Jun 1987

June 1967 Volume 9No 12 RS3 5 t Election scheme challenged Donors move Bombay High Court over new BPP election scheme which reduces their voting rights Amaveff S. Mama - I ¦‘ 'x U» !«». VX UW -..--- - __ ________ _____ ___ ________ _ I thT Bo«iba7*P^ Puiidiayet (BPPj “adversely affects the rights of the members would also be elected to the ». .« « w» i_ ____ X.9- J__ ? ____________________ a Aniiimon uzhn alonor With The fate of the new election scheme of complainii^ that the revised scheme General Register from where 100 awaite'the Bombay High Court ’s deci- donors of the Anjuman Commit- Anjuman Committee, who along with sion. Some members of the Donor tee...fixes a very high figure of Rs the 100 donor members would elect Register, whose voting rights have 50,000 as the minimum figure for trustees. The reforms ensured parity been whittled down by the new re- being eligible to directly vote on the between the donors and the other forms, have moved the court to pre- election of trustees (and) abolishes the members of the community. vent the proposed changes. Originally direct right of the donors, both present Appealing for a stay order against expected to come up on the board on and future, to vote directly on the elec- the operation of the new scheme pend- June 19, the matter was not taken up tion of a trustee. ” ing the final disposal of the applica- for hearing. With the Anjuman Com- Suresh ’s ruling whittled down the tion, the petition relies on an affidavit mittee elections due in March 1988, voting power of the donors-those who sworn on April 6 by Jehangir Bamji the BPP has barely five months in had paid Rs 5,000 to the BPP and its who has twice officiated as scrutineer hand to ready its general and donor affiliated charities —by requiring the at the BPP trusteeship elections and is registers before the stipulated Novem- donors to elect around 100 out of 750 one of the trustees of the Tithal Sana- ber 30 deadline for voter registration, donors. Membership on the Donor torium, currently in the news for hav- On April 6, ’87, a month after the Register will now be permitted only to ing leased away the 13-acre property High Court judgment of Justice H. those paying a minimum donation of to non-Parsis at a throwaway price. . Suresh which rationalized and simpli- Rs 7,500 and not 5,000 as previously. “In view of the fact that admittedly fied the election scheme, four Hitherto, "every donor could vote notice was not given and the donors a ggr ipyp-d members of the BPP Donor directly for a trustee. The judge also and the Parsi community were not Register have challenged Justice raised the figure required to be a direct aware as to what was sought to be Siire.sh ’s j udgm ent, with a request in donor voter from ^ 5,000 to 50,000. done, ” Bamji ’s affidavit suggests that their plaint that the new scheme be set The A Register (comprising those who “the matter should be heard afresh aside and/or reviewed. A notice was had donated between Rs 500 and again after proper notice being given served on the BPP trustees by Hor- 4,999), the C Register (of graduates) to the donors and the Parsi commun- muzd Patel residing at the Godrej Col- and the D Register (comprising the ity. ” Briefly recapitulating the various ony at Vikhroli, Aspi Medhora and rank and file of the community who amendments su^ested to the scheme Parvez Katila of Godrej Bang and had paid a registration fee of Rs 5) as advertised in the two Gujarati uhangir Ramj i • i i piece .” The festival will culminate physician Dr Inam Abdus Salam hon- with “a public honors recital ” featur- orarily examined needy patients and ing the best talent. Attractive prizes advised dietary changes. Undertaking will also be awarded to finalists of to provide, free of cost, the nutritious different classes. The last date for en- items recommended by Salam, the rolment being September 15, music Trust would appreciate it if donations students have been invited to partici- in its name are sent to Crown Build ­ pate and should write to Anklesaria at ing, Uranwalla Street, Grant Road, 372 A/1-2 North Main Road, Kore- Bombay 400007. gaon Park, Poona 411001. Anklesaria, who is actively involved in the organization of the Festival, re- ( in the spring of 1985 from the Uni- 1 couver, Canada. She has taken courses a press release announcing the fourth vz UXXM XXX »I»>ZX V ¦ • — — —— — — - - - - - her return to Poona has been teaching daosi, written in English prose by Dr the book, but where goodness^ is privately, besides giving public per- Bahman Surti. formances and accompaniment at —¦ - lecture-recitals. She also conducts adventures of Gushtaasp and Aspan- workshops for piano students appear- diyaar in 220 pages and costs Rs 65 * » •« * Shah Namah*s fourth volume “Discover for yourself the finest re- ceived her bachelor ’s degree in music cord of culture and history of the ¦ ¦ ¦ • Zoroastrian civilization - the story of versify of British Columbia in Van- Iran ’s great kings and knights, ” invites * V* T VX • KZXX V XXM^ ----------------... • in piano and music pedagogy and since volume of the Shah Namah of Fir- ing errors detract from the appeal of - - • •• ................ • ” •• ’ . .. 1—1- 1—X ...1.— ~ sought to be cultivated, perhaps for- The fourth volume deals with the giveness would also list high! An instructive chapter entitled _____________ rr- — Charter of living, ” spelt out in 16 ing for the Trinity College of Music (postage extra) and an added attrac- clauses, emphasizes that the joy of liv- (London) examinations. _______________ ‘ ‘ - • . t..... .j _ i u i ....... In league with homeopaths Three homeopathic physicians from Activity High School’s concerted ‘firemen’ tion is a map of ancient Iran and a ing should be experienced by working table of dynasties and kings, states the with full responsibility and knowledge release. of the laws of life. Shapoorjee further ____ _____ ____ All four volumes are illustrated and elaborates, “The laws of life intend Bombay, Dr Sarosh R._ Wadia, Dr encased in plastic jackets and would human beings to be both human and Farrokh Master and Dr Prakash Va- make ideal gifts, it adds. Limited divine ” and to act “fearlessly and in Idl were among the 300 delegates copies of Volume I (Rs 55), Volume II good faith with an open mind and a to the Forty-second International (Rs 75), Volume III (Rs 65) and clean heart. ” Homeopathic Medical Congress which Volume IV are available from: Marz- Served with the simple, straightfor- was held in Washington from March ban J. Giara, Dhunmai Building, 667, ward dish are generous helpings of 29 to April 2, states a press release. Lady Jehangir Road, Dadar, Bombay quotations,verses and anecdotes which Besides presenting papers at the main 400014. could make the book a handy guide sessions, the three also showed slides * cuSHtiinl lift when you feel the need to reform and organized discussions on them. spirilUd yourself. The Congress was organized by the “Are you frustrated because you find p ron<5cinii____ ¦¦ office at Fort, where he works in the give to sports what I ve got from it. accounts department, on May 8,1987, Today, apart from competing . A^l- Sumariwalla apologised profusely for k runs coaching classes at St Marys foo ’t ’ seven inches free of cost, where he trains amateuR diyntpics for sonte statentent I ™ade coaching classes at St Mary ’s been without its disappointing mo- , -:lt3 as when “they (the officials) where he trains^amateurs played dirty politics and dropped me from the team for the Los Angeles 16 ParsianaJune 1987[ i i '7 got a telephone call giving me 24 hours notice in, jy ,1 1 V/111.VF iiiv uovR aiiu iiu wiiv vuuiu utoi UIC 5ucs>:> uluugui uii uy iaiiic>aiiu inc to jly to Kathmandu. me. For six years I was unbeatable and expectations of others to continuously I was not even in training then, yet I won the race” '1 in the Press. I was very outspoken ning and sand running, and occupied like to sleep! ” Having played football against the officials who have general- at college. Weight training at St and hockey in school, Adille says, “If E ly mismanaged everything. People are Mary ’s would commence at 1.30 pm you ask me which sport is my best f not chosen correctly. We (the athletes) and last for 45 minutes after which he sport I would say hockey, even though are treated very badly. The camps are would “crash out ” until six o ’clock, at I am an athlete. ” not good and the food is bad. ” which time Adille would practice the A qualified official of the Amateur In an article he recently wrote for sprints, starts and acceleration till ab- Athletic Federation of India, Adille Sportsweek, titled ‘What is right with out 8.30 pm. This exhausting exercise notes that the wealth of sports talent Indian Sport? ’ Adille stated, “I have, schedule continued for eight years among Parsis is being wasted because of course, been a marked man for from 1975 to 1983. Says Adille, “After “all the blessed time the youngsters several years, and many officials have 1983 I cut out the afternoon session till are in the park chatting and not using tried to destroy my athletic career about a year ago. Now it ’s only an their talents...! can assure you as far as evening session. (Even so) with work talent goes we are far superior to other and all that, I can hardly do an evening communities. I just hope our guys session, ” and he is grateful to his em- would take it seriously and put in a lot ployers for all their help. “I was of hard work. ” asthmatic, had sinus trouble and torn He himself attributes his long life in muscles, but I fought on and on and the arena to mental strength which on. There was a time when I stepped enables him to cope effectively with onto the track and no one could beat the stress brought on by fame,and the every second race I set a new record. ” do*his best. “I was mentally too strong He still holds the national record of for my opponents. So many times I 10.4 seconds for the 100 meter sprint, was 25 percent less fit than others but I Married early last year to Armaity used to ‘psyche ’ them. ” Explains Adil- Rao, Adille lists amongst his hobbies a le: when he was defending his fifth love for hiking, camping and scouting, inter-state title, he had just about rec ­ taking walks in the woods and hearing overed from a bout of chicken pox and the birds. “I love to drive — drive fast, went “^straight from the bed to Delhi, ” ...because in all modesty, I belong to Every Sunday I would spend half a day where the games were scheduled. His. the fortunate minority of literate and with my car (a Fiat) to get it into good rival at the games, who was expected educated sportspersons (Adille is cur- shape. I love to go on long drives and I to win against him this time, was rently studying for his Masters in Com- love to watch English theater. ” He doubtful whether history would repeat merce, specializing in management), also is a keen collector of antiques, itself again for Adille. Adille ’s reply: and because I will call out black to especially of old watches, he notes, “As far as I’m concerned, I make his- whatever I think is black. But for the and adds, “If I have any time left, I tory! sake of sports, that doesn ’t bother me. ” ____ : , n <1 \ II I i i I •i Sporting career “Basically I was always interested in outdoor activities, ” says the athlete ! who started his sporting career while i still a student at St Mary ’s High t School, Bombay. “One fine day I just knew I was good at sport. I beat every ­ one including the intei-school champ. When I finished school I started doing science (I was supposed to go to the Indian Institute of Technology for en ­ gineering), but in between I decided I wanted to concentrate on sport so I chucked up science and did commerce. My parents were very upset and 1 don ’t think they ’ve forgiven me yet. 1 used to be very, very good in physics in j school, but I never regretted my deci ­ sion. I did what I wanted to do, that ’s s it. ” Getting seriously into the realm of [ sport meant devoting six hours a day troinintt m/M*ninne oaa to training. The mornings would see the athlete do step running, hill run- /I 1 3 'i I 21 ParsianaJune 1987 Ji : JI i; I ¦ 1 I' ' h H !I I ART The canvas story Engaged in commercial and fine art, Behram Rana feels that the community does not give encouragement to upcoming artists agency which left him little time to pursue painting. A graduate from the J.J.Institute of Arts and a frequent visitor to the city ’s art galleries, the occasionally inferior artistic caliber of the exhibits on display convinced Rana that he could better that performance. Beginning first with water colors, he later switched to oils. “I was greatly influenced by the __ works of Salvador Dali, Van Gogh, Picasso and Hussein, ” informs Rana. 9 Impressed by the community ’s leading artists, Rana acknowledges, “Jehangir Sabavala always comes and encour ­ ages me. He mentioned that I have a strong surrealistic streak and asked me to work on it; Shiavax Chavda also gives me guidance and lends me books of art. ” The lack of interest shown by the Parsis in general has disappointed Rana, “My community has neither en ­ couraged me nor patronized my work ...Take my colony for example (Rana stays at Malcolm Bang, Jogeshwari). Many people know that I paint but no ­ body ever bothers to come and see my work. l am indeed unhappy about my community ’s indifference. ” To enable upcoming artists to learn about the culture of their country, and different styles of painting in schools of art abroad, the Government should sponsor them, opines Rana. The corporate sector too should encourage new talent by buying their works and promoting them, Rana continued. “I have a long way to go, ” confesses Rana. But with his attitude — “Learn roughs, he would utilize his Sundays stay at home...it is difficult to make to be a severe cntic of your own work. his paintings, adopting an eight-hour creative world of painting,smoothly. “The usual trend is to respect the big names and ignore the struggling artist, ” states Behram Rana who , being a commercial artist by profes- sion, skillfully organizes his spare time to pursue his interest in fine art which r he feels has limited takers. After painting with oils for the last 11 years and holding four exhibitions in Bom- BH bay, the last being held in April ’87, Rana claims, “I enjoy expressing my- self, and the freedom which painting ¦¦ gives me. ” His regular job entails com- plying with “the clients ’ commands, ” Pv so as a painter he looks forward to r “the freedom to develop my creativ ­ ity. ” I ^51“ t,.- ^4.; Rana with a recent painting on ‘The Sun’: a kind of discipline At Rana ’s recent exhibition held at the Jehangir Art Gallery, all his can ­ vasses revolved around ‘The Sun. ’ The preceding one had Ganesh as its cen ­ tral idea. Yet, Rana rejects the possi ­ bility of any religious influence on his work. He views his creations as the outcome of his “ inborn nature. ” Though he is against thematic con ­ straints which he considers a bondage, as a professional artist he realizes the need to observe the norms of the Art Society; “So I see it as a kind of disci ­ pline and I do not mind. ” Explaining his work pattern, Rana says, “Whenever I am free, I think ab ­ out painting. If I am ready with a theme, I work on some roughs, ” trying out different color schemes. He usual ­ ly manages to complete this during his • lunch break in office or after office hours. After zeroing in on some and half his privilege leave to complete the transition from my office job to the Take criticism froni those knowledge- his paintings, adopting an eight-hour creative world of painting,smoothly, ” annlvsft work day or four-hour day, depending Rana r.eferred to the practical difficul- <______________ .. . * after sunset, ” Rana adds. “Most of the plied art on a reguly^ basis. paintings come to me piece by piece. T Often, when I am inspired to start al, _ . . - - particular painting, I am tempted to Prior to that he was with an advertising Roarigues able in the right spirit. Try to analyse and learn from them...And avoid com- on the unfinished work. “I’never paint ties of coordinating fine art and ap- promise ” - Rana hopes that a time will -- — - . _.l ___ come when he will be able to live sole- Forty-four-year-old Rana is present- ly off and for his paintings. ly working with Larsen and Toubro. Abridged from an article by Santan 23 Parsiana June 1987 i 4 .1 Si r ICOMMENTS The moral choice Rather than permit chaos to spread, sometimes non-pleasing acts need to be performed Aspi Moddie Vishtaspa too has his Kurukshetra of life. There are lights in the hearts of so many enemies from the realm? ” acceptance of the 2Loroastrian essence The security of princes is not enough, of moderation, the golden mean; and (In our day and country. No 1 Safdar- the avoidance of hard rigidities, the The essence of the liberal messages of Zoroaster in Yasnas 33.3, 46.12, Vishtaspa ’s action, as Arjuna ’s, is 49.6 and 34.12 is appreciation of the Peoples ’ beliefs and actions have been of chaos to widen; that our bhakti (de- should, like water, come from higher guided by a world view and a way of votion) must follow a higher law. places, from the leadership in all walks life, say scholars like Prof Kaikhosrov Irani, head of the department of phi- choice in his conflict with Arjasp, chief losophy. City College, New York, of the Xiyonans, when he refuses Ar- some achievers, not publicized, nor These determine our reactions to the J asp ’s demand to abandon the holy re- sufficiently appreciated. There is some natural order (the external world of ligion of Mazda worship. Like Arjuna, recent revival of community service in phenomena) and the social order (the Vishtaspa is concerned about the re- housing, education, concern for human world). Most people know the suits of the battle on his sons and priests, and the religious education of basics of the Zoroastrian world view: brothers. When told by the seer the youth. But there is also an impress- that Ahura Mazda created the uni- Jamasp that Zarer and others will be ion of lack of enough action-oriented verse according to Asha (righteous- killed, Vishtaspa withdraws from the programs, even corruption. And in ness); that Asha can be made realiz- battle. He commands that a bronze some cases, here and abroad, pure able by Vohuman (the good mind); fortress with a gate of iron be made for personal ego and ambition have been that there is free will to choose be- the safety of his sons, brothers and too patent. tween good and evil; that Kshathra princes. Jamasp ’s reply is simple and The management of human affairs Vifliryfl is the concept of worthy power, direct: “Who will be able to hold back requires flexibility, autonomy, an desirable dominion, legitimate author- - - ity to govern, act and organize in a worthy society. How far is such a world view a clear guide to a way of jung Road, Delhi, with all its armed bronze fortresses of inner weakness life? security was unable to protect the life and escapism, whether in an old The real problem lies in the criteria of a Prime Minister in 1984.) Vishtas- empire or in a contemporary anjuman of moral choice in a highly secular and pa promptly relents, does his higher or federation, materialistic age, in which the magic of duty, fights with heavy losses, but is “ the transcendental is almost totally victorious at the end. lost, religious roots are weak, and, un- v like our Achaemenian and Sassanian the “battle of man that will culminate righteous man, the preaching of the ancestors, we do not live as masters jjj our own cultural domain, but in varied non-Zoroastrian environments in all essentially the maintenance of Asha.” every one. It is a broad catholic mes- continents. The king (or office-holder) is only sage, not one of a religious sword-arm Prof James Russell of Colombia meant to be its embodiment. The of violence in word and deed. A major University, New York, illustrates the bronze fortress was the symbol of safe- need today is a Sassanian capacity to nature of moral choice by a compari- ty before duty, security without risk, acknowledge the autonomy of those son between Arjuna in the Hindu and escape before courageous action, different, and to be able to contain the and Vishtaspa in the Iianian tradition. In Yasna 44.6 it is said: “Rectitude is social costs of conflict — not brush dif- In the Gita, the means for a just re- vain, unless it expresses itself in ac- ferences under the carpet. No less, to solution of conflict between the Pan- tion. ” Today ’s bronze fortresses seem seek what binds. davas and the Kauravas had been ex- to be apathy, selfhood and lack of The last two World Zoroastrian hausted. But Arjuna, out of compas- commitment to clear, higher goals, as Congresses seemed to have brought sion for his kin, refuses to do his much in the led as in the leaders. some of us closer to the central moral Kshatriya duty and to fight. He is in a How far can we bring the Gathas issues of the age, and of the globe as a moral quandary, but not out of fear or and the lessons of Achaemenian and whole. And they seemed to offer some cowardice. Then his charioteer, Krish- Sassanian raj into our daily lives as pa- close parallels to the central core of na, an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu, rents, trustees, office-holders, and that ancient Zoroastrian values, in freedom tells him of the fallacy of his thinking too in a more secular, professional and of conscience, in bending the material in limited human or clannish terms; cosmopolitan world? It is only reason- to the spiritual, in a reverence for the that to fail to act is to allow the circle able to expect that the example continued on page 35 in the desirable kingdom, Kshathra gospel of Mazda to every race, the Vairyo... For Zoroastrians, kingship is perception of the presence of Mazda in 24 ParsianaJune 1987Keepers, of the I dead I The nassessalars accept death as a way of life justice and Mithra pronounces judg- of how they carried the body back, all ment. And at the end of the fourth those miles, quickly, before the sun day, while prayers are chanted in the positioned itself overhead or sank too quiet darkness preceding dawn, the low in the sky, and the auspicious soul is freed of all its worldly at- hours drew to a close. tachments; judgment is pronounced; and the soul proceeds to its destina- ably turns towards the future. With the tion. decrease in numbers of the Parsi com- But the pallbearers are not concern- munity, this band of pallbearers has ed with the immortal — only with the diminished too — there are now hardly gross, mortal remains. After a few 14 working men, not counting the old days,the nassessalars enter the dokhma and retired, who still live here. There Nothing has changed within the gates to sweep the bones into the depression will come a time when non-Parsis will of the Towers of Silence, although out- at the center where they will, eventual- carry the bodies — sacrilege! — or side, the city rushes to keep pace with ly, crumble and turn to dust. even a time when relatives will have to the changing times. Here, the rituals and prayers remain unchanged, the nassakhana, it is invariably to bottles Havovi Dubash And then the conversation invari- When the pallbearers return to the do the distasteful job themselves. --.—J This secluded hill in the middle of vultures still wait on the walls of the of country liquor that will keep them the city, is the pallbearers ’ world, dokhmas that were built and consecrat- going through the evening and into the What goes on outside has little bearing ed 300 years ago; and generations of night, while a small bulb burns before upon their lives. Their society is pallbearers have shouldered the iron a picture of Zarathushtra and the holy closely-knit — generations of young t*ier — first with their fathers, and then fire over the threshold. Sometimes, the men taking up the family profession with their sons. men grow bawdy, and drunken brawls In the bungli, the women wait for are sparked off by petty rivalries and I their men to return from the sagdi near jealousy. But usually, a pack of cards, | a forbidden cigarette and snorts of j snuff provide satisfying accompani- R ments to the liquor that flows each ¦ the dokhmas. And then the mourners return — some solemn, some chatter ­ ing animatedly about trivialities — death, a brief, unpleasant interlude, night. Drinking is an age-old tradition already in the background. But every here, a tradition that gave the nas- face is turned in passing to the nas- sakhana — home of the pallbearers — sakhana. Curious eyes stare at the dark, unshaven faces, the figures in white that lounge around on the ben- work — the weight of the body they ches — these men who work in such carried that day, the tips that have paid close proximity with death. " - - - When the mourners have gone, only the bereaved relatives remain to pray in the bungli for the next four days, while the soul hovers over its body and its loved ones — reluctant to leave — until Sarosha (divine intuition) leads the ce, when the pallbearers would walk to I soul to Chinvat, the bridge of judg- the home of the deceased, where the I ment, where Rashnu holds the scales of death ceremonies would be held. And 1 its name. Conversations center around their for tonight ’s liquor, and how many men it took to carry the body in. “And remember the time it took eight men to carry that fatso? ” There are reminis ­ cences of the old days, when 50-60 men were employed at the Towers of Silen- 2B ParsianaJune 1987 • « r ¦ ¦ 1 ¦ ¦ il ¦ A i « ¦ » • • « « a B e » • « S' • ,S IV r/L /JI ¦Lh 1( > with scorn and sarcasm each time he tells the tale of a woman who peered into the nassakhana from a distance, pointed to the black, stone slabs that serve as beds, and exclaimed to her companion — “Look, what lovely beds they ’ve made for the khan- dhiasV' Minoo Cooper, a pallbearer who re ­ tired recently after 30 years at the Towers, says, “Some people have grea ­ ter understanding — but the rest? What can you do? Recently we all went around their work — the weight of the body they carried that day, and the tips that have paid for tonight's liquor was from the Towers of Silence, he got where can we go now?) ” up suddenly, and left. ” These little in- For there is nowhere they can go. cidents crop up everywhere, and the without question, marrying the daugh- will take us, and put us in there. What resentment in their tones as they tell ters of their colleagues. Newspapers difference does it all make? ” And you about Parsis who sit down beside a are hardly ever read here and the only here, the young and the old have a pallbearer in a bus, but hurry away on politics that concern them are the poll- standard reply when asked how they recognising him; or about Parsis who tics of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, can carry corpses every day of their cross the street when they see a pall- which runs this place, and their muka- ------------------------------------------------- bearer. And Keki Wadia, a genial man, dam, Cowas Marolia, highest in the Cnnv/orcotlnnc nontor laughs hierarchy of pallbearers, with over 60 ^OnVerSailOllS Genial years of service. When the old men retire, they stay on at the chawls, their sons providing for them. If they are unmarried, they continue to live at the massakhana, sleeping on the stone platforms or ben ­ ches, their belongings locked up in a trunk, their clothes hanging in bundles from the walls, a pillow and a couple of sheets rolled up in a corner. Each man brings along his contribution to the nassakhana : another picture of lives. Have they never dreamt of doing for a gahambar and I got talking to Zarathushtra, or another calendar, or anything else? “Aadat pari jai, ” they some man. For a while, he was so nice a picture of Laxmi or Sai Baba, or a will say. “Ne avhe apre kahan jaiyel to me and then, when he heard that I couple of Commando comics, or a new (It has become a habit. And anyway, pack of cards. More often than not, those who stray into other professions, return at Most of them are drop-outs from bitterness, tempered with acceptance, some stage in their lives, like prodigal school, unskilled, unused to hard simmers. Visitors to the nassakhana sons, to the Towers of Silence, to the labor, with just enough money to live are invited in hesitantly; a cup of tea is work their forefathers have done. So, on, given to drink, and driven deeper proffered with a nervousness that turns the bus-driver with impaired vision, the into isolation by a society that shuns to relief when the cup is accepted. Most lame handcart-puller, the retired mill them. Parsis, it would seem, detect the aura superintendent, the unemployed gra ­ duate, have returned. It is rare, however, for a pallbearer pallbearer. Pallbearers cannot enter a ce. Yet, one day, these same men will to leave this secluded hill for the out- fire-temple until they have undergone a carry them away. side world of which he knows so little, nine-day purification ceremony — for Phiroze Bharucha, his old, wrinkled “What can we say about this death is impure, and the keepers of the face dotted with white bristles and work? ” says Pervez Vachcha, the for- dead, unclean. dominated by a huge, pitted nose, lazes mer bus-driver, with bloodshot eyes Most of the pallbearers will affirm at the nassdkhana all day. He is the and greying hair. “We are poor people this aspect of their lives with a nod and handcart-puller with the twisted foot, doing the work of God. One day they a shrug of their shoulders. But there is It was a job that he prized. Then, his cart rode over his left foot. Soon after, he left his wife and home, and, with nowhere to go, took up his father ’s ' profession. That was in 1969, and three IIf months ago he retired as a pallbearer. !.._L Once again, there is nowhere to go. So _ he stays at the nassakhana, cackling at the occasional bawdy joke, shuffling ||ta around talking about the old days, or ¦ sweating on the floor on hot summer ¦ afternoons, his feet cooling against the H wall. H Phiroze keeps a small, blue diary in ¦ the breast pocket of his shirt. He will ¦ produce it fumblingly for anyone who H stops to talk. Between its pages is the ¦ visiting-card of a well-to-do relative. ¦ Behind is scribbled the missive: “Re- Ij 1 ¦¦ ’il •I’ li il Many Parsi families, however poor, of death around the pallbearers, and will not associate with the family of a keep away from their ‘unclean ’ presen- l| li hi w 'h Most of the pallbearers will affirm at the nassdkhana all day. He is the I T! ParsianaJune 1987 i i ! I? Nassessalars at the Doongerwadi: secluded from the rest of society Photo courtesy: Imprint IH Hiedved from Mr Phfe-oie Bhm-ucha the you frankly, when I first came swn of Rs 9,000 for safe-keeping. ” here, I was really scared. Now it has This is all that remains of his retire- become'a habit. ” raent benefits —not nearly enough to buy or rent a house and live off for the are forgotten when the evening sets in, rest of his life. The rest of the diary is and Sam Makhaniya,a debonair young filled with small, black figures: what he man, going grey very subtly, dresses up spent his pension on, and a record of for the evening. There are several the amounts he has withdrawn from good-humored jibes about Makha- his capital — in tens and fifties and niya ’s many girl friends, as he marches hundreds. Phiroze adds, subtracts and out of the nassakhana in a snazzy black tots up his figures to make sure that all shirt, a silver chain around his neck, is well. Tucked away into the front smelling strongly of eau de cologne, cover is a photograph of his grand- But the misgivings of the afternoon Above: young nassessalar takes up the _ ’¦ There are some who feel that the children,, whom he hasn ’t seen for seve- pallbearers have ‘a low mentality ’ — ral years, and a picture of Zarathushtra because they drink and gamble; be- and Sai Baba pasted so that they ap- cause their small world is full of rival ­ pear shoulder-to-shoulder. There is ry, superstition and ignorance; because also a clipping from the Jam-e- they are known jto demand a tip each Jamshed, announcing the funeral of a time they leave a body to the vultures, young girl called Parveen, dated 1983. ‘‘She was a lovely lady, ” sighs Phi- Marolia who has not carried a body for roze, with a sad smile. Lovely, because the last eight years, spending his time she visited Phiroze at the "Towers of sitting on the wall or loping up and Silence when no one else did; lovely, down the hill, hanging on to his loose, because she sat up with him in hospital stained pyjamas. His colleagues still when he needed her and no one else remember him as a brash young man, a came. ‘‘You know the old saying? man who organized the lives of the Strangers are better than relatives, ” he other pallbearers, who was always says, tucking the clipping away. obeyed. Then, eight years ago, some- Sitting on the bench outside and fan- body decided he was getting too big for ning himself “in. the afternoon is Sam his boots, and had him beaten up out- Makhaniya, a ‘good Zoroastrian boy side the Towers of Silence. There were from a respectable family, ’ wondering rumors that an evil spell had been cast at the fate that has brought him here, upon him to weaken his spirit and ‘‘What brought me here? Luck, ” he strength. Whether it was true or not, says, tapping his forehead. ‘‘And to Marolia came to believe in the rumor. ‘‘They have ruined my career, ” says family profession Marolia, his strong brown face very sio- lemn. ‘‘They gave me such a shock eight years ago, that now I cannot work. ” Every day brings a fresh resol- he was wearing terrycot pants. Nine ve to approach the Punchayet and ask liters of kerosene — in two days he was for his job back. But there ’s something finished. ” She smiles at you and her that keeps him from asking, something son smiles too, from her bosom. Then that keeps him from working. And the she goes back to watching the children thought of leaving the Towers of Silen- play. ce never even occurs to him. And the children will grow up to Up at the chawl the pallbearers ’ carry the dead into the dokhmas, to children play amidst the tall trees and marry their neighbors or their cousins, the banana plants, while their parents Or perhaps they will grow up and leave sit flapping at the flies or dozing in the the Towers of Silence, for already, sunlight. Nargish Cooper, wife of through the resignation and accep- Minoo Cooper, stands on her verandah tance, you can discern an odd grumb- with her washing drying all around her, ling remark — ‘‘This is worse than a watching the children play. She is tiny slaughterhouse ” — and a shame-faced and white-haired, and quite deaf. Ir^ dissatisfaction when a pallbearer says: respective of what you seem to be say- “Ajub che. Jahre bijaon na ghero ing, she will tell you about Maneck, her bare, tahre apra choola bare (It ’s son, a pallbearer too, whose smiling strange. When another person ’s for- photograph she wears inside a locket: tunes burn, that is when our stoves are ‘‘He committed suicide — nine liters of lighted). ” kerosene — and lighted a match. And One victim of superstition is Rusi t , • I- 4 ? 4 *• »> ¦5^. 5S., 29 Parsiana June 1987 Left: bird’s-eye view of an unused dokhma in Bombay KepritUed with permission from Impriot My I98i fj I \I I Doongerwadi rates fixed The rates payable for performing different ceremonies at the Towers of Silence were also finalized by the BPP ’ after consulting the priests. Every mobed officiating at ceremonies at the Doongerwadi is expected to carry a copy of these rates and show it to the client on demand. Though the BPP did not issue a press release disclosing the rates, so as not to offend the sensibili ­ ties of the priests concerned, Parsiana felt it would be in the interests of the community to make known the A spate of letters in the Parsi Press For providing a new set of clothes to complaining that many bereaved fami- khandhias lies were being arbitrarily charged at (While formerly there was a distinc- charges so that bereaved families the Bombay Doongerwadi, led the tion between nassessalars whose pre- could anticipate the amount of money Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) to sence was necessaiy at the time of geh thev would require. issue a public circular announcing the sarna, and khandhias who would carry Thus the purpose of publishing the charges payable (effective April 15, the body to the dokhma, this distinc- rates is to assist community members, 1987) for services rendered there. tion no longer holds good due to pauc- and the priesthood should not take off- ity of khandhias, explained Ms Gool ence. By publicizing the rates, upcoun- Tata, joint secretary of the BPP.) try anjumans could also be informed Rs 82.50 per set of new clothes com- of the charges prevalent in Bombay For lower For upper prising: dagli (overcoat) lenga and set their rates accordingly. It is bungli bungli (pants), sudreh, dastaana (gloves), also open to the community members From Parsee General Hospital From Colaba to Byculla From Byculla to Mahim From Mahim to Bandra FromBandrato Andheri From Andheri and beyond From Thana From Kalyan Hiring hearse for conveyance to Doongerwadi try anjumans could also be informed bungli (overcoat) Rs 15 Rs 25 Rs 35 Rs 40 Rs 45 Rs 30 kaanbandhan (kind of skullcap), gadi to pay more than the rates prescribed, (shoulder rest), topi (cap), haath if they so desire. And it is hoped that paiwand (piece of tape looped at each those who can afford to, will. For geh sarna Lower bungli Upper bungli For two mobeds RslOO Rsl20 Rs 50 end to the hand of a khandhia) and chiriyu (shreds for tying dead body) Rs 60 Rs IQ Rs 120 i. RslOO For khandh (carrying the corpse from bungli to dokhma) Rs ID per person For gehan (biers) New bier (38 kgs) Rs 55 Rs 125 New bier (28.5 kgs) Rs 80 Rs 200 New bier (19 kgs) Rs 120 Rs 250 Old bier (of any weight) Rs 125 For bungli rent inclusive of electricity Upper bunglis Albless Bungli Hodiwalla Bungli Wadia Bungli Bhabha Bungli Bennet Bungli Lower bunglis Darwish and Tarachand For uthamna (evening and morning) Rs 51 per mobed, per ceremony. Five mobeds needed for single uthamna, and seven mobeds needed for jorani Rs 180 uthamna kriya (if the deceased was Rs 140 married). Rs 100 Rs 25 For dhup nirang kriya (recitations by one or two priests, as part of the For consigning dead bodies at the uthamna ceremony , reminding the dokhma congregation that the fragrance cre- Rs 80 ated symbolizes the joyous destiny of a Rs 15 righteous soul) Rs 30 Rs 15 per mobed Rs 9 During muktad days, the charges for geh sarna and uthamna shall be one and a half time the above rate, plus Rs 40 reasonable taxi fare. Rs 20 Rs 5 For bhoi patharna (prayers before the and thereafter before an oil Rs 335 Adults (regular) Rs 335 Adults (concessional) Rs 165 Children (regular) Rs 85 Children (concessional) Rs 85 (j For performance of sachkar (prayers recited whilst placing the body on the marble slabs after bathing it at the bungli) Rs 10 per person inclusive of one hearse driver For hathing a female body at the bungli clothes worn by the khandhias, biers family members can themselves recite Rs 10 per person for two ladies and divas, to the bungli supervisor . any Avestan prayers.) For t/ivas (lamps) (each) Rs 14 For four days For one day Extras (per diva) corpse Charges for hearse, bungli, khandh lamp, for the soul's progress) and consignment at the dokhma Rs 10 per hour per mobed, but the should be paid to the Mehtaji (clerk); clients have to pay the panthaky or the for sachkar and bathing of a dead agent at the rate of Rs 15 per hour. (If body, to the manager; and for new unable to afford a priest ’s services, any Avestan prayers.) I li i' II 31 ParsianaJune 1987MUSIC Giving public performances since she was nine years old, pianist Zenobia Vakil-Patel continues to enthrall music lovers if i f Music at her finder tips f Jeroo Irani The fingers of the diminutive concert playing. As you grow older, you start pianist ripple over the ivory keyboard feeling a little shaky, ” she says, of the piano with nonchalant ease. In- The problem that a pianist faces is vited to Sydney by the Australian that he or she cannot cart the familiar Zoroastrian Association (AZA) of piano on a concert tour, like “a violin- New South Wales, Ms Zenobia Vakil- ist his violin and the singer his voice. ” Patel ’s recent pianoforte recital was in For this reason, Vakil-Patel prefers to aid of the AZA building fund. practice, a few days prior to the per ­ Even while the flutelike melodies formance, on the instrument she is and soothing harmonies were still re- likely to use for the concert. “When I Sonating in the Australian air, the performed at the Monash University ’s pianoforte,virtuoso flew to Hong Kong Robert Blackwood Hall which, in ­ to give a concert at the invitation of cidentally, has the best accoustics in the Hong Kong anjuman. Part of a Australia, I tried out the piano just a five-week concert tour of Australia few hours prior to the show, and Hong Kong, the pianist ’s second There were other problems - a bomb concert in Sydney was organized by scare on the Sydney-Melbourne leg the Australian Society for Keyboard which meant a three and a half hour Music and the two in Melbourne by wait in the aircraft; inclement weather the University of Melbourne and in Hong Kong which broke io the Monash University. afternoon of the day of tlte concert. Confessing that she feels the normal Other than this, Vakil-Patel is*ecstatic and expected degree of nervousness about the beauty of Australia and prior to a concert, Vakil-Patel made Hong Kong, and the hospitality of the her first concert appearance at the age Parsis in both places, “who really of nine in Bombay. The first and re- looked after me. ” portedly the only Indian so far to have As much at ease in the drawing- graduated with the highest honors as a room as in a concert hall, Vakil-Patel concert pianist from the Mozart describes herself as an extrovert. If she Academy of Music in Salzburg, Vakil- were given the chance to live her life Patel performed Mendelssohn ’s Piano over again, and if for some reason she Concerto in G Minor when she was could not opt for the musical field, her just 13 years old. As a child prodigy, second choice would be the diplomatic she would cheerfully clamber onto the service, she says. Having given recitals stool on the stage and launch into her in Austria, Poland, Germany, Lon- piano recital. “Today, I feel a certain don, Pakistan, Delhi and Bombay, amount of nervousness is good for my and having mingled equally with pro- j 33 ParstanaJune 1967* I? !' J I i' If il I n Hi 'i! J' L f 1 fessional and amateur musicians and — ---------------------------------- —— Vakil-Patel attributes her musical world renowned teachers of music. Th© PrOblGITl that 3 gifts to having been born in a family of Vakil-Patel exudes the air of being an r>Jonio+ io +ko+ amateur musicians where the atmos- accomplished woman of the world. pialllSL TaCGS IS LliaL phere was saturated with music. By However, her deeply rooted feeling Up qi- qlqp pannnt PPirt ^^e time she was three, the little girl for the tonal art comes across forcibly N I'-'L '^ai L j^ad set her heart passionately on be- in the hour-long interview. the tamiliar piano on coming a musician. She feels she owes “People tend to think that a concert rnnrort i r gratitude to her parents Din ­ pianist merely gives concerts. A con- d CUllGGl L LOU I bai and Hormusji Vakil (Vakil-Patel cert pianist has to earn the degree —--------------- has a double-barrelled surname as she which is recognized the world over and al music. ” The son, however, has a has built her reputation as a pianist on is tough to get. For the exam, you have weakness for pop music which the her maiden name) who encouraged your director who does not judge and mother fondly indulges. “I now prac- her to become what she is today. By a jury of 12 to assess your perform tice only when there is a concert in the the time she was four, she was playing ance, ” says the pianist. In the course offing, yet I lead a very active life, play the piano like a veteran and could pick of her musical studies, Vakil-Patel stu- for the Cantata Choir and the Bombay up most tunes by ear. died the theory of music, harmony, the Christian Choir twice a week. I get After completing her music studies history of music, etc. “If you were to bored doing nothing — I am a typical in Bombay under the late Sarah Titina ask me now to sit for the same exam Gemini, ” she confides, touching upon (“who was like a mother to me ”) and again, I would say ‘never again, ’’’she another of her life ’s passions — astrol- thereafter under Shanti Seldon and vehemently shakes her short cropped ogy. Tehmina Patel, she went to Salzburg, hair. It is said that if a man is not musical. Winner of several scholarships, she What makes a good musician? In- he cannot be very spiritual. And if is also the first Indian to be awarded born talent, combined with hard work, music is entirely a thing of the spirit, it the West German Academic Exchange and some ambition, is her opinion, is not difficult to believe Vakil-Patel ’s Society Scholarship for music and stu- Some people have loads of talent but statement that she prays for an hour died at the Music Academy in Munich no ambition nor any desire to work at and a half every day. While she is under the internationally known it. “Such people can ’t get anywhere, proud to be a Parsi, she has more non- teacher Prof Friedrich Wuehrer. She Also, there must be... ” she trails off, Parsi than Parsi friends. “The Sethna has performed as a soloist with the groping for the right English word. “I Agiary at Tardeo was built by my Camarata Academica, Salzburg and speak German, you see, and think in maternal grandmother, ” she adds, to with the Bad Reichenhall Philharmo- German as well, ” she adds, by way of emphasize her Parsi roots. nic Orchestra in West Germany, explanation. “What I mean is that a Under the sponsorship of the Max person must have a certain direc- w||||||||||||||||||h z Mueller Bhavan and the Indo-German tion...a goal, he must know where he 5 Cultural Society, the pianist has made is going. ” | concert appearances India. Ultimately-, music can be a deman- < A proficient accompanist, Vakil-Patel ding mistress who can draw blood and has played with both foreign and local wring the soul. But she is kind to her abroad and in India, disciples when they bring talent to her in the musical arena, the composers service. “Such disciples are not forgot- who fill Vakil-Patel with delight are states Vakil-Patel. Life may use Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, the Beethovens and Schuberts harshly amongst many others. And her prefer- but tirne makes it up to them. ences seem to have determined her Vakil-Patel s life used to revolve .style, for, as a German paper rhapso- around music in the days before she" dized after a performance 4n West graduated from the Mozart Academy Germany: “We had great pleasure to where she studied under celebrated hear Zenobia Vakil of Bombay as teachers such as Heinz Scholz, Geza soloist in the Mozart D Major Concer- Anda, Bernhard Paumgartner, Erich to with the Philharmonic Orchestra Werba (song accompaniment) and En- under the baton of Dr Wilhelm Barth, neo Mamardi (chamber music). “Af- she performed with great ease and ter spending hours at the academy, I self-confidence...the way she brought would practice for five to six hours at to life, with the freshness of spring, the home. In the evening, I would go for spirit of Mozart... and her reproduc- concerts and operas. Today, having tion seemed as if from her own soul to blend a demanding career with came the world of musical thoughts of looking after her husband, teenage son the Salzburg master...Her runs and her home, Vakil-Patel has to seemed like strings of pearls, her fault ­ phase out of her teaching commit- less pedalling and her great musicality ments. Fortunately , both my husband brought her the thunderous ovation Jehangir and son Karl enjoy classic- she so richly deserved. ” The problem that a pianist faces is that the familiar piano on a concert tour It is said that if a man is not musical, 34 ParsianaJune 1987 i i 1 I i i I i bt IN MEMORIAM 4. At a condolence meeting at the Pakistan Montessori Teachers ’ Train ­ ing School, leading educationists of Karachi, friends and pupils paid tri ­ butes to Rustomji. “Her untiring ¦ as also “her joy in disseminating know- WA _ __________ ledge to children ” were her chief char- ^^atr^akaS^a"(An acteristics as recapitulated in the May- June newsletter of the Informal Reli- ^‘Disseminating knowledge” Died: Gool Rustomji, 71, who along work in the service of^humanity' with her husband Behram worked on ’ the English translation of Dastur M.N. Dhalla ’s book autobiography), and was a Montessori ---------------- directress in Karachi, on April 14, gious Meetings'Diist Fund, Kajachb 1987. ’ “To keep alive the memory The Karachi Theosophical Society of this convened a memorial meeting on May iO Keep alive uie iiivin^-rxj vx fc***uF - ------------------------- .. great. . .sage-savant, (his) personal life, 8,1987 in honor of Rustomji, a dedi- ® ® cated student of theosophy and one of ! struggles and I 1 9^ < y ¦Fl Bonshahi: popularized Persian (its) helpful members. ” Willing to shoulder responsibility, Gool devoted “ her time and effort ” to Families Welfare Society and the Parsi welfare organization), and her ciriation for^Kh^e. services were much sought after , summarizes Minwalla. Born in Yokohama, Rustomji ’s first five formative years were spent in Japan, where t — fluent Japanese. Subsequently edu ­ cated in r the deeper problems of life, ” Rustom- _ __________ _ ¦ - • .” The works of famous Persian authors and a constant source of fas- different organizations like the Poor dreds of couplets in Persian. Karachi Zarthosti Banoo Mandal (a poets were He is credited with founding a girls ’ school in his birth place in Iran which has been functioning for the last 51 vears. though his own education was she learnt to speak restricted to an elementary stage. For his efforts in popularizing Per ­ Pahlavi Medal by the late Shah of ‘Bombay and ^nurVsted in sian in India. Khaze was awarded the ra'Xe'^d ird^wa's ’^^^^^^ Iran. He was also the Indian ^rres- guided by Karachi ’s well-known phi- pondent for over three decades for the lanthropist Jamshed Nusserwanjee npw«nan..r Rtteiaat. Mehta and philosopher Dastur Dr Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, notes a press release. Iranian newspaper Ettelaat. continued from page 24 ivivaav^ natural environment. There seems to RustomiHs survived by her husband be some convergence between the cen- OtX li*^^**^*^ *•***• J l-A ___ ' a. CF*1s the Rustomjis jointly Behram and three daughters. A Persian poet ideals, aspirations achievements, ” t. , labored over the 700 odd page transla ­ tion of Dr Dhalla ’s autobiography which Parsiana serialized in 31 instal- rand ^ru*oTof''s:v;;aTp;n^^^^ war, violen^, poUntion ^ncolo^^ ly ano mo Y and noems on Mav 10 1987, in Bom- stress, social injustice, and a naked wntes husband Behram ___ and poems, on May lu, 19»z, materialism in which a life-style of self- rirheTiifrrra-s^^^ directress in the schools and very soon Khaterat-e Khaze (memoirs of Khaze) agement for sustainable productivity KarachF Rustomii came to be known Khaze Book-Sellers, an establishment a higher quality of life. In short, the ¦ SrSSi^jraiS s.^r^xr^h: ”:^tUra.:5 , SracW TheXS Society, alSo beUeved to have composed “hun- non and hvmg. tral issues as posed by the physical sci ­ ences and by Zoroastrian tenets of old. Those central issues may be simply de- _ scribed as the . moral choice between Died: Ardeshir Khodaram Bonshahi, life-destroying forces (Ahriman) - Khaterat-e Khaze (memoirs of Khaze) agement for sustainable productivity and Kuliyat-e Khaze (poems of and social justice, a blend of the spir- Khaze), notes a press release issued by itual and the material in the jmrsuit of Khaze Book-Sellers, an establishment a higher he founded in Bombay in 1931 to ' ~ Persian to schools, col- a eulogy to tier colleague in inc ivicty uiciaiuiv m , j- u • 'SI supplement brought out by the leges and universities in India. He is 35 ParsianaJune 1987 r I ! r 4 --<