I thought that my book would resonate with only a handful of Parsis living in Western India but I was pleasantly surprised to see the interest in our community all over the country: in fact, an event held in a bookshop in Dehradun, a city with only five Parsis, had a full house and a detailed review was published in the newspapers the next day,” said Coomi Kapoor at a discussion on "The Parsi Story: Portrait of a Community” held on August 20, 2021 as part of the Jaipur Literature Festival. The panelists comprised art historian Dr Pheroza Godrej, journalist and columnist Bachi Karkaria, Parsiana editor Jehangir Patel and Kapoor who has recently published a book, The Tatas, Freddie Mercury & Other Bawas: An Intimate History of the Parsis. Sanjay Roy, the producer of the Festival, who introduced the discussion said that the theme would be "to explore what it means to be Parsi today and to commemorate the essence of their indomitable spirit.”
In reply to a question asked by Kapoor, Godrej said it was inaccurate to attribute the success of the Parsis to the China trade in opium. She did not believe that their success was on account of their being subservient to the British; as they were a community of immigrants, they learnt very quickly to adapt themselves. "They had no taboos, diet restrictions, or issues of mingling with other communities. Further, they were forward looking where women were concerned, believed in education, had good professional knowledge and worked very hard.” Before the first schools started for girls, Parsi mothers were teaching their daughters on the otlas (verandahs) of their houses. The girls were quick to learn and they continued their progress becoming professionals in the late 19th century. In fact, the earliest lawyers were women — Cornelia Sorabji and Mithan Lam.
In spite of this the panel wondered why Parsi women were still being discriminated against today. Kapoor regretted the fact that, in India, the children of women married outside the community were not considered Parsis even though this practice is not observed in Iran and the USA. Karkaria added that it was not only the children of Parsi women who were subject to this discrimination, but even Parsi women married outside the community.
Kapoor found this discrimination very strange when one considers the general impression that "the Parsi woman, like the Jewish mother, was the strong woman in the home.” She gave the examples of two women in the 19th century: Bai Motlibai Maneckjee Wadia, who took on the reins of the family estate on the death of her husband, and Soonamai Banaji from the Readymoney family who was widowed at the age of 26 and successfully ran their shipping company. Madam Bhikaiji Cama was a shining example. "All over the country, empowered women have broken the ceiling, whether in law or photography.”
Godrej agreed with Kapoor and said, "We are equal to the men; then why this imposition and curtailment of women’s rights in religious matters? Why is there this curtain in front of us? We are a progressive community. We have raised our children as equals.” In a light-hearted manner, Karkaria said that the Parsi women were so forward, strong, capable, progressive and empowered that Parsi men felt that if this last concession was made it would be difficult to keep the women down!
Patel lamented that no woman had challenged for over a 100 years the Bombay High Court’s Davar Beaman judgment which was passed as early as 1908. If women felt so strongly, they could have fought for this fundamental right. Only recently in the last decade have Parsi women, Goolrookh Gupta in Gujarat and Prochy Mehta’s daughter in Calcutta, questioned the judgment.
There is a general feeling that Parsis rest on their laurels and bask in former glory. Karkaria said there was uproarious applause when one spoke about the Parsi Lustre on Indian Soil but any attempt to discuss the problems facing the community today is heckled and dismissed.
Kapoor had featured the pictures of Madam Cama, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Ratan Tata, Freddie Mercury, Nusli Wadia and Dr Cyrus Poonawalla on the cover of her book because she felt that they would most resonate with her readers and not for any other reason. She asked the panelists who they thought were the three Parsis of the recent past or the present whom they admire and who have contributed the most to India. When Patel suggested Dadabhai Naoroji and Jamsetji Tata, Godrej said she would rather go with Kapoor’s choice as she did not want to hearken back to the past. She is more concerned about the future. "Very few Parsis are going into the armed forces in spite of our wonderful icon Manekshaw.” She felt that chambers of commerce should be set up to give seed money to young Parsi entrepreneurs and hand hold them till they are able to stand on their own feet. Karkaria said that more should be done for our young Parsis who are interested in bettering themselves instead of wasting time conducting meetings with the purpose of matrimony.
Kapoor mentioned that the former municipal commissioner of Bombay, the late Jamsheed Kanga, felt that the younger generation, especially the Bombay Parsis, were opting largely for law and commerce as they wanted safe professions. Karkaria still felt that the present day Parsi is lacking in spirit and there is no fire in the belly. But Kapoor did not agree as she believed that the current generation had done very well in several fields. Poonawalla is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world; when Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Nariman stepped down everyone wrote how much he had done in interpreting the law; Arzan Nagwaswalla, a boy from Nargol is part of the cricket team which recently went to the UK; and, in 15 years, Kainaz Messman has expanded her patisserie and boulangerie business, Theobroma, to 50 outlets not only in Bombay but also in Noida. "Though the number of Parsis is dwindling, the spirit is still very much there.”
Patel noted less than 200 children are born in Bombay each year and with such small numbers, it is not possible to see excellence in every field of endeavor. "In spite of the small numbers, Parsis are still quite remarkable and excel. The list of the top 100 Indians includes Ratan Tata, Fali Nariman and Adar Poonawalla. Even if there are three to four in the top 100, it is very creditable keeping in mind that the community has less than 50,000 in this country today. If you don’t have the numbers, you won’t have the same (percentage) of people shining out. The few who shine should be praised. The situation can only get worse. It is a numbers game. Parsis are vanishing from public view.”
Patel has been teaching journalism at the Xavier Institute of Communications from 1977 to 2019. At the beginning, there were Parsi students interested in taking diplomas in advertising, public relations and journalism. However, during the last few years there have hardly been any.
No discussion on the Parsis would be complete without a mention of orthodoxy and the resistance to change within the community. Kapoor felt "it is a shame that this progressive community should have the handicap of not being willing to change with the times.” Speaking about the disposal of the dead, Karkaria said, "If the vultures essential to the system are not there, it just falls apart.”
It was generally felt that there was a small and vocal conservative minority who were resisting any reform in the community and religious matters. Karkaria said that in Calcutta, though there were less than 400 Parsis, institutions like the Parsee Club and the Amateur Dramatic Club are flourishing. What is heartening to note is that young people are coming and taking it forward. Patel agreed that "in Bombay and some of the smaller cities in Gujarat there is a bit of orthodoxy. People want reforms, but not drastic reforms. In a survey done in 2013 on whether women should be allowed to become priests, 80% replied in the negative. Now, the five high priests have agreed that if there was no alternative, they could consider women becoming behdin pasbaans (assistants to priests). In Iran and the USA, we have women mobeds; we don’t have them in India as yet.” He believed that it is not easy to bring about change considering that Parsis are a minority in India and tend to look to one another for support and hold on to traditions and values. He felt, "You have to convince people to have reforms within their community rather than force change down people’s throats.”
Godrej believes that education, especially the study of religion, will prove the best way to combat orthodoxy. "There is no chair in India for Zoroastrian studies. There is a chair in SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), there was one in America but we lost it to Armenian studies.” Zoroastrianism should not only be taught haphazardly in schools but also as a separate branch of study at the university level.
On the issue of Parsis marrying non-Parsis, Patel mentioned that last year, 51% of the Bombay Parsis married outside the community. The year was unusual on account of the pandemic and also being a leap year which many consider inauspicious. Once again, he suggested it was a numbers game. "You may be the only Parsi in your class in your school or college or in your place of work. Where is the chance for Parsis to meet Parsis? The number of inter marriages by Parsis goes up by 1.5% every year and keeps increasing. If you can’t find a Parsi you may have to marry outside the faith or remain single.”
Some of the participants felt that Parsi trusts and associations handing out doles have adversely impacted the initiative and the drive of young Parsis. Kapoor clarified that some Parsi trusts give money not only to Parsis but to any Indian and, in fact, the Tata trusts were the prime example. The Tatas set up their trusts to assist in those areas where the British government was not doing what they ought to have done — cancer, fundamental research, scientific research.
The discussion was a pleasant and friendly exchange of views and did provide some food for thought.