GHADIALI, Rustom (Mr)
Special Project,
Accession Number 003153
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 11
Total Reels
- Patricia Lee
Interviewer
- 09:18:51
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 11
Metadata
- 11 Apr 2007
Recording Date
- 00:55:04
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born India, 1935. How his surname is named after his grandfather's watch business. Family history. Came to Singapore in 1972. Difference between the Parsee and Zoroastrians. Basic tents of belief in the Zoroastrians religion. Consequences of intra-marriages within the Parsi community in India. Books written to make the community rethink about the Zoroastrians religion.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 11
Metadata
- 11 Apr 2007
Recording Date
- 00:45:33
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
The Parsee' basic tenets of belief. Parsee stressed on the importance of daily prayer. How there is a revival of the Parsee' faith among the younger generation. A short description of the Parsi community in Singapore. Description of the rite of passage for the coming-of-age for his sister and himself. Significance of the singlet and thread worn by the Parsee. Description of the "sagan ni ses". Types of food consumed. Significance of "fire" among the Parsi community. Description of the inner room in the Fire Temple. The Parsee' belief in one God. Description of the small urn found in the Parsee' home. Distinction between a priest and a practising priest. Reasons he chose not to be a practising priest. Training he received before he was ordained as priest. Description of the ceremony during his ordination. Role of the priest in the community.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 11
Metadata
- 20 Apr 2007
Recording Date
- 00:55:31
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of the Avesta. The 101 names of God. How prayers are carried out. Zoroastrian rituals are borrowed from the Hindus. Marriages within and outside the Parsi community. How the Parsi community is more accepting towards spouses outside the community. Consequences of the early Parsee who married non Parsee.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 11
Metadata
- 26 Apr 2007
Recording Date
- 00:56:03
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of the funeral rites. Description of the Tower of Silence. Three wells at the tower. Relevance of the Gujarati language to the Parsee. A detailed description of the Parsi calendar. How the calendar relates to the elements of the environment. His testimony on the power of prayers. Festivals celebrated. History of the Zoroastrian in Iran. Explanation of the term, "Parsi Thy Name is Charity". Celebration of the birth of a child. Types of food served.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 11
Metadata
- 26 Apr 2007
Recording Date
- 00:57:49
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Types of food served during the birth of a child. Significance of "fire" to the Zoroastrian religion. How the fire has been kept flagging over the centuries. Explanation on the use of fire as a means of cremation. History of the burial grounds in Singapore. The role that he played in the Parsi Association. How the body is disposed upon death. Circumstances that led him to Singapore in 1969. How he set up "Mazda Electronics" factory in Kallang in 1984. How he moved from the production of printed circuit boards (PCBs) to educational programmes in 1987. Development of his business in Singapore. Difficulties he faced and how he overcame the odds. Stressed on the importance of prayer. His advice for young entrepreneurs.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 11
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:56:01
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaboration on the Parsi calendar. Description of the relationship between the calendar and the prayers to be recited. Prayers recited in the morning. Description of the Zoroastrains overseas. Further elaboration of the consecrated fire. Penning of prayers by the priests to help the community cope with modern day challenges. Dealing with heresy. Emphasis on the need to make the religion relevant. Challenges faced by the Parsi community in Singapore. Steps taken to build a cohesive local communiy. Parsi community has grown from about sixty in the 1970s to about two hundred in 2007.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 11
Metadata
- 2 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:42:07
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
History of John Little's in Singapore. The search for the old Masonic Lodge. First Grandmaster was a Parsi. Relationship between the Parsi Association and Lodge Charity in 1954. Further elaboration of the Parsi cemetries in Singapore. History of the Framroz family. Took up Singapore citizens because daughters were representing Singapore in Gymnastics. How he felt he was prejudiced as an Indian. His impressions of our Singapore education system in the 1970s.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 11
Metadata
- 11 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:57:41
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Push and pull factors leading to his decision to set up his business in Singapore in the 1970s. Recession of 1974. His experience working with Hitachi Singapore. Capital cost involved in setting up a factory. An incident of burglary in the factory. How they went about catching the culprit. Differences between working with the Americans and the Japanese. How he was able to retain his staff. Importance in the training of staff. A production worker was paid six dollars a day in the 1970s. How he used to hire contract workers. How he learned from the Japanese in doing business. How he went about recouping his cost after he had set up the business. How government policies made it easy to run a business in Singapore.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 11
Metadata
- 11 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:56:31
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Reasons Printed Circuit Board (PCB) business cannot survive in Singapore anymore. His opinion on the qualities of a successful businessman. How the Parsi community is dispersed world-wide. Description of the social network among the Parsee in Singapore. Reasons Parsee prefer to settle down overseas. Relationship between the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) and the Inter-Racial Harmony Circle (IRHC). Circumstances leading him to join IRO in 1995. Challenges faced by IRO. How he helped put a system to IRO. His opinion on the definition of "terrorism".
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Reel/Disc 10 of 11
Metadata
- 23 May 2007
Recording Date
- 00:55:23
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Role of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) in resolving intra-faith conflicts. Role that IRO plays in the community. Development of IRO between 1995 and 2007. Support from the major religions. Reasons the appointment of institutional members in IRO was rejected. Role that IRO can play in helping the community to appreciate the different types of religion. Relationship between the World Council of Religions (WCR) and IRO. Organisation of the the Youth Forum by WCR. Support given by the Ministry of Community Youth and Sports (MCYS). His involvement with the Rotary Club in 1992.
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