During the hastily imposed and drastic lockdown in March 2020, the Parsi print media was temporarily incapacitated. Instead, online versions took the place of print. While two major journals, Parsi Times (PT) and Parsiana resumed publication as soon as the restrictions were relaxed, the third, Jam-e-Jamshed (JJ) remained in electronic form till almost a year later.
Parsi Junction (PJ), published by former Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chairman Dinshaw Mehta loyalist Kersi Sethna, was initially brought out as a sporadic print version. After the lockdown began, the print edition was discontinued while the periodicity of the online version increased from fortnightly to weekly. Sethna and his backer saved a considerable amount on paper, printing and distribution costs. PJ has no income; the bulletin is distributed free and does not charge for the advertisements it occasionally carries. Mehta uses the weekly mainly to attack his opponents, promote the three majority trustees on the BPP who are beholden to him and pander to the traditionalist camp.
Poll Khol Sacchu Bol (PKSB), another online publication with no fixed periodicity, published and edited by lawyer Kaikhushroo Irani, entered the fray in July last year to counter the attacks made by PJ on BPP trustee and longtime Mehta foe, Kersi Randeria. "It is brought out when issues of the welfare of the community need to be highlighted so that (readers) can judge for themselves,” says Irani.
Though Randeria is the owner of PT and also manages JJ, both publications by and large avoid controversies, JJ more so. The content of PJ is more temperate than PKSB but neither pulls any punches when it comes to attacking their perceived opponents. Political news, however, has an ardent, though limited readership. On Parsiana’s Facebook page we find political posts receive far fewer views than other subjects.
Both PJ and PKSB are Bombay and BPP centric. The June 6, 2021 issue of PJ, for example, carries more than four-and-a-half pages on a controversy between tenants/occupants at the BPP managed Bhabha Sanatorium in Bandra. The subject has very limited readership interest outside the Sanatorium and the BPP. Few would want to wade through all the correspondence reproduced. So even though PJ may be available on many WhatsApp groups and elsewhere, the content and presentation restricts readership.
Community e-publications seldom attract advertising revenue and since the electronic copies are free to non-subscribers who could share them by a tap on a screen, subscription revenue is nonexistent. Parsiana was unable to print five issues during the past year and extended the duration of the subscriptions accordingly.
The greater worry for publishers is that once readers get used to not receiving the print editions they may not resume ordering the publication. Earlier studies show that after each strike by unions, especially those controlling newspapers, the circulation figures fell when publication was resumed.
Hamazor, the quarterly journal of the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO) with its headquarters in the United Kingdom, discontinued both its print and online editions. They have now started instead a newsletter (see "WZO’s new link,” pg 14). FEZANA Journal (FJ), the quarterly publication of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) comes out with a print and online edition but with the restrictions on international mailing and an Indian government wary about periodicals from abroad entering India, copies arrive erratically. The FJ is supplemented by the online FEZANA Bulletin, circulated monthly. These international publications as also newsletters published by Zoroastrian associations are produced as a labor of love. This trend reflects the shape of things to come.
Zoom webinars, live video streaming of events on Facebook and other electronic outlets are other avenues for spreading information and promoting community participation. With the live streaming of muktad prayers by Zoroastrian associations overseas, those who are unable to attend on account of distance, cost, age, infirmities or the lockdown will be able to view the ceremonies in August.
Whether we like it or not, change is happening. The pandemic has forced us to innovate and rely on electronic communication.
While the electronic media has many advantages, easy accessibility,availability on various devices and convenient to carry around, many readers still prefer print. Several do not want to or do not know how to handle e-publications. How many have access to computers, laptops and notepads? Reading on small, mobile devices is tedious and a strain on the eyes. Also, reliable internet connectivity is required.
The American Association of Publishers says in 2019 physical books comprised 85.7% of the market while e-books were only 14.3%. But whether the data was compiled on revenue earned or number of books sold is questioned. "A standard paperback is USD 13.95 (Rs 990) to USD 17.95 (Rs 1,137) while the most purchased e-books are USD 2.99 (Rs 219) to USD 3.99 (Rs 292),” notes The Book Shelf Ltd. The site also cites a 2019 Pew research study that "found people generally prefer physical books.” Amazon reportedly does not disclose their sales figures but printed books outsell electronic ones.
Another source of news, both authentic and false, is WhatsApp. Very often before any established news channel can break a story, WhatsApp texts and images spread the message. Even if the news is incorrect and clarifications/corrections are subsequently circulated, research has shown the rectifications do not have the same reach as the initial, fake news text.
There is no substitute for a professional editor sieving through sheaves of material and trying to present a more concise and comprehensible report on what is occurring. But that means expense and time. When an aging and diminishing community with limited financial resources finds it hard to sustain three publications in Bombay, a fourth and fifth cannot be added. Only those with strong financial backing will survive.
Do the electronic newsletters, WhatsApp and email news influence people more than the conventional media? They possibly shape peoples’ thinking. The few who look for authentic information will still turn to the established media, but their numbers are small. Most people are not that concerned. WhatsApp, Facebook rumors, innuendoes, gossip is sufficient to keep them going. Amongst Parsis, the myth of the sugar in the milk is an example of this indifference and ignorance. Even BPP trustees cite the fable of Parsis being met with a full bowl of milk from the Sanjan monarch to indicate India was filled to the brim and there was no room for more people. The immigrants’ supposed response was to add sugar to the milk to demonstrate that Parsis would sweeten the country. There is no historic documentation to substantiate this figment of some mythmaker’s imagination but the lie continues to spread. Or take the fabrication about Parsis affirming not to convert non Zoroastrians to the faith. Nowhere in the Qissa-i-Sanjan is such a condition stated, but that does not deter speakers from repeating the untruth ad nauseam.
Educating people is an uphill, tedious and thankless task. It is made more so by rumor mongering and prejudice. Misconceptions existed before the advent of the electronic media. They will continue well into the next era. Time and technology are no constraints on spreading falsehoods. Lies may triumph over truth in the short run. But truth emerges victorious, eventually.