I was thrilled beyond words to read about young Ashish Thakore’s yearning to become a Zoroastrian, so much so that tears of pure joy streamed down my face ("Such a long journey,” Parsiana, September 7, 2016).
How wonderful that a young man has been so inspired by our ancient and most beautiful religion that he wants to have his navjote done at the age of 34! It’s also to his credit that he studied the tenets and history of our religion and after many years of seeing it being practiced by his family has bravely decided to follow his heart. He is fortunate to have the blessings of an enlightened priest, Ervad Bahmanshah Sanjana, to perform his navjote ceremony.
Isn’t it time that Parsis who live in Bombay take a page from Parsis settled abroad and allow children of mixed marriages to come into our fold? Shouldn’t we be serious about increasing our numbers? And isn’t it our duty to ensure that the religion of the good life preached by Prophet Zarathushtra does not fade away and become relegated to history?
Congratulations Ashish! May your tribe increase! Our best wishes to you for your onward spiritual journey. I’m sure the Yazads are rejoicing.
PERVIN R. MEHTA
pervinmehta@gmail.com