In "Beleaguered ultras going berserk” (The Occasional Column, Parsiana, May 21-June 6, 2024) Berjis Desai has made a reference to my having extended support to the behdin pasban program. He is both right and wrong. Let me clarify.
I am certainly not in favor of the agenda propounded by some mercenaries to mindlessly monetize the premises of our sanctified agiaries once they fail the test of "cost benefit analysis!” If our holy premises are shutting down merely because mobeds are not available to do pasbani then it is a sad commentary on us all. I am not at all supportive of the idea of our spiritual assets being subjected to such commercial analysis. What value can one allocate to the thousands of Atash Nyaish and other powerful prayers that have been performed in agiaries over the years?
I support the behdin pasban program because, with appropriate support from these lay priests as originally envisaged (like performing certain limited and acceptable Hoshmudi ceremonies), the pressure on mobeds will be reduced. The latter would then be able to tend the holy fires in other agiaries where there are no priests.
However, at no time should such support be deemed unconditional or construed to mean that behdin pasbans can perform pav mahal ceremonies or offer boi. They cannot.
Let me help you read the spin behind the googly. Desai is right — I support the behdin pasban program, albeit conditionally, for the above reasons. Desai is in a way wrong — I do not support the program unconditionally. There should be no misunderstanding that I offer unconditional support for them to perform all religious services which only our respected and highly trained ervads can perform. Dr ADIL MALIA
adiljmalia@gmail.com