Family members paying their last respects to Darius Marshall before his mortal remains were consigned to flames in Kozhikode on Friday.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
He was known as the ‘car doctor’. For, he could identify problems of any car just from the sound of the engine. But that was not all that was Darius Marshall, 90, the head of the only remaining Parsi family in Kozhikode, who passed away on Thursday.
It was business that took Darius’ grandfather Jamshedji, like nearly 300 Parsi families from Gujarat, to Kozhikode in the early 20th century. He engaged in coir and timber trade initially and ventured into others later. It was his son and Darius’ father Feroz who set up the first vehicle spare parts shop in the Malabar region, in Kozhikode in 1920. He also founded Auto Moto, the workshop near Customs Road, which Darius took over and managed until a few months ago.
As an automobile engineer, curing cars had been Darius’ speciality for decades, and people from as far as Thrissur and Mangaluru went to him with their cars. Darius was also a car racing champion in the 1950s. He also preserved his father’s Pontiac Silver Streak car.
It was Feroz Marshall who founded the Rotary Club in Kozhikode. Later, his son Darius founded the Rotary Club of Kozhikode Beach, was Governor of district 3200 in the year 2000 and bagged the award for the best Rotary governor and spearheaded the Rotary Club’s rehabilitation efforts when an earthquake hit Gujarat. He was also the national vice president of Junior Chamber International and was awarded the rank of Senator.
Darius was known for his inclination for sports. A national veteran shooting champion for 15 years, he was proficient in billiards and tennis too. He was president of Cosmopolitan Club, vice president of Calicut Rifles Club, and lifetime member of National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Wildlife Association of India, and Madras Motor Sports Club. He played a crucial role in the founding of Trauma Care Society. He was also a good orator and trained youngsters in public speaking.
Almost all Parsi families in Kerala left for Mumbai or headed back to Gujarat in due course after they failed to get a foothold in business here. The Marshalls are the only remaining Parsi family in Kozhikode. Darius was the managing trustee of Parsi Anjuman Baug on S.M. Street, the only Fire Temple in Kerala.
Darius’ mortal remains were cremated at the Fire Temple on Friday morning. He is survived by wife Katie Marshall, sons Subin and Farzan, and daughter Nasneen Gasdar.
