This morning New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, celebrated NauRooz with the leaders of all ethnic communities observing NauRooz holiday at a breakfast at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City Mayor.

A gathering of almost 50+ individuals included five Zoroastrians (Zarin Mehta, President New York Philharmonic; Shirin Khosravi, President, IZA; Cyrus Mehta, well-known lawyer; Kayhan Irani, famous artist; and myself)–quite a representation for a small community.

After taking photographs with all attendees separately, the Mayor shared the breakfast at each table starting with mine. Afterwards, in a short speech, he acknowledged the contribution of all ethnic communities in the celebration of NauRooz, a time for rejuvenation and a time for “spring cleaning”. The event turned out to be very informal as everyone had a chance to mix with the Mayor and other guests.

Homi D. Gandhi, Main Representative,
FEZANA NGO at the United Nations