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Undeterred by the resolution passed by The North American Mobeds Council (NAMC) to have her privileges withdrawn following her performance of a navjote ceremony in Toronto, 21-year-old Mobedyar Mahshad Khosraviani stated, "I have worked extremely hard and put in three years of my youth to get where I am today in life. Giving up is not an option... I am overwhelmed with emotions for having the support of my community but there is always a group of people who would do and say anything to see one’s dreams and hard work collapse.”

 

Supporting her determination to forge ahead with her ecclesiastical duties are Ervads (Dr) Jehan Bagli and Jal Panthaky, her fellow mobeds at the navjotes of the three Madon sisters, nine-year-old twins Farah and Rayna, and eight-year-old Mila. Performed at the Burlington Convention Centre in Ontario on May 17, 2013, this is the first time that a lady mobedyar officiated at a navjote ceremony in North America, the vibrations of which were felt across North America and even India. In an email to Parsiana, Panthaky who was the first secretary of NAMC wrote, "NAMC was formed to provide guidance to the community members. NAMC neither has any authority nor powers to enforce any of their views or resolutions on community members or on any mobeds. It is strictly the choice of individuals.”

 

His comments were in response to a statement issued by NAMC president Kobad Zarolia on July 7, 2013 reiterating a resolution unanimously passed at the NAMC annual meeting on May 18 and 19, 2013 in Montreal: "Be it resolved that an NAMC recognized mobedyar…cannot under any circumstance, perform a navjote, sudreh pushi, wedding, boi on a consecrated fire and any inner liturgical ceremony (including yazashne, visparad, vandidad and baaj) independently, or with or under the supervision of a mobed(s). Further resolved that non-observance of any of the above requirements will result in automatic forfeiture of that mobedyar’s privileges granted by NAMC.”
Zarolia’s communiqué cites two other clauses in the resolution which spell out the ceremonies a mobedyar can perform: "a jashan as a jyoti, afringan, farokhshi, satum, funeral prayers (geh sarna, uthamna, sarosh nu patru and chahrum) and boi in a dadgah, only in the absence or non-availability of a mobed; can assist a mobed by offering atravakshi in a jashan, sitting in a jashan and sitting in a navjote or sudreh pushi.”
The NAMC statement further refers to its first meeting on March 24 and 25, 1989, attended by both Bagli (who later served as NAMC president for six years) and Panthaky, when "it was unanimously resolved that the navjote ceremony must be performed by a duly ordained mobed only… In 1995, NAMC resolved that since our traditions allow any Zoroastrian to perform outer liturgical ceremonies in the absence of an ordained priest, NAMC would be pleased to provide relevant instruction and training to any person interested in filling such a role. In 1999, it was resolved that the mobedyar program was open to Zoroastrian males only. Although ladies were allowed to participate in the mobedyar program since 2011, it was specifically understood that the ladies would have to abide by the rules and regulations laid down by NAMC.

 

 

 

 

 

"When NAMC first became aware of the intention of the two mobeds to participate in the navjote ceremony with the lady mobedyar, NAMC immediately requested them to rethink the matter, particularly since a number of fully ordained mobeds were available in Toronto. It is unfortunate that the two mobeds in question performed the navjote anyway,” claimed the communiqué.
Asserted Panthaky, "NAMC neither approached Jehan nor myself about the navjote. In fact the president of NAMC made a personal call to Mahshad telling her to refrain from challenging NAMC (and that) if she doesn’t, NAMC will rescind her certificate. When Mahshad mentioned that lady mobedyars are doing navjotes in Iran, she was told if she wants to do navjotes she should go back to Iran.”
The duo argued that it did not make sense to train mobedyars if they are not permitted to perform outer liturgical ceremonies with an ordained mobed. Panthaky and Bagli had jointly written to the NAMC on March 5, 2013 proposing four recommendations to be discussed at the AGM in May as they would not be able to attend the meeting: "NAMC should stop training mobedyars in areas where there are mobeds; only train mobedyars in areas where mobeds are scarce or not present; promote mobedyars where there are no mobeds to perform outer liturgical ceremonies (navjote and wedding) with a mobed (either local or from outside); a Zoroastrian family must have the freedom of choice if they wish to have a particular mobedyar perform a navjote or wedding with a mobed irrespective of how many mobeds are available in that area. That is the basic human right of the members of the Zarathushti community. Nobody, least of all NAMC, can take that away from them. Of course NAMC can make recommendations but it cannot and should not impose its will on the community members.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The repercussions of the Toronto navjotes generated disbelief among the believers in Bombay too.  Ilm-e Khshnoomist Ervad Marzban Hathiram of Bombay wrote on his blog Frashogard: "A lady, with a smattering of knowledge about the prayers and traditions of our religion is NOT competent to enter into a spiritual sacrament and confirm a child as a Zoroastrian. Thus even if she were to go through the sham of a ceremony, it would be void-ab-initio, simply because she has no right, authority and permission to do so. In effect, this sham performance that has taken place is much like a girl giving her doll a bath, dressing her up in nice new white clothes, and then tying a string around its waist…”
Equally critical was traditional religious activist Pervin Mistry of those propagating "righteous freedom of choice” on the rationale, "Women biologically are unable to maintain ritual purity and therefore ritual equality in ordination is spiritually wrong.” In a center-spread article in the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly of June 23, 2013 she stated, "It needs to be mentioned that previously when women were initiated as mobedyars in Iran, it was mandatory for them to take the nine nights barshnoom. Are these women mobedyars in America given the monthly barshnoom? No… Today it is ‘fashion’ to defy religion and its revealed mandates. This is neither progress, nor scholarship. This is sheer defiance of spiritual laws about which these Zarathushtis are ignorant of!”
The recently conceived and moribund Council of High Priests in India had not issued any statement till the time of Parsiana going to press.

Infectious enthusiasm
"We felt that it was a good day for all Zoroastrians when we brought into the faith three happy and willing girls and took one further step away from prejudice and bigotry,” commented Shavak Madon, the patriarch of the family whose granddaughters were navjoted on May 17, 2013 before a gathering of nearly 400 members that included family and friends from around the world. Acceding to Parsiana’s request to write about the event, Shavak stated, "The Madon family decided to ask Mahshad to be one of the priests at the navjote ceremony because of her passion to promote the Zoroastrian faith among the younger generation.  The excitement and enthusiasm that she radiates, makes her the perfect female role model for today’s youth.  Mobedyar Khosraviani’s commitment to Zoroastrianism has to be greatly respected and admired.” He alluded to "a very important message that was passed down to all mankind by Zarathushtra: ‘Ushta Ahmai – Yahmai – Usta Ahamaichit,’ meaning real happiness lies in giving happiness to others.  If we could all live by this simple rule the world would be a much better place.” Whilst Shavak is a retired partner in the accounting firm Deloitte in Canada, son Cyrus is a chartered accountant and a senior managing partner of a large private equity firm, and daughter-in-law Shilpa is a practising medical doctor in Oakville. The girls’ grandmother Freny had taught them their navjote prayers.

Khosraviani, the only mobedyar who had been accepted by both, the Iranian and the North American mobed councils, was the Madon family’s first choice of priest. They then called Bagli and Panthaky to enquire if they would participate with her in the ceremony. "We both consented to join in,” stated Bagli in response to Parsiana’s queries. "As Mahshad is more familiar with the ritual as performed in Iran, I provided her with the relevant portion of our book Understanding and Practice of Navjote and Wedding Ceremonies that we had published in 2010. After she had studied that we met with her once to familiarize her with the enactments that are performed at various stages of the ceremony,” reported Bagli who had known her for some years as he was responsible for training her as a mobedyar.

 

Invitation to the Madon sisters’ initiation explains the import of the religious ceremony

Confident in her abilities, Bagli added, "I had no doubt that if she agreed to do something she would do a good job. It was indeed an exciting experience to see my own student performing a Zarathushti ceremony with me and the other Parsi Zarathushti priest. In fact after the ceremony it was Mahshad who gave a short talk on the significance of the navjote ceremony.”   
"In the eyes of God, everyone is treated equally and given their roles and responsibilities to perform.  Aside from wanting the same rights and freedom as men in my religion and opening a path for others in future, I really did this for myself,” conveyed Khosraviani to Parsiana. "There are many reasons why I have chosen this path in my life at such a young age, but the most important one is my love for my religion and everything that it stands for.  I love teaching and touching people’s hearts in ways that will hopefully motivate them to either follow in my path or at least live a life of righteousness.” 
She was particularly grateful to her parents Khurshid and Sohrab Khosraviani "who believed in me at a time when no one else did” as also Bagli "who welcomed me in the Parsi community with open arms and spent numerous hours with my training.” Ervad (Dr) Kerman Katrak and Mobedyar Bahram Varjavand, the mobeds and mobedyars in Iran who guided her and "my loving community, whose kind words have always been a motivation for me to excel and succeed,” were also acknowledged.
"This is not about having a title or being a role model.  This is a commitment, a duty in favor of Ahura Mazda.  It is a feeling I get when I sit and pray and talk to Ahura Mazda, at this time nothing else exists except the power of prayer along with the sudreh and kusti and the practice of Ashoi daily,” stated the mobedyar, adding,  "The importance of this journey is far beyond anything I had ever imagined… I went through some days of complete hopelessness, and mental confusion, thoughts filled with fear and insecurity, but like everything else in life I had to work hard to get where I am today.  It was definitely very difficult to achieve but with the love and support of my community I feel all my hard work has paid off – this is only the beginning!”
Despite the controversy surrounding the navjotes, the three new initiates have learnt, as mentioned on their navjote invite, that the two knots of a kusti stand for two resolutions: "One should have complete and unshaken faith in the oneness of Ahura Mazda; one should always endeavor to reach Him and be with Him by following the path shown by Zoroaster, the path of purity and righteousness.”