Readers of Parsiana have often asked what alternate use the Doongerwadi estate can be put to. I suggest that the entire area, including the civil structures as they exist, be converted into a Global Center for Zoroastrian and Parsi Research and Studies. The Towers of Silence will then be preserved as "towers of expression on tolerance and thoughtfulness” for which the actual structures of today can serve as backdrops for theater and drama of a new NCPA — the National Center for Parsi Arts!
The forested lands should remain relatively untouched so that they serve as a center for bio-diversity with every tree having a tag displaying both the common name as well as the botanical one so that school children and others can learn the value of nature. The center must also have a museum to imaginatively capture and preserve Parsi culture, philanthropy and enterprise. This will open the eyes of the world to the timeless value of the teachings of Zarathushtra at a time when bigotry and intolerance are growing from the weeds of mediocrity.
However, unless the government backs the idea of such a global center, nothing can be done. A special task force, constituted only for this persuasive effort, will have to enlist all institutions that will benefit from having such a center, like academia, naturalists, foreign tourism, Parsis overseas, etc. We have to take measures to ensure that alternate use does not give the State Government an opening to take over the land, which is a real danger.
What are our options in the current scenario? To witness our baugs, fire temples, hospitals, etc wither away as the dwindling community is reduced to a nonentity? We owe these developments not just to ourselves but to ensure that the legacy of Zarathushtrian philosophy enshrined in good thoughts, words and deeds, survives. NAWSHIR D. KHURODY
ndkhurody@gmail.com