The alarming drop in moral standards must be tackled, states the author
Behram Dastur
Moral standards have fallen across the world, but it is a poor consolation that we, who are unique in some respects, should fall in line with that trend. Zoroastrians, around the world, are known for probity, tolerance and charity. While the aspect of charity is fairly intact, probity and tolerance have taken a back seat.
In requests for community-housing, many suppress facts and profess falsehood — which works to the detriment of the needy. Some sell off their ownership flats, or cash-in on vacating rented flats, and then make persistent demands on community housing. Many keep their flats locked for 15 to 25 years while they live abroad. The joint family system is anathema to many of our youngsters, hence families require two or three flats, against one say 20 years back. Before leaving the locale or town, some abandon their dogs in the car park at our Bombay’s Doongerwadi.
One finds a recurrent manifestation of ‘suppressio veri, suggestio falsi,’ even in areas beyond housing. Bills for educational help are criminally fudged and submitted to the trusts for reimbursement.
While our Homes for the Aged are meant to take care of the disabled and the disadvantaged, what worries me is the abandonment of parents by those who can afford to keep them at home, and care for them. Recently, an elderly lady was reportedly shifted to the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital. Before she left for the Hospital she was made to sign a document by her son surrendering the flat to him. When she returned from the Hospital, she was barred entry to the flat.
Internecine rivalry between siblings is on the increase. From visits to various Parsi and non-Parsi solicitors, one learns that many of their clients are Parsis: not all coming for only conveyancing and the preparation of wills, but for prolonged litigation. We are a highly litigant community, living amicably with non-Parsis, but with considerable animosity amongst ourselves!
In our scriptures, there is a distinct injunction that all Zoroastrians must emulate the example of the seven Amesha Spentas, and work in perfect unison and concord. Unwarranted dissension is a Zoroastrian sin and must be abjured.
An indifference to our scriptures seems to be growing! Some of us have gone astray and been often found at the congregations of non-Zoroastrians. It is sad that we have forgotten the message of Ahura Mazda, to Zarathushtra, that the religion which He has created is self-sufficient; that when all the other religions (then existing and to follow) go into oblivion, the Mazdayasni religion would outlive all those; and if ever, any calamity were to strike Zarathushtra and his followers, His name and that of the Amesha Spentas would protect them and vanquish the evil-doers. Yet, I find quite some Parsis mentioning ‘O Jesus,’ ‘Ram Ram,’ and ‘Mukunda.’
I have known a few families, who do not recite prayers, do not wear sudrehs and keep no Parsi calendar in their home — to say nothing of the absence of the Khordeh Avesta.
At navjotes or weddings or other receptions it is a fashion not to wear the sudreh. We have given up our belief that it is an armor of an ardent Zoroastrian. I have been questioned whether I would prefer to deal with a good, non-sudreh-wearing Zoroastrian, or a sudreh-wearing scoundrel? I have no reply to offer, nor any advice to proffer.
In any emancipated society, the divorce rate is bound to be high and in an un-emancipated society, the murder rate is bound to be high. Ten percent of marriages break up, irretrievably. It is a very high percentage, and to say that in the West, the divorce rate is as high as 40 percent is no consolation.
One way to reduce the rate of divorce is for the parents not to insist on their children staying with them. Out of every 20 cases that I have known, 19 want to live independently of their in-laws.
We Parsis were the real seafarers, as well as the camp followers of the British during colonial times and went to their colonies, dependencies and protectorates in search of greener pastures. Our facility with English was a great asset. But, we went also to China (which was a very big gang-land) and to Japan (a very safe and secure society). In both those countries our facility with English may not have been an asset, yet we find that we prospered and shared our prosperity with the disadvantaged and the poor.
Many of our boys have lost the pioneering spirit of our forefathers and have become insularized (geographically and mentally).
They should be willing to get out of the Bombay-Poona belt and venture out to places like Jamshedpur, Jamnagar, Ankleshwar, Baroda, Dhar, Alwar, etc.
Some of our boys (fortunately they are in a minority) refuse to do ‘shift working.’ Millmen, railwaymen, policemen, all work in shifts. Economic resurgence (prowess) means our readiness to put our shoulder to the wheel, even if it rubs.
We hear of promoters who have run away with the shareholders’ money, and are believed to be vacationing in either Israel or Brazil, with which India does not have extradition treaties.
The other phenomenon which is considerably on the increase is the refusal (by the loanees) to repay the business loans taken for starting a small-scale venture. A few of them repay only on being threatened by the Debt Recovery Tribunal.
In the Meher Yasht and in the Patet Pashemani, the abrogation of a bond is a recorded sin and considered heinous. Meher Yasht 10.2 says: "Do not break a promise, not that which you contracted with a non-Zoroastrian, nor that with a co-religionist. Both are valid.”
In many Parsi homes the monies spent on music systems, CDs, DVDs and cassettes far outweigh that on knowledge. You hardly see a home library these days. Our community’s strength and cutting edge used to lie in superior education.
The formation (or the non-formation) of a world body of Zoroastrians is not crucial to our survival, but our declining numbers, certainly are. We can debate the census commissioner’s report for 2001 till the cows come home, but we cannot afford to ignore the declining numbers.
To say that everything is hunky-dory and explain away the fall in numbers to emigration, is dangerous. This emigration simpliciter has an in-built danger in it. Why? The emigration to the West and to Australia and New Zealand has not been only from India. Significant numbers left Pakistan, Iran and Zanzibar, and a few more left from Ceylon and Hongkong.
The disturbing part is that many healthy and wealthy Parsis produce just one child. The least such couples owe (to) their religion and to their community is to produce two children.
We Zoroastrians must continue to donate to non-Parsi causes, but not to the denial of our community. In the name of secularism, nationalism and patriotism, we disown our own community!
Recently, a rich Parsi of Bombay left his flat and other assets to non-Parsis. A fairly wealthy Parsi of Gujarat who died recently, did the same.
I would urge all Zoroastrians not to ignore our community, our fire-temples, our dakhmas, our libraries and our madressas for "charity begins at home.” And as Sir Pherozeshah Mehta added, "...but, never stops at home.”
Ours is a religion of light (enlightenment). That light is dimming and fundamentalist darkness seems to be gaining an upper hand! To counter the rise of fundamentalism the ‘fire’ within us must burn fervently, but not scorch others. We dislike dissent. We have started hating dissent.
Many of these maladies emanate from the basic fact that we are going away from Zoroastrianism, wittingly or unwittingly, and dimming our own lustre. Over a 100 years ago, Dr Dadabhai Naoroji made a successful attempt by launching a movement "back to the Gathas,” (Lokmanya Tilak started, after that, his movement "Back to the Vedas”). Naoroji was not taking us to the dark ages, but to the pristine illumination and simplicity enshrined in the Gathas and to resuscitate the lives of modern Zoroastrians. After a century, we need to do that again.
Chief Executive Officer of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, Behram Dastur had 31 years’ experience with multinationals in materials, systems and corporate development. His last position was as a senior general manager (materials) with Burroughs Wellcome (India) Limited. He represented the chemicals and drug industries before the finance and commerce ministries on tariff issues.