By Abdulmalek Merchant
Publisher-Editor, http://www.simerg.com
A greeting and prayer for my parents from an Ismaili student in Vancouver.
On auspicious occasions such as Navroz, Imamat Day and Salgirah a team of volunteers sets out to deliver trays of delicious food around the Greater Vancouver area to the aged and the sick who cannot attend the jamati functions due to ill-health and other limitations. These deliveries remind the recipients they are part and parcel of a greater brotherhood which has not forgotten them. The volunteer who came by to my mum was in his last leg of deliveries to 84 homes – this is just from one out of several Vancouver area jamatkhanas.
Along with the food comes a card designed by a young Ismaili. For my mum, the card delivered with the food moments ago was the highlight (the spicy food is for me! lol) and her face lit up as she read it. “See Malik,” she tells me, “different students write cards for us which brings joys to our hearts. This is done everytime.”
Thank you to the volunteers for preparing the food, and delivering it to hundreds of homes, and to students who design beautiful cards with good wishes and prayers. Keep up the excellent work of lighting up the hearts and souls of hundreds of jamati members on this most auspicious occasion of Navroz.
On behalf of everyone whose hearts you have warmed up, we say to you and your families Navroz Mubarak, and may you be blessed with happiness and success in all walks of life.
Date posted: March 19, 2016.
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Simerg - Insights from Around the World 
Children via Baitul-Ilm classes are inspired by their instructors to make Cards for special festivals but in our new Jamatlhana of Birmingham, because of lack of bulletin boards, an exquisite display is laid of 7 objects with letter ‘S’ on a table as per tradition in Iran. Last night as this was announced, many more Murids went and viewed it with Zerbano, (Dr Karim Rajput’s wife’s) explaining significance of each item. We must learn from all who can teach us of our precious global culture of Shia Imami Ismailis. Another way of celebrating Navroz!
Great job by our youngsters, congratulations and keep it up at all times.
Wish there was a service like that in New York!