This refers to the article "Entitled to enter?” (Parsiana, August 21, 2011). Although I am not in favor of Parsi girls or boys marrying outside the community, it was still very disturbing and disgusting to read about the manner in which the Valsad Parsi Anjuman, Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees along with our high priests treat Parsi ladies married to non-Parsis (like Goolrukh Gupta), as if they are outcastes who have committed a great sin. These ladies have been pushed to such an extent that they have to go to court (before a non-Parsi member bench knowing nothing about our religion) to prove that they are Parsi Zoroastrians. These ladies certainly do not deserve such shabby treatment.
First and foremost, neither the trustees nor our high priests have any right to judge whether a person should be allowed or banned from entering fire temples. According to our scriptures, one is a true Zoroastrian if one is born to Parsi Zoroastrian parents, have had the navjote ceremony performed and practice the Zoroastrian religion. How can a Parsi lady who fulfills all the above conditions cease to be a Parsi upon her marriage to a non-Parsi and be restrained from entering our fire temples? Does her blood become impure or the composition of her DNA change after her marriage? In that case, should a Parsi Zoroastrian meet with an emergency and require a blood transfusion, will he/she cease to be a Parsi? Will the trustees and high priests also ban such persons from entering our fire temples? Does the navjote ceremony which initiates a Parsi Zoroastrian child into our religion have no importance/value and become reduced to a mockery after marriage? There are plenty of Parsis, both male and female, who do not wear the sudreh and kusti, and have no knowledge of our prayers who are allowed to enter our fire temples. There are many cases where our so-called high priests have performed the navjote ceremonies of children born to elite/industrialist parents who have non-Parsi partners and such persons are allowed inside our fire temples and Doongerwadi. Why such double standards and backdoor practices?
I can well imagine the mental agony and trauma faced by families of ladies like Gupta who are not allowed to enter fire temples or Doongerwadi to perform the last rites of their aged parents. It is shameful that their parents have to go through hell in their twilight years seeing their child fight legally so that their last rites can be performed by them.
As it is our Parsi community is dwindling and if this problem is not resolved we will in future have no race called Parsis existing on this planet. I do not say that we should take persons from other communities and religions into our fold, but we must at least retain and show some consideration and respect for persons, especially ladies, who are born and practice the Zoroastrian religion even after their marriage and not treat them like outcastes.
It is high time eminent people from our community — which is full of good lawyers, solicitors and advocates — came forward to end such Talibanization.
DINAZ H. BHOTE
dinaz.bhote@yahoo.com