In his piece, "The eighth atash behram-1,” (Parsiana, December 7-20, 2021) Berjis Desai, while writing about 1885, states: "To appease the incensed power center, Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy (J.J.), First Baronet… went as an emissary.” This is factually incorrect. The first baronet passed away on April 14, 1859.
Desai also refers to Kangaji as a nonagenarian priest. Kawasji Edulji Kanga passed away on March 10, 1904 at age 65. He did not reach the age of 90+; unless the author is referring to some other Kangaji, in which case he ought to have mentioned his full name.
He also does not disclose the source of history in the piece which would help readers learn more about this controversy.
MARZBAN GIARA
Navsari
marzbang@gmail.com
Berjis Desai responds:
The words, First Baronet, were an error. Kangaji was the then patriarch of the Kanga family. Not Kawasji. While I appreciate Marzban Giara’s inputs, I would like to state that this column is not a paper in a history journal. It has to be an enjoyable and easy read without being cluttered with footnotes about sources and references.
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