The 8WZYC Entertainment sub-committee’s role is to strategise and create convivial social activities for the upcoming 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress (8WZYC) in London, 2023. Our team is extremely passionate and excited to entertain the congress attendees, who will be attending from across the globe, and create activities to encourage networking, fun and overall enjoyment. Without further ado, meet the team behind the curtains who are working hard to make this happen…
Faranaz Dalal, I am born and bred in Mumbai and have a great deal of adulation for my city. All the same, my romance with the City of London is undying. After studying Psychology and Fashion designing, I pursued a professional background in fashion buying in India and the UK. I also have a great love for designing and anything creative. Designing is my true passion which has led me to launch my own online project “Sweet Nothings x Fara". As a thank you to my team member for the dedication so far I have designed the portrait of our entertainment team in this article. I am also a keen advocate for mental health awareness, cooking, dance choreography and being involved in community events.
The Young Zoroastrians (YZs) of the U.K. have organised numerous jollities, which I profoundly enjoyed partaking in and culminating into beautifully built, meaningful friendships. Being a firm believer in love with the concept, "Giving back what you receive," has led me to participate and join the 8WZYC organising committee where I am the entertainment team lead.
By virtue of our Zoroastrian roots and to an extent, an unprejudiced community, I take immense pride in being a Zoroastrian and have developed an open mindset. It is also exceptionally important for representation of women on the congress committee, and I am proud that we have such a strong representation, as equal rights of women are of great importance to me, especially within our community. Having said that, equal rights of women is a great contention point today and I believe within the community’s establishment we need to counterbalance this, be more tolerant and have a redirection for our community. It brings me great joy to be a part of the 8WZYC and know that I am contributing to improving collaboration between our global Zoroastrian youth and keeping the religious flame alive.
Dilshad Solan-Davar- at present, I am Internal Auditor at Viva Wallet, a FinTech Bank however, I am also a trained pianist, an avid reader and if I do say so, can cook a mean dhansak! I was born and brought up in Karachi where I organized many fundraising/ team building activities for the Zoroastrian youth. I moved to the U.K. to complete my masters, am newly married and now awaiting a move to the USA to join my husband.
I love actively participating in the community, which has stemmed through seeing the importance of Zoroastrian unity and helping each other through obstacles whilst growing up. This unity, combined with the importance of integration, has encouraged me to volunteer for my community to introduce new fun ways young Zoroastrians can continue to bond further with our culture and traditions. I believe Zoroastrianism has survived thousands of years because we stand for unity, charity and being one of the most liberal religions and I am extremely proud to be part of this beautiful community.
Roxanna Mistry - I have a background in business, economics & finance, along with a keen interest in music, arts, history and a natural flair for mentoring and teaching. I am also learning Avesta from the renowned Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeeboy Zarthosty & Mulla Feroze Madressas who have given me this great opportunity as I hope to someday be able to read and understand the Avestan scriptures. As a proud Zoroastrian, I believe in preserving our rich heritage, customs, traditions and genetic identity and during the pandemic, a year ago, I began online Gujarati lessons to Zoroastrian children globally, becoming a role model for others to emulate.
My passion for volunteering and helping others has been instilled from a formative age. I have previously volunteered with the Zoroastrian Youth Association as a Secretary and committee member and organised various large scale community functions, fundraising and religious talk shows. I am now volunteering as part of the finance team and entertainment team to make meaningful contributions and have a passion to help the 8WZYC become a successful event. The global covid situation has made it more challenging but the volunteers of ZTFE are putting in a lot of time and effort to help embark on a journey to raise funds for 8WZYC and organize a memorable event.
The youth are the future of our generation and it is important we preserve our heritage, customs and traditions with as much zest as other generations. Our Zarthusthy values should also be upheld and not diluted with time.
For the attending Zoroastrian youth, the congress is a golden opportunity to network with other like minded individuals, sightsee in one of the greatest cities in the world, get involved in our glorious community and understand more about our beliefs and teachings from scholars. You might even be lucky to find yourself a partner for life as well!
Vista Khosravi, Born and raised in London, I recently completed my postgraduate studies in Environmental Science and Geography. My faith and studies have encouraged me to enter into a career in the renewable energy and water sector; helping develop sustainable innovative ways to balance the needs of humans and the global environment- which is something Zarathushtra also preached! I love travelling across the world, discovering new cultures and surroundings, but nothing beats exploring the motherland of Iran; discovering ancient zoroastrian heritage sites and putting on a pound or two because of all the mouth watering Persian foods and sweets! Being an active member of our youth community in London for a while, I was overjoyed when London was awarded the 8WZYC and was extremely enthusiastic and motivated to continue this community work and be part of this legacy event, after having attended the last two myself previously.
I am looking forward to bringing more Persian/Iranian themed events and topics to this Congress, which I feel is of great importance to ensure we have this representation. I hope this congress will encourage our youth to be proud of their Persian Zoroastrian heritage, as well as teach each other about our different culture and customs which are being lost through the generations. For some of the youth, there is a lack of understanding about our religion, our ethnicity and our roots. I hope that this congress can provide the opportunity for individuals to reconnect with their roots and identity and understand our scriptures and teachings.
Meherzeen Engineer, Born in Mumbai and raised in California, I'm now pursuing my passion in earning my doctorate in physiotherapy in London, after obtaining my degree in sports and exercise science with emphasis in biomechanics. I'm an active member of the Zoroastrian community back home which has been a considerable part of my life and I genuinely enjoy volunteering/ organizing events.
As a proud Zoroastrian, I believe giving back to our community has helped shape me to be who I am today. The 8WZYC is an incredible platform for the Zoroastrian youth to come together to celebrate their heritage and build friendships lasting a lifetime. I wanted to join the committee to help facilitate a safe and fun environment for everyone to enjoy. Our religion is extremely charitable, kind-hearted, and accepting and I take the utmost pride in being a Zoroastrian. While growing up, our religion and community’s inspirational history and how to preserve it, have consistently been a source of gratification. I hope to continually vouch for a safe and accepting environment within the community as time progresses and encourage others to get more involved in our beautiful religion.
Vahiste Sinor, I am currently studying Creative Writing and Journalism.
I was very eager to join the 8WZYC committee, having been involved in planning and executing youth meets along with other Zoroastrian functions for a considerable time, inspired by my priest father. As a youth myself, I feel it is extremely important to use our voice and organise a congress that the youth would want and appreciate. There are so many different ways this congress can be hosted, however what is at the centre of it and the most important factor to consider is making the 8WZYC a great experience for those attending whether that be their first or third time attending a youth congress.
As a collective, here on the entertainment team, we plan to create lots of fun-filled activities for the 8WZYC. We wanted to ensure that a variety of activities were carried out that would not only be sociable for all, but get us on our feet getting physical in some sporting activities, partying it up and getting involved in nights and days out. Throughout the congress we wish to provide a platform for the youth, aiming to involve every attendee from different countries, to discuss and converse about contemporary matters and interesting religious topics, ask questions so that individuals feel represented and heard, and learn about our religion and community. Our team has outlined events for the 8WZYC in line with the needs and wants of our youth, to unite together to enjoy the events, alongside with kindling long lasting friendships and creating opportunities for professional networking as well as allowing our talented youth to showcase their skills in various disciplines.
The objective of each event arranged by our entertainment team seeks to further universal bond the global youth, gain perspective and be permissive of individual opinions to bring about awareness of our religion and its teachings. We hope to ignite the love and passion for Zoroastrianism for each individual in order to continue to thrive as a religion and ensure we cherish our lineage.
This congress will be an incredible opportunity for individuals to get together. After all, we are the future of our religion so let’s take part and be more proactive whilst continuously spreading and understanding the words of Zarathustra and following the path of Asha; while making unforgettable memories with new friends and long-lost cousins! Keep updated with our progress at www.8wzyc.com or on Instagram @8wzyc_2023