I was at Bhabha Bungli (No 1) to attend the paidust of a close relative. The pallbearers, as usual, after the geh sarna placed a white cloth with a few currency notes from their own pockets near the bier hinting that other mourners too place money next to the corpse. A few years back, I had brought this practice to the attention of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) as well as the late Dhunjishah Naterwalla, general secretary of the workers’ union, Mumbai Mazdoor Sabha. The common response, if any, is that pallbearers are difficult to source. The BPP must discipline them. I also found the relatives are being charged twice for use of the bungli, once by the staff and again by officials in the manager’s office.
The Ahunavaiti prayers are recited for 35 to 40 minutes, instead of more than 50 minutes.
The pathway leading to the dakhma is unkempt and difficult to walk on. On reaching the Anjuman dakhma I saw that many solar panels were missing, barring four or five. On inquiry, I was told that the panels are removed in the monsoons. Why? The answer was that solar panels do not work in monsoons. In winter the panels are once again installed. Who installs them? The answer was the "solar representative” who controls the temperature.
If this be the case, why not give our loved ones a decent burial or cremation after the geh sarna so that our minds are easy that our near and dear ones have been disposed of properly?
The lower bunglis, Darvish and Tarachand, are in disuse. Both these bunglis were recently renovated by a donor. Why are they not being used?
On my return to the Bhabha Bungli from the sagdi I saw two non-Zarathushti staff members waiting outside with cleaning equipment. So, the BPP uses non-Zarathushti staff to clean our bunglis. I know that Mohmmadbhai used to drive the hearse between 1987 and 1989 and also helped the khandhias carry the body into the bunglis.
The editors’ note:
Irani’s letter was emailed to the Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairwoman Armaity Tirandaz and deputy chief executive officer Shehnaaz Khambatta on October 10 and again on October 20, seeking their response. There has been no reply to date.