Archive

The impact of Covid-19 on society in general and individuals and families in particular has been unprecedented. The world was taken by surprise in early 2020 and is still in a daze with the second and third wave getting more infectious and lethal. Indians all over the country are grieving the loss of loved ones.
Where members of our minuscule community are concerned, not only are we mourning the loss of our loved ones to Covid-19, but have to endure the devastating emotional impact of not even giving them a proper farewell.
A large number of Zoroastrians are struggling to address or come to terms with this dilemma by looking for religiously acceptable alternative methods to dispose, in a dignified manner, the bodies of those who have lost their lives to this deadly virus without causing further harm to society. There are many who are desperately trying to seek a solution to this problem which is likely to persist for a fairly long time.
I am not exaggerating when I say that our community is on the threshold of an acute emergency and its members are crying out in despair, but it is apparent that their voices are too feeble to be heard or heeded. A quiet but fervent plea is made to our elders and leaders and to those who have the means to bring an end to the ongoing unpleasant manner of disposal of patients who have succumbed to Covid-19. There is palpable urgency to resolve this problem without compromising on religious principles and sentiments but with a realistic and compassionate approach.
Scenes of corpses being burned are all over the media — both mainstream and social. These are heart wrenching. Surat recently saw five Parsis succumbing to Covid in just one day. Cases are rising in Bombay and Poona. This is not the time for intellectual debate. This is the time for action. Given a choice, what is worse — cremation or a dignified burial with rituals at our community Doongerwadi?
Between burning and burying what is a better option? What have Iranian Zarathushtis been doing in Iran since the 1960s? They have burial. In Zoroastrian communities across India where there are no dakhmas the practice of ground burial has been accepted and the anjumans in these localities have built aramgahs (resting places) for the purpose. In the UK, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe is a very traditional anjuman, but they bury the dead over there. Even scions of the Tata family have been laid to rest thus.
I am not promoting an alternate system. What I am saying is when we have no other alternative what would be more acceptable? We need to use our common sense, which unfortunately is not very common among the more orthodox in our community.
In my humble opinion, an unused dakhma could be assigned for consigning the bodies of those who succumb to Covid-19 by strictly adhering to the health and safety guidelines issued by the authorities and observing all safety measures required for the well-being of all persons involved, particularly those who handle the corpses. Honestly, I think this proposal may not be accepted because it poses numerous complications. To obtain permission from multiple state and municipal agencies will be very difficult, resulting in a considerable loss of valuable time.
A more practical option could be to demarcate a portion of the Doongerwadi property and allocate this piece of land only for burying bodies of these unfortunate victims, whilst observing every given stringent guideline and procedure required by the government and medical officials. This will provide solace and reassure the patient, before he/she passes away, and the family, that at least the funeral prayers will be recited for the deceased, if not a funeral ceremony in its entirety, while the deceased is laid to rest in the familiar, peaceful and serene grounds of Doongerwadi.
It is devastating for the families of these victims of fate and unfortunate circumstances to lose their dear ones and then not be permitted to consign their bodies to the dakhma. Also, to add to their nightmare, they have to witness the gruesomely undignified method adopted for disposing the bodies of those they so dearly love.
Last year we thought that the virus would soon be gone and would not affect too many of us, but this has been proved to be a miserably wrong approach. The deadly virus is here to stay for some more time.
Numbers that were once flashing on our television sets and mobile phone screens have now taken the shape of people whom we have known and grown to love. It will not be too cynical of me to think that our turn may be just around the corner and there seems to be no escape.
I have discussed this proposition and taken the counsel of many knowledgeable and religiously inclined fellow Zoroastrians and priests: all of them are against the prevalent system of cremating Parsis who die of Covid for it is not in harmony with our religious precepts. It also brings a lot of pain and grief to the near ones as also increases anxiety in the ailing just before death.
I wish to declare that I staunchly uphold my belief in our time-tested and eco-friendly system of dakhmenashini and believe no other method of disposing the dead is acceptable to me in normal circumstances. Please note I emphatically pronounce that if permission for burial is granted, it must be stopped as soon as we see the end of this pandemic.
It would be a blessing if regional anjumans or punchayets who have Doongerwadi property agree to allocate a secluded piece of land for this purpose, making it a once in a lifetime concession during unprecedented times only on humanitarian grounds, because desperate times call for desperate measures!
The Christians and Muslims had sought and been granted permission to bury the mortal remains of their brethren who have succumbed to Covid-19; why can’t we follow suit? We live in quickly changing times and it is wise to bring about constructive change in order to accommodate the demands of time rather than being rigid, allowing time to overtake us, making way for self-destruction.
I urge the office bearers of all anjumans and punchayets to bury the hatchet and work in unison to address this larger and more demanding issue that is looming over us. Make it your religious responsibility and duty to ensure that these departed souls too receive their rightful share of respect and dignity.
A respectful and dignified funeral will soothe and console the hearts and minds of the survivors.
According to The Funeral Ceremonies of the Parsees: Their origin and explanation by Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, "It appears from all the description, that the funeral ceremonies of the Parsis produce in the minds of the survivors a great solicitude for the health of the living, respect for the dead, feelings of gratitude and love towards the deceased, and ideas of morality and virtue inculcated by the thoughts that death levels everybody, and that one should always be prepared for death which may overtake him at any moment.”
This is a treasured piece of advice by one of the most respected scholars which summarizes my contention and plea to grant dignity to the dead.