Apr 1978

'tf I t’ April 1978 Volume 2 Number 4 Price 50 p. * r A Tale of Two Federations The venue was the Fariyas Hotel in Bombay’s Colaba area. The gather- whose frequent attacks on the BPP, secretary of the Federation, noting ing comprised of the leaders of the especially at Borld^ Congress in that no action had been taken on any Parsi community throughout India, January, y^re yieired Bs one of the matters since the September meeting with the exception of the Bombay and main causes o£ the ^plft. Indeed when of the executive council in Pune as Surat Parsi Panchayat representative^. / - - • — ..... _ . . _ . .. . The purpose was to determine the representative and^ Federation vice­ future of the community’s apex body, president fr - _ , . , . president, Maneck Gheyara, noted, * * * they always follow the Bombay Panchayat’s lead. From the start of the two-day meet on April 8 and 9, it was apparent that ’ U the 11 odd delegates representing the chayat’s resignation” and, therefore, Anjumans of Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, his chairing the meet would further Ahmedabad, Pune (Poona), Elav, and 1 .. the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman, had diminish the chance for a rapproche- come to determine the causes for the ment. But as Nargolwala pointed out, _ _ abrupt withdrawal of the BPP and to the constitution ot the FPZAI only long as there was no threat of disor- The delegates then turned to the next item on the agenda, the resig­ nation of the BPP trustees from the ^taking such a drastic step, the bulk ges,” Nargolwala assured the delegates. > Federation. The six-to-one decision . /.of their resentment was reserved for “He only has a casting vote if there of .the BPP trustees on 25 January the controversial president of the is a tie.” came abruptly with no prior notice to, Delhi Parsi Anjuman and Federation The doleful meeting then began or consultation with, the members c< VnL/XUXXIUUJkl^ \ X UV JL/l^ 9 L U! February 1978) and the Surat T ifOftyiiatg sial matters. But the delegates were aware that it was the pressure brought from certain sections of the Bombay community, who were opposed to any free discussions taking place at the World Congress, that had caused die chairman not to officially give his consent to the minutes by signing, prejudice the Federation’s case and even though Boman-Behram had J--, r-----agreed at the Pune meeting to a free ment. But as Narfclwala pointed out, and frank discussion taking .place so ________r- ________________-_________________________ __________— the constitution or the 7*—— ..-7., ¦ persuade the trustees to reconsider permitted him or Batliwalla to occupy der their resignation. While the delegates the chair and as Batliwalla was reluc- were annoyed with the BPP for not tant to do so, he was left with no taking them into confidence before choice. “The chairman has no privile- they^ Od into confidence.” t take us his chairing the i^eet would further The six-to-one decision ‘He only has a casting vote if there 99 The doleful meeting then began or consultation with, the lumbers ctf1 "V (always) sheras (notings) which originally c“ ¦t ar- -aataA peared in Parsiana (“The Pateti (notings) which originally ap- talked to three trustees of the BPP walla “it W85 »9 solution of the Federation has over­ riding powers. autonomous." The meeting then adjourned for lUuniu'mHui nobo BH apoorii .II!_ "B A nrvk II ikyi iiiQfflum And Company Private Limited Building Contractors & Civil Engineers Registered Office: 70, Medows Street, Fort, Bombay-400 001 Administrative Office: New India Centre, 17, Cooperage Road, Fort, Bombay-400 001 Phone : 254262/212844 Gram; Ginframe Bombay 4him of being i' i wala noted the remarks were made “in my personal capacity. I am wil­ ling to stand by what I say.” Refer­ ring to two resolutions passed by the Delhi Anjuman, one which permits the anjuman to bestow honorary member­ ship on any individual who has ren­ dered service to Zoroastrians and Zoroastrianism and the other permit­ ting non-Zoroastrian spouses member­ ship in the Anjuman but without the right to use the fire temple or the aramgarh, Ms Pudumjee asked Nargol- wala if he was “trying to get a follow­ ing of people who think like you?” S each other’s ^fews.” 59 accusing him of being a liar. ‘You mean to say I want to come to somebody’s house to fight with Mr Nargolwaia?’ Mr Boman-Behram asked. ‘I will come if only Mr Nargol­ wala does not attend." Nargolwala noted he had nothing to do with the timing of his letter’s appearance in the Samachar. “I only defended myself. If Boman-Behram had not published his note, I would not have had to defend myself.” Noting that both Boman-Behram and Nargolwala had “gone through great strain,” Ms Clubwala asked if Nargolwala had the magnanimity to forgive and forget “for the betterment of the Federation and the community.” She suggested that Nargolwala meet with Boman-Behram separately at a r. * Religious lectures, Shah Nama Recitals and Literary/ Musical circles. Borrow from our Book Fund Library texts on Arts, Science, Law, Commerce, Engineerng and Medicine at nominal charges and no deposits. For further details contact: MRS. H. N. MODI Telephone No. 365241 Modi Lodge, 13, Vachha Gandhi Road, Gamdevi, Bombay 400 007. Delhi meeting was later postponed to account of 99 to press no information has been received on the new association. 5f (i COMMENT European Zoroastrians By Peter E. Dinshaw ! The future of Zoroastrianism is a topic for earnest discussion in many circles of Bombay at present. The recent survey of Zoroastrians in the U.K. will l»ave drawn the attention of Zoroas­ trians there, even if briefly, to the question of the future of our religion. One of the fundamental features of Zoroastrianism is its inherent flexi­ bility. During the course of its long history, it has survived the worst vicissitudes of time and adapted itself adapt and to the circumstances which its fol­ lowers have found themselves in. The increasing number of Zoroastrians arriving in Europe are immediately faced with the choice of abandoning their religion or continuing to profess it. Unless a Zoroastrian is strong-mind­ ed concerning his religion, the temp- totions to abandon it may eventnalbi Sy ^JcTetTes pM MdpresTn “ta mder prove too great especially m a society • - - where it is easiest, and also the norm, to profess no religion. The Zoroastrian in Europe, partic­ ularly the one who through distance or choice, has little contact with Zoroastrian House in London, typi­ cally finds himself in a situation where there is no temple for worship, few ceremonial or communal occasions and no local priest to perform re­ ligious duties. There are often no Zoroastrians in the neighbourhood and in addition, many Zoroastrians may marry non-Zoroastrians. At this point, allegiance to a particular creed might well collapse. The smallness of the Zoroastrian __ I*t*/“^'*®**“« number of Zoroastrians arriv- Sassanian Empire. Zoroastrianism Ing in Europe are immediately faced with the proved that it could adapt itself from choicc of ahandoniue their relision or contin. ^mg a large, universal religion to uillS tO UrofeSS it- having a small following. But never g P • before has Zoroastrianism been faced ---------------------------- ---- ----------------—-------------------------- —______________ with such a high degree of worldwide the religion 4 « , . ,. , and should be ke« ahre “'"'ens « one time. De Kept alive, eveiy think- the comprehension and practice of We owe it to them, in acknowledge- 6 ing Zoroastrian, especially those who have made a new start in the West, should ask himself, “What can I do to ensure the survival of Zarathustra’s message to mankind?” The divine status accorded to Zarathustra’s teach­ ings only emphasizes the responsibility of those who consider themselves his followers to consider this question. Before venturing into the hazardous area of how Zoroastrianism might ""d survive the pressures of modem society, it should first be established what can and what cannot be changed. What we cannot change and do not wish to change are the essential principles as taught by Zara­ thustra, embracing all that is funda­ mental to Zoroastrianism. Anything in addition to this has been created teachings, and the onus is clearly on the individual to discipline himself to do what is best. This means that no one should be afraid to speak his mind on any matter concerning his religion. Those living in Europe are no longer expected to maintain the level of social conformity to the degree demande the more traditional centres. Ceremony, ritual and custom are the most obvious aspects of Zoroas­ trianism which disappear among Zoroastrians in the U.K. or begin to differ from those practised in India and Iran. This absence of traditional ritual from everyday life “however, provides the opportunity to reappraise the form and significance of these rites and to bring their value into new perspective. Zarathustra taught in his vernacular. True enough, Avesta and oco /—T-V'’ Pazand sound more beautiful than ck iTV Zoroastrianism English or Gujarati and even Farsi, >5 to satisfy the social needs of man. Our criteria in examining the “non­ should be, “Is this practice good or bad? Is it consistent with Zoroas­ trianism? Is it beneficial to man or harmful, or just superfluous? Zarathustra’s teachings are moral and philosophical, whereas these “non- inherent” aspects of Zoroastrianism, those created by _men other than the Prophet and are not in the Gathas, broadly fall into three categories: ceremonies, rituals apd customs; methods of transmitting religious knowledge and methods of ministering 99 own but the only people who lose out by not understanding Zarathushtra’s teachings and prayers are Zorastrians. It is up to the Zoroastrian in Europe to lead the way in reading and under- standing Zarathustra’s teachings in vernacular and to encourage the mulation of revised ceremonial which embodies the true spirit of Zoroas­ trianism in a manner comprehensible to all. The spirit of our enquiring age demands this at least. There is one more point which in I ( Zoroastrianism the religion. the comprehension and practice ofI ment of the rightness of their choice, and also to those who shielded the religion from adversity, to show that we value 2Loroastrianism as much as they did. One way to do this would be to allow all peoples to share in Zarathustra’s wisdom fully. And 7 ^strians living in the West should i>,^emember that exclusivity is de­ cidedly against the practice in the modern world and is often most un­ palatable to the younger generation. Being a Parsi is not necessarily concomi­ tant to being a Zoro- I i i by this system, but there can be no doubt that on the whole it has led to a lack of inquiry and even a degree of insincerity and corruption. The ignorance of many priests about their own religion is at times scandalous. It is difficult to see how a more tolerant and enlightened outlook can ever be attained when many of the guardians of the faith are themselves both at a disadvantage educationally and unwilling to undertake the task of improving themselves and their position. The example of the Christan Church might be taken, where the priesthood is open to anyone who by conviction or choice wishes to become a priest. The number of priests might decline in future, but these would receive a stipend for their services, and not depend on voluntary contri­ butions. This would work, provided the community was large enough to warrant the services of a full-time priest. Where the community is too small to support a full-time priest, the answer would be a system of lay- Many fear that a number of people priests qualified to perform simple would become Zoroastrians in order to take advantage of the large charities of Bombay. This is unlikely. The policy of accepting converts could be one of conversion by request, not by invitation. The numbers involved would likely be small in Europe, most- astfiail ly being spouses. The suggestion that * the new recruit would then rush to Bombay to claim his share of charity is very dubious, especially if he were a resident of a “welfare state”. In any case, these charities are set aside for ' Parsis ;> being a Parsi is not necessarily concomitant to being a Zoroastrian. If this is accepted, then the way is . < V"" " r ’ ^^ers. Linked with the problem of prehending the meanings of monies and prayers is the problem of transmitting religious knowledge, parti­ cularly to children. The traditional system of learning prayers by rote . can no longer be expected to satisfy young minds. Smallness of number will prevent any institutionalization of teaching methods in Europe. There­ fore the task of transmitting know­ ledge to children rests with parents, and it is the attitudes which they in­ still into their children which will largely determine the fflture of Zoroas­ trianism in Europe. ' Like the religion, the Zoroastrian priesthood has traditionally been f hereditary, a rather strange notion t*- — ’ '* ___ dedicated priests have been produced Hyderabad. Let Us Pray— To Ahura Mazda A book of prayers for Zoroastrians in simple English with an exposition of the religion of Zarathushtra By Noshir H Vajifdar Available from Union Press Homji Street, Fort Bombay 400 001 Mr Sam S Choksey C/o Eastern Stores & Trading Co Pvt Ltd 115 Nagdevi Street Bombay 400 003 Price Rs 3 ceremonies and also continue in their own occupation. The declining number of candidates for the priesthood is a well-known problem in Bombay. With the present system of uncertain income and out­ dated training methods it is no wonder. Essentially, it is only the Bombay Parsi Panchayat which has the means to initiate any change in this area but it is still the responsibility of Zoroas­ trians in Europe to put forward sug­ gestions for the future. This respon­ sibility should not be shirked through fear or lethargy, through cowardice and complacency. Zoroastrianism has proved over and again that it can withstand all manner of questioning and inquiry and that it can adapt to the needs of diverse, societies if its followers are prepared to listen and accept the necessary changes. •for a cautious expansion of com- cere- Peter Dinshaw, 21, is studying Modern Arabic and Development Economics at the University of Durham. Born in England, he is descended from the Statement of Ownership & Other Particulars about Parsiana Form IV (See Rule 3) Place of Publication Bombay Periodicity of Publication Monthly Printer, Publisher, Editor and Proprietor ^ehangir R. Patel Nationality Indian Address 288 J. Dadajee Marg, Bombay-400 007 Jehangir R. Patel, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. pries±ood has traditionally been /ay®-. Many scholarly and Viccaji and Pestonji MeheHi family of Sd (Jehangir R. Patel) 1 March 1978 7 1