Boss Ladies: Women in Business & Entrepreneurship

Boss Ladies: Women in Business & Entrepreneurship features Shernaz Pavri, Meher Pavri, Natashah Torki, Pearl Mistry, and Meher Bharucha. Together, they share unique stories about their own personal journeys and careers, representing global Parsi and Iranian cultures. You’ll discover their passions, who inspires them, how they empower others and give back to the community. The panel will cover topics such as education and application to the real world, developing your own personal brand on business platforms and social media, the power of networking, overcoming challenges and building resilience, the importance of negotiation, and practicing mindfulness.

About Natashah Torki

Panelist

Natashah Torki, a business savvy leader and innovator in the private sector. With an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and over 15 years of experience as a business owner, I have tenure rich in creating strong, cohesive brands, creating meaningful client experiences, and business development. I care deeply about helping people achieve their full potential, and pursue that passion by both excelling at cultivating a team dynamic, as well as through one-on-one coaching with individuals seeking to further their professional development. I have created a program within our current business to hire, train, and employ refugees to help them develop a sense of community and a second chance in a new world.

Specialties: Champion of new ideas, articulate presenter, team leader, expert negotiator & decision maker, customer service focused, “soup to nuts” problem solver, student of life & innovation.

Zoroastrians in Media

Panelist

This panel explore the issues that Zoroastrians face in media. It aims to address why accurate representation is important, how this representation can be achieved, and instances of misrepresentation Zoroastrian figures in media have faced.

About Nazneen Contractor

Nazneen Contractor currently stars as “Zara Hallam” in the Frank Spotnitz produced drama series, Ransom. Born in Mumbai, India, and raised in Nigeria, Africa until the age of seven, Nazneen quickly became well versed in world travels and a variety cultures at a very young age. One year into her studies at University, Contractor went to an open call audition for the play Pericles at the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada, landing the female lead role. Contractor was immediately offered the opportunity to enroll in Stratford’s conservatory program, shortly thereafter joining the cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Hermia. Since then, she has also appeared as Hermia on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Papdits, and as Layla Hourani in The Border. For her performance as Layla, she garnered a Golden Nymph Award nomination at the Montecarlo Television Festival. Since moving to LA, she’s played Kayla Hassan in the Fox drama series, 24, a recurring role on CBS’ Rules of Engagement, Covert Affairs, and NBC’s Heroes Reborn. She has also appeared as Rima Harewood in Star Trek Into Darkness. When not working, Contractor is an avid runner and yogi. Philanthropy is a huge priority for her and she supports such organizations as Second Harvest to feed the homeless, and Look Good Feel Better, supporting women with cancer. Nazneen currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and border terrier.

The Lasting Impact of the Mazagon Navjotes

This talk is about conversion amongst the Parsi Zoroastrian community in Bombay in the Nineteenth century through the lens of one specific event, the Mazagon Navjotes of 1882. It discusses the history of the Navjotes and their importance and influence on contemporary Parsi Zoroastrian identity. 

Nazneen Engineer

Dr Nazneen Engineer is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies. 

Her interest in Zoroastrian Studies emerged after she attended the December 2007 World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Australia. Surrounded by so many wonderful young Zoroastrians, she felt inspired to undertake a masters and then a doctorate in historical socio-cultural issues which had contemporary relevance.  

For her doctorate, she produced an annotated translation of a Parsi Gujarati text written in 1883 by a prominent high-priest of the Parsi Zoroastrian community. This formed part of her research into the wider issues of conversion and intermarriage surrounding the Mazagon Navjotes that took place in Bombay in the nineteenth century.  After her PhD, Nazneen returned to India where she worked for a non-profit charitable Trust in the NGO sector that ran a residential care facility for disabled adults as well as three children’s homes across the State of Maharashtra that nurtured and rehabilitated abandoned and orphaned children. During this time, she was heavily involved the organisation’s ‘roots’ programme where people who were adopted as children would return to India in search of their origins. This ignited her interest in the theories and concepts of identity.

She is currently working on a research project assessing the pathways to an ethnic and religious identity for the offspring of mixed marriage, specifically, between a Parsi Zoroastrian parent and a non-Parsi non-Zoroastrian parent.
Having lived in 5 countries (and visited many more), she consider herself a ‘world citizen’. As a Parsi, she has a soft spot for a joyful evening spent in the company of family, friends, pets, music, food, and wine. She enjoys a variety of things during her leisure time, including vintage clothes shopping, supporting Tottenham Hotspur FC, partaking in London’s cultural scene, and running along the canal near her flat in London.

Global Stories: How Women Will Modernize the World’s Oldest Religion.

Nine passionate and ambitious Zoroastrian women navigate through the hot button issues and get to the heart of what it means to be a contemporary woman living out their faith. Through sharing our stories, we will let you in on what we’ve learned along the way about gender, tradition, and progress.

What does it really mean to claim our voice as the new generation while preserving the worlds oldest religion ? How do our unique stories empower us to overcome present day challenges and prepare us to become tomorrow’s leaders ?

Ultimately, you’ll walk away with the skills to leverage your own story in order to elevate and modernize our entire community.

About Negin Forouzesh (Iran)

Panelist

Negin is a fourth year Ph.D. candidate majoring in Computer Science at Virginia Tech. Her research interest is in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, which address critical challenges related to life sciences and human health. Her research emphasis is on simulation and analysis of complex biological systems. Specifically speaking, she is interested in computational study of proteins, the molecular machines that make life possible.

Negin has received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Amirkabir University of Technology, also known as Tehran Polytechnic, and started the Doctoral program at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2015.

During the productive years of postraduate studies, Negin has received several awards and scholarships due to the academic achievements and social activities, including the 25th Anniversary FEZANA Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in September 2018. She has been an active member of Zoroastrian Student Association, also known as Kanoon, back to her home country, Iran.

During the past four years, she has attended several Zoroastrian events and made Zartoshti friends in the United States. Negin truly believes what glues Zoroastrians around the world as a united society is our prophet Ashu Zarathushtra. Learning and implementing his instructions in our daily lives is impossible unless we commit ourselves to hold and attend religious events and festivals. To this end, Negin plans to join a Zoroastrian organization
after graduation and serve the community.

Zoroastrians and Advocacy

In today’s sociopolitical climate, maintaining the Zoroastrian community and way of life continues to be challenged by an ever-expanding global economy. Increasingly, there is a need for an effective advocacy platform to protect and preserve the Zoroastrian community, promote Zoroastrian values, and center the Zoroastrian way of life as a mission to give back to society.

Such ambitious platform can only be achieved through a visionary pipeline of young Zoro-Advocates who combine and cultivate a diverse set of experiences and involvements from around the world. Join these young leaders in the Zoroastrians and Advocacy panel as they discus the milestones necessary for the formation of an effective and strong platform for Zoroastrian advocacy.

 About Nigel Shroff

Nigel Shroff is a member of the Hong Kong Zoroastrian Community and the head of the Hong Kong Zoroastrian Youth Group.

Having been born and brought up in Hong Kong, Nigel has spent the majority of his life in Asia, having schooled there before studying in the UK, completing an undergraduate Bachelor of Honors degree in Finance at the University of Durham, and then graduating with distinction in his postgraduate degree, studying Finance in Emerging Markets at the University of Nottingham.

Nigel has a multicultural background, having lived and worked in the UK, Shanghai, Beijing and more recently Hong Kong, working for the British Bank HSBC, where he is currently Associate Director for Wealth Management in the Asia Pacific Region.

Nigel is involved in volunteer and community projects. He was currently nominated as an advocate for ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, where he advises the Hong Kong Government and various charitable foundations on the current issues impacting the Hong Kong ethnic minority landscape.

In addition, Nigel currently acts as a committee member for HSBC’S Diversity and Inclusion society as well as sitting on the board for HSBCs Mental Health sector. Nigel is also involved in charity work, and was recently elected to sit on the council for the Royal Commonwealth Society in Hong Kong, a charity organization committed to improving the lives and prospects of HK citizens.

Nigel is a keen sportsman, having received a full scholarship to play cricket for the University of Durham as well as representing Durham county, and the Hong Kong national cricket team.

Zoroastrians and Advocacy

Niousha Farhangi

In today’s sociopolitical climate, maintaining the Zoroastrian community and way of life continues to be challenged by an ever-expanding global economy. Increasingly, there is a need for an effective advocacy platform to protect and preserve the Zoroastrian community, promote Zoroastrian values, and center the Zoroastrian way of life as a mission to give back to society.

Such ambitious platform can only be achieved through a visionary pipeline of young Zoro-Advocates who combine and cultivate a diverse set of experiences and involvements from around the world. Join these young leaders in the Zoroastrians and Advocacy panel as they discus the milestones necessary for the formation of an effective and strong platform for Zoroastrian advocacy.

 About Niousha Farhangi

An incoming Public Affairs major at the University of California Los Angeles, Niousha Farhangi makes it a priority to commit to advocacy work along with her studies. Advocacy is a field that truly energizes her from interfaith work to human rights advocacy, legislative advocacy, and campus leadership.

She initially began her interests through the Interfaith Youth Council of Orange County as a Zoroastrian representative, taking on an active role in planning community service events and the annual Interfaith Youth Forum. Through Interfaith Youth Initiative camps, she further experienced the power of diversity in leadership and advocacy; working with students to discuss issues within their communities. She developed a passion for interfaith work, that led her to be an active alumna for interfaith organizations; sharing and speaking about her experience in order to inspire interfaith leadership among youth.

Utilizing the skills that she learned through interfaith work, she practiced her ambition for politics and advocacy within her college campus through her campus student government, Amnesty International, and the Young Democrats.

Her background as an Iranian Zoroastrian immigrant continually inspires and informs her advocacy. It is an experience that bolsters her dedication to the democratic processes; to utilize her power and stand up for all communities. She aims to continue her studies and involvements, within her transferring university to enhance her knowledge on public policy and middle eastern studies in order to pursue a career in nonprofit and legislative work.

Pablo shall speak on:

Kurdish Zoroastrianism: An Overview and What We Can Learn

Within what would be considered Kurdistan, a modern revival of our ancient faith is happening. Thousands have converted in less than a decade and many more are expected to come. Unique in its expression but familiar in its essence, the Zoroastrian community cannot continue to ignore this important development. Join Pablo Vazquez, a scholar of Kurdish Zoroastrianism, as he guides the audience through an overview and exploration of this fascinating part of our global religion.

Pablo is a panelist on:

Zoroastrians and Advocacy

In today’s sociopolitical climate, maintaining the Zoroastrian community and way of life continues to be challenged by an ever-expanding global economy. Increasingly, there is a need for an effective advocacy platform to protect and preserve the Zoroastrian community, promote Zoroastrian values, and center the Zoroastrian way of life as a mission to give back to society.

Such ambitious platform can only be achieved through a visionary pipeline of young Zoro-Advocates who combine and cultivate a diverse set of experiences and involvements from around the world. Join these young leaders in the Zoroastrians and Advocacy panel as they discus the milestones necessary for the formation of an effective and strong platform for

About Pablo Vazquez

Pablo Vazquez is an academic, activist, philosopher, theologian, and proud Zoroastrian convert ever since undergoing the Sedreh Pushi rite in 2018 after practicing for about 3 years. He is currently working on a Masters degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, working within the Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies towards a dissertation centering on Kurdish Zoroastrianism. Other areas of interest for Pablo within the faith are heterodox theology and practice, multi and interfaith modern and historical approaches, the socio-political importance of the concept of Frashokereti, working towards the religion’s universal potential, and advocating reform in inclusivity and theological ethics. Having been originally born and raised in the Caribbean between Panama and Puerto Rico, Pablo usually calls Austin, Texas home these days when not engaged in a boundless travel lust or barricaded at the libraries in London conducting research.

Parshan Khosravi is a panelist on:

The Congress Comes A Full Circle

From Root To Fruit – How Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork

Robert Frost said: We all sit around the circle and suppose, while the secret sits in the center and knows.

Join us to get to know the Secret Of Our Success.

The World Zoroastrian Youth Congress has made a SUCCESS-FULL CIRCLE in the past 25-years and we intend to celebrate this magnificent feat together via a very special meeting of the minds.

This discussion session begins with the motivation behind the inspiration that lead to the creation of the World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses and the impact it made on the progress of our future generation.

Then we will focus on how each Congress evolved to become a reflection of Z ideals and issues of the day at the time of those Congresses.

This will be followed by a photomontage of all the 6 congresses depicting how the joy of achievement met with the challenges of organizing them.

COME ONE, COME ALL TO JOIN US, as we weave the story of this very special journey to enlightenment in the life of our World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses.

Parshan Khosravi is a panelist on:

Zoroastrians and Advocacy

In today’s sociopolitical climate, maintaining the Zoroastrian community and way of life continues to be challenged by an ever-expanding global economy. Increasingly, there is a need for an effective advocacy platform to protect and preserve the Zoroastrian community, promote Zoroastrian values, and center the Zoroastrian way of life as a mission to give back to society.

Such ambitious platform can only be achieved through a visionary pipeline of young Zoro-Advocates who combine and cultivate a diverse set of experiences and involvements from around the world. Join these young leaders in the Zoroastrians and Advocacy panel as they discus the milestones necessary for the formation of an effective and strong platform for Zoroastrian advocacy.

 About Parshan Khosravi

Parshan Khosravi is the Chair of the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress. He is a double alum of the University of California, having received his undergraduate degree from UC Irvine and his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from UCLA. His policy focus areas include voting rights, higher education, and immigration.

In his professional life, Parshan serves as the Government Relations Director for the University of California Student Association, where he leads the organization’s state and national advocacy efforts in Sacramento and Washington DC. Parshan believes that one of the key elements to the preservation of the Zoroastrian faith and way of life is by establishing an active and unified presence of Zoroastrians in the sociopolitical global landscape, and he has set it his mission to pursue the creation of such an organization.

Parshan enjoys three hobbies more than anything else: Playing Pool, FIFA, and Backgammon. If you catch Parshan, feel free to chat with him about the political forecast of the California Democratic Party and the presidential elections!!!”

Pearl Mistry is a panelist on

Boss Ladies: Women in Business & Entrepreneurship

Boss Ladies: Women in Business & Entrepreneurship features Shernaz Pavri, Meher Pavri, Natashah Torki, Pearl Mistry, and Meher Bharucha. Together, they share unique stories about their own personal journeys and careers, representing global Parsi and Iranian cultures. You’ll discover their passions, who inspires them, how they empower others and give back to the community. The panel will cover topics such as education and application to the real world, developing your own personal brand on business platforms and social media, the power of networking, overcoming challenges and building resilience, the importance of negotiation, and practicing mindfulness.

Pearl Mistry is a Speaker on

Holistic Path to Youth Involvement in the Community

Growing up in the heart of ‘parsi panu’ – Dadar Parsi Colony, I’ve witnessed the functionings of the community youth at a very personal level. With numerous parsi friends, I seemed to encounter people my age only at social gatherings, summer camps and the annual 21st March competitions and events. If it wasn’t going to be “fun” you were certainly not to expect anyone. My first understanding came around early on when the family NGO – Parsi Resource Group was established by my father, Jimmy Mistry. The sole purpose of the organisation has been to provide for the mobeds, however at each stage efforts are made to entice the youth. The large turnout for a bike rally or party surpased the dismal numbers for a scholarly speaker. Speed dating and fashionshows chosen over career counselling and professional mentoring.

My learnings continued alongside my father’s journey – From a trustee at the Bombay Parsi Panchayat and Rustom Framna Agyari to re-creating Persepolis in the form of Della Tower and setting up a Dadgah Saheb. Having witnessed it all personally while attending two World Zorastrian Congresses and shamefully not seeing a single young person from my colony even in the Mumbai edition. While at the very other end of the spectrum witnessing participation from youth at FEZANA events during a visit to California and those at the Zorastrian Center during my stay in London or those spending weeks on the Return to Roots programme.

Even though the urge continued to do something about it, I realised and accepted that my own schedule never permitted me to and sympathised with others. However, it lead me to question – if not now, then when? Thus taking the onnus to collect like minded individuals to come up with a solution good enough to entice the Youth of our community into participating more actively.

I, Pearl Jimmy Mistry would like to present how I plan to use my experience, recently obtained B-School degree as well as management learnings from work into solving the problem of Youth participation and holistic development. While addressing issues of people not giving back to their community. During the talk I plan to briefly introduce and use Della Tower as a live example of an effort made to restore the past glory giving future generations not just an iconic structure to associate to their community but to stand proud of in present day.

About Pearl Jimmy Mistry

Panelist & Speaker

Pearl Jimmy Mistry, is the Director at Della Group. She has finished her Master’s in Management from the renowned London Business School in 2018. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, she handled image management, Branding, Digital Marketing and Online Sales for Della Adventure Park & Resorts.

Currently the 23 year old is setting up the e-store for ‘Della by Jimmy Mistry’ which will be the first to sell an extensive array of Luxury Interior & Furniture Products. She will also look into the large format retail business while conducting international market research for exports.

Pearl’s fondness for design and the community was inspired by her father, Jimmy Mistry. She believes shadowing and helping him, irrespective of the department, is her un-official yet prerogative role.

Apart from her professional pursuits, she enjoys art and sculpting. She received the ‘‘Young Achiever Award” from the British Parliament at the House of Commons. The Indo-British Forum recognised this as a contribution to the Arts & Women Empowerment Movement. Pearl has featured in India Today as one of the ‘11 Enterprising Women with a taste for excellence showing the true marque of Luxury’ and in Elle Décor as the ‘Generation Now’ to look out for in the Design Industry.

Rashna is a Panelist on:

Global Stories: How Women Will Modernize the World’s Oldest Religion.

Nine passionate and ambitious Zoroastrian women navigate through the hot button issues and get to the heart of what it means to be a contemporary woman living out their faith. Through sharing our stories, we will let you in on what we’ve learned along the way about gender, tradition, and progress.

What does it really mean to claim our voice as the new generation while preserving the worlds oldest religion ? How do our unique stories empower us to overcome present day challenges and prepare us to become tomorrow’s leaders ?

Ultimately, you’ll walk away with the skills to leverage your own story in order to elevate and modernize our entire community.

Rashna Sanjana is the convenor of the Zoroastrian Shark Tank

Zoroastrian Shark Tank

Convenor

For the very first time, at any global Zoroastrian event; an entire day shall be dedicated towards entrepreneurship, business and professional development. This harks back to some of the core qualities of Zarathushtis over the centuries. As part of this day, the first ever Zoroastrian Shark Tank will bring contestants from all over the world to compete and present their ideas in front of a panel of investors. Over a few months, contestants have been vetted and selected for the final round that shall be held at the 7WZYC

About Rashna Sanjana (India)

A J.N. Tata Scholar, after finishing her MBA from INSEAD, Rashna co-founded StitchMyFit.com, India’s first online women’s designer service offering home measurement, designing and trial sessions.

Before this, Rashna has led qualitative product and quantitative sales forecasting teams for leading global FMCG brands through her role in Nielsen. She was chosen amongst 200 peers to consult with PepsiCo in the UAE on innovation strategy which provided the brand with actionable insight into product strategy and innovation. When she moved back, she pioneered the consulting wing within Nielsen India to give brand strategies to J&J in India.

On a personal front, Rashna feels strongly about inclusivity in diversity, equal rights for women (not just the country, but the community) and changing proactively with the times. Her views are liberal with the belief that the strength in the community lies in the “now” and not the “then”.

Global Stories: How Women Will Modernize the World’s Oldest Religion.

Nine passionate and ambitious Zoroastrian women navigate through the hot button issues and get to the heart of what it means to be a contemporary woman living out their faith. Through sharing our stories, we will let you in on what we’ve learned along the way about gender, tradition, and progress.

What does it really mean to claim our voice as the new generation while preserving the worlds oldest religion ? How do our unique stories empower us to overcome present day challenges and prepare us to become tomorrow’s leaders ?

Ultimately, you’ll walk away with the skills to leverage your own story in order to elevate and modernize our entire community.

About Dr. Rashna Virji (Pakistan)

Panelist

Rashna is a medical graduate from Ziauddin Medical College and works as a full time resident trainee at Dr. Ziauddin Hospital in the department of Medicine in her home town Karachi Pakistan with the aim to pursue a career in Critical Care. She is passionate about teaching and has been working part time as a teacher at her parent medical college since her graduation.

Whatever time she has left, she prefers spending with family, friends and volunteering. She is an active member of the local Zoroastrian association, Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal serving on various committees. She was a recent participant at the 2018-2019 Return to Roots India Trip which piqued her interest to attend the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress. She enjoys a good story, writing, getting to know people, gaining new experiences, exploring nature and spending time with her pet dog, Nautika.

Can Zoroastrianism Solve Climate Change?

Our ancient religion is rooted in its connection with the environment. And yet today, humanity has never been more disconnected in its relationship with the environment. Join us for this panel as we explore the environmental principles threaded through our religion and highlight how they might provide solutions to today’s environmental issues, including climate change.

All four speakers have a strong passion for the environment, however at different stages of their careers and with diverse backgrounds. This diversity in the panel will help provide a well-rounded discussion covering topics as wide-ranging as environmental engineering and environmental studies, through to sustainable buildings and renewable energy technologies.

In this day and age, we all need to prioritize the environment, no matter what our career focus is.

The speakers will describe religious practices that embody the principles of living in harmony with the environment. This includes, paying respect to the environment in our religious ceremonies, the reasoning behind our funeral ceremony, and connections to nature at our fire temples.

They will go on to share how their religion has influenced their career path and how this has been integrated into their current work. The speakers will also offer practical tips on what steps they think we can all take in our everyday lives to help the environment and leave a lighter footprint.

Attendees will come away with:

• A greater understanding of Zoroastrianism’s links with the environment
• Different career paths and avenues for promoting sustainability
• Practical everyday tips we can all take to leave a ‘lighter footprint’

There will be time for a Q&A with the panel, so please bring any burning environmental questions you might have!

Reanna Unwalla

Panelist

I am currently in my third year of college at the University of Redlands majoring in Environmental Studies with minors in Biology and Spatial Studies. I have been involved with environmental clubs in high school and college that emphasize environmental practices. I am obviously not as qualified yet as my fellow panelists but I do have the same amount of passion. Since I’m still working on my education I’ll tell you all about what I wish and plan on doing in the future. After college I want to continue on to a masters and PHD degree in marine biology. I would like to go into full marine research. I’m still unsure of anything specifically I want to study but know that I will be going into that field.

Since I’m a student I’m currently in school still and will be for a while. In August of this year, I will be going to Australia for about three months to begin that journey of doing research. I will be going with a program known as the school for field studies. In this program I will be doing land (Daintree Rainforest) and sea(Great Barrier Reef)  research along with sustainability efforts.

Home and Belonging: Reimagining the Global Zarathusti youth

The global Zoroastrian community has been wrestling with the concepts of home and belonging since it was displaced from its homeland of ancient Persia. Based on a research sample from the Zoroastrian Return to Roots program, the speaker will discuss how young global Zarathustis engage with the ideas of home and belonging while reconnecting to their ancestral homelands. The speaker aims to shed light on the broader issue of how transnational Zoroastrian youth have negotiated their experience of home and belonging given the community’s long history of displacement and migration.

About Rosheen Kabraji

Rosheen Kabraji is a co-founder of the Zoroastrian Return to Roots program. She is currently working on a Ph.D. from King’s College London. Rosheen was formerly Assistant Head and Research Associate, Asia Program at Chatham House, a foreign policy think tank, in London. She was born and raised in Karachi and has lived in the U.K., Thailand and Spain. She currently resides in Washington D.C. with her husband and son.

The Power of Film to Connect Zoroastrians Around the World

Zoroastrianism is practiced by approximately 120,000 people around the world today. The number may be small, yet our community has managed to stay connected via social media, email and newspaper, with hundreds of stories told each year to keep our community alive and relevant.

However, what hasn’t been utilized enough is the art of film to tell our stories. The release of the short film “Not Just Milk and Honey” is one of the more recent films about Zoroastrianism that has been popular in the community. Every time Parsi actor Boman Irani stars in a film, we all get excited to see one of our people on the big screen. It’s evident that Zoroastrians love stories about their faith and community and we deserve to have our stories captured on more films to preserve our heritage for generations to come.

Join Zoroastrian filmmakers Tanya Hoshi and Simran Jehani as they sit down with Roxanne Unwalla, to discuss the power of film (and Zoroastrian filmmakers) to unite a community and empower disenfranchised youth dispersed in the diaspora. This casual fireside chat will involve the audience, as we discuss together what Zoroastrian stories we want to see on film, whether fiction or real.

About Roxanne Unwalla

Roxanne Unwalla is the current Youth Coordinator for the Zoroastrian Association of California. Born and raised in Southern California, she has been an active member of the community her whole life. She has participated in many youth shows, walk-a-thons, and and currently plays 2nd base on the ZAC intramural softball team.

She was part of the Youth Committee for the NAZC 2014 that was held in Los Angles putting together a fun weekend for the youth before the actual congress began. Joining the 7WZYC Executive Committee in the summer of 2018, she has been working tirelessly with her fellow volunteers to make this event a truly spectacular one.
While Roxanne’s studies have been in the sciences, she holds a special place in her heart for the arts.

Attending multiple concerts and going to museums multiple times a year she was a great fit to moderate the panel on Zoroastrian Filmmakers. The panel will be with filmmakers Tanya Hoshi and Simran Jehani.

Empowering Future Leaders: World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum

Sanaya Master of Auckland New Zealand organised the first-ever highly successful World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum (WZYLF) in March 2018 at the beautiful ASHA Centre in the Forest of Dean, UK. The purpose of the Forum was to harness the power of the collective intelligence of our young leaders to build a future that we are inspired by. All the participants who attended the Forum came away feeling enriched, inspired and invigorated with faith and trust in one another to operate as a cohesive, well-informed, connected group, determined to pave a new way forward.

In this break-out session, Sanaya will give a short synopsis of the 10-day Forum, followed by an open-ended discussion on how Zoroastrian youth can better share knowledge and resources; develop an integrated and global network of young leaders; incubate ideas and work on new projects together.

It is time for us to engage with our development, reflect on how we arrived at this point and together create new ways forward. There is a real opportunity for us to empower each other and tap into the huge sources of potential that lie within and between us.

About Sanaya Master

Sanaya Master is a Marketing professional with an active interest in youth empowerment. From June 2017 to March 2018, Sanaya volunteered at the beautiful ASHA Centre in UK a youth leadership organisation that is built on the Zoroastrian principles of sustainability, social responsibility and selfless service. During her time there she conceptualised, and project managed the first ever World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum under the mentorship of human rights activist and ASHA Centre founder, Zerbanoo Gifford. Post Forum, Sanaya was invited to be the Guest Editor of FEZANA’s 2018 summer issue titled ‘Passing on the Baton to the Next Generation’.

Sanaya was also the Marketing Co-Chair and Speaker of the 6th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Auckland, New Zealand. What she didn’t expect though is that she would meet her future husband Kayras Irani at the congress in New Zealand.

The newly-married Congress-couple tied the knot as recent as April this year.

Global Stories: How Women Will Modernize the World’s Oldest Religion.

Nine passionate and ambitious Zoroastrian women navigate through the hot button issues and get to the heart of what it means to be a contemporary woman living out their faith. Through sharing our stories, we will let you in on what we’ve learned along the way about gender, tradition, and progress.

What does it really mean to claim our voice as the new generation while preserving the worlds oldest religion ? How do our unique stories empower us to overcome present day challenges and prepare us to become tomorrow’s leaders ?

Ultimately, you’ll walk away with the skills to leverage your own story in order to elevate and modernize our entire community.

About Sanaya Sabavala (Australia)

Panelist

Sanaya Sabavala hails from from Melbourne, Australia. She was born in Bombay but has been raised in Australia. She completed a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts. By profession, she is a qualified lawyer and currently works for the Australian government.

Her goal is to constantly challenge myself; do something that gives her purpose. She is passionate about her religion; about keeping the customs and culture of Zoroastrianism alive and passing it down through the generations. She is active in the Zoroastrian Association of Victoria and loves visiting Bombay every year to keep in touch with her religious and cultural identity.

Outside of work, she is an avid sports fan; in particular of Australian football, and cricket. She is also a keen follower of politics, and takes great interest in the subject of international relations. She loves music, dance, fashion and catching up with friends.

Shazneen is a Panelist on:

Global Stories: How Women Will Modernize the World’s Oldest Religion.

Nine passionate and ambitious Zoroastrian women navigate through the hot button issues and get to the heart of what it means to be a contemporary woman living out their faith. Through sharing our stories, we will let you in on what we’ve learned along the way about gender, tradition, and progress.

What does it really mean to claim our voice as the new generation while preserving the worlds oldest religion ? How do our unique stories empower us to overcome present day challenges and prepare us to become tomorrow’s leaders ?

Ultimately, you’ll walk away with the skills to leverage your own story in order to elevate and modernize our entire community.

Shazneen is a Panelist on:

The Joys and Pitfalls of Community Service

The session is to encourage and empower youth to get involved in community service as elected leaders in their own local and national community organizations. The panelists will speak from their experiences and will discuss ways and means for youth to get involved in their local communities and serve on elected positions within them.

About Shazneen Munshi

Having graduated with a Law degree from King’s College London, Shazneen Munshi works as an adjudicator at the Financial Ombudsman Service, an alternative dispute resolution organisation, based in London’s Canary Wharf. Shazneen is passionate about making a positive difference to our treasured Zoroastrian community. As Young Zoroastrian (YZ) President for the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) from 2013 – 2017, Shazneen organised a wide range of fun activities, regular events and trips for the youth as well as for the wider community. This created a strong legacy with growing numbers of YZs getting involved, strong friendships and bonds being established, and a sense of unity as a community being revitalised!

Since 2013, Shazneen has been running the Fun Club, Zoroastrian religious education classes for children in the UK. She strongly believes that it is important for the younger generation to learn about the fundamental teachings of Zoroastrianism, how to apply these in our everyday lives, and the meaning and significance of our customs/traditions through fun and interactive classes. This instils a sense of pride and appreciation in the great beauty of our religion to keep the Zoroastrian flame burning for future generations.

In 2016, Shazneen was elected as a Member of the ZTFE Management Committee in London. She assists in the day to day running of the organisation and in her capacity as the XYZ Fun Club co-ordinator, represents the voices and interests of the younger generation.

As part of her love for our heritage and culture, Shazneen founded the Parsi Theatre Revival Group in 2017, bringing together a group of actors and volunteers to put on a special performance of a traditional Parsi Natak for over 300 members of the community at NoRuz. She even took a starring role in the production herself!

Shazneen has also written a number of articles for the Parsi Press including Jam-e-Jamshed newspaper and Hamazor Magazine, on youth trips, community events and most recently in November 2018, on Zoroastrian and Indian women involved in the Suffragette movement. Shazneen also made her BBC debut last year for an interview and piece on what Freddie Mercury meant to the Zoroastrian youth, which even featured her singing! Shazneen will be followed at the 7^th WZYC in LA for an upcoming BBC documentary so watch this space!

Shazneen represented the UK Youth as a Speaker at the 6^th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in New Zealand in 2015 and also attended the World Youth Leaders Forum held at the ASHA Centre in 2018.

In her spare time, Shazneen is a natural performer. She enjoys dancing from ballet to salsa, playing the piano and being in choir! As a Parsi, she loves her food and cooking traditional treats for family and friends.

The Congress Comes A Full Circle

From Root To Fruit – How Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork

Robert Frost said: We all sit around the circle and suppose, while the secret sits in the center and knows.

Join us to get to know the Secret Of Our Success.

The World Zoroastrian Youth Congress has made a SUCCESS-FULL CIRCLE in the past 25-years and we intend to celebrate this magnificent feat together via a very special meeting of the minds.

This discussion session begins with the motivation behind the inspiration that lead to the creation of the World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses and the impact it made on the progress of our future generation.

Then we will focus on how each Congress evolved to become a reflection of Z ideals and issues of the day at the time of those Congresses.

This will be followed by a photomontage of all the 6 congresses depicting how the joy of achievement met with the challenges of organizing them.

COME ONE, COME ALL TO JOIN US, as we weave the story of this very special journey to enlightenment in the life of our World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses.

About Sheherazad Kapadia

My name is Sheherazad F Kapadia and I am the current President of the UK Young Zoroastrians. Outside of the work setting I am hugely passionate about bringing the Young Zoroastrians of the UK together. One of my main goals as President is to ensure that our community is an inclusive space where people feel accepted and understood.

By way of a background I recently graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in Sports Science with Management. During my degree, I worked with the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM) where I undertook research in the effects of exercise on Cardiovascular disease in South Asian females. The study was one of the first of its kind to focus on the health of South Asian females. 

Outside of the academic realm, I was able to lead Loughborough University’s Ethnic Minorities Committee, where I was able to represent the views and needs of all minority students. 

Currently, I am working as an Assistant Therapist at a private healthcare hospital where 

I work primarily with young people in the mental healthcare services department. In the near future I hope to become a qualified Occupational Therapist specifically in the field of Mental Health. Raising awareness around the stigma and common misunderstandings of mental health is an area I am truly passionate about. It is my hope that our younger generation can be an example of how non judgemental mentalities and kindness can really help the world become a better place.

Sheherazad is a panelist on:

The Global Mobeds Panel

As Zoroastrian communities spread across the globe so does the demand for religious professionals to cater to the needs of the laity. Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara have all dedicated themselves to the spiritual well-being and service of the community they serve. This panel is focused on each of these individuals’ personal experiences and unique perspectives. Although, they all are ordained Zoroastrian Mobeds, their varied backgrounds have inspired a wide array of beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints specific to each of these five individuals.

The brainchild of NAMC President Ervad Dr. Arda-e-viraf Minocherhomjee, the panel will discuss the meanings behind beliefs/values and rituals and of the Zoroastrian religion. NAMC’s distinguished scholars, Ervad Dr. Soli Dastur and Ervad Tehemton Mirza, have also made themselves available as moderators for the panel, and have been instrumental in formulating this event.

As learning is codependent process, the young mobeds on this panel have agreed that audience participation is a key element for the success of the discussion. Along with talking about rituals, daily customs, and other purely religious topics, the mobeds will also present their views for the future of the Mobedi (priesthood) within the orthodoxy and the diaspora respectively. These young Mobeds will make it clear that the need for the priesthood lies on the shoulders of the laity and their sense of religiosity.

Therefore, audience members are urged to ask questions to the Mobeds, who will be sharing about the balance between their personal lives and the ecclesiastical duties. Ideally, the young Mobeds will demonstrate the dynamism and variety of their daily lives outside the priesthood by showcasing how alike they are to other members of the youth. All in an effort to endorse and foster more openness and familiarity between the clergy and laity for generations to come.

Session 1– Zoroastrian Values and Beliefs

We will focus on values and beliefs that help us live a happy and productive life— happiness, wealth, wisdom, humility, truth, good mind, charity, righteousness and other core concepts. Active discussion to follow.

Session 2—Perspectives of Young Mobeds and Discussion

Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara will provide their personal experiences and unique perspective.

Sheherazad is a presenter on:

Return Reconnect Revive: Zoroastrian Return To Roots

The Zoroastrian Return To Roots (RTR) program is the only birth right trip that currently exists for Zoroastrian youth and is designed to strengthen community identity amongst Zoroastrian youth around the world. It is a 15 day trip in India, which takes a small group of participants on an exciting, fun, and educational journey to explore their religious, social and cultural heritage.

RTR is going onto its 6th year now, and has over 81 alumni around the world. The program has had tremendous impact on participants, many of whom were once disenfranchised and disconnected from the greater Zoroastrian community. Return to Roots is more than just a trip, but rather a life-changing journey that has participants walking away with a greater sense of pride for their culture and faith, amazing memories, and friendships with Zoroastrians from around the world.

Join RTR alumni Tanya Hoshi, Kayras Irani, and Sheherazad Pavri as they discuss their own experience attending Return to Roots and share news about how you can apply for the next trip. The presentation includes a short film about the trip to give you a better look at the exciting journey you can experience yourself.

About Ervad Sheherazad Pavri

Er Sheherazad Pavri is an alumnus of the Dadar Athornan Institute. He holds a Bachelors degree in Biotechnology from the University of Mumbai. An entrepreneur by profession, Sheherazad is also a practising priest well versed in the higher Pav Mahal rituals such as Yasna, Vendidad and Nirangdin.

Sheherazad is a volunteer with the Zoroastrian Return to Roots Programme that takes a small group of youngsters to India every year with the aim of reconnecting the youth to their religion. He is also actively involved with the Empowering Mobeds Programme that works towards the betterment of the priestly class by conducting workshops on developing their skills and encouraging youngsters to take up the noble profession.

Sheherazad was one of the representatives from India that attended the World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum held at the Asha Centre in Gloucestershire, UK. He loves travelling, meeting new people and believes in seeing the good in every situation.

Boss Ladies: Women in Business & Entrepreneurship

Boss Ladies: Women in Business & Entrepreneurship features Shernaz Pavri, Meher Pavri, Natashah Torki, Pearl Mistry, and Meher Bharucha. Together, they share unique stories about their own personal journeys and careers, representing global Parsi and Iranian cultures. You’ll discover their passions, who inspires them, how they empower others and give back to the community. The panel will cover topics such as education and application to the real world, developing your own personal brand on business platforms and social media, the power of networking, overcoming challenges and building resilience, the importance of negotiation, and practicing mindfulness.

About Shernaz Pavri

Moderator

 Canadian born, Senior Director Shernaz Pavri leads User Experience Design at Zuora. She is currently responsible for providing global creative direction and business strategy to create inspiring, members-first user experiences. Previously at Intuit, Shernaz led a large team of interaction, visual and motion designers focusing on end-to-end Marketing and Product First Impressions experiences. In addition, she led early-career design strategy, company-wide.

Shernaz founded LinkedIn’s Design System team, having worked on the redesign of LinkedIn. She helped the business scale by creating a UI pattern library for designers and developers to support all product teams to generate efficiency and consistency across desktop, mobile, and marketing platforms. She also managed 6 product teams between consumer, enterprise, and tools experiences at LinkedIn. While at LinkedIn, Shernaz contributed to at least 4 patents.

With over 15 years of experience, Shernaz has been a Senior Designer/Art Director at companies such as Apple, Ogilvy, and Blast Radius, and has hosted a number of community events such as SF Design Week and fire-side chats. In her spare time, she is passionate about giving back to the design community by coaching and mentoring others. She currently resides in Silicon Valley, California.

The Joys and Pitfalls of Community Service

The session is to encourage and empower youth to get involved in community service as elected leaders in their own local and national community organizations. The panelists will speak from their experiences and will discuss ways and means for youth to get involved in their local communities and serve on elected positions within them.

About Shida Anoshiravani

Shida Anoshiravani grew up in Tehran, Iran and moved to the United States for higher education. Over the years she has been one of the early founding members of the California Zoroastrian Center in Westminster, California. She has served multiple terms, both on the Board of Trustees of CZC and on the Board of Directors of CZC.

Shida has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Zoroastrian Council. She has represented CZC at the Farhang Foundation. She also represents CZC in the Iranian-American Community Group of Orange County.

Shida was a member of the executive committe for the 5th North American Zoroastrian Congress in 1985 and the 17th North American Zoroastrian Congress in 2014, both held in Los Angeles.

The Power of Film to Connect Zoroastrians Around the World

Zoroastrianism is practiced by approximately 120,000 people around the world today. The number may be small, yet our community has managed to stay connected via social media, email and newspaper, with hundreds of stories told each year to keep our community alive and relevant.

However, what hasn’t been utilized enough is the art of film to tell our stories. The release of the short film “Not Just Milk and Honey” is one of the more recent films about Zoroastrianism that has been popular in the community. Every time Parsi actor Boman Irani stars in a film, we all get excited to see one of our people on the big screen. It’s evident that Zoroastrians love stories about their faith and community and we deserve to have our stories captured on more films to preserve our heritage for generations to come.

Join Zoroastrian filmmakers Tanya Hoshi and Simran Jehani as they sit down with Roxanne Unwalla, to discuss the power of film (and Zoroastrian filmmakers) to unite a community and empower disenfranchised youth dispersed in the diaspora. This casual fireside chat will involve the audience, as we discuss together what Zoroastrian stories we want to see on film, whether fiction or real.

About Simran Jehani

Simran Jehani is a filmmaker and actress from Mumbai, India, where she has starred in international Bollywood movies, including Khoobsurat and Kaccha Limboo. As she began pursuing more projects behind the camera, she directed and wrote her first short film called Little Things – a story about the Indian soldiers who are deployed to the Indo-Pakistan border. This led to her continued work as a filmmaker, which ultimately led her to Los Angeles where she currently studies at the USC: Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. While interning at production companies like Gunpowder & Sky and currently at Amazon Studios, she prioritizes storytelling with diverse voices meant to inspire the youth.

The Global Mobeds Panel

As Zoroastrian communities spread across the globe so does the demand for religious professionals to cater to the needs of the laity. Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara have all dedicated themselves to the spiritual well-being and service of the community they serve. This panel is focused on each of these individuals’ personal experiences and unique perspectives. Although, they all are ordained Zoroastrian Mobeds, their varied backgrounds have inspired a wide array of beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints specific to each of these five individuals.

The brainchild of NAMC President Ervad Dr. Arda-e-viraf Minocherhomjee, the panel will discuss the meanings behind beliefs/values and rituals and of the Zoroastrian religion. NAMC’s distinguished scholars, Ervad Dr. Soli Dastur and Ervad Tehemton Mirza, have also made themselves available as moderators for the panel, and have been instrumental in formulating this event.

As learning is codependent process, the young mobeds on this panel have agreed that audience participation is a key element for the success of the discussion. Along with talking about rituals, daily customs, and other purely religious topics, the mobeds will also present their views for the future of the Mobedi (priesthood) within the orthodoxy and the diaspora respectively. These young Mobeds will make it clear that the need for the priesthood lies on the shoulders of the laity and their sense of religiosity.

Therefore, audience members are urged to ask questions to the Mobeds, who will be sharing about the balance between their personal lives and the ecclesiastical duties. Ideally, the young Mobeds will demonstrate the dynamism and variety of their daily lives outside the priesthood by showcasing how alike they are to other members of the youth. All in an effort to endorse and foster more openness and familiarity between the clergy and laity for generations to come.

Session 1– Zoroastrian Values and Beliefs

We will focus on values and beliefs that help us live a happy and productive life— happiness, wealth, wisdom, humility, truth, good mind, charity, righteousness and other core concepts. Active discussion to follow.

Session 2—Perspectives of Young Mobeds and Discussion

Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara will provide their personal experiences and unique perspective.

About Ervad Soli Dastur

Born as the last of 11 children in a small village, Tarapur, India, to a priestly family from Udvada, Soli joined the M. F. Cama Athornan Institute, to complete all the requirements for becoming Navar, Martab and Saamel and was initiated as a full-fledged Mobed in the Udvad Iranshah Atash Behram.

In 1960, Soli completed his B. Chem. Eng. from the Bombay University, and M. S. and Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from the Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. He joined the Procter & Gamble Co. in Cincinnati in 1964 and developed Marketing Data Analysis using UPCs, and Store Shelf Management Software for managing stocks in Grocery and Mass Merchandising industries. Soli was transferred to Brussels, Belgium, to train P&G salespeople in computer technology. After retiring from P&G in 1994, Soli worked as a partner in the Partnering Group for 5 years.

 He has been performing Mobed duties all over Florida and NA wherever he is requested. He started and continued for 9 years the first ever annual all Florida Muktaad Gatha prayers in Miami in 2009.  He is an active member of North American Mobeds Council (NAMC).

He conducted Zoroastrian Religious Classes (ZRC) in Tampa, Orlando and Miami. He started a teleconferencing ZRC and conducted 17 such Tele Classes (https://zoroastrians.net/category/z-tele-class/). Soli has published 313 Weekly Zoroastrian Scripture Extracts (WZSE) with translation and audio recitations (http://www.avesta.org/wzse/index.html), distributed to over 900 people. He has contributed articles in FEZANA and WZO Hamazor Journals.

At the 2010 North American Zoroastrian Congress, Houston, Soli was awarded the Rohinton Rivetna Outstanding Zarathushti Award. At the 2018 NAMC AGM in Washington DC, Soli was awarded the Distinguished Scholar Award. 

Soli is fully retired and lives in Bradenton, Florida with his wife Jo Ann of 53 years.  He is an avid tennis player and dabbles with the computer in his free time.

Zoroastrians in Media

Panelist

This panel explore the issues that Zoroastrians face in media. It aims to address why accurate representation is important, how this representation can be achieved, and instances of misrepresentation Zoroastrian figures in media have faced.

About Sue Obaidi

Since the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)’s Hollywood Bureau was launched in 2011, Sue Obeidi has blended the love of her faith with her love of film, television, and digital series to change and expand the narrative of Islam and Muslims in the entertainment industry.

Obeidi and her team ensure that MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau is a partner with the entertainment industry. Behind the scenes, Obeidi engages decision makers and creatives to improve the quality and number of authentic, nuanced, and inclusive presentations of Islam and Muslims so that audiences can see Muslims as vital contributors to creating social and cultural change in America and around the world. She also enriches the pool of Muslim talent in Hollywood by nurturing and connecting them to those who can assist with their careers, both on the creative and business sides of the industry.

Professional Networking Done Right

Hard work alone doesn’t get you to the top anymore, and how we connect with people is becoming more important as we move into a digital-centered world.

Tanya is a presenter on the Return Reconnect Revive presentation

Return Reconnect Revive: Zoroastrian Return To Roots

The Zoroastrian Return To Roots (RTR) program is the only birth right trip that currently exists for Zoroastrian youth and is designed to strengthen community identity amongst Zoroastrian youth around the world. It is a 15 day trip in India, which takes a small group of participants on an exciting, fun, and educational journey to explore their religious, social and cultural heritage.

RTR is going onto its 6th year now, and has over 81 alumni around the world. The program has had tremendous impact on participants, many of whom were once disenfranchised and disconnected from the greater Zoroastrian community. Return to Roots is more than just a trip, but rather a life-changing journey that has participants walking away with a greater sense of pride for their culture and faith, amazing memories, and friendships with Zoroastrians from around the world.

Join RTR alumni Tanya Hoshi, Kayras Irani, and Sheherazad Pavri as they discuss their own experience attending Return to Roots and share news about how you can apply for the next trip. The presentation includes a short film about the trip to give you a better look at the exciting journey you can experience yourself.

Tanya is a panelist on the The Power of Film to Connect Zoroastrians Around the World panel

The Power of Film to Connect Zoroastrians Around the World

Zoroastrianism is practiced by approximately 120,000 people around the world today. The number may be small, yet our community has managed to stay connected via social media, email and newspaper, with hundreds of stories told each year to keep our community alive and relevant.

However, what hasn’t been utilized enough is the art of film to tell our stories. The release of the short film “Not Just Milk and Honey” is one of the more recent films about Zoroastrianism that has been popular in the community. Every time Parsi actor Boman Irani stars in a film, we all get excited to see one of our people on the big screen. It’s evident that Zoroastrians love stories about their faith and community and we deserve to have our stories captured on more films to preserve our heritage for generations to come.

Join Zoroastrian filmmakers Tanya Hoshi and Simran Jehani as they sit down with Roxanne Unwalla, to discuss the power of film (and Zoroastrian filmmakers) to unite a community and empower disenfranchised youth dispersed in the diaspora. This casual fireside chat will involve the audience, as we discuss together what Zoroastrian stories we want to see on film, whether fiction or real.

About Tanya Hoshi

Speaker + Panelist

Tanya Hoshi is a film and web series producer/director based in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from University of Toronto in 2013, with an Honours Bachelors Degree in Cinema Studies. Tanya has filmed and edited two short films shown at the congress this year for Return to Roots and the World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum.

In 2018, Tanya produced BravoFactual financed documentary “Turning Tables“, which premiered at Hot Docs and went on to receive several prestigious awards, including Audience Choice Award at the Women in Film and Television Showcase. In 2018, she directed her first web series “Blackout“. She is currently a Producer at Shopify Studios in Toronto, which allows her to travel and film documentaries around the world.

Tanya was a Zoroastrian Return To Roots (RTR) program participant in 2017, and returned as a volunteer in 2018. She is a proud ambassador for the program and supports the team by running social media accounts and marketing the program to potential future participants. Tanya was one of the representatives from Canada that attended the World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum held at the Asha Centre in Gloucestershire, UK and this is her first time attending a Zoroastrian congress.

The Global Mobeds Panel

As Zoroastrian communities spread across the globe so does the demand for religious professionals to cater to the needs of the laity. Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara have all dedicated themselves to the spiritual well-being and service of the community they serve. This panel is focused on each of these individuals’ personal experiences and unique perspectives. Although, they all are ordained Zoroastrian Mobeds, their varied backgrounds have inspired a wide array of beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints specific to each of these five individuals.

The brainchild of NAMC President Ervad Dr. Arda-e-viraf Minocherhomjee, the panel will discuss the meanings behind beliefs/values and rituals and of the Zoroastrian religion. NAMC’s distinguished scholars, Ervad Dr. Soli Dastur and Ervad Tehemton Mirza, have also made themselves available as moderators for the panel, and have been instrumental in formulating this event.

As learning is codependent process, the young mobeds on this panel have agreed that audience participation is a key element for the success of the discussion. Along with talking about rituals, daily customs, and other purely religious topics, the mobeds will also present their views for the future of the Mobedi (priesthood) within the orthodoxy and the diaspora respectively. These young Mobeds will make it clear that the need for the priesthood lies on the shoulders of the laity and their sense of religiosity.

Therefore, audience members are urged to ask questions to the Mobeds, who will be sharing about the balance between their personal lives and the ecclesiastical duties. Ideally, the young Mobeds will demonstrate the dynamism and variety of their daily lives outside the priesthood by showcasing how alike they are to other members of the youth. All in an effort to endorse and foster more openness and familiarity between the clergy and laity for generations to come.

Session 1– Zoroastrian Values and Beliefs

We will focus on values and beliefs that help us live a happy and productive life— happiness, wealth, wisdom, humility, truth, good mind, charity, righteousness and other core concepts. Active discussion to follow.

Session 2—Perspectives of Young Mobeds and Discussion

Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara will provide their personal experiences and unique perspective.

About Ervad Tehemton F. Mirza

As a Mobed, Tehemton volunteers religious and spiritual services to Zoroastrians in South Western Ontario and Michigan. Tehemton studied Zoroastrian scriptures, history and theology and was ordained a Mobed at Iranshah Atashbehram in Udvada. He has published articles on Zoroastrianism in North American publications and spoken on Zoroastrian topics at Zoroastrian associations throughout North America. He was part of the Zoroastrian delegation and an active participant at the 2018 Parliament of World’s Religions in Toronto.

His professional carrier took him from Mumbai to Iran to Indonesia and he finally settled in London, Ontario Canada where he owns and operates his CPA practice.

He is an avid runner and has completed several half marathons in Canada and USA. His is also a recreational pilot.

Tehemton currently serves as Vice-President of North American Mobeds Council.

Tinaz is a Panelist on:

Global Stories: How Women Will Modernize the World’s Oldest Religion.

Nine passionate and ambitious Zoroastrian women navigate through the hot button issues and get to the heart of what it means to be a contemporary woman living out their faith. Through sharing our stories, we will let you in on what we’ve learned along the way about gender, tradition, and progress.

What does it really mean to claim our voice as the new generation while preserving the worlds oldest religion ? How do our unique stories empower us to overcome present day challenges and prepare us to become tomorrow’s leaders ?

Ultimately, you’ll walk away with the skills to leverage your own story in order to elevate and modernize our entire community.

Tinaz is a Presenter of:

The Iranshah Initiative

Our most revered Atash Behram (fire temple) houses the oldest consecrated fire in the world: Iranshah. Being over 1,290 years old, Iranshah holds a physical and religious bond to our sacred fires of Iran and thus, requires a continuous stream of global support to perpetuate its precious and timeless heritage.

This presentation will discuss the vision, mission and purpose behind the global initiative to preserve, provide, create, keep, maintain and support the legacy of our Iranshah.

Tinaz is a Panelist on:

The Congress Comes A Full Circle

From Root To Fruit – How Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork

Robert Frost said: We all sit around the circle and suppose, while the secret sits in the center and knows.

Join us to get to know the Secret Of Our Success.

The World Zoroastrian Youth Congress has made a SUCCESS-FULL CIRCLE in the past 25-years and we intend to celebrate this magnificent feat together via a very special meeting of the minds.

This discussion session begins with the motivation behind the inspiration that lead to the creation of the World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses and the impact it made on the progress of our future generation.

Then we will focus on how each Congress evolved to become a reflection of Z ideals and issues of the day at the time of those Congresses.

This will be followed by a photomontage of all the 6 congresses depicting how the joy of achievement met with the challenges of organizing them.

COME ONE, COME ALL TO JOIN US, as we weave the story of this very special journey to enlightenment in the life of our World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses.

About Tinaz Karbhari (New Zealand / Hong Kong)

Tinaz Karbhari graduated with her Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in Photography in 2009 and then went on to complete her Masters in Art & Design at Auckland University of Technology in 2013.

Following this, she worked at the National Business Review in Auckland, New Zealand managing all online and print advertising, photography and temporarily Art Directing.

She established her own photography company: TK Photography in 2009, covering a large range of events, whilst correspondingly freelancing for other photography and design companies, such as Getty Images. She is now based in Hong Kong.

Alongside her creative experience, Tinaz is heavily engaged and is committed to her Zoroastrian community globally. This is reflected in her participation and attendance in numerous Congress’ as well as her position as Chair for the 6th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress, which took place in Auckland, New Zealand in 2015. Her commitment to the betterment of the Zoroastrian Community is further reflected with her current position as Trustee on the Zoroastrian Community Trust in Auckland, New Zealand and by her attendance at the 1st World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum in the United Kingdom in 2018.

The Joys and Pitfalls of Community Service

The session is to encourage and empower youth to get involved in community service as elected leaders in their own local and national community organizations. The panelists will speak from their experiences and will discuss ways and means for youth to get involved in their local communities and serve on elected positions within them.

About Viraf Mehta

Viraf Mehta is the Vice President at CLSA Ltd, Asia’s leading capital markets and investment group. Viraf was voted India’s Best Sales Trader in 2017 and has ranked in the top 3 thrice in the last 5 years.

Viraf is also the youngest Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayat having been elected in October 2015.  Viraf was one of the founders of ZYNG, the world’s largest Zoroastrian youth body with over 4500 members. ZYNG has successfully conducted over 150 events over 9 years.

Viraf was only 17 when he came to study at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago where he got his bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering as well as a Master’s in Finance. While at IIT, Viraf was the Vice President of the Indian Students Association for two years and ended his stint at IIT as the President of the Indian Students Association.

While in Chicago, Viraf got his Private’s Pilot licence and was enroute to get his Commercial Pilot’s licence when tragedy hit the US on Sept 11 and plans changed. Viraf is also an avid sportsman. He has played international level Rugby for fifteen years and has been part of the team that has won three National Championships.

The Reality of Starting Your Own Business

About Xerxes Feroze Wania

Xerxes Feroze Wania born in Karachi, Pakistan moved to the United States in 1983 and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering. He then moved to Canada in 1987 and graduated with a Masters of Applied Sciences degree in Electrical Engineering. He is a Canadian serial entrepreneur and has been a founder and CEO of two successful technology start-ups. He founded Xentec Inc in 1997, sold to inSilicon in 2000, and Sidense Corp in 2004, sold to Synopsys Inc in 2017. In 2004 he was awarded the Outstanding Young Zarathushti Professional/Entrepreneur by the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce.

He is now an Angel Investor and mentor to technology start-up CEOs. In his spare time he loves to build custom furniture at his studio, ContiWoodStudio.com, and also owns Dogtopia Franchises in Ontario, Canada. His passions also include helping rescue dogs find their forever homes and volunteers at local dog shelters. His interests include photography, fishing, water sports and weather ballooning. With two successful exits he has a lot of experience in technology start-ups and would like to share his experiences with other like-minded individuals and companies

The Congress Comes A Full Circle

From Root To Fruit – How Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork

Robert Frost said: We all sit around the circle and suppose, while the secret sits in the center and knows.

Join us to get to know the Secret Of Our Success.

The World Zoroastrian Youth Congress has made a SUCCESS-FULL CIRCLE in the past 25-years and we intend to celebrate this magnificent feat together via a very special meeting of the minds.

This discussion session begins with the motivation behind the inspiration that lead to the creation of the World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses and the impact it made on the progress of our future generation.

Then we will focus on how each Congress evolved to become a reflection of Z ideals and issues of the day at the time of those Congresses.

This will be followed by a photomontage of all the 6 congresses depicting how the joy of achievement met with the challenges of organizing them.

COME ONE, COME ALL TO JOIN US, as we weave the story of this very special journey to enlightenment in the life of our World Zoroastrian Youth Congresses.

About Shihan Ervad Zarrir Bhandara

Shihan Mobed Zarrir Bhandara, a Vegetarian by choice, has saved more than 1200 lives by donating his own blood, plasma, and platelets over 400 times. He is a rare humanitarian priest who also happens to be a 5th-degree Karate Black Belt of an international repute.

Zarrir has quenched the religious thirst of thousands of Zoroastrians by voluntarily serving our Zarathushti community of North America and India for the past 47 years. He promotes the message of prophet Zarathushtra through his prayer services, religious classes, as well as, by saving lives of humans and animals among the Southern California community for the past 27-years.

Mobed Bhandara has dedicated his life to human welfare and social issues by giving selfless service to the causes he truly believes in. He firmly believes that a priest should be a living witness, reflecting a life of an exemplary human being and taking care of all living beings, as our prophet Zarathustra did. Their lives need to attract and inspire everybody they meet. Mobed Bhandara lives what he believes. 

He also exemplifies prophet Zarathustra’s idea of a good priest, which is one who nurtures the soul under his care with good thinking. Zarrir served as a member of the Executive Committee of the 1993 1st World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in California, USA.

The Global Mobeds Panel

As Zoroastrian communities spread across the globe so does the demand for religious professionals to cater to the needs of the laity. Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara have all dedicated themselves to the spiritual well-being and service of the community they serve. This panel is focused on each of these individuals’ personal experiences and unique perspectives. Although, they all are ordained Zoroastrian Mobeds, their varied backgrounds have inspired a wide array of beliefs, opinions, and viewpoints specific to each of these five individuals.

The brainchild of NAMC President Ervad Dr. Arda-e-viraf Minocherhomjee, the panel will discuss the meanings behind beliefs/values and rituals and of the Zoroastrian religion. NAMC’s distinguished scholars, Ervad Dr. Soli Dastur and Ervad Tehemton Mirza, have also made themselves available as moderators for the panel, and have been instrumental in formulating this event.

As learning is codependent process, the young mobeds on this panel have agreed that audience participation is a key element for the success of the discussion. Along with talking about rituals, daily customs, and other purely religious topics, the mobeds will also present their views for the future of the Mobedi (priesthood) within the orthodoxy and the diaspora respectively. These young Mobeds will make it clear that the need for the priesthood lies on the shoulders of the laity and their sense of religiosity.

Therefore, audience members are urged to ask questions to the Mobeds, who will be sharing about the balance between their personal lives and the ecclesiastical duties. Ideally, the young Mobeds will demonstrate the dynamism and variety of their daily lives outside the priesthood by showcasing how alike they are to other members of the youth. All in an effort to endorse and foster more openness and familiarity between the clergy and laity for generations to come.

Session 1– Zoroastrian Values and Beliefs

We will focus on values and beliefs that help us live a happy and productive life— happiness, wealth, wisdom, humility, truth, good mind, charity, righteousness and other core concepts. Active discussion to follow.

Session 2—Perspectives of Young Mobeds and Discussion

Ervads/Mobeds Sheherazad Pavri, Adil Minocherhomjee, Karl Desai, Jimmy Madon, and Zerkxis Bhandara will provide their personal experiences and unique perspective.

About Ervad Zerkxis Bhandara

Zerkxis Bhandara is a 24 year old, Zoroastrian priest, who has been serving the Zoroastrian community of Southern California for the last 12 years. He has recently completed his bachelors degree in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara.

During his senior year at UCSB he carried out independent research under the guidance of Dr. William Elison, culminating in a multi-sectioned Honors Thesis, titled “The Unsevered Thread”. This project centered on drawing connections between intricacies of the Yasna liturgy and daily rituals of Zoroastrian laymen. For this, interview based, ethnography he received the W. Richard Comstock Award for academic achievement in the study of Culture and Religion. In addition to this he also completed an independent research project focused on translations of Zoroastrian primary texts under Dr. Christine Thomas, including making lesson plans and discussion questions for each respective text.

Zerkxis spends much of his time at the newly built ZAC Atash Kadeh serving as a priest. Performing and officiating jashans, afargans, farokhshis, baajs, bois, four-day obsequies, navjotes, and weddings. Due to his steadfast dedication towards his community and priestly duties the 2014-15 ZAC Executive Committee presented him with Honorary Lifetime Membership at the age of 20. The following committee once again honored him and his father in 2017 with the ZAC Outstanding Community Service Award for their selfless service.

He has recently been involved in ZAC’s religious classes where he teaches children under the age of four, the “Tiny Tots”! Currently, he is working on creating a curriculum for a class to be taught as of January 2020 for middle school aged children pertaining to Zoroastrian history and ritual practices.

In the future he hopes to continue onto graduate studies in the field of Zoroastrian culture and religion. Specially aimed at the Zoroastrian diaspora’s socio-religious community associations and personal perspectives on the fluidity of religion.