Aug 1966

hLECTROMC ENGINEER^ V !, E. R. E K,) A. I. E. E. E.(U. S. A,) I. Mar. Tech. Radi© Officer, VOL. II No. iO AUGUST 1966 Price 75 RaiseI VOL 11 No. 10 AUGUST 1966 Contents : EDITORIAL 3 Daena-Din & Devas (an Exposition) —by Ervad Ratanshah Rustomji Motafram Indian Science. Two Methods of Development —by Dr. Homi J. Rhyb ha Medicine and Philosophy —by Dr. R. N. Cooper The Parsis Wove World ’s Best Fabrics. —by Jehangir F. Shroff Fallacy of our Pessimism —by Prof. Nadir A. Modi ... Faith —by Gool K. S. Shavaksha ... ... Zarathushtra : His Message: ‘Spenta-Armaiti ’ Amesha-Spentas: —by Mahyar Byramji Patel ... Khshnoom —by P. N. Tavaria Guidelines to Young Zoroastrians —by Bejon N. Desai Page 5 8 18 24 30 34 37 40 44 I Managing Editor: P. B. WARDEN. M.S. (Bom. ), D.P.M. (Bom.) r ADVISORY board Dasturji Navroz Minocher-Homji, M.A., B.Ed. Major Adarbad Irani R.A.M.C., D.O.M.S. (Lond); D.O. (Oxon) Mrs. Gool K. Savakshah Mrs. Shera N. Vazifdar, M.Com. Dr. R. C. Cooper, M.Com,, Ph.D. (Econ.), F.C.A. Mr. Jehangir F. Shroff Prof. Nadir Ardeshir Mody, M.A., LUB. Dr. Sohrab H. Batliwala, Ph.D. Mr. Bejon N. Desai, M.A., B.Ed. J j| I Single Copy; 15 paise. Yearly subscription for 12 issues Rs. 6. Sh. 10 for U.K. and 2 dollars for U.S,A. Office Address: C/o Warden ’s (Mysore) Pvt. Ltd., 378, Grant Road, BOMBAY 7. Inland. Published and edited by Editor-Proprietor P. B. Warden from 378, Grant Road, Bombay 1 and prMed by him at Godrej Memorial Printing Press, Gamadia Colony. Tardeo, Bombay 7.Mr. A. I). SHROFF ON PLANNING "Some sort of controls are necessary in plan ­ ning. The only difficulty is what sort of planning we should have in the larger interests of the country because on that will depend the extent and measure of controls and regulations. In our country today controls and regulations in the interests of planned development have been car ­ ried to such a dimension that instead of helping planned progress, they are hindering develop ­ ment. The scale and pace of planning are detri ­ mental to the growth of our industries ’*. "Comprehensive plannig. as it has been adop ­ ted in our country, which means the planning of our lives in practically all the sectors of economy, is unsuited to our conditions because we have not got the tools, the basic data and the personnel. ” private capital, but technology is also leading to de-centralisation of both the mode of production and ownership of capital. For instance, electric power can be taken to the remotest vllages where people can ply privately owned small machines. Shares in public companies are owned by a large number of small investors. This changing pattern of industrial Ownership and diffusion of the power over the means of production frustrates the socialist ambition of concentration of all the means of production in the hands of the State. Reason and commonsense demand that we in this country make a very close study of all these trends in economic history and technological development. ” "Socialism which arose as an ethical protest against the injustices of the earlier^Jay capitalism argued that concentration of economic power by the possession of huge and extensive machinery in a few hands is dangerous to democracy. To ­ day, not only has the State come to have many weapons in its armoury to control and regulate — A. D. SHROFF Founder President, Forum of Free Enterprises. Note: Mr, Shroff had untiringly brought to the notice of the Government the dangers of inflation they were risking and a short while before his death assessed the value of a rupee at seventeen paise. The crack of doom foreseen by him has burst at last in devaluation posthumously. IP 11 A ? ? ? ? tftI t I EDITOR I Al This post brings you our New Year issue. Our message of good wishes to you IS on cover page 2. You wiU get their fruits soon. You will gather them in the coming year. All the best to you and yours. From the Gathas to Khordad Saal is a period of mixed emotions of reverence to our dear departed ones and to our holy Prophet and of somewhat merrymaking. Most families play some games of chance. -------------- i every day of the year say — even they cannot go all by ! and your stars will go with 1 your bad departed ones and to our holy Prophet and of somewhat livety game shuffled appears as a new phase of chance and so is coming year. Whatever your stars for the ____ themselves. Link yourself, up with the good phasi j _______ you to a wide range for good. Your stars vKill criss-cross \nd annul ' phase chances, except those linked to F ate ; as in the case of Dr. Bhabha. We have many Prophets of Pessimism to whom Prof. Nadir A Modv ... 4.1. ~ A J. •_______ Tk 1 4. . . . ’ > a member of the Advisory Board of Parsiana, has given an answer and suggested a way out. The way out is to take up a task and stick it out and pursue it with many a follow-up for the check up of progress or i ___ ~_____ out and there is no other way. But undertakings big or small need backing of O'*! 44* _________® for small undertakings. We have the standard of life i ~ ' L saps our resources, impoverishes us and automatically lowers that dreamy of mind following our pet mir age; However if something has to be done we shall do it with Zoroastrian many a follow-up for the check up of progress finance. Other communities with frugal habits are collecting their own finance or regress. That is the only way mania which every day ' state Cooperative Finance Corporation suggested by Mr. Jehangir F. Shroff (another memiber of the Parsiana Advisory Board), who has shown the distinction between a Cooperative Finance Corporation and a Cooperative Credit Bank (see p. 29) With all this pep talk the picture is not altogether rosy. Our rich have already done much for the community and now it is our middle class, who are expected to do whatever needs to be done for our poor and the down-trodden, whose gloomy picture of their monthly income of Rs. 20 is recorded by Prof. Mody. If the proposed Finance Corporation is established it will be the duty of all memibcrs of the community, rich and middle class to offer ' their share to it as their investment. We are reaping the ugly fruits of indiscri ­ minate charities. Let us once again be re-organised as a business community that we once were, and draw more and more of our talented white collar men into it, who may be rotting as head-clerks in offices and foremen in workshops. How can man see the evil and pass by unconcerned ? =»U «ll SiTldl 5 S; r Lz 1 What good are men who just see evil ? What purpose have they who lose dignity of life ? Despite some disparaging outlook we know that there are always bright stars in the firmament behind the dark clouds. They will twinkle bright when dark clouds disperse. In the last year we have lost several bright stars of our community, who have left their indelible marks. Dr. Homi Bhabha, Dr. R. N. Cooper, Mr. A. D. Shroff, Lady Navajbai Tata, Mr. P. Marker — all of Bombay — whose note we have taken before. In this issue we reprint the last speech of Dr. Bhabha in which he exp ­ lains his task and his trends. We also print the last speech of Dr. R. N. Cooper Which he delivered in the Medical Congress at the Taj Mahal Hotel after which he got his fatal attack of coronary thrombosis to which he succumbed within three days. Further, we reproduce some excerpts from the speeches of Mr. A D. Shroff together with a short note which show his foresight as an Economist in High Finance. We arc thankful to the F orum of Free Enterprise and Mr. P C. Hansotia for supplying them to us. Mr. Dara Keeka who died in Dodoma, Tanzania, was a real link between Parsis and people of the soil. Brigadier Master, Lt.-Col. Tar apore, Flying ,Officer Bunsa and Capt. Engineer laid their lives in the cause of their country. “Dulce et decorum est pro patria moris ” (It is sweet and decorous to die for one ’s country) 'Mr. Pheroze Antia who strictly speaking died in the previous year on 8th August, 1965 was resurrected by the (performance of his first full-length play — which was vivified by Moti (Mrs. Moti Pheroze Antia) wife of the playwright and comedian taking prominent part in it along with his com ­ panions in the theatrical art of giving joy to innumerable hearts. Do good acts and good actors ever die ? We now think' of one and all who have played their part to a finesse and departed, we know not where ! MUX 4lXb V' alii (3X^ H aftdxei 5xr Vfj “ 4lHi ” niag'X axia, <4* ^IXk ? 41X!i H xirli XiM«n > jjg the essential role of science in its historical \perspicctive. not only in trans- An important forming the material icnvi^onment, but tn itrans- forming man. To give only one more quotation . based on must consider is whether it is sible to transform the economy of a country _ ' ' r “Science has developed at an ever-increasing modern technology developed pace since the beginning of the century so that countries has widened more and more. It is an inherent obligation of a great country like India, with its traditions of scholarship and original Indian universities for many decades and Govern- cipate fully in ment itself has had some scientific departments, like the Geological Survey of India and the India Meteorological Department, for quite time. Indian scientists such as Raman, ! Bose, Saha and several others have made im ­ portant contributions to the progress of science. ; some S. N. which are now part of the fabric of modern science. But science as activity has been given i i an an of scientific models and toys. But to be able to national life only since independence, thanks do this implies that scientific teaching^ and primarily to the vision and powerful support of our late Prime Minister, f • f research at the universities must be strengthened Jawaharlal Nehru, and expanded. The universities are, however, interference, and the process must necessarily be are. though some steps in this direction had already autonomous organizations, jealous of outside begun to b? taken a little earlier, as. for example, 1 « 8scientists. One of the main advantages of this Industrial Research has been freed from recruit ­ ing its staff through the Union Public Service Commission, whose methods are both time con ­ scientific and technical staff. slow and time consuming. It is probably for this reason that it has been considered expedient setup has been that the Council of Scientific and in many countries to set up national research laboratories and other scientific organizations for specific subjects. Achievement of the aim of establishing suming and inappropriate for th© selection of science as an important activity has been attemp ­ ted in India through a number of governmental and quasi-governmental organizations working more or less independently, the most important among these being Atomic Energy, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Defence Science. these have been different, and it is therefore instructive to take up the two largest of them — namely. Atomic Energy and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research —as case studies, to see the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods they have pursued. These two organizations are approximately of the same size. Atomic Energy being somewhat national laboratories and central research insti- larger in the. total number of scientific and tech- gj.g|. among them was the National nical staff employed and in the total investment. After independence, the prime minister him ­ self became the president of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The govern- The methods followed in all ing body of the council consisted initially of 15 members and today has 34, to advise the govern ­ ing body on scientific matters and, in particular, on the allocation of grants to various scientists in the universities and elsewhere for specific research schemes. As I have said, the governing body took early steps to establish a number of Council 0/ ScicnUfic amd Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research may be taken as the first planned attempt on the part of Government to establish a broad base of scientific and technical research in the country, particularly with a view to I The plan was usually drawn up on the basis helping industry and industrial development. I „{ similar laboratories abroad, divid- would like to pay a tribute to the memory of my friend and colleague, the late S. S. Bhatnagar, thanks to whose enthusiasm, energy, and dyna ­ mic personality a large number of national labo ­ ratories were established within a period of some 7 years. His successors. Professor Thacker and Husain Zaheer, have carried forward his work with energy, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research now has some 25 laborato ­ ries under it, distributed throughout the country. In order that it should be free from the automa- tic application of all the government rules and scientists already exist in the universities and in regulations, the Council of Scientific and Indus ­ trial Research was established from the begin ­ ning in the form of a society with a governing body, nominated by the government, which included important ministers and officials, several of the leading Indian industrialists, and noted standing scientists is limited. Either it results m tutes. Physical Laboratory, whose construction in New Delhi was started in 1947 and which was inau ­ gurated in 1950: the National Chemical Labora ­ tory, likewise inaugurated, at Poona in 1950; the National Metallurgical Laboratory in the steel city of Jamshedpur in 1950: and so on. ed into divisions and sections, and an estimate of the staff required was made on this basis. An attempt to fill the posts was then made, through advertisement, and through invitation also in the case of the seniormost appointments. While this method of setting up a laboratory might give reasonably satisfactory results in a develop-, ed country in which science is already an imp ­ ortant activity and in which a large number of re- other public and private laboratories and search ins'itutes, it has serious disadvantages in a country in which organised science is still in its infancy and the number of available out- - A 9an outstanding scientist being taken away from a university or another research institute, or it results in a mediocre one, satisfying the so-called minimum qualifications, being appointed to a post requiring originality, initiative and leader ­ ship. qualifications laid down for meaning in result As we all know, the so-called minimum post have little a research institute, and usually in the floor becoming the ceiling. a a number of new laboratories, the commission decided to use the existing institutions to do the preliminary scientific work and to develop the scientific personnel that would be needed. Fore ­ most among the institutions so used was the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and the history of atomic energy in India during its initial stages is so bound up with this institute that it merits special consideration. Tata IristiUtU As result of following this method has been that a number of good scientists have been drawn away from the universities into the natio ­ nal laboratories, leaving the universities weaker thereby. Thus, for example, the late K. S. Kri ­ shnan, who was then professor of physics at the AUahabad University, was taken as the first director of the National Physical Laboratory, a successor has been obtained by taking a professor from the Banaras University, weakening the gubjecte at the frontiers Of knowledge in physics universities by the drawing away of some of their good people —their most valuable asset. I must emphas'22 that these critical remarks are in no way aimed at individuals but at the system. The standard method of planning labo ­ ratories and filling posts is often forced on many by the administrative and financial requirements of Government. As Professor Blackett has said, “We must endow ability whenever it is found, and we must guard against subsidizing medio ­ crity. ’’ The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was founded in 1945 as a joint endeavour on the part of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the then Gavernment of Bombay, on the initiative which I took in 1943, when I was a professor at the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore. At that time there was no scientific institution in the country which had facilities for original work in _ in particular, nuclear physics, cosmic rays, and high energy physics. I accordingly pointed out to J. R. D. Tata that “the lack of proper conditions and intelligent financial support ham- the development of science in India at the ; which the talent in the country would warrant, ’’ and suggested that the Tata Trust might take the initiative in setting up an institu ­ te for fundamental research. I also pointed out, in a letter dated I2 March 1944, that “when nuclear energy has been successfully applied for power production in, say, per 1 pace Atomic ‘Energy , a couple of decades from now, India will not have to look abroad for its experts but will find them ready at hand. ’’ The trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust deci ­ ded to accept the proposal and financial respon- I turn now to Atomic Energy for a case study of a scientific organization which has been built up by an entirely different method, a method sibility for starting the institute in April 1944- which might be described as “growing science ”. - • ' ’ An Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1948 in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Scientific Research to survey the territories of the Indian Dominion for the location of useful minerals in connection with atomi,c energy, to promote research in the ministry ’s own laborato ­ ries and subsidize such research in existing insti ­ tutions and universities, and to take such steps as might be necessary from time to time to pro ­ tect the interests of the country in connection with atomic energy. Its decisions were imple ­ mented through the Ministry of Natural Resour ­ ces ! more than a year before the explosion of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and before nu ­ clear physics had become what might be called the “bandwagon ’’ of science. This was also before it had been made public that atomic piles had been successfully operated and long before there was any talk of atomic power stations. Bombay was chosen as the location for the institute, as the then Government of Bombay was interested in expanding and improving the level of research work in physics, so it became a joint founder of the institute. This is perhaps and Scientific Research. Instead of planning the appropriate place to mention an important 10 J •jdifference between the Tata Institute of Funda ­ mental Research and all except a couple of the national laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research —namely, that this insti ­ tute has been a constituent recognized institution of Bombay University from the very beginning and has hg*d close relations with many other universities in India, so that students of many of them have done work for the Ph.D. at the institute. No organizational chart of the future deve- lopment of the institute was submitted either when it was founded or later, and the philoso ­ phy has always been to support ability whenever it is found in the fields of work covered by the institute. Indeed, the philosophy underlying the founding of the institute was the same as that underlying the Max Planck Institute in Germany : “The Kaiser Wilhelm Society shall not first build an institute for research and then seek out the suitable man but shall first pick up an out ­ standing man, and then build an institute ?or him. ’’ The institute received financial support from the Government of India from its second year, through the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Scientific Research. While the recurring grants from the Tata Trust and the Government of Maharashtra continue, and indeed have been increased, the main financial support for the institute comes today from the Government of India through the Department of Atomic Energy, the Government of India having undertaken the permanent responsibility of supporting the institute in 1955. The recurring budget of the institute during he first year was only 80,000 rupees; this was increased steadily at about 30 per cent per annum during the first 10 years, and since then has increased at about 15 per cent per annum, till the current year ’s budget is 15 million rupees (3 million dollars), making this the largest national labora ­ tory in the country with the sole exception of the Atomic Energy Establishment at Trombay. Since not a single senior post has been filled by obtaining a professor or senior scientist from a university or from other research institutes in India, the growth of the institute gives an indi ­ cation of the rate at which it is possible to develop scienific research in the country through growing one ’s own people and through absorbing those returning from studies in universities abroad. The institute has made a special point of grow ­ ing scientists and has now reached the stage when it is able to feed good scientists into the universities, a policy which will be followed to an increasing extent in the coming years. In addition to supplying people at profession ­ al level, the experiment is being tried of sending small and integrated groups of two to four research workers into the universities together with the equipment necessary for their work. The university has to undertake to provide them space and treat them as members of its owft staff, and it may require each one of them to give not more than two courses of lectures per year. The group is of course selected by mutual agreement, to be engaged in a line of work which the university wishes to develop. At the end of the 2-year period the university wiU be free to absorb the group permanently, and, reciprocally, the members of the group will have the option of being so absorbed or of returning to the institute. It is exp>ected that these groups will form the nuclei for building up larger schools of research in the unversities. The institute started work in 1945 in 6000 square feet (540 square meters) of hired space in an existing building. By 1948 its work had grown to such an extent that it was moved to 35,000 square feet of hired space in the building of the Old Bombay Yacht Club, and it was only in January 1962 that the new buildings of the institute were inaugurated by the late prime minister, some 16 1/2 years after the institute was founded. This is another noteworthy respect in which the growth of the institute differs from the growth of the Council of Scientific and In ­ dustrial Research laboratories. Work has inevi ­ tably been built up first and the permanent building has come afterwards, and this pattern has been followed also in the development of the whole atomic energy program. Before I leave the institute it may be of interest to give tw6 more examples of building projects and development around people. As early as June 1944, Sir A. V. Hill had written to me suggesting that biophysics was a neglected subject in India and that it should be taken under - A 11( I the wing of the institute. While I agreed with his suggestion, I did not think that it would be wise to embark on this line till someone had been found who was mature enough to be able to work on his own and build up a group. When, however, in 1962 my attention was drawn by the late Leo Szilard to a very promising Indian molecular biologist, it was decided to start work in microbiology —work which has since then been growing very satisfactorily. Another example is provided by the Radio- astronomy Group. Four Indian radio astrono ­ mers had jointly written identical letters to the chairman of the University Grants Commission, to the director general of the Council of Scienti ­ fic and Industrial Research, and to me as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, offering to return to India as a group and esta ­ blish radio astronomy here, if facilities and sup ­ port could be given to them. When it had been ascertained that the members of the group had considerable original work to their credit and were of sufficient maturity to be able to work on their own in India, it was decided to' take up radio astronomy at the institute. Thirty-two parabolic dishes presented by the Common ­ wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Orga ­ nization of Australia, which had been lying un ­ packed for several years at the National Physi ­ cal Laboratory, were handed over to the insti ­ tute through the willing co-operation of Husain Zaheer, and these have been installed not far from Bombay for solar radio-astronomical work. Triombay I now turn to the Atomic Energy Establish ­ ment at Trombay, which is today by far the largest scientific centre in the country, with a total staff of some 8000 persons, of whom nearly 1800 are professional scientists and engineers and another 3000 technical staff, many of whom, such as scientific and technical assistants, are science graduates. This establishment has grown like the institute, depending on the ability of the various groups to expand fruitfully. At no s age was an organizational chart drawn up, projecting the future pattern of the establish ­ ment. Only the broad lines of work were laid down, and major projects considered and appro ­ ved. Thus, within a broad overall policy, the maximum freedom was given to members of the staff to display initiative in picking fruitful lines of work and in developing new ideas. The em ­ phasis has bear throughout on developing know ­ how indigenously and on growing people able to _ tackle the tasks which Ke ahead. The generation In the meantime a project has been developed of self-confidence and the ability to engineer and based on the use of a large cylindrical radio telescope for studying quasars and other radio sources and locating them accurately by lunar occulation. The telescope, which will have four It was decided early in 1955 to build a reactor to five times the collecting area of the Jodrell of the swimming-pool type. The basic desi^' Bank instrument, will be designed and built entirely by Indian scientists and engineers and is expected to be in operation within 2 years. A site for it has been selected after a very extend ­ ed study, as the axis of the telescope, which is 1700 feet (5C0 meters) long, has to be parallel to the axis of the earth. Work on the site at Ooty Authority. The reactor became critical for the has already started. It is proposed to make this radio telescope one of the centres for inter ­ university work. both initially housed and built up The electronics group of the Atomic To return to atomic energy, groups were established at the institute to design and build all the electronics instrumentation without which atomic energy work is impossible. Thus, the Physics Division and the Electronics Division of the Atomic Energy Establishment at Trombay were both initiallv housed and built up in the institute. Energy Establishment has today a staff of over 1300 people and is the strongest research and development group in electronics in the whole country. execute industrial projects without foreign tech ­ nical assistance have been major objectives. was frozen in July of that year, and the entire reactor, including the building for it, was design ­ ed and built entirely by our own scientists and engineers in just over a year, only the fuel ele ­ ments which contain enriched uranium being supplied by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy first time on 4th August 1956 and was the first reactor in Asia, apart from any the U.S.S.R. may have had in its Asian territories. This reac- 12tor was designed and built by us at a time when most European countries, except of course the TT " ’ ' first reactor from the United States. The ful completion of this reactor great deal of confidence, and it was an invalu ­ able facility around which the research and de ­ velopment of the project was built during the following few years. The control system for this reactor was built by the Electronics Division in some old wartime hutments on the site of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and gave trouble-free operation for 4 years till the reactor was shut down in i960 for overhaul, maintenance, and repairs. At that time advanta ­ ge was taken of the shut-down to install an improved control system, and a comparison of United Kingdom and France, were buying their ------ -—: success- gave our staff a all welds were radiographed. Similarly, Indian engineers participated in the erection of the reactor under overall Canadian supervision, must say here, in appreciation of the Cana dian concept of this cooperation, that when the project was decided upon they asked us to send some 40 scientists and engineers immediately to Chalk I was decided upon they asked us to send some 40 scientists and engineers immediately to Chalk River to be trained in the operation and main ­ tenance of the reactor, and it was most of these. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research as well as others, who were able to participate, , in the construction of the on their return, reactor. The decision to build was taken in May 1956, construction was started in December 1957, and the first ingot of atomic- a uranium metal plant I i « the control-rod drives and shut-down isms installed i installed will show the advance that had been made by the Reactor Control Division in its engineering capabilities. The important fact mains, however, that the original control system, even if more cumbersome and less elegant, gave —---- 4 years, and the confi- ally pure uranium was produced in January mechan- ^959’ the plant having been designed entirely in 1961 with those originally Indian scientists and engineers and built in about a year. Similarly, the fuel fabrication facility was also designed and built entirely by our own staff, and it produced the first fuel element in June 1959. The production of fuel __ elements is generally considered a rather diffi- trouble-free service for 4 years, and the confi- _ ^ult and tricky operation, and the successful deuce gained in "doing it oneself" fully justified Production of nuclear-made uranium metal and the course that had been followed. It may also be remarked f ‘ ‘ ' by our own people, before the first reactor in China, designed and built by the Soviet Union. re- The production of fuel metallic fuel elements from it at a time when there were only about half a dozen countries in the world producing their own fuel elements added further to the confidence of our staff in their ability to undertake difficult tasks. The economics of the operation are also note- a suitable design worthy. When CIR is in full operation, it is enough to keep it going for less than a year, that more than compensates the total foreign- (The article then gives more scientific matter regarding achievements in Atomic Energy Sec ­ tion and electronic plants for manufacture of a Canadian gift necessary instruments and planning and design- • in passing that this reactor, built was in operation 2 years which was We were looking around for of reactor for carrying out engineering experi- is.ccp u going lor less than a year, ments on the design of future power reactors more than compensates the total foreign- when we received an offer from the Canadian exchange expenditure in setting up this plant. Government to build a reactor of the NRX type ‘ at Trombay. As this reactor suited our needs, the generous offer of the Canadian Government was accepted. The CIR being under the Colombo Plan, all parts of it came from Canada, and the erection, though a Cana- ¦¦¦¦;, was carried out jointly with dian responsibility, our staff. Although the total number of engin ­ eers and skilled artisans engaged on the cons ­ truction of the CIR rose at one stage to as many as 1,200, the maximum number of Canadian personnel at any given time at Trombay never exceeded 30. Indian welders had to be trained in the special welding techniques required, and ing successfully Atomic Power Stations and Thermal plants.) An interesting example is also worth noting. While carbon resistors couple of commercial firms in this country, with foreign collaboration, these are of commercial grade and have not passed the stringent are being made by a required for atomic or defence equipment. tests On a the other hand, the carbon resistors developed h entirely by our own efforts at Trombay have 13met these stringent defence specifications and will now be produced in quantity to meet the requirements of the country as a whole. If a more complex variety of an object can be deve ­ loped purely by indigenous scientific and tech ­ nical effort, there is clearly no reason why pro ­ duction of a simpler variety should require foreign collaboration. The fact that foreign know-how had to be obtained for making com ­ mercial-grade resistors clearly emphasises the fact that the policy followed in setting up indus ­ trial enterprises has been misguided, and that much more self-reliance should and could have been aimed at. - TetihniGol Physics Divisicm There are many other examples of what might be called “technological fallout ’’ from our atom ­ ic energy program which will benefit the indus ­ try generally. The Technical Physics Division has developed many different pieces of equip ­ ment needed for atomic work, which can be brought off the shelf in industrially advanced countries. The result is that we have been able to develop and make equipment, needed in the country, which has nothing to do with atomic energy directly. For example, a result of deve ­ loping the vacuum technology of oil-diffusion pumps is that we have been able to make equip ­ ment for freeze-drying blood plasma on the one hand and for freeze-drying food and pharma ­ ceutical material on the other. There are a very large number of other examples of this type. Training Program ths Additions to our scientific and engineering staff have been at the rate of between 150 and 250 per annum. To meet this requirement. Atomic Energy Establishment, in cooperation with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Resear ­ ch, has run a Training School in which about 150 persons have been admitted per annum. On admission, these young men become part of small scientific groups working on specific problems, and at the end of 2 or 3 years they become very useful scientists. The best among them are 1 kely to become the future leaders. We have found this method of recruitment very satisfactory, and although it has placed a heavy load on our senior staff by making the spectrum of our scientific staff much heavier at the junior levels than it should be, it has provi ­ ded a powerful source of able young scientists, on the basis of which the program can be ex ­ panded continuously in the future. It will be seen, also, that this method of building up our staff does not drain away senior persons from the universities but, on the contrary, gives training, employment, and opportunities to young graduates of the universities. » t To summarize, of the two ways of establish ­ ing science as a national activity in an under ­ developed country — the standard method on the one hand, and the alternative method of what I have called “growing science ’’ on the other — the second seems to lead to better results in the end, with greater potential for continuous growth. While it may seem much slower and harder at the beginning, it has the capacily for continuous growth and for develop ­ ing the people it needs, and its faster growdh rate in later years more than compensates for the slow beginning. Moreover, it may lead to concrete results sooner than the other method in developing countries, in which there is not a large pool of mature scientists to draw from. i Industrial I^evelopm^nt Indian industrial development has so far pro ­ ceeded almost exclusively on the basis of setting up plants and industries with foreign collabora ­ tion. Our own experience makes it quite plain, however, that this method can never lead to a self-generating industry without simultaneous establishment of a powerful scientific research and development effort to support it. A few examples will make this plain. The steel industry has existed in India since the First World War, and one of the two steel plants was among the largest in the British Com ­ monwealth in the early igao ’s. Yet, when these steel plants had to be expanded, it was necessary to draw upon foreign consultants and engineer ­ ing firms to plan and carry out the expansion. The government established a steel plant in ths public sector at Rourkela, with German consor- 14tium. had to be asked to 1 ' at Bhilai, with Russian technical at Durgapur, a British consortium, tially the same method is being followed jn the case of the fourth public-sector steel Bokaro. Thus, the construction and a number of steel plants has generated the ability to design and build plants. Unless powerful scientific ; ’ mg group are established during the construction and operation of existing steel plants of deliberate policy, the dependence technical assistance industry will not reach reliance. A similar situation exists every other industry. undertake the job. -------1 collaboration, and essen- not plant, at operation of automatically new and engineer- as a matter on foreign will continue, and the steel a stage of technical self- The second atomic megawatt capacity, in Rajasthan, is based on —1 uranium is as moderator and a result of CIR, this is a type of ------1 we have already had consi- power station of 400- —1 a Canadian design in which natural used as fuel, and heavy water, coolant. As : reactor with which derable experience. This time the' Depart ’mOTt of Atomic Energy has undertaken f / *____ _ ponsibility for constructing the station," but with the prime res- the assistance of Atomic Limited, and a Canadian < consultants. The third atomic Madras, which will be of the the same basic design, will be built entirely by ¦ _ J*, « engineers without any in almost fOTeign consultancy. This dearly demonstrates : up a very strong organisation with engineering skills is that we have been Energy of Canada, engineering firm as power station, at same size and of Indian scientists and engineers without that the result of having built research and development associated enabled, through foreign collaboration, to “buy ” some 4 to 5 years of time and to make ourselves Foreign collaboration quicker take-off. energy field will make this clear, already indicated, our own research reactors since 1955. However, when economic studies showed that, i areas of the country remote from the atomic power stations could be conventional stations, vorld basis, for the supply and nuclear ]------- ' " bread stipulations regarding certain of the tech- technologists and the maturing of requirements. The reason for the course is This is a process which must i t at no country has ventured to build a large 20 years. It is only today that power station of 400-megawatt capacity without science and building first a 5 to 50-megawatt prototype. The bringing returns. ' prototype takes as long to design and build as aid has shown 1he large power station, so that, if we had '’“fiy of foreign-made materials chosen to bn,Id our atomic power stations equipment, many of which could without external technical assistance, it would Pfoduced in our country have taken us some 4 years to develop and 'hot a very large build a prototype and another 4 yearn to build *>= Produced as a the full-scale stalion. By resorling to foreign " ““ "'•'ich already exists in collaboration, the first 4 Years of this n.,,-.- “ here, and steps are being can certainly lead to a An example from the atomic As I have we have designed and built self-reliant i ’ ' of large atomic power stations. Disappointment at the small return that has come from our investment in science and tech ­ even in the design and construction in many coalfields, competitive with nology is we invited tenders, on a erection of the development power station at Taranur, sometimes expressed. It should be ---------- ; and technological a broad basis involves the de- , and many of them. --- inevitably take 15 t our investment technology has reached the stage The recent stoppage of I our tremendous depend- realized, first, that scientific on ; ’ with only velopment of a large number of scieLrists reason for the course is country has ventured to build a large 400-megawatt capacity without 5 to 50-megawatt prototype. The as long to design and build as so that, if vve had our atomic that, power station-, assistance, it would and 4 years to build By resorting to foreign 4 years of this develop ­ ment have been eliminated. us some 4 years to develop prototype and another and ] and should have been produced i: long before this. We found that number of these items c result of the know-how which scientific organizations here, ; ___ „ taken to produce these without ----- in our can be produced ance. The results will show themselves within 15the next few years, and I have no doubt that the confidence which Indian technologists will gain thereby will spread to Indian industrialists and administrators, many of whom, not having any basis for technical judgments of their own, are inclined to play it safe by relying on foreign consultancy. Many examples can be given of foreign col ­ laboration resulting in badly engineered plants or technical mistakes, and when such technical mistakes are corrected the foreign consultant benefits from the experience. Whereas, if an In ­ dian scientific or engineering organization had been employed, the experience gamed even from initial failures would have been a gain to the country. The Soviet Union did not hesitate to follow this path. One should also remember that, in buying foreign know-how, one is paying for an element which covers the cost of research and development done by the foreign consultant, and it is clear that a more permanent benefit to the country would result if this money were made available for supporting research and development in India. It is my personal view, which is shared by many eminent foreign scientists, that the gene ­ ral absence of the proper administrative set-up for science is a bigger obstacle to the rapid growth of science and technology than the paucity of scientists and technologists, because a majority of the scientists and technologists we have are made less effective through the lack of the right type of administrative support. The administration of scientific research and deve ­ lopment is an even more subtle matter than the administration of industrial enterprises, and I am convinced that it cannot be done on the basis of borrowed knowledge. It must necessar ­ ily be done, as in the technologically advanced countries, by scientists and technologists them ­ selves. » f COURTESY — RADICAL HUMANIST W2535: SODIRIN TABLE T FOR SWEETNESS THAT IS NOT SUGAR i = t J I 16 * Non Caloric, Non Nutritive Sweetener • Indicated In Diabetic Diets And Weight Reduction. • 1 Tablet = 2 Teaspoons Sugar. • No Bitter After Taste And Completely Stable In Cooking, Baking A Heating. • Dissolves Immediately In Warm Liquids • Packing Of 100 And 500 Tablets. Pharmaceuticals AMal DKAR ROAD. DADAR T NEAR BROADWAY CINEMA, BOMBAY-,8 DD, roc 308. n T PHONE : 6S4I4 XS 5-MEDICIN By DR. R. N. COOPER, m.s. (London), f.r.c.s. (Eng.) OCRATES, the Greek philosopher, said “By all means marry. If you get a good wife you will become very happy. If you get a bad one you will become a philosopher ”. For ­ tunately, I have got a good wife so I had no oipportmiity to become a philosopher and, there ­ fore, I hesitated, as Dr. Ajgaonkar will testify before I accepted your invitation to speak on this subject. career of There are three stages in the career of a consultant. During the first stage he has to work hard to acquire practice. In the second stage, he is busy day and night to meet the demands of an extensive practice that has grown round him. In the third stage, when his practice begins to decline, he either turns sour or begins to philosophize. This paper is my first attempt in the realm of philosophy. Having been in the profession for over forty- five years, I have had the good fortune to come into contact with a sizeable cross section of humanity. I have had opportunities to watch the behaviour of men of different nationalities at some critical moments of their lives when my services were requisitioned. I have treated prin ­ ces and paupers, farmers and financiers, saints and sinners, ministers and mere men, I have- had, therefore, many occasions to observe their reactions to ijlness and to speculate how far these reactions have been coloured by heredity, environment and the mental discipline to which they have subjected themselves. Thus I have been driven unconsciously into the realm of philosophy. But after this request from Dr. Ajgaonkar, I have been seriously thinking whether your time and mine will not be wasted 18 AND PHILOSOPHY in discussing medicine from a philosophic stand ­ point. I leave to you to be the judge. So long as we do not let philosophy cloud our medical judgment and so long as we do not indulge in fantastic speculations, I feel that a certain amount of philosophy is an essential part of our medical practice. Philosophy forms a large component of our Ayurvedic system of medicine. There was a time in European history when medicine was closely related to natural philosophy. The results, me ­ dically, were far from satisfactory. Yet when we look at the question historically, we find that the relation of medii.cine to philosophy is pretty close. For years, it was argued whether medicine was a discipline of science or philoso ­ phy. Even today, we cannot get away from the idea. No doubt a major part of the medicine of today belongs to the realm of science. However, our concepts of health and disease, diagnosis and prognosis belong to the domain of philosophy. Philosophers at all times have exerted a do ­ minating influence upon the moulding of theo ­ ries concerning life and health. Thus Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Charak, Susrut and others have helped to evolve medical theories or the philosophical doctrines of their own times. We are not merely endeavouring to bring back a sick man fo health but we should consider it our duty to rehabilitate him into his accustomed place in his community and society. This calls for a knowledge of sociology and psychology. Even problems of metaphysics come our way. As doctors we see the Angel of Death visiting our patients ever so often. Besides, we see so much of misery and ill health. Thus many are the occasions when we do ask ourselves the meaning of pain, disease, suffering, life, death and the thereafter. One of the most primitive concepts of the nature of disease is that the sick person lacks some vital thing necessary for good health. This in later times developed into the humoral theory. Another primitive concept was that something was added to the healthy body — some foreign entity such as demon or evil spirit or some strange substance introduced through black magic. Sometimes the ghost of a dead man was supposed to have taken possession of the sick person. Medicine probably had a triple origin — empirical, magical and religious. Empirical medi ­ cine was founded on experience and observation. This part has progressed and is progressing through the ages. The magical part has nearly died down. In our country, it is still pre ­ valent. Even among the better educated people, the belief in the “Evil Eye ’’ still persists. The Religious part persisted in offering sacrifices to the God or Goddess of healing. Thus in Greece it was th the Temple of ASKLEPIUS where the sick people flocked. Lourdes is still with us. Christian Science by some of the elite is an evi ­ dence of the religious concept in medicine still persisting amongst us. The pilgrimage to The interest shown in i A In primitive medicine the addition or sub ­ traction, of something, disturbed the balanced forces of the body. The upsetting of this balance was the aetiological factor of any disease, state of balance could be more easily upset in fluids than in solids. Hence arose the humoral theory of Hippocratic medicine. There were four humours in the body, blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. The heart was sup ­ posed to be the source of blood, the brain of phlegm, the liver of yellow bile and the spleen of black bile. When the four humours are per ­ fectly balanced there is good health. If the balance is upset there is disease. This humoral Pathology began five centuries before Christ, and strongly supported by Galen this humoral theory or philosophy persisted for two thousand years. It was not till the Renaissance that a new society of highly enlightened men first arose in Italy and had the courage to challenge the authority of Hippocrates and Galen. Vesalius did this, so far as Galenic Anatomy was con ­ cerned in the sixteenth century. Paracelsus began to undermine the four humour theory, and in his introductory lecture burned the books of Hippocrates, Galen and others; and exhorted the student not to look upon old masters as infallible gods but to learn to build up their knowledge on observation and experience, physiology Harvey exploded Galen. In Dis- The great physical and chemical discoveries of the seventeenth century began to infiltrate medicine. Now diseases were no more the upset of the balance ot hypothetical humours, eases were later attributed to physical forces and chemical changes which could be reprodu ­ ced experimentally in the laboratories. How ­ ever, this new school made the same mistake as their predecessors had done, in respect of the humoral theory. It tried to explain all pheno ­ mena of life and disease in terms of one princi ­ ple, e.g.. Oxygen, electricity or irritability. Thomas Sydenham, the great English physi ­ cian theorised that disease is the battle between narture and the constitution of man against injury. His teaching had a lasting effect on the study of diseases. Excellent monographs on Tuberculosis, Apoplexy, Rickets and certain heart conditions were published during these years. Modern pathology may be said to have begim with Morgagni (1682 - 1771). Morgagni was an anatomist ii; the Padual University and he pub ­ lished “Five books on the seat and causes of disease based on anatomical research ’’. Morgagni describes the disease and its symp ­ toms as they are observed in life and tries to co-relate these with the anatomical changes he observed in the different organs during autopsy. V Tridosha theory is the essence of Ayurvedic Pathology and treatment. This theory is top complicated to be argued in the time allotted to me. an The “The Ayurvedists attribute physical disor ­ ders to an imbalance of Tridoshas viz., Vayu, Pitta and Kapha, and mental disorders to imbalance of Sathva, Rajas and Tamas, three Doshas are the most important from thcj stand point of derangement of health. While considering pathology not only must the three Doshas be considered but also the seven Dhatus or body constituents and also three mals waste products, urine, faeces and sweat. or I have tried to understand the Tridosh Theory shekhar Thakur, but I felt that I came out of the same dooir that I went in. It took two thousand years to explode the four humoral more years we shall have to wait, to see more of science enter into Ayurveda, and for the specu ­ lative theory to jocedc into the back-ground. But the supporters of pure Ayurveda refuse to admit that the mioroscope and the various labo ­ ratory tests are of any help in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases by the Ayurvedic systern of mediOine. ' 20 ]( ¦S Ayurvedists take up the attitude that what ­ ever is known in medicine today and will be known tomorrow is all contained within the Ayuirvedic system of medicine. Such an attitude is hardly scientific. I should like to have ocular proof ot Vata or Vayu. So also for Pitta and Kapha; I should like to see these subsistances made manifest. I should like to know how the physical properties ascribed to these constitu ­ ents have been arrived at. I should like to know what is the chemical composition of Pitta and Kapha ? Can these substances be isolated from the tissues in which they are said to originate? I will not be ready to accept the statement that the normal quantity of Pitta is four anjalies and of Kapha is six anjalies, unless I am shown how the calculation is arrived at. The support ­ ers of Suddha Ayurveda maintain that Ayurveda needs no facelifting. They are definitely against any integration of the two systems of medicine. If I talk the way I do, I will be promptly told that I know neither a word of Ayurveda nor a word of Sanskrit and I have, therefore, no right to talk on this subject. But our political leaders who know neither a word of Ayurveda nor modern medicine are permitted to talk glibly about integration. It is my considered opMiion that an integration is not possible. Leaving the Ayurvedists in their self contented position, let us consider how science marches on, taking medical science with it. But as we march on we shall feel an increasing need of a l^ile more philosophy in ouT practice. We realise that to understand the physiology of the human being we must understand the anatomy and physiology of the cells composing our body. In these investigations the electron microscope has become a most promising tool. A common staphylococcus which is like a small dot under an ordinary microscope can be en ­ larged to a size when it measures six inches across. This immense magnifying power of the electron microscope provides an insight into the world of micromolecules. But the study of this type requires a group of workers who are speci ­ alists in various neighbouring disciplines of me ­ dicine such as colloidal chemistry, biology, etc. Such a group succeeds in achieving results that an individual wi ing on his own. lid never have obtained work- science today tries to bring to light the chemical composition of the nucleus of the sexual cell, of its Chromosomes and of the genes that form part of the Chromosomes. This study of genes is important because the genes carry the hereditary factor which is so vital for the future of the human race. We are at present involved in a detailed study of different tissues and organs of the human body. But w.& want to know math 'the teal man. Is man merely a com ­ pound of chemical substances which constitute the tissues and the humours and ferments? Or is he something much more complicated as he is endowed with consciousness and intellectual powers? These intellectual powers produce a musician, a poet, a mathematician, a hero or a saint. Every person has his individuality. What is it that constitutes individuality? We should like medical and allied sciences to answer this question. We should like to know more of the mysietry of our existence, of physical and moral suffer^g and of the craving to know more of the gr&at design that lies behind the creation of the univers'e. With the advent of industrialization a change has come over our methods of living and think ­ ing. We have to live in ever increasing numbers in the big cities with their very tall and closely crowded buildings and their smokey and sooty attacsphere. You hardly ever see a clear starry night. For a very long time I have not seen my favourite constellations of stars like the Orion or the Great Bear. Every one is busy rushing about to make money and then use it to go to cinemas or clubs or restaurants so that the family reunion in the evening is becoming less noticeable. Im­ proved sanitation and hygiene and increased surgical skill in curing congenital and acquired heart diseases and other disabilities have led to increased expectancy of life. This has created problem. The number of C class citizens an a new and jobless old men and women has increased. To maintain these people in a good condition has increased the financial burden on Society. Health conditions have improved and today the children are handsomer, taller and stronger than children about three decades ago. But the ques ­ tion is whether increased stature really means increased intelligence, or is the old proverb likely to prove true. 21 .With labour saving devices and with the adA^ent of air-conditioning in houses, offices and even workshops is it not possible that we are likely to become less hardy and therefore lose our natural powers of resistance? Mortality from infectious diiesaaes Ims fadlen [and we live longer to suffer from degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, arteroisderosis, coronary thrombosis and nervous diseases. Our diminished resistance to stand up to worries has led to an increase of patients with neurosis. So. today a new speciali ­ ty of psychiatry has appeared and according to reports it is reaping a very good harvest ! Today, we need specialists but great harm can come by over-specialization among physici ­ ans, Modern Medicine breaks up the sick man into fragments. Each fragment is to be treated by a specialist. A specialist may study the minu ­ test part of his speciality. However, his know ­ ledge of the body or the patient as a whole may be so elementary that he may not be in a posi ­ tion to understand the implications of his own speciality. This is where a general practitioner well-versed in medicine can help the specialist to treat the patient. As we specialise more and more and “study more and more of less and less ” we knowledge gained by our specialists must be integrated in an intelligible manner by medical men with superb intellect. They will then apply the treatment to the patient. Thus I see that in some near future a difficult case will be worked upon by specialists of a hospital who will meet together to discuss their different view points. This conference will be presided over by a senior and highly intellectual physician who will put the data to practical use in the treat ­ ment of the case in question. find that the deep compartmental So far as I can see, what medicine has to face in the near future is. whether medicin', 3 can help in the ^making of man, a man with increased natural physical health as also mental health ¦ and a well developed moral sense. This is a ' gigantic problem that will require the joint efforts ' of medical men, educationists, biologists and economists. I feel that the dark cloud of politics ' which hangs over the firmament of medicine must be lifted for all time to come. Descartes in his book “Discourse on Method ” wrote “The mind so strongly depends on tempe ­ rament and the disposition of bodily organs, that if it is possible to find some means which Will make men generally more wise and more clever than they have been till now, I believe that it is in medicine that we should seek it. It is true that the medicine now practised contains few things having so remarkable use ­ fulness. But without any intention of scorning it, I am confident that there is no one, even among those whose profession it is, who does not admit that everything already known about, is almost nothing, in comparison with what remains to be learnt, and that people can be spared an infinity of diseases both bodily and (mental, and perhaps even the weakening of old lage, if the causes of those troubles and all re- imedies which nature has provided us were suffi ­ ciently well known. Alexis Carrel in his book “Man the Unknown ” says — “We will have to be re-oriented in our studies, if we are to un ­ dertake this gigantic task of remaking man. ” (He writes “This superscience will be utilizable only, if, instead of being buried in libraries it animates our intelligence. But is it possible for a single brain to assimilate such a gigantic amount of knowledge? Can any individual (master anatomy, physiology, biological chemis ­ try, psychology, metaphysics, pathology, medi ­ cine and also have a thorough acquaintance with genetics, nutrition, development, pedagogy, aesthetics, morals, religion, sociology and eco ­ nomics? It seems that such an accomplishment is not impossible. In about twenty-five years of Uninterrupted study one could learn these sciences. At the age of fifty those who have submitted themselves to this discipline could effectively direct the construction of the human being and of a civilization based on his true nature ”...... nutrition, T ' Sufficient unto the day is the philosophy 'thereof. Before I conclude, I may say what a wit has said that “Philosophers are people who talk about something they do not understand and make you think it is your own fault if you have not imderstood them. ” So, i^you have not understood me, it is your own fault ! 22i The Parsis Wove World's Best Fabrics ft .i.i/. ELECTRONIC EN' A. I. E. R. E. (U. K,) A. I. E. E. E. (U. S. A,) A. I. Mar. Tech. (India), Radio Officer. Survey of Weaving by JEHANGIR FRAMROZ SHROFF » N pre-historic era human beings were existing in the same way as animals and weavers and, if one studies weaving in retrospect, like birds the ancient weavers were generally good singers, because the art of weaving was » birds, that is naked. / Was gained hmnan race started becoming self- conscious and the female sex was more conspi ­ cuous in shielding their sex parts which distin ­ guished them as of opposite sex, with tree leaves during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the As gradually intelligence sedentry and as such a weaver was singing when weaving to break monotony. According to Mr. Warbton, in the time and js interesting Queen of England, the skilful Flemish Weavers were so much oppressed by the Duke of Alva that during weaving they were singing (Psalms). tOilies ov&r from birds History states that in the year 1788 copying the Bird Oriolustextor ’s nests human race start ­ ed weaving and knitting designs and making materials like Lungis, Stockings, etc. and mar ­ keting them. When the so-called savage people of Africa and India had developed the art of weaving from the designs of nests and birds, "One of numerous Old World (chiefly African people of Europe were still moving about naked, and Indian) birds Conirostral passerine was noted for the dexterity and ingenuity with which it wove the materials of -theirs nests into a textile fabric, and also for the extraordinary size and Java Sparrows and Nutmeg-birds which were unusual shape of sorrie ' bt these structures ’’. Man having studied this natural art from birds, applied it for the welfare of human race. Now Weaving. Such very fine beam of yarn it has developed after centuries into one of the World ’s greatest arts and trades next to food. The human brain developed its faculty from time to time and learnt the art of matching nate enough to escape blindness the Kings in colours and designs from the beautiful and colourful feathers of birds and such other crea ­ tures. It is a fact that weaver birds have created to know that the art of weaving fabrics origina ­ ted in the ancient times in savage countries like Africa and similar other backward countries. How were the savage countries the leading countries in this art? The answer is that the different birds and the spiders, the former knit ­ ting their nests in multiple designs, and the latter weaving varieties of beautiful webs gave incen ­ tive to human intelligence to copy and develop the art of weaving by human hands . Weaver ^oes^ singing In our country, the Kashmiris and .people around Kashmir were the first to create looms and weave fabrics. They got inspiration from skilled in making nests of excellent designs. The Kashmiris it is said were very advanced in was Woven into cloth that the operator often went blind after such arduous weaving. It is also said that, if by chance such a weaver was fortu- those days used to cut out the palms and the wrists of such weavers, that they may not un- derake similar work again for others. 24 4!It is also evident from- the past history that along with the revenue, one such extremely costly Kashmir shawl was sent each year to King of England, and that was the reason why some of the Western authorities were instru ­ mental in chopping off fingers of skilled Kash ­ mir weavers. Aftcient Art of Weaving The art of weaving at one time was the pride of this Country. My ancestors were all in Textile Industry and I too started career in Textiles at a young age as an ordinary weaver in a local mill. Within a few months I became a two loom from Surat treceived a set-back, and weaving weaver. Having read about the ancient art of weaving of this country, I was greatly disappointed because the local mill that I joined as a weaver was a mill making all grey course cloths like Khaddars, the average count being i6s, and the weaving counts were anything from 8s to 20s and 20S was maximum count. A cloth with 20s warpi 20s weft, 52 reed and 48 picks was then a Superior Longcloth. The more I read the more I became convin ­ ced that this country in the past had a great international reputation in weaving textiles and it could recapture the title jf progressive-mind ­ ed industrialists in Textiles would combine their might and money and encourage revival of our ancient weaving art. On a suggestion from a friend, I visited Ahmedabad in 1929, and I could see that Ahmedabad Textile Industrialists were far advanced. Swat in the Gujrat came to the forefront of weaving, and Surat was called “Bab uh Macca ’* means Gate ­ way of Macca of India ”, because of its promi ­ nence along with- other 84 Ports of Europe. Asia and Africa. Surat became the most promi ­ nent weaving and exporting centre for cotton textiles, and textiles manufactured in Europe ¦were neglected by their own people and several English weavers had to shut- down'their ^orks partially. They agitated to such an extent that in 1674 the English weavers were instrumental in exciting the nation to boycott Sprat Textiles,, with the result that English public attacked the , then Government of 1680, and continued agita- . tion upto the year 1697 and demanded ban on Surat Textiles. The Government of England jn the year 1701, passed a law, prohibiting the use of textiles imported from Surat. France also followed suit of England. The export of textiles fac cries at Surat lost much of their business. But the Pugree Cloth, Dhoties, Special Chintz, Red Kusumbi Cloth for Pugrees and Surat “Khinkhab ” were still in great demand. Looms Gaiore Gradually, places like Navsari and Broach also installed looms and started weaving super ­ fine mulls, kind of which was woven only at Dacca and Burhanpur. When Kashmir Shawls were being exported from Port of Surat, the Surat weavers tried their utmost to copy the materials but failed, which once again proved the superiority of Kashmir weavers. Surat was weaving a type of cloth called “Surti Dooti ”, which always ranked as a front line fabric and was exported to Iran, Arabia, Abyssinia and Africa. Similarly, Surat Linen was exported to British Guinea. Those days Arabs and Turks were wearing robes of “Checkrail ”. Cambay became prominent in Weaving and exporting the. “Checkrails ”, which at times included weaving with Gold and Silver Jari also. Broach became hot favourite in weaving “Bafta ” cloth, a super- Longcloth which was as fine and as thin as an onion skin. This cloth became hot favourite in Iran and Turkey, where in the hot summer season the rich Amirs and Jagirdars were wear ­ ing same, and was considered as the most luxu ­ rious textiles of India. 25% “Surti Gaji ” fakers of W’ Orld’s best ^fabrics Dacca and Burhanpur were weaving Pugree Gloth with Gold Jari heading of unique Chintz manufactured in Ahmedabad and it could easily be compared in attractive designs and durability with cloth woven on the “Coromondal Coast ”. •It was unbeaten . in the whole world, and was exported to Europe, Turkey, Java, Sumatra and Malaka Islands. “Surti Gaji ” and “Surti Elachu ” woven on hand looms were such attra ­ ctive fabrics in lustre and texture that aristo ­ crats .of Europe were buying the same at very fantastic prices, because the above cloth could go under as many washings and wearings, yet the colour would not change a bit. This cloth was used very lavishly in Persian Durbars and by Sultans of Turkey. It is sajd that one Pugree length of such cloth was worth 1000 Crowns, which were equivalent to Rs. 2500 in those days. As all such cloths were being exported from Port Surat, a foreign tourist by name Mr. Nimber has written that “Surat is the reservoir of Indian Textiles and its Manufacture ”, but from . 1777 Surat Port as an exporting port had a serious set-back. In' 1710 a traveller by name Capt. A. Hamil ­ ton states that Parsis in India, who are expert carpenters and ship-builders, are also expert weavers. The cloth woven by them like silk “Atles ”, "Butari ”, “Bafta ”, cloth rank amongst World ’s best fabrics. Origin of Parsi Surnames "Fanibunda ” and "Chhoi ” * A traveller by the name James Forbes (1756 —1784) has written that Parsis could be consi ­ dered as best merchants and ship-builders, but they are experts in weaving and embroidery also. Their products fetch not only handsome but most fantastic prices in the World markets especially Europe and America. To weave such cloth the high “Reed ” was needed, which in local language is called “Fani ”, and those Par ­ sis who were manufacturing or binding such yeeds for weaving the superior cloth were called “Fani-bunda ”. The sur-name of “Fani-bunda ” still exists amongst Parsis of Gujarat. Foreigners came to India to learn the Art One foreigner Mr. Elliot writes that British, Portuguese and Dutch established the weaving factories in Surat, Navsari and Gandevi where Parsis worked. Products were sent all over the World. Indian craftsmen by now mas ­ tered the art of creating beautiful designs on the loom. The brocades are the most gorgeous and highly ornamented of all Indian textiles, the most famous in legend and history are the “Khinkhabs or Kimkhabs ”. Even today Bena ­ res brocades are World famous. Benares was once and even today famous for her shikargaah brocades which were and are considered to be masterpieces of weaver ’s art. The art of brocade weaving has survived the ravages of time, and even today various types of brocades are pro ­ duced in large quantities. Cotton weaving in India Muslin represents the highest development of pure cotton weaving in India. Dacca Muslins were exported to far-off lands, and Roman pat ­ rician women used to display their shapely forms wrapped in diaphanous Muslins. The yam used was spun on the Takli by Hindu widows between the ages of 18 and 25. They alone with their tender fingers and deep concentration could spin such fine yarn. The yarn had to be spun early in the morning, while the dew was stilT fresh on the grass. The fabric woven with this yam was so fine that when it was spread out on the dew-washed grass it could not be seen, and hence the name, Sabnam. Watson has rightly said “With all our machinery and won- derous appliances, we have hitherto been un ­ able to produce a fabric which for fineness and utility can equal to woven air of Dacca ”. This is true even today, and more is the pity for the ¦ art of weaving such fine Muslins has been for ­ gotten. The The Jamdani or figured Muslins continued to be manufactured till recently at Dacca. Jamdanis may be called loom tapestries. The substance of the fabric is shuttle-woven. The names of the Jamdani Muslins indicate the natu ­ re of the favourite designs. Jamdanis are indeed famous for their complicated and 27While main centre exquisitely delicate designs. While Dacca was the chief and main centre of the Mrsltn industry, it also flourished in Patna and some, par s of South India where the most beau ­ tiful textiles were woven with designs jn. Gold and Silver thread. Inventors of Weaving Thos R. Ashenhurst writes that the art of weaving is of great antiquity among the Chinese Hindoos and Egyptians,, and has been practised by them for thousands of years. Pliny says the Egyptians were the inventors of weaving —¦ "that the Egyptians put a shuttle in the hands of their Goddess Iris, to signify that she was the inventress of the art of weaving". However, this may be, weaving was undoubtedly practised by them from a very remote period, and this is one of the arts of which, if Egypt was not the mother ’’, she was certainly, "the nurse", and both with the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Hindoos, Spinning & Weaving were carried to great proficiency, and the productions of the distaff and the primitive loom would compare very favourably, for fineness and delicacy —if they would not indeed surpass —the prodtictions of the modern manufacturer. It is said of the Chinese that they can trace back documentarily the use of silk fabrics as far as the twentysixth century before our era. TANCHHOI "Tanchhoi" is a pure silk brocade noted for its exquisite design and colour, and differentia ­ ted from "Kinkhab" which has been indige ­ nous to this country for several centuries and uses gold and silver threads inter-woven with the siHc. India first came in contact with this textile through, Persia where the industry was of long standing and was at that time called "Farsi" silk. Its manufacture in this country can really be traced back to the first Sir Jamsetji Jejeebboy, who returned from one of his China trips with samples of this material. China was the original home of all silk and their design, workmanship and colour were far superior to the "Farsi" product. Attempts were made to manufacture it here but they proved a failure. Sir Jamsetj ’ then arranged for three Parsi boys, the Chhoi brothers to be sent to China to learn this craft, and they returned after a stay of several years. On their return they established the industry in Surat, which was found to be the most suitable place, since silk and "Kinkhab" industry had been in existence there for generations. They carried on this trade with varying success, and the cloth was named after its original manufac ­ turers, "TANCHHOI"' — the three Chhois. f I* India ’s Challenge to the World On my return to Bombay, I compared wea ­ ving of Ahmedabad and Bombay and wondered if Bombay Mills would ever progress like Ahme ­ dabad. In the meanwhile, thanks to "Mahatma Gandhi" the Father of the Nation, that in 1930, after Dandi March, boycott of British goods movement took shape and along with Ahmeda ­ bad, Bombay Mills also started weaving and catering to the taste of Indian Public as British textiles were boycotted. It was the World War II that once again brought India to its original status of one of the biggest exporting countries in the world, and ever since that time India has thrown a challenge to the whole World that she could beat any country in the World in the weaving of textiles. Today India is the world ’s second largest Textile producing countrythe first being America. Paisis were the First in 1854, to start a Cotton, Textile mill in Rsmbay and Parsis were the finest Textile Technicians for a number of years. NOTE: MR. JEHANGIR FRAMROZ SHROFF (born 6-12-1910) is a self-made man, who started career as an ordinary weaver in the New City of Bom ­ bay Mig, Co. Ltd; earning Rs. 24/12/0 per month. From this humble position he rose in the same mill to foreman. Supervisor, weaving master assistant manager and manager in 12 years of his early career there and stayed as Manager for further 16 years when he, its one time weaver, became one of the Directors of the same mid. This is a unique instance worthy of note as there is no parade! known in the history of Textile miUs in India. He is now a Senior Executive of Messrs W. H. Brady & Co. and Director in several concerns. Wherever he is he is at top or reaching it. He is a man of many parts and has 28 ea finger in many pies, yet the pies bake well and? the finger does not scorch. His present in ­ cumbencies are many and varied — as under; President — Cusrow Baug Welfare League. Vice-President — Bombay Parsi Textile League Vice-President — Bombay Parsi Association. Vice-President — Indian National Kennel Club. District Grand Master in Freemasonry Founder member and Executive Director of Lions International and' First Lions Club District Commissioner of Scouts and Guides Company Commander — Civil Defence — Home Defence Wing (Maharashtra) As a boy then residing in Colaba he used to catch first bus of five minutes past five, got down at Bori Bunder and by Railway went to Byculla. Walked down to the Mill. Worked there whole day. There he had kept a bicycle on which he rode to Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute for training in its Textile Division. Being an ordinary weaver he was debarred from joining classes but he with others were on suffer ­ ance learning in a separate batch) taught and trained as unwanted substandard intruders Zoroastrian Co-operative Finance Corporation, under the lofty portals of a institute. Classes finished by 8 p.m. He took his Under Banking rules a Bank cannot trade and bicycle, rode back to the mill. Left bicycle there. Walked down to Byculla station. Got down at Bori Bunder. There took bus to Colaba. Reached home by 9 p.m. Studied till midnight and re- peated such days six times a week. How lazy he must have felt himself on Sundays he did not reveal to me. My experience of him as an indefatigable individual was when I was attending his lectures and instructions on Civil defence. His know ­ ledge of bombs and explosives was perfect and his instructions precise. I was not bombed out but ceriainly felt myself bombarded with variet ­ ies of explosives and incendiaries and the visual aids and visions of house collapse, fires around, traffic jam and panic. We had a sigh of relief wheiAve came out, unscathed, under his instruc ­ tions. He takes keen interest in Indo-Iranian Cul ­ tural activities and is the Hon. Secretary of Iranian Cultural Society. He is on the Advisory Board of Parsiana from its beginning. Our Advisory Board is a prestige body constituted of suitable, select in ­ dividuals joining it by invitation. We are proud of him and he is happy with Parsiana. Whenever our Community will make a move for its betterment it will be inevitable to consi ­ der his practical suggestion of the formation of teaching We have a Zoroastrian Cooperative Credit Bank. » cannot take business risks. A Corporation can and is meant for trading. That is our only salva ­ tion. (Read his speech — Parsiana April 1966 issue) P.B.W. * i ? * ? 29FALLACY OF OUB PESSIMISM By . PROF. NADIR A. MODI, m.a., ll.b. (GIST OF A.-LECTURE TO YOUTHS’ OWN UNION) O deliver lectures on our Community problems and offer solutions is much in vogue. It solves no difficulties but at least focusses our attention to the magnitude of growing problems and to the problems of grow ­ ing'magnitude. The community ’s mind is here sfcort-circuited. We love to listen — perhaps we have time to spare. Calculations of work load -arid cost evaluations are relegated to our debat ­ ing societies. We go along with Father Time, hnnine' him to smuelv Dut the solution in our hoping him to smugly put the solution in lap. Work begets wealth and wealth does give some'happiness so long as it stays put. We are ‘happy without the data of work and wealth to iensure a. lease of happiness. We also have ¦ many Prophets of glootti. But p^Uher of these two excesses sees our problems in correct perspective. For want of what is not let iis start on what little we have of statistical 'data, which we can collect second hand. Since wealth ought to be, and normally is point out is that amongst the Jains only 0.5% families had income below Rs. 50 while among Parsis 4-8% families had incomes below Rs. 50/-. This would tend to show that our lowest rung of poverty is virtually desolate destitution and that the Community might well do more for wise are as under: — Maharashtrians 7-i% Muslims , . 9-^% South Indians 17 -3 % Christians 22.6% Gujaratis 25.0% Sindhis 3i-2% Jains 36.9% ... Parsis 38-7% Thus, against an average of 14.3% families earning Rs. 250/- and more the Parsis have 38.7% such families. Similarly, against the average Bombay per capita income of families living in tenements of Rs. 58.8 per mensem, “the highest family and per Capita incomes were obtained, by the Parsis An average Parsi family was in receipt of Rs. 521.7 and was in the comfortable position of providing each of its members with Rs. 123/- per month. families had incomes over Rs. 250/- and less than i/ioth had income below Rs. 20/-’’. As against this one disturbing feature I wish to .. Thus nearly 3/5th of the Parsi J We have many prophets of gloom amongst , who, wrongly and unwisely keep on spread ­ ing pessimism and periodically annoimcing that we are us, but the product of work let us take work and wealth together. In the first place, let us realise that in this respect the problems of our commu ­ nity are of. a lesser nature than the problems of our other sister communities and that still we are in a more advantageous position than they its destitute brethem in this class, are. An economic survey of Bombay City rece ­ ntly published by the University of Bombay and sp 30y The-figures in brackets indicate the per of earners to the total in each case. percentages — These small sample survey. Total 14.575 (31-3) 2.378 (28.0) 640 (33-3) 981 (29-9) 522 of human decay so far as it affects (25.6) ty and to consider how these 205 K.''” 'n"' "" iieveral ways might 19.301 equally good. Report of the Second World (30.6) Zoro^trian Congress and the compendium of So far as accumulated wealth is concerned the pisiana in *’>' flares are far more encouraging. If i„ fte amount of nurterW wh ch reoZs .“Z" absence of any better indices, charity trust further. ’ ’’’ wealth is any indicatiorf we find that the Parsi in Bombay has as it were charity blcck for his welfare fifteen times munity, viz. the Jains. Jlowever, not as rosy as these figures indicate it is true that neither the wealth resources of the r* fairly 4nd wisely from the r view. Some figures taken from book, by Mr. Shapur Desai munity at Cross Roads ” reveals this anomaly •- • Jc : _ Panchayet had at its disposal 426 buildings figures however relate to a Hindu Muslim^ Parsi Christian Jain Others Mafes 13’177 (53-8) 2,257 - (47-I) 53^ (54-0) 773 514 (43-9) 179 (37-6) ¦ 17.438 (51-4) Females 1.398 (6-3) 121 (3-3) 104 (II. 2) 206 (15-8) 8 (0-9) 26 (7-2) 1’863 (6.4) These figures by and large tend tu fairly well-to-do community and the next tion. therefore i ’ • wise and wealthwise? The age old problem viz: that it i: the top of the tree than problem has two aspects: (a) That (b) That is what are its problems to show a ques- work- main problem'is the is easier to get at to remain there. The we must retain our position we must gain more ground. It is one of our — that r- rnine problems to assess the means yours and ; various aspects ---‘j our communi ­ can be combated. We have no blue-prints. Several (30.6) Zoroastrian Congress and the the P. N. Mehta Mei average a per capita . which is about nearest com- everything is 2 and further part of the r — nor the Charity determination, ’ community are distributed that the future of the 2 economic point of that excellent “A Com- Now if any scheme appeals to more than the next In 1948 Mr. Desai pointed entitled 4323 tenements housing f persons. As against this 2841 poor families on the General Register of the Parsi T presumably, therefore, in need of subsi- and p- dised housing. Out of these 695 families families .,. •. oviicjiie appeals to you as worth putting mto effect by the community then what RrCllD like thp VnnfKo ’ - TT__ • —_ - — ~ or in • .y - ’ '^^®°‘^’3,tion needs keep 'Who form ; \ ‘^omniunity. It is upon the wisdom and vitality of a group like the Youths ’ Own Union Collegians ’ Zoroastrian like depend. As the late Prejd^nt or Young an integral energy, groups conununity will Kennedy said must not ask what your you, you must rather ask - -.2 community. -- —; past you. If you can only about the nation; You community can do for yourselves what you can doTor ih^ --2 community viz. your forefathers of the The f- out that the Parsi have done a whole lot for • - ’ 'Vliich they had, and approximately 20,000 *'7 had you will have done ___ J were ' .J'”’, “"™"nity, i.e. yon and I are Panchayet numbers increo^o! ’’f?' ’*™®’ decreasing accompanied by keep up the rate of seek the 1 ’ ' enough. The community. vision they had you will have i.e. faced with all numbers, increasing migration loss of communal and cnltnml integri-fy; falling sorts of problems : It of these 2841 families only character standards, increaqino- r - were in Chanty buildings and 2146 lowering marriage ratio, increasin^Xorce rltJ ere in private owned houses presum- inter-communal forces, d^creasina ably pending their scanty resources to an un- w J’P’ ^‘'"^^sing dissatisfaction with esta' ’ n rent. In the interval both religious systems of the mounted upwards. economic extent on rent, these figures have ,. . “ systems of the communib/ ’ unsatisfactory husband-wife, ships and so on. age-youth relation- 31L Parsees do not stop existing just because we if we do not sow today, we and our children stop advancing and prophets of gloom exagger- cannot reap tomorrow. We must also femember ate these problems. Nor can we afford to follow C ’ ” ostrich policy of burying our heads in the sand months of patient waiting may have to go by. and hope for solution to fall in our lap. Some of us feel that we have enough problems of our own without taking on the problems of anybody, else. We overlook that most of our problems fall into a pattern of a larger nature. L. nothing else then for what Lord Birkenhead has called ‘enlighted selfishness ’, to work on these problems. that between the sowing and the reaping many, 'And it is only one more contingency that every ­ thing that we sow may not reap. ' Do not let your wish bone be where your If for backbone ought to be. We have a proud and ' " ; ’ancient heritage. Let us not be false to this we would do well heritage, let no one say and feel that we did ¦too little and that too too late. Let your wise thoughts, persuasive speech and effective action tell. 9 If dynamism is not forthcoming from our ) youth groups this bodes ill for the community. Y.O.U. which has such a tradition of activity ? could set up its own working group for consi ­ dering matters of this type of broader and deeper import. If leaders are available you will, ¦find that workers for these projects of a far, acting Doubting Thomases. Teaching future importance will always be forthcoming. Let us follow our religion. Its tenets and teachings are so simple to grasp and so easy to ¦fellow. Simplicity is its highest perfection. It is 'we vho complicate our life and feel confounded Ushtano Jato Athrava, Ya Spitamo Zarathushtra ! Let us begin Religion and let us begin sche ­ mes and continue them with follow up unflinch ­ ingly. Each problem will solve itself when it We cannot afford to forget that with com ­ munities as with individuals, we only reap what we sow. Our future depends on our present. Time Past and Time Present is contained in, actually becomes a problem in hand and not in Time Future (Eliot). From this it follows that the air. SipiHMbv—OcMtar 1965 •WffllBftfSHT 1535 YZ. KHORDAD- OM BAL. 1334 Mm—AVA _____________________ __ DBA BAL. 32 mUKTHM w (MYSORE) IVt. Ltd. STSOIANTRit MUVUtOM 11 TiR ASNIBVANBN GOSH ! ABMTAO Tel. 371464 MERER I 2AMYAO 8ROSH I maAsaand RASHNA g ANCNAN 60VAD gg SMCMNtMM DAE-P-DiN H ASFANOAKMAO fg MARESPAND gf NNOMHCO ANERA^ BIOMM This is the hot favourite of most Parsis, since last year here and abroad. Our Zoroastrian New Year Calendar in English Language. Size 36 cm x 30 cm Price 50 p. post free in India. DIN KHBAOAO ASHISVANGH AMCNOAO ASHT^ DAE-M'ADAN Asman s ABAN ZAMYAfi St IS FRAVARDIN HOBMAZO BEHRAH BAHMAN RAM AMMBCNtBHT 17 IS IS 14 ABAN BMA Available at Warden ’s (Mysore) Pvt. Ltd. and Branches 378, Grant Road, Bombay-7. 4 t,.PARENTS’ CORNER *‘To ride, to shoot, to speak the Truth, That was the ancient Law of Youth, Old times are past. Old days are done, 'But the Law runs true, Oh little Son. ’ HE FIRST NEED of a religion is Faith. Faith means to have belief in something 'or someone with aU one^s heart. If faith is shat- •tered a man gets hurt for life but if his faith is •sound and truthful it can never be shattered. TRUTH means True Values of life. This •reasoned faith of man differentiates man from animals. In the Avesta it is called “Foret Freshni ”. Animals and birds have faith by instinct. They love their master and their young by instinct. Man goes further. He gropes for intui- •tion and in order to get this he fights instinct, •because his mind wants to get this intuition and •he tries for it by reason. This fight is often ‘called evil because at least it doubts for a while, ¦visions: and call them the philosophy of vibra- 'There are two aspects of Doubt. There is the •doubt that is open to reasons and the obstinate •doubt of the ignorant mind. It is important for parents to know about these two doubts in the •Avesta and not mix them up. (We •will take it •later, in detail). For the child it is important that the parent gives “straight-faith ”, the faith a child has in his parents. Faith which, gives security and bliss is called Armaity in the 'Avesta. I. Zoroaster taught that man improves in Three Stages. First, he learns from his parents. •Secondly, he learns by himself. Thirdly, he con ­ templates and then imparts his knowledge. Some Savants call the three stages as follows : — POURECHISTEE — The Child of the Mind, the Simple faith of the mind which believes utterly. FREYNEE or VOHU FRAYAN — the enlightened mind which reasons and then yearns to teach. 2. 34 FAITHI By GOOL K. S. SHAVARSH A 'k 3- THRITY —’ the mind which contempla ­ tes solaces and heals and eventually gives one ’s self away in the Service of God : He teaches and spreads his mission for knowledge to people. These names are the three symbols of the three stages of man ’s enlightenment. (Zoroast ­ er ’s three daughters are called by these names. Some Savants say, these are symbolic names.) The Yasnas are divided in Three parts; i to 24; 25 to 48; 49 to 72. The AHUNAVIRYIA is also in the 3 sections. (Here many Savants affirm that what was written by Jamasp in the Jamaspi was the ¦knowledge he had acquired through Three tion or the STOAT Yasna.) So the first stage for a child is pure faith. ¦The faith which a child gives its parents and ¦teachers. The second stage comes when doubt enters but the trained mind starts to think cor ­ rectly and doubt becomes Rationalised. If the mind is healthy, it will reason correctly. If it is •taught the wrong values, it will reason wrongly. The foundation has to be strong. The parents or teachers have to be good and do right. The reasoning mind cannot work without doubt. Here doubt is of the questioning mind seeking truth. This leads to rational thinking. Doubt here is the twin brother of faith. Ignor ­ ance is the dark aspect of the mind but it is not its evil aspect and so he is still called “mino ” an angel — “GHANNA —. MINO”. Pure faith which is utterly good is called ' SPENTA MINO”, the pure part of mind. This part can not think, speak or do anything bad. It is total good for the sake of good'ness.The Third stage is the stag© of contempla ­ tion, reflection and action in the interest of the great Truth. e Zoroaster warned against blind faith and •history has taught us that he was right. The tfaith of the Thugs for Kali; the faith of the medieval Christians and Mohammedans; the faith of the Nazis in Hitler, all these prove that blind faith, in any cause, is not good. We learn from Yasna 28-6 and Yas. 39 - 8, and also from Yeshts Tir, Jamiad and Ferven- tdin that Zoroaster ’s teachings will live forever ^because they are just Truth and nothing else. ' He taught that if you bind yourself to Truth you cannot go wrong. His followers from time to time have changed bright sunshine which are the reflections of beauty and the stillness of God. The depth and the flow of kindness under the stillness and the reflection are the “currents of correction. ” Let me reflect on the greenness which reflects only beauty and covers the ugliness of the drab earth the manure and the worms. This is life; Beauty conquers ugliness. The sun only reflects God ’s Glory, which is Truth. I promise to live this Truth, with love and kindness in my heart trying to reflect God ’s love, kindness and truth, (also see P. 204 of Zorastrian Credo both 'are free translations changing with the context) Teach a child to thank God for the air he ‘breathes, the air which gives him life. Teach ¦him to thank God for "the green pastures and Still waters ” (Yasna 63) and the power of con ­ templation and the power to reflect and reach "the sun of one ’s dreams ”. In Kerfa Muzda it is said: If I reflect only on what is good I cannot go wrong. So let me think of green pastures and still waters and the ? ‘quite a few rituals according to their mode of thinking. Hence some crude rituals have slipped in. Yet many ceremonies which we may think are crude, if properly analysed, strictly from the point of Truth, are based on rational thought but it is our sentiments which have changed with time. We must believe as advised in Tir Yesht: “In Spite of doubts remember Zoroaster ’s teachings are based on Truth ’’, (only be sure they are ‘Zoroaster ’a teachings). “As all the stars look up to Tir so all teachers will look up to Zoroaster. ” In Farvandin Yesht, Verse 89, It is said:, Zoroaster was the First Teacher who ploughed the furrows of human thought. He fought against human and animal sacrifices and taught that God is in all men and all animals. He fought against idol worship. ” (It is surpris ­ ing that his religion should be called a Dual A child has faith in his parents, a pupil has ‘faith in his teacher, this factor is very important for without this faith a child feels insecure and many mental sicknesses can be traced to this insecurity in childhood. In the olden days they used to say: “what you do with the child for the first five years of its life is what he is for Teligion ! This Verse 89 explains Gatha I Yasna life. ” The child is absorbing the atmosphere *33’ Verse 12-13-14.) “He tried to explain that around him through his pores. Give him love and secmi'ty for the first five years and he is safe forever. Give him faith in hjs God and he order to understand God. ” is safe in his mental health. Teach him Truth. “The Child lives an aeon in his first five years. Everything he does in later life is a reflection of those years. ” So teach him the prayer of Truth. Instil in him Truth, real Truth, not bias, twisted facts, which are worse than lies. Teach him to thank God for what he gets and teach him not to ask God for favours. He should feel grateful for the favours of good health and good mind and learn to be content ­ ed with them. More is for man to secure by efforts. Ahu, the! pure spiritl. was also Mazda, the Crea ­ tor and that man should first understand himself In Hoshbam it is said: HUSHYE AZEM CHIT YO ZARTHUSHTRE FRETEMA (Fretemo — to move forward) NEMAN — NAMCH”. I, Zoroaster your prophet will take you for ­ ward through all your earthly difficulties. If you hold on to Truth, I will take you eventually to Eternity and Peace. HEMEM THWA HEKHAM. 35Artist: P. B. WARDEN ASPANDAD Spenta Armaiti (perfect wisdom). She js presiding over the surface of the earth —supper 3 or 5 feet of crust. She is the protecting mother to m ankind preparing food as all vegetation grows within this crust. Avan, Daen, Asiswang and Mino Marespand are her Hamkars. Aban distributes water to fields, Daen gives Mathras, resonating with nature and contained in a book of prayers. Those who tan derive from Mathras their mystic hidden elements (mithra — represented as mala) and become innocent like a dove — Mino Marespa nd — deserve favours of Asiswang, deity presid ­ ing over blessings of all kinds. Blessing hands come out from God knows where, but they do come and give plenty in natural resources and prosperity in industries. Calamities like Uphea ­ vals otherwise overthrow cities, etc. 36Zarathushira: His Message: ‘Spenta-Armaiti ’: Amesha-Spentas: V By MAHYAR BY RAM J I PATEL "The finest of Steel is tempered and shaped tc ‘its dependable Perfection by the Devoted Craftsmanship of unswerving Patience and Fortitude!" “ Spenta ve Aarmaiti Vanghuhim Varemaidi! ” "Let us choose Holy Good Armaiti!" « BELIEVE in Religion all that I can understand, and respect the rest without rejecting it! ” These were the words uttered over two hundred years ago, by the foremost thinker of those times, Rousseau, and to-day they are as undisputable as they were when first expressed by the famous French Luminary. Over eight thousand years ago. Holy Zara- thushtra laid stress on observing the most per ­ fect and unswerving faith in Ahura-Mazda. The Divine Spark lurking in the inner-most recesses of every human heart unfailingly lead® man to resolve all his doubts, and guides him along the safe but narrow path of Righteousness. It is called the ‘Daughter of Mazda, ’, and ador ­ ingly named 'Armaiti ’. This firm faith in piety. Spenta-Armaiti, is regarded as the Holy-Mother aspect of Ahura-Mazda. She is very closely united with Asha, and is implanted in every human heart by Ahura-Mazda Himself. It •represents the ‘still and quiet voice of the Great Silence ’, which guides a human being whenever doubts assail him and his reason is over- ¦whelmed. We have before us the precept of noble 'Abraham Lincoln, who used to say, that in the midst of the most tortuous of difficulties there always was one great remedy to which he would apply himself, with the most satisfying result., His great recourse was to go down on the knees and pray. There, he would find an unfailing Source of succour, and the path to right direc ­ tion would always open up before him. This •was the unconscious invocation to Spenta- •Armaiti. ‘Nirbal ke bal Ram! ’ God is the strength of the weak! Armaiti represents firm, unshakeable faith in the Eternal Justice of God. Zarathush ­ tra encourages us always to keep our ears open for the message of Armaiti. She guides us through the portals of death, the bodies are Surrendered to her loving care, and the souls secure her protection. Because Spenta-Armaiti represents firm and unshakeable faith, in later Avesta she is designated as the Guardian Angel of the Mother-Earth. The Zarathushtrian, at the time of initiation into the Holy Faith resol ­ ves to adopt Armaiti as a life-long guide, and is content to pass into her loving care after death. In the language of the later Avesta, Spenta-Armaiti becomes Spendarmad. Armaiti typifies Mother-Earth and Mother- Love. and represents such virtues as Patience, Humility, Devotion, Love, Faith, faith in the existence of higher things like the soul and God. She is the opposite of Taramaiti, which is nega ­ tion and rejection of faith. Faith should be distinguished from credu- lousness, which implies the tendency to believe in whatsoever one hears, and which the Holy Prophet condemned in no uncertain terms. In the Holy Gathas, Zarathushtra clearly •says: "Listen to the highest truths, and then consider them with illumined minds, before deciding between the two. There are the twin- Spirits. the Good One and the Bad One. They are totally apart in thought, word and deed. Between these two, the wise ones choose aright, but not so the unwise. "In the end, it shall be worse-than-the-Bad for the wicked, but the 37better-than-the-Good for the benevolent! ” In life, which Ahura-Mazda has laid out as bene- the spirit of the Gathas. twin Primeval ficent for man-kind. Armaiti works conjointly Causes, which both have their being in Ahura- with Geush-Tashan, the Life Creating Wisdom. Mazda alone, are jointly the cause of creation. It The Righteous ones further the settlements of Was due to their opposing activity that one created Life, and the other created Not-Life. They represent Polarity. Thus, are Faith and the cattle-world. They replenish the earth with Credulence distinguished by Holy Zarathushtra. pastures. The first is praised- the second is condemned. 1 Armaiti through their diligence, with the help of Vobu-Manah. who is the protective angel of During devotional prayers, the faithful In the Holy Gathas, Zarathushtra declares house-holder prays to Spenta-Armaiti to enter himself wedded to Ahura-Mazda by devotion his house and disnel all heresy. As she is the through Armaiti. He invokes Armaiti to reveal daughter of Ahura-Mazda, so to'o, she is the to him the ways of Ahura-Mazda. He appeals to her for Divine Enlightenment. Armaiti opens up the dam in bis heart, and the waters of infinite Love and Mercy surge out and encom ­ pass all those that come within his spell. Through her. he loses himself in love for his beloved Ahura-Mazda, and now sees and hears only with the eyes and ears of his Beloved. Here, is the germ of mysticism, that developed into the cult of Sufism. He walks with and talks with Ahura-Mazda, to whom he implores to grant the gift of Armaiti to those to whom he proclaims his faith to ennoble and delight their lives. Armaiti explains the Laws of Ahura-Mazda to Holy Zarathushtra, and furthers Ahura ’s Imperishable Kingdom. She increases Piety. She blesses with prosperity. She imparts vigour, and furthers Righteousness. She inspires the wise, and ushers in the Kingdom of Vohu- Manah. Her Glory deserts the impious, but to the pious, she grants them their heart's desire. Ahura-Mazda is best served through the deeds inspired by Armaiti ’s Devotion. She grants Power-to-Rule to the righteous, when implored, and works with Ahura-Mazda at the time of the. Final Dispensation. In the later Avesta, we are told that Holy Zarathushtra opposes the nomadic life, and preaches the usefulness of a settled agricultural Taromaiti, who is her adversary. mother of Ashi-Vanghuhi, the genius of Good Piety. Rata, the guardian spirit of generosity invokes Armaiti for her help. At a much later period, Armaiti becomes Mother-earth itself, and wears the star-studded sky for her garment. She is wise, even and perfect-minded, with efficacious eyes. She imparts virility to man and resides in his Will. She rejoices at the cultiva ­ tion of waste-lands by the faithful, and by the rearing of cattle. She feels happy at the birth of a virtuous male offspring. She suffers the grief of a mother bearing a dead child, whenever the impious walk around her, and trembles like a sheep in the presence of a wolf when the corpse of a wicked person is interred within her bosom. She feels harmed when she is trodden upon bare-footed. I Upon her ample bosom, she bears high moun ­ tains and large rivers and oceans. She blesses the Good Creation by bearing trees, fodder, corn and fruits, upon which men and animals- thrive. She brings prosperity and nourishment to all. The faithful venerate boh, the earth and 'virtuotis women in order to propitiate her. She assumes now the role of guardian of virtuous women, and men pray to her for acquiring notle and beautiful wives. She is very wroth with the faithless wives of virtuous men. At the time of the great Renovation, she will put to flight I 38*) I AmaW, as the active helper of Ahura-Maada IS pleased to be bountiful j ’ blesses with open-handedness the efforts virtuous tiller of the soil ; ' good and useful cattle. She detests the p. and treats him in niggardly fashion. Her nes are strong, happy, healthy, prolific, hard ­ working, generous, men and women, who - furtherance of Ahura-Mazda' ip her rewards, and of the and the cultivator of ' parasite ¦ vcta- open-handedness the efforts active, brave and are most inclined to the 1. s Good Creation. offsprings, and in giving, finds her multiplying. The j brings succour to her gives, the more she flourishes, ra implored her to be his implore her to be truthful sing; own strength pro^erity of her children • own self, and the more she Holy Zarathusht- own, just as we now ours. With him, we too must “Verily, shall I thee, O Asha, q A where as I r aTthe resides, for there resides infinite Grace, an the good things of life .pk bountiful mother that ’ ‘ m mother that is pjeased to nourish her r.n call and grant us Perfect Bliss!" Blessed where weave my songs of love and Vohu-Manah, never did before, • may imperishable Kshthra rise within usi 01 come to as at unto and Ahura- so that by your and our Multi coloured Elegant High quality Economical Reliable TILES meher tiles —» of quality cement manufacturers Office: meher house, 15, CAWASJI PATEL STREET PORT, BOMBAY-1 Tele. No. 2S24I4-2S48I0-2S4667 tiles Factory SUBASH NAGAR, CAVES ROAD JOGESHWARI (East) BOMBAy-60 Telt No 573M4 39RHSHNCOM (* Manthro-baeshazo *) Mystic Healing Powers of Avesta Formulae. By P. N. T AV ARI A EGARDING healing or curing by sacred formulae (‘Manthro-baeshazo ’) it is stated in Ardibehesht Yasht; 6: “(There are) healers by imparting purity, by (administering) justice, by surgery, by herbs, by holy formulae. Of all the healers, the one (healing) by sacred formulae is the best, because that pious person effects cure through and through to the source, ’’ (and cures not an organ but the complete man). Though all Zoroastrian prayers are based on the laws of Staota Yasna, sublime vibrationary sounds and their colour aura, there are certain short prayers known as ‘Nirang ’, which are endowed with talismanic power of curing or mitigating the severity of ills or physical mala ­ dies arising from planetary influences inflicting condign punishments. Similarly there are Nirangs for overpowering and counteracting witchcraft. For worldly Zoroastrians like ourselves who are naturally subject to misfortunes in life certain Nirang formulae have been prescribed which are framed from particular Nasks. There are a^o Pazand Nirangs, which when practised Xvith the observance of Zoroastrian canons of purity, including particularly the anti-microbe Baaj-rites, are efficacious for maintaining Kho- eh, (personal magnetism or aura), and in curb ­ ing passions etc. In Vandidad; ig, 8-10 we are told that the functionary agents like the sacred mortar, sacred cup etc. used in performing holy ceremonies, and the Yatha-Ahu-Vairyo and Ashemvohu prayers are good as Nirangs for fighting Satanic powers. The above Nirangs are recited for securing varied kjnds of boons, like purification of one ’s thoughts, killing a serpent or noxious animal, re-uniting husband and wife thrown asunder and numerous such others. In all 79 Nirangs are collected ih Masani ’s book Pazand Prayer Series No, 3. I i } In Sarosh Yasht Hadokht there is beautiful description of how the Yatha Ahu Vairyo pro ­ tects a holy person. Similarly, in Ardibehesht, Behram, Sarosh (major), Farvardin, Hom (ma ­ jor) and Ashjshvangh Yashts, as well as in Hadokht Nask, there are references showing excellent benefite accruing from the practice of recitation of Manthra formulae, which are a Zoroastrian ’s richest treasure both in this world and in the next. These Manthra-Spenta have been recognised by the holy Pahlavi sages as ‘The knowledge of knowledges ’. Only those who practise the recitations can realize how very beneficial these Nirang prayers of Manthra can be. ‘Ism ’, Besides these there are rules regarding the praotice of reciting a single selected Name. Sacred names of the Creator, Ahura Mazda are made use of for desired boons. In Behram Yasht; 43 there is the reference to ‘Nam-ajbaitish ’, lit., invoking of sacred names. In the practice of invoking names 'the Science 40r h of Numbers comes into play. Thus one or two name or names are repeated loi times Or 303 or 505. or 707 up to 2121 times. For keeping count of these a rosary of amber beads is em ­ ployed, since amber possesses magnetic power (when rubbed on a woollen fabric.) In certain cases this practice of repeating names extends to 40 days as stated in Aban Yasht; loi, where the supplicator is allegorically referred to as a ‘horse-rider ’, who would take forty days to cover a distance. In other cases, the period for operating the rosary is even longer according to individual cases. This ritual of forty days is known as “Chehlo ”. 11 Thus in ^answer to him said Spitama Zarathusht- ¦ ra: ‘The sacred mortar, the sacred cup, the Haoma, the Words taught by Mazda, these are my weapons, my best weapons. By this Word will I strike, by this Word wiU I repel, by this weapon the good creatures (will strike and repel thee), O evil-doer, Angra Mainyu. To me Spenta Mainyu gave it, he gave it to me in the Boundless Timej to me the Amesha Spentas, the all ruling, the all beneficent, gave it. ’ Zarathushtra chanted aloud the Ahuna-Vairya, and the evil and the Evil-doers fled. In Yt. 13. 89 the Prophet is referred to meta ­ phorically as the first Priest (Athrava), the first Warrior (Rathaeshtao), the first Husbandman bf Land (Vastryo). An Athravan or the priest w$p tends the sacred fire (in a fire temple) dispels the evil effects in the atmosphere created by the evil forces in the work of the night, and trans ­ mutes them into good, or blissfulness by his chanting the Manthra Spenta, the holy formu- priest are not of steel, but are the instruments like the sacred mortar, cup &c. employed in the holy ceremonies coupled with the chanting of Mantbra-Spenta fonnulae. Healing through holy spells — ‘Manthra-Bae- shezo ’ is declared to be the best. In Vandidad (XIV, 8) we meet with the allegorical Khrafst- raghna, the sledge-hammer for smiting the noxi ­ ous animal, and Ashtra-maiiyu, (XVIII, 4 ibid.) weapon for killing the serpent. Khrafstra and Mairya are not actual animals, but they repre ­ sent the lust (or avarice) abiding in the body (Azush zarzdishto; Yasna; 53, 7) of those- ani- j^e, in which the blazing flame is the principal mals. Again, the smiting weapons of a holy weapon. The prophet is called the first (fore ­ priest are not of steel, but are the instruments most) Athravan because he employed his three spiritual powers with the aid of his “Kavaem Khareno ” (“kingly gloiy ’’) (Yt. Ig, 79) and per ­ formed sanctifying rites in the dark of the night. These spiritual entities possessed Baod (perfect divine khowledge), Urvan (soul), Kehrp (subtle form) and Huraod (luminous body.) These spiri ­ tual entities were abstract in character and though called “wives ’’ did not possess physical bodies. Their Farohers are revered in Farvardin Yest 139- 1 No better reference could be cited in proof of this than what occurs in Vandidad (XIX, 8-10), where we read (S.B.E. Vol. TV) as under: “Again to him said the guileful one, the Maker of the evil world, Angra Mainyu: 'By whose Word wilt thou strike, by whose Word wilt thou repel, by whose weapon will the good creatures (strike and repel) my creation who am Angra Mainyu? ’ ” The prophet is called the first (foremost) Rathestar in the sense that he fights against evil forces not with steel weapons but with spiritual implements like Havanim, Tashta &c., » t * (mep- 41 utinned in Vd. XlX, 8) coupled with 'the chanting does not go about with a plough on his shoulder of the Word Ahunavar. Vashtriyosh literally sig ­ nifies ‘Husbandman*. The prophet is called the first (foremost) husbandman because he un ­ earths the evil forces rampant in the soil and sows the seeds of purity in the soil and in the world, by teaching humanity the laws of piety . It is easy to understand that to plough the land, or with a sword hanging by ' his sde. His farnii is the humanity to which he conveys his divine message and teaches God ’s Jaws of purity, and his weapons of smiting the {Arch-Fiend are the Manthra-Spenta, sacred a great Saviour spells. * t * .t ? s ? ? $ I “ZOROASTRIAN CREDO” J ? A Book for every home by Gool K. S. Shavaksha, A very | simple translation in English of the Gathas, Daily Prayers * and the Life of Zoroaster with simple essay explaining our religion to the children. Available at N. M. tripathi and from the Author, 43 New Marine Lines, Bombay—1. i ? ? $ ? I i : 41I "v 4' h r My dear Major Irani, n- J :j h f I ft ft' Copy of Letter from His Excellency A. Massoud-Ansari Ex-lranian Ambassador to India Teheran July 28th. 1966 It is some weeks now that I received your very kind letter of May 19th. I should have replied immediately but I thought I might wait for the journals of "PARSIANA”. I have received this parcel recently and I am grateful to you for this valuable and inter ­ esting journal. You know my dear and esteemed friend, how much I am interested in the Parsee Community and am proud, as an Iranian, of their great achievements in India. I found in "PARSIANA” a number of articles of interest and usefulness to me, and I am happy to notice that ‘‘PARSIANA” is trying to harmonise old Zoroastrianism traditions with the new inclinations and aspirations, . and help to revive the true Zoroastrian Culture scatter away the clouds of pessimism about the future of your so noble a Community. May God preserve you for ever. The English translation of my article which was printed in a Teheran Weekly "Bam- shad ” is also published in May 1965 issue of "PARSIANA” and I am very much obliged to have had my article for publication to this esteemed journal. In their Editorial they have gir ven an extremely kind comment on it. You will oblige me, very much if you kindly convey my gratitude to Mr. P.B. Warden 'the managing Editor and his colleagues for the way they have treated this humble writing of mine. , , my dear dear friend, simply wonderful in expressing in your letter your I am profoundly touched and feel myself so Oh! You are, feeling towards Iran in such a marvellous way. near, so close to you. What I can say more ! Next year, in October, we shall have the celebration of the 25th. Century of the founda ­ tion of the Iranian Empire by Cyrus the Great. Certainly we shall have a Parsi delegation from India on the historical and auspicious occasion and it is my earnest hope and desire to see you and Mrs. Irani on this occasion in Teheran and to serve you berth, to see you again. I am very 'much looking forward to it. How wonderful it will be Now allow me to finish my letter with my very best wishes to you and to Mrs. Irani and to your son and pray to Yazdane Pak again and again for your happiness and prosperity. Very sincerely yours Sd./- A. Massoud-Ansari "PARSIANA” is 1 "PARSIANA” is happy to announce the inclusion of Major Adarbad Irani on its panel of Advisory Board. His mubarak name will be welcomed by all. He is greatly respected in the profession and has a high social status in the Community. He is the President of the Iranian 1 Anjuman of India and wields influence berth here and in Iran, as can be seen from his conne ­ ctions. We welcome you. •i j [J i- ir' ft ' 45By F A R D A r E ARE ARYANS. To be an Aryan is a responsibility which is implied in its MATHRA & YESNA 1/ These two aspects of Zoroastriau scriptures treat of prayers and rituals respect- » are always about .—J essence some root “Aar ” meaning straight or straightfor ­ wardness. Somehow life of c ___ A by the soil from which he derives**' hrihSig? - ---------------^way in and the food grown prayers and incantations' about divine in the soil become part and parcel of the man ,•„+», v a>vine His physiognomy gets the stamp of the general ^^^'^hich give ‘‘manthra ” effect - inexplicable effect. They are composed on principles of ‘‘stot-yesna ” (in the tone and the breath of religious fervour) with praises of a man is influenced ively. Mathra scriptures religious man. general .. Even impression common to people of the soil, aliens change by long stay. The people of Aiiyo-vej (land of the A. ever remain anxious to stick to the noble of their Daen-Din (Faith). They "paityoget ” (the law of just c- wiUing to pay for; their misdeeds avoid kesas, for which they may have to pay ^er. Aryans are 5 men of ‘‘Airichithra ”, Such souls are ¦helpful to Armaiti on Earth. Word “Turva ” is crookedness. Same ideas Aryans) divine elements referred -Ze path believe in compensation), ! and eager to to therein. Yesna scriptures treat of the tonn, formality of ceremonies and rituals and explain and direct the method for tlieir correct performance. There hre 33 aaJaats (instrumentalities, not just an object or a. weapon, but the are implied in the ’’nner purpose.) ‘‘Airichithra ’’, Such souls opposed to Arya and means croaked words Iranian and Turanian. ways or essence of their In the preparation of a Yojdathregar he has goes . He le and get accustomed to live with and in an atmos ­ phere of abstemiousness grow within him. For developing and maintain ­ ing his '‘ashoi ” on j ' ' ‘ to retain his ‘‘Barashnum ”, he bound. Even <------ ~ ¦ * Barashnum intact is one of the aalaats. He ii ¦therefore indispensable to Zoroastrianism is to be respected for the Aryans had concept of one and only God as the basis of their belief. Turanians had dualism. discipline which Aryans were settled agriculturists. Turanians training and learning of scriptures. ya-X^had aims. Airya Aryans Aryans were cooked and distorted mithra. In the ‘'“iement Arya represented their orighi in the common nfithra and the part Turya was applied to the human beings who discarded their Arya mithra and assumed crooked mithra They were devyasnis and had their prayers jn They were Un-Airya or Anarya "i () to selfish were Iranians. Turya- turya — word Tura ­ Turaoyans with their their Arya mithra and r ” Adh-mathra. later called anari assumed) crooked mithra. — ----- • prayers in so that "ashoi ” can a high standard he has got . —is by duty every pacca yojdathregar with his is and same reason. •k