"Pallbearers in India unfortunately have never been treated on par by our community. (They) have never been given the respect they deserve, nor the monetary payment that they are worthy of. Our community cannot afford to segregate these service providers as ‘outcastes or untouchables’... we cannot do without (them) in (our) most difficult times of need… They deserve a big thank you from the community,” explained Neville Shroff, president of the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao (ZCFHCM) in an email to Parsiana. He was detailing the genesis of a new program by which the World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust Funds (WZOTF) would organize and manage the disbursal of financial aid to 76 pallbearers and volunteer pallbearers at towers of silence all over India. He further stressed on the need for "securing, respecting and looking after the pallbearers with dignity” to avoid complications.
Pallbearers carrying a corpse:"They deserve a big thank you"
Beginning July-September 2019, quarterly disbursements of Rs 22,500 (Rs 7,500/- per month) will be made for a period of one year. The scheme will be reviewed and considered for renewal after one year.
"Uplifting the underprivileged and accepting them as equals is what makes humans and humanity flourish. Humanity is about helping others…wherever possible without having expectations of any return for the assistance extended,” noted Dinshaw Tamboly, chairman of WZOTF in an email to Parsiana. Of the 76 recipients, 16 are located in Bombay, eight in Surat, seven in Poona, five in Navsari and the remaining, including some volunteers, over other locations, stated Tamboly. At Billimora and Gandevi, there are no professional pallbearers, only volunteers who themselves are very economically challenged, he noted. Pallbearers carry the bodies on their shoulders from the bungli into the dakhmas where they are placed on pavis.
Their "incomes are not only modest compared to other professions, but they function under extremely trying conditions that often cause emotional strain,” Tamboly told the Mumbai Mirror on May 28, 2019. "It is hoped that the support that will be extended will not only provide a modicum of financial relief to the Parsi pallbearers but will also make them realize that the community appreciates their services,” noted the WZOTF chairman in a press release.
"Through their (ZCFHCM) large- hearted benevolence and concern for the underprivileged of our community and WZO Trusts through their service to this segment of our society have over the years been fulfilling these important social obligations, keeping intact the self respect and dignity of the beneficiaries,” wrote Tamboly.