I had the pleasure of attending the third World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum to speak about the legends of the life of Zardušt to a group of young Zoroastrians, but I ended up gaining far more than I gave.
Set in the most beautiful and serene of locations, this was a transformative experience for me (I know! I can only imagine how incredible it must have been for the attendees). I rarely connect to a location as strongly as I did with the ASHA Centre. While the calm and beauty of the surroundings was impactful, it was the warmth with which the organisers and the attendees received me that made me feel at home.
I gladly stayed longer than I usually do, and went back home with a truly meaningful experience at a significant time in my own life. I not only received biscuits to sweeten the day and books by Zerbanoo to contemplate, but also a Tandorosti prayer on a piece of birch bark, alongside prayers and thoughtful good wishes of support that meant more than I could have ever imagined.
There was something about this group and place that I do not quite understand. The inquisitiveness of the founder of the ASHA Centre, the amazing Zerbanoo Gifford; the vision of Sanaya Master, the founder of the WZYLF; the gentleness of Art, who invited me; the powerful and resonating Jashan performed by a dedicated group of Mobads; but perhaps above all, the positive energy of the young people involved all seemed to point towards a bright future. And in these trying times, those rays of light carried a significance—a message, almost—far beyond what I had anticipated.
You can read a summary of the gathering in this report on Parsi Khabar:
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