When Parsis meet the conversation often veers around to priests and the manner in which they perform rituals and ceremonies. Someone is sure to come up with derisory statements like priests are corrupt, often slack in their duties and the profession needs to be handed over to a more sincere lot.
This makes me see red! And I am not from the priestly class. Is there any profession today where all the practitioners are sincere and honest? The medical community that saves lives is often found to have corrupt members, what with kidney rackets, clandestine destruction of female fetuses, etc. Doctors are often careless with non-paying poor patients. Lawyers, judges and teachers may sell their souls for money. Are there not corrupt members in these noble professions? Money has unfortunately become God for many. But despite this, many professions also have honest and sincere members.
A priest’s lot is a hard one. In cities where the congregation of Parsis is small there is but one agiary or dar-e-meher with only one priest managing it without any helpers. During special days such as festivals and during the muktads the priest has to handle all the tasks on his own, in addition to the prayers. Can lay people imagine how overworked the priests are?
I request community members to stop accusing priests of not doing their work properly. If one particular priest does not live up to expectations, pull him up, but in private. Please stop condemning the profession. MEHER D. DHONDY
Gurgaon, Haryana