In the third installment of a five-part series on Singapore’s oldest communities, The Straits Times looks at the warm, laughter-loving Parsis.
The Parsis in Singapore
The tiny Parsi community has made its impact on life in Singapore in different ways. Here’s a sampling:
- 1845: Merchant Cursetjee Fromurzee partners Englishman John Little to set up Little Cursetjee and Company. It is now known as John Little, Singapore’s oldest department store.
- 1953: Soft drinks tycoon Navroji Mistri donates $1 million to the Singapore General Hospital to set up a children’s ward, named the Mistri Wing after him. He also leaves his fortune in a trust for various charities here and elsewhere. The government names Mistri Road, near his old factory, after him.
- 1978: Mr Pesi Davar dies, leaving his entire estate, worth about $2 million, in a trust with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, and Mr Nariman Bhaghat for educational and charitable causes here. Today, the trust continues to benefit people from all walks of life.1981: Mrs Nargis Medora raises money to build the Silra Home for former lepers.
- 1980s-1990s: Sisters Natascha and Kharmayne Ghadiali represent Singapore in gymnastics at four South-east Asian Games.
- 1991: Orthopaedic surgeon Jimmy Daruwalla is the founding president of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore. He is still its president.
- 2001: Mr Rustom Ghadiali is elected president of the Inter-Religious Organisation. In 2015, he is elected its assistant secretary.
*Look for other articles here on Philanthropy – Parsi Thy name is Charity.