Jan 1982

January iSBZ, Volume 4 No Z He. 1 BPP Tercentenary: A New Age Dawns i For 300 years the Bombay Parsi Pun­ chayet never celebrated their centenary anniversaries, lamented the former BPP Chairman, B.K. Boman-Behram. Then Sapur Desai, a former secretary of the Punchayet told the trustees that the BPP’s tercentenary “should not be allowed to pass by unnoticed.” So eight years after the actual event, and amid the usual controversies for and against celebrating the occasion, the BPP ushered in the next 100 years with a grand function at the Birla Mathushree Sabhangar in Bombay on November 7, 1 98 1.Present attheaugust gathering were the Vice-Presidem of India, M. Hidayatullah, the Governor of Maha- depend on the government for assist- original nucleus of the Trust Funds of rashtra, O.P. Mehra, the Mayor of ance. They go to the help of the poor the Punchayet which today run into sev- Bombay, Dr. A.U. Memon and the elite themselves.” eral crores of rupees.” of the community. Boman-Behram, in his inaugural The Governor of Maharashtra, Air Two notable events coincided with address, said that for over 300 years the Marshal O.P. Mehra, stated that a small the tercentenary celebrations, one being BPP had “done well by the commun- community like the Parsis had “made an the inauguration of the Framji Dadab- ity... the Punchayet has kept the com- outstanding contribution to all facets of hoy Alpaiwalla Museum, the first com- munity together.’’Tracing the origins of life in the country.” Noting the com­ munity museum of its kind in India, and the BPP, “one of the biggest welfare munity’s declining population and the the releasing of the book. The History of trusts in the country ,”'Boman-Behram tendency towards “limiting the size of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet 1860-1960 noted the institution “owes its origin to written by S.F. Desai. After inaugurating the museum, situ- Second British Governor of Bombay pie.” Hidayatullah disagreed with the Gov­ ernor that “the Parsis should have small individual members of the community and framed its regulations, what were called ‘Bundobusts’, to govern the reli­ gious and social life of the community. The regulations covered matters per­ taining to religious practices and cus­ toms, marriages and divorces and social habits and usages of the community. “For long it performed its functions without funds. In the beginning of the 18th century, the Punchayet engaged a staff of three persons which has now grown into a work-force of nearly 500. The first Deed of Trust was made on 4th Hidayatullah at Alpaiwalla Museuni. President said that unlike the vast December 1851 with an am ’ount of majority of Indians, “the Parsis don’t Rs. 18,062 at its disposal; this was the Boman-Behram, in his inaugural the initiative of Gerald Aungier, the the family,” Mehra wished other com­ munities would follow the Parsi “exam- ' , ated in the Khareghat Memorial Build- (1669-1677)...Aungier organised all the ing on Patkar Marg (Hughes Road)- various castes and communities into described by Hidayatullah as “a associations or Punchayets to manage families.” Instead they should follow the remarkable collection, small but selec- the social and religious affairs of their precept of the Bible and “go out and tive,” the Vice-President and others fellow members. Hence the Punchayet multiply.” He also advised the commun- arrived at the Birla. came into existence in Bombay. All oth- ity to show “a little more liberality Addressing the gathering of around ers seem to have died out or seldom towards erring Parsis...perhaps there 600, Hidayatullah praised the BPP stat- functioned, but the Parsi Punchayet of are stray sheep in every community.” The Mayor recalled how as a child, the Parsis were always held in high “In the early days, the Punchayet esteem and cited as a community to I ing that “a trusteeship that has lasted Bombay formed in 1673 has survived to 300 years does not need any recommen- this day... dation.” Noting the Punchayet’s social * ' ' “ welfare efforts over the years, the Vice- heard and decided disputes between emulate. “The Bombay Municipal Cor- . contd. on pg. / t'HfePOT'si Cvis^^ Tfl WS1 Petit vs Jeejeebhoy IV Historical Conversion. From Emperors to Paupers. THE JUDGEMENT SO FAR /n 1903, R.D. Tata married according to Par si rites, a French lady, after having her navjote performed. Tata claimed his wife “had become a Farsi professing the Zoroastrian faith and consequently she was entitled to participate in all the charitable and religious Funds and Institutions of the Par sis ” including the right to enter fire temples and have her body consigned to the Towers of Silence. Thus the scene was set for the historic court case of Petit vs Jeejeebhoy, also known as “The Parsi Punchayet Case. ” The question before the two judges of the Bombay High Court, Justice Frank C. O. Beaman and Justice Dinshaw Dhanjibhoy Daver, was whether a person born in another faith but converted to Zoroastrianism was entitled to the benefits of certain community trusts. The plaintiffs (Sir Dinsha Maneckji Petit, Tata and others) contended Zoroastrianism enjoins and practices conversion and that converts are entitled to all the benefits provided. The def endants (Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy) and others) while admitting that Zoroastrianism permits conversion stated that “ever since their (Parsis) advent into India (they) have not admitted a Juddin (person belonging to another religion) into their fold. They admit, however, that children born of a Zoroastrian father by an alien mother has been admitted into their fold by the performance of the Navjote ceremony. ” The plaintiffs called certain witness’s to “give some concrete instances of conversion of Juddins to Zoroastrianism. ’’ Daver, in the part \of the judgement printed in the last three issues of Parsiana, discredited the evidence presented by the witnesses. The Plaintiffs relied on certain histori­ cal instances as proving the admission of Juddins into the Zoroastrian reli­ gion. The three historical instances were: (1) The conversion of three learned Hindu Pandits whose names are mentioned in the Dhup Nirang. (2) The conversion of the Emperor Akbar. (3) The conversion of certain men, women, and children of Mazagon, who were admitted into the religion by the late Dustoor Jamaspji in the year 1882. The first one of these three instances relied on by the Plaintiffs is the oldest. The whole fabric of this historical instance of the supposed conversion of three Brahmin Pandits to Zoroastrian­ ism is based on a passage in the Dhup Nirang. Its translation by Anquetil du Perron in the prayer is as follows : “I invoke here the pure and happy soul of Mobed Hemdjiar Ormuzdiar (son of) Herbed Rahmiar. 1 invoke the pure and happy soul of Mobed Neriosang (son of) Daval. I invoke the pure and happy soul of Biopendet (son of) Djesalpendet (brother of) Schobulpendet.” Anquetil du Perron says that the three last names are the names of three Hindu Pandits, Bio, Djesal. and Scho- bal, who were converted to Zoroastria­ nism. It is not very clear from the trans­ lation whether the invocations are to the souls of all three, or only to that of the first one, the others being merely the recital of the names of the father and brother of the first. Several learned men who have been examined in this case have been questioned on this point. By some scholars these Pandits are sup­ posed to have been converted 400 or 500 years ago; by others 1200 years ago. Mr. Sheriarji Bharucha says, Anquetil du Perron puts the period when these Pan­ dits flourished as the same when Nerio­ sang flourished, and tradition has it that Neriosang was amongst the original emigrants from Persia to whom Jadav Rana of Gujerat gave permission to fet­ tle in India. The latter opinion seems to be the better opinion. The conjunction of Neriosang’s name with these three names lend support to the suggestion that when the Dhup Nirang prayers were composed, the names of great men, who had flourished in those days about the same time, were named together in the invocations. It seems that, at one time, it was taken for granted that what Anquetil du Per­ ron had said about these three men being Hindu Pandits and converted to Zoroastrianism was correct, and the religions experts who framed their report assumed this statement to be cor­ rect. Since signing the report, however, Mr. Jivanji Mody, the Secretary to the Trustees of the Punchayet Funds and Properties, who was one of the Defend­ ants’ principal witnesses, has changed his opinion on this as on other points in the case, and he has submitted to the Court several theories against Anquetil du Perron’s statement that these Pun­ dits were converted to Zoroastrianism. He finds from his research that these three names are not known to Sanskrit scholars as those of Hindu Pandits of those days. He thinks Anquetil du Per­ ron was misled into believing them to be Hindus. He thinks it is possible they were learned Parsis and called Pandits. This is not by any means an improbable suggestion. A learned Mahomedan is a Moola, a learned Hindu is a’Pandit, and a Hindu le arned in the Shastras is aShas- tri. Parsis have been known by the sur­ name of Moola, and Mr. Jivanji Mody showed an instance of a Parsi spoken of in a book as a Shastri. I have had recently before me Marathi literature in which the present Secretary of State for India is spoken of as Pandit Morley. This is, however, an alternative sugges­ tion made by Mr. Mody, which, I think, is probably the correct explanation of this passage in the Dhup Nirang. It is very likely that these three men 2t ( i. -I I Had a great Emperor like Akbar become a Zoroastrian his very first acts would have been the building and consecration of Atash Behrams and Dokhmas. ! ! A Zoroastrian is nothing if he is not nesses asserted and others contradicted the suggestion that Akbar was Zoroas- were good men, who had rendered great services to the Zoroastrians in their altruistic in his prayers. His prayers are early days of settlement in India. If they not confined to asking for blessings on trian bordered on the ridiculous, were contemporaries of Nariosang, they himself, his family, and his community, may have been men who were promi­ nent in giving the wanderers a home in a strange land and in extending them a kindly welcome in this country. In grate- holy and virtuous men of all communi- Akbar had become a Parsi and a ful remembrance of these kindly servi- ties; his prayers invoke blessings on his Zoroastrian.” He, however, imme- ces, their names were most probably Sovereign, on his village, on his coun- diately destroyed the fabric built on his inserted in the Dhup Nirangby the Dus- try, on the universe; they comprise the researches by saying, in the very next toor who composed those prayers. It is extremely difficult to believe that this handful of homeless strangers, so soon after they were permitted to make their home in a foreign country, should have succeeded in converting to their own religion three eminent and learned Hindu Brahmins. Anquetil du Perron appends a note to his translation of this Zoroastrians alone. passage which is very suggestive. He says ; “These three Dustoors were Brahmins converted to the religion of Zoroaster, but whom the fear of the Rajahs obliged nism—a theory for which there is abso- to hide their conversion.” How then, if their conversion was a secret, did Anquetil du Perron come to know of it ? From the mere fact that at the end of the three names the word Pandit was affixed, I am not prepared own home by religious persecution; and Zoroastrian religion, started the canard to hold that they are the names of three Hindu Pandits; and from the mere fact that their names appear in the Dhup names in their prayers, so that them- fable evidently tickled the fancy of Nirang, 1 am not prepared to hold that they were converts to Zoroastrianism, assuming, for argument’s sake, that they were Hindus. The mere fact that a name appears in the prayers of the • Zoroastrians, does not prove that the bearer of that name was a Zoroastrian for Mr. Jivanji Mody has conclusively the Plaintiffs’ case with any gravity. Six allowed himself to be led into the use of proved before the Court that the name of Firdusi Tooshi is also recited in the Dhup Nirang. No one can seriously sug­ gest that Firdusi Tooshi was a con­ verted Zoroastrian. Assuming that the three names in the Dhup Nirang are the Emperor Akbar was a converted names of three Brahmins, the presence of those names is most easily explained. Mr. Behramgor Tehmurus Anklesa- His prayers include invocations and ria gravely told the Court that, from his petitions for benefits, both spiritual or researches, he had come to the conclu- temporal, for all Zoroastrians, for all sion “that at a certain period of his life holy and virtuous men of all communi­ ties; his prayers invoke blessings on his try, on the universe; they comprise the names of all good and great men whose breath, that Akbar could not be said to souls are invoked for the good of all have lived and died a Parsi, because he mankind. One favourite mode arnongst was buried. Says the witness, the first the Zoroastrians of acknowledging and act of a convert would have been to for ever remembering the good work of build a Dokhma and Akbar never built a great man, is to include his name in his one. Thus, to his evident satisfaction, prayers,and such a distinction it is not the witness proved that necessary,, as far as 1 know, to confine to the witness proved that his conclusion —arrived at from his researches—was wrong. Mr. Jivanji Mody, in his book on Whereas I find great difficulty in entertaining the theory that Bio Pandit, “Parsi at the Court of Akbar” gave cur- Djsul Pandit, and Schobul Pandit were Brahmins converted to Zoroastria- rency to the theory of Akbar’s conver­ sion, and a book called “Akbar Charitra” contained a ballad to the effect that Akbar was invested by Dus­ lutely no foundation, I have no difficulty in believing that they were toor Meherji Rana with Sudra and good men who had rendered services to Kusti. It seem to me that, in a fit of distressed Zoroastrians when they religious fervour, some irresponsible landed in this country, driven from their people, extolling the merits of the that, in gratitude for their kindness, the that even the great Emperor Akbar was Zoroastrians of the day introduced their once a convert to Zoroastrianism. This selves and succeeding generations of enthusiasts, who gave currency to if and Zoroastrians may for ever cherish their embellished the story by adding details memory. ' as their fancy suggested. Mr. Jivanji The second historical instance of Mody and others gave currency to the alien conversion to Zoroastrianism is story, and, never dreaming that some that of the Emperor Akbar. I confess I day it would be used against the inter­ feel a difficulty in discussing this part of ests of the very religion he was extolling. otherwise sober and sensible people language which justifies an impression solemnly instruct their Counsel to urge—in support of their contention that it is customary and usual amongst combats the theory of Akbar having Zoroastrians to convert aliens—that the ever been a Zoroastrian. Whether Mr. Jivanji Mody and Zoroastrian. And the equal solemnity others expressed their belief in the story with which some ol the learned wit- or not, the fact remains that Akbar lived that he was expressing his own belief in the story. He now, however, stoutly i 1 ) 3 I ij j “I will be buried, but you try and get admission into the religion of our fathers.” ¦ and died a professed Mahomedan. Had a great Emperor like Akbar become a Zoroastrian at any period of his life, his very first acts would have been the buil­ ding and consecration of Atash Behrams and Dokhmas; and if there is any, the smallest, foundation for the story that Akbar had embraced Zoroastrianism, responsible historians would have recorded it as an event of toor Jamaspji’s pamphlet that there very great importance. The third historical instance on which the Plaintiffs rely, far from being shad­ owy and unsubstantial as the first two, is based on facts. There ought to be no dispute as to what the real facts were, for they are recorded in great detail by the late Dustoor Jamaspji Minochurji, Parsi community of Bombay for some who, every one of the witnesses who time, and some years previous to 1882, were asked about it, say, was a man of the late Mr. Merwanji Framji Panday the highest integrity, honour, and truth- interested himself in their behalf and fulness. In the year 1882, Dustoor offered to have them invested with Jamaspji, one of the two head priests of Sudra and Kusti; but these people, who the Shenshai section of the Parsi Com- belonged to a very humble sphere of munity, invested nine persons—five life—the men earning their livelihood females and four males, whose ages by working in the Docks—were fright- ranged from 35 to 77—with Sudra and ened into a belief that the orthodox por- Kusti in the presence of a large number tion of the community would subject of leading Parsis. 1 The other high priest, Dustoor divest them of Sudra and Kusti; so they Peshotan—between whom and Dus- abstained from taking advantage of the toor Jamaspji there always existed great offer. rivalry and unfriendliness—issued !_______ . handbills and distributed them amongst presented the petition to the Trustees to the people assembled as soon as the which 1 have referred. In this they Navjot ceremony was over, statingthat solemnly asserted that they were all as he was not aware that ceremonies had born of Parsi fathers, that they were all been performed by Dustoor Jamaspji in of true Parsi olad, and that they were admitting Juddins in the Zoroastrian desirous of being invested with Sudra religion, he would not allow the newly- and Kusti and of being formally admit- admitted men and women in his Atash ted into the Zoroastrian religion. The Behram. He subsequently published a Trustees took no action on the petition pamphlet stating therein what, accord- but about 200 leading Parsis interested ing to him, were the necessary ceremo­ nies to be performed before admitting Juddins into the Zoroastrian religion. Dustoor Jamaspji published a pam- toor Jamaspji thereupon instituted very phlet in refutation of Dustoor Pesho- strict enquiries and satisfied himself tan’s brochure, jn which he most that all these eleven people were of Parsi emphatically resented theapplication of boon that is, of Parsi fathers. It was after he was satisfied that what these people had stated about their Parsi origin was true that Dustoor Jamaspji, in the presence of an assemb- the word Juddins to the people he had invested with Sudra and Kusti. In that part, Dustoor Jamaspji gives the whole history of the case and publishes copy of a Petition, addressed by the people lage of Parsis, in a public place and in whom he had admitted to Zoroastrian- the most open manner, invested nine ism, to the Trustees of the Parsi Pyn- chayet Funds and Properties on the 19th of May, 1881. It appears from Dus- out of the eleven persons with Sudra and Kusti. The remaining two were children of 5 and 2, and had not arrived at the age when they could be invested. This is the correct history of what were spoken of as Mazagon converts. They were in no sense Juddins. They were born of Zoroastrian fathers, They professed the Zoroastrian religion as soon as they arrived at the age of discre­ tion. They observed all the outward forms of the religion of their fathers. They prayed for admission into the reli­ gion of their fathers at the dying request of one of them who said : “I will be buried, but you try and get admission into the religion of our fathers and after full enquiries, when the Dustoor was satisfied that every one of them was of Parsi olad, they were admitted to the religion of their fathers. Mr. Jivanji Mody, who is fully con- them to personal violence and forcibly versant with what has happend in the Parsi community, says with reference to this event, as follows : “The Mazagon cases took place in 1882. Sometime afterwards, however, they After those cases, Dustoor Ptshotan, one of the high priests, published a pam­ phlet finding fault with Dustoor Jamaspji, who performed the ceremo­ nies, for not having performed all the proper ceremonies. Dustoor Peshotan complains of no Burushnum being per­ formed before the Navjot ceremony. He contends that the Reemun Burushnum ought to have been first performed, then the investiture ceremony should have been performed, and then the great nine nights’ Burushnum should have been performed. Dustoor Jamaspji, in the Mazagon cases, gave the great Burush­ num of the nine nights to the people whom he admitted in this Zoroastrian faith. Dustoor Jamaspji wrote and pub- were at Mazagon eleven persons—men, women, and children—who had been for a long time observing all the reli­ gious forms of Zoroastrianism and dressing as Parsis, but who had remained uninvested with Sudra and Kusti. Their existence was well known to the themselves on their behalf and collected a fund. They approached Dustoor Jamaspji to admit these people. Dus- 4i I r IK I lished a pamphlet in reply to Dustoor Peshotan.Dustoor Jamaspji argues at page 78 of his pamphlet that the Ree- mun Burushnum is not necessary.” A little later on Mr. Jivanji Mody said : “In 1882, Dustoor Peshotan published his pamphlet referring to the Mazagon cases. He treated those people as jud- dins. The pamphlet is headed “Explana­ tion of the ceremonies that should be performed for the admission of juddins to the Zoroastrian religion.” At page 4, you find that byjuddins, Dustoor Pesho­ tan means children of Parsi fathers by alien mothers.” 1 have detailed at some length the controversy between two high priests as to what are the ceremonies necessary for admitting children of a Parsi father by an alien mother, as the question is of importance on another point which I propose to discuss later. It is difficult to give the exact meaning of the word Jud- din. Literally, the word signifies a per­ son belonging to another religion. There is no question that a person born of both non-Zoroastrian parents is a juddin, but I do not think Dustoor Peshotan was right in calling the child­ ren of a Parsi father and an alien mother juddins. For present purposes, it is suffi­ cient to point out that the three histori­ cal instances do not in any way help the Plaintiffs. Defendants have never denied that children of Parsi fathers have been admitted before now—no doubt, in some instances, without their under^o- • ing the nine nights’ Burushnum; and the admission of the Mazagon peoples loses all its importance for the Plaintiffs the moment it is established that the per­ sons admitted were the offspring of Parsi fathers. The details given by Dus­ toor Jamaspji in his pamphlet with ref­ erence to each one of the nine persons whom he admitted proves beyond all doubt that they were, every one of them, the offspring of Parsi fathers. TO BE CONTINUED Aek Aimakath.i THE PRIESTLY PROBLEM The life of Dastur Dhalla XXI Aek Atmakatha is the autobiography of the late Dr. Maneck Nusser- wanji Dhalla, high priest of the Pakistan Parsis and a scholar of world repute. This is the 21st edited and condensed extract from the book “Dastur Dhalla - The Saga of a soul” - an English translation by Gool and Behram Rustomji of the original Gujarati, published by the Dastur Dhalla Memorial Institute, Karachi. After the publication of my book The adornment of priests in 1897 I have deli- Born to a poor Dastur family in Surat vered several lectures on this intricate on 27 August 1875, Dhalla moved with his family to Karachi three years later. He was married to five-year-old Cooverbai when he was eight years old. Afterfailing his matriculation, observed keenly and experienced Dhalla sought employment while educating himself in religious matters. With the assistance of the Karachi Parsis, Dhalla studied Iranian languages under how I have begun to see and in Bombay and then proceeded to Columbia University in New York, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in 1908. On his return to India he was nominated head priest of Karachi in which capacity he tried to critically evaluate old religious beliefs and customs in the light of his broadened outlook. This approach caused him to clash with the more orthodox section of the community and he became involved in several religious and social controversies. But despite the opposition, Dhalla proceeded with his efforts to educate the community and resolve old conflicts. THE STORY SO FAR subject and have written many articles about it. During the long interval that has elapsed since then, I have pondered deeply on this my pet subject. I have widely. In doing so my views on the subject formed on sentiment fifty years ago have altered and I shall state here- understand this problem since some time. In the religious and social life of our community a great deal has been handed down to us by the Indo-lranians prior to Zarathushtra. Among other things the onus of hereditary priesthood has been foisted upon us which has come down from time immemorial, long before the ancient Peshdadian and Kya- nian period. The accident of birth creates our das- turs and our mobeds. Our Athornan fold has become a distinct class by itself. The son of a Brahmin becomes a Brah­ min, irrespective of calibre or capability. Similarly, every Zoroastrian descended from the priestly flock is invested with the garb of priesthood. If all the men- The question of supplying highly quali- folk born within a certain fold hold the fied priests to meet with the demands of monopoly of a particular profession, it a cultured community like the Parsis has been repeatedly discussed since at least a hundred years. The community has spent large sums of money to solve this perplexing problem and has made many are at liberty to carry on any other occu- a pious attempt. It has not been able to pation besides their sacred vocation. In find a way out of this difficulty upto Sassanian Iran, educated priests became date. prime ministers, ambassadors, judges, is not possible for the community to sustain them. Because of this, in India as there are many more Brahmins than the Hindu community can maintain, they 5r In the field of learning, our religious dignitaries, teachers, scribes, while had the monopoly of weaving ‘Kustis’ laymen came forth to serve. Yet the those who were illiterate took any ordi- for all Zoroastrians, they were able to practicing priests remained as they were nary occupation to make both ends earn a little from that profession. To a fifty years ago. meet. large extent this routine continues to the Hereditary priesthood entails: A con- present day. glomeration of an excess of priests; their principal qualification — a perfec- leaders were somewhat superior to those tion in performing ceremonies; cere­ monials — their mainstay of existence. Due to the above reasons, wherever there is hereditary priesthood, that reli- Navar or a Maratab to be able to read tively ignorant. The priestly profession Young Athornan graduates began to put on black-turbaned paghdis or phen- tas. They were credited as being quali­ fied while those of their family who took who patronized them. Very few laymen to priesthood and whose education ter- were literate, whereas it was essential for minated at the learning of three or four every young mobed aspiring to be a Gujerati books were called compara- gion becomes replete with rituals for the and write in order to be able to learn by lost its reputation. Mobed and Andhi- „ , , 1 aru became terms of ridicule. In Parsi in Avestan script or transcribed in Guje- dramas and plays the farcical roles were rati. assigned to Andhiarus together with Those priests and laymen who were Iranisand villagers. The sons of Mobeds themselves began to believe that to be a mobed was degrading. The newly-enlightened section of the community drew everyone’s attention to Christian priests and complained about the backwardness of our religious lead­ ers. From 1839 when Rev. Wilson con­ verted two Parsi youths and commenced a tirade against the teach­ ings of the Zoroastrian faith, the com- Educated Ervads were available but means to employ them were maintenance of its priests. The priests rote lengthy prayers from books written themselves perforce make it so. Only then can their fold find sufficient means of livelihood. Such is the condition of today’s heirs of the priestly class. The followers of prophet Zarathustra’s simple, ethical and devotional religion have turned it into a religion of unlimited rituals. Twelve hundred years ago, our fore­ fathers emigrating to India, had to start afresh in a new land. Spreading from inadequate. Kathiawad to Gujarat, as the commun­ ity established itself in various places, we find our priests making a kind of obliged to keep accounts relating to munity became more aware of the collective effort to take under their con- their business or occupations knew the necessity of improving the priestly fold, trol a congregation at will. In this way rudiments of mathematics. The few who The educated young men and women of separate ‘punthaks’ are formed and each had contacts with the courts of Navabs the community were attracted to Chris- ‘punthak’inherits the contract of prac- studied Persian. A handful of dasturs tian priests because ofthe quality of their tising within the appointed limits of its and mobeds wrote books in Gujerati learning and of their character. Well-wishers of the community believed that if the sons of mobeds were given such fine training, the community could attain qualified priests to suit the Conditions changed from the begin- enlightened age. Until that time the sons ning of the 19th century. With the intro- of mobeds were trained for the priestly duction of English education many sons profession at Navsari, Udvada, Surat or Broach, in the homes of experts in the field of religious study. The sons of mobeds went daily to the homes of these savants for seven or eight years to pray, and after being perfectly initiated into the study necessary for becoming a Navar or a Maratab and into the knowl- fold. On the other hand the members of and' in Persian and contributed to the each ‘punthak’ through individual field of literature. Such a state of affairs effort, manage to secure a laity of vary- continued up to the end of the I Sth cen- ing dimensions and pose as their heredi- tury. tary ‘punthaks’ or their family priests. In former times laymen were usually farmers, toddy tappers, wine vendors, or grocers. As there were more priests of priests like those of laymen started than the laity could maintain, besides taking advantage of it. Within two or performing prayers and ceremonies the three decades the number of western­ priests cooked food meant for sanctifi- qualified mobeds increased. These cation, prepared sweetmeats for cerem- young men withdrew from their paren- onies, wove cloth, maintained small tai profession, with the result that as shops and carried on various incidental time passed on and English education occupations. Their womenfolk assisted advanced, Athornan youths having sim- edge of performing ceremonies, they them in all their work. Besides, as they ilar western qualifications as the sons of stepped forth to practise as priests. ________ ________________________________ _ TO BE CONTINUED Gift shopping at its best at Gifts& the friendly Gift Shop at Bombay Swadeshi Stores Ltd. Sir P.M. Road. Bombay 400 001. Tel: 253443/252730 ZOROASTRIAN ARTEFACTS & SILVER PENDANTS AVAILABLE Old post cards etc./wanted Advertiser wishes to buy OLD picture postcards, photographs, cig., cards, playing cards, posters, prints, illustrated books, albums and other related material. Willing to pay top prices for single items or entire collections. Please send, detailed list with expected prices to The Advertiser, (OLD) C/o. Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400 001. 6i I I n I '1 i. i I if * I A contd. from pg. / “A trusteeship that has lasted 300 years does not need any recommendation.” 4 ! poration was dominated by the stal­ warts of your community for many years,” he noted. Noted social worker. Gulestan Billi- moria pointed out that the BPP “rend­ ers service from the womb to the tomb.” She related how the Parsis at the begin­ ning of the present century built housing colonies because they “thought every Parsi should- have a roof over their became the new chairman of the BPP, heads.” Subsequently there was a lull, requested the dignitaries present to “It is a pity tnat when land was available at very cheap rates and even funds would have been forthcoming, the trus­ tees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet of and until cleared, housing projects those days did not have the foresight would be stalled, and the wisdom to acquire that land and build (as a result today we have) the celebrations “should have taken place in ^rim spectacle of 4,000 Parsis clamour- 1973” and that “some critics may say the ing for accommodation, knocking at the wheels of the Parsi Punchayet do move doors of the Parsi Punchayet.” slowly.” However, he was happy the TaVintsfcontlnental Hotel — Bombay Al *1 SSS!^ h ;gSSwW«i»»' fi B Hl MH pl Parsis should follow the precept of the Bible and “go out and multiply.” celebrations were held while Botnan- Behram was chairman. Indeed it was a fitting end to Boman- Behram’s 20 years on the board of trus­ tees, six of which were as chairman. Enmeshed in numerous controversies and the recipient of more brickbats than bouquets, the beleaguered chairman’s Dr. Aspi Golwalla, who recently final days were made memorable by the * ¦ grandness of the tercentenary function and the distinguished gathering. The tercentenary marked the end of an era, one which saw the alienation of tions were pending with the government the Punchayet from the community. But with the new awakening and conscious­ ness aroused by the Anjuman Commit­ tee elections last year, the induction of a new trustee, Jamsheed Kanga, and a general mood of conciliation and prag­ matism, the next 100 years have begun on an optimistic note. Hidayatullah garlanding Desai at Birla function; BPP chief-executive Anklesaria at right. sanction No Objection Certificates to the BPP for building. 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