Stories from history (26)
The deed of Dinyar Ardeshir for endowment

Bouzarjomehr Parkhideh:  In the summer of 1305 (1926), Dinyar Ardeshir, together with a few of his Zoroastrian friends, Bahram Noorayeen, Bahram Dinyar Kalantar, and. . . decided to go to Tehran for a sightseeing visit.
A few days before travel Dinyar showed me a deed of endowment by which he had endowed all his property for a school and for other charity purposes, with certain terms and conditions and had named Arbab Shahriyar Khosrow Ravari as custodian of this deed.  I read it and said:  “As though you are going to die?!”  He said:  “No”.  I said:  “Then, what is this deed for?”  He said:  “Because from my family some have converted into Islam, and since it is a rule that if a Zoroastrian dies all his property goes to the one who has become Moslem and nothing is given to the Zoroastrian heir(s), that is why I have endowed my property. “  I said:  “While you are living you should benefit from your property.  Isn’t it better that you add in your deed that your property is endowed after your death?”  He revised the deed and before starting off for Tehran he gave the deed of endowment to Arbab Shahriyar Khosrow Ravari and took the second
copy with him.
A few days passed and a telegram was sent from Tehran to Arbab Shahriyar Khosrow Ravari, signed by Shahriyar Khodamorad Kermani Fararooni, with the following text:  “When Dinyar Ardeshir had gone towards the Jajroud mountains with his friends, by car, the break of the car failed in the sharp slope and while the car was going down the dangerous slope with speed, Dinyar threw himself out of the car to save himself but his head hit a stone and he fainted.  He was taken to Tehran but the treatments did not help and he died. The car hit a stone at the bottom of the valley and stopped and the other passengers were saved.”
 
From the book “My Memories” written by Hormozyar Nowrooz Hematti

Translation by Rowshan Lohrasbpour