World Zoroastrian Organization

In accordance with our tradition of paying tribute to outstanding individuals of our community, a special meeting was organised on 14th June 07, at Asia House, London, in recognition of the honour bestowed on Karan Bilimoria by the British Government, with the elevation to the House of Lords, as Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL.

 Due to the constraints of time and space, the meeting was restricted to Board Members of WZO London together with their partners, plus past Chairmen and a few invited individuals who have steadfastly supported WZO over the past two decades.

On arrival, Lord and Lady Bilimoria were introduced to the Board members and thereafter ushered into the main assembly. President Darayus Motivala formally welcomed Lord and Lady.
Bilimoria with a brief but eloquent address. Chairman Sammy Bhiwandiwalla then made a power-point presentation on the aims and objectives of the WZO and how these have been realised over the past 25 years through a variety of educational and welfare activities and charitable projects in London and abroad. To document 25 years of WZO’s progress in 25 minutes was no easy task!  However, Sammy, in his inimitable style, managed this with a well prepared speech and many engaging photographs. A presentation plaque, on behalf of WZO, was presented by Mrs Ursula Bhiwandiwalla to Lord Bilimoria, as a token of our high esteem for his achievements.

In his reply, Lord Bilimoria gave us an insight into his early struggles to establish his business and his subsequent success; emphasising his close ties with the community and his steadfast attachment to the deep-rooted traditions of the Zoroastrian religion. Refreshments were served and the honoured guests mingled with the company present.
Later, Lord and Lady Bilimoria applied to become Grand Patron members and requested copies of Sammy’s presentation as a useful record of the achievements of WZO in promoting the understanding of our religion and the welfare of our community worldwide.

Addressing the audience Lord Bilimoria stated “Your presentation was thoroughly inspirational and it was wonderful to learn more about the remarkable work done by WZO who put so much back into the community, in particular in helping the poor Parsis in Gujarat. To me, your presentation personified the saying which I believe describes our community ethos so accurately: that it is not enough to strive to be the best in the world, one should also aspire to be the best for the world.”

The Celebrities then mingled freely with the members and guests and enjoyed a delicious finger buffet prepared by Cyrus Todiwala of Café Spice Namaste fame.
The evening ended with the departure of our celebrated guests, who we are sure were deeply moved with the sincerity of purpose and WZO’s commitment to the Zoroastrian community.  Our sincere thanks to Lord Karan and Lady Heather Bilimoria for giving us the opportunity of presenting WZO to them.