WZO remembers Freddie Mercury on his 30th death anniversary

 

[PRESS RELEASE AND IMAGES – 1 December 2021]

The World Zoroastrian Organisation (“WZO”) in conjunction with Angela Parton, Chair of the Friends of Feltham Green, held a joint event to remember Freddie Mercury, the iconic lead singer of the band Queen.  The event was held on 27 November 2021 at the World Zoroastrian House (WZH) at 1 Freddie Mercury Close in Feltham, Middlesex.  The street was renamed in 2020 by the London Borough of Hounslow at the request of WZO.

The event was open to all and the attendees included Freddie’s sister, Kashmira Bulsara along with other members of his family, The Worshipful, The Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow, Councillor Bishnu Gurung, the immediate past Mayor, Councillor Tony Louki, the local MP Seema Malhotra, local residents, fans of Freddie Mercury and WZO members.

Guests were welcomed by Darayus Motivala, a long-serving Trustee of WZO, who explained their organisation’s connection with Freddie was that he was born into the Zoroastrian faith , and lived in Feltham during his formative years.  Angela Parton who is the driving force behind the Freddie Mercury Memorial and the Freddie Mercury Gardens due to open next year, explained her personal love for Freddie and his music and felt this anniversary of his death should be remembered by an event in Feltham.

The guests were then invited to the Worship Room at WZH to witness a short Zoroastrian prayer which was dedicated to the souls of Freddie and his parents, Bomi and Jer.  The prayers were performed by the resident Zoroastrian priest, Fali Madon accompanied by his brother, Jimmy and their father, Khushroo.  The three priests’ solemn prayers were witnessed by the congregation.  Due to the large numbers attending, WZO’s conference room had a video link so that all the attendees could participate in the service.  After the prayers, Jimmy gave a brief introduction to the Zoroastrian religion and an explanation of the prayers recited.  WZO’s religious Coordinator, Shahin Bekhradnia, gave a short explanation of the Zoroastrian concepts of what happens after death.  She explained that death will occur to all living souls and should not be feared or treated with fear or negativity.

After the service, guests were invited to visit the Freddie Mercury Memorial which is a 5 minutes’ walk from WZH.  Several wreaths and bunches of flowers were laid at the memorial by a number of people including Kashmira, the Mayor and Angela.  WZO chose not to lay a wreath but instead to make a donation to the Mercury Phoenix Trust (www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com), a charity set up in memory of Freddie Mercury.  This donation will be added to the collection made at the event and sent to the charity directly.  Angela then described the plans for the Freddie Mercury Gardens, work on which is due to start in Spring of 2022.

After the event, the Mayor said he was pleased to have been invited and taken part in this memorial.  Kashmira thanked the organisers for a fitting and solemn event.  Angela felt that Freddie would have smiled at how he was remembered in Feltham.  Darayus stated that WZO was proud of their connection with Freddie Mercury and would participate in future events in Feltham to remember this iconic singer.

You can also read about the event on the official Queen website https://www.queenonline.com/news/the-freddie-mercury-30th-commemorative-service-in-feltham

[Images from the event]

WZO Background

The World Zoroastrian Organisation is a faith-based charity, founded in 1980. It has a worldwide membership with associated organisations set up in India, USA, Canada and New Zealand.  It is funded entirely by donations from individuals and other charitable trusts in the UK and abroad.  Its charity giving is mainly for medical, educational and poverty-relief causes on a worldwide basis.  Each applicant is considered on a case-by-case basis.   WZO participates in Inter-Faith and communal activities worldwide.  The World Zoroastrian House in Feltham, Greater London, UK has a Communal Hall and a Worship room which are open to all.

WZO’s three principal objectives are:

• Charitable donations, mainly for medical, educational and poverty-relief causes. 
• Dissemination of information on Zoroastrians and Zoroastrianism through publication, seminars and Inter-Faith groups.
• Preserving the rights of Zoroastrians to practise their faith irrespective of their gender and ethnicity.

For further information and additional photos, please contact:

Darayus S Motivala, WZO at darayus.motivala@w-z-o.org or +44 7944 488318.