hamazor - issue 4 2004

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HAMAZOR - ISSUE 4 2004

C o n t e n t s

THE COVER

Photograph by SooniTaraporevala

WZO WEBSITE

www.w-z-o.org

PHOTOGRAPHS

Courtesy ofindividuals whosearticles appear inthe magazine or asmentioned.

Prof K D Irani felicitated at the Pomona DarbeMehr. Photograph coutesy, Hanoz Gandhi, p 66.

04 North America’s Great Zoroastrian - adi davar

07 An evening of Treasures, Traditions & Tributes - vahishta canteenwalla10 Wither the Good Parsi - jehangir s pocha

15 Land of Fire : A Journey to Azerbaijan - rashna batliwala singh20 The quality of life & social safety net for the Zoroastrian senior

- dolly dastoor22 Reflections on 9-11 - dina g mcintyre24 Volunteering is a rewarding experience - tanaz khory

26 Yesterday’s youth are not the same as today’s - nikan h katibi

28 “Persepolis Recreated” - soli dastur30 Mobedan-e-Mobed Dr Jahangir Oshidary32 WZO International Board Members 2004-0534 A Time for Natak - aban rustomji

38 Parsis - The Zoroastrians of India - thrity umrigar

42 Music & Tigers - a profile43 Zarathushtra’s Genetic System - stanley insler

50 Takht-e-Soleyman51 From the Oxus to the heart of Victorian London - vera s katrak

56 The Three Maji come to Harrow - noshir j avari

63 A Farsi Article - mehran sepehri64 Snapshots of a Good Life - shazneen rabadi gandhi

68 Why not a World Body of Zoroastrians - keki gandhi71 Membership form and details

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London, England

Mr Sam HBhiwandiwallaChairmanE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Rustam S DubashPresidentE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Darayus SMotivalaJt Hon SecretaryE-mail:[email protected]

Mrs Khurshid BKapadiaMembership SecretaryE-mail:[email protected]

Dr Sam KerrUnit 5, ‘Agincourt’10 Larkin StreetRosevilleNew South Wales, 2069Australia

Er Jehan BagliMississauga, CanadaE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Marzi ByramjeeOakbillie, CanadaE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Dadi B EngineerPresident, WZO IndiaMumbai, IndiaE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Dadi E MistryNew Delhi, IndiaE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Rustom Yeganegi233 Saadi AvenueTehran, Iran

Mrs Toxy CowasjeeKarachi, PakistanE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Russi GhadialiSingaporeE-mail:[email protected]

Mr Keki BhoteVice PresidentIllinois, USAE-mail:[email protected]

I n t e r n a t i o n a l B o a r d M e m b e r s

Note: WZO’s committee is extensive, these are just a few of the names given for member’s convenience

Printed by:A A Graphics1721/31 LAC No 2Karachi 75420Pakistan

Funded by:World Zarathushtrian Trust Fund

Design & layout by:Toxy CowasjeeKarachi, Pakistan

Volume XXXVI- Issue 4 2004

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Arom the EditorF

Across the globe, our Zoroastrian community is concerned in the decliningnumbers especially in India, who have been quoting numbers of 80,000 -90,000 confidently for sometime. With the various annoucements made intheir daily press regarding the fall in numbers both in Delhi and Mumbai,Parsiana, FEZANA Journal and Creatingawareness.com, have covered thissubject ably. Besides concerned individuals writing about this issue, the BPPneeds to address the problem NOW, so that the rest of the community mayfollow like-wise. This problem has been an on-going one since years and has been“swept under the carpet” rather than facing the issue and solving the matteronce and for all. Our community who have settled in the New World fortunatelyhave the will and strength to allow the navjotes of children born to couples ofmixed marriages, welcoming the non-Zoroastrian spouse and their children tovarious activities, but the majority of Zoroastrians still reside in India.

Our community is an ageing one, with the elderly living alone and trying to copewithout the support they need. It is hard to comprehend that (Zoroastrian)individuals in India do not have the money for a square meal, when we have somuch wealth between us. Surely like-minded individuals and corporate magnets,for which there is no dearth of, can come up with a plan of action for this veryhumanitarian cause.

On a lighter note, 4 March 2005, WZO celebrates 25 years and we at Hamazoraim to produce a commemorative issue for this landmark occasion. Twenty-fiveconstructive years with achievements is something worthwhile to celebrate.

Our past President & Chairman, Shahpur Captain has been invited by me, to bethe Guest Editor of the next issue of the Hamazor, to which he has thankfullyagreed. As he was the man who envisaged a World Zoroastrian Organisation andput it on the “map”, who better to be the Guest Editor for our special issue.

We wish all our members and friends a happy, healthy, constructive 2005.

Toxy Cowasjee, 2A Mary Road, Bath Island, Karachi 75530, Pakistan

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ovember 1926 was a month of greatjoy in the Joshi family, in Bombay. Framrozeand Dinbai had been blessed with their firstson. They named him Dinshaw. But not intheir wildest imagination did they dream thatsomeday, he would become the first - andto date the only - Zoroastrian recognized inIndia and internationally as a world authorityin the modern field of telecommunications,besides becoming a towering communityfigure in far-away North America. By thetime he died in November 2003, their sonhad fulfilled that tryst with destiny.

Dinshaw grew into a young man determinedto be an engineer. Preparing himself for thatat Elphinstone College’s Royal Institute ofScience in Bombay, he won admission formechanical and electrical engineeringstudies at India’s premier engineeringfaculty at the time - Poona EngineeringCollege. As always, Dinshaw topped allcandidates while earning his Bachelor ofEngineering from Bombay University, aswell as in the all-India public service examsthat led to his selection to India’s vast Post& Telegraph Authority (P&T). Beginning as aDivisional Engineer in its TelegraphEngineering Department, he launched acareer of national and internationaleminence in the then nascent field oftelecommunications.

Its evolving technology fascinated Dinshaw.He absorbed it like a proverbial sponge.Recognizing his brilliance, and to hone hisexpertise in advanced telecommunicationstechnology, P&T first sent him under a UNTechnical Assistance Fellowship toGermany, Switzerland and UK and later, toother courses abroad. He was sent toothers, including to the National Academy of

b y a d i d a v a r

North America’s Great Zoroastrian :

DINSHAW FRAMROZE JOSHI

WZO’s Tribute to Dinshaw Joshi’s memory on his 1st death anniversary

Administration and the National DefenceCollege in India, to enhance his obviousmanagerial skills as well. As Dinshaw beganproposing far-reaching engineering andorganizational changes to modernize India’sarchaic telecommunications system andways to realize them, his rise in P&T wasspectacular. En route, he pioneeredtechnologies, including in multi-exchangetelephone systems for which he held apatent in India as well as in the UK.

While occupying positions of increasingresponsibility, P&T concurrently assignedDinshaw to visiting foreign dignitaries suchas Eisenhower, Khruschev, QueenElizabeth II, the Shah of Iran andJacqueline Kennedy. At a young age, itappointed him the General Manager ofBombay Telephones, India’s largesttelecommunications system, that cried fortechnological and managerialmodernization. His success there, led to thepinnacle of Dinshaw’s P&T career at anational level, when he was named itsDeputy Director-General. He was thefirst, and to date, the only Zoroastrian toreach such a national rung anywhere inthe world in the field oftelecommunuications.

But his engineering prowess soon ledbeyond the national, to a world stage.Dinshaw was recognized as a worldauthority on “switchgearing” which, in theearly 70s, was at the cutting edge oftelecommunications technology. Long-distance telephone systems in India andmany developing countries from the late60s to the early 80s operated on thissystem, which Dinshaw pioneered. NoZoroastrian has yet achieved such world

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pre-eminence and recognition intelecommunications!

Dinshaw’s professional successes wenthand in hand with his marriage in 1956 tohis beloved life partner, Goolcher Kotwal,and the birth of their adored daughterShehernaz. Perhaps motivated as much byhis desire to open better opportunities in lifefor them as to place hisworld-acknowledgedtelecommunicationsengineering genius ona broader internationalcanvas, he acceptedthe invitation to join theWorld Bank in 1973.

During his 20 years inthis pristine worlddevelopment institution,Dinshaw master-minded technologicaland institutionalimprovements in thetelecommunicationssystems of manycountries, includingEgypt, Kenya, Nepal,Tanzania and Thailand.In turn, that spurred thegrowth of theireconomies andimproved the quality oflife for their millions.Even through hisprofession, he lived by the Zoroastrianprecept of giving of oneself to improve thelives of others.

But unlike some who achieve pre-eminenceand never let anyone forget that, Dinshawrefrained from doing so. He alwaysremained modest and self-effacing, wearinghis world and national honours lightly on hisshoulders. Indeed, a hallmark of truegreatness!

His towering professional pre-eminencewas matched by his fierce devotion to livingaccording to the principles of his faith,whose navar he had become when 12.Despite the demands of his career, he

always had time to help those who sought itand to serve the community wherever helived - India or North America.

After resolving a long-festering disputebetween community groups in Delhi,Dinshaw was among those at the forefrontwho shaped the Delhi Anjuman’sconstitution on a forward-looking basis and

later built its agiary.Soon after coming toWashington DC, he wasdrawn into the creationof the ZoroastrianAssociation ofMetropolitan Washington(ZAMWI). Its far-sightedconstitution andpractices, whichwelcomed into theAssociation, non-Zoroastrian spouses andchildren of mixedmarriages (way beforeeven WZO’s constitutiondid) as well as personsof any ethnicity whobelieved in the faith, oweas much to Dinshaw’sbroad vision as to thoseof ZAMWI’s otherfounders. Elected as itsFounder-Vice Presidentin 1978, he served as itsPresident from 1982-84.

Dinshaw then turned his focus to a widercanvas, North America’s Zoroastriancommunity. Drawn into its bi-national body,FEZANA, Dinshaw served it with greatdevotion and fervour from 1987 until hedied. Besides participating in many of itscommittees, he chaired its WelfareCommittee from its inception until 2002, andits Awards Committee from 1995 until hisdemise in November 2003. The communityacclaimed him for setting transparentstandards and rigorous selection processesfor Awards given at FEZANA’s bi-annualNorth American Congresses. In tribute, hewas asked to head the Awards Committeeof the 2000 World Zoroastrian Congress inHouston.

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25thWhat is less publicly known is, thatDinshaw’s sagacity and ability to quietlygive sound advice based on trueZoroastrian values, made him a valuedcounsellor to successive FEZANAPresidents. They frequently turned to himfor counsel on most North Americancommunity matters. He got no publicrecognition for his imprint on them. Yet, it isa measure of his greatness, that thismattered not one bit to him. What fulfilledDinshaw was, that he could give of himselffor the benefit of the community he loved.That was his true passion. Unknown tothem, North American Zoroastrians arebetter-off because he silently played thisbeneficial role for years.

The North American and the globalZoroastrian community became poorerwhen this great, yet modest, Zoroastriandied a year ago, in November 2003. Bythen, he had fulfilled his destiny ofprofessional and community greatnesswhich Framroze and Dinbai had neverdared to dream for their eldest son,Dinshaw Framroze Joshi.

(Note: Hamazor was unable to carry a tributelast year, as there was no 4 th issue of 2003. Asimilar article appears on Vohuman website’s“Series on Prominent Zarathustis” - Ed)

q

Adi Davar, till recently was a member of theWZO International Board of Trustees. Activein community affairs, internationally, nationallyand locally. Researcher, writer and speaker onZoroastrianism, its history and contemporaryissues. Consultant on international economicdevelopment. Senior executive in the Tata Groupand the World Bank - where he retired as aDirector of East Asia & Pacific Region. Degrees

in economics and law from Bombay. Masters ininternational law from Harvard.

Calendar for the year

Saturday 19th March - WZO 25th

Anniversary Year Celebrations

Sunday 5th June - Annual seminar onReligion, History and Culture.

Sunday 10th July - Annual BBQ to beheld by kind courtesy of Mr & MrsRohinton Irani at their home

Sunday 21st August - ShahenshaiNavroze Lunch

18th September - AGM

26th October - Mehraban Farhangi’sdeath anniversary

November Gala Dinner/Dance (dateand venue to be announced)

WZO celebrates its

Silver Jubliee4th March 2005

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The evening started out by OpeningComments from Aban Rustomji, Chair of theLibrary Committee, welcoming everyone.Virasp Mehta, Arnaz Marker,Vahishta & JambiCanteenwalla were introduced,as were the Library Committeemembers, the EntertainmentCommittee and the ZAHCommittee.

This was followed by a play ALegend, written by ShahnazSidhwa. The play was basedon Dr Dhalla’s book AekAtmakatha, translated intoEnglish by Behli and GoolRustomji. The play captured afew key elements of Dasturji’smarried life. It portrayed himand his beloved wife Cooverbai, sitting andreminiscing about their wonderful lifetogether. Short vignettes depicting theirmarriage were presented. All aspects hadbeen well researched and the audience gota good feel of the devotion between thecouple. Bravo Shahnaz Sidhwa.

Following the play there was a book readingby nine members of the ZAH They read

An evening of Treasures, Traditions and

Tributes- great-granddaughter, Vahishta Canteenwalla reports . . .

On Saturday, October 16th 2004, at 7:30 pm, the Library Committee of the ZAH

Zoroastrian Heritage & Cultural Center, held a function to honour the late Shams-ul-

Ulema Dr Dastur Maneckji N Dhalla, in Houston. It was called An Evening of

Treasures, Traditions and Tributes. A collection of Dr Dhalla’s books and memorabilia

was exhibited at the cultural center library along with old saris, garas, pictures, topis,

kors and torans.

excerpts from his book Homage Unto AhuraMazda. This timeless classic was brought tolife by their eloquent rendition. It was

especially heartening to seeso many people of all ageslistening so attentively andwith such interest.

Magdalena Rustomji gave apresentation of her poemwritten specially for theoccasion.

Aban Rustomji thankedeveryone and presentedflowers and a copy ofMagdalena’s poetry toVahishta Canteenwalla andArnaz Marker. VahishtaCanteenwalla thanked the

organizers for honouring Dr Dhalla, hergreat grandfather, Arnaz Marker presentedthe Library with Dr Dhalla’s PhD andMasters degrees from Columbia University.She urged people to read Homage UntoAhura Mazda and to teach their childrenfrom that book as it is, as relevant today, asit was 60 years ago. Virasp Mehta alsoaddressed the audience.

Banner at the ZAH

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Arnaz and Vahishta were invited to open theexhibit. There is a special cabinet in thelibrary room at the Center, which is filledwith artifacts belonging to Dr Dhalla alongwith his books, donated by family, friendsand admirers of Dr Dhalla. Also, there wasan exhibit of some lovely old garas andsaris, along with old topis, pictures, toransall belonging to members of the ZAH.

The evening ended with dinner and drinksfor all.

The next day, on Sunday at 2 pm, there wasa small informal discussion led by ViraspMehta, where members shared their storiesand memories of Dasturji. People askedVirasp questions regarding Dasturji andCooverbai. Yezdi Rustomji had prepared apaper titled Dastur Dhalla – an IntellectualLife, which he read out to the group. Thisshort discussion was very enlightening andI’m sure that people left feeling theyunderstood Dasturji a little better. We haveto acknowledge the good work that ViraspMehta is doing through the internetregarding his monthly Ushao and hispostings on Dr Dhalla’s works.

We, the members of the Dhalla family,would like to express our deepest gratitudeto all the organizers of this wonderful andtouching event, especially Aban & PervezRustomji who have been working hard atgathering all the different artifacts for thelibrary. We would urge people all over theworld to donate Dasturji Dhalla’s books,

pictures, artifacts to the HoustonHeritage & Cultural Center Librarywhere it will be safely kept for futuregenerations to study and admiresuch a great man. q

Vahishta Canteenwalla born in Karachi, educatedat the Mama Parsi Girls School and St Joseph’sCollege for Women. Emigrated to Montreal,Canada, in September 1975, married JambiCanteenwalla, and mother of two daughters, Shauna26 and Zara 23. An active member, and pastSecretary, of the Zoroastrian Association of Quebec,she is also very active in all community affairs. Shehas been working for a small chemical company in

Montreal for the last 11 years.

Ode to Dastur Dhalla- magdalena rustomji

In this gathering place,Houston, Texas,we convene,to pay tributeto the good lifeof a good man.the ‘better than good’Dastur Dr Dhalla.

Dastur Dhalla,the honest manthe serene manthe tolerant manthe munificent man.

Dastur Dhalla,the man of devotion,the man of equanimitythe man of progressive mentalitythe literary manpar excellence

A man of Mazdacourageous by nature,unwavering in conviction,enduring cold receptions,evil threats,slander, bad willin the Battle for Truthand for Righeousness

His weapons were prayer,Knowledge, the reflective mindand the kind deedand philosophy Asha,the Zarthushti way of life

A man whose very life came to bea prayer ascending to the cloudsa flame shining through the fogtouching hearts and minds then and now

And so in the words of Dastur Dhalla.May better than the good come unto youMay better than the good come unto your household.May better than the good come unto our villageand may better than the good come unto‘Our Perfecting World’.

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Dr Dhalla receiving his PhD - privatecollection

Exhibit of garas, kors, old saris and other items

Dastur Dhalla and Cooverbai, in their garden,a few months before his demise. CourtesyPouruchisti Bharucha, granddaughter andmother of Vahishta

The Legend - on stage, young Maneckji comforting his wife. Performers are - L to R: Sarosh Collector, Villi & Ken Bhappu

Arnaz Marker addressing the audience

Aban Rustomji felicitating Virasp Mehta

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He is an uncommonly seen butmuch beloved figure, the bruntof many jokes and thebeneficiary of much respect.He is the one we love because

he donated the benches in theneighbourhood park, and the one whocauses road-rage when he holds up trafficby honking angrily at the potholes in theroad. Often rumpled, always eccentric andnever lacking for a uniquely blue turn ofphrase, the Good Parsi has long occupied aplace in Indian hearts far disproportionate tohis number.

So it almost seems unfair that just whenIndia, Inc. is facing new and seeminglyinfinite horizons, one of its oldest and mostsuccessful business communities isexperiencing waning fortunes. Or is it?

The Parsis, once indomitable figures ofIndian political, economic and social life, arelocked into an emotional debate over howbest to preserve their community, while alsomoving with the times.

Though the community has always beenmicroscopic, its population is expected toslide from the current 70,000 to 25,000 by2020, mostly as a result of its educated andincreasingly secular youth marrying lateand/or outside the community, and a refusalto accept converts.

“If this happens we’ll be classified as atribe,” says Khushroo Madan, a self-described reformist priest in Bombay.

Critics also say Parsis are losing the spirit andinnovation that allowed them become one ofthe wealthiest communities in the world.

“I look at young Parsi men these days andthey seem content to just loaf around - they

b y j e h a n g i r s p o c h a

Wither the Good Parsi

Written for the Businessworld India, http://www.businessworldindia.com/sep2704/invogue01.aspand shared by the author with the readers of Hamazor.

think small and don’t do things like they didin the old days”, said Roxanne Pavri, 23, inCusrow Baug, a serene Parsi housingcolony in the heart of chaotic Bombay.Between the 1650s and 1947, Parsis intheir distinctive white duglees and richlyembroidered gara sarees establishedIndia’s first steel mill, stock exchange,political party, university, public hospital,newspaper, printing press, film studio,private electricity plant, airline, moderndance company, movie theatre, constructioncompany, bank, insurance company, andfeminist movement. The community alsodominated professions such as law,medicine and accounting, and Parsi traderswere the first Indians to establish tradingposts across the world, including Japan,China, Singapore, and Europe.

Significantly, Parsis were honest, patriotic infocusing their energies and generous insharing their success. The Tatas, thecommunity’s first family and the country’spremier business house, famously asked“what does India need” rather than “whatwill make us the most money”. And despitethe community’s close association with theBritish, Parsis such as Dadabhai Navrojiwere instrumental in forming theindependence movement.

Numerous portraits and marble statues ofthese and other intrepid and altruistic Parsimen and women still dot Bombay’slandmarks in mute testimony to theiraccomplishments and benefactions.

But few statues are being erected of Parsisof this generation.

Around Pavri the truth of her words echo inalmost every home. Cusrow Baug wasoriginally built as charitable housing by theWadias of Bombay Dyeing fame. Now many

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of its residents, despite having progressedinto the upper-class, twist laws and ethics toretain their hold over these homes. Their kidsrestrict their dreams to buying a Royal Enfield,and landing a safe job at Jet Airways. And theWadias themselves, once princes of Indianindustry, fail even to list amongst India’s topindustrialists.

Not surprisingly, the ratio of Parsis in India’sbest schools, professions, and top jobs isfalling rapidly, even though it remainsproportionately higher than for any othercommunity.

Chasm over change

Madon, the priest, says he is trying to goadParsis into responding to the possibility oftheir demise.

“We must become more broadminded andwelcome children of mixed parents into ourcommunity,” he says.

To Zoroastrian conservatives, this is heresy.

“Purity is more important than numbers,”says Khojeste Mistree, a Zoroastrianscholar in Bombay. “Our religion isinterwoven with our ethnicity (and) can onlybe passed on through a Zoroastrian father.”To many this doesn’t seem sensible or fair.“I would have looked seriously atZoroastrianism when I was choosing myspiritual path,” says Sita Mani, 33, thedaughter of a Zoroastrian mother and Hindufather. “Its basic tenets - good thoughts,good words and good deeds – are sosound.” But since Mani was banned fromeven entering a Zoroastrian ‘fire’ temple,she says her interest in the religion waned,and she now practices Buddhism.

With the Zoroastrian community losingthousands of would-be members like Mani,Madon says he has started performing thenavjote (a thread ceremony-like religiousinitiation) of children born of Zoroastrianmothers and non-Zoroastrian fathers.

Other Zoroastrian groups, such as one runby Ali Jafarey, a Los Angeles-based

Pakistani, have also begun to accept a fewconverts from other religions. But theblowback over this has been fierce.

Looking back as a way forward

The seeming contradiction between thismyopic ethno-religious conservatism andthe socio-economic progressiveness of theParsis is rooted in their refugee mentality,says Dr Mani Kamerkar, a Zorastrianhistorian and author of From the IranianPlateau to the Shores of Gujarat, achronicle of Zoroastrian emigration to India.

Though Zoroastrianism, generallyconsidered the world’s oldest propheticreligion, flourished in Persia (modern-dayIran) for millennia, greatly influencingJudaism, Christianity and Islam, it wasvirtually destroyed by the Arab invasion ofPersia in 651. Though some Zoroastriansremained in Iran, facing varying degrees ofprejudice over the centuries, others fled,mostly to India.

Legend has it that when these fierce lookingwarriors first landed in Gujarat 1400 yearsago, the local king, Jadav Rana, sent thema goblet filled to the brim with milk to signifythat there was no room in the country forthem. But an astute Parsi priest answeredby dissolving a handful of sugar in the milk,impressing Rana enough for him to grantthe Parsis permanent refuge.

Though Parsis assimilated peacefully intoIndian life, they did not intermarry with localcommunities and maintained their faithagainst overwhelming odds. (Conservativeslike to point out there is no trace left ofZoroastrians groups who migratedelsewhere and intermarried freely.)

Now “Zoroastrians have become obsessedwith the idea of saving themselves, keepingapart from the Other,” says Kamerkar, whois married to a non-Parsi man.

Though many modern Parsis areincreasingly pushing to change this,conservatives such as Mistree say their

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“over-westernization and over-secularizationis killing our Parsipanu”, or way of life.

This lament finds resonance with manyParsis who believe the best way to securetheir community’s future is to hold fast to thepast. For example, more and more Parsis(myself included) have begun visiting Iran inan attempt to reinvigorate their affinities withZoroastrian Persia’s grand past.

This has given rise to what I call the uber-Parsi. uber-Parsis cruise public librariesand surf the web to excavate obscure factsand reacquaint the world with the ancientPersian Achaemenian, Parthian andSasanian dynasties, which were the culturaland military super-powers of their times,eventually outlasting their rivalsuperpowers, the Greeks and the Romans.

uber-Parsi are easily made, for Parsis aredefined by how small they are in numbersbut how great they are in their minds. Butcurating history can only go so far inenergizing a community.

In many homes the attempt to cull presentmeaning from Persian history descends intofarce. These are homes where glossypicture-books on ancient Persia liestrategically on coffee tables, a silverbookmark from Tiffany’s thrust carelesslybetween pages never perused. If at all thebooks are read, it is to satisfy the thirst forthat latest trend of pregnant Parsi parents –the quest for a “different” name with whichto title sons and daughters unborn. Nameslike Artaxerxes, Sohrushmani, andCambyses bludgeon friends with theirancient authenticity, and reassure parentsthat their children will always be regardedas “special”, and they, as refined Parsis fornaming them so.

A net too safe

Though Parsis are simultaneously anancient and urbane people, very little oftheir present culture is their own.

Most authentic Zoroastrian culture was lostin Iran. The syncretic Persio-Hindu creedParsis developed in Gujarat, where they

first landed as emigrants 1400 years agoand where they mostly lived until the 1800s,was cast aside in favor of Anglophillic normsunder the British. As British influence inIndia faded one of the central inspirationsbehind (Anglo-) Parsi culture disappeared,and the community struggled with how toreplace it.

Self-described “liberal” Parsis having littleinterest in, or knowledge of, theircommunity’s inner dynamics, strayedtowards a broad secularism. In doing sothey left the home field to conservativeParsis who wanted no change, says MinooShroff, chairman of the Bombay ParsiPanchyat, the community’s apex socio-religious organization.

Recently, at a Parsi wedding whereeveryone including the couple was gazingdisinterestedly on while priests murmuredprayers in a dead language no oneunderstood, I commented on how devoid ofanything personal or even remotelyromantic the ceremony seemed. I wasimmediately shushed. “This is the way it’salways been,” a friend said. “We have topreserve our ways.”

I was struck by the significance of what myfriend said, even though, given the raptattention with which he poured himselfanother shot of Johnnie Walker, he himselfwas not. It suddenly became clear to methat the Parsis have reached the ultimatenadir of any community: the point at whichthe perfect mimicking of an old custom,rather than any new innovation, becomesthe ultimate accolade.

Kamerkar says this fear of change and lackof initiative is partly rooted in Parsiphilanthropy, which is proving to be adouble-edged sword.

Wealthy Parsis have endowed thecommunity with free housing, education,health care and religious infrastructureworth more than $500 million, says Shroff.

While applauding this largesse, Kamerkarsays that over the years the assurance ofinheriting free homes and a social safety net

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has robbed the community of motivationand fueled a selfish desire not to diluteresources by accepting new converts.

To sidestep this, she suggests newZoroastrian converts could form aseparate sect and claim no BombayParsi Panchayat funds. Kamerkar’sargument is that while being a Parsi orIrani means something specific – being aZoroastrian from Persia whoseancestors settled in India – anyone canbecome a Zoroastrian if they choose.This is hard to argue with asZoroastrianism has no Pope-like figurewith divine authority over the faith.

Interestingly, Mistree, who lives in a Parsihousing colony, somewhat contradicts hisearlier stance by saying he’d be delighted tosee people convert to Zoroastrianism if theybuilt up their own infrastructure and did notclaim the Parsi community’s wealth andfacilities.

This urge to preserve old wealth andadvantage is rooted in a widespread beliefamongst Parsis that they will never again beable to acquire the riches and standing thatcame to them under the British. MostParsis feel something mysterious happenedwhen the British left India in 1947,something that sapped the confidence ofthe community and relegated it to a lesserposition. It is this constant feeling of havingthe sun at one’s back that is casting ashadow over the entrepreneurial dreams ofmany young Parsis today.

Rejuvenation?

Perhaps Parsis overlook that it was not theywho changed as much as theirenvironment. In the colonial era it was afavoured practice of the British to empowerminority communities. This allowed theBritish to win local allies while keeping themajority of the country out of power. This,and coupled with their own capabilities,accounted for a lot of the Parsis’ success.

When things changed with independence itwas only natural that there would be aperiod of adjustment. But there is nothing

wrong, weak or wounded in the basic Parsiethos that is rooted in a surprisingly modernand can-do philosophy. At its core,Zoroastrianism emphasizes personalinitiative, both in making the right choices inthe metaphysical universe and in securinghappiness in the material world. It is a faiththat asks one to live in and enjoy thematerial world, while not being seduced intoforgetting that the higher purpose of life is totake the side of right in the battle of SpentaMainyu (the Good) against Angre Mainyu(the UnGood).

From Zoroastrianism one can easily conjurethe ideal modern man, what someone oncecalled a kind of Zorba the Buddha - acontemplative man in touch with his spiritualside, yet completely at home in the materialworld, a man who knows the value of ethicsas well as the rate of the Euro, a man whoknows how to raise money from investors inParis and how to lapse into meditation, aman who can excel at business and alsoponder philosophy, who serves his own andalso cares for others.

This philosophy is as alive in the communitytoday as it ever was, even though this maybe easy to miss, for it often articulates itselfin small ways – the young widow whoreturns her husband’s rented office to hislandlord friend or the father whoencourages his daughter’s modern choices.

There is, already, a new generation ofParsis that has learnt to live and thrive inchanged circumstances, both in India andabroad. These youths are not only lookingto preserve their heritage, but to grow it.They are excelling in business, theprofessions, academia, the arts,entertainment, journalism, science, andsport, and many of them continue to givegenerously to their community and widersociety.

As India opens up to the world there isevery indication that Parsis could onceagain place themselves at the forefront ofeconomic and social development. Thecommunity’s high education levels, itsfamiliarity with global culture and aptitude

14


for the arts positions it perfectly for successin the information and media economy.

If this upward trend continues, it will be notbe the first time the community rejuvenatesitself. In 330 BC, Alexander destroyedPersepolis, the Persian capital, but hissuccessors were expelled by resurgentPersian dynasties. In the 650s the Arabsconquered Persia and Egypt, but while theyArabized Egypt, they got Persianized. Andof course Zoroastrianism itself survived,then flourished, in the magnanimous bosomof the civilization that is India.

From amidst the swelter and flour-scentedair of the cozily antique Yazdani bakery inBombay, Zend M Zend, baker extraordinaireand an Irani well known for his earthyphilosophical views, says the time hascome for the Parsis to stop “this moaningand groaning” about survival.

“Zoroastrianism has been left for deadmany times. Each time it was our zest forlife, our life-celebrating attitude that saw usthrough,” he says. “As long as we havethat, we’ll be fine.”

q

Zoroastrianism is undergoing a mild renaissance in theregion of its birth, Central Asia. Though Iran’s Islamicleaders “have tried for centuries to sweep away all trace ofZoroastrianism, many people still feel Zoroastrian in theirhearts,” says Sohrab Yazdi, a Zoroastrian community leaderin Yazd, a quintessential desert city of adobe houses andlooming minarets, where most of Iran’s 30,000 Zoroastrianslive.

From outside the shattered splendor of Persepolis, theancient capital of Persia, Bahram Agaheri, a Muslim, talksin elegiac rhythms of how many Iranians want to rediscoverthe faith of their forefathers.

“People are tired of the mullahs. If we were allowed toconvert many would,” Agaheri says. “I challenge thegovernment to allow conversion out of Islam for even oneday.”

He is unlikely to see that day for Iran bans the conversionof Muslims into other faiths by punishment of death. Yet itis believed that some Iranians practice Zoroastrianism insecret.

There is also evidence that the some Kurds whose Yezidireligion, which is centred around the town of Lalish innorthern Iraq and which closely resemblancesZoroastrianism, are returning to what they call their “originalfaith”.

Hameed Akhtari, an Iraqi Kurd living in Iran told me he hasbeen smuggling Zoroastrian texts and holy books into Iraqsince 1995. But he was at pains to emphasize that thebooks were used “only for religious research”.

Zoroastrianism has also been experiencing a creepingrenewal in southern Russia and some Central Asiancountries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan,which were historically part of the Persian Empire. Someleaders in these republics, particularly President ImomaliRahmonov of Tajikistan, are very supportive of this, partlyin the hope of attracting investment from Indian Parsis andpartly to offset the radical Islam being exported into theregion.

Many Zoroastrian’s are pleased with to hear of their faith’sresurgence. But some are concerned that this could bringthe Zoroastrian communities in Iran and India into conflictwith Iran’s Islamist extremists or India’s Hindu chauvinists,both of whom oppose religious conversion.

That is something the community does not have the desireor wherewithal to face.

“You must understand our apprehension,” says Yazdi. “Weare like a small, colorful fish in a big pond. One wrongmove and we will be eaten.”

Jehangir Pocha, who isorginally from Bombay, is aBeijing-based correspondentfor The Boston Globe. Hisarticles have also appeared inThe Philadelphia Inquirer, SanFrancisco Chronicle, ChicagoTribune, India Today, Boston

Review and Businessworld.

"Never doubt that a small group of concernedcitizens can change the world. Indeed, it isthe only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead

15


When Zoroastrians think of theland of their ancestors, they most oftenthink of Persia or modern day Iran. Yet thereis a country whose very name shouldsuggest to us that our ancestral historymight also be located there. That country isAzerbaijan, which means “the land of fire,” areference to thespontaneousignition of surfaceoil deposits or tothe fires fuelednaturally by thesedeposits in thetemples of theonce-dominantZoroastrianreligion. Legendhas it that theregion derived itsname fromAtropates(meaning“protected byfire”), a Persian governor in Alexander’scommand. Scholars believe that thecountry’s ancient names, Atropatene orAtarbatakan, became Azerbaijan in Arabicand that the semi nomadic Scythians settledin areas of what is now Azerbaijan in theninth century BC.

The Medes, who were of the same ethnicfamily as the Persians, founded an empirethat incorporated southernmost Azerbaijana century later. The Achaemenid Persians,under Cyrus the Great, subjugated thewestern part of Azerbaijan in the sixthcentury BC, when they subdued theAssyrian Empire to the west. As headvanced eastward, Alexander the Greatleft the Achaemenid Empire, which he hadintegrated into his possessions in 330 BC,in the hands of Persian satraps to govern.

Land of Fire: A Journey to Azerbaijan by rashna ba t l iwa la s ingh

In June 2004 I spent almost two weeks inAzerbaijan to gauge for myself the presenceof Zoroastrianism in a land that intriguedme. My daughter was conducting researchfor her senior thesis in Psychology atColorado College and had become closefriends with an Azerbaijani student. She

stayed a month toconduct her fieldinvestigation in Azericoncepts ofdepression and Ijoined her there. Iwas immediatelystruck by the infalliblewarmth and respectwith which I wasgreeted as aZoroastrian. TheAzerbaijanis are, ingeneral, an extremelyhospitable, warm,and outgoing people,so it’s likely that most

visitors to their country would be greeted inthe same way. But there seemed to be aspecial veneration reserved forZoroastrians, whom they consider theirancestors.

Although officially an Islamic country,Azeris, for the most part, are not strictpractitioners of Islam. While they identify aspart of the Islamic world, that identificationseems more political and cultural thanreligious. During the long period duringwhich Azerbaijan was a Soviet SocialistRepublic, overt religious displays orpractices were strongly discouraged if notforbidden. In the process, the country’sZoroastrian heritage was also suppressedand slowly relegated to the dusty shelves ofmemory. After the breakup of the SovietUnion, when Azerbaijan became anindependent republic in 1991, the country

Celebration s in Baku, Rashna in the forefront

16


began to claim its Zoroastrian heritage withpride and to honour it as an integral part ofits history and identity. Fire figuresprominently in the emblem of the Republic,although the Islamic crescent and star arefeatured on its flag.

When I wasintroduced as aZoroastrian by thefriends with whom Iwas staying, I wouldinevitably begreeted withremarks such as “Itis an honour,” or“You kept ourtraditions alive,” or“Because of you ourhistory was preserved,” and other suchstatements. People wanted toknow about India in general,but they particularly wanted toknow about the customs wefollowed as Zoroastrians.“Our Zoroastrian heritage isan inseparable part of whowe are,” they insisted, “It isingrained in our identity.”Frequently, it seemed thattheir knowledge of the religionhad been beenperspectivized, inexorablyperhaps, by Westerncommentaries andviewpoints. The result was asomewhat Orientalistunderstanding, characterizedby terms such as “fireworshippers,” which they used frequently.Time and again I would explain patientlythat “fire worshippers” was a label thatWestern scholars had stuck on us and thatit was not strictly accurate. We venerate fireas a sacred symbol, I would point out, butworship only Ahura Mazda or God.

Nowhere was this confusion more evidentthan in the “Ateshgyakh” or “Atashgah” as itis more commonly transcribed, a fire templesituated at a distance of some thirty

kilometers from Baku in the southeast partof Surakhani in the Apsheron peninsula.

More bleak and barren surroundings for thismesmerizing monument cannot beimagined. As we approached the monument

on a warmafternoon, thelandscape turned toa wasteland ofderelict oil dykes anddesolate terrain: flat,brown and austere.Our host’sneighbour, EldarGuliyeb, an ethnicAzerbaijaniimmigrant fromGeorgia, offered to

drive my daughter, her friend and me there.To my surprise, they hadnever visited the Atashgahbefore, although they werewell aware of its existence.Nowadays, we were told,parties of schoolchildren visiton field trips and studypassages in the Avesta aspart of their curriculum.

As we left the outskirts of thecity, Eldar turned to mesuddenly and said, withemotion in his voice, “Youwere more faithful to thereligion than we were.” Notknowing how to reply, I simplysmiled and thanked him forhis observation. Finding theAtashgah turned out to be no

easy matter. We stopped to ask fordirections from a couple of men drinking teain a roadside cafe. Of course I couldn’tunderstand Azeri, but even so the directionsseemed elaborate, from all the hand wavingand finger pointing that went on. Finally,Eldar decided he would be able to find hisway and we set off again. We found theAtashgah alright, the Atashgah Restaurant!It took two more attempts to get accuratedirections before we finally found ourselvesat the shrine.

The Atashgah in its entirety

Close up of the Atashgah

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The Atashgah is a rather small, squarestructure, open on allfour sides, at thecentre of which is ablackened brick pitfrom which flames burnsteadily, lit by gas, nowpiped in but originallyemitting from a naturalsource. To the side ofthe building, in thecourtyard, is a well thatalso emits flames. Thestructure is situated ina courtyard of bakedmud from whichscrubby grass strugglesto escape. Flame alsoemanates from fourchimneys on the roof.In the middle of thestupa like structure is aShiva trident. Thispuzzled me, but whatpuzzled me even morewere the dioramas inthe pilgrims’ cells thatsurround the centraltemple. In the dark anddesolate cave likestructures, statues ofHindu ascetics stand,sit, or lie, barely lit bythe outside light, incontorted postures,emaciated andgrotesque. One statueof a sadhu depicts himin chains, longhairedand gaunt. Anothershows a sadhu in hisdeath throes. One cellhas been set up as asort of contemporaryHindu shrine with a statue of Ganesh andpictures of Shiva, Krishna and Sai Baba.Incense and a string of Russian madeplastic fruit and flowers grace a makeshiftaltar.

The caretakers invited us into their smallrooftop office to talk. They asked aboutFiroz Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. They knew

the former was a Parsi, but was confusedabout the latter. Theybrought out the guestbook, which we allsigned, and told us thatwe had just missedmeeting a professorfrom the Sorbonne whoworks with renownedZoroastrian scholar,Mary Boyce.

As best as I coulddetermine from varioussources, the buildings ofthe Atashgah: includingthe prayer rooms, cellsand caravanserais,were built between theseventeenth and thenineteenth centuries.The temple is built onthe site of a natural gasvent believed to havebeen sacred to theZoroastrians since the6th century AD. It wasbuilt, apparently, bymerchants, many ofthem Hindu, who hadheard on the Silk Roadabout the ever-burningApsheron fires. Pilgrimsfollowed merchants.They paid the local rulerfor permission to buildcells, prayer rooms,stables, and aguestroom (balakhane)at the temple. This mustexplain the Hindusymbols and puzzlingstatues, sculpted nodoubt to representthese pilgrims. The

structure was restored again in 1975 by thegovernment and is now managed by thestate historical and architectural authorities.The Sanskrit, Gurmukhi and Hindiinscriptions in the stone plaques aretestament to the Indian origins of thesestructures.

In 1858, the great French novelistAlexander Dumas visited the Caucasus.

Close up of the fire at Atashgah

Depictions of sadhus at Atashgah

Diorama at Atashgah

18


Dumas journeyed through the region fornine months and described his impressionsof the Atashgah in his book, Travels in theCaucasus, which was published thefollowing year in Paris. He has left us withan imaginative and poetic account of thetemple as he saw it:

“There was a bigquadrangular buildingthat also was lit by afire. Reflections of theflames danced on thewalls of the building,making it seem like thebuilding itself wasmoving. There was awhite washed temple,surrounded by littleovens again filled withtongues of flame. Thegas burned with such loud noise that eachof these little ovens sounded like a bigfurnace. On the roof, great tongues of flamewere emitted from each of the four cornersof the big cupola. But these flames were

weaker than the fire nearbythe Eastern entrance of thetemple.”

The ritual Dumas describes,however, seems to beHindu in nature. He exhortshis countrymen to hurry ifthey want to see “these fireworshippers” because,according to him, “The onlyworshippers left are an oldman and two others around

30-35 years old. One of the young men hadjust arrived from India only six monthsearlier. That is, before him there were onlytwo worshipers left at Atashgah.”

The natural vent no longer emits gas andthe gas that fuels the fires at the Atashgahis now piped in. But one chilly night I sawfor myself the magnificence of naturallyoccurring fire, burning with its own force andcadence. I saw a sight that awed me as itmust have awed our ancestors, the YanarDag or burning mountain. It was there,under the stars and against a black sky that

I understood the power of fire far more than Ihad at the Atashgah or, indeed, at any humanbuilt structure. The Yanar Dag is not really amountain at all, but the base of steep, slopingsteppes where fires rage in a line of about 18metres or so. The flaming torches ofescaping methane were ignited accidentally in

1958. Some accountsclaim, however, that thefires have been burningfor centuries, from thetime of Alexander.

Ulviyya’s Uncle, agracious and humorousgentleman, took usthere after dark in hisaging Jiguli. The YanarDag is just outsideBaku, and next to thebluffs is a somewhat

shabby tea house that nonetheless put on aspread for us: nuts and biscuits, jams, and ofcourse the ubiquitous tea, taken with sugarand lemon in small, shapely glass tumblers.An Englishwoman, her Norwegian husbandand their children were roasting wieners atthe flames. They all spoke fluent Azeri andhad lived in Baku, where he works for an aidorganization, for some years. We climbed upthe hillside and the young people ran down,being sure to stop well before the bottom ofthe bluffs where the flames burned wild andfree. Standing under the stars at the top ofthe hill in the chill of the evening, the fieryflames below, it was easy to relive thewonder with which ancient Zoroastrians musthave regarded these natural outcrops of fireand its life restoring warmth.

As we drew chairs as close to the fire as wascomfortable, a breeze blew and billowed theflames out towards us. Behind us there wascool air and the Azeri songs from theteahouse. Before us was the intense heat ofthe flames and open steppes. Other than themusic and the plastic chairs on which we sat,we could almost imagine we were nomads,alone in an ancient world.

The only other Zoroastrian site in thecountry, as far as I could determine, isanother site of naturally occurring flame, but

Warming ourselves at Yanar Dag

Tablet at Atashgah

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this one in a remote and relativelyinaccessible region. But then there is theGyz Galassy or Maiden’s Tower, whichdates from the 5th to 6th century, thoughsome sources say the 11th. It’s hard to pindown a date in Azerbaijani history. Thiscylindrical tower, 90 foot tall and erected oncoastal rock, still stands as it did more than1000 years ago. There are a number oflegends that have arisen around it, but whatfascinated both my daughter and me is theinsistent presence of swallows thatcontinually circle the tower. An intriguingplatform that protrudes from the cylindricalstructure made me wonder if this mighthave been some sort of tower of silence atone time, but this is pure conjecture. Thereis no historical or archaeological evidenceto support this idea or, indeed, to supportany of the contesting theories or legendsabout its origin and use.

More than in the monuments, however, theZoroastrian heritage is evident in thelineaments of the people. No two Azerislook alike: some look Turkish or Persian orArab, while some could pass as EastEuropean. But every now and then I wouldsee a face that looked pure Parsi. Thiscountry, the denizens of which insist is thebirthplace of our prophet, Zarathushtra, is aworthwhile travel destination for all Parsis.One thing is sure: they will be received likelong lost relatives returned home.

Some facts are taken from the following sources:http://www.azer.com/http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Azerbaijanhttp://countrystudies.us/azerbaijan/4.htm

q

Rashna Batliwala Singh, born and raised in India, first came tothe US for graduate study. After receiving her Master’s degree inEnglish from Mount Holyoke College in 1971, she pursued a PhDin English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.Thereafter she returned to India to teach at a postgraduateinstitution. Currently she is a Visiting Professor at ColoradoCollege. Singh is the author of a pioneering study of British colonialliterature entitled “The Imperishable Empire: British Fiction onIndia”, published in 1988 by Three Continents Press. “Goodly isOur Heritage: Empire, Children’s Literature” and the “Certitudeof Character”, is forthcoming from Rowman & Littlefield. Shehas also contributed to Asian American Playwrights: “A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook”, published by GreenwoodPress in 1988, and has written many scholarly articles and papers.

Appeal from Mancherji Edalji Joshi Memorial

Trust

Homi Daruwalla writes:

We had approached you in January 2003 with an appeal fordonation to feed poor members of the community who do not evenhave a square meal to eat.

Fortunately, the appeal made almost two years ago, generatedtremendous response not only from Godrej employees and theirrelatives, but even from members of the community. Fortunately,my e-mail was passed on to many Zoroastrians abroad and asizeable amount of donation was received. The amount which kepton pouring in for the last one and half years crossed Rs100,000.

We are grateful to you for not only contributing generously, butalso giving wide publicity to this noble scheme, which has benefitteda number of indigent and infirm Parsis staying in and around Dadar.

At present we have 24 old Zoroastrians who are alone. Most ofthem are frail, weak and bed ridden and do not have strength to goto the roadside food stall, depending solely on their neighbours tobring some food for them to survive.

Some details of the Food Scheme

Today, this Food Scheme is feeding the above mentioned 24 elderlyand have also taken 31 school children of poor Parsis studying inour schools at Wadia Vatcha, DPYA and Maneckji Seth AgiaryHostel. The cost is Rs20 per meal, which is simple but wholesome.To feed one person for a year costs Rs14,400.

The Food Scheme is run by the charitable trust, MANCHERJIEDALJI JOSHI MEMORIAL TRUST, which not only supervisescooking of the food, but also delivers through the dabbawalas.

The total cost of feeding these 24 infirmed and 31 students comesto Rs4.50 Lacs annually and the Trust need your handsomecontribution to keep the scheme running. Fortunately for us, wegathered a good donation last year for the food scheme to continue.However, anything new always begins with a great response, butif the response starts waning, we will have to stop the “FoodScheme”.

Your donations can be made by cheque in favour of “MANCHERJIEDALJI JOSHI MEMORIAL TRUST”.

I will be happy to answer any of your queries on the Food Schemerun by the Trust. Further enquiries are also welcome via e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] q

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Ageing is an evitable

process of human

development. We age

from the day we are

born. Some of us age well

and some not so well. And what is the

cause of this difference in ageing styles?

Can science explain this? How can a

woman closing in on her second century

be as robust, almost defiantly, healthy

while men and women decades younger

are languishing feebly in nursing homes

plagued with failing bodies and failing

minds and wishing they had not been so

unlucky as to live so long.

For most of human history, a long andhealthy life has been shrugged off as a giftfrom the gods – or maybe the undeservedreward for a lifetime of plain cussedness.But to gerontologists the vagaries of ageinghave become the focus of intense scientificresearch.

It is obvious even to non scientists that howyou get to age well depends partly on thegenes you are born with and partly on thelife style, what and how much you eat, thealcohol you consume, the exercise habitsyou have, where you live and what type oftrauma and stress, social, emotional orfinancial you experience, your psychologicaltraits, the presence and absence of supportfrom family and friends, the general role youplay in society. The extent to whichlongevity depends on each of these factorswas unknown until Swedish scientiststackled the problem in 1998. By looking atidentical twins separated at birth and rearedapart, they were able to determine that only20% to 30% of how long we live is

b y d o l l y d a s t o o r

The quality of life and social safety net for the Zoroastriansenior

genetically determined, and the rest isattributed to lifestyle.

How does this information translate into theZoroastrian reality. What is the lifestyle ofthe Zoroastrian old? We are an ageingcommunity with 33% of Zoroastrians inIndia over the age of 60. This percentagehas increased from 17.9% in 1961 to 33%in 1999. (BPP Review, Summer 2004 pg 30)In North America, 10% of the Zoroastrianpopulation are over age 65 (FEZANAJournal Winter 1999), in Pakistan, 36 % ofthe Z population is over 60 (ZarathushtrianCensus of Pakistan 1995). (We have nofigures for Iran). Of course this alarmingrate of growth is the trend globally, causingmuch concern to social and economicplanners. (India 7%, USA 12.7% and UK15.7%) Providing services for this fastestgrowing segment of the population is a realchallenge.

The problem in India is confounded by thefactors of changing family structures, rapidurbanization and international migration.Added to this is the fact that in the over 60age group 22.6% are males and 25.6%females, and of these 51% of the males and37% of females are single. So where is thesocial safety net for this segment of thepopulation? Who looks after this segmentof the Zoroastrian population in India?

This touches many of us living in thediaspora, who have aged and older parentsstill living in the home countries, lookedafter by the goodwill of friends and distantrelatives or at the mercy of temperamentalpaid help. But in most cases ofZoroastrians with no children or with noliving relative, there is no one to providesupport and help. The elderly live inneglected housing conditions, with limitedfinancial resources, poor health, poor diet,

21


social isolation, vulnerable and easy targetfor financial exploitation and abuse. Somealso suffer from cognitive and memory loss,which go undetected and undiagnosedmaking the older person the butt of ridiculeand jokes.

Lifestyle is very strongly influenced byoutside factors such as the people weassociate with, where we live and theservices that are provided to enable seniorsto age well. Local communities, thevoluntary sector and the government haveroles to play in creating conditions thatmake successful ageing possible forseniors.

So what is the responsibility of everyZoroastrian in finding creative solutions ofhelping this vulnerable segment of ourcommunity. At the 7th World ZoroastrianCongress in Houston, 2000, SoonamaiDessai had presented a very well thoughtout action plan, “Development of a supportsystem of care for our elders based onvalues cherished by the Zarathushticommunity”. (FEZANA Journal, Fall 2003,pgs 48-52). We can go even further takingthe example of other communities and Non-Governmental Agencies (NGOs) like WorldVision with their “Adopt a Gran” programme.It is generally agreed that giving a monthlystipend or a “dole” however “good” it maymake the giver feel for the moment is notthe right answer. It takes more than moneyto improve the quality of life and lifestyle ofthe elderly. A change in the mind-set thatcommunal living in a supervised residenceis not the ultimate fulfillment of the concept“abandoning your parents”.

The “MANCHERJI EDALJI JOSHIMEMORIAL TRUST” currently operates afood scheme in the Dadar Parsi Colonyarea, Mumbai which feeds 24 old and infirmfor a cost of Rs40 per day or Rs1,200 permonth or Rs14,400 per year. ie. US$360per year or US$30 per month. (Appeal onpage 19) This information was obtainedfrom the Trust Fund and also has beencirculated on the Zoroastrian Women’sInternational Network (ZWIN) andelsewhere. This food scheme has been

organized by Mithu Jesia. Contactnumbers and email are:Tel: +91 22 2414 9571; Mobile: 09820982623email: [email protected] [email protected].

But we need to go beyond feeding 24people and broaden this food scheme tocover different aspects of care

ACTION PLAN

1. Develop a registry of people over the age of 65 in the community, their areas of concentration and their needs.

2. Assessing the type of need a. financial help and budgeting their limited resources

b. social/emotional c. practical assistance for home

repairs, paying bills, d. health and medications e. ???

3. Check on resources available in the community at large

4. Develop a group of volunteers, preferably from the coterie of recently retired who like to keep busy

5. Each volunteer to be responsible for a group of seniors (needing assistance) in their geographical area to respond to the needs.

6. To involve seniors in productive activities. People who remain engaged in life and socially connected to those around them are happier and in better physical and mental health

7. A world wide appeal for a monthly contribution of US$30 to sponsor/adopt an elderly Zoroastrian person. The sponsor to keep in touch directly or through their own local personal contacts. Annual report on the status of the sponsored individual to be sent

22


8. To appoint a co-ordinator of the project

9. Form a committee with expertise and interest in ageing issues to whom the co-ordinator is responsible

10. The project could be centralized through a central body like the BPP or WZO or through another NGO specially set up.

The time has come to organize ourselvesand develop infrastructures for ourcommunity, to spread our individual wealthand good fortune around and to share ourorganizational expertise so that we are ableto protect the needy and the vulnerable.The aim is to create a local communitywhere all older citizens can enjoy inclusion,safety, integration, engagement and choice.When the conditions are favorable, peoplehave the resources and incentives to stayhealthy and engaged and to copesuccessfully with limitations and change.Communities have an important role to playin fostering socialization and promotingengagement.

This is a preliminary skeletal plan. Peopleinterested in developing this further shouldcontact the author at:[email protected]

q

Dolly Dastoor PhD, President of FEZANA1994-1998, and co-chair of the 7th WorldZoroastrian Congress. She has attended andpresented papers at the World ZoroastrianCongress in India and Iran and in NorthAmerican conferences; at the World Parliament

of Religions in Chicago and in Capetown; Governor, 2002-2004, District 2, ZONTA International, a serviceorganization promoting the status of women. Clinicalpsychologist by profession, Dolly is the Co-Director ofProgramme in Dementia, Douglas Hospital, McGillUniversity and lives in Montreal, Canada.

(Dina had posted her thoughts on this subject oncreating awareness and on Hamazor’s requesthas made the same into an essay for us)

On this anniversary of 9-11-01, a day thatis burned in my mind, a day that hasbrought about so much change in ourbeloved country, and around the world, Ihave been reflecting.

There are so many things about the UnitedStates that reflect the Zoroastrian principlesthat I love - the freedom to choose, thequest for truth and what is right, the rule oflaw (that no one is above the law) whichreminds me of asha. The idea that we areall equal in the eyes of the law. Thefriendliness and generosity of neighbourhelping neighbour. All very Zoroastrian. Allvery American.

Has 9-11 changed us?

I miss the freedom from security concernsthat we so enjoyed in the pre-9-11 days.Will we ever get back to them? I wonder.Thinking about it made me realize that our“enemies” (the terrorists and fanatics) havechanged us by their actions, without ourconsent. How do we deal with that in a waythat does not allow them to define us.Because if we allow them to define us, theywill have won.

To me, the rule of law is very dear. In theMiddle Ages, in Europe, Kings could dowhatever they wanted. They could do no“wrong” from a legal point of view. Whatthey said and did, was the law, howeverunjust, and folks had no say about it.

Then came the Magna Carta. A documentwhich the Barons in England made the Kingsign, which gave them certain basic rights,like the Writ of Habeas Corpus, whereby theCourts could require the King to produce

Reflections on 9-11 b y d i n a g m c i n t y r e

23


someone he was holding in prison, so thatthe Courts could determine by what rightthe person was being imprisoned. Thuswas established a break from the old way ofthinking that the King was the law and coulddo what he wanted.

In about the 16th century, the people ofEngland got the idea that they should beable to elect representatives who wouldhave some authority to pass laws, mostlythe right to tax, at that time - requiring asharing of power between the king and aparliament of elected representatives.

In the reign ofKing James I, inEngland, a famouslawyer andcounsellor had thecourage toarticulate what theMagna Carta andthe concept of anelected parliamenthad started - theprinciple that theKing was notabove the law.

And in 1776 andthe yearsfollowing, theAmericanRevolution took achance on a greatexperiment - aconstitutional formof government thatwas elected by the people. Not many folksare aware of it, but the Constitution givesthe government specified limited powers,and reserves all other powers to the people.It also put in place a system of checks andbalances, allocating governmental powerbetween the Executive (President), theLegislature and the Judiciary - each anindependent branch of government – andthe nation adopted a Bill of Rights as anamendment to the Constitution, whichguaranteed certain basic freedoms to

individuals which could not be taken awayby majority rule.

Our system of laws is not perfect, (whathuman endeavor is!) but the United StatesConstitution, and the Constitutions of thevarious states in the United States,established the principle that we are anation of laws. That no person is above thelaw. And no person is outside the protectionof the law.

In Nazi Germany, Jews were declared to beoutside the protection of the law. They

could not enforceleases. Theycould not enforcecontracts. Theycould not enforcepersonal rights orproperty rights.They had nolegal standing inthe Courts. TheCourts wereclosed to them.At first, theGerman Courtstried to maintainsome degree ofindependence,and apply the lawequally, but whenthe Gestapostarted to“correct” theCourt’s decisionsit had a verydemoralizing

effect on the Courts, until finally, in a casedecided in 1936, the Reichsgericht, thehighest German Court, (whose judges wellmay have been stacked by Hitler), refusedto recognize the Jews living in Germany as“persons” in the legal sense. It held thatonly Aryans i.e. persons of German origin,and persons who by law were declaredequal to them, could enjoy all legal rightsand privileges. (See Fraenkel, The DualState (1941), page 39, and pages 93 — 96).

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I hope that we do not allow the terrorists tochange the fact that we are a nation of laws.That no one is above the law and that noone is beyond the protection of the law. Weneed to balance legitimate and necessarysecurity interests in our fight againstterrorism, with a commitment to preserveand protect the rule of law. For if we don’t,the terrorists will surely have won.

But it isn’t enough to protect and preservethe rule of law here in the United States. Ifwe are ever to defeat terrorism, we need tothink about how we can shrink theirrecruiting base. There is only one way inwhich I can think of doing that. With ashaand vohu mano — backed up with a lot ofxshathra.

Every act of injustice that we subsidize isthe best recruiting device that the terroristshave. We need to find ways to stopsubsidizing injustice, and adopt policies thatgive people in the Middle East a chance tolive good lives — raise children, earnlivings, own homes, own businesses, enjoyrecreations, have some say in the rules thatgovern their lives, give them an interest inpreserving what they have, instead ofblowing things up because they havenothing to lose.

I cannot think of a single major religion thatdoes not have a fanatic element - exceptBuddhism. Fanatics will always be with us.But at least we can use our minds andhearts to shrink their influence amongstaverage people. How do we do that if notby changing minds? by delivering what iswrong into the hands of what is right (asZarathushtra said)? by promoting “whatfits” (asha) with good thinking, good wordsand good actions?

The values that we cherish are not free.Each generation has it’s own challenges.Each generation has to win these valuesover and over, create them, and re-createthem, with our (lawful) choices in thoughts,words and actions. Even the failure tochoose is a choice.

q

Dina G McIntyre, is aZoroastrian, born in Indiaand came to USA in1956. She earned a lawdegree from the Universityof Pittsburgh, School ofLaw, has practiced law inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania,since 1963, is a memberof the bar of all federal andstate courts inPennsylvania, and theUnited States SupremeCourt. She has been astudent of the teachings ofZarathushtra since theearly 1980s, and was theEdi tor of a 12 lessoncourse on the Gathascalled An Introduction tothe Gathas ofZarathushtra, which shedistributed world-wide in1989-90. She haslectured on the teachings ofZarathushtra at various

conferences and seminarsin the US, Canada,England and India. Herwritings on the teachings ofZarathushtra appear onthese websites:www.vohuman.org andwww.zarathushtra.com

I would like to share myexperience of the month I spent in Madras,India, this summer, volunteering at the SivaSakthi Home for the mentally handicappedas well as destitute children includingorphans. The Home is a project of the SivaSakthi Sathya Sai Charitable Trust. Thiswas my first trip to India without my parentsand I was accompanied with a studentfriend who was volunteering with me.

My interaction was with the mentallychallenged including administratingphysiotherapy on some of them.Communication was difficult since they didnot speak English, but spent most of ourfree time teaching them the language,whereas at work we communicatedbasically with hand signals and variouswords. Our time during the month wasspent mainly with the children. We taughtthem a dance for a fundraising show theHome had to raise money for their newproject in Kanchipuram. Our only desirewas to be with these children, as they werea sheer delight. They had so little, but wouldstill burst with joy and laughter for everysimple thing. One day we gave them asticker and pencil each and they wereovercome with excitement. What a pricelessexperience to see their faces light up forthese “luxury” items.

The trip truly was an experience toremember. It was an extremely hot summerwith no rains in Madras in July, with powercuts and water problems, having to carrybuckets of water down the street and up thestairs for our bath. Since ouraccommodation was a room in the homeitself, we ate the same food they did (allvegetarian south Indian food), took part in

Volunteering is a

rewarding experience b y t a n a z k h o r y

25


the sweeping and cleaning, washing anddrying of clothes, and helped feed thehandicapped.

In between our work we did do some travellingand sightseeing around Madras such asMahibalipuram, Dakshin Chitra, Pondicherry,and took a short trip to Bangalore and Mysore.In Mysore we saw the Palace which wasincredible with its unique mix of architecture,and highly decorated interior, including artifactsfrom all over the world. Pondicherry and theother places were quite touristy but still veryethnic and historical.

This was one of the most rewardingexperiences I have so far in my life. Going toIndia with only a friend and spending thetime in this facility with long days and hardwork made me realize how very fortunate Iam. Even with growing up in Saudi Arabiaand having visited India about once a year, itwas my first trip to southern India, changingmy perspective of the world. I appreciate thelife I have so much more, and wish I couldhelp more people who are less fortunate.

Although my time at Siva Sakthi in Madras isover, I am currently the International Directorfor Queen’s Rotaract, the university versionof Rotary International, and I have chosenSiva Sakthi as our international project forwhich our fundraising money will be sent to.

I definitely recommend this experience toany other youth from Canada and the USAwho wish to have a memorable experienceand one that will change their outlook on theworld forever. For more informationon the Siva Sakthi Homes pleasevisit www.sivasakthi.org or feel freeto email me for any other informationon [email protected]

Spending quality time with the children after our daily dance class

Our evening English study time

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The Siva Sakthi staff members andhandicapped adults

Tanaz Khory, 20, is currently in her third year ofundergraduate Nursing Science at Queen’s University inOntario, Canada. After being born in Calgary, Canada,she spent most of her life in Saudi Arabia. She has returnedto Canada for her university education and plans to continueher graduate studies in the health care field. Within heruniversity she is actively involved, being the InternationalDirector for Queen’s Rotaract Club, volunteering at theQueen’s University International Center, and part of Queen’sDance Clubs.

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hey have never known a world withoutcell phones, pagers, fax machines,answering machines, rap music, airbags,ATM’s, MTV, CNN, McDonald’s, and USAToday. They are bettereducated, more creative, andmore techno-savvy than anyother generation and can getinformation from around theworld almost instantaneously.They’re more alike thandifferent, celebrate differences inculture, and are moreentrepreneurial at younger ages.Most importantly, they’re lessdiscriminatory and lessprejudiced than previousgenerations. These are just afew qualities that define today’sZoroastrian youth. With such avast opportunity to network andconnect with one another, whydo our Zoroastrian youth chooseto marry outside the religion?

One factor which influences therate of finding and marryingsomeone is the availability ofpartners. If there are largenumbers of people with a similarreligious outlook, the chance offinding someone of the samereligion is high. Thus in a smallreligion such as ours, we will findthat our youth are limited in thenumber of choices they have to build arelationship with someone. This is in part thereason why so many of our youth arelooking outside the religion for strongrelationships. Interestingly enough, I alsofind that in communities where theconcentrations of suitable partners arehigher, there is a higher percentage ofZoroastrians marrying within the religion. Asobvious as many of you may think this is, ithas dawned on me why have we not done

b y n i k a n h k h a t i b i

Yesterday’s youth are not the same as today’s

our best as parents, community leaders, andyouth leaders to create events or place aheavier focus on matchmaking/networkingevents in our congresses and local

gatherings? We have done agreat job to explore theacademic realm of ourcommunity and share thatknowledge through congresses,books, the internet, chats and Iunderstand and appreciate this –but what about maintaining thevitality of our religion throughsocial networking. This isanother reason why it isimportant to organize morecongresses that in my opinion,not only stimulate our academicsenses, but are geared towardsactual social interactions andopportunities for our youth tobefriend one another.

As a youth looking at whatparents have done, I mustcontinue to encourage allparents to motivate their youth tomarry within the religion. Mostimportantly, as parents, you musttake an active role to help youryouth meet other Zoroastrianswho they can befriend and get toknow better for their future.Simply taking an active role inyour youth’s social life takes us

one step closer to maintaining the vitality ofour religion. Secondly, I have not seenenough support from the Zoroastrianassociations towards social networking forour youth. We must realize that marryingwithin the religion should be held to thehighest of priorities and every aspect of ourlocal community must address this situation.Associations must work more effectively andefficiently to create programmes and eventswhere our youth can come together and

- a youth’s perspective

“I have come to realize thatit’s so hard to makeZarathushti friends justbecause we are so spreadout. The only time I ever getclose enough to make friendswould probably be at thecongresses, but that’s stillonly for a short time.” -Delnaz Irani

“I get pressure from myfamily to marry someoneinside the religion butsometimes I wonder if theyrealize how hard it is tofind someone who I reallycan love. I agree with youNikan, we are so spreadout that there really isn’tan opportunity to meetother Zarathushtis. We’vegot to do something aboutovercoming this challenge”– Anonymous

27


meet. Finally, we youth must do our best to attend events and congresses, no matter if you do notfind them up to your expectations, because it allows you to interact with members of your owncommunity and gain a personal insight into your past.

Now for those youth who are destined or who have already chosen a path to marry outside thereligion, I encourage you to extend your circle to include this community. Share with your family thegreatness that our religion stands for. Just because you have chosen a partner who is not aZoroastrian does not mean that you are forced to lose ties with your community.

Instead, now is the time to strengthen your connection with the community and more importantly,bring your family alongside. It is your duty as a Zoroastrian to share your knowledge of the religionand the message of Zarathushtra and allow others to righteously choose their own path of worship.

Youthful Readers, when it comes down to it, I understand it is very hard for us to meet otherZoroastrians with similar likes and dislikes as we do. What we can do to improve our situation is toinvolve ourselves in local events, congresses, and really take an active role in the community towiden our horizons and likelihood of making other Zoroastrians friends.

To start with, I would like to publish what’s going on with your youth group. Please send me an emailwith a picture of a recent activity or group picture and let me know what’s going on in your city? Also,include any comments on events that you feel have been successful in your community. We’ll bewaiting.

Email: [email protected]: www.JoinNikan.com

Tel: 949-842-9628

q

Trusted experience, provenleadership and a dedication toimprove the quality of life ...that’s what Nikan Khatibi isall about. Recentlygraduating from theUniversity of California,Irvine with a Bachelor inScience, Nikan is currentlyfinishing up his Masters inBusiness Administration(MBA) with hopes ofattending medical school inthe future. At the age of 22,he is the youngest director forhis city’s Chamber ofCommerce & HolidayParade Commission, and isthe founding director ofStudents for Success.Moreover, he is an editor forthe ‘Youthfully Speaking’section of the FEZANAJournal and is past presidentof the Youth of the CaliforniaZoroastrian Center.

These Zoroastrian youth have gathered at a local event in Washington DC

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"Persepolis Recreated" is a spectacularproduction that presents a virtual re-creationof the Palace complex of the Persian Kings attheir highland capital of Persepolis in theprovince of Fars in southwestern Iran. Theglories of ancient Persia unfold, thanks to themodern computer-assisted graphics. This filmis like an expert x-ray eye, that probes throughthe ravages of 23 plus centuries starting withAlexander in “his drunken fit” in 331-330 BC,shaken by uncounted earthquakes, eroded by25 centuries of rain, fluctuating temperaturesand scouring winds and ending with theneglect and devastation by the ruling regimes,have laid bare the skeleton of the oncegrandest city of Persepolis, coined “the richestcity under the sun,” in the then civilized worldof 500-300 BC, started by the Achaemenian“King of Kings” Darius I and completed by hissuccessors Xerxes and Artaxerxes I.

“Yet, the ruins of Persepolis remain anawesomely impressive sight 2,500 years afterit was built. Even today, those who step up toits gigantic terrace of 125,000 square metersand see its majestic columns are filled with asense of awe drifting into a dream-like trance.

“A dream in which one tries to visualize thebeauty and dazzling splendor of Persepolitanpalaces before their sad destruction.”

In this spirit of dream, imagination, hard work,exhaustive research, and computersimulations, Mr Farzin Rezaeian and hisassociates have clothed this magnificent

b y s o l i d a s t u r

Persepolis Recreated

Review of the book and DVD film

(Some of the review material and photos are taken from the website with permission of theproducers of the book and DVD, “Persepolis Recreated” by Mr Farzin Rezaeian, Award-winningdocumentary and educational film producer and director: http://sunrisefilmco.com/p4film.htm )

skeletal edifice of Persepolis ruins into avibrant historical monument as it could havebeen in its heydays, two thousand plus yearsago.

“Persepolis Recreated” is the name of thisdocumentary DVD film and its companionbook, produced by Mr Farzin Rezaeian’sSunrise Film Co., featuring some of theleading scholars of ancient Persia.

The companion book describes the importantbuildings in this Persepolitan terrace narratedin the film. Mr Rezaeian used some innovativetechniques to show the present day ruins asthey are and then with the use of one or moretransparent colourful overlays havereconstructed (“clothed”) these bare boneskeletal remnants with the richness and beautyas they might have looked in their heydays.The book itself is a very rich and colourfulresource of these magnificent ruins.

The NTSC formatted DVD film takes theviewer a few more steps ahead and recreatesin front of his/her eyes a magical tour of thewhole complex as if he/she was there 2500years ago. Imagine yourself as the head ofone of the 28 countries’ delegation invited tocelebrate with the “King of the Kings” DariusI, the Now Ruz (New Year on March 21st)festival.

You arrive at the impressive Gate of Xerxes,from which a broad stairway descends.Xerxes, who built this structure, named it “TheGate of All Countries,” for all visitors had topass through this, the only entrance to the

“

29


q

terrace, on their way to Apadana Hall to payhomage to the “King of the Kings”.

At the Gate, you are escorted by a RoyalGuard up the stairways to the platform andthen to the Apadana Hall to pay homage tothe King of Kings and to present him gifts ofsilver and gold vessels and vases, weapons,woven fabrics, jewelry, and animals from yourown country.

The film recreates this scene using beautifulcomputer simulations and “beams you back”to this magnificent celebration some 2500years ago.

The film further simulates the othermagnificent buildings of the time such as theThrone Hall, the Treasury, the Council Hall,the Palace of Darius and other notablestructures. All along, it recreates the richnessand grandeur of these buildings by floorcarpets, wall mosaics, ornamental ceilings,and the ever present Farohar symbol.

Throughout the film, renowned scholars fromFrance, USA and Iran have also commentedon the splendour and the function of thePersepolitan palaces. “Dr Matthew Stolper ofthe Oriental Institute was one of thosespecialists. He played an important role in thefilm by translating ancient clay tablets that hadrecords of transactions for workers on the site.His findings helped lead to the conclusion thatno slaves were used in the building ofPersepolis. Rezaeian also said that somewomen were paid twice as much as men andeven had supervising positions.” (Kat Glass,Chicago Maroon, University of ChicagoStudent Newspaper).

Mr Farzin Rezaeian, the Producer, is an award-winning documentary and educational filmproducer and director. He studied sociology,political science and communications atUniversity of Illinois in Chicago. For the pasttwenty years he has researched and writtenfor many educational and documentary filmsthat he has produced or directed at SunriseFilm Productions. “Persepolis Recreated” is hismost recent production.

Soli P Dastur, born as the last of 11 children in a small village, Tarapur, India, to a priestlyfamily from Udwada, he completed his high school in the M F Cama Athornan Institute boardingschool, completing his Navar, Martab, and Samel ceremonies in Udwada. After the first twoyears in St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and completing his B Chem Eng from the BombayUniversity Department Of Chemical Technology in 1960, he proceeded to USA for his graduate

schooling and received his MS and Ph D in ChemicalEngineering from the Northwestern University, Evanston,Illinois. He joined Procter & Gamble Co in Cincinnati in1964 and worked there for 30 years (last 3 years in Brussels,Belgium) retiring in 1994. Soli then worked as a partner inthe Partnering Group for 5 years consulting with the Groceryand Mass Merchandising Industries. He met Jo Ann inCincinnati on a blind date and has been married to her for38 years. They have twin daughters, Shirin and Anahita,and 5 grand children. Soli is fully retired and lives with JoAnn in University Park, Florida. He is an avid tennis player

and dabbles with the computer in his free time.

The cost of the NTSC format DVD film andaccompanying magnificent book is $85 percopy plus $10 for shipping and handling andcan be obtained from:

Sunrise Innovations Visual Ltd.,456 Washington Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302

(Ph: 708-386-2720)

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Memorial ceremony (Porseh)in honour of JahangirOshidary, Mobedan-e-Mobed, was held onThursday 3 November at

5 pm in Iraj Hall of Tehran ZoroastrianAnjuman.

Dr Jahangir Oshidary was born inGanatestan, a village of Kerman in 1920 toa Zoroastrian priestly family. He graduatedas a veterinarysurgeon fromTehran University atage 22, andimmediately joinedthe Iranian armyand later headedthe army’sveterinariandivision.

In 1973, he retiredwith distinctionhaving attained therank of a General,and has been livingin Tehran since.

Following in thefootsteps of hisfather andgrandfather, hebecame anordained mobedand served hiscommunity for oversixty years. He wasa member of the executive board of theTehran Anjuman for two terms. Hepublished numerous scientific and religiousarticles, and frequently wrote in Hookht,Faravahar, and Amordad magazines. He isthe author of 15 books, and received manyawards and recognitions.

Dr Oshidary was an active member of Iran’sKankash Mobedan (Council of Mobeds)

Mobedan-e-Mobed Dr Jahangir Oshidary

q

Courtesy: Mehran Sephri, Tehran

since 1981, and was appointed as the headof Council for the past two terms, since thedemise of the previous Mobedan-e-Mobed,Rustom Shahzadi. He spoke at severalZoroastrian congresses including ones heldin Tehran in recent years, as well as the 2nd

World Parliament of Religions in Chicago,and the Interfaith Congress in Thailand,three years ago. Besides his wife, he issurvived by 3 sons and 3 daughters, all ofwho are married and live in Tehran.

May AhuraMazda bless hissoul. RavanashShaad Baad.

(Note from Ed: Dr Oshidary had graciouslywritten for the commemorative issue ofHamazor : Volume XXXII, Issue 3/03, pp 108 –109)

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Before you pick up andread this book, you believedthat Parsis have practicallygiven none or negligiblecontribution to Indian music.By the time you are half waythrough it, you find out thattheir contribution is gigantic,if not, at least equal to thattowards industry, science,politics, sports or any otherfield. You will then realisethat your ignorance wasbecause their contribution tomusic was unsung, now

being ably sung by Aban.

In the book, you will come across suchgems as when you tune All India Radio firstin the morning, the stations begin their daywith a signature tune on the violin followedby the strumming of tanpuras, which is thework of Mehli Mehta, father of Zubin, who isa living legend of Western music. Then, wehave Coomi Wadia, the director andconductor of Paranjoti Academy Chorus,whose singers are dubbed as “the singingambassadors of India.”

You will read about the mind-bogglingcontribution of the Gayn Uttejak Mandli,started 150 years ago by KaikhushruKabraji, at the time when the societyseethed with rage against music. Heexpired in 1904 and during his lifetime waseditor of Raast-Goftaar, dramatist, novelist,lecturer and musician. The greatmusicologist and inventor of simple musicnotation, Pundit Bhatkhande was a studentof the Mandli and later a teacher. It is saidthat nothing is infinite in this universe, - theMandli became defunct in 1971.

the parsis and Indian classical music

- an unsung contribution by Dr Aban E Mistry

q

Reviewed by Noshir M Lam

Published by Swar Sadhna Samiti, Jer Annex, 1st Floor, Jambulwadi, Dhobi Talao, Mumbai—400002Hard bound, 138 pages Price Rs 300 : foreign Rs 465. Available from Parsiana Book Club — Website : parsiana.com

As creation and destruction are a part ofnature’s order, the legacy of the Mandli’swork was taken over by the Swar SadhnaSamiti, founded in 1961 by Pt Keki S Jijinaand Dr Aban E Mistry. In due course, theSamiti has evolved to suit contemporarytimes, always encouraging new andbudding artistes in music and dancethrough annual all India competitions,awarding scholarships and honouringtalented artists and musicologists. In thisbook, you will come across many moreParsi names of musicologists and dancers,then Parsi names in any other book onindustry, sports or any other field.

In the world of Indian dance, we have ShirinVazifdar, Khurshid Chawada and Roshan,amongst others. Parsis have ignored nogenre of Indian music. There are dozens ofParsi artistes mentioned in the book whoare, like rare diamonds, and multi-faceted.Aban has discussed each facet of thesebold and beautiful Parsi gems according tothe relevant chapters like Indian classicalmusic, shastria and lok nritya, sugamsanget, thumri, tappa, geet, ghazals,abhang, natya sangeet in dramas andoperas and several other music art forms.Not only that, but she has dealt withdramas, operas, music direction,background music in films, recordcompanies, sound recordists, in short eachand every contribution of Parsis towardsmusicology. Surely, before putting away thebook, you will clap and say:

“Well done Aban, you have wonderfullysung the song of the Parsi contribution toIndian classical music.”

Noshir Lam is BCom,LLB, FCA and theproprietor of N M Lam &Associates, CharteredAccountants, Mumbai.

He is the author of“Comprehensive Handbookfor Non Resident Indians”and “Mauritius -International Business &Tax Strategies”. Hepublished in 2004 “ParsiZoroastrians on Stamps-Religion, History &Culture”, whose secondrevised edition is underpreparation.

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WZO International Board Me

Australia

Dr Sam KerrUnit 5, ‘Agincourt’10 Larkin StreetRosevilleNew South Wales 2069

Canada

Mr Jehan Bagli1569 Wembury RoadMississaugaOntario L5J 2L8E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Marzi Byramjee288 Alscot CrescentOakbillieOntario L6J 4R4E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Rohinton Minwalla27 Danum RoadBramptonOntario L6Y 3G2E-mail: [email protected]

France

Mr Abtin Sassanfar22 Rue BeauzonParis 75008E-mail: [email protected]

India

Mrs Mani J Clubwala96 Santhome High RoadChennai 600 028E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Dadi B EngineerPresident, WZO IndiaJehangir Mansion (2nd Floor)71 N S Patkar MargHughes RdMumbai 400 007E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Kersi J LimathwallaB18, Aidum Building3rd Floor, 1 Dhobi Taloa RoadMumbai 400 002E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Dadi E MistryC-4/4113 Vasant KunjNew Delhi 110 070E-mail: [email protected]

Iran

Mr Mahyar ArdeshiriKhyabar Kargan ShomaliRubesuye Kruje DaneshgahKhyabar Parizdahom no 87Tehran

Mr Rostam Yeganegi233 Saadi AvenueTehran

Pakistan

Mrs Toxy CowasjeeEditor Hamazor2 A Mary RoadBath IslandKarachi 75530E-mail: [email protected]

Singapore

Mr Russi Ghadialli19 Grange Road, # 20-21Grange HeightSingapore 239 697E-mail: [email protected]

Sweden

Mobed Kamran JamshidiSaffransgatan 1 cAngered 424 24E-mail: [email protected]

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mbers for the year 2004 - 2005

United Kingdom

Ms Shahin BekhradniaReligious CoordinatorThe Old MillLidstone, Chipping NortonOxfordshire OX7 4HLE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Sam H BhiwandiwallaChairman11 Beeches WoodKingswood, TadworthSurrey KT20 6PRE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Shahpur F CaptainPast ChairmanWood Lodge190 Birchwood RoadWilmingtonKent DA2 7HAE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Rustam S DubashPresident48 Stanley Park RoadWallingtonSurrey SM6 0ETE-mail: [email protected]

Dr Godafreed S Irani16 Rowdon AvenueLondon NW10 2ALE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Framroze R JoshiTreasurer83 Claydon DriveBeddingtonSurrey CR0 4QXE-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Khurshid B KapadiaMembership Secretary“Rusalla”217 Pickhurst RiseWest WickhamKent BR4 0AQE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Dinyar J ModiJt Hon Secretary99 Furness RoadLondon NW10 5UJE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Darayus S MotivalaJt Hon SecretaryShanti BhavanChurch LaneChinnorOxon OX39 4PWE-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Tehmi N PatelJt Social Secretary20 Lake GardensHam, RichmondSurrey TW10 7SJE-mail: [email protected]

Mr Noshir J UmrigarJt Social Secretary93 Heathlee RoadBlackheathLondon SE3 9HS

USA

Dr Kersey H Antia8318 West 138 PlaceOrland ParkIllinois, IL 60462E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Keki R BhoteVice President493 Woodlawn AvenueGlencoeIllinois, IL 60022E-mail: [email protected]

Dr Meherwan P Boyce2121 Kirby Drive, 28NHoustonTexas TX 77019E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Dhunmai P Dalal2906 Elvido DriveLos AngelesCalifornia CA 90049-1106E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Sohrab R Felfeli800 Sunrise LaneElizabethtownKentucky KY 42701-2137E-mail: [email protected]

Prof Kaikhosrov D Irani410 Riverside DriveNew York NY 10025

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Parsis are renowned for theirown brand of humour and nothing illustratesParsi humour like natak plays. But thecontribution of Parsis to the realm of theatrein the Indian sub-continent is no laughingmatter. In Kim, Kipling mentions theGerman painter who travelled with the Parsitheatre company to work on the set.Scholars attribute the start of the theatre inthe Indian–Sub continent was by Parsis.Parsi theatre, while based on a Britishmodel, became an institution whereeducated people began to developautonomy in their city and lives.

Evolution of the Parsi Theatre

In 1840, Framji Cowasjee, a prominentmerchant prince, along with other leadingcitizens of Bombay submitted a petition for theconstruction of a new theatre to the Governor.After a campaign was carried out in the pagesof the Bombay Gazette and in meetings in theTown Hall, the government agreed tounderwrite the project. But the new theatreremained an unrealized dream until agenerous contribution by Jamshedji Jejeebhoyin 1846 opened the Grant Road Theatre.

Thus began an epoch in the urban life ofBombay and its public culture. Initially theBombay merchants with sharp businessacumen were the pioneers in establishing acommercial theatre. The playhouse openedunder English management, and the firstplays performed were in English. Beforelong however, the Grant Road Theatre wasrecognized as the ideal locus for Indiantheatrical productions. Parsi dramatic clubschose this site for their fledgling efforts, andfor the next three decades, Grant Road andits theatres were synonymous with the Parsitheatre.

For 100 years, from 1850-1950, Parsitheatre dominated the Indian culture scene.

b y a b a n r u s t o m j i

A Time for Natak – History of the Parsi Theatre

In its most creative period from 1870-1890, itbrought about a complete change in theattitude and perception about the theatre inthe minds of the people. The first dramacompany named Parsee Natak Mandalewas established in 1853. Faramjee G Dalalwas the proprietor and the first dramastaged at the Grant Road Theatre wasRustom and Sohrab. Also performed alongwith it was a farce Dhanji Garak. Thereaftertwenty more Parsi drama companies wereformed, giving a further momentum to thetheatre activity. The Natak Uttejak Mandalistaged 1100 shows over 16 years. InitiallyParsis who took a lead in this movementwere educated people, guided by a desire tocontribute towards the betterment of society.They viewed theatre as a medium throughwhich they could communicate with theordinary people. The theatre that arose outof these motivations had themes that carriedmoral and social messages for theaudience.

Theatre Productions

Productions by Parsi theatrical companieswere large-budgeted affairs. Plays openedwith actors in full makeup and costume -their hands folded and eyes closed, singingin a song of prayer song in praise of somedeity - and generally ended in a tableau.Sometimes at curtain call the directorrearranged the tableau in a split second andoffered a variant. Actors were required toknow singing, dancing, music, acrobats, andfencing and to possess strong voices andgood physical bearing. In improvisedauditoriums with bad acoustics and packedwith 2,000 people, actors’ voices reachedthe farthest spectator. Plays began at 10o’clock and lasted until dawn, moving fromcomedy to tragedy, from pathos to farce,from songs to the rattle of swords, allinterspersed with moral lessons and rhyming

35


epigrams. All playwrights took inspirationfrom Hindu mythology and Persian legends,transforming these tales into powerfuldramas.

One is amazed at the level of sophisticationthat the early theatre companies undertookfor their play productions.

A proscenium (seating) arch rose highabove the stage, positioning theplayers with an expansive pictureframe and separating them from theaudience. Massive painted curtainssets that shifted between the scenesand lavish costumes createdsumptuous atmospheres filled withexotic images. Gaslights placed onthe apron of the stage lit the playersfrom below accentuating theirgestures in an uncanny way. Seatsarranged by class and row announcedtimes for starting and stopping, andamenities such as refreshmentsrooms and intervals added a sense ofdecorum to the proceedings in thehall. Family shows where specialperformances for women were also afeature of the Parsi theatre’spopularity and growing respectabilityof the middle classes. Playhouseswere set up so the children weretended by their ayas.

Emerging Middle Class attend theTheatre

If the playhouse with its proscenium stagedefined the interior spatial set-up, it alsoaltered the older fluid geographies ofperformances. Beginning with the GrantRoad Theatre, theatrical entertainmentswere located within particular zones of thecity. Parsi theatre introduced new equationsbetween leisure and location.

As Bombay developed from a colonial portinto a major industrial center, the city’stheatre houses in their specific urbanlocations became indices of emerging socialand cultural formations. A new class of Parsimerchant princes and influential citizens, theshetias, liked to think themselves as cultural

agents in the metropolis. They were savvyinvestors and profited by their investments inthe theatrical world. Simultaneously it laidthe foundation for much broader classparticipation. Parsi theatre companies werelargely financed by shetias who bought andsold shares in them and stood to gain orloose sizeable amounts of money. The Parsi

theatre depended heavily on the emergingmiddle class of Bombay for its audience andcorpus of dramas.

A new theatre, the Gaiety Theatre, was builtnear Victoria Terminus. From the early days,there was geographical separation betweenthe European business and residence in thesouth in the Fort area to the Native town inthe north. Gradually, wealthy merchants,particularly Parsis, Banias and Bohras,dominated the northern part of the Fort.These affluent residents were among thefirst Indians to evince an interest in theatre,and they were well situated to observe thefondness of the British for the stage.

After the great fire of 1803, which destroyedmuch of the northern Fort district, Indianmerchants were encouraged to inhabit a

1. The Helen Theatrical Company, photographed by Raja Deen Dayal, November 11, 1907.Photograph courtesy: Hemlata Jain

Photographs 1 & 2are from AZoroastrian Tapestry:Art, Religion &Culture by Pheroza JGodrej & FirozaPunthakey Mistree.Publisher: MapinPublishing Pvt., Ltd.,Ahmedabad, withpermission.

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separate Native Town. A significantreclamation project was the completion ofGrant Road in 1839. Another theatre cameon the scene. It was known as the TheatreRoyal or simply the Play House (Pila Haus),a sole building onthe street at thetime of its opening.According to K NKabrajee, theinfluential journalist,it stood “as an oasisin the desert”.

Behind theScenes: ParsiTheatreInnovators andNotable Actors

Kaikhasru NKabrajee (1842-1904), an eminentjournalist whoedited the Gujaratinewspaper RastGoftar, establishedthe VictoriaTheatricalCompany. A man ofmany talents -author, journalist,playwright, actor,singer, and director- he possessed theability to develop and polish the differentfacets of a theatrical performances. Heperhaps more than any other of hiscontemporaries, recognized the usefulnessof theatre as an instrument for socialchange. For him, theatre could, through itsthemes, highlight the evils prevalent insociety and simultaneously instill new valuesthat were keeping with the times. He broughtidealism, altruism, and enthusiasm to thetheatre, which until then was considereddisreputable.

Dadbhai Sorabji Patel

Kabrajee was succeeded by DadbhaiSorabji Patel who brought innovative ideas

to it. It was he who produced the first Urdumusical play Benazir Babremunir. Thisdelighted members of the Bohra, Khoja andMemon communities; he also took the boldstep of introducing women on stage. Parsi

plays wereperformed indifferent parts ofIndia, and troupeswent to Burma andSingapore too.Performances ofHarishchandra andAlauddin in Londonwere graced by thepresence of QueenVictoria and EdwardVII and appreciatedby them. The growthof the middle-classaudience was aidedand abetted byBombay’s assortedEnglish and Gujaratinewspapers, whichdisplayed paidadvertisements,commented avidlyon performancesand created acontinuous furor ofdebate andsensation aroundthe fledgling theatre.

As Parsi theatreentered the phase of professionalism in the1870’s, more of the actors were drawn fromBombay’s lower classes, and classdifferentiation among the audience appearsto have increased.

Kavasji Khatau, Jehangir Khambatta andother actors are known to have lived in thenarrow lanes of Dhobi Talao, a poor districtcentrally located in the city.

Truly remarkable is the career of JehangirKhambatta, who set out for London as astowaway to see Shakespeare onstage,landed up in Java where he saw Othello actedby an Australian touring company, and wenton to be a legendary man of the theatre.

2. Kaikhashru Kabrajee. Photograph courtesy: Zoroastrian Studies

Works Cited:

Bharatiyadrama.com.“Parsee Theatre.” 27October 2004 http://bharatiyadrama.com/parsee.htm

Doshi, Saryu. “OfCostume and Sets:Parsi Theatre.” AZoroastrian Tapestry:Art, Religion & Culture.By Pheroza J. Godrejand Firoza PunthakeyMistree. MapinPublishing , 2003. 485491.

Hansen, Kathryn.“Parsi Theatre and theCity: Locations,p a t r o n s ,a u d i e n c e s . ” Sara iReader 2002: TheCities of Everyday Life.2 October 2004 http://www.sarai.net/journal/02PDF/04spectacle/02parsi_theatre.pdf

Rivetna, Roshan. “Onstage and screen.”FEZANA Journal Vol.16, No.4, Winter2003): pp 75-76.

Vaidyanathan, P V, Dr“ The DreamM e r c h a n t s ” .www.screenindia.com.29 August 2003 http://www.screenindia.comf u l l s t o r y . p h p ?content_id=5694

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Parsi play directors and actors were oftenfeted publicly for their talent andcontributions. In Allahabad, the Governor SirCharles Monroe presented gold medal toSohrabji Ogra and a hundred gold coins.

The prices for admission of tickets rangedfrom Rs 2.50 – Rs 3 for a box to less than aRupee for a place in the pit. As the base forParsi theatre broadened the audience wouldinclude Hindus, Muslims and non-Parsisspectators. The themes were nowdiversified. A bipartite structure ofpresentation was offered. Skits and farceswhose performance time was not fixed andwhich can be assumed to have catered to alowbrow audience followed the main drama.

Prominent among the lower caste audiencewere soldiers and sailors. The military forcesinvested in promoting theatrical evenings asa harmless form of entertainment. Soldierswere distracted from visiting the red lightareas.

A favourable reception was demonstrated byloud applause, shouting and demands that asong or dance be repeated “once more”.Multiple curtain calls and showering ofartists with cash or gifts or inam were alsocommon. Hurling of chappals, rotten fruit,empty liquor bottles and shouts of “shameshame” indicated disfavour. Given all theobstacles it is no wonder that theatremanagers spoke of their successfulperformances as victories and begged theiraudiences through their prologues andprefaces to show mercy and favour themwith kindness.

Parsi Theatre in New Worlds

The Parsi Theatre took a new turn in post-independence India with the rise of thepopular cinema.

The standard-bearers were Feroze Antiaand Dr Ratan Marshall. Adi Marzban freedParsi drama from the shackles of traditionand brought realism to the theatre. He was aplaywright, director and actor and a scriptwriter who received a UNESCO scholarship

and studied at the Pasadena Playhouse inthe United States.

The legacy of nataks continues. In the lastyear alone I have read of several

Zoroastrian associations around the worldadvertising nataks as fund raisers for theircommunities. Nozer Buchia and his trouperaised $20,000 for the Houston ZarathushtiHeritage and Cultural Center. This troupetravels to Toronto and Dallas in the effort ofraising local and Houston funds.

And what better can be said about ourtalents and or history then whatBombay Samachar wrote August 1, 2004:

“We may be stupidly xenophobic. Wemay not pay any heed to doomsdaydemographics. We may be the mostfoolish of all Zoroastrians. We maycontinue to persist with the Towers ofSilence even when there is not a singlevulture. We may be cantankerous. Wemay totter on the lunatic fringe. Butnone can fault our sense of humor -natural, original, open, unmalicious andself deprecatory.”

Kaka Atakyo Bhatrijo Latakyo written, directed and performed by Nozer Buchia.L to R: Kamarukh Gandhi, Peshotan Unwalla, Yasmin Medhora, Nozer Buchia,Persis Buchia, Kaizad Sunavala and Noshir Medhora

q

Aban Rustomji, a highschool media specialist,lives in Houston where sheis the recipient of severaleducational awards. Anadvocate for education andlibraries, Aban is currentlyinvolved in opening alibrary that will house bookson Zoroastrian religion,history, literature andculture at the ZoroastrianAssociation of Houston.An avid reader andtraveller, Aban visitsAfghan refugee camps inQuetta, Pakistan. As aresult of these visits she hasbeen invited to work on anUS AID project in

Pakistan. Aban is alsoa team member of [email protected] usergroup and values herconnection with peopleon the cyber net world.

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PARSIS -The Zoroastrians of India

b y t h r i t y u m r i g a r

- A photographic Journey

If the Parsi community has aRenaissance woman, surely SooniTaraporevala would be it. An Oscar-nominated screenwriter, she is also a well-known photographer, whose work has beenexhibited in the United States, Europe andIndia.

For the last twenty-four years, Taraporevalahas also been photographing the Parsicommunity in India, amassing a vastcollection of photographs that capture hersubjects at home and in public places suchas weddings, the fire temple, the street andat the Tower of Silence. Along the way, shehas captured all the rituals of Parsi life - thefestive Navjote and wedding ceremonies,the public prayers at the shores of theArabian sea, the lighting of the divas at thefire temple and finally, the last journey tothe Tower of Silence.

Now, this labour of love has beenassembled in a beautiful hardcover coffee-table book titled Parsis: The Zoroastrians ofIndia A Photographic Journey (OverlookPress; $60).

There is such intimacy and immediacy tosome of these photographs, that those of usborn in India and now living in farawayplaces will feel our hearts involuntarilysqueeze and sigh at the beloved familiarityand warmth of these pictures. The old menin their daglis, the bent old ladies in theircotton dressing gowns and head coverings,the elderly priests in their thick white beardsand white sadras all of these photographsfeel as if they’ve popped out of our ownindividual photo albums.

Taraporevala has also shot several portraitsof Parsis whose names and legends we

grew up with – Sam Maneckshaw, ZubinMehta, Freddy Mercury, Nani Palkhiwala,Dina Vakil, Farokh Udwadia. It will be aspecial thrill to readers of a certain age tosee and recognize these faces, just as Isuppose younger readers will rejoice at thephotos of Simeen and Cyrus Oshidar,Navaz Bhatena and Shiamak Davar.

Some of my favorite photographs in thisbook are those of Taraporevala’s own family- a wonderful portrait of her grandmothercovering her face up as she laughs, her rail-thin grandfather dressed in baggy pants anda hat buying fountain pens at a roadsidestall in Flora Fountain, and a candid,informal shot of the family spending anevening on the terrace of their building.

But as compelling as the photographs are,what really engaged me in this book was

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the accompanying text. The writing in thebook ranges from a heartfelt, personalessay titled “My Bombay”, whereTaraporevala describes her close-knit,educated, cosmopolitan extended family, tointerviews with a variety of subjects asdiverse as Ratanshah Katila, a priest wholived in Udwada, to Cyrus Oshidar, creativedirector of MTV.

The book also has a lengthy introduction,which mixes personal and political history.It is a masterfully condensed history of theParsis and even though many of the storieswill be familiar to Parsi readers,Taraporevala has an amazing way ofpolishing an old story so that it sparkles.For instance, one line in the Introductiongave me chills: “Though most of us have noidea what we are praying, yet we haveprayed these same prayers in an unbrokencontinuum from 1500 BC.” That is truly anastonishing insight.

I was personally delighted to see that thelast photograph in the book as well as thephoto that graces the cover - is my favouriteSooni Taraporevala picture. It features anold Parsi man in a sola hat gazing out at thewide expanse of the sea. His white pantsare creased and a little too short; his brownsuit jacket is tight and ill-fitting. In his lefthand he carries a big, black old-fashionedumbrella. But the sky around him is thecolor of the sea - silver and baby-blue.Although we cannot see the man’s face,something about the angle of his head, thetilt of his hat, makes me believe that he hasa wistful expression on his face.

I fell in love with that photograph the instantthat I saw it about four years ago.Something about this picture - somethingineffable, something that goes beyondlanguage - says Bombay to me. There’ssomething terribly familiar about this bigsky, this infinite sea, this solitary man.

Not all of Taraporevala’s photographs havethe same lyrical quality of this picture. Butall of them serve another, useful purpose -they are vivid and permanent documentsthat testify to the daily life of a people who,

Singer Gary (Rohin) Lawyer, with a portrait of his idol, Freddy Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara)at the Freddy Mercury Photo Exhibition. Bombay 1999. 2004 Sooni Taraporevala

according to the statisticians, may be on theverge of extinction. But look at the festiveclothes, the warm bearhugs, the heartylaughs, the sheer vibrancy of the people inthese photographs. Extinction is the lastthing on their mind. As a caption on one ofthe photographs reminds us, “Parsis, love tolaugh.”

Sooni Taraporevala’s book mayoccasionally make you laugh out loud. Butmostly, it will make you do what all good artdoes - it will make you feel, think, smile,recognize. Above all, it will make youremember. q

My grandmother. Bombay 1980. 2004 Sooni Taraporevala

Thrity Umrigar is the author of a novel, Bombay Time,and a memoir, First Darling of the Morning. Her newnovel, Thicker Than Water, will be published byHarperCollins next year.

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Thrity : Many of the photos in the book date back to the 1980s. When didthe idea of collecting them all in a book first occur to you? What were thecircumstances that led to the idea?

Sooni : From 1975 to 1980 I was an undergraduate at Harvard. That’swhere I took up photography - bought my first ‘real’ camera. In that period Icame home twice and both times I took many photos in Bombay - includingmy own family, particularly my grandparents, granduncles and grandaunts,who I was very close to. In 1982 I moved back to Bombay and met RaghubirSingh who saw my portfolio - he’s the one who suggested I work on a bookon the Parsis. He said it hadn’t been done, I had unique access as well as a

feeling for the community. So that’s how it began ...

Thrity : You have gained renown as a screenwriter as well as a photographer. What is your primaryidentity? How do you think of yourself - as a photographer or a writer? Why?

Sooni : I see myself as both - I was a photographer before I was a screenwriter though I have done alot more professional work in screenwriting than in photography.

Thrity : Are there similarities between the two forms of artistic expression? What are they?

Sooni : The similarities are whatever you make of them. Personally - my photography spills intoscreenwriting through my ability to imagine visually. I prefer a style that shows rather than tells and Iprefer minimum dialogue. My screenwriting spills into my photography through my love for story - manyof my photographs capture a moment in time, and one can imagine a story around them, in the pastand future. In fact I had married the two as an undergraduate. I had printed a set of 6 photographs - andfor each photo had written an accompanying story.

Thrity : What are the cirumstances that led to the photograph of the old man overlooking the sea thatgraces the jacket?

Sooni : It was ava mahino, ava roj - I have gone to Marine Drive every year to photograph. This wastaken early in the morning. This old gentleman was at first witnessing other people praying - then hestarted praying facing the sea and I took the picture that has always been and continues to be my “topof the pops.”

Thrity : Did living abroad for many years make you see your subjects in a different way? If so, can youdescribe that process?

Sooni : It didn’t make me see my ‘subjects’ in a different way - though I began to see Parsis in a newlight. Growing up in Bombay, as you did, one is always surrounded by Parsis - it was only when I left andwent to America did I realize what a miniscule community we were – how ‘irrelevant’ we were to the worldat large – nobody had ever heard of us (except for some super erudite intellectual types).

Thrity : Why was photographing Parsis an interesting subject for you?

An Exclusive - author interviews photographer, screenwriter

Thrity Umrigarauthor

Sooni Taraporevalaphotographer - screenwriter

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Sooni : Because Parsis are close to myheart. Because I have this desire I guess, toinform and educate people about us - it’s likesaying “here we are! look at us! This is whowe are, what we believe in, how we live.”

Thrity : What are your current photographyand writing projects?

Sooni : I have adapted Jhumpa Lahiri’s bookThe Namesake, Hari Kunzru’s book TheImpressionist and Tony Kushner’s playHomebody/Kabul - all for Mira Nair. I amhoping to start on a new photography projectsoon but till I do I’d rather not speak about it.

Thrity : What would you like readers of thisbook to know or understand about you?

Sooni : I’d like the book to speak for itself.It’s intimate and personal as well as being ahistorical record. I believe that history is madeup of individuals - I wanted to document thefaces and voices of the community, for mychildren and others of their generation.

“Sooni Taraporevala’s book on the Parsis ofIndia is indeed the finest documentation ofthe life and achievement of our communityin 20th century India.” zubin mehta

“The visual feast Sooni Taraporevalaprovides is without doubt an invaluablerecord, ranging from the sacred to theprofane, the everyday to the ceremonial.But it is more than that. The pictures tell astory. And, like all good stories, it remindsus once again about the unique contributionwhich all cultures and communities, large orsmall, make towards the richness anddiversity of this world that is the humanfamily.” rohinton mistry

“Sooni’s book is an intimate epic. Amonumental book, magnificent in its sweepyet always retaining its love for theparticular. This is a remarkable marriage ofheart and mind—a book of photographs thattells many good stories alongside.” mira nair

“As a writer, I am grateful to SooniTaraporevala for launching us on thisphotographic journey of contemporary Parsilife, and for providing a book I canwholeheartedly recommend to those whowant to know more about my community.Her book has a place of pride in my home.”bapsi sidhwa

“Sooni Taraporevala’s stunningachievement lies in providing Parsis with avibrant visual identity that has often beenoverlooked in celebrations of contemporaryIndian cultures and communities.Taraporevala has mastered the art ofcapturing, with an unerring eye, what isboth personal and communitarian in theParsi world. As a Parsi, these remarkablephotographs bring to life the vivid pageant ofliving amongst my people.” homi k bhabhaYoung guests at a wedding. Bombay 2000. 2004 Sooni Taraporevala

q

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Meher Toorkey was bornin Bombay. She ranked first in India in theLRSM examination, winning the Sir AdrianBoult cup and shieldconferred by theRoyal Schools ofMusic. Meher wasawarded a BritishCouncil Scholarshipwhich enabled her tocome to London tostudy with theeminent Swisspianist, AlbertFerber, himself apupil ofRachmaninov. In thepast few years, shehas worked with thedistinguished pianistKatharine Wolpe.

Meher hasperformed all overIndia, Scotland,England andAmerica. She hasappeared at theWigmore Hall whereshe premiered sixsongs by AlbertFerber, and hasalready given threehighly successfulrecitals at the PurcellRoom. Regular lunchtime concerts in theCity of London and Westminster have beenperformed by her, and was one of theperformers invited to participate in thesummer festival of music organised by StLawrence Jewry. Meher has also played forCentral Television, a recital which wasbroadcast on both Channel Four and ITV.

Music & Tigers- a profile

With permission, based on the information available on http://www.associationsargam.com/ andfrom Meher Toorkey herself.

She has repeatedly been sponsored by theBritish Council and the Goethe Institute inIndia and was invited to give a series of

recitals and master-classes in October2002 in America.

Reviews speak ofher“... rich, ardentand intelligentplaying ...” “... aliveto breathtaking shiftsof colour andimpetus ...”“...Schoenberg’selliptical piano piecesOp.19 and 33 playedwith clarity andlyricism...”“...distinguishedperformance ofRachmaninoff, stronglyrical sense to themelodic writing,passion in the moreangst-riddenpassages and springin the rhythms...”

Meher saw her firstwild tigers in India,and was so movedby the experience,she was determinedto do everythingwithin her power to

save these critically endangered animals.Loss of habitat and poaching, have taken aheavy toll on the wild tiger and if they are tobe saved, something needs to be done now.And Meher has done just that. She hasrecorded a CD of Russian piano music -Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives, Op 22 , & sixRachmaninov Preludes.

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All profits from the saleof this CD, costing £10,go to 21st CenturyTiger, a unique wildtiger conservationorganization, which is apartnership betweenGlobal Tiger Patrol andthe Zoological Societyof London. Theseindividual UKorganizations havebeen working to save

the tiger in the wild for a number of years.One hundred percent of the funds raised,support tigers in their natural habitat. 21stCentury has funded projects in India,Sumatra, Cambodia, and the Russian FarEast. Each project is comprehensivelyvetted to ensure that they have soundpractical conservation and/ or scientificcredibility and are making a fundamentalcontribution to the conservation of wildtigers.

The Cds are available from :21st Century Tigerc/o the Zoological Society of LondonRegent’s ParkLondon NW! 4RY, UKTel: 020 7449 6444Email: [email protected]

Or visit their website at http://www.21stcenturytiger.org/home.html forfurther information.

This paper is an expanded version of a lecturedelivered at a WZO Seminar in London, 20 June2004.

The year 2003 marked animportant milestone in the historyof Zoroastrianism. I am referring,of course, to UNESCO’sdeclaration of 2003 as the 3000th

anniversary of the remarkable religion anddesign for living founded by Zarathustrasometime around the turn of the firstmillennium before our current era. As manyof you may know, special events werescheduled around the world to celebratethis turning point commemorating thesurvival of Zoroastrianism as one of theworld’s oldest living faiths. These eventsbear testimony of the pride and esteem thatliving Zoroastrians possess for theirextraordinary religion.

There was an extremely interesting issue ofHamazor published in Karachi, withcontributions that touched upon almostevery important aspect of the history ofZoroastrianism and its contemporaryconditions around the world today. Aseminar on Zoroastrianism was arranged atthe Library of Congress in Washington, DC,in December, and a similar meeting tookplace in Anaheim, California, later in thesame month. I was honoured to haveparticipated in these events and I wasdelighted to have seen that both meetingsattracted large and engaged audiences whowere most eager to learn and discussmatters concerning the history anddoctrines of Zoroastrianism.

And here I am again today among myZoroastrian friends in London at this eventsponsored by the WZO, convened oncemore in celebration of the UNESCOdeclaration. Suffice it to say, I am equally

b y s t a n l e y i n s l e r

Zarathustra’s GeneticSystem

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honoured and pleased to be present today,especially among so many familiar faces.When asked why I am so fascinated byZarathustra, my invariable answer is that Iam a “Zoroastrian in spirit.” By that I meanto express that I believe in the messagetaught by Zarathustra, although I have notbeen born into the faith. For the simple factis that the values and principles firstpromoted by Zarathustra are of suchuniversal nature, they are immediatelyappealing and compelling to anyone whohas studied them carefully. In my case, thestudy of them has endured through most ofmy adult lifetime.

Truthfully, sometimes I wonder whether Ihave anything new to say aboutZarathustra, having written and lecturedabout him so frequently. And yet, each timeI return to the subject from a differentperspective, I realize that the extraordinarysystem designed by Zarathustra can beanalysed quite productively from alternatepoints of view. So allow me to contrast twoseparate yet interesting ways of conceivingsome of the fundamental concepts ofZarathustra’s philosophical religion.

A few years ago I delivered a series oflectures in London at Zoroastrian House, incelebration of the 20 th anniversary of thefounding of The World ZoroastrianOrganisation. One of them was entitled“The System of the Amesha Spentas”, andin that lecture I attempted to demonstratethat the traditional order of the six AmeshaSpentas, or Holy Immortals, as depicted inlater Zoroastrian texts was inherited fromZarathustra himself. Many scholars ofcourse contest this view and attempt todefend their position by stating thatnowhere in the Gathas do we find anenumeration of the Amesha Spentas in thetraditional sequence and that, in fact, Yasna47.1 is the only passage in the sacredhymns where all of them are mentioned intotality.

These scholars, however, fail to grasp afundamental and important notion thatapplies to all the sacred hymns ofZarathustra. The Gathas, in truth, do not

represent in any way an attempt atsystematic theology. Rather, they representfor the most part Zarathustra’s poeticthoughts to Ahura Mazda concerning theprophet’s own understanding of the origins,workings and relationship of the underlyinggroup of six Amesha Spentas and theirmanifestation in the world of god and theworld of man. Yet these poetic elaborations,in all their eloquent style and often complexformulation, cannot have possessedsignificant meaning unless they were basedon the fixed and traditional set of the sixholy immortals encountered in the latertheological works. The place for systematictheology in the prophet’s time must havebeen in prose sermons that he delivered tohis adherents, much as Meillet suggested inthe 1920s. These formed the necessaryinstructional background for Zarathustra’sfollowers to grasp his important concepts ingeneral, as well as to comprehend thehighly poetic language of the Gathas inparticular.

Beyond demonstrating the necessaryexistence of the six Amesha Spentas in theGathas, I then turned to a much moreimportant aspect of the group. I exploredthe question of whether there was any innerlogic to the traditional ordering of thesefundamental elements of the religion, and Idemonstrated how the group of AmeshaSpentas was precisely arrayed by theprophet to form a coherent, closed andproductive system in which each member ofthe series was dependently connected tothe adjacent ones. As in all true systems ofthis type, the links connecting theconstituent elements were essential for thesystem to function properly. How did thissystem work?

Let me begin by recalling the order of thesix Amesha Spentas:

(1) Vohu Mano ‘Good thinking’,(2) Asha ‘Truth’,(3) Vohu Xshathra ‘Good Rule or Sovereignty’,(4) Armaiti ‘Respect’,(5) Haurvatat ‘Health’,(6) Ameretat ‘Continuing Life’.

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Their interdependency can be described in the following manner. Good thinking leads to theunderstanding of truth. Truth, formulated as the laws of society, is the basis of all good rule orgovernment. Good rule or government fosters respect for it. And when there is respect for the rulingauthority or government, society is healthy and vigorous, thus encouraging further good and positivethinking among the people. In this manner the cycle of this closed system continues in a loop,producing the further external result of peace and prosperity for everyone. This system can bevisualized in the following manner as a flow chart:

System of Amesha Spentas

What is equally interesting, as I pointed out, is that the elements of this closed system can equallyfunction in the opposite direction. Namely, health and vigour among the people encourage respectfor their good government, and this in turn produces better laws embodied as social truths. Theselaws then lead to progressive good thinking, consequently strengthening the health and vigour ofsociety once again. The system of Amesha Spentas therefore can function under optimal conditionsin both directions as a productive and prosperous model for any society or social structure, and it isa tribute to Zarathustra’s insight and ingenuity to have engineered this effective system from suchsimple elements that have universal import for all time.

The wisdom of Zarathustra’s system is sadly seen in its perversion that seems to be the typical worldsituation today. By this I mean to say, wherever we look around the world, it appears that badthinking has led to deceit and bad government, engendering disrespect, with the result that societyhas become unhealthy and its future quite uncertain. With more than a tinge of regret I am ashamedto say that my country is currently a clear model of the workings of such a perverted version ofZarathustra’s system of Amesha Spentas. There false notions have led to ignoring both national andinternational laws, creating a misguided government for which little respect exists within the countryor within the community of nations. And, as a consequence of the preceding issues, a large part ofAmerican society as well as foreign communities feel sickened and extremely negative about thefuture of the world. The net result of this, of course, is that instead of the correct system creatingpeace and prosperity, this perverted system has produced strife, terrorism and economic hardshipboth at home and abroad.

Our contemporary situation is undoubtedly similar to the one Zarathustra encountered during hislifetime. It was the large-scale spread of deceit, evil and strife in his world, documented so frequentlyin the Gathas, that motivated the prophet to reflect upon the organization of his society and theelements within it that were false and corrosive, and how they had become that way. He understood,just as we do today, that the basis for the unrest and discontent in his world were false ideas, theft,exploitation of the poor, bad rulers who disrespected the laws of society, and every other sort ofmalignant social act and political policy. By examining what was wrong in his world, Zarathustraimagined a world in which everything could be right and true, resulting in benefits for all members ofsociety. But, we may well ask, how could Zarathustra conceive of what was right by examining whatwas wrong?

The answer to this question is rather simple. From Yasna 30.6 we learn that Zarathustra conceivedof the presence of evil in the world as a disease inflicted upon mankind, and from Yasna 31.19 weequally learn that the prophet calls himself a world-healer or physician. In fact, the whole plan for therestoration of the best existence in the Gathas is conceived of as a curative and healing process.

Vohu Mano Asha Vohu Xshathr Good Thinking ⇒ Truth ⇒ Good Rule

⇑ ⇓ Ameretat Haurvatat Armaiti Continuing Life ⇐ Health ⇐ Respect

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Therefore, can we not conclude from thesedirect references that Zarathustra was notonly a priest but also a physician? This dualrole is in no way unusual in the ancient worldbecause healing was considered a holy art,dealing most often as it did with life anddeath situations, and it was quite normal thatadept priests, living in touch with the sacred,were also trained in the skills of medicineand healing. Consequently, like allphysicians, Zarathustra had to haveunderstood cause and effect, condition andsymptom, which is the basis of all medicaltreatment, and his training as a physicianwas most helpful in allowing him to apply thisknowledge to the construction of the systemof the Amesha Spentas wherein, let us notforget, health (haurvatat) and continuing life(ameretat) play a prominent role.

The mention of disease and healing finallybrings me to the announced title of thispaper, “Zarathustra’s Genetic System,” thesecond approach to analyzing the system ofthe Holy Immortals. I conceived of this ideabecause the year 2003 also commemoratedthe 50th anniversary of the publication byCrick and Watson of their classic paper onthe structure and replication of DNA, thefundamental building material of all livingthings. Since we are celebrating the survivalof Zoroastrianism on the one hand, and theCrick and Watson paper deals with thesystem of survival of living beings on theother hand, I wondered whether it could bepossible to apply their insights concerningthe structure and function of DNA to thesystem of the Amesha Spentas. In anunexpected surprise, this idea bore fruitfulresults. But before I can proceed with itsexposition, some fundamental commentsabout cell biology are necessary.

Every cell consists of 3 essential parts: anucleus, surrounding matter calledcytoplasm and an encompassing membraneor cell wall. Although not directlycomparable, one can visualize the structureof a cell in the form of a common egg, suchthat the nucleus, cytoplasm and membranecorrespond to the yoke, egg white and egg

shell. Furthermore, the nucleus of every cellcontains all the information that isnecessary for the development, growth andfuture survival of the living being. One caneasily comprehend this from the fact that afertilized chicken egg will hatch a baby chickthat in due course will develop into an adulthen or rooster. All this information iscontained in the chromosomes of the cellnucleus on which are arrayed specificgenes that determine the different inheritedtraits and characteristics that mark anindividual’s lineage and development.These genes are composed of DNA, thefundamental material of all living things.

In contrast to the cell nucleus, thecytoplasm of a cell contains the amino acidsand proteins that are necessary to storeenergy and food for the continuing growth,development and survival of the livingbeing. The production of the amino acidsand the sustaining proteins is also ultimatelycontrolled by the DNA in the cell nucleus ina totally dependent manner. However, theirproduction involves a second interveningprocess that will be discussed below.

Crick and Watson determined that thestructure of DNA is elegantly simple. Itconsists of 2 parallel chain-like strands onwhich only 4 distinct elements appear.These elements are called nucleotides andpossess the chemical names adenine,thymine, cytosine and guanine, but we canrefer to them as elements 1, 2, 3, 4.Furthermore, owing to their chemicalproperties, element 1 can pair only withelement 2, element 3 only with element 4.As a result, where elements 1 and 3 appearon one strand of DNA, the complementaryelements 2 and 4 must appear on the otherstrand, and as a consequence of the 3-dgeometry of their chemical structures, bothstrands twist around each other in the formof a double helix. One can picture thestructure of DNA easily in the form ofcontinually twisting ladder, on which therungs of the ladder consist of the pairedelements 1 and 2 and the paired elements 3and 4.

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1 = adenine, 2 = thymine, 3 = cytosine, 4 = guanine

The picture of DNA shown above is depicted in its simplest, most idealized form. In reality, thestructure of the some 20-30,000 genes in an individual can vary in every possible way. Forms ofDNA can have the appearance of 1+2, 1+2, 3+4, 2+1, 3+4, 2+1, 2+1, ... or 1+2, 4+3, 4+3, 1+2, 1+2,3+4, ..., etc., in almost every conceivable combination. Yet, what remains consistent in all arrays ofDNA is the fact that elements 1 and 3 can only combine with the complementary elements 2 and 4,no matter on which strand of the double helix these elements are found.

DNA replicates, that is, reproduces itself by having the 2 strands of the helix separate. Afterseparation, each individual strand serves as a template on which is built a new complementarystrand that is identical to the one that has separated from the original helix and dictated by theprinciple of the pairing of complementary elements. All living things survive by continually producingDNA in this remarkably simple fashion.

However, as mentioned above, the DNA of the cell nucleus does not directly cause the synthesis ofamino acids and proteins. There is an intervening process involving other nuclear matter calledRNA, and the process can be briefly described in the following manner. The information, i.e., thelinear sequence of elements contained in a particular form of DNA strands, is transcribed into RNAthat acts as a messenger of this information, and for this reason this other chemical material iscalled messenger RNA (mRNA).

Once encoded into mRNA, the original DNA information is subsequently translated in the cytoplasminto enzymes that then trigger the formation of the necessary amino acids, proteins and othermolecular components needed for growth and survival. Equally important is the fact that DNA alsotriggers in a similar fashion the antibodies that combat intrusive foreign matter that can causedisease. This complete process that begins with DNA, continues with mRNA and ultimately results inthe synthesis of amino acids and proteins is called the central dogma of biology. It functions in everyliving creature, from the simplest form to the most complex one.

Let us now return to Zarathustra’s system of Amesha Spentas and see how the DNA model might beapplied to the basic elements of his design for living. First let us note that there is a basic distinctionbetween the first 4 elements of good thinking, truth, good rule and respect on the one hand, andhealth and continuing life on the other. In the first place, it is clear from reading the Gathas thathealth and continuing life for both god and man are dependent upon the existence of the prior fourelements. Zarathustra continually stresses that neither health nor continuing life can exist for eithergod or man without the proper presence of good thinking, truth, good rule and respect. In this light,health and continuing life are the equivalent of the proteins and the amino acids in the cell’scytoplasm, the chemical entities that foster and promote the proper growth, development andsurvival of the organism itself. Therefore, just as the formation of proteins and amino acids areultimately dependent upon the DNA in the cell nucleus, so too health and continuing life are

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produced and dependent upon by these 4 fundamental elements of the Amesha Spentas which lie atthe center of Zarathustra’s ideas. There can be neither health nor continuing for man or god withoutthe existence of good thinking, truth, good rule and respect. These are the fundamental elementsnecessary for the survival of both.

Secondly, Zarathustra makes it explicitly clear in his poems that truth and good thinking on the onehand, sovereignty and respect on the other, stand in complementary, dependent relationships. Herepeatedly informs us that the understanding of truth comes only through good thinking, that rule orany other form of authority has no meaning without the proper respect for it. The interdependency oftruth and good thinking is immediately encountered in the very first Gatha, where the prophet asks:“Truth, shall I see thee, as I continue to acquire good thinking?” (Y. 28.5); and among manypassages the interdependency of sovereignty and respect is found in the clear and unequivocalstatement of Y. 47.1, “The Wise One in rule is Lord through (our) respect.”

Therefore, we can map these 4 elements on to a double helix model in which good thinking andrespect appear on one strand, and truth and good rule appear on the other, with the bondingbetween both strands formed by the complementary pairs of these basic elements.

1 = Good Thinking, 2 = Truth, 3 = Good Rule, 4 = Respect

Furthermore, we can equally understand how the system of elements reproduces itself in a mannersimilar to DNA. The 2 strands separate, and the one with good thinking and respect will form a newcomplementary strand with truth and good rule, and the strand with truth and good rule will form anew strand with good thinking and respect. This occurs because the elements on each strandcannot function without the complementary elements on the other strand. In this regard, the DNAmodel of the Holy Immortals is similar to the “systems” model first discussed. The two modelsfunction in both directions, and the elements of each model are dependent upon the others. Again, itis the simplicity of the organization of the DNA model that allows it to work so successfully.

Finally, there is a very important point that I need to underscore. When I began the discussion aboutDNA, I mentioned that Zarathustra considered evil and deceit to be a disease that has afflicted theworld of mankind. Once the prophet has made this point in Yasna 30.6, in the very next verse hestates that Ahura Mazda came into our world with his rule of truth and good thinking and thatenduring respect gave body and breath to it. Here the 4 basic elements of good thinking, truth,sovereignty and respect are mentioned, as well as health and continuing life rephrased in the poeticterms body and breath. But the verse underscores the crucial notion that the continuing respect ofman imparts life to the good rule of god.

By this statement, Zarathustra has pointed out two very fundamental notions. First, that the remedyor medicine for curing the disease of evil and deceit in the world is a sovereign rule that is based on

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truth and good thinking. And second, thatsuch a sovereign rule cannot exist withoutthe respect for its authority. All fourelements are necessary for ridding theworld of evil and deceit and all fourelements are equally necessary for thesurvival of both god and mankind. Cast inthe simplest terms, truth, good thinking,enlightened government and respect arethe basic genetic elements for the survivalof the world, the only ones that can producepeace and prosperity, growth and stability,and all the healthy conditions that willpromote the progressive advance ofmankind.

Yet two aspects are missing to complete thehomology with biological DNA. In the firstplace, what is the equivalent withinZarathustra’s system that corresponds tomessenger RNA (mRNA)? In other words,how do good thinking, truth, good rule andrespect eventually become translated intohealth and continuing life? The answer tothis question is furnished several times inthe Gathas, but one of the clearestinstances occurs in Yasna 34.1:

By whichever action, by whichever word, bywhichever worship, Wise One, Thou didstreceive for Thyself continuing life ... andmastery over health, let these very thingsbe given by us to Thee, o Lord, in the verygreatest number.

Here Zarathustra reveals, as he does inmany passages of the Gathas, that theabstract notions of good thinking, truth,sovereignty and respect must be encodedinto real and concrete processes. Themessenger elements that perform thisfunction are the other foundational conceptsof the religion that every Zoroastrianunderstands: good thoughts, good wordsand good deeds. The prophet’s notions hereare easy to comprehend. One has tounderstand the underlying abstract systemof the religion and its goals in the first place.However, this understanding must in turn beencoded into concrete good thoughts, goodwords and good deeds which subsequentlywill be translated into the manifold activities

and undertakings that produce health andcontinuing life for god and man. In this light,we may call Zarathustra’s ideas of thissystem the central dogma ofZoroastrianism.

To grasp the prophet’s ideas more easilyallow me to employ a parallel analogy. Thegroup of fundamental entities comprised oftruth and good thinking, sovereignty andrespect, is an abstract blueprint, much likethe design or blueprints for the constructionof a building. For the group of abstract ideasto be brought to realization, they must beencoded into concrete form through goodthoughts, good words and good deeds inthe same way that the blueprints for abuilding must be encoded into the realideas, real orders and real labour necessaryto proceed with its construction. Finally,when these procedures function properlytogether, a structure is produced that willsurvive and offer protection and permitgrowth and development to its inhabitants.This is exactly how Zarathustra’s design forliving is conceived.

The second aspect required to complete thebiological analogy can be phrased in thefollowing manner: What corresponds to thecell’s membrane, the element thatencompasses the nucleus and cytoplasm ofthe cell as chemical processes take place?Here as well there is a clear answer. It is theSpenta Mainyu, the Benevolent Spirit. Bythis I mean to say that a person cannotcomprehend either the knowledge orworkings of the Amesha Spentas unlessthat person has the proper disposition orholy inclination to want to fight against eviland further good in the world.

In Yasna 43, Zarathustra himself explainsthat he began to understand the wonderfulthings that Ahura Mazda had created onlywhen his own benevolent spirit had beenawakened. That is to say, the prophetexplains that a person’s progressive spirit ornature is the underlying principle thatmotivates someone to understand the sorrycondition of the world and to seek afterthose processes that will result in itsbetterment. Furthermore, it is the

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T

Stanley Insler is Salisbury Professor of Sanskrit andComparative Philology at Yale University, where heserved several terms as chairman of the LinguisticsDepartment. He has written extensively about theliterature and languages of both ancient India andIran. Professor Insler is best known for his 1975translation and commentary of the Songs ofZarathustra, which he is currently revising. Betweenhis many academic commitments, he has oftenlectured on Zarathustra in India, Britain and TheStates. He is a member of many learned societies,including The American Academy of Arts andSciences.

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recognition of such a spirit in others thatpermits good people to communicate withother good people and to forge an alliancefor the good of mankind, much asmembranes of cells communicate with eachother in order to form a cooperativeundertaking for the survival of the livingbeing.

I am not suggesting in this paper thatZarathustra was the first biologicalgeneticist. Rather, I do believe that theprophet was a physician and that heunderstood the relationship betweendisease and remedy. However, his greatinsight allowed him to view evil and deceit inthe world as a disease and his greatintelligence allowed him to propose a modelfor eliminating this disease and returningthe world to a healthy condition by which itcould survive into the future. That the modelhe proposed for world survival consists of 4basic interrelated elements that find a directparallel in the 4 interrelated elements foundin DNA demonstrates that the most complexconditions and problems can most often besolved in the simplest and most elegantfashion. It is a pity that this approach isalmost invariably ignored in our times andburied under the clutter and corrosivenessof overcomplicated and vapid proposals thatlead nowhere except to further difficultiesand maladies. On the other hand, theprophet Zarathustra’s simple geneticsystem for survival has blissfully allowed agreat religion to endure for 3000 years andto impart to its followers a simple andeffective model for sustaining their own livesand those around them.

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=8716&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.htmlWestern Azerbaijan ProvinceN36 36 14.0 E47 14 06.0 : ref: 1077

A Brief Description

The archaeological site of Takht-e Soleyman, innorth-western Iran, is situated in a valley set in avolcanic mountain region. The site includes theprincipal Zoroastrian sanctuary partly rebuilt in theIlkhanid (Mongol) period (13th century) as well as atemple of the Sasanian period (6th and 7th centuries)dedicated to Anahita. The site has important symbolicsignificance. The designs of the fire temple, thepalace and the general layout have stronglyinfluenced the development of Islamic architecture.

Justification for Inscription

Criterion i: Takth-e Soleyman is an outstandingensemble of royal architecture, joining the principalarchitectural elements created by the Sasaniansin a harmonious composition inspired by theirnatural context.

Criterion ii: The composition and the architecturalelements created by the Sasanians at Takht-eSoleyman have had strong influence not only inthe development of religious architecture in theIslamic period, but also in other cultures.

Criterion iii: The ensemble of Takht-e Soleymanis an exceptional testimony of the continuation ofcult related to fire and water over a period of sometwo and half millennia. The archaeological heritageof the site is further enriched by the Sasanian town,which is still to be excavated.

Criterion iv: Takht-e Soleyman represents anoutstanding example of Zoroastrian sanctuary,integrated with Sasanian palatial architecture withina composition, which can be seen as a prototype.

Criterion vi: As the principal Zoroastrian sanctuary,Takht-e Soleyman is the foremost site associatedwith one of the early monotheistic religions of theworld. The site has many important symbolicrelationships, being also a testimony of theassociation of the ancient beliefs, much earlier thanthe Zoroastrianism, as well as in its association withsignificant biblical figures and legends.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre

- Takht-e-Soleyman

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Tb y v e r a s k a t r a k

From the Oxus to the heart of Victorian London- the journey of a treasure trove now in the British Museum

The legendary waters of the Oxus, famed inancient history, served as a loadstone tomany an avid traveller and historian in thisregion of Central Asia. With zest theyfollowed ‘the road to Oxiana’, recording theiradventures and observations in someremarkably absorbing books.i

For Alexander the Great and his ruggedarmy, the Oxus was a theatre of war: therout of Bessus and his followers wasachieved not far from this tree-lined river,allowing Alexander room to pursue hisfurther conquests of the great PersianEmpire, right to its northern frontier atSamarkand – the key Persian fortress inSogdiana.

Perhaps the reader may be acquainted withthe Oxus from Matthew Arnold’s dramaticnarrative poem Sohrab and Rustum, writtenin 1853. The entire setting, which spans justa single day, is along the river’s banks.Later in the poem, the meeting of Sohraband Rustum, their combat and, finally thetragic yet heroic death of Sohrab isconstantly interwoven into the backgroundof this river. Used by Arnold almost as abackdrop to this tense episode, the eternalflow of the Oxus remains quite unchangedby such human tragedy:

“But the majestic River floated on,Out of the mist and hum of that low land,Into the frosty starlight . . .Oxus, forgetting the bright speed he hadIn his high mountain cradle in Pamere . . .:- till at lastThe long’d-for dash of waves is heard, and wideHis luminous home of waters open, brightAnd tranquil, from whose floor the new- bath’d starsEmerge, and shine upon the Aral Sea.”

Now known as the Amu Darya, the Oxusflows through Central Asia; rising in thePamirs, it separates Afghanistan from thelandlocked Central Asian Republic ofTajikistan, as it flows into the Aral Sea. TheOxus Treasure was discovered on thenorthern bank of the river, near a hill knownas the Takht-i-Kuwad (‘Throne of Kavad’).The remains of a fortress may have beenthe actual site, though excavations have notyet verified this with any certainity. This areaof Tajikistan falls within the ancient kingdomof Bactria, rich in gold and, an importantsatrapy of the Achaemenian Empire. In hispalace inscription at Susa, Darius Imentions: “The gold was brought . . . fromBactria, which here was wrought”. Bactriangold was much sought after by Persiankings, satraps and the nobility, whosebejewelled attire was the mode of the day,clearly seen in the sculptured reliefs atPersepolis. Bactria became an importantcentre for the goldsmiths’ craft and,elaborate gold ornaments were part of theroyal tribute which came annually to theAchaemenid King of Kings in the form ofornamental bullion.

The fabled wealth of Bactria is furtherestablished by other Treasures discoveredin the vicinity of the Oxus. Russianexcavations in 1977, at the fortress ofTakht-i-Sangin in southern Tajikistanii,uncovered a temple with storerooms alongits corridors; some of the objectsdiscovered here resemble those from theOxus Treasure. Further excavations by theRussians between 1978 – 1979 in northernAfghanistan, were at Tilya Tepeiii, ‘TheGolden Mound’, also along the Oxus. Thisnecropolis revealed the grave goods ofBactrian nobility; certain bracelets withanimal terminals had a marked stylistic

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resemblance to those from the Oxus Treasure.Undoubtedly, Bactria was the centre much renownedfor the intricate skills of its goldsmiths, and theirornaments were greatly coveted throughout the PersianEmpire. The three satrapies of Bactria, Chorasmia andSogdiana were crossed by the great Oxus and, thus theinterchange of their precious metals as also the finishedproducts became inevitable. The ornaments made fromBactrian gold were highly prized items throughout theEmpire and, this tradition was to continue later whenthe Bactrian-Greeks held sway in Persia. Such richesmust have lured Alexander the Great not only toconquer this kingdom, but also to claim a Bactrianbride: she was Roxana, daughter of Oxyartes, Satrapof Bactria, and known as the most beautiful woman inall Asia!

It is generally considered that the Treasure from theOxus was an accumulation of temple offerings,spanning several centuries. For reasons yet unkown itwas buried probably in about 200BC, only to berediscovered in 1877. Mainly Achaemenian in date,there are also some earlier pieces in the Median styleand, some of a later period. Dr John Curtisiv, at present

the Keeper of the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities in theBritish Museum, writes in a recent publication: “Altogether about180 items are associated with the Oxus Treasure, the vast majorityin gold or silver and mostly dating from the fifth to fourth centuriesBC. There are just a few that might be either earlier or later ... . Inthe absence of any first-hand accounts we can never be sure thatall the pieces were found together in a single spot.”

Professor Ghirshman v believes that the Treasure belonged to theBactrian temple of Anahita, goddess of fertility and war, located inthe vicinity of the Oxus, at Bactra. The fifty or so gold plaques ofvarying sizes, decorated with male figures in Median dress holdingbundles of sticks (the barsom), forming a significant part of theTreasure, may indicate their original use as accumulated votiveofferings, dedicated to this temple deity. The reason for theirsudden burial in c. 200BC along with elaborate ornaments ofimmense value, continues to be an enigma. Trying to unravel thisacademic puzzle, must at present remain a fruitless endeavour!

In 1905, O M Dalton vi, an orientalist at the British Museum, was thefirst to produce a catalogue of objects recovered from the OxusTreasure. This still remains the basic publication on the subject.Quite how this collection of mainly Achaemenian artefacts wasinitially found, then lost and, finally came to be housed in the BritishMuseum during the nineteenth century, is a story with an almost

bizarre background and, simply must be told! Marjorie Caygillvii, in her description of “The Treasureof the River Oxus”, succeeds in recreating the atmosphere of this strange episode, full of ‘blood-and-thunder’ – in fact, with all the trappings of a picaresque tale!

Courtesy Roman Ghirshman – The river Oxus and the Oxus Treasure onthe north bank

Courtesy John Curtis – The Takht-i-Kuwad and the OxusTreasure

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She writes:

“In May 1880, when Captain F C Burtonwas political officer in the Tezin valley, andresident at Seh Baba three marches fromKabul, three Mohammedan merchantsfrom Bokhara, who were known to have aquantity of gold upon their mules, wererobbed on their journey from Kabul toPeshawer by men of the Khurd Kabul . . .at a spot between Seh Baba and Jagdalak :they had foolishly gone ahead of theconvoy escort, and were thus themselvespartially to blame for their misfortune. Therobbers made off to the hills with the booty. . .

“To understand some of the confusion, weshould go back to this strange tale of theNorth-West Frontier of India in May 1880.Captain Burton, a British officer, laterdescribed how he was alerted late at nightby the merchants’ servant who hadescaped. He immediately set off with twoorderlies and surprised the banditsquarrelling over the treasure. According tothe account published by the Museum in1905, Burton found four bandits lyingwounded and the treasure strewn over thefloor of a cave. He had the initiative, andso the robbers surrendered part of thetreasure and the merchants. Burton,warned of an ambush, hid out during thenight and only returned to his camp thefollowing morning. He then threatenedretaliation and the robbers, deciding ondiscretion, surrended what was left of thetreasure, the rest having been melteddown or hidden. The grateful merchantsdeclared that three-quarters of thetreasure had been recovered. They allowedCaptain Burton to buy a gold armlet whichis now on loan to the Museum from theVictoria and Albert Museum and gave an

account of the treasure’s discovery threeyears earlier.”

The ‘treasure-merchants’ from Bokhara,whose original itinerary was from Kabul toPeshawer before they were robbed,pursued their initial plan after their reprieve.Their ultimate destination was the thrivinggold and silver antique markets ofRawalpindi and Peshawer, the rendezvousof sharp dealers, eager buyers and, evenexpert forgers of old coins and antiqueornaments. Many a purchase was madehere at cut-throat prices and, if luck held,their booty often reached London and thewestern markets in due course.

Resident in Rawalpindi at this juncture, wasGeneral Alexander Cunningham (1814 –1893), who was appointed the first Director-General of the Archaeological Survey ofIndia in 1870. A collector and archaeologistin his own right, he was a well-known andrespected figure in the flourishing antiquetrade of north-west India. Much of the OxusTreasure was acquired by him from theselocal dealers; some pieces, however, foundtheir way to the London antique markets. SirAugustus Wooleston Franks of the BritishMuseum purchased several items from thiscollection and, his discerning eye skilfullyrejected certain dubious items offered forsale. Cunningham’s personal collection ofthe Treasure was later purchased byFranks, who ultimately bequeathed theentire collection to the British Museum at hisdeath in 1897. Forming part of the FranksBequest, the Oxus Treasure is todayhoused in the gallery of Ancient Iran at theMuseum, keenly viewed and admired by alllovers of oriental art and antiquities.

So the chequered journey of this importanttreasure trove now comes to an end – fromOxus banks to Victorian London and, to anew home in one of the world’s greatestmuseums. It would seem appropriate to paya brief tribute here to this legendaryestablishment, in the words of one of itsformer Directors, Sir David M Wilsonviii :

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“The British Museum belies its name. It is notthe national museum of Great Britain,although it is that too. Rather it is themuseum of the cultures of the whole world. Itwas founded with this aim . . .. To millions oftourists and visitors it brings a sense of

Courtesy Roman Ghirshman - The griffin armlets as royal tribute – the Apadana,Persepolis.

renewal, and to thousands of scholars a deepwell of knowledge. It belongs to the whole worldand is kept secure for all mankind.”

Appendix

Within the limited scope of this short essay, itwould be impossible to discuss the individualitems (180 in all) that form part of thisTreasure, or even those of outstandingimportance. Here is but the background to itsdiscovery and final acquisition by Britishantiquarians, whose knowledge andappreciation of oriental antiquities has beenthe hallmark of the nineteenth century.Without being acquainted with its actualprovenance, the study of this treasure trovewould undoubtedly lack the authentic flavour!

In comparable collections of Achaemenianmetalwork, both in gold and in silver, theOxus Treasure stands unsurpassed.Generally dated between the fifth and fourthcenturies BC, some pieces are in an earlierstyle, perhaps examples of Medianmetalwork. As observed in the stone reliefsof Persepolis, Achaemenian art is eclectic inessence; this aspect is further emphasizedin the designing of the ornaments from theOxus hoard. Birds, beasts and mythicalcreatures abound in early Persianmetalwork, merging with the convolutednomadic style of polychrome inlay, thehandiwork of Scythian craftsmen in themain. This ornamental style was acosmopolitan borrowing from diversesatrapies which geographically bound thefrontiers of the Achaemenian Empire.Bactria, Chorasmia and Sogdiana, throughwhich the Oxus flowed, were the centreswhich mainly fashioned these ornaments ingold, much coveted by Persian royalty.Some of these undoubtedly formed part ofthis fabulous Treasure, abounding in objectsof great value – fit for the adornment ofkings! No better examples display thisgrand “empire style”, than the pair of goldgriffin armlets from the Treasure. Theirdimensions (each armlet is 11.5cm wide)indicate that they were not to be worn, butto be displayed for royal pleasure onceremonial occasion. According toXenephon (Anabasis), such ornaments

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Vera S Katrak holds a PhD degree from the Instituteof Archaeology, University of London. Her doctoralthesis is entitled: “Analysis of Achaemenian Art andArchitecture, with reference to Origins, Influencesand Development.” She conducted her research underthe supervision of Sir Max Mallowan, renowned forhis work at the site of Nimrud, in Mesopotamia. Shealso has a BA degree in English Literature, from theUniversity of Bombay. On completing her academicpursuits, she returned to resettle in Karachi, herbirthplace.

were considered as gifts of honour fit for theKing of Kings and, armlets of similar designwere brought by several delegations astheir annual royal tribute. The intricatelycarved stairway reliefs of the Apadana atPersepolis, show this to perfection.

Regrettably, there is a serious omission inthe presentation of this essay, though quiteunavoidable. The total absence ofillustrations of these beautiful objects of virtu,calls for an apology*! However, to makeamends, the adjoining bibliography includesbooks with relevant images of the highestquality, especially those published by theBritish Museum Press. Browsing throughthese is a reward in itself; short of a visit tothe British Museum, which houses The OxusTreasure as a centrepiece for its gallery ofAncient Iran, the reader need go no further inquest of this ever elusive Bactrian gold.

(*Note: There was not sufficient time beforegoing to press to obtain permission for thereproduction of relevant illustrations fromthe British Museum.)

References:

i a. Byron, Robert – The Road to Oxiana, Jonathan Cape Paperback, London, n.d b. Toynbee, Arnold J. – Between Oxus and Jumna, Oxford University Press, London, 1961 c. Wood, Michael – In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, BBC Books, London, 1997

ii Sarianidi, Dr Victor – Bactrian Gold, p 54. Aurora Art Publishers, Leningrad, 1985

iii Ibid. pp 19 and 26

iv Curtis, Dr John – Ancient Persia, p 62. British Museum Press, London, 2000

v Ghirshman, Roman – Persia from the Origins to Alexander the Great, p 250. Thames and Hudson, London, 1964

vi Dalton, O M – The Treasure of the Oxus, British Museum, London, 1905. (2nd ed. 1926, 3rd ed. 1964)

vii Caygill, Marjorie – Treasures of the British Museum, p 24ff. British Museum Press, London, 1992 (2nd ed.)

viii Wilson, Sir David M. – The Collections of the British Museum, pp 7 and 13. British Museum Press, London, 1989

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Update on WZC2005

World Zoroastrian Congress 2005 onlineregistration and credit card payment systemis now live on our website.

Please visit www.ztfe.com/Congress005 toview further information on the event and toregister. You will also be able to reserve andpay for your Congress Brochureadvertisements and/or exhibition stalls.

The congress package includes delegate feesfor the 8 day Congress, 2 VarietyPerformances with dinners on both 24th and26th June and 4 additional dinners on 28, 29,30 June & 1 July.

The early bird offer rate of £200 per adult delegatewill end on 31st December 2004. This is a hugesaving of £150 from the full package rate of £350.See the website for full details. Please ensureyou book early to avoid disappointment.

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It is very gratifying to me personally,and to my Zoroastrian community ingeneral, to be invited on this auspiciousoccasion by the Harrow Inter Faith Councilto deliver this keynote lecture.

There are two reasons why it happens to bean auspicious occasion. First, this year we,the citizens of Harrow, celebrate theCouncil’s anniversary of 50 years as aborough. In these last fifty years since 1954,the face of Harrow as a borough haschanged very considerably. From being apredominantly English speaking, Christian,Anglo Saxon society, Harrow has over theyears become a very multi-cultural society. Ibelieve that this cosmopolitan and diversecomposition not only makes the societyculturally rich, but indeed it adds vibrancy tothe entire nation state of Great Britain.

I believe that the present diversity found inthe UK is further given a great deal ofmomentum by an organisation such as theInter Faith Council. I believe the Inter Faithmovement continuously strives to promotepeace and understanding betweenmembers of various faiths. It is this thatbrings me to the second reason for myrejoice this afternoon. The choice by theHarrow Inter Faith Council to invite arepresentative of the Zoroastrian community– perhaps the smallest ethnic communityresiding in Harrow today – to deliver thiskeynote lecture, is indeed very gratifying.

In giving to my lecture the title The ThreeMajis come to Harrow I do not need tostress that ecclesiastical scholars of biblicalstudies already accept that the three wisemen, that is the three majis mentioned inthe New Testament of the Christians, wereindeed Zoroastrians. The word “magic” in

b y n o s h i r j a v a r i

The Three Maji come to Harrow

Senior Trustee of ZTFE, Mr Noshir J Avari shares his Keynote Address delivered to the Harrow Inter Faith Councilon Tuesday 29 June 2004, on the occasion of Harrow Council’s anniversary of 50 years as a Borough. The followingis condensed, without compromising on the contents of Mr Avari’s address.

English originates from the word “majis”.Good evidence of the claim regarding theMajis and the New Testament is found inthe San Vitale Church in Ravenna, Italy.There we find a mosaic showing the threeWise Men, that is the Majis, namedBalthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, in Persianattire carrying gifts for the baby Jesus.

Mr Jehangir Sarosh, who, in the year2001/02, was the first Zoroastrian to beelected to serve as the Vice Chairman ofthe Inter Faith Network of the UnitedKingdom, is now also serving his secondterm as Chairman for Europe of the WorldConference of Religions for Peace. I believethese are unique achievements for a BritishZoroastrian citizen.

The Zoroastrian community in the UK is inthe throes of moving its administrative,cultural, social and religious headquartersfrom West Hampstead in north London to

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Harrow in Middlesex. Work is shortly tocommence on converting the formerGrosvenor Cinema to be adopted for theZoroastrian community’s religious andsocial usage. Thereafter, the Zoroastriancommunity in the UK shall firmly become anintegral part of Harrow. The ZoroastrianAssociation in the UK was founded as longago as 1861, which makes it today theoldest Association of the Asian ethniccommunities settled in the UK.

Turning to Zoroastrianism, ladies andgentlemen, Zoroastrianism is reckoned tobe mankind’s oldest monotheistic religiondating back to some 4,000 BC. The religionwas born at the same time as civilisationwas born on the plateau of Central Asiaalong the banks of the rivers Euphrates andTigris. The Aryan race came down out ofCentral Asia and settled on the land belowthe Caspian Sea and in the course ofcenturies reached the Iranian plateau.

The teachings of Zoroastrianism areacknowledged to have had a profoundimpact on other major religions of the world,to include Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Zarathustra was born in the town of Rae, onthe River Darji, in the province of Azerbaijanon Kurdad, on the sixth day of the month ofFarvardin in 4000 BC. The babe smiled athis birth and his parents named himSpitama Zarathushtra, that is, the GoldenLight. At the age of fifteen, without word orwarning, Zarathustra disappeared from hishome and wandered into the wilderness,into the hidden heights of the mighty ElbruzMountains to converse with his divine Lordand Master. There he spent ten solitaryyears in prayer and contemplation callingupon Ahura Mazda for help and guidance.

Then came the revelations, the time whenZarathustra’s spirit left his body and movedto the highest level seeking enlightenment.Under orders from God, Zarathustrawended his way towards the court of KingVishtaspa, who ruled over a kingdomseething with dreaded magical practices.The entire Zoroastrian literature, startingwith the Gathas, is said to comprise two

million verses divided into 21 books calledthe Nasks. Apart from their theologicalscripture, the Nasks dealt with subjects asprofound as medicine, astronomy,agriculture, botany, philosophy, government,home management and personal hygiene.

When Cyrus the Great established thePersian Empire in the 6 th century BC,Zoroastrianism became the official religionof what was then the largest empire in theworld. However, the 7 th century AD saw theend of the imperial phase of Zoroastrianhistory as Islam conquered Iran and overthe next 1,300 years gradually reducedZoroastrians to be the world’s mostmicroscopic community. There are today nomore than 100,000 Zoroastrians throughoutthe world, with the largest number to befound in India, particularly in the city ofMumbai. Others are dispersed throughoutthe world to principally include Iran,Pakistan, United Kingdom, USA, Canada,Australia and Hong Kong.

After their arrival to India 1,373 years ago,no great historic events took place otherthan a few massacres of Parsi settlementsin the 10th and 11th centuries at Cambayand Variav in Gujarat. Time and again theParsis moved from town to town with theirsacred fire.

Finally with the arrival of the British in Indiain the early 17 th century, the Parsis began toenjoy a place of prominence in British India.It was, however, a Frenchman calledAnquetil du Perron who was hailed as theGodfather of the Zoroastrians. Fromthereon European scholars becameinterested in commenting upon the sacredbooks of the Zoroastrians. Eminent anddevoted Western scholars, such as Spiegel,Haug, Westergaard, Geldner, Max Muller,West, Mills, Jackson, Boyce, Williams,Hinnells and Hintze are amongst the fewwho are today regarded as the eminentvoices of Zoroastrianism in Western circles.

From 1825 onwards the Zoroastrian religioninspired a great deal of scholarship all overthe world. Scholarship has been valued byZoroastrians for centuries. In London, the

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Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe hasencouraged religious educationalprogrammes over the years. Zoroastrianismwas displayed as one of Britain’s nine majorreligions in the Faith Zone at the MillenniumDome. Some of the greatest scholasticcontribution to the religion is from Europeanscholars – notable among them today areProfessor Mary Boyce, Professor JohnHinnells and Dr Almut Hintze. Amongst theParsi Zoroastrian scholars, the leadinglights have been Mr Cursetji RustamjiCama, Dr Sir Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, DasturDr Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, Dr ErachTaraporewala, Sir Rustom Masani, DasturDr Phiroz Kotwal, Dastur Dr KaikhusrooJamaspasa and Mr Khojeste Mistree.

Therefore, although the religion ofZarathustra lay in ruins for centuries afterthe fall of the Sasasian Empire, with thearrival of the British in India this once mostancient religion, which ruled over two worldempires, suddenly was reborn for theParsis, particularly in the province ofGujarat. It was in Surat that a Zoroastriancalled Rustom Maneck was born in the year1635. He was a chief broker for an Englishfactory in Surat. He advanced the cause ofthe English interests in that town. He oftensmoothed over the difficulties which arosebetween the English and the Moghuls whothen ruled India.

The first Parsi, indeed the first Indian, whocame to England was Naoroji Rustomji inApril 1724. From here on the story of theParsis in India and in Britain became one oflegendary proportions.

The British gave India what is popularlycalled the 3 Cs – the Civil Service, the Civiland Criminal Justice system, and above allthe game of Cricket. The Zoroastriancommunity has over the years provided toIndia a long list of eminent doctors, lawyers,accountants, High Court judges, scholars,statesmen, musicians, amongst others. Ofthe twelve Supreme Court judges in Indiatoday, two, and indeed the second mostsenior judge, Mr Sam Variava, is aZoroastrian Parsi. What requires to beappreciated about the impressive league of

achievements that I am now to outline toyou, is that there are only about 60,000 to70,000 Zoroastrian Parsis living in India.The acknowledged top most civil barrister inIndia today is Mr Fali Nariman. Then again,the late Mr Nani Palkhivala was India’sforemost constitutional lawyer becoming in1977 India’s Ambassador to the UnitedStates. Tata Consultancy Services - has atany given point in time some 1500 softwareconsulting engineers stationed in the UKalone. India’s biggest industrialconglomerate is a Zoroastrian enterprise -the Tatas. Today at the United Nations, MrJamsheed Marker, from Pakistan - a careerdiplomat - is held in the highest regard bythe Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan.

In the armed forces as well, the Parsis madetheir mark in India. The first Indian to beappointed Director-General of the ArmedForces Medical Services was a Zoroastrian –General Masters. In the Indian Air Force, thefour Engineer brothers, Aspi, Minoo, Jangooand Ronnie, are amongst the most highlydecorated. When aviation was in its infancy,Aspi Engineer and J R D Tata were the firsttwo Indians to fly solo from India to the UK ina monoplane. Indeed, Air India was actuallyfounded by J R D Tata. Aspi Engineerbecame an ace pilot and went on to becomeIndia’s Air Chief Marshall. In the Indian Navy,Admiral Jal Cursetji was appointed the NavalChief of Staff in 1976. The most charismaticIndian to have served in the Indian ArmedForces is the Chief of the Armed Forces –Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw – the onlyIndian to hold the rank of a Field Marshall. Hisgallantry when serving the British ArmedForces in the Second World War earned himthe award of Military Cross.

Turning to achievements in science, DrHomi Bhabha was indeed the first to havefounded and developed India’s atomicresearch. Jamshedji Tata, a Zoroastrianfrom Navsari, pioneered modern industrialIndia. Another Zoroastrian industrial housewas that of the Wadia’s of Surat. They weremaster shipbuilders.

The Zoroastrian contribution to public life inBritain is equally noteworthy. The founder

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of the Zoroastrian Association of the UnitedKingdom in 1861, the body to which Iproudly belong today as its senior trustee,was Dr Dadabhai Naoroji. Then again from1895 to 1905 Sir Muncherjee Bhownaggree,born in Bombay in 1851, the son of awealthy merchant, who having studied lawand being called to the English bar in 1885,within ten years from there, in 1895,captured for the Conservative Party theconstituency of Bethnal Green. And yetagain, another Zoroastrian, Sir ShapurjiSaklatvala, commonly known as ComradeSak, took his seat in the House during theinter war years from 1922 to 1929 as aCommunist MP, the only Indian to beelected to the British House of Commons asa Communist.

I would be failing if I did not, at this juncture,mention how the Zoroastrian religioncontinued to survive in Iran over fourteencenturies after the Arab conquest of Iran inthe 7th century AD. Our co-religionists inIran had kept the torch alight despite 1300years of adversity. The first-ever non-Muslim to be elected to the Iran Parliamentor Majlis was Arbab Kaikhushrov Shahrokh.I am delighted that Arbab Kaikhoshrov’sgrandson, Shahrokh Shahrokh is here inour midst today. A Zoroastrian also rose tobecome Deputy Prime Minister of Iran, ProfFarhang Mehr.

In more recent times, a young Zoroastrianborn in Zanzibar and brought up in thepriestly class decided that music truly is thespice of life. In the same vein as the world-renowned Zoroastrian conductor, Mr ZubinMehta, the late Freddie Mercury of Queen,brought great fame to the people of Britainvia his talents as a rock musician. In theyear 2001, the Asian Woman of the Yearaward in Britain went to a Zoroastrian - MsShernaz Engineer. Then again, in the year2003, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur ofthe Year Award went to the Chief Executiveof Cobra Beer - a Zoroastrian - Mr KaranBillimoria. You may also be aware of theBBC newsreader, Matthew Amroliwala,whose father, Wing CommanderAmroliwala, is indeed the honorary surgeonto HM The Queen.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have outlined toyou the doctrines and the history of theworld’s oldest monotheistic religion. I havealso given to you some account of thefollowers of the religion and their salutaryachievements, both in India and in the UK.It is a matter of great pride for mycommunity to be honoured today in this wayby asking a Zoroastrian to make thiskeynote address in this auspicious yearmarking the fiftieth anniversary of theLondon Borough of Harrow. I trust my talkin my official role as the Senior Trusteewould send a fine signal to the politicalleaders of the Harrow Council that in theyears to come Harrow will see greatbenefits having opened its doors to theZoroastrians and welcoming the Zoroastriancommunity in its midst.

May God bless you all.

Noshir J Avari was born in Mombassa, Kenya, andcame to the UK in 1962 for further studies. Afterreading politics, economics and law at ExeterUniversity, he joined the Inland Revenue Departmentin 1968 and served the Department for over twentyyears, during which period he rose to the rank of HMSenior Inspector of Taxes. In 1988 he set up a taxinvestigation consultancy called Avari and Associates,which now regards itself to be a leading tax investigation consultancy in the UK.† TheConsultancy specialises in assisting individuals and corporations who may come underserious scrutiny of either the Inland Revenue, or the VAT office of HM Customs andExcise.Since 1986, Mr Avari has been involved with the Zoroastrian community affairs inLondon. He was Honorary Secretary of ZTFE from 1987 to 1990. In 1992 he waselected a Trustee of the Association and was re-elected in 1999, making him the SeniorTrustee. He was the youngest elected Trustee in the history of the Association foundedin 1861.

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One Man’s loss is another’s gain!”This was exemplified for thiswriter, when he got a call fromhis cousin Colonel Firdosh

Mehta expressing his deep disappointmentfor not being able to participate in a WorldRecord Breaking attempt, due to an urgentmedical problem. He wanted to knowwhether, at short notice I could take hisplace?

The attempt was for the first time in thehistory of World Motor-biking, a teamcomprising of six members would completethe ‘TVS Fiero FX Out-There AdventurersWorld Record Challenge’ to set a worldrecord by covering the world’s four highestmountain passes within a time span of 24hours. A feat un-attempted till date.

Of the six members, two were Parsibrothers, Burgess and myself, motorcyclingenthusiasts from early childhood.

So what is so special about a bunch ofcrazy adventurers riding up into the wildyonder? Let us try and put things inperspective. Our planet is divided intoseven continents – North America, SouthAmerica, Africa, Europe, Antarctica,Oceania and Asia. One fourth of this planetcovered by land are also with some greatmountain ranges in every continent. Let ustake a look at the highest points in each ofthese continents.

So what’s the big deal? Now let us look atthe World Record Challenge. For one, thisroute is considered by many (including thefamous Lonely Planet) as one of the tentoughest rides in the world. The four passesthat the team covered are:

• Marsimik La : The highest pass in the world(18,652 feet)

• Khardung La : The second highest pass inthe world (18,380 feet)

• Tanglang La : The third highest pass in theworld (17,582 feet)

• Chang La : The fourth highest pass in theworld (17,350 feet)

When one looks at the altitudes alongsidethe highest peaks in the seven continents, itis found that each of these peaks is higherthan the highest points in Europe, Oceaniaand Antarctica. In fact Marsimik La is just700 feet short of the summit of MtKilimanjaro, the highest point in the Africancontinent. This leaves the two Americancontinents apart from the mighty Himalayas,with points above the altitude travelled bythe team during the challenge.

At the time when the teams were standingatop the highest passes, there was noperson anywhere in the world apart fromthose climbing Mount Everest or some otherhigh mountain peak than them – the teamswere literally on the ‘Top of the World’

Not only it’s a fact that these passes arehigher than most points in the sevencontinents, but altitudes of around 18,000feet is considered the beginning of theDeath Zone beyond which there is nopossibility of the body acclimatising to theelements. The body gradually startsdeteriorating and finally with prolongedexposure (which in some cases can bemere hours) slips into coma and then death.

The expedition was formally flagged offfrom New Delhi on July 21st, 2004 and afterthorough acclimatisation which includedsleeping in the open on a heli-pad ataltitude of 14,000 feet plus, reached theirstarting point via Leh [Capital of Ladakh].

b y s a r o s h c o o p e r

Opportunity knocks - a dream realised

“

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In addition to the four highest passes, theteam’s journey also took them across threeother 15,000 ft plus mountain passes i.e.Lachulung La (16,616 feet), Baralacha La(16,500 feet) and Nakeela (15,547 feet).

The record breaking attempt in the greatHimalayas was kick started at 00.00midnight of 31st July 2004. The date wasespecially chosen since it was a full moonnight. However on the D day, little benefitcould be derived from the moon as the nightwas freezing cold and cloudy. Nevertheless,the commitment of the team, sponsors andsupport personnel was total and the worldrecord attempt was flagged off asscheduled. The team had to cover a totaldistance of 638 km, crossing the world’sfour highest passes within a 24-hour period.

The dedication, determination, courage,planning and excellent team work finallytriumphed over all the arduous challengessuch as lack of oxygen, rugged terrain,snow fall, melting snow, raging rivers,landslides and avalanches.

It must be mentioned that the Indian armyhad extended its full support to theexpedition, without which the attempt wouldnot have been possible.

It was a feat attempted for the first time, byanyone, any where in the world. The LimcaBook of Records has recognised the eventas a ’World Record’ and attempts are beingmade to approach the Guinness Book ofRecords to create a new category for theevent. The event was aired on 10 Sports,NDTV and Headlines Today besides beingcovered in most leading newspapers.

We, the Cooper’s believe passionately inthe statement – Life’s journey is not toarrive at the grave safely, in a well-preserved body, but to rather skid insideways, totally worn out shouting ‘....’what a ride.

Only those willing to risk going too far canpossibly know how far they can go.

Sarosh Cooper says: “I am a typical crazy bawaji (38 yrs old, withwife and daughter) doing adventure sports since nearly 20 years.Am a certified advance alpine skier, basic mountaineer (climbed tillEverest Base Camp amongst various others) and also Padi Scubadiver. Have also done a bit of para gliding, water skiing, rafting.”Academically, a BSc and working as a senior manager in Marketing& Sales at Perks Engineering, owned by a Parsi, who are the pioneersand leaders in the field of shrink and stretch wrapping machines inIndia.

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Dr Mehran Sepehri is currentlya Professor of Management atSharif University ofTechnology in Tehran, Iranand a member of TehranZoroastrian Anjuman.He was born in a Mobedfamily in Kerman, Iran. Heearned a Ph.D. in Engineeringfrom Stanford University. Heserved previously as thesecretary of FEZANA.

Pir-e HerishtPir-e Naraki

Pir-e Banoo-ye-ParsPir-e Sabz (Chak-Chak)

Pir-e Seti-PirPir-e Narestaneh

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A couple of months ago,my husband and I were asked to assist inconnection with an event honouring ProfKaikhosrov Irani on November 20, 2004.We readily agreed. However, comeNovember 20 th, little assistance was askedof us, because of the number of people whohad already volunteered to assist with theevent. There are few people in this worldwho invoke as much admiration, respect,and apparently, volunteerism, as Prof Iraniand his wife, Piroja. About a 150 people –Zoroastrian and non-Zoroastrians, from theNew York area and from far away – werealready there when we arrived. “What is allthis? I never expected so many people ...”Kaikhosrov said as we greeted him, shakinghis head gently.

The official programme for the eveningbegan with a benediction by Ervads PervezPatel, Darius Antia, Kersey Antia, andRohinton Madon. Kaikhosrov himself hadselected the gathic verse for the benedictionand Ervad Kersey Antia translated it. Thiswas followed by two brief lectures by formerstudents of Prof Irani and other briefreflections by a variety of people from allwalks of Kaikhosrov’s life. In short, it wasan evening full of reminisces, good wishesand gratitude. It was an illuminatingcelebration, which provided insight into thelife of a most noble couple and the impact oftheir good deeds on others. An album ofsorts filled with snapshots of a good lifelived by a couple most loved.

Slated to speak regarding Philosophy Now,and What K D Irani Taught Me Then, DrKenneth Stern noted that Kaikhosrov had“civilized” him in various ways, including,instilling in him a taste for Indian food

by shazneen rabadi gandhi

Snapshots of a Good Life

The Felicitation of Prof Kaikhosrov D Irani : Pomona Darbe Mehr, November 20, 2004

(further enhanced by Piroja’s excellentcooking) and an appreciation for the opera.Dr Stern recalled how Kaikhosrov inspiredhim to major in philosophy and mentoredhim spiritually and academically. Now aProfessor Emeritus at the State Universityof New York, Dr Stern recalled Kaikhosrov’sadvice to him when he first started teaching:“Remember, you’re not teaching a course,you’re teaching students.” Kaikhosrov hadsaid. Speaking about the discipline ofPhilosophy itself, Dr Stern provided theaudience with a peek into the professionallife of Prof Irani.

Dr Oscar Muscarella, a former student ofKaikhosrov and presently, an archaeologistat the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gave atalk entitled, An Archaeologist’s Involvementwith Zoroastrianism. Dr Muscarella came tolearn of Zoroastrianism because of hiscuriosity about his favourite professor atCity College. Kaikhosrov was the firstZoroastrian Dr Muscarella had ever met andafter describing his work with Zoroastrianartifacts, Dr Muscarella mused that he hadnever expected when he first metKaikhosrov, that his career would involvehim with Zoroastrian culture as much as ithad.

The impact of Kaikhosrov’s life on hisformer students is undeniable. Dr MartinTamny a former student and later acolleague of Kaikhosrov described how in1997, he came across a former student ofKaikhosrov who made large yearlydonations to City College. After Dr Tamnyarranged a lunch meeting for the studentand Kaikhosrov, the student was so pleasedto have reacquainted himself with hisfavourite professor that he donated $2

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million in stock to the City College Fund tosponsor the “Prof K D Irani VisitingProfessorship in Philosophy at the CityCollege”. Dr Tamny described the donationas “a testament to the high regard that ProfIrani was held in by his students.” Havingknown him for 42 years, Dr Tamny stated,“Along the way he has taught me throughhis own actions the importance of goodthoughts good words and most of all gooddeeds.”

Prof Irani’sZoroastrianscholarship wasalso honoured. DrFarhang Mehrstated that, in hisopinion, “nobody asmuch as ProfessorIrani has discernedthe true meaning ofthe philosophy ofZarathustra.” Dr AliJafarey, with whomKaikhosrov andPiroja, amongothers, founded theZarathustrianAssembly, statedthat the Assemblyowed its success to the couple. Dr LovjiCama, ZAGNY’s Dean of Religious Studiesspoke of the concrete contributions Pirojaand Kaikhosrov had made to ZAGNY overthe years, in arranging religious seminarsand religion classes and serving thecommunity as board members. Inparticular, Dr Cama spoke of the impact ofKaikhosrov’s lectures at ZAGNY youthcamps, stating that “his wit, his sense ofhumour, and his ability to tailor hisdiscourse to the level of his audience, madehim an engaging speaker and a greatteacher for the youth.”

Providing a different perspective on ProfIrani, Dr Jacob Stern, a colleague observedthat “there is only a thin line whichseparates Prof Irani from Don Quixote.Both men have carefully trimmed chinbeards, both wear slightly bizarre clothes(though I admit I’ve never seen KD in

armour), but most importantly, both men setout to act as just men should act in a worldwho’s most outstanding characteristic is itsinjustice. Don Quixote does not exactlyunderstand this fact about the world and,therefore, we think him mad. KD, on the otherhand, understands well that the world in whichhe attempts to act justly is itself an unjustplace. Yet, he seems to me, constantlyastonished at that knowledge. This, I think,accounts for what seems to me a most

notable feature of hispersonality: that he istotally without cynicismand without anymocking sarcasm.Among the HasidicJews there is atraditional belief that inthis world there are atany moment in historythirty-six just men. It isbecause of thesethirty-six just men andthe web of theirongoing goodness,that God has notannihilated the world.The thirty-six are, in aquite literal sense, thesalvation of us all. I

should I suppose confess to a long heldsuspicion that KD Irani might be one of thesethirty-six.”

Describing Prof Irani as “the very soul ofCity College,” Dr Stern stated that“thousands of his students and colleagues -both past and present - will attest to thedepth of his knowledge, his intellectualhonesty, his wisdom, and most importantly,to the profound influence he has had ontheir lives ... . If ever there was a man who’sgood thoughts and deeds give us hope forthe world’s renewal that man is K D Irani.”Another colleague, Dr Frank Grande,described how a reference letter from AlbertEinstein helped Prof Irani to get his first jobat City College.

Providing insight into his personal life,Zarine Weil, the Irani’s niece began herremarks by stating, “I cannot say a fewwords about Kaikhosrov without also talking

Prof K D Irani addressing the gathering.Photograph courtesy, Hanoz Gandhi

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about Piroja. She is his biggest fan andforemost champion. Each is a pillar ofstrength to the other. They are the sort ofdevoted partners we all hope for and hope tobe.” Speaking of her impressions as a fouryear old, which was when she had first methim, Mrs Weil stated, “I remember beingcharmed by the bright-eyed man with thepointy beard who seemed to have anendless supply of stories to tell and a sweetlady who took such delight in every joke herhusband told. That was a long time ago. Butwhat struck me about them then, remainstrue even now.” Describing their more recentfamily reunions, Mrs Weil told of a charmingessay written by her ten year old daughter inwhich she nominated Kaikhosrov for the“relative of the year award”.

Other persons from the community whospoke in honour of the Iranis included, formerFEZANA President, Framroze Patel whospoke with great gratitude to the Irani’s forbringing him back to his religion after a periodof disillusionment with it in his younger years;Daraius Antia, who like Dr Cama thankedKaikhosrov for enlightening him through theadult religion classes; Arnavaz Patel, whoinformed the audience that “if you do a googlesearch on his name you will find exactly 5,162results” for your search and thankedKaikhosrov and Piroja for being “likegrandparents” to ZAGNY’s youth; ShahriarShahriari who spoke of his experience ofmaking the documentary Domains of Belief asan amazing and exciting intellectualadventure; Aysha Ghadiali, who readmessages from all over the worldcommunicated through the CreatingAwareness Network and presented the Iraniswith a compilation of such messages; KersiAntia who thanked the Iranis for standing byhim in challenging times; and RustomKevala, who spoke of his experiences with theIranis in the course of his work compiling ProfIrani’s papers for publications.

On behalf of a grateful community, ZareenAustin and Shiraz Unvala presentedgarlands made by Sheroo Kanga, toKaikhosrov and Piroja Irani. ZAGNYmember Erach Munshi presented Prof Iraniwith a framed maan patra.

With humility and gratitude, Kaikhosrov Iranithanked the audience for their presentation.

With characteristicwit and humility,he said,“Thankyou ... Ireally thank you.And I reallyappreciate this.You must realizethat this is aslightlyembarrassingsituation for me. Ihave been praisedbeyond myconception. And

this was an occasion where criticalcomments would be filtered out, but theseare the kinds of things that happen atmemorial meetings. Fortunately, I’m aliveand I have the opportunity to hear them andI do appreciate that. And you must realizethat if I were dead, I couldn’t have beenrequested to speak. But now, I shall speak,because I rather like that.”

To an eager audience, Kaikhosrov spoke ofhis career in philosophy and in Zoroastrianstudies. Of the latter he concluded,“Religion without vision is blind. Religionwithout a way of life is empty. But there arepeople who think that if we perform theserituals and those rituals and so on and joinin them then that is religion. That iscertainly something one should do, becausethat’s part of the social structure of religiouslife, but if you think that is religion you aremissing something.”

After a few more remarks, Prof Irani left thestage to resounding applause and astanding ovation. As dinner was served,messages of good will and gratitudecontinued to be read. As the event windeddown, a reluctant group said their fondfarewells to the honoured couple, takingwith them these snapshots of a life welllived and, probably, “much hope for theworld’s renewal” as well.

Shazneen Rabadi Gandhi lives in New York City. She writesas a hobby.

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Photograph courtesy, Hanoz Gandhi

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The World Zoroastrian Organisation135 TENNISON ROAD, SOUTH NORWOOD, LONDON SE25 5NF

VISIT OUR WEBSITE : www.w-z-o.org

The International Board of The World Zoroastrian Organisation, London is very pleased that our co-Board member, Prof Kaikhosrov D Irani will be honoured by ZAGNY on 20th November. We are infull accord with your sentiments.

Kaikhosrov has been our International Board member since 1984 and one of our Vice Presidents aswell. He has been a strong supporter of The WZO and his contribution is very valued by the othermembers of the Board.

It was Kaikhosrov who suggested to our ex Chairman Mr Shahpur F Captain the holding of a conferenceon Gathas of Zarathushtra. This idea was immediately put into effect and the First Gatha Colloquiumwas held in London in 1993 and amongst the galaxy of international scholars who spoke at thatColloquium was Kaikhosrov.

In fact, Kaikhosrov took part in all the WZO Conferences on Zoroastrian Religion, Culture and History.His talks were extremely enlightening, interspersed with humour lucidly delivered in measured tone,thereby captivating his audiences. His vast knowledge of Zoroastrianism was patently obvious. Thequestions and answer sessions were delicately handled and the message was firmly driven home. Hismost endearing quality is humility and in variably always during his talks he would deprecate himself ina very amusing way.

Kaikhosrov’s contribution in the negotiations with BPP and FEZANA to persuade them to join the WZOwere positive and fully supportive of the stand taken by WZO. It is a pity that 25 years on, both theseorganisations have still not joined WZO.

In 1990, The World Zoroastrian Organisation decided to honour Kaikhosrov, along with otherdistinguished Zoroastrians to mark the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of The WZO. It was anhonour richly deserved by this noble personage.

In his own professorial field, Kaikhosrov’s intellectual brilliance is well known and recognised. The factthat “The K D Irani Chair of Philosophy’’ was established in October 1998 at the City College, CityUniversity of New York speaks volumes for Kaikhosrov’s knowledge and mastery of his subject of thePhilosophy of Science and the manner in which he imparted his vast knowledge to his pupils. We inWZO are proud of the fact that Kaikhosrov has been immortalised by the creation of a Chair of Philosophyin his name.

We salute Kaikhosrov and his ever-supportive wife Piroja, for the lustre they have brought upon thecommunity. May Ahura Mazda bless them with good health and happiness.

For and on behalf of the WZO Committee.

Sammy BhiwandiwallaChairman Date : 3rd November 2004

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CREATING AWARENESS

A hue and cry has been raisedagainst the formation of a trulyrepresentative World Body ofZoroastrians. The readers ofthis newsletter in India and

overseas might have read in the press reportsof what was said at the October 21 PublicMeeting and protest letters to the editors. TheChairman and Trustees of the Bombay ParsiPunchayet have also been bombarded withsuch letters, copies of which have been doingthe rounds through private circulation.

The information given in this column isintended solely to apprise its readership of thefactual position and to allay any misgiving andmisapprehension arising out of misinformationand misinterpretation.

Much is being made of the fact that in thename of the World Body the word‘Zoroastrian’ is used and the word ‘Parsi’ isnot used. It has been alleged that this isindicative of the intention to de-link theethnicity of being Parsi/Irani from theZoroastrian religion in a move to facilitate theentry into the faith of any person professingto be a Zoroastrian. In other words theentire World Body is being created tofacilitate the entry of neo-converts and todiminish and erase the Parsi identity.

In January and February, 2004 issues of thisnewsletter, extracts from the 1908 Judgementof the Bombay High Court in the case of Petitv/s Jeejibhoy had been reproduced toestablish beyond any doubt that “The wordZoroastrian simply denotes the religion of theindividual. A Zoroastrian is a person whoprofesses the Zoroastrian religion - The word‘Parsi’ denotes nationality or community andhas no religious significance”.

b y k e k i g a n d h i

Why not a World Body of Zoroastrians

Printed in the Fed Newsletter, November 2004 and shared by the author with Hamazor. We are thankfulfor the courtesy shown.

In India we do identify ourselves as ‘ParsiZoroastrians’ which means a ‘Parsi’professing the Zoroastrian religion and thoughthe term ‘Parsi Zoroastrian’ as defined in the1908 Judgement includes Iranis, wheneverthe word Parsi is used even in India our Iranibrothers and sisters feel excluded.

In places outside India our co-religionistsidentify themselves as Zoroastrians and not asParsi Zoroastrians. Even their associations arenamed Zoroastrian Associations and the wordParsi is not used by them. The Federations inNorth America and in Europe are alsorespectively called the Federation ofZoroastrian Associations of North America andZoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe.

Since the word ‘Zoroastrian’ means aperson professing the Zoroastrian religion itautomatically includes Parsis as well asIranis professing the Zoroastrian religionand there is no reason why ParsiZoroastrians should feel that they areexcluded from the term ‘Zoroastrian’.

The purpose of forming a World Body ofZoroastrians is to bring together under oneumbrella, Zoroastrians living in differentparts of the world in diverse circumstancesand situations.

The proposal to form a World Body ofZoroastrians has been on the anvil since thenineteen sixties when the first two WorldZoroastrian Congresses were held. It was alsodiscussed as a special topic and unanimouslyapproved at the third World ZoroastrianCongress held in Mumbai in 1978. Four moreWorld Zoroastrian Congresses have been heldin India and overseas. Three WorldZoroastrian Youth Congresses have also

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been held so far in USA, England and India.No objection has ever been raised againstthe omission of the word ‘Parsi’ from thenames of those Congresses. No wild,unwarranted and unjustified allegationshave been made about the intentions of theorganizers of those Congresses.

In 1980 the World Zoroastrian Organisation(WZO) was registered in UK and itcontinues to survive and thrive to this day inIndia and elsewhere.

The issues relating to the formation of a trulyrepresentative World Body of Zoroastrianshave been discussed and debated repeatedlyat the Federation meetings in the past and thefree and frank discussions as also the viewpoints expressed are reported in the minutesof the meetings which are circulated to allmembers of the Federation. Thesediscussions are also reported in the Parsianaand Mumbai Samachar for the information oftheir readers. Hence, the allegation of lack oftransparency is baseless.

The individuals who are now so vociferousand aggressive in objecting to the formationof the World Body without the use of theword ‘Parsi’ in its name, saw nothing wrongin it for four decades. It is not as if the word‘Parsi’ had always been used earlier and issuddenly being omitted now.

It has already been explained as far back asin June, 2003 that the umbrella organisationnamely “International ZoroastrianOrganisation (IZO) will have two arms theWorld Zoroastrian Organisation ofIndividuals (‘WZOI’) and the ‘WorldZoroastrian Organisation of Federations(‘WZOF’). The two arms will functionindependently of IZO and of each other.They will submit to the IZO periodicalreports on the activities already undertakenand/or reports, and make itsrecommendations, but neither the WZOI northe WZOF will be bound to accept orimplement such recommendations nor willWZOI have any say in the functioning ofWZOF and by the same token, WZOF willnot have any say in the functioning ofWZOI. This is the same principle as isapplied to the relationship between the

Federation in India and its memberAnjumans and Punchayets.

The same principle of autonomy is enshrinedin the proposed Constitution of WZOF andeach regional Federation will enjoy completeautonomy vis-‡-vis the WZOF, the IZO andthe other regional Federations who will bemembers of the WZOF.

Thus the fear that pressures will be broughton the Indian Federation by the other regionsand our religion, customs, communityinstitutions and funds will be in danger ofbeing taken over by the converts is a figmentof the imagination of those who are spinninghorror stories to frighten the community forreasons best known to them. It belittles ourintelligence and self confidence in the eyes ofour fellow Zoroastrians in other parts of theworld and makes them feel as if we considerthem to be monsters who have evil designson our infrastructure and funds as also on ourreligion which is also their religion.

If this is allowed to happen it can only resultin dividing the community world wide and increating discord and disdain among co-religionists.

Thanks to the good sense of the members ofthe Federation, this will not be allowed tohappen and instead of spreading enmity,distrust and casting aspersions on each other’smotives and future conduct, FPZAI will be ableto work in harmony with the Federations ofother regions as also with the existing WZOwhich will hereafter be known as WZOI.

In India, the Indian Federation and WZO Indiahave no differences, both are supplementingand complimenting each other’s efforts andthe same spirit will prevail between WZOI andWZOF at the IZO level! Amen!

PARSIS AND CENSUS 2001

The figures are given on the next page, forthe Parsi population in India, in different agegroups, area wise. Numerous questions arebound to arise in one’s mind when oneexamines these figures.

Parsis in numbers:1991 – 76,3822001 – 69,601

National (India) birthrate:26 births per 1000– All India6 to 7 births per1000 – ParsIs

National (India) deathrate:8 deaths per 1000– All India16 to 18 per 1000– Parsis

Age ProfilePopulation under 6years:14.9% - All India4.7% - Parsis

Population over 60years:31% - Parsis(highest in the world)Under 5% - India15% - In Japan(considered to bevery high)

courtesy DinshawTamboly

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How did the enumerators know whether theperson counted as ‘Parsi’ was really a‘Parsi’? Merely because the personidentified himself as a Parsi? Did he go intothe definition of the word Parsi? If so whichdefinition? Both parents Parsis? FatherParsi - mother Non-Parsi? Father non-Parsimother Parsi? By whichever definition hewent, was the family tree examined? If so, tohow many generations did it go back? Sincelegally one can only be born a Parsi (eitherto both Parsi parents or to a Parsi father/non-Parsi mother), and there were no Parsis inIndia until the first batch landed in India, thefamily tree must go back to the ancestor wholanded in Sanjan or came to India later on.

It seems that according to the researchcurrently being made, the Parsis landed inSanjan in boats similar to those used in the10th century by Sindbad the sailor.Assuming that there were three boats whichcould have carried between 30 to 50 people,about 150 men, women and children wouldhave landed in Sanjan. Subsequently, therewere migrations over land.

Now! Is it fair and reasonable to expect thatthe census enumerator should have askedeach family to prove that they aredescendants of one of the 150 who came toSanjan in the three boats or the ancestorwho first came to India was a born Parsiand in all subsequent generations there wasno ‘garbar’? Let us therefore, not raise thisissue for questioning the accuracy of thecensus figures, because we can simplyignore them and continue to remaincomplacent in our belief that Dadar AhuraMazda will ensure survival of His chosenpeople!

But what about the sanctity of our holyplaces of worship and the safety of thecrores of rupees of our trust funds whichare meant only for Parsi Zoroastrians?

Are not the Trustees of thoseinstitutions and funds legally bound toseek proof from every entrant, andevery aspiring beneficiary, about theParsi parentage going back to the firstancestor who came to India?

How many of us will be able to pass this acidtest laid down by the Bombay High CourtJudgement of 1908 in the case of Petit v/sJeejeebhoy, by whichthe Trustees are legallybound? The acid test is - to quote:-

“(a) Parsis who are descended from theoriginal Persian emigrants and who are bornof both Zoroastrian parents and who professthe Zoroastrian religion;

(b) The Iranis from Persia professing theZoroastrian religion who came to Indiatemporarily or permanently; and

(c) The children of Parsi fathers by alienmothers who have been duly andproperly admitted into the religion.”

If in such matters of vital importance likeadmission to our holy places of worship andgranting of benefits of our trust funds of thevalue of crores of rupees, we are compelledto close our eyes to strict adherence tolegalities, then why so much fuss is beingmade about the word ‘Parsi’ not featuring inthe name of the ‘World Body’.

If we, who have been residing in India,cannot stand the acid test, how canwe expect that others, who migrated fromIndia years ago or those who nevercame to India but went straight from theirearlier locations to current locations, mustpass that acid test.

Age Group Maharashtra Gujarat Others All India 0-9 3719 1029 320 506810-19 5559 1381 399 733920-29 6210 1401 399 801030-39 6307 1482 376 816540-49 7327 1675 441 944350-59 8043 1517 428 998860-69 7780 1477 385 964270-79 6446 1167 351 796480 & above 3348 465 169 3982TOTAL 54739 11594 3268 69601

Keki Gandhi is the indefatigable Jt Hon Secretary,FPZAI (Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans ofIndia).

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The Joint Honorary SecretariesThe World Zoroastrian Organisation

Dear Sirs,

As I desire to become Grand Patron / Patron / Life Member / Ordinary Member / Student (delete as appropriate), I request you to submitthis application to your Committee.

I am a Zoroastrian / non-Zoroastrian spouse of a Zoroastrian / born of Zoroastrian parents (delete as appropriate), I agree to abide by theMemorandum and Articles and Rules and Regulations so long as I remain a member of The World Zoroastrian Organisation.

I note that the annual subscription for Ordinary Membership is payable on 1st January of each year. In case of arrears, I understand thatmy membership will be terminated after three months of sending the reminder.

Yours truly,

Block Capitals please FULL NAME

PROFESSION/OCCUPATION

DATE OF BIRTH

ADDRESS IN COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE

TEL RES

Proposed by Seconded by

Note: The Proposer and Seconder must be Zoroastrians. For subscription fees please check overleaf.

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY

OFF E-MAIL

Signature

Date Amount Received Date of Membership Register of Members Mailing List

20

The Wor ld Zoroast rian Or ganisation135 Tennison Road, South Norwood, London SE25 5NF

Registration No 1510380 Cardiff, England A Company Limited by Guarantee

Incorporated 1980

A P P L I C A T I O N F O R M F O R M E M B E R S H I P

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For Indian residents

Grand Patron Rs10,000 Patron Rs5,000 Permanent Assoc Member £ 150

Ordinary Assoc Member £10 pa Life Member Rs2,500 Student Gratis

Ordinary Member Rs450 for 3 years till 21 years of age

Please send application form to: The World Zoroastrian Organisation (India) to Union Press,13 Homji St, Fort, Mumbai 400 001. Tel: (022) 2660357 or 2665526

For UK residents & other countries

Grand Patron £ 500 Patron £ 250 Permanent Assoc Member £ 150

Ordinary Assoc Member £10 pa Life Member £ 100 Ordinary Member £ 10 pa

Student Gratis till 25 years of age

Please send application form and cheque payable in Sterling to WZO, London to:Mrs Khurshid Kapadia, 217 Pickhurst Rise, West Wickham, Kent BR4 0AQ. Tel +44 020 8777 5778

For USA residents

Permanent Assoc Member $ 225 Ordinary Assoc Member $ 25 pa

Life Member $ 150 Ordinary Member $15 pa


Please send application form and cheque payable in US Dollars as “WZO US Region” to:Mr Keki Bhote, 493 Woodlawn Ave., Glencoe, Illinois 60022. Tel: (847) 835 1984

For Canadian residents

Permanent Assoc Member C$ 325 Ordinary Assoc Member C$ 30 pa

Life Member C$ 200 Ordinary Member C$ 20 pa


Please send application form and cheque payable in Candian Dollars as “ZAA, WZO Fees” to:Mr Firdosh Mehta, 73 Douglas Woods Manor, SE, Calgary, AL T2Z 2E8. Tel: (403) 203-2722

For Pakistani residents

Grand Patron Rs10,000 Patron Rs5,000 Permanent Assoc Member £ 150

Ordinary Assoc Member £10 pa Life Member Rs2,500 Student Gratis till 25

years of age

Please send application form and cheque payable in Pak Rupees as “WZO” to:Mrs Toxy Cowasjee, 2 A Mary Road, Bath Island, Karachi 75530. Tel: (021) 5867088

Membership Fees

hamazor - issue 4 2004

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