In an 1861speech in England, Dr Dada-
bhai Naoroji spoke thus of the community: "They (Parsis) took good care of the few religious books they had brought with them, and so to a large extent the head priests preserved the understanding of them as they were taught from father to son, though without any critical knowledge or any right appreciation of the value of each.” He further shared his frustration on the lack of spiritual education and the inability of the priests to be teachers: "Such being the state of knowledge of the religious book by the guides and teachers among the Parsis, it may easily be conceived what could be expected from the layman.” He went on to add, "Gradually, by intermarriage and otherwise, they mixed with the Hindus to such an extent that they became almost assimilated with them — ‘almost as Hindu as the Hindus themselves.’”
In the field of business, where the community enjoys a stellar reputation, the inability to effectively reallocate community resources worth crores of rupees is worrisome. The trustees, directors and managers of anjumans, agiaries, hospitals, residential baugs, dakhmas, aramgahs, etc have left underutilized community property that is being wasted or pilfered by outsiders. It is puzzling why our lauded business acumen is not tapped to collaborate and reconfigure the use of these assets? Why not repurpose the heritage assets to match emerging community needs? We read about unstaffed agiaries, desecrated aramgahs, and abandoned buildings that are crumbling. Parsiana articles and editorials have painstakingly identified many of these properties.
It has been suggested that reconditioning the properties to match emerging needs like housing for the impoverished, the aged and the terminally incapacitated community members could be a worthy effort. I am aware that there are a few stellar models of well-managed senior housing and hospice facilities. But these are too small to serve all the aging and often resource-deprived Parsis.
Our religious activities find us in a spectator role. We attend prayers performed on our behalf as we sit respectfully listening to recitations in a language we do not understand. We remain clueless while a singsong of tones leaves us watching the priests as they skilfully feed the holy fire on the afarganyu with sandalwood and incense. My article, "Religiously relevant” (Parsiana, August 7-20, 2023), delves into this issue at greater length.
It is important to note that most of the Parsi rituals and taboos for social behavior have no connection to the Gathas, the songs of Zarathushtra, which should be the primary source for understanding our faith.
Commingled with the religious rituals are archaic social practices; prominently, the inferior status assigned to women, in both liturgical and social circles. Oddly, many well-educated, modern Parsis do not seem to be bothered by this dichotomy in the social order.
Examine for a moment the absurdity of this situation. While intermarriage is prohibited, the navjote ceremony is permitted for the children of a Parsi man and a non-Parsi (parjat) woman. However, the Parsi community refuses to admit the children of a Parsi woman and a non-Parsi (parjat) man! One wonders how such an unscientific conclusion has gone unchallenged! Biologically, there is never a doubt about parenthood when a mother carries a child for nine months and gives birth. However, short of a DNA test, fatherhood may remain, at best, a guess!
Then, there is the argumentative issue of final rites for the deceased. The much publicized cremation of Ratan Tata at the Prayer Hall of the Worli crematorium demonstrates that a number of Parsis are opting for cremation. Burial has remained an acceptable system where dakhmas do not exist. The late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was buried in Ooty. The objection to cremation is that the system defiles fire, a sacred element. However, to speed the decomposition of deceased bodies due to the scarcity of vultures, the trustees decided to install solar panels at the dakhmas. Using solar panels, but opposing cremation is, to say the least, a contradiction! In any case, dakhmenashini is not a requirement in the Gathas.
A thought comes to mind: many dakhma properties across India are vast. Since the Worli Prayer Hall next to the crematorium is now an accepted part of Parsi funerary rites in Bombay, will the trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet and the Worli crematorium consider collaborating to build a columbarium or at least a commemorative wall with niches for urns containing ashes of the departed? A good final resting place for ashes on the same campus where the bones of our ancestors remain.
This is a plea to the leaders to shed their near-sighted inhibitions and engage each other to reform the state of our diminishing community. Parsis have an opportunity to begin problem solving and reverse the downward spiral and to initiate a new direction. Coincidentally the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America’s Congress will be held end of December this year. This offers a great opportunity for everyone interested to engage in personal discussion during off agenda periods.
YEZDYAR S. KAOOSJI
California, USA
yezdyk@gmail.com