"We will be a relic”
"Religion is not a series of rigid codes of conduct... It is not subject to any one person’s whims and fancies... It is not for seeking favors from Ahura Mazda... Religion must be woven into one’s daily life,” noted Udvada high priest and member of the National Commission for Minorities Dastur Khurshed Dastoor who, along with physician and Padma Shri recipient Dr Farokh Udwadia, addressed the gathering at the 172nd salgirah celebrations of Cusrow Baug’s Nusserwanji Hirji Karani Agiary on February 2, 2019.
Clockwise from above left: Bomi Hansotia, Homi Ranina, Ervad Yazdi Aibara,
Dastur Khurshed Dastoor, Dr Farokh Udwadia, jashan in progress
Speaking on "Zoroastrian religion and its relevance,” Dastoor said, "the only way (the community) can grow, is through change.” Change can come only from learning and exploring, "and one can only explore if one has an open mind.” Our ancestors conditioned their lives according to the times they lived in, Dastoor said, adding that there is grace and dignity in fashioning our life to suit circumstances. Quoting from Dr Sir Jivanji Modi’s The Religious Ceremonies and Customs of Parsis, Dastoor said, "The ‘new’ has been springing rapidly on the ‘old’... Customs are often as despotic as fashions, but they also change as fashions.” Agiary trustee Homi Ranina in his introduction of Dastoor had stated, "Many in the community call him the Pope.”
Udwadia noted the history of religion "has been a chronicle of change... I cannot help feeling we are fossilized... There will come a time when we will be a relic.” The message the physician gives to all his patients, irrespective of their religious leanings is: "The good mind is the fount of all that we should do.” Speaking on "Zoroastrian way of life,” the physician said he was "amazed” at the number of religious bodies in existence. "Why can there not be one body that decides on religious matters for the community?” he questioned. "Zoroaster did not say there should be distinctions between men and women...Why are the offspring of Parsi women in interfaith marriages not accepted into the fold? How can one body or association have the moral or ethical right to prevent the practice of religion?” On a hopeful note, Udwadia said the diaspora will continue the religion for a long, long time. "I hope and pray the Zoroastrian religion flourishes,” he said.
Agiary panthaky Ervad Yazdi Aibara referred to the importance of prayer and how it helps one achieve inner peace. Agiary trustee Bomi Hansotia thanked Aibara and the mobeds for their services to the fire temple. Cusrow Baug resident Mani Vazifdar felicitated the speakers while resident Noshir Balsara recited a few verses in praise of the holy fire.
A Havan gah maachi and jashan in the morning kicked off the salgirah celebrations. A hama anjuman jashan had preceded the talks in the evening.