Thanks to Nina Mistry (Jt. Secretary) and Sheroo Kanga (Secretary) for another fantastic and informative newsletter.

Download and read the entire newsletter in PDF Format.

• XVI NAZC 2012
• EVENT UPDATES
• NAVROZE REGISTRATION
• ELECTRONICS RAFFLE
• UPCOMING EVENTS
• ANNOUNCEMENTS
• SILENT AUCTION
• COMMUNITY CORNER
• MEMBERSHIP FORM
• NOTES
• SAVE THE DATE

Direct Link to file : March 2012 ZAGNY Newsletter

TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Winning amount will include all
taxes and surcharges.

Tickets can be used on the Non-stop flights from New York, Newark, Chicago and Toronto

2 checked in bags allowed per ticket.

Tickets do NOT quality for frequent flyer miles.
 
Blackout dates for travel apply. Cannot travel :
USA to INDIA June15 to 3 July & Dec 1 – 31
INDIA to USA  Aug. 17 to 3 Sept & Dec 28 – Jan 15
 
The winning amount is tax deductible.
 
Travel should be completed by March 31, 2013.

Associations are encouraged to organize a day of fun and host a shoe drive to support local charities. ZAGNY and IZA will probably organize efforts for the day of the May religious class. This event will help raise awareness about the importance of shoes in enhancing the physical, mental and emotional lives of disadvantaged individuals. Furthermore, it is an opportunity for the Zoroastrian community to gather and celebrate philanthropy and health . This would also be a good opportunity for a student to take up this project as part of the "Good Life" program offered by ZAGNY. High school students are encouraged to work on this as it adds to a college admission resume.   

We’d like  to kick off this initiative at our Navroz function in March and then follow it by support at both the April and May religious classes. We are looking for volunteers to form a small committee that can lead this project and be responsible for it. Responsibilities include sending out communication, making flyers, setting up a few boxes where shoes can be collected in, figuring out logistics (especially for the Navroz function), coordinating drop off for the donations (we were thinking of donating to People to People) and documenting the efforts of our community. We already have a volunteer from IZA and are looking for a few people from ZAGNY to help lead.

If you are interested, please email Usheen Davar, usheen@aol.com by Thursday, March 09, 2012.  Usheen will be collecting the volunteer names and will provide the committee with all the relevant information & next steps.

Zoroastrians Stepping Forward: Website

FEZANA will be participating at the 56^th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Conference to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.

Tanya Bharda, Kaizad Cama, Homi Gandhi, Afreed Mistry, Behram Pastakia and Freyaz Shroff from FEZANA will be representing the Zoroastrians at the UN. Joining them from the Gram Seva Foundation will be Jay Boziceveh. The group will be presenting a panel discussion titled, “NGO Learnings: Empowering Rural Women to Overcome Poverty & Hunger.”

Using specific case studies from field work in rural India, panelists will showcase successful projects addressing poverty and hunger eradication. The work of Gram Seva Foundation, well established rural NGO, will be highlighted. We will also be showcasing some of the good work being done by World Zoroastrian Organization Trust Funds (WZOTF). Attendees will be able to take back ideas and strategies that can empower women in living healthier, happier lives.

The panel discussion details are:

Date: Thursday, March 1st, 2012

Time: 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm

Location: Church Centre, Boss Room, 8^th Floor, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY

The Church Center is open to the public and visitors, so please encourage Zoroastrians and their friends to attend and support the presentation.

About United Nations

The United Nations is central to global efforts to solve problems that challenge humanity. Cooperating in this effort are more than 30 affiliated organizations, known together as the UN system. For more information visit www.un.org

About Zoroastrians

Zoroastrians serve as effective bridge builders as they see from their own faith, traditions of truth, righteousness, charity, beneficence and respect for creation reflected in traditions of the religions of both the occident and the orient. Zoroastrianism, founded circa 1500 BCE, credited to be the oldest monotheistic religion, is believed to have transmitted percepts such as the ultimate victory of good over evil and the resurrection of souls, through Judaism to Christianity, and later to Islam. Zoroastrianism flourished as the imperial religion of three Persian empires, those of the Achaemenians, Parthians and Sasanians, and was the dominant religion from Turkey, and eastward to China during those times. North America’s Zoroastrian community includes those who arrived from the Indian subcontinent, known as Parsis, and those who came directly from Iran seeking religious freedom.

About FEZANA

Founded in 1987, FEZANA serves as the coordinating body for 26 Zoroastrian associations and 10 small groups throughout the United States and Canada. FEZANA promotes the study, understanding and practice of the Zoroastrian faith in North America., represents the interests of its member associations, and carries out philanthropic and charitable activities worldwide. The FEZANA Journal, FEZANA’s publication of record, circulates to Zoroastrian households in more than 22 countries, as well as to scholars, academicians and religious organizations worldwide. For more information visit: www.fezana.org.

Press Release: January 11, 2012

It’s a bumper 16 page issue with lots of information and news on events past and those coming up in the New Year.

Flip through the PDF document.

Thanks to Nina Mistry and Sheroo Kanga for another fantastic newsletter.

Another fantastic editorial effort from our editors Nina Mistry and Sheroo Kanga.

Click image below to read in PDF Format

Below is a group image of every single person present for the Fundraiser. Video and other images to follow.

The book has been getting great reviews. Let’s show the ZAGNY presence in large numbers.

This should be a fun event. See the flyer below for details

The academic procession crossed from the institution’s LEED Platinum academic building at 41 Cooper Square to its landmarked Foundation Building.  Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, India offered video congratulations and provided insight into the influence of our global community on education. Frances Fergusson, President Emerita of Vassar College, James Wright, President Emeritus of Dartmouth College and Lawrence S. Bacow, President Emeritus of Tufts University offered their impressions of President Bharucha, lauding his intellectual curiosity, capacity for innovation and ability to lead. 

Drawing inspiration from the genius of founder Peter Cooper, President Bharucha, standing at the lectern where candidate Lincoln spoke in 1860, pointed to “four areas that stand out as academic challenges and opportunities: fostering innovation, promoting access, serving the public good and embracing a global perspective – while maintaining the highest standards.”

President Bharucha, a classically trained violinist, joined violinist Andy Stein and other friends to perform selected movements from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Mendelssohn’s Octet. The award-winning Gallim Dance company also performed.

Mark L. Epstein, President of the Board of Trustees, formally invested the new president.  Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and President Emeritus, Brown University closed by offering his congratulations.

Fareed Zakaria of CNN, TIME and The Washington Post led a pre-inaugural colloquium on October 17.

Dr. Bharucha has been a pioneer in studying how the brain responds to music.  Prior to joining The Cooper Union, he was Provost and Senior Vice President of Tufts University.   Before joining Tufts, Dr. Bharucha spent his academic career at Dartmouth College.  He also served as a Trustee of Vassar College.

Published on Cooper Union Official Website