With reference to your editorial "Crucial chronicles” (Parsiana, May 7-20, 2025) on preserving the past, I feel we need to democratize historical preservation, re-emphasizing that every effort, no matter how small, adds to the mosaic of collective memories.
Instead of commencing on family memoirs, perhaps we could start by supporting the conservation and cataloguing of the rich cultural heritage that exists at institutions like The K. R. Cama Oriental Institute in Bombay and the Dastur Meherjirana Library in Navsari.
You have quoted British author George Orwell who wrote in his prescient novel, 1984, "Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past.” Sadly dystopian as Orwell’s words may seem, our minuscule community is on the brink of losing all and any control over its future due to collapsing birth rates, the sorry and often pitiful condition of our priests, mismanagement and dysfunction within trusts and institutions, constant petty infighting and a staggering indifference towards preserving our rich heritage.
True, many of these issues had existed a century ago, but today they have worsened alarmingly. Worst of all is our collective complacency and the widespread belief that someone else should step in and fix issues!
JAVID SOLI CANTEENWALLA
London, UK
javid.cante@gmail.com
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