Complete Issue
Sep 1974
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SEPTEMBER 1974
Price Rs. J
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P/\KISTAM
10
PAISA
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bastion nf overseas PSrsis, aM body. Lac^ of finanei^
requests tv,. -
drow a blank. Having establfehe<^ duals whp pould spare time for the
ovejr the yearsi their., organizntiailal leg work, has ham-
aft^^e today seems to be one of pered the growth of associations
rican counterparts, off the qther
ahead. Jehan Ba^ of Mon-
editor’s ebtoui'
Ever since _
homes they have had an urge
leave them. In Parsis tms ti
*¦
men
for articles 4rpm there and the absence of ret^d indm-
Ji
requests
.C-, ..
fheins^tt ovejr the years^ their.
‘don^ nock the boat. ’ Their Ame- , in j^erica.
hand telieve in going, full speed
ahead. Qr. Jehan Ba^ of Mon- _ ____ _ , , >
'treal, on a recent visit to Bombay Children brought
leadership but found none forA-
coming. He now feels tne
Quebec Association should for
mulate policy in light of their
over-
One question faced .t^ dl
seas Zoroastruu® ?|yoided by
most, is that
Eiarriage.
< foreign Llvaxy Vll Cl IWVIXU VXiJiV fcW J,rxz*x..****j V/UllVll Vll W*Wl*^**fc
sought direction from the local land cannot be expee)
marry within 1^0-coS
males who marry out at least their
children are ednsidered Parsis but
for the women it is not so. Rather
ly Parsis are scattered all
360 degrees ot this joyless
Quebec Association should for-
westem environment. Bagli, like than formulate any regulations,
many others also feels the most association have left matters
label ‘Parsi ’ is irrelevant in the to the individuals concerned. Thus
overseas context. They consi- Ms Dolly (Kotwal) Advani of „
der themselves as citizens of their Minneapolis was planning to have
the Navjote ceremony of her two
children performed as they came
I of age. Her husband, Indru, fav- ,
ours the idea as he feels, ‘‘he is
not in a position to impart reli
gious instruction to the children.
He feels the mother is closer to
the children. ” Says Ms Advani.
‘‘Wei basically believe there is one
L God so it doesn ’t make a difference
f which way you approach him. ”.
Unless ’reforms are introduced, ?
I parsis will be head^ghis- I
kjtq^T books, warns ^m/TOote.' |
the
context. They consi-
respective countries practising the
W.j. <«<9
,9
Unless ’reforms are introduced,
j^aj^sis will be heac^^for 1^-
books, warns ^fe;4mote.'
In Iran too preforms are being
adopted. Conversion is permitted
and the towers of silence have long
given way to burial grounds.
‘‘There is nothing mentioned in
have built
4^
trait
can be traced back at least 1,300
years when due, to reasons of
health we fled Persil^ 'tor India ’s
hospitable -shdres. That gjobe-
trottin^ instinct still lurks within
and to ‘ ‘ "
over ti
world.
To keep .track of them and
their doings one would need the
resources of the ClA, the network
of Interpol apd die'facilities of a
satellite; ‘ The iiext best bet is to
rely on the post office —but then
not everybody is a good corres-
pondent. So finally information is
¦gathered from those peripatetic
sofhls, who having left for greener
pastores, ifethrn for a navjote or
a iwr|age^or a funeral.
Thus this issue was long in the
making as articles and interviews
trickled in over the course of the
y^. .Bak* despite all our efforts,
the end product is far from com-
prehen^we. We have just scrat-
chbd the Mirface. Information
from some countries is Mill forth
coming and other matter we have
in hand has to be? held over due
to limitations of space.
After India, the largest num
ber of Zoroastrians reside in Iran,
around 25,000. The next largest
concentration, about 5,500 is in
Pakistan, mostly around Karachi.
There are approximately 2,000
Parsis in En^and and a simi
lar number on the American
ipAtittent. Africa has around 1,100.
Australia and Hong Kong have -----
about 150 each.. All these figures Erach Munshi of the Greater New
are educated guesses made by York Association are still in the
people from the places concerned, process of building up their organi-
Judging from the response we .. .
received to our queries, the most among local Zoroastrians in the in business With a few in govem-
active group oJ Zoroastrians association. In Chicago, a similar ment sendee, notes Zartoshty;^ m
Abroad is oh the American conti- <
of Canada can rightly be consi-. Americari Zqroastrians Jo^naef,,
dered the <|oyen of overseas ‘ '
Zoroastrians. As honorary secre
tary and director of the Zoroas- ——-----it / .
trian Society of British Coluinbla questioned what rigtt W * difficulty fim^g^ ^^s.^
and as a Parsi historian, his con- t ’ ‘ ’* ’ " xx-——»
tribution is lei^on. It was largely the U.S.
through his efforts that the first —- , — ¦ ¦
dir aetory nf that blems inherent in Starting any ven-%. ^says Zartoshty. He attributes t^fe ,
continent was compileu. uuic, ax* ™
TliougM England Im be^wi the soon becoming an ineffectual local loss or interest. The families mov-
I'
n
i
1?
¦ ¦
< xx;-
-
o
II
¦
-- our religion favouring dokhma- qt
burial, ” says Merwan J. Zartoshty,
i^s
¦
MM
___ __ «
Ms Advani: 'The mother is closer'
Zoroastrian faith. Lovji Cama and
a prominent member of the
Zoroastrian community and who
along with hjs brother, Fa^doon,
is one of the leading manufacturers
in Iran. “The dead must be dis
posed in the best possible way
available at |he time. ”
Arouiid 20,060 Zoroastrians liVe
*
&
#
zation and creating an interest in the Teherffla area, most of them
group of Zoroastrians association, in vnicago, a buuiiai m
nvivau io M.I attcmpf by Kekj Bhote misfired, , Yhssd -rthdre are around 3,500,
nent. Jamshed Khurshedji Pavri when with a viejv to bringing all agriodturists; about 1,500
- - ¦ ¦ ¦ Z.,.__:;^±.:??Z' 2aroastriaas are spread over
the Chicagoans, launched ' the, \|ai^ian, Karman and Shiraz. Yazd
Zoroastrian Association of Ame-' Wes ’" once the center of Zoroas-
rica. patsis elsewhere^ itamediate]^ j^^nism bur today city^has
to claim itself the'Kdrsi Capital of ago we had indte than fifty
.L- Z.Z. The-unexpected outcry, * priests. Now there are four or
coupled with ,*all the usual, pre- . five-of which three are elderly, ”
Zoroastrian Association of Ame-
¥
- f'-
*¦ &
turc, resulted in the assodatioh -'decline to the ‘*amall income ain ‘ *7
4-
Byramjee, who ij a Kfenyan citizen, about in his Cusrow Bang address
“¦ ¦ T bn Jamshedi Navroz:.* “Perhaps
many o^ you may not know Mr
is only bne fire temple in Africa. ' Jimmy Gohtractor of the saga of
¦’ his life. He was the owner of five
distilleries in Western India until '
the day prohibition closed them
down completely. With what re
mained he went to Assam and
built a plywood factory and a
sawmill. One night they were des>
troyed in an earthquake. He re-
a year, is five. Everywhere we have built them, and two years later his
a burial ground. ” Religious in- factories and all he had were
¦ ' “ ' That
* ' •
ed to Teheran. The children be- E_,___ _________________________
came doetofs, engineers,, architects, , Those who haVe stayed on are well
philosophers —but not mobeds. We settled and happy, he notes. There
? are trying to help from India.
’ We have received some applica-
i tions and are planning to fi^e some nb ’^ower of silence in Africa, nor
I. of them to Teherin and, Yazd. is there any move to have, one.
They will have to look after, the says Byram jee. “There will not
' atash behram, perfOTm religious be enough corpses for the birds;
ceremonies and explain the reli- the community is so small. Dur-
gion. ” As Dinslmw Behram Irani, ing all my life, the maximum hum-
vice president pf^* the Iranian ber of deaths I have known of in
• Zoroastrian Anjuman in India “
ritrted following a recent trip to a burial ground. ” Religious in
Iran, “the exodus of Zbfoastrians struction is given to children by washed away in a flood.
i from Yazd has resujted in the pro- Sohrab Rabadi, a teacher by pro- would be enough to break any
perties of our ancestors, so covet- fession. Anjuman members help man ’s heart —but not Jimmy ’s. He
edly kept for the last 1,300 years, < J ................................... ....
being either sold or left behind Byramjee says he himself has offi-
unattended. ” ' . . - . _
In Africa the npmber of Parsis
has dwindled to around 1,100,
nqjes Jamshed D. Byramjee of like to remain as a separate entity.
Nairobi, a trustee of the Nairobi “
¦Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman and a
itrepreneur. After
thefee who had not
It is located in Zanzibar. There is
, I
“prominent entrepreneur,
independence t ___ ___
optld for African citizenship had
to gradually leave. “The coun
tries would like to give preference
to their own peoplfe, ” said peoplfe,
I
j
I
I
Sohrab Rabadi, a teacher by pro
fession.
out with the religious services. . went to his friend, Mr. Nari Rus-
“¦ tomji, who was then the Dewan of
Sikkim; Rustomji helped him ob- ciated at several ceremonies. Des
pite the small numbers, Byramjee , tain a licence to build a distillery at
notes the Parsis in Africa “would Rangpo. After that was successful,
he built two more distilleries, one
in Nepal and the other in Bhutan.
A lifetime in journalism can
turn anyone into a cynic. But oc--
casionally even in our clouded
lives a ray of light penetrates and
we feel the financial bankruptcy,
loss of health and unqualified un-
»9
The educated Africans don ’t mind.
The Sikhs celebrate Guru Nanak
day and many people are invited
for the function. Freedom of reli
gion for all citizens has been
imbued in the constitution. ’’
In Nepal there are a few Parsis,
one of whoni Neville Wadia spoke happiness are partly worth the oc-
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Lloyds Branch, 21/29
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24B, Club Road. Byculla.
Advani Chambers, August
Kranti Marg, Cumballa Hill.
Shivwji Mandir, N.C. Kelkar
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6SF, Linking Road,
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EUMVK UNITED
INCORPORATED WliiE UNftEO KINGDOi^.
TME LIABILITY OF MEMBERS IS PMITED. ,
•W"
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*
» 4
*
“-,e"
oiQh Others in- ‘'sign 4o IMri fantih^^iOf
awe or ciiriousity, Wgr -Calcutta a : a^y
! excitement Min th^ dftl^nee ’^f
. .......g, views on these Idteiy . ,
of the first sights to^^j^t families cha^ifull^ that
1 will be that Of a corpse be- ’ they wer^ indifieraw^«^q^© be
is being carried out in the reader ’s community thejt ’would
In the twW feitfib ’of Hyderabad
ig that a and Secund^bad; the atfrtude of
being car-
cupational hazards. ThfB it was
after reacSi^ Mtedlle Wadia ’s in
stressed the -deed for reforms in 'When evety mortfing on awli^hihg,
the Patei ‘'Panchayat election one* < ‘ ¦ - *
systemj ‘^'that seven offide-going them _____ ___ ____ ------ - __ ____ ____ ,
Parsis, Dinshaw K. Tonxboly, Pur- ing devoured. Alreadya det^e any method d^ldfed ^Bg^n by die .
Vez J. Dholoo, Kekobad S. Ba^- - *.«
wala, Jal F. Langrana, Kroze M.
Khan, Murzban L Billimoria ' and it won ’t be long before'the subject " were very rare
Dara S. Mahuvawalla decided is taken up by the other media,
electoral reforms had t© be intro- Reports, are circulatin]
duced. So tb^JJ piit^ Hseveral colour film of a corpse
advertisement^^in tto Pai«i press ried into a tower has been shot
requesting like-minded Parsis to by an American television ciw.
write in. T^ r< ' ‘ ....... < ¦ - —
piipatipnal hazards.
terview ia ’d^ last issue where he cahnot be-expePted to do tl^ same
columns of T/ze Indtetn Express and to follow it. ’’i 'The eictreme
So piit^ssiseveral colour film of a corpse the Anjuman. t© their pell results
was less sangufiie. In a short cryp-. ,
tic note the Ahjuman *inemb^t^ ’
write in.^Th^ reeled over 300 While the trustees of the Bonv were informed that “the Com!^-
replies from people of all ages and bay Parsi Panchayat have adopted tee hWng call^ for* an dpihion
walks of life. ‘*An 80 year old in- ' ' ’ ’ ’ ’ -
valid with faMing sight wrote in to
! , - " \.............
work but he would contribute to
said Tomboly. of the dead. The Calcutta Parsi
While the response from the edu
cated strata was encouraging, the
seven noted the response from
the Parsi colonies was extremely
poor, A^ yet the crusaders are
novices in the field of Parsi
politicking; but their initial
enthusiasm more
Up fo¥ the lack of an imme
diate plan of action. No doubt
as they become more knowl
edgeable, as they organize and
attend meetings, answer the
incessant queries and grow deaf
from all the shouting, they will
; realize what a Herculean task they
' have undertaken and they may
well wonder why they forsook the ............. ............
tranquility of private life for the . ~ and 60 per cent were ‘Tn feivour
hurly burly of Pat^si politicsi" But Zoroastnan Assosa^on riie dead being shown to oth|r
it is for the rest of us to whW ^ual_report sachkar
them on and keepttheir interest .
alive. So write in to any of thern you agree that in order to ptese^e
care of, Parsiana offering your
services.
was less sangufiie. In a short cryp-
While the trustees of the^Bom- were informed that “the Comihft-
an ostrich-like stance on the prob- poll from^the Community.of the
lem. Anjumans in other parts of T^jtt Cities who are membtts of
say he couldn ’t help with the leg India have at least been polling the Anjuman oh the subject of
¦’ thdr constituents on the disposal disposal of thp ^dead aftd allied
X-. , XX j matters and having frjund that
hardly 15 per ceift fiaV^f re^ondi^
and even of the 1*5 per cent, over ¦
50 per cent are hot in favour of
going against the age old WaditiOn
of the disposal ^of the dead; h®ife '
decided not to take ahy Ortner
steps and to close the subject once
and for all. ” What^the'sAnjinnhn
note failed to point out' was that
though 175 felt dokhThtmdshfyti
was the best method for disposal
and 129 favoured burial ____ _
mation, 58 per-cent were" in fay-
sepai^e burial^uh<^ 69 pet ce4t
were in favou# of the priesti p^;^
* fQi^BXxqg the ilfeftmorfies for th^
w^oopted -for ^rial or crematiBi
iranquiiiiy oi priyaie me'lormc * • . , » ..i ’ • ‘x
hurly burly of Pat^si politicsi- Zoroastrian
them on and keep' their interest
the exposes/
their
than makes
Zartoshty: A need for priests
'¦ C!
our of the Aa/umaa -proyiding &
w^ in favoui of the prfi^ti ’pl
•»
<
reply to their two questions: Do completion of Gehsami ” Ciear^
•> w. . - this was a vote for reforms Bfr
peace and harmony in tlw com- ignoring it the Anjutean has d(^
munity, it is essential to give free- ® '
dom of choice to every individual
or family to decide the method of
obj^t to the use of Ravangah and on consuming the body of a suici^
on the time honoured institution extension of normal facilities to the by poison ease. The Poona p^
will no longer be from what Nadir families who prefer a method other bearers were said fast surrounding mid over shadow-
The controversy over the
this was a vote for reform^ J
ignoring it the Anjuman has doi^
a great disservice to fts member^,
From Poona comes gruesoH'
k-
Towers of Silence is heating up
again. But this time the attack
or family to decide the method of From Poona comes tfie gruesome
disposal? And secondly do you report of forty-five vitftures dyiife
people gradugliy move into the ing freedom of choice in the exer- m^tatehed personiml from Doot-
-¦ ¦¦<¦"¦ ¦*;< - -........................- - - ------------ s
iposal. . editorial in the latest isstje
. ^xwuxx»xxxxs o««xxvxTT- . 'XiJ^ewUe, on the second que^-^ Dipmjalit the haft yearly join
ing the Dooagerwadi estate they tion, S€% of those^*^o an&Wef^ nal of* the S)elhi Pani Anjumpn
are going to be concer^d by the did nbt object to the fapift^ c< states, “There is no^oubt that ’a
proximity of lhe ctowers. 'As Ipng Ravan^ being ’-f^ven t® suitable alternative to the dokhrr^
as the dekhifia^"weretdisfimt and whQ^feferre(f any niethod'othw Tiasf to be found soon, preferably
not visibl»to the'eye, the^contro- ‘ ’ ' " - • • • • - ~ »
ver^ Jhtifted^ ithiB;S:^nuu..
than dokhmanashini.
by consensus, and the Bomb^
Tt was ’a vei^ h^thy.abdha)my -P-w^WFat^as a
’ • • d.x**?
chbose the method oi dis^ gion. hi these circunistances, the th^udommiEEH^ loofc i upon __ -------- ----- . . * •
.Jfeaoira^^biMiMrttdte greater initi- posal ot his body in the sure imd Trustees «£ the J^hi Parsx Anjiv
pathte; M ? the matter. Those atisfying knowlec^ .th«d t^^ re- j
wish to perpetrate the exist- 1/
ing piswtice rdy, tomewhat iUogi- ’
caUy bn reli^QUS sanction and .................. .
dqhht whatever that ^6 dpkhma why the more sensible method of Parsi leaders. Mc Ramesh Sanz-
as -free to
man would do well to take a sec<^
.J ,5
UK at- UdLVxa -x uaaaa^
The Nehru Museum and Library
in New iDelhi is on the lodtout
quired prayers and rituals will be look at their Tuling. ’
___ _________________ ___ %“Here ,in Delhi the customary
ancient custom. There can be no method of disposal is burial though for portraits and paintings of great
dquht whatever that the __________ why the more sensible method of Parsi leaders. Mc Ramesh Sanz-
has no r elig ions basis as such. The cremation has-been discouraged is giri, the Art Director for The
argument of' ancient tradition is ' difficult to understand. On the Times of India has writtan to us
somewhat anachronistic in the pre- subject of cremation the Board of requesting help in locating the
sent tipie s and. conditions. What Trustees of the Delhi Parsi Anju- same and noting The Times has
is more unreasonable, is the ijan man had some years ago obtained ‘‘decided to make a complete in
placed oh tite priests performing the written opinion of Dastur ventory and photographic rword
ceremomes for those wishing alter- Hormazdaya Mirza. The learned of such pictures and portraits in
native methods of disposal. It is Dastur expressed his personal the eblleCticwi ofvarious organiza-
difficult to understand the logic opinion against cremation which tionS and h(ell-known families in
¦ - . — - . _ . - „ ’ . ’ ~ ’ People or institutions
an official ruling. That the dis- having such paintings are reciiwst-
posai of a dead body by burning ed to write in to Mr. Sanzgiri or
On the Times of India has written to us
native methods of disposal. It is
of a priest being allowed to per- therBoard of Trustees adopted as Bombay- ’’
form the required rites in the case ~ - -• ™
of a burial, say in Delhi, and not . , , _
being permitted to do the same does not ! defile the fire has been Parsiana.
' ~ - - - - - J Those who appreciate the 1974
learned Parsis. In any case, elec- Parsiana calendar will be dis-
tric crematoriums now exist in
that all rituals and ceremonies all major towns and one does not
must necessarily be performed by require a fire at all for the purpose.
“Tests, cannot a man hope to The fact that the Calcutta Parsi
\ to heaven if a few sincere * '
prayers ^e recited by his rela
tives ^d friends at his cremation
or burial? Death like religion is a
person^ matter. One should feel prohibit^ by the Zoroastrian reli-
of a burial, say in Delhi, and not
I ' .•? / ;. ¦' ¦'
in Bombay simply on the ground convincingly argued by many
that a dokhma exists there. Al- ’ . - • -
though it is an axiom of our faith
appointed to know we can ’t per
form an encore for 1975. We are
still very much in the red and all
our resources are pooled in to
keep ‘the magazine going. We lost
over Rs. 2,000 on our last calendar
Anjuman were at one time exa
mining the possibility of esta]t>lish-
ing ‘ a crematorium should con- and this year with all the rise in
vince us that cremation is not prices it is justbeyond our
means Our ajjolog^.
W
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¦ • ' •
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***-’~*'*^'^ J
liTTERS
1
II
who habitually wear this he
tmlj. and everbody fe"; Anyko ”.
«nn.a,r«l Io he satisfied with fashion HOW, aspeCBlly W
If the persons who know *thfr
are no more interested in
them, who will wear a pugtee ^g
the future? Besides don ’t
thiiJc it is a p^liar thing .
shareholder had referred to Jam-
appeared to be satisfied with
Wadiq ’s reply. However, Wadia
as he stood before the microphone
appeared disturbed/ Turning to his
son, Nusli, he asked in a subdued
voice full of coiKem, “But what
about Khordad Sal? ” It was only luv oauici yxv
when Nusli informed him that a? Iranian headgear. When 11^^
Bombay Dyeing remaihs closed on visited Iras 1 / saw Zoroastn^
Khordad Sal also that Wadia ap- priests wearing a torban akin>;
peared satisfied and proceeded with those shown in the picture
the work at hand. ''' r ’2“ titua a. Paan*
NeviSe Wadia. through 1^ good
thou^ts, words and deeds has wotf Sl
the hSrts of aU Parsis. M The^ WwP
about the future generations of- a similar .tuAan 4^t black
Wadias? It is for us to see to it* colour, while Zoroastrmns have^.>
ark artv bBS; z
that Nusli ^adia does not
awiy from Be Parsi community.
We must impress upon various -y —— --;---------------------------- .
Parsi organizations —Cusrow Bang Zori^trians centuries back?
Welfare League, Rustom “ Baug To my humble belief, the^ .
Association, Navroz Baug Play Parsee Pugree is an inverted
Centre, Petit Parsi General Hos- of fbe cow which the community ,
pital —the importance of associat- venerated once upon a tune. Bait
ing him with their organizations, I still think the pugree is a i^ ..
SA
. \
Sjt,
- 4“V‘
,.xvb
wear the same? is not at
I ZoroastriiSt
priests wearfhg a turban akin>|p
.7 , I '
page 13 of Pcrjadna titled *A.
by mobeds in Dadiseth
silhilar tuAan ; but black ha
NerilleWndia thM ” Nusli >dia does not drift Ms; a wMte tiirbM. .Ca^^ any ;
, t A ^'^3 ftom Me Parsi cominiinity.
It was a "“f. We- must impress upon various on what was the heaMt^ m Iiah
interview with_I^lUe Wadiai It p^rsi organizations-Cosrow Bang of Zor^rtans cmturies back?
was one of th© best I have ever welfare Leasue Rustom Bang To W hmnble belief, the present
hIS' P".”’ 7““ A^Sdot Nairoz Bang Pky I’arsee Pugree is an inverted
were both pertinent and probmg, (^entre Petit Parsi General Hos- of the cow which the community,
^d the replies given by Wadia, pitai-4he importance of associat- venerated once upon a time.
thought-provoking and scholarly. with their organizations, I still think the pugree is a. Jk.; •
That Wadia entertains very by inviting him to preside over plica of that worn by Ko^
strong feelings for the Parsi com- - — - •’
munity is a known fact. But very
few Parsis know that he has similar
feelings for the Zoroastrian religion
also, despite the fact that he is a
Protestant Christian belonging to
h
»
*»o**V^ *);
•ww*
iL.„
the work at hand.
a
their functions. The Wadia family Banias when we first landed at Div. «
means a lot to our community and They wore similar pugrees ana .
we simply cannot afford to lose it. several photographs are. there hi
A I____ -._1___ A__ ___ _ , a.— ........2^- nrtfciitoUfl
Dara J. Contractor ’ , - , . . -
shape and size IS the*
. our fore^fathers u^d 40
Be Church of En^Md. In the strain and styue of daily made of^t cldth and
1 would ite Id cite just one '^ken we Parsis delight in run- black sldny one which is
instance of whidi I was a witness, nmg .down one another at present. vumu cuaw
* pleasure to read jNwide Wa been borrowed, as with many trf
4.
temples for one to verify.
our forefathers used 40
life when we Parsis delight iu run- black sldny one which is used4
" :. This could also hav0
pleasure to read Wwiile waaia s been borrowed, as with many -trf
thought provojcffig, roaster. In the first weekx^
April 1971 Wadia was presiding
over the Annual General Meeting ------
of Bombay Dyeing at Patkar Hall, ing the Church of England —Imt I
called upon the shareholders to hearts a Parsi-
question him about the working of
the Company, Taking his turn at
the microphone, one shareholder
disapproved of the practice of keep
ing the offices of the Company clos
ed on Jamshedi Nowroz, though it
had ceased to be a public holiday,
and further questioned the pro
priety of the Company spending
annually some fe.s. 500 for notices
Wadia ignored"^ the first part
W the question, but informed the
^ardiQ^W. Notices were pub
lished to avoid inconveniences to
. 1__ r ______- — -- ¦ .... ; • ¦
thiqg happened ffiat should glad-
in various daily papors to that Jh^^vs.
*1
I 'have read with *4hten8®tyy^r;«
interviews with varlous persons in
tiSHOU lU »VVJU UlVUU¥V«*y“»-viJ uv
die public SQ^
thing happened that/should glad- Twfli^t of the think
denthc hwitajotaU Ws- The you should h^ve interviewed those
isf ^e qg^tion, but informed the
Zi.
FXROKB iaHeRTER ,
niot«gnig*e(
ADVERTISINQ-J
FASHION •
INDUSTRML
GINE 10MM fr35MM
Phone: 203723
«<«
PateFChambers, 5th floor^
Gun bow Street, Fort,
Bombay-1
7¦91
r-
•«
friends. rfelers ot Gujerat are to survive. I quite ^t^ w^th dead for Hindus ® it will P^ce
and KatbM^ smury or two him «iat it is only through tUepages the wsL M * J
l^k, usodrto WMr pugrees and of your paper, can you start an un- strongly ffecommend^ur meoioa
ours ’ cmditbe a modification of biased campaign, of disposal by vtilwrfes to nfif
the - sam0> Some of our stupid, and orthodox fellow Hindus, as the poor _^wn-
- - trodden can, with great i^irf to
their pocket, keep the surroundings
clean and healthy withouf flesh-
back, used ; to w^r pugrees and of your paper, can you start an un-
oUrs be a modification of campaign.
Some of our stupid, and orthodox
ligion cannot liave their children ’s
navjotes performed. And Parsi girls burning smoke polluting the sur-
married outside the religion are rounding areas.
barred from entering our atash
behrams a^aries even though question as the cost of power is
they have not (Ranged their reli- rising, fuses deliberately go c^,
gion. I knew of an incident, when half-burnt bodies are thrown jh
the child of a Parsi father who had
rounding areas.
A crematorium is out of the
rising, fuses deliberately go c^,
Our fetah, worn by many, looks customs must go. such as. that
like an inverted “rape/i ” (vessel) Parsi 3^1s m^med outside the r^
with felt and strap over it to make
it lode more dignified. It is good
forr those who religiously wear it
habitually, but for others it is
more ornamental, something to be
Worn at Naviots or marriages, to
be carried in the hands or left on J, ot an mmoeni. w^n half-burnt bodies are thrown Jn
a ‘Chair. It is only worm all the the cMd of a Parsifather w^ h^ rivers or the sea to be swalloWed
time at a funeral or fire temple, married a non-Parsi, was debarred by the vultures of the waters, viz.
w it is not at all convenient crocoddes etcetera. Bfi^ .is
after an hour or two on the head.
Can we not devise some better
and, more comfortable headgear?
‘ S-RWama
(Suggestions are welcome^Ed.)
toriums must cope up with epiide-
mics producing iOO por^s at ja
time.
extremely delighted to
Doongerwadi ResdhitijMi
I was extremely delighted to
read in Parsfam, news of the r&-
pealii^ of the infamous Doonger
wadi resolution which had required
Parsis to sign a statement to the
effect that non-Parsis will be ban
ned from attending funeral prayers
or viewing the dead after ceremo
nies. The rescinding of the act is
not to be regarded merely as a vote
four to two, but as a resounding
victory for all those who put first
the brotherhood of mankind. Those
who withdraw into their ""
shells of orthodoxy and are fighting
to maintain an outdated status quo.
should have the interests of the
community at heart, not try to con
trol its religion.
The next step to be fought for.
in my opinion, is the elimination of
double standards so that Parsi girls
who marry outside can bring up
their children in their faith if so
desired.
It was equally delightful to read
about ‘Busybee ’ in your Pateti
issue. Why hasn ’t someone thought
of putting him into the Parsi Pan-
chayat Ip enliven the murderous
atmosphere there?
Kashmira B. Baria
from entering an apiary. And if men crocodiles etcetera. Bribing is
and women Who have mairied common practice to get liie dis-
Parsis wish to become ZOrOastrians posal in the crematoriums ddhe
they should be allowed tq become before the others. The crehia-
Zoroastrians since, after all, our
prbphet himself converted fol-
Jqwers otherwfee we would not time. * Also the cost bf upkeep bf
have our religion today. Un- d crematorium is hi^ due to the
s_ Qf teefahi^ sW. Tbhs
of timber will be saved all over
fortunately one is apt to get
a bit heated over this —that _____ ___________ _ ___
is why I have noticed, that you have India every day if we adopt
kept a perfect balance with the cor
rect sense of humour in your papet.
Bhicoo Manekshaw
method.
K. B. Sififfi
Nagpw
Switch to the Towers
The cost of timber etcetera for
burning the dead has become
costly. I was wracking my brain
as to how to reduce the cost of
disposing dead bbdies. A “copy of
your Parsiana was found in a
Charitable Myth
People give a misleading picture
of the causes for the downfall of
the Zoroastrian religion .by sayii^
that the price of sandalwQod is
'v
-til
Rs 70 per .kilo, a 20 yard In^id'of
mull cloth for sudrehs cos^ Rs' 80
-r „ J and a kusfi costs Rs 30 &d that
library. On going through ^^1found die performance •Of religious cere-
monies is, therefore, diflScult. A
sudreh serves the purpose of a
cotton vest and after the ceremony
it is worn by ihe^persOn through- .
out the day. Thus the coat of a
4
controversy ra^ng among Parsis
’ ® as to the disposd of their dead.
I n^t admit, your method of
disposal by the vultures is practi
cally at no cost except what is
incurred in keeping the Towers of vest is saved. It is not necessary
Silence clean. Thus I feel this is that the sudreh be stitched <>f mull
a solution for the disposal of the cloth. It may be of standard cloth
I was distressed to read Mr. War-
den*s Partchaiat Piiections. Some
thing dtnstic nnwfh he done-r-if v/e
Sir W. Arthur Lewis
DYNAMiCr rACTOMW
ORIENT Full Cloth with Jacket : Rs. 18.50
In these Dorab Tata Memorial Lectures the renowned
economist jpxplores these crucial prohlfems from the
the fastest way to stimulate growth through a
satisfactorily and yet encourage growth : and the role
LONGMAN
Nicol Road developed countries :
_ „ . the fastest way to stimulate growth through a
B^uard Est Ae d^xelppment rIwi : how to distribute, income
Bombay \ . - -
* production for exports in stiihuletrng prot^l^Q^
400 0” ror ibe*H0me market.
aMcosting Rs 1.75 per j^etre. Twenty ting of the kustis. Thus two paise I have noticed that the Editor ’s
yards of (doth will produce 15 per day go for charity
sudrehs and will last for ty^ years. Parsis and the other two j
among Column, and the questions you adc
the cross-section of our commumty
on various topics are veiy laudable.
However, in one of your next ^sues
1 woul(k suggest you take up the
cause of young entrepreneurs and
per month per family as a minimum without any collateral or financial
sudmks and will last for ty^ years. Parsis and the other two paise per
The cosf of cotton ve^ will be day is the cost of wool which, un-
the same as 20 yards of mull cloth, fortunately, goes to the open
if not more. The cost of sudrehs market,
is, therefore, ngt prohibitive.
The kusti should be thick and Christians in general pay Rs 1.50 the difficulties they face specifically
a bit longer than the required size. month per family as a minimum without any collateral or financial
A kusti lasts for two years. Thus subscription for the Church and backing from various financial
the cost a kusti is Rs 1.25 per w.ii .z. .i.. ------
1*.^......* .. W... AV... . .. ¦ J • , A , .
We can start kusti banks where l®®ted at the church itself. As for
kustis with broken ends may be sandalwood, it is not compulsoty
, collected by donation. These kustis *^5® to be noted that in
can then be mended by shortening general poor Parsis go to the fire
the lengths with new ends, making only^on^ or twice a year
many religious societies, such wood and five paise for the upkeep
. It is; to be remembered that
priests. Well-to-do families give
institutions.
This is something which needs
immediate attention as I feel that
there is enough talent and entrepre
neurial ability within our com
munity, especially going back to a
couple of decades. The foresight
and the pioneering spirit which our
month —thtfr is four paise per day, more per month and more is col-
T"’ ¦ - - - - 4.1.. -I...-- T. a _
with broken ends may be sandalwood, it is not compulsory
''.2___ 2—. T2___ 2.___ 2„
then be mended by shortening general poor Parsis go to the fire
them suitable for children. There and offer a 25 paise stick of sandal
arc many religious societies, such wood and five paise for the upkeep . _ .
as The Raj^i Society, The Vege- fi*"® temple, which also is forefathers manifested by ventur-
tarian Society, and The Rahanumae compulsory. I am soriy^.to ing to distant places to set up busi-
Mandal, which can have their own
tarian Society, and The Rahanumae compulsory. I am sorry .^.to
Mandal, which can have their own
kusti bank for distribution among hearted Farsi ’ and ‘Parsi, thy community grow,
the certified poor. * "ame is charity. ’ . .
¦ I would request you to invite sug-
It is believed that people are K. D. Chargeman gestions and guidance from the
bom in certain religious sects due learned industrialists of our com-
to the order of God and not by ___ munity which you have portrayed
chance and that people should re- ^<"“8 Entrepreneurs wittily in your June-July
tn^n in the fold by making some I have been going through Parsiana issue, because if the vital guidance
sacrifice, for instaqpe, setting aside ' with keen interest, specifically thatisneededisnot giveuandim-
four ‘paise day for a ku^i. since it discusses burning topics mediately, the progress of ‘the ctwa-
Besides, out of these four paise about the amelioration of our com- munity dwindling wouldibe mudi
per day, two paise goes to the munity whose numbers are fast fasterinviewdltherdiffiiealtecono-
inob^ family which does the knit- dwindling. mic situation*^ which will get worse
explode the myth of the ‘large nesses and factories helped the
hearted Parsi ’ and ‘Parsi, thy ' ‘
name is charity. ’
K. D. Chargeman
Young Entrepreneurs
since it discusses burning topics mediately,the progress of» the cenn-
about the amafioration of our com-
From experience comes faith...
A young adventurer goes to sea, with love
and vigilance behind him. A sudden wave may
turn him back, but he will try again.
We are all adventurers in the plan of life.
Big or little—yourijg or old—ideas botn of courage
are proved through experience.
'¦
Little adventurer to num of the world... from
experience comes fai^.
.The pHoelass Ingredient of every produlbt is the honor and integrity 4>f ite maker
MRABHM CNOItCluilMITED
Wttlf WMn, BAROIMir
( A Century of Experience Builds Faith
th* R.giumd rM(l.inMk of E. R. Squibb Ct Son*. Ine., of which SH.bh«' ClMmlcl. LimiiM m th* UcChMd U**n.
ten
3
1V
and is noto^
munity 4lt.M
>*¦
- 5
St- ' ’ . ¦ ¦ ¦
help the' e«nn- the materialistic and ieeontyiBc
. needs of the community were iajfact
Dadi E. Mis^y self.-generated within the oom* .
employment and the better i^ass of
enroloyment.
Tcday, unfortunately, tian spirit
^act
New Delhi munity, by larger pocenta^
employment and the better das
dee. stona^ decline of th# achieve
ments our community is the
declining. The majority^ of Paisis
. p would rather be in service than in
look Mcl^op the achiev^ents The principal reasons for
opting for service rather than for
business are (1) There are less wor
ries and tension in service ^an in
businerat and (2) fewer oppoitum-^
ties to raise the capital required for
business. •
Under the above circumstances,
I feel that the trustees of the Parsi
Panchayat should in fact devote
their thinking and energies in
establishing an industrial base. Un
fortunately, however, our commu
nity, or at least certain sections of
our community take great pride in
projecting themselves as orthodox,
or otherwise, instead' of tacldin^
the imminent problems by priori
ties. It is regretted that, the priori
ties are mixed up. I feel that the
basic and immediate need of our
community is to encourage the
growth of industrial activity
amongst its members, which would
in the long run bring forth concrete
results.
Hector H. Mehta
«t> me the basin c«i^
. .. .... ........
mimts of our community is t^
curdled by our commwty.
^ .. . .
of the stalwarts of our community
of bygone days, such as Jamshedji
Tata, Sir Jamshedji Jeejibhoy,
Sir ^hramjee J^jibhoy, Sir Ness
of enterprise amongst' Parsis. i| •
would rather be in service than in
‘ OVER 1700
I ¦
^0“
¦f '
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and Shops
¦ -‘K.
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Cable: DINCLUB
11<1
;.x.
i T
• Q
A.
¦
I
*«
>. ft
j£
4^
JCLou/t Cama the honorary Sec
retary of the Greater New York
^oroastrian Association).
came to the United States in
i960, after graduating from Bom
bay with a B.Sc. (Tech.) degree
f in Hiarmaceutical Sciences, to do
^y M.S. at Columbia Umversity
m New York, with the help of a
Tata Scholarship. Why ws I
motivated to come to the U.S.?
Probably because I realized that
i would learn more in my field
if I got my Masters degree from
the U.S. than if I continued fur
ther in India. It was also a sense
t>f adventure that brought me here,
t saw my friends going abroad and
I felt that I would lose out in
future competition if I did not get
a degree from the U.S.
; WWle I Was doing my Masters
¦ •pt Columbia in Pharmacy, my
thoiigW^ about what I wanted to
do in ^es future crystallized and
I realized that if I was to do
pesearch in the dijscoveiy <)f aew
Meld to chemistry and get a Ph.b.
Uuckily I was able to get into the
X
by Lovji Cama
The above is a brief history of wound up unhappy and eventually
my professional career in the U.S.
I think I have been quite success
ful in my profession and I enjoy
what I am doing. What made me
came back here.
Thus like many other Indian
friends, I traded a successful and
. satisfying professional career for
choose to stay in the U.S.? I life among old friends, family and
community. In this kind of trade
off one loses almost as much as
one gains, unless one bias moved
¦ . This was not the case
for me personally and as far as
I can tell is not the case for a
self. What is more, a few friends large majority of Parsis and
Indians here. If now one feels
this way, is there anything One can
do about it? How does one go
about compensating for what one
has lost in terms of old friends,
family and community, when one
has lost that sense of home? One
answer is to form new friends
(preferably American only) forget
your family, community and re
ligion and dissolve into' the
American way of . life, adopting
American values. For some this
is the solution, but for most of us
a solution such as this would be
a total loss of identity.
As Parsis I think we are always
very conscious-Of our identity and
very proud Of it; for many of us
It appears to me then that I think it is more important than
we realize and some of us realize
it only when we get out of India
and especially pombay.
Since I grew up outside Bom
bay before I wept to college, I
,..... . - was alwhys subconiSbioudy aware
_ _________ as ns M because not ice of my sense of as a >a^
a Senior Research Chemist. ; tak^ nrecautions aeainst it. ” Broueht un in India I cannot
think I realized that I had over
educated myself for the oppor
tunities in India. I realized that _ „ ,
it would be almost impossible for away from home to run away
me to go to . India and find the from it. This was not the case
kind of work I was interested in * ” '“¦* ““
and for which I had trained my-
of mine who returned to give
India a chance, did not make it,
^rugs, I would have to change my
Ph.D. program in the Chemistry
Department of Columbia Univer-
sity and in due time under an
excellent teacher and researcher,
Prof. Gilbert Stork, 1 got iriy de
gree in 1966. I worked two more
pears with Wirt as a research
fellow while getting my immigra
tion status smd ^n took my
and present job nt Merdc Sharp
l^hme .Kese^xti Lnhoratorij
¦**]
if our comnniaity jpbt
survive into the seccod abd
Oird generatbh and U
*:
will not be because Anseriom
society has hun^y jdisMbed
tak^ nrecautions aeainst it. ”*
Wedding^- pcrfermed hy moheds is
a rare occasion for us and a jashan
ceKTRQny is only slightly more
student population to families. The form these have to come from long
need for a Zoroastrian Associa- distances, giving up a day from
tion was now felt and. ,«! 1973 their own family pleasures and
A
Greater New .York w?^ fonn^d cost. The Parsis here feel that
4 A ___ :_______ +U-. if
to try to solve some of the prob- they impose
now and which ^e will face in the often. The mobeds all have re-
The biggest problem as I can
see arises from the mini scale size
of our community which is scat
tered over a large area thereby
making it difficult to come to
gether often. Thus unlike Parsis
in Bombay, or Parsis in smaller
towns of India, where they live
together in colonies or mohalas,
we cannot reinforce our Parsi-
ness, at least not easily. Our
children here do not have a
chance to grow up together, and
go to the same schools as we did
in India.
Also we are totally cut off from
the ritualistic aspects of our re-
identify myself as an American laws die number of Parsis^ in-
fat least 'Mt yet), and having treased to about' 180 adults in
lived in the U.S. for so long I 19.71 and the nature of our , .
cannoUretW to India and call population changed from a mainly frequent. The mobeds who per-
It a real home. Incidentally these t.. ------ r-tr ------------------------.__ _
feeling are common to all immi- need for a Zoroastrian Associa- distances, giving up a day from
grants to'the U.S. Being a Parsi, tion was now felt andfo 1973 their own family pleasures and
however, I have something that the Zoroastrian, Association of duties and often at their own
for me does not change witq my ----- ------------- —
location —it is my identity as a to try to solve some of the prob- they impose on the mobeds a
. Parsi. This sense of being a Parsi lems that we as .a community face they request their services too
does not come from being very now and which ^e will face in the often. The mobeds all have re
religious, like a majority of future. gular jobs of their own which of
Parsis back in India and here I rp. ac t nan course has to be their prime con-
think I tarn just pragmatic. I am problem as I can mobedi is a service
not ardigious, howerer, neither mini scale siK willingly petfoim as a
do I looTfor satisfaction in re- fteX ‘'"'y ‘<>‘>>=
ligions Other than Zoroastrianism. tn nnmn tn These are problems ^of the
lie basic philosophy of our reli- J'immigrant Pareis, what about
gion is to be good in thought, word ? Bombay or Parsis in smaller children bom or reared here;
and deed because it is the path 'Xre thSliS '’here will- their Parsi identic
of tappiness and that happn^ together in colonies or SJ/inte.
IS the result of proper choice cannot reinforce our Parsi- up m fodia or
throughout one ’s life. This sense q Pakistan at least know who they
of being a Parsi, this identity, then children here do not have a where their roots are, and
stands as an anchor^orme and for u ^o erow uo toeether and not know their religion
many of my ParsrlriCnds in the sXd?^^ ffid ^hey have at least a /
United States. Most of my Parsi jjjjja knowledge of it as a living religion,
friends here have a very similar ’ ' They have seen the inside of an
background to me. They came as Also we are totally cut off from agiary or an atash-behram, they
students, did well, found well- the ritualistic aspects of our re- have been to Iran-Shah in Udvada^
paying interesting jobs which they ligion. Not only do we not have and know the significance of that*
could not give up and so took an agiary or atash-behram to wor- particular fire and the promise our
advantage of the relaxed immigra- ship at but we do not even have a ancestors gave before it, to hold
tion laws between 1966 and 1970 place of our own to meet and on to their identity and their
and stayed on as U.S. immigrants, socialize. A naviote or a Parsi religion —in what was then a
A few have even become citizens.
‘The Parsi community around
New York, which has grown from
about 25 in 1960 to about 180
how, consists of highly educated,
professional people (the immigra
tion laws have seen to that).
When I first came here there were
perhaps 20-25 Parsis in the area
mostly students and on Pateti and
Jamshedi Navroze someone would
invite friends and have a party at
home. With time the 20-25
Parsis grew to between 50 to 60
and at that time, around 1966, a
few of us decided to get together
and rent a hall at the International
House on Pateti and Jamshedi
Navroze and cook Parsi food and
invite every Par^ in the New
York area to come to dinner.
The cost of the dinner was taken
care of by collecting a contribu
tion, but no one made a profit.
About 60 Parsis attended those
an agiary or atash-behram to wor
ship at but we do not even have a
A navjote or a Pars! religion —in
foreign country for them.
To the Parsi child growing up
in the United States it is very
difficult to know who he is and
what his religion is. A few have
knowledgeable parents who will
teach them a little of our history
and our prayers; most will by
’¦ example learn from their parents
the ethics of Zoroastrianism but
the child never sees here.Jiis re
ligion as a living religion. He will
not see the rituals performed. ,He
will not know the dark, cool
interior of . an agiary or atash-
behram or its smell of sukhar or
hear the clanging of the bell and
the music of the mobed's prayer
as the geh is changed. It may
even be difficult for the child to
believe that in an agiary or atash-
behram the fire must bum always
socialize.
*
I
’T
t
‘"•'it'
'it
'I
1;
r
V
11
1
¦<
and continuously, and that fire
traces its source to the fire
brought from Iran and through
that, through flames kept alive
through thousands of years to
“ Being a Parsi, however,
have someflung for w
first dinners, which became quite
popular, because ?for many of us
it was a rare, e ban ce to eat Parsi , , J- r ----- r- —” —
food and talk Parsi talk.. With, twn—it IS my idwitity as a Zarathustra.himself,
the relaxation the immigration ’’ Will a child brought^P with-
~ 1 mivugiL Liivu^diiua VI ycar& tv
docs not chsuigc^^ul my perhaps that fire blessed by
»(<
*-1?,
t
»*-
*''TO|i^buousiy infiueqgsd by
•Rie daiK, cl®is6 ideas? Brow • can 'Tme
‘?•IM
. ...........
! te JSSsitiu^amsm
He will
cool inteifer qI an agiary or
ataslklg|nani> or its smell of
sukhar or hear the clanging
of theAdU and the music of _____
the mobed’s prayer as the* geh Jrian? "Gf c^eAh^/iia of ____
is ch^Sgedk ” melting pot is not as stroi^ as it • i, „
may seem; partly it is ah ideal, with other Zoroastrian children
. Almost every American proudly '
traces his origin (through a mere
200 years at best) to his ^rigins
Ireland or any* other country 6f him if he refuses to bear t^ bur-
_ ___ And a burden it isFfor U
is not easy for a child to learp that
he is different, unless he is'jprpud
of this difference knows where if
comes from and knows that ft has
always been so for l,400^^^ars.
Thus for the hommunity sur
vive, our children must not bnl^
have their identity as ZoroastrianS ' j
and Parsis but also be proud of
it and desire' to keep it from
generation to generation. This
sense of identity must be built and
- , . , . .................................. reinforced. He must know what
have never heard of a religion generation and further, it wiH his religion has to offer and that
called Zoroastrianism? Or worse, not be because American society jg g religion which in its basic
children who have heard the has hungrily absorbed us but be- principles allows one to function
name Zoroaster associated only cause we will not have taken exceedingly well in a modern and
with magic (the word magic is precautions against it. K the mobile society.
derived from Magi —a Zoroas- Zoroastrian child in the U.S. does changing world we must i
trian priest of Sassanian times). ’------ ------------------ - ’------- .
How does this child still remain
a Zbroastnah when he or she is
4
chil4 remain a ^Otoastrian ^xhm
the idea of America'itself fe to
be the melting pot bf all the cul
tures of the world? Would it not
be un-Amcrican to be a Zofoas?
1$ id * B confla-
attracting IhoiisaDds to
its ways of life, it fe rather a
candle in tlfe df evi^
^^^mnastrian. ”
99
/out these influences, remain a
Zoroastrian? I think we are
asking for a miracle if we want
this to happen. Yet if the com
munity is to survive in this
(
performed, as it was performed years back. So it is certainly not
nearly 1,400 years ago in India. * ' ' ’
Will yfQ have the ability to per
form it? One does not know, the land of individual freedom
Should wt even try it? Can our and this includes the freedom to
lives be meaningful if we do not? follow your own religion, thus
I
that would try and blend us into
oblivion.
It appears to me then that
in Britain, Italy! (^ri^y, PpUhd,
except his brothers and sisters, if
he sees that he is alone in the
situation of being a Zoroastrian
child, then one can hardly blame
liviaiiu VI any vi.xic;i vvuxxla^ vj . ~ v . ¦ '
txxuxxxvT VW .xwx.v.v .........................- Europc uud Asla. If hc js Jcwish den and^pride of being a ^roa^-
country this miracle must be , he traeea his orgin thoiisani^ of trian^ nr « nr
un-American to be a Zoroastrian.
¦America after all is, above all.
One does not know even the there is hope, despite the forces
answer to that!
The problems above derive
from what the child misses; what
about the problems caused by if our community does not sur-
growing up with 'children who vive into the second and third
not be because American society
has hungrily absorbed us but be
cause we will not have taken
____t it. K the
Zoroastrian child in the U.S. do^
not know his community beyond g^japt change, but not>so that J
the family and a few select frfendSi disappear. How shirwe do
if he 11^ no chance to grc^ up tjiis7 No one person can give the
With best TOiyipliments of
¦
¥
K*’’
»
A. DHI R
Industrial Consultant
Office:
^>D, ShoTshed. Building
Sth nodi. Sil P. M. Road
FoFt, Bomb^ 1
Phone: 2^1595 ->
Residence:
Shanker Sadan.
Flat 24, 3rd noo»
Opp. Matalachmi
Hospital, (Sast)
Boznl>ay 22
•*' . .
1
this? No one person can give the
answer, the answer must be arrived
at by bringing our heads to-
gether and working out solutions
in the light of the society we live
in, ^olutio^s that will allow us
to mctioh and grow in the pre
sent times and at the same time
allow us to keep that promise
our ancestors gave before Iran-
Shah almost 1,400 years ago. Some
will say that the two things are
not possible but our history tells ,
ns otherwise. But if we keep our
heads in the sand, instead of us
ing them and assume that we do
not have a i
changs is bad, then
problem that all
4, then thOsrecasters,
of doom may well prt^f ’ to be J
Will Zoroastrianism survive m
the United States and Canada? I
think it will depend on Zoroas-
/Brians themselves. If they believe ;
In themselves, look out after them- ’
I ,^lws and their Teligion'and most
P mporWt ot all,if they cap make
‘ (Contirtued ’impage 23^ ^ 3 }As-'
»
?
A larg^ pd^on of the Zoroas- and fcusft* and do you ex|>ect ’your
triansA^ ^ continent children to dp so? '
reside^hk Canada. There are at Answer: I do weat^the and
lea^ Zoroastrian t Associa,- However, I stron^y Believe of hll inter-marriages without dis-
i^s^ in that fugged northern that wearing ja sudra and k^wti tinction.
. -ommtiy, namely the-Zoroastrian dpes not make one a Zoroastrian. : How do yoi\ view the
SwW of British Columbia, the These are only amgng the identi-
Zo^oastrian * Society of Ontario, fying features pf the rdigion.
tbe Parsi-made laws and arrive at
a xsidonal and logical solution for
die acceptance of the consequences
in that fugged northern that wearing ja sudra tinction.
. -ommtry, namely the- Zoroastrian does not make one a Zoroastrian. pjfesijion :
of British Columbia, the These are only am^ng the identi- dispo^ of dead?
Zofoastrian * Society of Ontario, fying features pf the rdigion. Answer*. On this point, Zoroas-
¦ and the Zoroastrian Association of Eliminating tibese markers could tr ian s abroad have a clear choiee
: On this point, Zoroas-
0uebec. lead a loss of individuality h^eenburiid and cremation. The
' ’» Dr. Jehan F. Bagli of Montreal iS the religion, wd thm: is fib® 41^' question of the Tower of Silence
.one of the mainstays of the Quebec metric opposite of pay goal afid does not cpme into the picture.
Of the two options, earth
must be protected from being
filled up by dead bodies and there
by put out of use )roas-
1" 3ioSd^Sn ‘Wstorl Zoroastrians in North AmerfCa^^e ^an concepts. Individuals at the
in a situation wherp they wduld^* helm of the ’ affairs are paranoic
Question.', pyr ypy wear tfie sudrq f<;mc^ tp evo^e (/Continued
the perpetuation of Zoroastrianism.
The majority of those who
wear these markers know little of
the responsibilities that go with
I expect them tQ undei^and the
responsibilities that go with this
It is a steriliser. Frfjm a .
apparel.
Question'. How do you view
inter-marriage?
Answer '. Anybody residing in the
Western World in general, and on
this North American continent in
particular, has to regard inter
marriage, as a direct consequence
of their choice to settle in the element, so' that others alive may
West. Inter-marriages are not ac
ceptable to Parsis, but should be : How do you view the
^acceptable to 2k)roastrians. -community in^ Bombay?
thushtra, to the best of my ^qwl- A^fteer: The answer to this wffi
edge; has said nothing a^nSt - ’^asi^to be based largely on hear-
inter-marriage. ......... *
why Parsis are against intej- _______ , _____ ____
marriages is that they have not , community in Bombay is ric|t
evolved themselves to accept the financially, but ve^ ppor in their
consequences oT such events. ' ¦’ - - -
Zoroastrians in North Anam^ ait
Itie main reason say and little on personal ej^ri-
e against inter- >noes. I believe, that generally the
trian concepts. Individuals at the
!•»*
*l
I
lu
1
¦ «
F%
'Ml/i
TO/
Lp'd
zWr ¦
Sx^
I.
J
, "S
I’f 1
p'
]¦’
a/A
bz.
kn«te*|
hi '*' ” f'
iv* (A/j
7
oPi
rtl
i
x?
•} x* l‘
J women and one man we inter-
does the viewed for the following two
PARSIS THROUGH FORUIGM GYBS
Interviews by Joan Contractor
As the number of f arsis travelling
overseas increases, so t’____ ________ __
possibility of their meeting and articles :
niarrying people from other coun
tries. While a large number of
such couples settle abroad, a
handful do return. There are over
too foreign women married to
Parsis in Bombay. The number
of foreign husbands is considerably
less as the couples would pro
bably 'opt for the man's country.
“I don ’t think of my husband as
a Paxsi. He is just my kind of per-
son. ’^' says Nuvart Mehta, who pro
vide an excellent example of how
wjell a person with strong views and
a de^ite sense of identity can ad
just to an entirely different environ
ment. Ms Mehjra, who used to take
J-y. ¦ . ... .' part in demonstrations for tl^ Spa-
How do these i^^vidut^.view nish txjysdist cause in her young-
communityfl How^^e er days, says that, she has fmutd -
they been receitied' it! i-In jio diffic ulty in adjusting pc ^gca b^ iptq the_ problems and asjOTatio^
t6hat faith would they', toise th^ ^trnjita. ishe Peasicxfsxaaa^
cAiW^? , TAese ore some she jdpies find Ot tl^ a»n Dj^rig her childhoqn^^Jiad l«en
questions we put to the twelve ni^ “The thing with Parsls isbtliat '^ '^u^bt to regard the Paxsis as the ‘
the Parsi communiiy^ How^i^e
the^ been received it! i tn
they are modem one minute, old-
fashioned tl» next, ” she comment
ed while describing how they can
be liberal about certain things and
yet deeply orthodox about such
things as burial practices arid reli- .
giqus rites. Ms Mehta has studied
Persian history and has not only a ,
good idea about Parsi ecfeiriooies '.
apd customs but having grown up
as jan Armenian Christian in Tur- , Z
key,wholikethel^rsisareamino-
4iy corimaun^ in that counter, she
- £e^, that she has a special insight
with which Parsis are feced tMay;-L—MLIJWimW
*
*'
V '“I
X-
, *» .
«•
Uttle ol< ladies |ove me. I get4»B '
with Parsis. The cidture shoelc warf tere.**
5
jack of Sensitivity towar^ the com-
ditions in which they live. As for
Parsi husbands, she feels that th^
are “good providers ” and if Ihcy
also like a well-kept home and
joy good food she remarics, It is
not that my husband expects it. But
of things done for him. ”
“I think that. Parsis jire intellec
tually curious 'and broad-thinking
and very fond of music, ” wys hfe
Elizabeth Bharucha; who l±e
Ms Patuck has been in India for
- - ---------- and who as a devoted
tdble wiSh people who are so fond
of Western music. It was at the
University of Michigan that she met
her husband,'* while she was taking
a degree in music and he in engi
neering. After coming to Bmbay
Ms Bharucha has spent her time m
teaching people the piano and play
ing the organ for a local Protestant -
church. She has also written articles
and reviews on music and confesses
a fondness for writing poetry. Hav
ing returned recently from the U.S.
she made some interesting observa
tions on the d2fereot
whereas her friends in th^ U.S^
in having servants, they did non^
neieMity ihZn i luxury and that
she remarks, mentioning some of
enemieB the Arm?-
jaian*€hri
7 la war in , , .
r Persians • fou^t 4he Christiafis- m
ansuccessful atternpt to convert
them. Ms Mehta believes that this
battle proves that the early, Zoroa
strians were as militant about their
e* religion as any of the other people Navjotes and the large sums
of toe time and possibly as intole- money spent d ’ering to*®'* nr/'asu
rant also.. She findsMt curious that She feels that such gatherings might
very few Parsis she has talked to have been alright in the old days
appear to b? aw?ie of this conflict, when hot many records were kept
Ms Jvlehta w?nt to the U.S.A. to
finish her education, from where
^p and joined whaf promised to
be an exciting career in the Foreign
• Service. H« early assignments sent
her to Mexico and Latoi America,
where she picked up Spanish which
' she speaks fluently. It was during
another assignment to Bombay at
the USIS that she met her husband;
toey got married in a simple cere
mony at a Bombay church. Though
she gave tip her diplomatic career,
Ms Mehta has continued to remain
____ a 1 " ' y '
’ for chil dren and as a volunteer in a
consumer guidance organization,
’she also tuns a small export busi
ness and admits that she feels com-
pletely at home in Bombay.
Like Ms Mehta.,.Ms Bomanjee
(not her real name) has lived in
Bombay for more than twenty
• years and through an odd co-inci-
' E dence also* met her husband while
_working at the USIS.- Ms Boman-
• W has very definite views on the - _
Subiect in quertion and outlined difficulty in being accepted and
‘ them in her clear, precise; diction, found toot to? p*«pl**
’^t to allow her real family were Jn particular mostjKmd
name to appear in print. Ms Bo- J- *»*"**-
" maniee says that she first became
studying Asian History at a
Mi^-w^^.University. After, her
•
a
I-
*
«
ph^griany and she speaks of the things she wouy like changed,
in thl year 45k AD when the “They have cqnfuseU their religion,
ng . fo ught tthe Christiafis'" in with other issues. Like trying to
say that Zoroastrianism is much
older than it actually is/ ’ She also
disapproves of the large crowds
¥•
i,active, working'in
iav*. ux oviioiviTivrf - -----------
ditions in which they liw. As for
are “good providers ” and if tofiSf
xxxux. dke a weU-kept home and
joy good food she remarks, It is
S’lX aTp'aS SStoi a^d he is ^astomed .«.„haviug tt.es.
money spent during these occasioi^
have been alright in the old days
and live witnesses were needed, but
feels they are out of context today.
; mauv vcurs and wno as a ucvutcu
musicophUefeelscsi^ian,^^;
regional language with their com
munal bias, and in the same spirit
has ensured that her two children
can celebrate and enjoy all the re
ligious festivals in India, such as
Christmas, Pateti and Ganpati.
“What do I know about the
Parsi religion? ” repeated Ms Bob
bie Patuck with a smile. “I know
that I cannot go into a fire temple. ”
9»
hiSnS "But, ” continues Ms Patuck, who is
E±.u±' ’“ a a dtholic, "I Ohly bel.eve in one
God and know that other people
may see him in different ways. It
does not matter in
you pray to him. ” Ms Patuck is a
t
[erem wavs, xt uuuo wu ..xw
what language here and in th^.S. She f»« with household chores.9 -'V
* * ¦
^i>
c. -
d(i
''i '
V-
M
I I
Ua Pre only tauglit. paay<4in fn IiFa in TlnmHftV. SHft
L , her children got used . ‘ to doing works , as a secretary-translator in
\._j,some pf the •work around the l__ 'L, L ’L s
. house. , practises Yoga, enjoys playing bad-
Frequent advice On how to minton and strumming her guitar.
straighten her daughfer ’s nose by She first heard of Zoroastrians in
, puUing it, and the wonders of gripe connection with a description of the
' *. water for a small child, are some of Towers of Silence which she came
n _____________ ___ _ ____
• to accept while trying to adjust to ______ ___ _ . , .
’ a Parsi way pf life. Being a nurse Nietzsche ’s famous work Thus accepted in India. She has always
who first came to India to work at Spake ZaratKustra. Ms Mistry to keep her sense of humour at^
” ¦ ~ ~ ’ • hand in dealing with her employees.
sideratp husbands and that" if she A. vivacious blonde with warm
brown eyes, Ms Vakeel finds time
in spite of her career to do her*
needlework and collect paintings
which are strikingly displayed in
her apartment. She is also con
cerned with the upbringing of
____________ ____ her three children whom she wants
who has been living in Bombay for to grow up into honest, truthful and
¦ ¦ ~ ¦¦ 2 2..—___ , Wherever
they might choose to live. She com
plains that Indian children often
get spoilt and are not allowed to
develop any self-confidence by get-
gaji has two children, the older ting accustomed to servants who do
¦ * ¦ all the work for them. “Parsis are
very Western, which makes it
easier. They accept diversity, ” jshe
explains to show that she has not
met with any hostility from her
Parsi relations. She adds that while
Parsis are open any friendly with
foreigners, they feel the pressure of
poverty in India and their status as
a minority group; this tends to
make them too conscious of their
belongings and pwhaps leads them
to be over-suspicious in their deal
ings with employees and servants.
“No, it is the other way around-
vxxd and America. She has Parsis have no pride for India, ’’
raisis «re uuiy lou^uv piajvio, three sons who understand Gujerati answered Manuela Daruwala when .
they aren ’t taught the principles of and know, Parsi prayers. They have asked y^hether Pareis were juejudic-
' Me-rdi^mi.P " had their nayjotes ^^nd 'identify ©d agamst forei^ers.^ Manuela,,
, “Pas^ prayefs close the mind to ' themselves as Parsis ’but Ms Mina j^O'* comes from Galif
L
H-
*
¦ ¦¦-?>
i.
i
a?! J
«-<
M;
feels that Parsis make very con-
*J
•7*
_j. can heritage, finds that Parsis are a
to particularly loving group of people,
she Living hi the Dadar Parsi Colony
man-speaking Pqxsi ,woraen in ^rtieular ^ah be
ly appears fo “ mo^Mlirthriglit and- s^-asscrti^^
!
J
*
J'\•-
*
.4-
Wi
TK ENGUSH COroiECTION
“Have you heard l^e joke about
the Archbishop of Canterbury? ”
1
‘Parsls have cloa^4 minds in r6-
ggid 6> ceftaia com-
meAte4 ’ describmg one occasion
, Wk M dinner
i^ce the food, being v^etarian,
Served in'The
scrahd^fed^d his
^stt»mplaihe^ alkmt tiemct, but '
it£siMcd M eating tbe m^ with a
knife ^d iork. “There yott are, I
told him, now S|ou can see why die
thcdis have scisttches on them. To
me this littl^ incident brings Out
what ’s so wrong'abwt the Parsis. 7
They feel superior about . thmgs
they have no right tp ’l^ aipericff ;
about. I don ’t see what^. wroi^ in •
eating out of thalis. We Mve sq^
Gujerathi friends, and to my
of thinking their way of is
more suitably adapted to th© sur
roundings, ” he said, emphatically
denying that he had come to India
with all the standard romantic
fantasies and was being critical of
f'
has been very limited. “One of my
*he com
asked Sean Mahoney, squitming at ¦
the thought of having to face an
interview. Sean (pronounced
shown) was reluctant, not from
any sense of bashfulness, but sit
ting comfortably in the living room
of his Parsi in-laws felt that it
would seem somewhat ungratefid
for him to disclose his candid
views about the community. In
spite of his red hair and clear por
celain blue eyes, be blended very
casually into his temporary Parsi
background. A freelance graphic
and interior designer by profession,
with diplomas in Art and Design,
he likes to work with his hands.
He is currently making his own
furniture, whidi he designs him
self, and was therefore wearing his
sifttur ’s outfit of white floppy pants ______ ____ ______
and ganji with a slightly studied friends in England was a
mixture of pride and defiance. _ -----
“The first thing I did after
meeting Pervin was to look up the - .......
Encyclopaedia Britannica, ” said
Sean, not because this compendium
of knowledge would supply all
the information he wanted to know . . _
about his future wife, but because long. If one lives m a country its
he wanted to learn about the silly to behave as if one has noth-
pitsfa of whom he had never heard ing to do with it. ai>P«\ ‘o y* ’.”?'.'
until then. Subsequently his know- ’ " — * - — «rA«
ledge was amplified while on a
visit to- India, prior to his mar- . , , ,
riage, and during the last twelve English clothes. .. I^^ mean
months when he and Pervin have
been trying to settle down in
Bombay.
“I l&e to find out about things. .. ___ ____
to think a little more deeply about things which have a trace of In-
them, ” < / ‘ _____ ' " ,
felt could be one reason why some don ’t mean bronzes and the more
people might find his views diflB- obvious things like that. But any
\ " ”, 3 materials or anything that would
no different from anyone suggest an Indian backgroimd. ”
Sean.
f
¦*
- - #
1
Bengalee designer. He was a reser- lanrasies ana was oemg criujai or
voir of information on India. He the Parsis ^because they did pot
had many western values but not
more rooted m India,
“I think this business of aping
live up to his illusions.
quFte as much as ‘Pervui. He was “I am not being critical, about
_ ______ :them, ”, said Sean fedingjhat all
think Ais business of aping his ©fiorts to tak^i^
the West has just gone on too of things were being* thwarfled,
. w,. —- --------------- u ’c “I think I had better tell you
about the Archbisl^ of Can-
lUg lU uv TTivxA "ff-------- -------- * '
have too great a regard: for the Archbishop of Canterbury went to - ‘
West; they have adopted English New York, a reporter went up to
manners, the English language, him and a^ed him whether he^w^s
look at their homes ”, he said “a
portrait of Charles Dickens, a
photograph of Queen Elizabeth, a
Spanish ghUeon ---- As a designer I
find it upsetting not to see more
4
.i
ij
*
West; they have adopted English New York, a r^rter went up to
just going to visit the strip clubs. “Are
' there any strip clubs in New
York? ” the Archbishop a^ed in
mild surprise, only to ^d, that the
next morning ’s newspapers carried
as their headlines, “Archbishop of
_______________ _ ____ _______ ________ __ __________ Canterbury wants to ki^W*- ‘-W
explained Sean, which he Hiap .... culture. .; if you must. I there any -strip cltAs*^ in
¦ ' ’ York? ’ ”
Having displayed a true I^-
man ’s^ fondness ’ for telBng a sto^,
Sean who claims tiiatnn ^te of his
l> >1
*
cult to acc^t. Basically Parsis
were k_ " * . .
, else, he went on cautiously, still
thinking no doubt of the Arch
bishop of Canterbury whose expe
rience he refuse^ to divulge. “The
conditions here are veiy similar to ____ ______ __
those encounter^ ' unnecfcs^ry in an Indian climate, the ahelf/^The^nietalc^uMier rolled '
no dmculty m being accepted. - hf ^hims elf liked^to wear a fcurto around slowly ‘ %id "a ‘.delicate .
•T find in my dealings —financial whfch he thought.was the most ^Western time tinl^ gaily tiuwugh
and social —with people. I’m more ‘ »
at ease with Parsis. If they say ; tiie heat, but he^ knew ^that ^mpst marvdlww ^piece of
something they are more likely tij
mean it. ” But he notes his contact
with other communities ?in India frivolous apparel.
This attitude was carried to even j-ed hair and very*tishr ainie, he fi '
greater extremes with clothes, he is ’“±““ -j*—
felt, having noticed the Parsi ten- is a Persianf ’ Wound up the inter-
greater extremes with clothes, he
f„.. ’ "v ¦ ^7 _____ . , - . .
dency tb go about in full Shirt, suit, view by shewing m© tfre fttinguifte
and tie, all of which felt were coffin shaped nsaactKnt .tiiat^l^^^ -
unnecessary in an Indian climate. * * -
He Jiimself liked^ to wear a kutta
“no more an Irishman/titan Peivin
around slowly * wd "a ‘.delicate
natur^ and se^ible garment for the steamy Indian air.
Pafsi mCT would shudder at the ship? ’’said Sean. •
____ ___ _ 4.1........1*4. ««« 'eiliz*l*- .J.
very* thought of indulging iq such
“Isn ’t .ft a
o-aftsmaiv
Geeta Docta**
. Vi
4 -
•i
. I
I:
k
1»
w
Foreiga 2l}
Ik
exani^e JBO8® s^ proud of tb^ jtotU^ heritage and
wto yyhen a^ed vriiSf Ber was, ? hot feel like seccHid-class citCKns.
all but feels that this Parsi exclu-
sivene^ ppuld-ipive a bad pffect on
h^ chiW^* She expressed concern
that her children might regard
iseryants^ as a IqwQr breed of huiha-
nity and that they have leirntjokes
^about members of other c ommuri i-
• ties at their Gujerati school. She
fwls however that there is a defi
nite advantage in marrymg into the
Parsi community, because in an era
where values are changing so fast
as to not have meaning. Parsis have
a stable family life and, she notes,
“Parsis tend to have a more lasting
attitude towards marriage. ” . .. „ . .
. , . , . about Zoroastrianism in school
“Zoroastrianism is the
IS an ^glishwoman who is also oldest monotheistic religion. Some-
^once^^ with the prejudices that how that stuck in mv mind. ” Shf.
her children might pick up and has
noticed that, while they do not
make any communal distinctions,
they do differentiate between them-
selves and poorer children. Ms En
gineer works with her husband and
says that while havjotes have been
performed for her children, she rnem uo wnen she does have them n ' • • . ,
would also like to see that they IndSr^klds^^Sn^fa™ ’ e.xtmguished and the
grow up with Christian values. She she sa™ “are kind that Zarathustra started
felt that her children were able to about their Indian backaround 1 of years ago, will slowly
Aiuk of themselves both as Parsis :X7k[dJ ”tXow?KheiJ M o^^re VMaiorS
and as foreigners and gave the Indian roots. I want them to be careXugh.
“l am a Parsi Ideally 1 would like them to devel-
_ Englishman.
“In California all Indians stick *" ¦ ' ' ' ‘ ...............
and no commun^ distinc- ‘ Westward {Continued from page tS)
Irons are made, ” said Elena Oorab-
ji, surprised to hear that they are
made here. Ms Dorabji who is only
on a visit to Bombay and normally
lives with her Parsi husband in
California, was naturally able to
see things from a slightly different
perspective. She was most enthu
siastic about being part of the Parsi
community and says that what
Strack her most when she first heard
about Zoroastrianism
was that “Zoroastrianism is the
how that stuck m my mind. ” She
had no trouble in being accepted
amE frapkly admits, “AU the little
bld ladies love me. I get r- "~“-
well with Parsis. The culture shock
was zero. ” She does not have any
children at present but is very defi
nite on how she would like to bring
Jem up when she does have them dually get extinguished and the
A Inf" nf innian Vt/ic m
¦f
op an intematirinal outlook;
their children believe in it, and ip'^
still in them the faith and pfWe
in ourselves which has stood us
through the 1,400 yeara in India,
I see no reason why it will not.
If on the other hand, we remain
interested only in our close family
and our own personal, selfish,
well-being and if we ignore the
fact that we have obligations be
yond family and self to Zoroas
trianism^' we will not survive. The
fire of Zoroastrianism is no longer
a huge conflagration attracting
thousands to its way of life, it
rather a candle in the lieart of
every Zoroastrian. Only if these
on very candles remain together will there
he a viable fire which will be
passed on from generation to
generation. If we go our separate
ways, then these candles will gra-
want my kids to know about their followers of his religion did
Indian roots. I want them to be ’ °
I
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‘WUTV IS NEVER i« WCIOEHT-IT IS ALWAYS THE RESULT 0f‘(
INTELLIGENT EFFORT.”
-4ohn i^kin
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Wim Compliments of: ' *
ASSOCIATEO BREWERIE^ & DISTM.LfeRliS~CORTAL|M, INDIA
, (Member oh,NoaMr Irani Sroi^ oft^panies.)
- — - - —
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Letters from page U) iwm the community Their chil-, Horizons {Continued from p&ge 17\
¦ *'" HrAn . 5irA Arlsma-t-A/l olM*rs«>zl i»»'- - - . ‘
about making adjustments m the
Zoroastrian way of life, thus put-
' ting into jeopardy the very sur-
. vival of this great religion. There
is little leadership in a group of
Zoroastrians that should constitute,
the guiding light for the sri^ll
groups .around the world. This
V attitude is forcing the smaller
groups to find adjustments to suit
. . dren are educated abroad in
to lead a hfe of luxury,-}ie wants ‘factories ’. Their parents have no
to ’^ay in- posh apartments, own .knowledge of what Tarsi ’ ineans,
cars, have periodical entertainment so they fail to educate their off-
and dUnpers in posh hotels. ....................
While members of other com-
., munities work hard, earn degrees
. and qualifications, our youngsters
pass the S.S.C. and seek jobs in
banks or insurance companies.
When members of other com-
niunities meet, they talk and talk foreign countries, do not bother
about business. Our youngsters to know or belong to the religion
talk about which movie is worth and community in India.
seeing. There are immense fields children are lost. I am sure there
spring in religious matters.
Fifty years ago Parsis who went
abroad had one foot in the for
eign country and the other, in
India.
Today the Parsis who leave for their circumstances, while at the
AM '4*«m . «• ^4* A«a , • . . J • t
same time, attempting to perpetu
ate Zoroastrianism. This could
Their lead to auwanted fragmentation of
open in the country. Government are many who would like to speak weakness Of^tl^ Bombay
is out to assist any one who comes ’ * -_ 2_-_ 1_ .1„L 1_ 1________
forth with plans and ideas to start happy with their new lot' and standing of the ‘Mean ’ between
small or large industries. But no whether they choose to return. excess and deficiency) —a comer-
Parsi comes forth to enter into t Vnnw spvpmI ttk Parci stone of Zoroastrian ethics. This
business or small-scale industries, famines with aced members un- resulted in their inability to
Unless youngsters discard all ideas emtdoyed living on pensions or coinpromise with the generation of
of luxurious living and devote their capitals unable to meet ^oday, Aose traditions which have
time and energy tO business we expenses without seXantc or been handed down without neces-
will only be fit for classification u L cantina tn rptnm tn India sarily disturbing the foundation
as a backward conwruaity. »
R. N. Rustomji ings, but thev have now no con- To sum
the Zoroasfrians. The greatest
—'----, Z—commu-
put in public whether they are nity leaders is their lack of under
small or large industries. But no whether they choose to return.
I know several U.K. Parsi
families, with aged members, un-
employed, living on pensions or
on small capitals, unable to meet
expenses, without servants or
help, wanting to return to India
for peace and religious surround
ings, but they have now no con- To sum up, Zoroastrianism —
tacts. The Bombay Parsis should a religion without dogmas —in
help them. Bombay, is heading to the defeat
of its own purpose because of
its degeneration into dogmatic
up,
Lost Horizons
Parsis in foreign countries are
ignoring the Parsis of India. By
doing so they are moving away
Sarosh Khajotia
London theology.
it
THE COMMUNITY
FARES WEU
AT TATAS
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Community welfare is a social responsibility
voluntarily accepted by Tatas many years
ago. It was this sense of responsibility that
prompted Sir Ratan Tata to finance studies
into the causes of poverty in 1912, and the
Tata Trusts to establish institutions like the
Tata Memorial Hospital for Cancer Research
and treatment and the Tata institute of
Social Sciences.
In fact, Tatas have gone so far as to turn
the entire town of Jamshedpor into a model
in community living. There are wide roads,
' tree-liped avenues, hospitals and* family
clinics, and schools which any community
would be proud of.
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Sketch by Maiflula Padmanabhan
THE ETERNAL FLAME OF YAZD
Of the English
daily, Kayhan International, pub- The heart of
lished in Teheran, is among the
first non-Zoroastrians permitted to
enter the fire temple in Yazd. In
tm article titled “^The Immortal
Fire” he tells of the experience,
thustran fire temple at night.
^as huming in a brass brazier.
---2 L_ ___
was_a^ow there, the small fire
reminiscent of a great past.
We were among the very few holy fire,
non-^rathustrans admitted „ . uv. «
In Yazd we visited the ^^thustran fire''still ablaze is
thuston fke tXle T*"® 4,000 years old. It is pre.
We barf tn ctt*iira qP + 1, 4. * Zarathustran to gain admission, to served and revived five times a
Me sm^^SrfXi^^a ^he fire in
few seconds but it helped us see she admitted b^ai^e Yazd is only 700 years old al-
our way had written a thesis on the though the city once had the oldest
Iwide tte ,jmau Ate admitted "pt ^50^
an entire civilization
! was
of ^y thesis but in our capacity
as journalists, “people who should
speak the Truth, ” according to
the Mubad (Priest) guarding the
I
?^'
to
non-
AccoKjing to legend the oldest
some 4,000 years old. f' ff '^.
served and revived five tim es
fire temple in Iran,
The old fire tempU was turnedr
after the Moslim , certain that many nuuriages tpi^.
was then that ' pi^ between the Fars<^ a j^
hs took the holy India «md the natives ol that
. country in the early stages of the
The Zarathustran settlement in the
subcontinent.
Isolating themselves, the Zara-
. From thustrans certainly succeeded in
history of maintaining most of their miginal
into a
invasi^
the 2^
fire with-them and left for India.
Il “
.-It was then that
on to note'.
of Zarathustranism is,
"the history of Iran hntil
and persecution.
in
the ii^^arance of Islam,
on it is a I ’ "
' unrivalled heroism, suffering and characteristics, folklore and tradi-
steadfastness in the face of tions. But they would be diflScult
misery and persecution. We to understand as a community if
have evidence that most Iranians separated from the general Iranian
were still faithful to their context within which they have
ancestral religion
centuries after the advent of
Islam. Later, however, Iranian
BOTS’ TOWN
Public scbeel,
Nasik 2
their
two been living.
Talking to leading .Zarathustrans
in Yazd, I was amazed to find that
dynasties, notably the Buyids, did they held so many Muslim pre-
much to force the Mazdeans to judi ces to be “r"''*
become Muslims. “ '
Forced conversions were the fiuenced Christianity,
practice even until 60 or 70 years ‘ “
ago. Around Yazd there are vil-
to
even
CHOICE SCHOOLING
FOR YOUR SdN
pure truth ”,
^rathustranism has definitely in-
~ _ Judaism
and Islam. But its influence on
„ Shi ’ism, the Iranian version of
lages inhabited by people called Islam, is particularly marked,
the jadidis (the newly converted) Talking to th© Yazdi Mazdeans
who have mixed the Mazdean confirmed my previous thoughts
religion with Islam and who have concerning the inter-action of
both Zarathustran and Muslim Mazdean religion and Shi ’ism.
names. Until a few years ago the
It is only in recent years that Zarathustrans considered the ques-
the Zarathustrans of Yazd have tiqn of accepting new converts as
succeeded in reaching a modus “unthinkable ”. Today, they are
vivendi with their Muslim fellow beginning to change their minds,
citizens. There were no massacres For one thing they have realized
of the Zarathustrans in the past that many Iranian Muslims are
but nothing was done to make becoming attracted to their an
cestral faith for nationalistic
reasons.
Recognised as a Public
School by Department of
Indian Education —fdr
Merit Scholars, Excellent
Climate —All-round Edu-
cation :
their lives particularly enjoyable. cestral faith
Today, they are an important reasons. This attraction has led
community in Yazd, they have to a situation in which Mazdean
their own association and Majlis scholarship is no longer reserved
deputy, and seem to be getting to the Zarathustrans. Most of our
along fairly well with other re- leading authorities on the religion
• W
s
¦ 1
I
dream is to encourage their fel
low Zarathustrans to return
“home ” from India. Some Parsees __ _________ ____
of India still consider Iran their months ago. The old guard
to
holy country ” of Mazda. So far.
married to Zara-
ligious groups in the town. Their and its history are now Muslims.
The question of conversion was
raised during a stormy session of
the association in Teheran a few
--------- _____ _ t,-*were
rightful fatherland as well as the fuming with rage when the sub-
“holy country ” of Mazda. So far, ject was tabled. But the younger
however, only a few of them have thinkers supported “an open door ”
returned to this country. policy.
Marriage within the confines In the end it was decided that
of the community over several “outsiders ” married to Zara-
centuries has led to the creation thustrans should be accepted into
of a distinct Zarathustran type the “family ” provided they wish
that is easily recognisable. But the it. Scores of Zarathustrans educat
claim of racial purity and Arya- ed in America and Europe have
nism advanced by some Mazdean ‘ foreign wives who can now become
hotheads has no basis in fact.
Many Negro slaves and Turkish __ __ ___ _ ____ ____ _
seiYanfe^, of the Zarathustrans, jadidis (the newly converted)
were Gowt^ed tq the .tpligion shoidd he readmitted to the fold
centuries adding theiy own if th^ desire. So far, how8^ ¦
racial ^a$^eteristi« to ; tio active attempts have been
blend. At the same _ time it is made to gain new converts.
of a distinct Zarathustran type the “family ” provided they wish
ed in America and Europe have'
Mazdeans.
It was also decided that the
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Technical Subject! : Radio
and Wood-Work Tech
nology. Farming^Trmni^^
Self-Government
through Elected Boys*
Office-bearers, Games —
¦ Physical Training —Daily
Assembly with Congre
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intensive
Qeeta —Koran classes —
Excellent Modem Kitch^
and Dining Room facilities
—Airy Dormitories. Mode
rate Fees. Concessions to
Deserving Students.
Zoroastrian —
APPLY TO PRINCIPAL FOR
ADMISSION
9Women on the PanckO^
of Trust?
Interviews by Feroza
Paymaster
Though Parsi women outnumber
men by 46,470 to 44,796 their
standing- in the community is far
inferior to their numerical clout
ITiey are second class citizens in
the political, religious, social and
economic spheres. If they marry
out their children are not consi
dered Parsis; during menstruation .
they are treated as untouchables,
barred from attending any place of
worship. But nowhere is the dis
crimination as blatant and obvi
ous as it is* on that premier insti
tution of Parsis throughout the
world: the Bombay Parsi Pan-
chayat. The rules of that august
body permit only three of the
seven trustees to be women at any
given time, thus ensuring a male
dominated Panchayat. Before this
law came into effect in 1970, they
were limited to ope seat. At pre
sent there are only two women
trustees : Eady Hirabai Jehangir
and Dr. Nelie Noble. So our in-
iterview question, is the limit of
. three fair, could be considered an
academic one. But we asked it in
the hope that it may arouse an '
awareness amongst Parsis, women
in particular, and goad them onto
action. (Photos: Farokh Reporter)
V
A Lack
s..
new in tke
k
J
____.
“;-Jz -SE.
l'''/»
- p
IP*
I
V,
Rumi Daruwalla, 34, Project Engineer, Tata
Electric Companies
“Why should sex be a condition?
I don ’t think this rule is necessary.
Maybe it was framed to satisfy the
male ego by making men feel that
females are inferior. I would defi
nitely vote against it. If someone .
is fit to be in a position and has an impulsive opinion though. ”
worked for it, to be barred just be
cause that person is a female, is
not fair. _ ___ _ __ ___
‘Rather than have a majority of feels ¦ four: community is quite
¦“ * * * * ’------— - J - .1 — -1. ------------
a balance of the two. Men get given .an equal status. Hardly .(me
or two per cent could be following
customs like the menstruation
a? ’ But, of the children of
.npit-^arsi fathers and. Par»
not being considered
Psuri, he says “I am ^raid this is
answer generally. There have been
specific examples when women have
made men look like fools. 1 think
their capabilities would be equal
to those of men. Women are more
trustworthy, than men; this is just
As regards Parsi women being
second class citizens. Daruwalla
“L____ . ... .........
either of the sexes, there should be broad-minded, and' womem are
a balance of the t'wo. 1 ’ „ ’
along better with women and vice
versa. Like in our typing pool, for ——
instance, if there were a (X)uple of tglm^'
more men, things would be more "
peaceful, ” As to whether men ceremonies for 19 pairs (pcuzs) and
followers of the religious though in the past all these used
n j-i- to b® occupi^ today uot cveu 40
per cent are ut^ized at a time.
Mirza and the Anjuman state
the controversy started four years
ago when Behramshah Bharda, a
priest, along with another, alleged-
associate fire bums. The group who
are
mystic, Minocher Pundole, note
that every atash behram, with the
exception of Dadyseth, has an
adaran and, therefore, as Pundolite
Phiroze Batliwala notes,
Iranshah must have a vazir. ” __ _ _
Accpnding tp Batliwala when the ly tried to make changes in the
rated the Iranshah fire and also the Anjuman in spite of several
• r '"¦'' ¦ ' _¦ ¦ . ' ¦ ,
th& iranshah was ultimately traditional systems, they persisted
in doing so and hence were denied
permission to perform the Nirang-
din ceremony. The ban was later , .,
The Anjuman claims Polson. Moti Mahal, Sir O. Vatcha'Mtead,
“tbp
give Behramshah is a staunch disciple of
:^en Pundole, a person who professes
to possess mystical powers and at
whose instance Behrarnshah made
changes in the ceremonies he pen-
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by OtfiKa
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Ms. Coomi Wadia, Conductor of,
the Pardnjoti Academy Chorus
Bombay, has fetiirniU fecentty
from a tour of Europe,, where her
choir receiv^ the ,first prize at
the intemationed Choral Eestival
of Miezyzdroje. The trophy was
given by the Polish Bro^casting
and Television, services.
A small boy watched intently as
his mother (^imbed the conductor ’s
podium. There was a short pause
before Coomi Wadia raised her
arms and led the .Paranjoti choir
through another inspired perform
ance. Every time a particular
piece was over, she turned and
bowed gravely at the audience,
always remembering, however, to
reserve a smile fey the very spe
cial member in the audience. For
Ms, Wadia, music is very much a
fhared family experience, for be
sides her son, her husband,
>lariman Wadia, is not only the
Assisfanfr^C^nductor of the choir,
but One rof Its chief male singers
also. Asked to' describe how it felt
like to ^ing |O his wife ’s tune Mr.
Wadia said exubwantly, “Wonder
ful! She makes beautiful music. ”
perform the most pagan
things, ” said Ms Wadia comment-
* ing on the mistaken idea that most
people have, that choral music must
necessarily mean “church music ”.
Almost half the programme is
composed of , folk music, and a
great many eff these have been ar
ranged by Victor Paranjoti him
self from Konkani ir, ; and f^ct^lys^tB^^vir the did hot know .of course that w'e* portunity to listen soma of dja
(Ejections :th^ lj^c^ ifhtQr,taise had won the paze..The hews,was ©^ choirs from A over
against^ it K is* We^mized caWed tous^eh we wereinDen- worlds She-aoriced tbat th^ Ah^"
mu^. *T d|Bn*t c^S^^ mark. There werefifteen choira ahd * ban choir was the only one which
time.
“Communist countries have the
discipline which is essential for a
good choir, ” remarked Ms Wadia
who having attended the Inter-
^n^nh came towards me, picked val at the Lincoln Centre for the
^Jthe hem of my saree and lyssed Performing Arts in New. York as
did hot know .of course that vre*
, . - , had won the paze..The hews,was
against* it w is* We^mized cabled to us ^eh we were inDen-
had won the yaze. Tlie news, was
mark. There were fifteen choira aftds'
1
*
9-
*v
¦**' ¦'
was not >Th^ ’ ttafi** It was while ’ singing with the have firs
selected best ,Angers ' Bsaiib^ Madfigal' ‘-Society under, self. ”
fromlading universities. Vicfcr Faraikj^ that Goomi Wadia
“The 0^ thing was, ’* she noted, mrt. Ber future husband who be-
“that ’^y had the besf singers loi^ fji th^v^li-known JC. l^adia gift, ” an
tli«|j^rUs was not aS j^U knit as * .fanufy . of wm^U^s. Mr. *Wadia, ^u^ncdd
th^ofters who were used to sing- v^o in th J«progq|mme brochure
ing together all thes time. shown with a beard' wearing
We are really like a fan^y, ”. 'yhat hf descr»je§ as his “St. John
she said of the Paranjoti choir who look ” related, an amus-
m^e a splendid visual impressionf^ mcidenf which occurred dur-,
on the Stage with the women in , **^8 their l^t trip when he was
brilliant red Benaras sareeswith stopped at the^ Customs barrier
gold motifs, standing in front of
the men dad in black shutcoats.
Ms Wadia stands in front, a small
> slim figure, in a saree identical to
the other ladies but in black silk;
as .the ‘.chorus start to sing she
seems to grow taller and more
commanding tiff in the end one
only nofices^er;
“We used to have more Parsis
in the j^l, ” Ms Wadia noted, “but
* *
shown with a beard' wearing . the time.
amus-
the height from which you can
you have it in you, ydu can find
the ideal way of worshipping tffm. ”
©f one of the Communist count-
f «
'fiad** It *was while* si^gin^ wil#[ the have first of all to ’be true to your-
“Mu§i(f/ ’ she feBUalso, speaking
with -deep conviction, ‘IS Qod ’s
and* this had, necessarily in-
- ,, . . , . I her, a^tuda to her j«li-
to sing- v^o in th^ progrpame brochure gidfe,» “We ^1» worship the same
God and. follow his teachings. 1
think people jieed, something to
hang orf to. Prayers arid my belief
in God have given me great
strength through a very taxing
period in my life. Music^to nfe is
__ __ ________ _____ .1, " - I
ries. “I had grown a beard during reach God. through this gift^ if
the course of an illness I had last
¦year, but my passport showed me
clean shaven. So the chap looked
at the photograph and then at my
beard and insisted that I should
Shave it off ri^t there. And that
is exactly what I had to do. ”
Both the Wadias started off with
an early interest in the piano, but
from the moment they heard the
t ’aranjoti choir they dedicated
themselves wholly to choral music.
Ms Wadia talked almost reveren-
“I want young people to • make tly of Paranjoti ’s musical genius
good music, ” she noted. But there
are older people also who are ac-
coufitants, secretaries and house
wives. Ms Wadia herself works in
an advertising company which
seems all but incredible consider
ing thex effort she puts into the
choir. For apart from conducting
it, she also organises the more
practical aspects, of having a con
cert, the tickets, the progranyne,
and the advertisements. “I am ex
acting, ’^ she^ admits, “without be
ing exactingjyou (?an ’t achieye any
thing. ” .
:h< really now w« have people from all
communities.'* There are more
women than men and a great
many of her singers are students.
good music, ” she noted. But there
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’ discussions and c
» studies amongmarded
and felt that continuing the Paran-
joti choir was the aptest way of
paying tribute to his memory. “I
learnt a lot from him. The music
we made together was so enjoy
able and he had a great regard
for my musical ability. ” In follow
ing in Victor Paranjoti ’s footsteps,
Ms Wadia made it clear, however,
tl^at she did not believe in walking
uttder his shadow. “People come
up and say to me, ‘He didn ’t do
this. Why are you doing it?* I re- ¦
fuse to be an imitator of Paranjoti.
Each one is an individual and you
a
*
¦'i
Ute Paraajoti Chqir: ‘ FFe perform the most ptisan'Pic by Peavkfi Pepor-ter)
t..
I
i.
- . „ .... >¦'
¦" discussions and case
. studies among tnarded ’
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Marriage Education
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In
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The death of ^ Neville Chinoy on
September 9th in an aeroplane
disaster oner the Middle East left
an immeasurable void both in the
world of music and amongst his
family and'friends. Though he was
only 19, his mastery at the piano
earned him praise from all quar
ters as well as a three-year scholar
ship at the Curtis School of Music t
in Philadelphia. Sheryar Ookerjee,
an old family friend of the Chinoys,
visited tl^n a few days prior
Neville^s ill-fated departure and
recalled seeing the young pianist , any attempts at showing off or of
seated shirtless, before the piano, ¦’ ’
playing Bach. Oykerjee writes:
One oeuld see his broad muscu
lar back and shoulders, his power
ful forearms and Hands. He sat like
a rock, head bent slightly down,
looking with full concentration at
the keys; only his fingers and arms
moved. His hands Were relaxed
and beautifully poised.
Only a few ’days earlier some
one had requested him to play the
Italian Concerto but he said he
was ‘
played it without a ’ score and a
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the age of 13 he began to study
under Kendall Taylor in England,
but he felt so home-sick that he
returned to Bombay within a few
When his father was
asked whether Neville regretted
very mttch that his studies had to
be cut short he Replied, “Not at
all, he is .perfectly happy to be
here. ”, • .
Now that he was much ^der he
“not ready ”; yet today he disapproved
those unpleasant mannerisms so
many pianists pick up. He did not
shake his head or look up drea
mily at the ceiling or crouch oyer months,
the keyboard in the-soft passages.
His was a genuine absorption ini
the task before him. Either as a
young boy in shorts sporting an
elegant bow tie and entertaining
the audience during the intervals
at some college dramatic competi- could stick it out at Philadelphia,
tion or playing with an orchestra,
his devotion to music was total. He
I of pianists who
but every long vacation broi^ht
him back to Bombay, and he re
fused to leave till the very last
“cheated ”. He specially referred to day of the vacation. “If you keep
“ your departure right to the very
end, what will happen if you fall
ill? ” his father asked him.
very stropg, ” said Neville,
feW days later performed it with Rachmaninoff ’s Second Piano Con-
exquisite shading and beauty. This ... -
incident was characteristic of omitted playing some of the diffi- ill? ” his father asked him. “I’m
Neville. Though shy and unpretent cult notes in the score. He himself very stropg, ” said Neville, “even
tious he was not reluctant to play possessed artistic integrity and if I’m ill I’ll still be able to fly. ”
for you but he was extremely self- hoped to master and play the con- Neville lived for only at thM of
critical and would not perform if < ‘ ’ .. . - - -
he Was ‘not ready. ’ l______
' • prodigious technical admitted '’that Rachm^lnoff
beating out th ’e thundering chords
of the Appassionato or flying with
mcredibk swiftness through the _ ___ _________ ___ __
complexities of Chopin ’s Grand . and saw him play had no such Major md Ms Rnigfoin VaziMai-;
Polonaise would h^e mude one,, doubts. As one of his teaphers said, in a car accident while touring
think ffiey^ were^ thCj easiesf of ^re^was no music for the piano with their son and daughter-in law
“not very difficult ” and this Was
no affectation. There was nothing
certo, in which even great pianists
omitted playing some of the diffi
cult notes in the score. He himself
he was ‘not ready. ’
mastery. To see his deft fingers
hoped to master and play the con- Neville lived for only at third of
^rto ,^thout “cheating ” soon the normal human span, but he
^er lie got to Philadelphia. He packed into it what most others
~ was do iiot fit into twfce fSat time; he
very difficult and so was Liszt. At lived his life to the brim. It was
times Neville had doubts whether ekthiguished too soon, but while
he was really good enough to take he had it he made it shine veiy
musif as a eare^r. Those who heard brightly.
Polonaise would have made one^ doubts. As one of his teaphers said.
pieces. He hiinself said they were that-Ni^ille could not have tackled.
in Nevada, America. Major Vazif-
dar, 58, was the Chief'Engineer of
was devoted to his family to a the Bombay Port * Trusts from
wrtch he retired in September
At* arfer 31 years of service. His wife,
Devoted as he was to music, he
affected about Neville; he put on degree unusual in an age of “alienar-
no airs. His playing jv«s devoid of tion ” and “generation gaps ”. /
i
38
*. A
WM
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4.
,K
Aloo (nee Mehta) was in charge
of Public Relations for Fariyas
Hotel.
The couple were eminent mW'
bers of ’the community who dis
tinguished themselves in many
spheres. Major Vazifdar played a _ _______
notable part i^ the development avoid an oncoming vehicle that
of the Bombay Port. He was Chair
man of the Institute of Engineers
(Bombay) and was connected with
a number of technical institutions
Maj. and Ms Vazifdar
** Major Vajifdar was to have
in Indonesia as a oonsult^t
had gong to >Mnerica to visit their
son, Phiroze, arid daughtef-in-laW,
Makiko. It was while swerving to
the Vazifdars ’ car rolled over an
remained consciou s ‘ till he breathed
his last.
Hormasji Pherd^^ah Shro< 62.
Director & Chief Executive Officer
(Operations), Tata Chemicals Ltd.;
in a car accident near Kfrthapur
while on company work,. Mr. Shroff,
who had served the company for
over 34 years, held an M.Sc. degree
many resp^ibfe^ posts, his last, Qemical'Engineer'!
being M Official Litpidalor under jp, ’ University of Wis-
J. D. Choksey for Au: India and ,
trianism running, into a
edition,
,A nativb of Bhavnagar State,
Mr. Ranina completed most of
formal education in Bombay. He . ,
started his legal career but rctipinM
to Bhavnagar to continue a family
,tra<ytion-of over 60 years of service ,
to the state. He was appointed
tief Customs Officer and also held
! position of Director of Cbm-
<merce and Indhst^y. He was
President of *the Bhavnagar Parsi
Anjuman. Due to indifferent health
he retired from state service»after
16 years «nd joined Air-India, and
Air India Intemationaf since its
Inception.
Aftw the liquidation formalities
taken up a United Nations* post for the airline companies were
in Indonesia as a consult&t on completed in 1971, Ranina was ask
ports and harboursf' The Couple ed to continue working, and atteiid-
’ ¦ ¦___________... . ed office every week. It was on his
way to office, while negotiating a
turn,* that his car was struck by a
police van. Mr. Ranina, who was
______ __ ______ ____ ___ driying at the tiqie, was removed to
embankment and in its tragic wake ^t^ George ’s Hospital ^ where^^he
cut short the couple ’s well-lived ~~ “
lives.
and committees appointed by the jehangic ManChei^ah Raniiia, 79,
Indian Government. He had pub
lished over 20 papers on various
aspects of dock and harbour en
gineering.
A graduate in civil engineering
tom Bombay University. Major An advocate by profession, be Md
Vazifdar joined the Port Trust m rnany rAcpr,«c,w.» hsc um -------- .
1938. He opted for war service arid being as Official Liquidator urider
from 1942 till the end of fhe War C ~ — -
was with the Corps of Royal the Air India Intematipnal com-
Indian Engineers in which he saw panics following nationalization,
active service in the Middle East
and South East Asia. He won the
Burma Star, the War Medal,
Defence Medal and was the recipi
ent of a Japanese sword. The
Major was a Freemason of 30
years standing and a keen Rotarian.
Ms Vazifdar, a post graduate
degree holder in English Literature
was active in rehabilitation cen
tres and social work. She took up
the public relations post because,
as jjer family members explained, Cyrus "ffie"" ’Great" Ceiebratiopj
“she loved to work with people. ” Committee. He took an ’activp*inte-
She was a veteran gardener and rest in ’ drama, writing and f^ging
t
Honorary Secretary of the Rahnu-
mae Mazdayasnan Sabha, and an
active member of various other
Zoroastrian associations and trusts;
in a ear accident on 26th August.
He was travelling from Mithapur
to Jamnagar on the afternoon of
November 1st along with Mr. & Q,
Pujari, the company ’s Administra-
tiVe Manager in Mithapur, and
Shri Bhupatsiph a company chauf
feur when theri^ver o^ rip oncoming
cement trubk reportedly lost con
trol of his ’vehicle due to a suddeit .
axle breakdown and collided head-
on wi^ the Tata car? Shri Bhupat-
sinh, 32, was killed instantly, while
Mri ‘Shroff and Mr ’ Pujari died in
the Mithapur -Hospital shortly
thereafter. Mr. Shroff had cdebrated
’ 62nd birthday ’ just the day*
beifofe.
< . , rni? T- • J e -------- --------- ’ ¦ **—=¦ To the memhers of all the above
prize from The Friends of hjs qvwi plays, the proceeds from families, many of whom are known
tl«ji^E|ees for her garden in Pot^i. w charity. He personally'to members of the Par-
S3ie and the Major were trustees — - - ” =—. ... . , ,
on rile ^irinbai Dinshaw Trust.
Aside from the Rahnumae Sabha
in whose activities he took a keen
interest and devoted much time and
energy for over 35 years, he was
vice-president of the Iran League,
and served on the managing com
mittee of the Indo-Iranian Cultural
Society and the Parsi Lying-in-Hos
pital. He was a trustee of the Boys ’
Town School in Nasik. The Avabai *
Pavri School, Joint Secretary of The
All India Federation of Zoroastrian
Anjumans and treasurer of the
Committee. He took an activeinte-
his own plays, the proceeds from families, many of whom are known
wrote on religious topics, his book jzana staff, we extend our heartfelt
The Essential Principles of Zoroas- condolences.
* ¦ •jC'
Ift
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