"Baddha dékhaa dékhi naa khél chhè (It’s all a game of one-upmanship)," sums up Ervad Asphandiar Dadachanji, panthaky of the Vachaghandhy Agiary, referring to the current trend of performing the sacred navjote and wedding ceremonies in baugs, halls, gymkhanas and hotels rather than the pious precincts of a fire temple.
Guests at a wedding at Dadysett Atash Behram, Fanaswadi
Even for those willing to heed his advice the main drawbacks of a navjote or marriage ceremony in a fire temple is of course the bar on entry to non-Parsis and the restrictions on photography and serving of refreshments/meals.
Dadachanji and other priests believe that if a navjote is not performed inside an agiary the significance is lost on the impressionable child and instead there is more emphasis on the celebrations rather than the ceremony. It has been observed that in the excitement the sagan ni sés may bear everything but the child’s first sudreh-kusti, that fashion conscious parents are known to sport "backless/frontless garments" sans sudrehs.
A religious ceremony when performed in the holy environment of a fire temple creates an impact quite distinct from the one performed at a baug when photographers and caterer’s staff and decorators freely move around. Such "arak-parak" by non-Parsis and those not particular in observing religious taboos could negate the norms of purity that should be respected at auspicious functions, remarked many priests.
Amongst all the fire temples, it is the Iranshah in Udvada that holds the distinction of performing the maximum number of navjotes. As per the custom, weddings are never performed at the Iranshah. It is usually in the months of November, December and January, considered the "peak season," that families from neighboring areas of Gujarat, Bombay and in fact all over the world opt to perform the navjote in Udvada. "All navjotes are performed in the morning, sometimes two or three (from different families) on a single day, as we try to accommodate everybody," says Dastur Khurshed Dastoor, High Priest of Udvada.
Those who wish to perform a navjote in Udvada have to fill out a form available at the Anjuman office with the full names of the child, the father, the mother’s maiden name, and attach a xerox copy of the child’s birth certificate as proof of age. A prospective navjote is announced on the notice board in Udvada. As per the practice, all priests of Udvada "are welcome to sit in for a navjote" and it is not uncommon to see nearly a score of mobeds join in the sacred initiation ceremony, mentions Dastoor.
Clockwise, from top left): Dadysett Atash Behram; on the steps of Sethna Agiary; inside Banaji Atash Behram Hall
(above and alongside photos by Jasmine D. Driver)
Despite the high number of priests in attendance each of whom would have to be given a minimum ashodad of Rs 300, the cost of performing a navjote at the Iranshah would be between Rs 15,000-20,000, that would include the initial registration fee of a few hundred rupees, ashodad for the mobeds and gifts to the agiary helpers. Those who can afford more give cash gifts of Rs 500 to the supporting priests. If either Dastoor or his co-High Priest Dastur (Dr) Peshotan Mirza are in Udvada at the time of the navjote, they are expected to perform the ceremony, else another priest can lead the prayers. Dastoor maintains, "I have never quoted a price in my life. Jé marji thi aapvoo hoi té aapé (they can gift any amount of their own volition)." After the navjote the family and friends proceed to one of the hotels in the vicinity for the reception. Photography is prohibited inside the Iranshah.
At the Modi Atash Behram in Surat, around 15 navjotes and weddings are performed in a year, of which 10 would be in April-May, and five in November-December, states Ervad Faredoon Turel who is the panthaky at the Atash Behram. At this Atash Behram, only the High Priest Cyrus Dastur performs the navjote and when two children are to be initiated, he is joined by a panthaky. To maintain the sanctity of the nahn ceremony that is given at the Atash Behram, the priests are very particular that after the purifying ritual and until the initiation, no beautician, not even a Parsi one, touches the child with her tools and gadgets. Photography is permitted up to a point inside the Atash Behram.
Those who wish to avail of the Atash Behram premises have to write a letter in advance to the trustees, seeking permission. "Usually people do booking six months in advance," says trustee Pervin Jariwala. For use of the Atash Behram premises Rs 1,500 is expected as donation on the occasion of a navjote, and Rs 2,000 for a wedding. For lights and decoration, an additional payment of Rs 1,000 is necessary. Usually those who have a function at this Atash Behram, book the Entee Dharamshala in the vicinity to feed their guests.
At the Vakil Kadmi Atash Behram in Surat, weddings and navjotes are not done inside the sanctum but on the otla outside for which they charge Rs 1,000. If the host wants to use both the otlas, the second for serving a meal, they have to pay Rs 5,000. On an average over 30 wedding and navjote functions are held here annually. Usually community members tend to book this venue as they can invite both Parsi and non-Parsi guests to the otla area, points out Surat Parsi Panchayat president Darayas Master.
Navsari High Priest Dastur Kaikhushro Dastoor Meherjirana says under 10 navjotes and 10 marriages are performed at the Navsari Bhagarsath Anjumanna Atash Behram. He believes that it is "vadharé saroo (all the more better)" if the ceremony is held in the Atash Behram but notes "only authorized priests can perform the ceremonies" there.
Among the fire temples in Bombay, the most popular choice is the Banaji Atash Behram at Charni Road which annually sees around 35 to 40 navjotes/weddings performed therein. "Loko ni maanyata (people’s faith) in this pavitra jagaa (sacred place) brings them here" observes Ervad Minocher Behramkamdin who is a long-serving priest at Banaji. Zoroastrians from all over India come to have their ceremonies inside the Atash Behram, says manager Keki Daruwalla. Whilst there is no stipulated payment for use of the Atash Behram premises, Rs 1,000 has to be paid if photography/videography is to be undertaken. To book a hall in the same complex, the charge is Rs 1,500.
The H. B. Wadia Atash Behram sees around 20 wedding/navjote ceremonies performed therein. Whilst some prefer to use the ground floor hall that is available for Rs 8,400, others prefer to use the hall on the first floor that is available for Rs 1,800, mentions Ervad Sharukh Mirza who is attached to this Atash Behram. Usually those who are interested are advised to fill out a form two or three months in advance. The form essentially seeks to establish the Zoroastrian and athornan/behdin genealogy by asking for the full names of the child, parents and paternal grandparents. There are some families who choose to have the ceremony in the morning in the proximity of the padshah and repeat it in the evening at the baugs, says Mirza.
At the neighboring Anjuman Atash Behram there are four or five wedding/navjote ceremonies performed in a year. Here too, a form has to be filled in advance that confirms that both the parents are Zoroastrians. They charge Rs 1,500 for use of the ground floor hall and Rs 3,000 for use of the first floor hall, states the manager Burjor Tarachand. An additional payment of Rs 1,000 has to be made towards labor charges for those who clean and spruce up the hall. Whilst the families are free to do the ceremonies at any time, most prefer to complete the religious rituals in the morning so that "the evenings are free for majaa-masti (merriment)" at baugs or halls or even hotels.
Whilst the location of the Dadysett Atash Behram in the congested Fanaswadi area is a deterrent for some Zoroastrians, there are others who continue to pay obeisance here and even occasionally perform a wedding/navjote. "Jétlu atash behram/agiary maa karé tétlu better (it is preferable to perform such ceremonies at atash behrams or agiaries)," reinforces Darayesh Katrak who is the manager here and was happy to report that his son’s wedding was performed inside the Atash Behram precincts last December. They have another booking four months’ hence. For the convenience of those booking their premises, they have improved the condition of the nahn room and toilets. For a ceremony inside the atash behram they charge Rs 2,000 but since eating is not permitted inside the hall, those who want to serve a meal on the otla outside have to pay Rs 12,000.
Popular venues like the Jeejeebhoy Dadabhoy Agiary, Cama Baug and Saher Agiary may have atash adarians on their premises but that does not mean that families opt to perform sacred ceremonies inside the agiaries. They prefer to avail of the open courtyards that can seat both Parsi and non-Parsi guests. At the Jeejeebhoy Dadabhoy Agiary, the idyllic location by the sea induces almost all families to have the religious ceremony followed by a reception outdoors. It is only a rare couple who would have the marriage inside the agiary with no open-air reception thereafter. During his over three years at this Agiary, Rohinton Karanjia says he does not recall a single instance of a family showing interest only in the agiary and not the grounds outside for a navjote/wedding. Since performance of a jashan is a prerequisite for booking the premises, the jashan that is performed inside the agiary could coincide with the day of celebration or precede it.
At the Cama Baug too most families would rather perform their ceremony outdoors than have it inside the agiary where photography is prohibited. Although they do not charge any payment for navjotes/weddings performed inside the Agiary, since their grounds are available at a very moderate rate most families prefer the outdoors and barely one or two weddings or navjotes are performed inside the Agiary, states Ervad Keki Ravji. He remembers though one patron from Surat who had scheduled the wedding ceremony at 4 p.m. inside the Agiary.
In the course of a year, only one or two navjotes/weddings are performed inside the Saher Agiary. Those who want a ceremony in the morning would not be able to do it on the stage outside under a blazing sun, mentions Ervad Porus Katrak. He cites the instance of one couple who decided to get married inside the fire temple to emulate what their parents had done years ago.
Among the Parsi colonies that are privileged to have a fire temple in their midst is the Rustom Framna Agiary at Dadar’s Muncherji Joshi Parsi Colony where on an average eight navjotes and two weddings are performed each year. "But those who do functions here are not necessarily Dadar residents. Some of them like the Agiary and others find it affordable because they charge Rs 1,500," says the panthaky Ervad Kaizad Karkaria. Since the Dadar Parsi Gymkhana has no facility for nahn, some families prefer to complete the religious formalities at Rustom Framna. "Khari reeté navjote agiary maa thavi joiyé (the correct way of performing a navjote is in the agiary)," he is convinced after which a reception can be held at any venue of one’s choice.
Ervad Yezdi Aibara of Karani Agiary at Cusrow Baug too is of a similar view: "Hu kétlu samjaavaanu try karooch ké navjote actually agiary maa thavi joiyé (I try so hard to make people understand that navjotes should be performed at agiaries)." But not more than two or three navjotes or weddings in a year are performed within the portals of their Agiary. He has heard people complain that within the Agiary there are limited options for decorations but Aibara feels that if potted plants are brought in and the big frame of the Prophet is adorned with a good garland, it would add to the glamor quotient. Although the Agiary charges only Rs 1,000 for use of its premises, some patrons lament that if they do a ceremony at the agiary in the morning and a celebration at a baug in the evening, their cost increases. "Among the daily visitors at the Agiary, 50 percent come from outside the Baug," states Aibara.
Since its inception in 2000, three navjotes and one wedding have been performed at the Salsette Agiary; not all of them were for Colony residents. Their hall being an extension of the Agiary, most prefer to have the ceremony and celebrations in the hall, states the panthaky of the Agiary Ervad Nozer Behramkamdin. For use of the Agiary, no stipulated donation is demanded; the family is free to give whatever they wish.
The first navjote that was performed at the S. F. Jokhi Agiary at Godrej Baug was of the Jokhi family. Thereafter about a dozen navjote and wedding functions have been performed here, of Baug residents and even some non-residents, states Mahrukh Madon who manages the Agiary. If the Punchayet can use the grounds outside for trusteeship election campaigns, they can permit the grounds to be used by residents for their celebration functions, feel some regular visitors to the Agiary. "When a child is being initiated into the Zoroastrian religion, the ceremony should be done in a pious environment so that the child gets the right message and doesn’t consider it a show business," declares Madon who besides offering all facilities at the Agiary is even willing to help organize a sés which many young couples may not be familiar with. Among the ceremonies performed at the Agiary, she recalls a function, some years ago, when after the navjote in the morning the family shared a meal with the underprivileged inmates of an institution instead of opting for the usual baug celebration.
At the Vachaghandhy Agiary opposite Khareghat Colony on Hughes Road, barely one or two wedding or navjote functions are performed in a year. They charge Rs 500 for use of the Agiary premises plus the family has to pay towards the cost of the flowers that are used for decorations and the priests who perform the prayers. If a family is genuinely poor as in the case of some chasniwala or khandhia, they perform the ceremony totally free and in fact give a gift to the new initiate or couple, says Dadachanji.
Sethna Agiary at Tardeo where nearly a dozen wedding/navjotes are performed each year, seems to be a favorite with many Bombay residents. They do not demand any donation for use of the Agiary, says the panthaky Ervad Pervez Dordi, but they persuade the families to liberally give cash gifts to the workers and supporting staff at the Agiary. If families wish to book the adjacent hall where non-Parsis are permitted, they have to pay Rs 2,000 as rental plus Rs 1,000 for electricity.
In the last 20 years the Patel Daremeher at Thana has witnessed only one wedding although there have been five or six navjotes, says Ervad Behram Sidhwa who hopes the situation will change with the reconstruction of their agiary with nahn facilities. It is mainly the disadvantaged in Thana "who cannot afford baugs in Bombay who prefer to use the Agiary" which is made available on payment of Rs 500.
At the Banaji Limji Agiary at Fort where two weddings and navjotes in a year are a common occurrence, it is either the priests affiliated to the Agiary who perform ceremonies of family members or those who are unable to get a baug booking at the last minute, says Ervad Godrej Panthaki. Families are free to make whatever voluntary donation they choose to the Agiary just as patrons contribute towards the kathi funds.
Ideally a navjote should be performed in the morning, soon after Hoshbam (dawn), opined some priests. For a wedding, some priests recommend that it should be performed in the morning while others feel that evening would be better. Yet there have been cases where after undergoing an ashirwad ceremony in an agiary in the morning, the couple has chosen to perform another ceremony in the baug in the evening. Dadachanji cites the case of a couple who after getting married at a baug in the evening Aiwisruthrem gah, continued with the merriment after dinner and as Ushahin gah approached, they came to the Vachaghandhy Agiary with their immediate family to have the ashirwad ceremony performed once again as in the days of yore.