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In his pursuit of locating Parsi aramgahs of past and present times, cinematographer/photographer Hemant Chaturvedi inquired from the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman of Secunderabad and Hyderabad (PZASH) trustee Jehangir Bisney about aramgahs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. "He mentioned one in Nizamabad, a town 175 km north of Hyderabad,” Chaturvedi wrote in a detailed note to Parsiana. "It had been in the news in 2019… it seems there had been some illegal encroachments on the property. Bisney wasn’t sure where it was located, he did not have an address. 

"I set about investigating this aramgah and discovered two articles by two separate agencies on the web, talking about the encroachment, the presence of the Anjuman and the Minorities Commission, and some lawyers.

"One of the two articles had a photograph taken on the day of the visit in 2019, of a group of people standing on an open patch of land. On the right side, was a seemingly old and crumbling structure, and in the far distance, a huge water tank. 

"I reached Nizamabad and went about asking people for the location of the Parsi cemetery, and leave alone the cemetery, most of them were unaware even of the word ‘Parsi’ and had no clue whatsoever. After talking to 20-30 people, going around in circles in the blistering heat, I drew a blank. 

"I parked under the shade of a tree, and read the article again. Looking at the two fixed elements, the structure and the water tank, I opened Google Maps and identified the area called Kanteshwar in the articles. I zoomed in and found two water tanks on opposite sides of Kanteshwar. I scoured the map for any evidence of a cemetery, then I compared the photograph in the article with the locations on the map and drew a few straight lines, trying to pinpoint a possible location. I dropped a pin on Google Maps and drove towards the area. 

"The water tank came into view on my left and I kept my eyes peeled looking to my right, hoping to find a cemetery. And lo! I found one! And alas, it was the wrong one. It was a Christian cemetery. I took a U-turn and crept along the road past the Christian cemetery and adjacent to it were the remains of a very old brick wall and house-like structure. I likened the texture of the building to the structure in the photograph and turned left into an open patch of land. 

"I alighted from my jeep and went and stood at the spot that was identical to the one in the photograph, the old wall/building on my right and the water tank in the far distance. I looked and looked, but couldn’t find anything on the recently demarcated plots of land. I turned around and suddenly decided to walk towards the crumbled building. I jumped over a small hump, and there they were. A small assortment of desecrated graves. I realized the brick building must have been the bungli and the wall, the perimeter of the aramgah. 

"There were barely eight to nine graves remaining. Of them, only three still had the marble plaques. Two mentioned Caoosjis (I’ve never seen it spelled like that before) and one mentioned a Pithawalla. The rest of the plaques had probably been stolen, the remaining graves were also in shambles, and there was filth all around. Burnt mattresses, burnt plastic drums, various bits of discarded foam, and animal excretions. An extremely sad and forgotten aramgah. I wondered who the other graves had belonged to. 

"We will never know.”

 

"Convoy to Nizamabad”

Among the last burials at Nizamabad would have been that of Sheheryar, father of now California based Yezdyar Kaoosji, occasional contributor to Parsiana. Sheheryar was the office manager of PZASH after retirement. "In that capacity he administered the dakhma as well, and had occasion to view the conditions inside the structure,” stated the son. When the senior gentleman passed away in 1974, "much to our surprise, the mobeds, following orders from the lay leaders, threatened that they would not perform the funeral rites if we chose burial… They would not accept our entreaties that we wished to bury him in a properly consecrated Zoroastrian aramgah,” wrote Yezdyar. "The time to drop activism and adopt direct action had arrived… The family and many Zoroastrian friends joined in a chain prayer session… We then drove in a convoy to Nizamabad, over 100 miles away. There, under a moonlit sky, we buried my father in the aramgah of his choice on a night when three major festivals had coincided … Christmas, Ekadashi and Eid (see "Direct action,” Parsiana, November 7, 2006).” 

At a meeting of The Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI), PZASH trustee, the late Omim Debara had shown pictures of a crumbling bungli (see "Declining and defunct,” Parsiana, April 21, 2006). The matter was referred to tangentially at the 2009 meeting. "Regarding the property in Nizamabad, to retrieve which assistance had been earlier sought from Secunderabad representatives, Soli Katpitia (then in charge of the Defunct Anjumans Committee in the FPZAI) recalled that they had suggested a share of the defunct anjuman proceeds be given to the anjuman that helps (see "A new beginning,” Parsiana, October 7, 2009).

On April 20, 2024 Parsiana inquired of chief executive officer of the Defunct Anjumans Committee of the FPZAI, Sam Chothia, if he could provide more details on Nizamabad. He stated he had never visited Nizamabad, but would check old records and revert. 

Scientist Dr Villoo Morawala-Patell at one time had familial connections with Nizamabad. She grew up in the town but was sent off to boarding school in Hyderabad at the age of six. "My father Dara Dinshaw Morawala and his cousins and uncles, the Nalawalas, were businessmen for many years…The Italia family was also there… and Rati and Ratanshaw Marolia who made raspberry soda.” At its peak, around 40 to 50 Parsis would have lived in that location, with key occupations being sugarcane cultivation and the manufacture of alcohol, besides trading in cotton, turmeric, sugarcane and beverages, she told Parsiana on April 22. The last families left around 1988, she noted, adding there "is still one Parsi gentleman left, Pervez Medhora.” In the early 1970s, the last burials in the aramgah would have probably included Gaimai Jehangir Nalawala and Dina Jehangir Nalawala, she stated. 

Transport business owner Medhora, who said he is a cousin of Morawala-Patell is the sole current Parsi resident of Nizamabad. "Ekhlo maanas su kari saké (What can one man do alone)?” he asked. The aramgah property is heavily encroached. He detests going there to pay his respects to the family members interred there. "Rarvu aavé évi halat chhè [I feel like crying when I see the condition (of the aramgah)]… Builders and bureaucrats are eying it…Prices have risen sky high,” he stated. Reminiscing about Debara’s efforts "five or six years ago” to protect the property by invoking the relevant authorities, Medhora said he would appreciate help from PZASH and other bodies. "I am ready to protect the property.” 

Hyderabad-based businessman Gusti Noria, erstwhile member of the State Minorities Commission, delved into the matter of the defunct graveyard in 2019 with Debara. Reportedly, the asset has been sold by the heirs of an erstwhile trustee and it is likely that a legal decision will be in favor of the heirs of the "buyer.” "I can continue to assist,” stated Noria on April 26.

"Aramgahs  are a fascinating window into a world of people who would otherwise have vanished in history, a testament to the times they lived in, and the unusual nuggets of historical information that present themselves at the most unexpected moments, giving an insight into the past,” states Chaturvedi. One of his  missions is to locate and photograph them.