

Growing up in Karachi, Sanaira was involved in a deeply invested and active group of community members at the Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal (KZBM), who gave her a good idea of what she wanted to be able to give back to the Zoroastrian community. Being in Plattsburgh, she continues to contribute to her community, acting as Senator of Activities for the Plattsburgh Student Association and working as a Resident Assistant for Housing and Residence Life on campus.

“I remember sitting on the jhoola outside the JJ Dharamsala in Udvada and being overwhelmed by the idea of being so far and yet so close to home.”

Aresh Daruwalla is originally from Pakistan and is currently based in Sydney. Aresh is an engineer by qualification and profession. His hobbies include sports, travel and beta testing software/devices.

“Memorable parts of the trips were visiting the Atash Behrams, especially attending the machis after sunset.”

Shireen Patel was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. After completing her undergraduate degree, Shireen joined a chemicals company where she worked in marketing and sales operations for over 3 years. Living in Lahore as a Parsi, she recalls her early childhood growing up among other Parsi children from the community. Within a short span of time, families rapidly migrated, leaving her and her siblings the only children of the community in Lahore. With no children in the community, they felt alone and lost touch with the remaining older generation that was left behind. When she heard about the trip from her cousin and she knew this would be the best opportunity for her to reconnect with her roots.

“I made my very first set of Parsi/Zoroastrian friends, something I have never had.”

Bahram Kianpour was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to the United States at the age of 17 with his parents. Before immigrating to the United States, he was living amongst the Zoroastrian community in Tehran and had completed his education till 9th grade in Zoroastrian schools.

When he moved to the United States, he attended community college and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology from the University of California, Irvine.

“The RTR group became one big family from day one and were really comfortable getting to know each other right since the orientation. This was a completely new and unique experience for me since all the participants came from different parts of the world but it still felt like they knew each other from childhood.”

Mehrshad was born in Tehran, Iran and now works in the construction industry. He came to India to learn more about Zoroastrianism and in particular, the differences and similarities between the Iranian and Indian Zoroastrians. When he came to India he realized many Parsi rituals have been adapted as a result of the co-existence amongst other cultures in India.

“After coming to India I am more proud to call myself a Zoroastrian than before.”

“I never imagined how influential and respected the Zoroastrians of India are, even though they left their country (Iran), they still strive to keep their religion and culture alive.”

Being based in Lahore her entire life, Nelofer felt like she lacked in religious knowledge. Growing up, the community was approximately a hundred people but currently there are only 25 Zoroastrians in Lahore. Not knowing anything about her religion or what it was about caused a great identity crisis for Nelofer. According to her, religion plays an important role in developing a person’s identity. This identity crisis fuelled Nelofer to find out more about her religion as well as herself. After hearing about the Return to Roots program and what they had to offer, she took it upon herself to make this trip happen.

“We were never pressurized to agree or follow any one particular view. We were free to make that choice ourselves. This program educated us about the different dynamics of the Zoroastrian community, from meeting influential people like Mr Ratan Tata, to those who lived below the poverty line in rural areas.”