I refer to the paid advertisement of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) in The Free Press Journal wherein their lynch mob is out to get Parsiana because the magazine does not toe the line of the ultra fanatic Sadams and the bin Ladens of the community whose fatwas have no basis in Zoroastrianism. It is very unfortunate that what is taught today by many religions and denominations is often man-made and colored by dogma which is not from God and is not supported by the scriptures.
These pseudo Zoroastrians must get off their high horse of ignorance and bigotry and understand that we as Parsis came into being only after landing in Sanjan around 780 AC. We have no monopoly or copyright over the Zoroastrian religion, its teachings or its rituals. The fatwas and dos and don’ts that the high priests and self-appointed messiahs are trying to ram down the throats of the enlightened community in the name of religion are most sickening and Hitler-like. Most of the actions of our "leaders” are aimed at keeping under their control the pseudo-orthodox, to foster their lack of understanding of our ancient faith and stoke the fire of baseless fears that there will be an influx of outsiders (durvans, an obnoxious term) in order to reap benefits of our rich community funds.
I emphasize the words pseudo-orthodox because the authors of these accusatory letters and write-ups are falsely claiming to be the upholders of Zoroastrian values. Their values actually have no basis in orthodoxy at all. At best, these Johnny-come-latelys can be termed "traditionalists.” It is only after coming to India that we started the endogamous practice of marriages rigidly within the community, put a ban on entry of non-Zoroastrians into our temples and developed a kind of rigidity that did not exist in pre-Islamic Iran. We changed. In a strange land this was a necessity; or else our community would have merged, mixed and disappeared within the huge Indian masses and our identity would have been lost, our faith abandoned. But now, 1,300 years later, this very practice is threatening our existence. As a community we are facing extinction. It’s a grim scenario. Let us wake up and change so that we may be able to save Zoroastrianism and its rituals.
Let us not forget the words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson: "The old order changeth yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world...”
Dastur Darab Sanjana writes: "The Parsis... this microscopic fragment of the mosaic of India... this noble debris of one of the most heroic and the grandest people of antiquity” have made themselves markedly prominent, out of proportion to their number, by virtue of their intellectuality, culture, enterprise, organizing ability, and wealth, combined with their clean living, probity, peaceful disposition and adaptability (i.e. the capacity for receiving and assimilating ideas). In super addition to that the crowning quality of their philanthropy, has won for them the aphorism "Parsi thy name is charity.”
O what a fall this is, my community men! Today this charity does not exist. We show no charity to a woman by refusing her natural right as a Parsi Zoroastrian to enter the fire temple because she is married to a non-Zoroastrian and has a Hindu name.
We refused to show any charity to a Parsi lady under similar circumstances who was killed in a car accident by denying her dakhmenashini rites at Doongerwadi.
We refuse the children of mixed marriages the right to follow and be initiated into the Zoroastrian religion.
We show no charity to any Parsi who wishes to be cremated by denying him/her the final prayers for the salvation of the soul. We condemn our priests as renegades because they have shown true courage and Zoroastrian spirit by performing the last rites of Parsis who opt for alternate modes of disposal of their mortal remains because they are repulsed at the idea of their bodies suffering the indignity of lying rotting or putrefying in dakhmas since the system of dakh-menashini has collapsed due to the total absence of its main constituent, the vulture.
A girl child of a Parsi father died of starvation while the moguls of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) wanted proof of her having Parsi parentage.
The navjote ceremony of the baptized, manor born Neville Wadia was performed and the vada dastur proclaimed that this was an exception. As a matter of fact, many of us welcomed the step, not as an exception but as a rule. By the same token we can and should accept people like Mikhail Chistyakov also into our fold. They too are of the same Zoroastrian lineage as the Parsis of India, the only difference being they have been separated by several centuries from the Zoroastrian mainstream and not by a couple of generations due to oppressive and repressive regimes denying them the freedom of worship which we enjoy and take for granted in India while vehemently trying to deny it to others.
With such a head-in-the-sand attitude and medieval, archaic mind-set the so-called defenders of the faith are actually driving our community to committing what I would like to term "theocide.” Prof James Darmesteter has observed that a great religion never dies even when annihilated by sword and fire; it still lives on unrecognized in our hearts. We may perish as a community due to our own destructive ideologies but it is comforting to know that Zoroastrianism will continue to flourish elsewhere because its spark is igniting flames as far away as in Russia and elsewhere.
WAPIZ may take over the Parsi newspapers to silence the voice of dissent, print their own propagandist advertisements at wasteful expense and its puppets in the BPP may spend lakhs from funds meant for the poor and needy on fancy glossy magazines, but it appears to be running scared of the little David of the Parsi Press, Parsiana. The maga-zine’s supporters will upset their apple cart of hypocrisy and bigotry.
DARA KHODAIJI
dara_mk@hotmail.com
Having read the article on the WAPIZ Page of The Free Press Journal dated July 9, 2010 I wish to congratulate Parsiana for the badge of honor it has been given by WAPIZ for its fearless journalism which appears to have got under their skin as indeed that of Kerfegar Antia. The title "A little learning is a dangerous thing” of your "Editorial Viewpoint” some months back would aptly fit the latter’s letter.
Dr Pesi Warden, whom I knew well, and his two brothers living in London whom I also knew very well, would be looking down from their celestial abode with favor on you for they were men of deep learning and open minds.
Keep the good work going!
SHAHPUR F. CAPTAIN
Wilmington, Kent, UK
shahpur.captain@btinternet.com