ZANT DEC 2009 Newsletterweb · Rustomji kitchen amongst family and friends. A great and fun start to the holiday break for the kids and a lovely afternoon spent for the adults making

ZANT News - Dec 2009 1

www.zant.org December 2009

A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas

ZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWS

We welcome and encourage feedback from our community. Please send comments or suggestions to [email protected] or mail to ZANT, P.O. Box 271117, Flower Mound, TX 75027

• 12/18 Holiday Goodie Make and Take

• 12/19-12/20 Yalda • 1/10 Children’s Religious Class • 1/30 Jashne Sadeh • 2/06 Zoroastrian Documentary

Screening

ZANT EZANT EZANT EZANT EVENTSVENTSVENTSVENTS

• 11/28-12/1 Maidyoshem Gh. (S)

• 12/21 Shab-e Yalda

• 12/26 Zarthost-no Diso (Dar-Gozashtay

Asho Zarthosht) (F)

• 12/31-1/4 Maidyarem Gh. (F)

ZZZZOROASTRIANOROASTRIANOROASTRIANOROASTRIAN CCCCALENDARALENDARALENDARALENDAR

Past Activities 2

Upcoming Activities 2-3

Kid’s Corner 4-5

ZANT Center Update 6

Membership 2009-2010 6

Miscellaneous 7

Membership Form 9

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 271117 Flower Mound, TX 75027-1117

ZANT Center: 1605 Lopo Road Flower Mound, TX 75028-1306

FEZANA is the Federation of the Zoroastrian Association of North America. It is the one national organization that ZANT is a member of. FEZANA Journal is a quarterly publication that this organization produces for its member organizations as well as any individual or family who would be paying a nominal subscription fee for its subscrip-tion. FEZANA also has a very vibrant website called FEZANA.ORG which gets up-dated regularly. The Journal is a forum for lively discussions of all the hot issues about religious, social, cultural, humanitarian, and charitable activities of Zartushti individu-

als and organizations in North America and throughout the world.

The current issue of FEZANA is of special interest for a lot of our families who live in North America and are concerned with the consequences of mixed marriages and the relationship of their children with the religion. This subject appears to be a top issue of discussion especially because by some accounts, nearly fifty percent of the Zartushti newlyweds have non Zartushti spouses. There are three articles published from three different authors in the current issue of FEZANA that address various aspects of this social event from opposite points of view and provide a good balance of ideas that we think our readers would want to know about. The reprint of these articles is impractical

for us for a simple reason of the lack of space in our newsletter.

We would like to encourage all of our membership to subscribe to this national journal and be on the top of all the social and religious trends which are changing our commu-nity before our eyes. This single trend promises to change the fabric of our community within a single generation. Our local and national organizations are well advised to be prepared for this eventuality, just as our members are. This seemed to have been a ta-boo discussion for a long period of time but no longer, since the national membership

is acutely aware of this trend and demanding a frank discussion about it.

May Ahura Mazda bless and guide our community.—ZANT Board

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARDMESSAGE FROM THE BOARDMESSAGE FROM THE BOARDMESSAGE FROM THE BOARD

IIIINSIDENSIDENSIDENSIDE THISTHISTHISTHIS IIIISSUESSUESSUESSUE

BBBBOARDOARDOARDOARD OFOFOFOF DDDD IRECTORSIRECTORSIRECTORSIRECTORS

President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Social Director Director Director

FEZANA Rep.

Kamran Behroozi (972) 355-6607 Farieda Irani Pearl P. Balsara Khurshid Jamadar Keshvar Buhariwalla Roya Bidanjiry Delna Godiwalla

Firdosh Mehta


SPORTS DAY

The sports day enthusiasts came out in droves for the annual ZANT Sports Day 2009! Once again Barjis Ghadially had a long list of track and field events that pushed us all to our limits. This year there was the addition of a new and exciting event, shot putt. We heaved and hawed that 12 pound steel ball as far as we could; what a great first! Thanks Barjis for your planning and coordination of this yearly event that

so many enjoy.

ZANT ACTIVITIESZANT ACTIVITIESZANT ACTIVITIESZANT ACTIVITIES———— LOOKING BACKLOOKING BACKLOOKING BACKLOOKING BACK

MONTHLY GOODIESMONTHLY GOODIESMONTHLY GOODIESMONTHLY GOODIES

Need holiday gifts? How about Nashita's fabulous

fudge!

Last month many families enjoyed the delicious choco-late fudge made by Nashita Dastur. For December's Monthly Goodies we will have 1/2 lb boxes of choco-late and walnut fudge for $ 10, all packaged for holiday gift-giving. It will be available between Dec 16-20 and we can deliver to you as needed. Please call in your order to Anahita. Many thanks to Nashita for being our

Monthly Goodies chef for two months!

YALDAYALDAYALDAYALDA

Shab-e Yalda is a celebration of the Winter Solstice, which is traditionally the longest night of the year. This year ZANT will once again celebrate Yalda on Saturday, De-

cember 19th to the morning of December 20th. The lo-cation this year has been graciously donated by Benaifer and Behzad Kekobad. Their Kumon school is located in Plano and will be our overnight gathering spot. In the tra-dition of Yalda we are asking our participants, young and old alike, to bring a poem or short story to share with eve-ryone. If there are those who play a musical instrument that can be brought, please feel free to share your favorite music with us. There are lots of kids activities planned for the night so come prepared to stay up until sunrise on Sun-day! We will begin the evening with dinner at the local Chinese restaurant right next door. We have worked out a lavish dinner buffet, including all your Chinese food fa-vorites, just for our Yalda participants. Since the restaurant will only be open to us, we request that all interested please make sure you RSVP so that we can have a good count for dinner. Adults will be $7 and children under 10 will be $5. We will meet at 9:00 pm at the Kumon location and then walk to dinner. Our Yalda festivities, which will begin with aprayer will start at 10:15 pm. Please bring some snacks to share, but we request no cake or brownies or just generally messy items for the night. Please RSVP to Keshvar Bu-hariwalla by December 14 if you will be attending and if

you are planning to join in the dinner.

Kumon

909 West Spring Creek Pkwy

Suite 410

Plano, TX 75023

ZOROASTRIAN DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGZOROASTRIAN DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGZOROASTRIAN DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGZOROASTRIAN DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010

Location: Hoblitzelle Park 7500 Red River Drive Plano, TX 75023 Time: 6 p.m.

Please bring your wood for the fire as well as your deli-

cious food to share.

JASHNE SADEHJASHNE SADEHJASHNE SADEHJASHNE SADEH

Zoroastrian Documentary screening/Dinner/Discussion/Family Game Night -

Date: Saturday, February 6, 2010 Location: TBD Time: TBD Documentary film maker Tenaz Dubash, will be in town to screen her film, Crisis in Faith: Zoroastrians Today. The film will highlight the challenges faced by members of our ancient Persian religion today. Tenaz tackles the controver-sial subjects of conversion into the faith; dwindling num-bers and the treatment of Zoroastrians, as a religious minor-

ity, in Iran.


VA1COUVER, 2011 WORLD Z YOUTH CO1GRESS, LOGO COMPETITIO1

We are now accepting submissions for a logo for the upcoming 2011 5th world youth congress. The following are the criteria for the logo: 1. The logo must have some form of religious aspect to it. 2. The logo should have some Canadian or BC content.

3. The logo must have “5th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress” somewhere on it.

Please send your submissions to congress2011@ hotmail.com no later than Monday November 30th 2009. The winning submission will win a $100 cash prize. We look forward to receiving your submissions. If you have any

questions please contact Shiraz.

The Forty-Eighth Session of the Commission for Social Development will be convened from 3 to 12 February 2010 at the United Nations New Conference Building in the Garden at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The priority theme of the forty-seventh and forty-eighth sessions is: "Social Integration". In addition to the priority theme, the session will include review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of ac-tion pertaining to the situation of social groups such as: persons with disabilities, youth, ageing, and the family. Zarathushtis interested in participating in the activities of FEZANA as an NGO [Non-Governmental Organization]

with Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations can contact :

Co-Chairs Afreed Mistry [email protected] Homi D Gandhi [email protected]

or Behram Pastakia [email protected]

This is to inform you, that FEZA1A AGM 2010 will be held by OZCF in the Easter Weekend of April, Friday 2ND, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. All Non-Canadian Citizens traveling to Can-

ada must have a valid passport. Non-US Citizens also require visitor VISA in addition to a valid passport.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY HAPPENINGSGLOBAL COMMUNITY HAPPENINGSGLOBAL COMMUNITY HAPPENINGSGLOBAL COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

WZCC N. TEXAS ANNUAL MEETINGWZCC N. TEXAS ANNUAL MEETINGWZCC N. TEXAS ANNUAL MEETINGWZCC N. TEXAS ANNUAL MEETING

AT THE X- ROADS WHAT NOW ? WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? HOW DO WE GET THERE?

COME TO THIS MEETING TO BRAIN STORM, DISCUSS & PLAN AHEAD.

DAY: SU1DAY 6th December 2009

TIME: 1:00 to 3:00 PM

LOCATIO1: CHRISTOPHER PARR LIBRARY

MEETI1G ROOM

6200 Windhaven Parkway, PLA1O, Texas, 75093.

Tel: 972 – 769 - 4300

HOLIDAY GOODIES MAKE AND TAKEHOLIDAY GOODIES MAKE AND TAKEHOLIDAY GOODIES MAKE AND TAKEHOLIDAY GOODIES MAKE AND TAKE

Do you have a yummy holiday treat you prepare every year? Want to try something new? Well then join your ZANT friends on Friday, December 18 at the Rus-

tomji residence for a fun afternoon of making and shar-ing yummy holiday goodies. All adults and children are welcome to participate. Please bring all the ingredients necessary to make your treat and put it together in the Rustomji kitchen amongst family and friends. A great and fun start to the holiday break for the kids and a lovely afternoon spent for the adults making and tasting yummy goodies. This event will take place at the Rus-tomji residence, starting at 3 p.m. Please contact Dil-

nawaz if you plan on attending.


A short message for our kids preparing for their

Exam …

To accomplish great things…

We must not only act, but also dream!

Not only plan, but also believe!

Best Wishes For Your Exam!!!

(Source: Internet)

Religious Class:

At our 1ovember Religious Class, our little ones concluded their study of our religion through a deck

of cards.

• The king is Ahura mazda, the

King of Creation.

• The queen is the Queen of the

Amesha Spentas, Spenta Armaiti.

The jack is the evil one - Ahreman.

Did you know…

• That a deck of cards has 365

spots, one for each day of the year?

• That a deck of cards consists of 52 cards representing the 52 weeks in

a year?

• That a deck of cards has 12 picture cards, one for

each month of the year?

• That a deck of cards has 4 suits, representing the

4 weeks of each month?

That each suit has 13 cards, for the 13 kardas in the

Sarosh Yasht?

So now you know they are not just playing cards but

praying cards instead!

Our middle-age group continued their virtual tour of

Iran…

Our 2nd destination was “Pasargadae”- Capital of

Persia founded by Cyrus the Great (Kourosh – in

Persian)!

Considering a majority of the group missed our last discussion, we had a question-answer session to re-view the material we covered in the last month’s

class…

KIDS’ CORNERKIDS’ CORNERKIDS’ CORNERKIDS’ CORNER

learn about Cyrus the Great! We learnt ….

• The story of King Astyages & Cyrus’ birth

• Cyrus united the 2 original Iranian Tribes – the Medes

& the Persians

• Cyrus’ respect & forbearance towards other religions

& cultures

• The liberation of the Jews

• Admired as a “Liberator” than a “Conqueror”

The Cyrus Cylinder – the 1st Charter of Human Rights

We’ll talk more about Cyrus’ Legacy in our next class &

continue our trip to Pasargadae…

We watched 20 mins of the video “Iran – Part I” that re-

lates to Cyrus the Great.

Our older children continued to brainstorm and take notes for their game ideas. They have already started working on some Zoroastrian board games. All games and materials will be made with a Zoroastrian twist. The plan is to have games children can play on their own at the ZANT center which will focus on our religion, cultures and tradi-

tions.

On a lighter note…(Laugh – it increases your face

value) ☺

Great news…teacher says we have a test today, come rain or shine. So what's so great about that ?

It's snowing outside !

Father: How were the exam questions ? Son: Easy. Father: Then why look so unhappy ? Son: The questions didn't give me any trouble, but the

answers did !

What's black and white and extremely difficult?

An exam paper.(Just joking!!!!)


1ouRuz 2010 ZA1T Children’s Program:

If your kids are interested in taking part in our Nou-Ruz 2010 Program, please e-mail Pearl. We’ll meet and decide about the program sometime in January,

once we know the number of participants.

Children’s Religious Class:

Our next religious class will be held on Sunday,

January 10, 2010 at 11:30 am, at the Balsara Resi-

dence.

We will not be having a class in December.

Instead, in December, we invite everyone to join the

religious class group to celebrate

Yalda, on Saturday, Dec 19 – Sun-

day, Dec 20, 2009. (check the news-

letter for more details)

For further details about the Religious

Classes, please contact Pearl Balsara.

(Kid’s Corner logo courtesy of Zoroastrian Studies,

India)

KIDS’ CORNERKIDS’ CORNERKIDS’ CORNERKIDS’ CORNER


November was a good month for our project. Our air conditioning contract is nearly completed and our electric and plumbing contracts are well underway. Through December we will be completing these trades and beginning the exterior brick, stone, and stucco work. Our goal is to have all these major items completed and inspected by the city by New Years. With these major items inspected, we will be free to begin drywall, flooring and other interior fin-ishes while the exterior is underway. Additionally, we are beginning to discuss and research various details for ap-pliances and building systems. By late-January, the building should be generally completed with the exception of the interior finish-out. We are still on track for a move-in date of March or April. If you have questions, please

contact Jamshed Rivetna.

ZANT CENTER UPDATEZANT CENTER UPDATEZANT CENTER UPDATEZANT CENTER UPDATE

ZANT MEMBERSHIP 2009ZANT MEMBERSHIP 2009ZANT MEMBERSHIP 2009ZANT MEMBERSHIP 2009----2010201020102010

As we start our new Accounting Year 2009-2010, please note that your Annual ZANT membership is due for re-newal & if you are not a member already, this is the time to join in! There are lots of benefits of becoming a mem-

ber, such as….

• Belonging to an organization that is promoting Zoroastrian religious beliefs, community & cultural heritage

• A platform for “Community Service”

• Sharing “Camaraderie” (Comradeship among fellow Zoroastrians)

• Religious Classes (for children & adults)

• Religious and Non-religious Speakers

• Opportunities to influence the next generation of Zoroastrians (by setting an example)

• Instilling sense of “belonging” and “pride” in Zoroastrian Heritage, among our kids, teens and young adults

• Monthly newsletter - that keeps you informed of the happenings/ issues around the world related to Zoroastrian-

ism and opportunity to ask/receive help from fellow Zoroastrians.

• Career Development and Business Opportunity through ZANT sponsored WZCC meetings.

• Reduced rates for functions and other activities

• Special privileges for members re: ZANT Center

Your current membership is effective until Oct 31, 2009. Attached is the new Membership form (p. 9) Please sign

up to become a Proud Member of ZANT for the Year commencing November 1, 2009.


COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTCOMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTCOMMUNITY SPOTLIGHTCOMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

FIRDOSH MEHTA—We are pleased to announce that, Firdosh Mehta P.E. Director of Engineering, PECOFacet Corp., was recently awarded a MERITORIOUS CERTIFICATE AWARD, from the AMERICA WELDING SOCIETY, North Texas Section.. "In Recognition of loyalty, devotion to the affairs of the Society, effective service

in the advancement of welding, and for generous contributions of time and effort on behalf of the Society".

This award was conferred upon him at a Joint Technical Meeting of American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME, American Welding Society AWS and American Society of Materials ASM, held on 20th October, 2009 at the UT ARLINGTON Nedderman Hall. This meeting was organized by Firdosh, by inviting Mr. Jeffrey Schnabel of the BOHLER WELDING GROUP, Houston, who made an excellent presentation on "ELECTROSLAG STRIP

OVERLAY WELDI*G....PROCESS, EQUIPME*T, APPLICATIO*S & *EW DEVELOPME*TS". The meet-ing had an unprecedented attendance of 106, from all levels of our industry, including students of the various Weld-ing Schools and Universities in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area. Firdosh has been a Member and volunteer

with ASME and AWS for 33 plus years, during his tenure in Canada and USA.

MARY TE1GRA—Congratulations to Mary Tengra for completing the Dallas/Fort Worth Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. Mary walked 60 miles of local terrain starting November 6 and ending November 8. This is Mary’s fifth year participating in the walk and she feels it is worth the effort for a good cause and because she receives much per-

sonal enjoyment and satisfaction from it.

13.1 MILES HALF MARATHO1—Anoshe Commissariat, Keshvar Buhariwalla and veteran marathoner Mahesh 1asta all completed the Dallas Runners Club Half Marathon on November 1, 2009. ZANT wishes to con-

gratulate them on this accomplishment.

VAHISTA BHARUCHA-USSERTY—Dallas Independent School District’s Food & Child Nutrition Services Executive Director Dora Rivas and Nutrition Specialist Vahista Bharucha-Ussery (daughter of Maneck and Jeanne Bharucha) joined First Lady Michelle Obama on the White House lawn as part of a Healthy Kids Fair. Bha-rucha-Ussery, a registered dietitian and chef, worked alongside White House Chefs in a cooking demonstration, while Rivas hosted a nutrition education station featuring the healthy meals served to Dallas ISD students through school breakfast and lunch programs. The duo teamed up with the School Nutrition Association in participating in the Healthy Kids Fair, designed to promote good nutrition and physical activity for young people. Michelle Obama visited the nutrition stations, sampled the Frittata and Spiced Apples prepared during the cooking demonstration and joined local school children in an obstacle course and other physical activity stations to promote healthy eating habits and physical activity among America’s school children.

Don’t forget to send in your updated/changed infor-mation to Roya as soon as possible, and please use the advertising letter on page 10 to solicit ads from the stores you frequent or the businesses you

know. Your help and sup-

port is greatly appreciated.

ZANT DIRECTORYZANT DIRECTORYZANT DIRECTORYZANT DIRECTORY 15TH NORTH AMERICAN ZOROASTRIAN 15TH NORTH AMERICAN ZOROASTRIAN 15TH NORTH AMERICAN ZOROASTRIAN 15TH NORTH AMERICAN ZOROASTRIAN

CONGRESSCONGRESSCONGRESSCONGRESS

Houston, Texas

December 29, 2010 - January 1, 2011

Preserve! Protect! Perfect!

For registration and details, please visit the ZAH web-site: www.zah.org, or email Arnavaz Sethna at: [email protected], or Write to: ZAH, 8787 W. Air-

port Blvd., Houston, TX, 77071, USA. Attn: NAZC-2010


November 20, 2009

Dear Sir/Madam,

The Zoroastrian Association of North Texas (ZANT) cordially invites you to put an advertise-ment in our upcoming directory to be published in March 2010. The ZANT directory has been published since the 1990’s. With over 500 individuals and 250 families in the Dallas Fort Worth area, your advertisement will serve as a helpful source of information to all our

members in need of goods and services.

The deadline to receive all advertisements is January 31st, 2010. For further information, please contact Roya Bidanjiry at 817-703-1316 or email her your advertisement copy in PDF

or JPEG form. A scanned copy of your advertisement is also acceptable.

Email address: [email protected]

Prices are as follows:

• Outside Back Cover - $300

• Inside Front Cover - $200

• Inside Back Cover - $150

• Full Page - $100

• Half page - $50

Checks should be made payable to ZANT at P.O.BOX 271117, Flower Mound, TX 76051.

Please remember to include ZANT directory in the memo part of your check.

We appreciate your generosity in placing an advertisement in our directory!

Sincerely,

ZA1T Executive Board

GOOD THOUGHTS GOOD WORDS GOOD DEEDS

Zoroastrian Association of North Texas

P.O. Box 271117, Flower Mound, Texas 75027


ZANT 2009ZANT 2009ZANT 2009ZANT 2009ZANT 2009ZANT 2009ZANT 2009ZANT 2009--------2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form2010 Membership Form

(Nov. 1, 2009 to Oct. 31, 2010)

To avoid misspelling of names please print clearly all information on this form.

Family Name: ___________________________________ Home Phone#: __________________

Home Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________

(Street Address) (Apt. #) (City) (State) (Zip)

Member’s Name Age

Range Profession Cell Phone# Email Address

Please list the names of the members/children and provide any additional information (for “Age Range”, please specify, <35 or 35-65 or >65):

Children’s Name Age

Kindly check the boxes to let us know what information should not be included in the ZANT Directory:

Home Address Profession

Home Phone # Cell Phone #

Email Address

Comments / Suggestions for the Board (you may continue on the back): ______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Date: __________________________ Signature: _____________________________________________

As per the ZANT Bylaws, Regular & Life Membership is open to all Zarathushtis and their spouses over 18 years of age. Please complete this form and mail it with your check to ZANT, P.O. Box 271117, Flower Mound TX 75027

Membership rates per person:

Annual Membership (@ $50) $ Student Membership (19 yrs & older) (@ $25) $

Life Membership (@ $1,500) $ Senior Citizen Membership (65 yrs & older) (@ $25) $

Building Fund Donation: $ General Fund Donation $

CHECK #


www.zant.org December 2009

A Publication of Zoroastrian Association of North Texas

ZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWSZANT NEWS

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 $ ( ) 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.

ZA1T

P.O. Box 271117

Flower Mound, Texas 75027 ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS ZANT NEWS

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ZANT DEC 2009 Newsletterweb · Rustomji kitchen amongst family and friends. A great and fun start to the holiday break for the kids and a lovely afternoon spent for the adults making

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