Apr 1994

I I I- I- L L 2 r « I c c «s- <» -J £ CL < •uV' > A? ¦k'«»- •*WS'* a • V- -; l.-^ - California Contemporary Dancers led by ' Yasmen Mehta Mf'. *«> ¦¦ -liWi.-. ,'j^ .* ¦K’-. wApril 1994 Volume 16 Numbers EDITOR Jehangir R. Patel MANAGING EDITOR Arnavaz S. Mama EXECUTIVE EDITOR Parinaz M. Gandhi SENIOR EDITOR Dina Mehta ASSISTANT EDITOR Roxana A. Driver CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Gustasp Irani DESIGN Kranti M. Shilotri, Varghese W. Fernandez MARKETING DIRECTOR Veera Patel ADVERTISING MANAGER Zarin Mistry ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE Niloufer Panthaky FINANCE B. L. Arora EDP Rohinton E. Daroga DTP Bakhtavar R. Batliwalla, K. P. Ravi 2 Readers* Forum 10 Events and Personalities 14 Zoroastrians Abroad 18 Seventh All India Zoroastrian Youth Seminar by Arnavaz Mama 24 Yasmen Mehta: Driven by dance by Parinaz Gandhi 28 Bahrot Caves: Surface evidence by Roxana Irani 30 Iranian pilgrimage...ll by Ardeshir Damania 37 How authentic is the ’ Ah d- nameh l by Ali Jafarey SUBSCRIPTION/CIRCULATION Khurshid Panthaki, Bindu Pillai MANAGEMENT Jasmine Driver 40 Books 44 Milestones OFFICE Nowzer Batliwala OFFICE ASSISTANTS Umesh Poojary, Selvan Mark, Sunil Sakhare, Pramod Patil, Govind Salgaonkar, Mahipat Jadhav 48 In Memoriam Cover: Yasmen Mehta and her troupe perform Saf fro n Parsiana is published by Jehangir R. Patel for Parsiana Publications Pvt Ltd at C/o H. L.Rochat, Navsari Chambers, ground floor, 39 A.K.Nayak Marg, Fort, Bombay 400001 and printed by him at Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd, 300 Perin Nariman Street, Bombay 400001. Color processing, Comart Lithographers; black and white processing, Samir Scantech Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. ISSN: 0971-3786 Phone: 2048730 Fax; 2042922. For editorial enquiries 2048183 Tlx: 11-85710 RABO IN. For subscription enquiries and payments; C/o Kaiser-E-Hind Pvt Ltd, 300 Perin Nariman St (Behind Reserve Bank of India) Bombay 400001. Phone:2658619, 2665661 Annual inland subscription Rs 125 forjone year (10 issues): Rs 225 for two years (20 issues). Foreign subscription rates; Sea mail Rs 350/US $ 12/UK £ 7 for one year, Rs 550/US $ 20/UK £ 12 for two years (please allow six months or more from the time of publication); Air mail Rs 600/US $ 25/UK £ 15 (tor Pakistan, Indian Rs 320) for one year, Rs 1,100/US $ 48/UK £ 28 (for Pakistan, Indian Rs 600) for two years. For Indian upcountry cheques add Rs 5 for bank charges; for US cheques add $ 5; for UK cheques add £ 3. Cheques and drafts are to be drawn in favor of Parsiana and posted to GPO Box 892, Bombay 400001.READERS' FORUM Readers* views are welcome on any subject of Interest to the community and should be sent to the Editor, Readers' Forum, Parsiana, G.P.O. Box 892, Bombay 400001. Letters are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity. Unsigned letters or those without an address will not be published. ___ - —......—-w 2• I stand in awe at the blatant arrogance Cooverii Hormasji Bhabha was the first with which Dastur Firoze. Kotwal and ¦__________ ¦ Ervad Peshotan Peer dictate their own ment in any country in the world. He was axioms to the Zoroastrian community, appointed commerce minister in the Yet, they establish their dogma and sanc- cabinet of the first government of inde- tify their opinions by alluding to ‘ our pendent India by Prime Minister Nehru venerated scriptures! ” As a Zoroastrian I in 1947. Dr R.C.COOPER ask them to enlighten us on the contents and the origin of the so quoted "scrip ­ tures. ” One does not need a doctorate degree to be aware and accept that: •during the era that our Righteous bers of the Parsi community, Mr cabinet minister in a national govern ­ ment in any country in the world. He was cabinet of the first government of inde ­ Dr R.C. COOPER Singapore This refers to your article “The Presi ­ dent ’s man, ” Parsiana, (January 1994). The late Cooverji H. Bhabha was _ Minister for Commerce in India in 1947 Teacher (and at all times Asho Zarthosht and 1948. addresses himself as thus) started his en- Surely this makes him “the first Parsi lightening process in the region of (Zoroastrian) cabinet minister in a na- Greater Iran, the art of writing and gra- tional government in any country in the phology had not been established. Con- world. addresses himself as thus) started his en- Greater Iran, the art of writing and gra- Ms KHORSHED R. K. S. GHANDHI sequently the Gathas, the divine songs of Zarathushtra, are in verse to facilitate memorization. •the only veritable and authentic scrip ­ tures are the Gathas, memorized by the members of his entourage and handed Parsiana regrets the error. “JRD: the last rites... Amavaz Mama ’s piece (“JRD: the last - u . u rites and wrongs, ” Parsiana, January down for generations, unW the Ach^- 1994) covers many points. Still I find ' ¦“ that an important point has been omitted. Mama mentions that Dr Peer was given two alternatives by the trustees of the N. declin^ to*submit his resignation, he talist clergies and clerical bodies, was sacked. The important aftermath has " ’ " ’ not been reported. Soon thereafter, a meeting of the or- - thodox was held at Dadar on December thushtra by Dr I. J. S. Taraporewalla); 19, 1993. Some 40 orthodox ladies and “The priests of Falsehood never show gentlemen partook of a sumptuous lunch. regard After discussing various definitions of For Thy Commands and Laws to love the word orthodox and diverse ways of and guard Our Mother-Earth, — Her fighting the reformists in India and US, it servants they deceive; menids finally inscribed it in the Ara ­ maic language. •the scriptures, that Dastur Kotwal and Ervad Peer refer to and quote as sacro- R. Tata Agiary, Bandra. As the mobed sanct, were generated by the fundamen- To Kolwal and Peer I quote the true words of Asho Zarthosht (all translations are from The Divine Songs of Zara- “The priests of Falsehood never show regard After discussing various definitions of For Thy Commands and Laws to love “The President’s man” I have read with great interest the news item referring to the appointment of Mr Kershasp Choksy as Ae Minister for Government of the Republic of Sri was decided to form a World Organisation These False Ones through false teach- Lanka in May 1993 fThe President ’s ---- - -------- man, ” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, January 1994). Mr Choksy ’s perfor- ...o — - ------------ ------------------ „ mance is indeed creditable. among those who attended were too em- i!?' However, to set the record straight, I barrassed to participate in the meaning- (Vohu-Xsatra 14 — Yas Ji-i4j would like to make one observation. In less discussions. An International Con- In reference to ^eir comment about a this news item, it is mentioned that Mr ference of Orthodox Zoroastrians gCOZ) marriage outside the community being a Choksy became “the first Parsi (Zoroas- was mooted and the same, it is said, will sin and reg^ded as adultery, trian)..^ cabinet minister in a national “tear the masks (off) many reformists. ” “These words I speak to maidens truly government in any country in the world. ” What will be the ultimate outcome of To the best of my knowledge, and as this latest regrouping remains to be seen, and to their comrades young; hear them will be well remembered by senior mem- b. a. tafd in min , ings, evil deeds, ____________________ At last into destruction shall be led; ars did not attend the meeting. Some In the abode of Untruth shall they among those who attended were too em- barrassed to participate in the meaning ­ less discussions. An International Con- of Orthodox Zoroastrians (WOOZ). Of course, some dasturs and orthodox schol- B. A. TAFn 2 Parsiana April 1994And understand them deep within your souls. Bring down Vohu Man ’ in your lives on Earth. Let each one strive the other to surpass In Asa ’s Truth, in Vohu Mano ’s Love; Thus each one surely shall reap rich reward. ” (Vahista-Isti 5 - Yas 53.5) is Asho Zarthosht ’s prayer for marital bliss. There is naught of censure and punish ­ ment as now displayed by the two priests. As for their opinion “in the eyes of God neither is entitled to obsequial ceremonies, ” may I ask from what source Dastur Kotwal gets his information? And through the command of which omnipo ­ tent power he has been given the divine right to proscribe or abrogate? “Of all these sinners none doth under ­ stand What true and lasting progress might imply. This can be learnt from life on earth alone. The ‘Fiery Test of Truth ’ proclaimed by Thee; The final end of sinners, Ahura, Were best, O Mazda, judged by Thee alone. ” (Ahunavaiti 5.7 — Yas 32.7) To those who pay respect undue and acceptance unchallenged to the voices of fundamentalists 'with fanatical selfmade axioms and laws, I advise: Revise the points of history. For historical events have formed our present day circum ­ stances and destiny. The conquest of the Sasanian Empire and consequently the Zoroastrian faith was not due to the power of large armies nor powerful con ­ querors. The fall of the Empire and the change from our faith to Islam came from within as the result of obdurate and sterile laws and harsh religious rules en ­ forced by the priests and clerical assem ­ blies. The people were tired and unwill ­ ing to carry out the restrictive, unprac ­ tical and tyrannical laws set by mobeds. Thus the enlightening teaching of Zara- thushtra was obscured by bigoted or ­ thodox rules. By enforcing antiquated fa ­ natical rules, the best portion of the Zo ­ roastrian community, namely our youn ­ ger generation, will be lost to us forever: “They surely are distorters of His Word, Who as quite mortal sinners brand the men That gaze with clear eyes on Earth and Sun; E’en pious minds they twist towards Untruth, And poison thus our Spirit ’s nourish ­ ment; Tis their uplifted weapon ’gainst the Truth. ” (Ahunavaiti 5.10 — Yas 32.10) Although bom unto a ^roastrian family, today I am a Zoroastrian by choice and not due to a birthright. “I’ll speak about the Greatest One of all. Praising Him, Lord of Wisdom, through His Truth, And all the Lords of Wisdom that are His; May He through His Good Spirit hear our call. Through Vohu Man ’ my Faith to Him I pledge. He, in his Wisdom guides me to his Light. ” (Ustavaiti 3.6 - Yas 45.6) Good mind is an enlightened and pro- gressive mind, the greatest gift, after life itself, that has been given to mankind by Ahura Mazda. Good words mark the height of achievement in communica ­ tion. Good deeds signify the basic quality necessary for human brings ’ tangible progress in life. Dastur Kotwal and Best Wishes From RUSY & PURVIZ SHROFF 4 Parsiana April 1394 LIt is, I suppose, beyond the compre- years ago, and which seems to be true hension of perverse and petty purveyors worship at the holy well of Bhikha belonged to no one in particular and to Behram in Churchgate Street that has all humanity in general. ¦/ There are occasions when I am in the last 20 or 25 years. Another proof ashamed to call myself a Parsi, and this is the fact that only a year or so ago the is such a one. Parsi Press was flooded with the solemn Ervad Peer show none of the above in After reading about the controversy sur- perstition, bigotry and fanaticism is also their practice of the faith of Zarathushtra. rounding the uthamna of J.R.D. Tata, I phenomenally large for so small a com- I have been privileged to have known am reminded of what a very great Parsi munity. ” quite a few enlighten^, progressive and scholar wrote about the Parsis nearly 50 assertive mobeds in my own lifetime. To them goes the greatest homage of all. even today. I quote: “Not only Hindus of organized religion, with all the They were indeed the prodigal children and Muslims, but also the ‘highly edu- of our Teacher and Leader Asho cated ’ yet woefully uncultured Parsis Zarthosht. My point is only with those have certainly grown more bigoted and into any small slot created by organized introverts whose shortsightedness con- more superstitious in the last 50 years: a religion. If ever there was a truly good demns the genes of our next generation living proof of this fact is the rank fetish human being, it was J. R. D. Tata who into degeneration, our progressive adults - - -............................ into revolt and the mature into senility. Personally I knew him not. However, ^rung up and grown phenomenally only I pray in Z^athushtra ’s words for J. R. D. Tata to “gain Eternal Life as his reward; ” and take the opportunity to ex- Parsi Press was flooded with the solemn What someone has said about Christi- press my most heartfelt condolence to his declarations made by Parsi MAs and anity may also be said about Zoroastrian- loved ones. As a Zoroastrian, albeit an PhDs of Indian and European universi- Iranian one, I pay homage to the Tata family whose generosity of spirit has es- was the very foundation of the Zoroas- Christ has to be tested. ” Can what these tablished them as “Veritable Zarthoshtis ” trian religion. The percentage of super- two priests are saying ever be the reli- by their humanitarian acts, by creating stitious fools and fanatics is perhaps gion taught by Zarathushtra? vast industrial, commercial and financial higher in this ‘highly-educated, ’ but de- r,k.sanjana entities and founding educational institu- cidedly shallow-brained community tions, through which thousands of human than in any other community in India; “YoU have tO leave...” beings, Zoroastrian or otherwise, have and the number of ‘highly educated ’ but I read Ms Firuza Shah ’s arguments benefited. mjHROozehyeganegi utterly unscrupulous humbugs and hypo- against protesting to Saudi Arabia about Middlesex, England crites who sedulously cncouragc this su- religious discrimination against Mr mumbo-jumbo and bigotry attached to it, that J. R. D. Tata was too big a man to fit ism. I quote, “Christianity has been ties, that the sacred urine of holy bulls tested and has failed. Now the religion of was the very foundation of the Zoroas- trian religion. The percentage of super - IB MATCH YOUR AMBITION TO A CAREER To do so we offer you: Diploma Course in Business Management (Postal) (IMC) Executive Secretarial Course Private Secretarial Course Personal Assistant ’s Programme (Working Stenographers) Shorthand & Typewriting (English/Hindi/Marathi) Telephone Operating & Receptionist Techniques <> Electronic Telex Operating Electronic Typewriting & Word Processing English Conversation & Writing Skills LATEST ADDITION: COMPUTERS Enquire at: Sir J. J. College of Commerce 14, Nanabhoy Lane, Hutatma Chowk Bombay 400001 Tel: 244329 6 Parsiana April 1994Chichgar, and understand her concern for 20 years, and having had contact with the tian scripture and tradition (“Religious other Zarthoshtis working there (“You Middle East Arabian countries my atten- Trends in early Islamic Iran, ” have to leave, ” Readers ’ Forum, tion was drawn by the Saudi London rep- Bibliotheca Persica, Columbia Lectures Parsiana, January 1994). But, I am also resentative during an interview when he on Iranian Studies, Edited by Ehsan concerned that if we keep quiet today, it said, “I know your religion is ‘Mazda Yarshater, No 4).” It is not surprising, will not stop victimization of other Yasni. ’” therefore, to find that “There are signifi- Zarthoshtis tomorrow, albeit piecemeal. Learned Arabs know more of the cant differences in the fates of the three In Europe, when some Jews were mis- Mazda Yasni religion than merely Zoro- religions after the Moslem conquest. Zo- treated, or killed, other Jews did not pro- astrian which came later, historically, test, justifying that the victims probably Hence, we should expound the “Mazda caused their own problem, and fearing Yasni ” themes in our Zoroastrian reli- that protest would unnecessarily put gion so that the Saudis and others in the them and others in trouble. As we well Middle East can easily understand us. know, when the time came for those who were silent to be victimized, other “safe ” Jews did the same thing. Ultimately, all roastrianism fared worst (op cit p. 17),” which would not be the case had Coorlawala ’s contentions been true. Since Salman died before Ali became a Caliph, why would Ali sign a treaty de- R. p. BiLLiMORiA cades later, especially when he spent most of his time barely managing civil ------------------------------------------- , wars? It is not surprising therefore that J. Jews were victimized, and the rest of the “Whither, ParsianaV^ E. Saklatwalla regrets in his biography of world was not even fully aware of their In response to Ms Soonu Jal ’s letter Salman that Salman is “hopelessly ig- tragedy. (“Whither, ParsianaT' Readers ’ Forum, nored ... and where some mention is Mr Chichgar ’s is not an isolated case Parsiana, September-December 1993) I made, it is so deprecatory as to imply of discrimination against Zarthoshtis. In would like to clarify that the Holiday that Salman was a person of no conse- the 1970s when I applied for a position at Programme for Youth (HPY) is not just quence... Encyclopaedia Britannica, the University of Riyadh, I was verbally confined to Bombay but also welcomes 14th edition, has not his name even in its told that since I was a Zoroastrian I any Parsi youth from any part of the general index, the Shah Namah, written would not get the position. My office country who has just appeared for the Std by a Muslim has not the least mention colleague who was a Muslim from Paki- X exam be it SSC, ICSE or CBS. Ad- about him. ” The facts given by Stan with lesser qualifications, also had missions are strictly on a first-come-first- Saklatwalla in his biography border applied for the same category of posi- served basis. pathethically on the level of fable. tions, and he got the job. I also know of The admission forms for 1994 are Since Coorlawala refers to Louis another Zarthoshti who had a similar ex ­ perience. We do not have to protest in an impo ­ lite manner. We can present it as a fact- finding inquiry, and in the process, edu ­ cate the Saudi officials about our religion — that we also believe in one God, that we do not worship fire instead of God, Bernard Lewis explains how the Zoroas- that we consider fire as a sacred symbol, trians must have come to be regarded as just as the cross is a sacred symbol for the People of the Book by the Moslem Christians, that we are not aligned with rulers of Iran: “The Quran recognizes Ju- the government of Iran (with whom the daism, Christianity and a rather problem- Saudis have political friction), that atic third party, the religion of the Salman Farsi was a Zarthoshti adviser to Sabians... ” The inclusion of the not very prophet Mohammed who asked his fol- precisely identified Sabians made it pos- lowers to treat the people of his commu- sible, by legal interpretation, to extend nity with special favor. the kind of tolerance accorded to Jews Maybe, by having a dialogue with and Christians much more widely, first to Saudi officials our community represen- Zoroastrians in Persia, later to Hindus in tatives could find out the real cause of India and other groups elsewhere (Jhe their discriminatory attitude, and by edu- Jews of Islam, Princeton University eating them about our true beliefs and Press, 1984).” practices, we could convince them to re ­ spect our religion and people as friendly University of Oxford, observes that even and non-threatening to Saudi Arabia and though Zoroastrianism thus gained the Islam. MANECK N. BHUJWALA status of the “book religion ” tolerated by San Jose. Ca. USA the Quran, it “was unequivocally con ­ demned as a false religion. Its founder I refer to the correspondence regarding was a pseudo prophet without any trace Mr R. Chichgar ’s enforced departure of divine authority. Muslims thus had no from Saudi Arabia (“You have to incentive to examine the Zoroastrian leave... ” Parsiana, January 1994). heritage for elements of religious values As a UK British national for the past as they might search Jewish and Chris- MANECK N. BHUJWALA San Jose. Ca. USA London. UK X exam be it SSC, ICSE or CBS. Ad ­ missions are strictly on a first-come-first- served basis. The admission forms for 1994 are available at the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Massignon ’s book in French on Salman (BPP) office and are also despatched to Pak, I had it reviewed and found only several schools, colonies and anjumans. Ms BINAIFER BHARUCHA Co-ordinalor-HPY. BPP >» “In defence of... However, Wilferd Madelung of The 9 Parsiana April 1994 these facts: that he was bom in Iran, was drawn to Christianity, went from place to place, master to master, to search a messanger of God, which he finally found in Mohammed. I have yet to find any reference to the 'Ahd-nameh there. Ervad (Dr) KERSEY H. ANTIA Illinois. USA Edited by Amavaz S. Mama Always remember iie'lc-lHi TATA yZHi eflTR KHflMB RTR Ketayun & Bomi 22/A, Wellington Terrace. Wellington Street. Bombay-400002. Tel. No. 2069636.Events and Personalities ¦A heritage building of the city of ary 29 and 30) at the K. R. Cama Orien- a heritage huiia g _----- y _ tai Institute (KRCOI) the other functions held at the Framjee Cawasjee Insti- hall. Throughout the week the KRCOI library hosted an exhibition of books and photographs from Iran whose pictorial beauty could not be denied. , On January 29, Moha- mmad Bagher Karimian, gtaW lMIIB Iran ’s cultural counsellor MyWlM in New Delhi, set the ball rolling with a recital of verses from Firdausi ’s Shah Namah. “I am very glad to be among my Zoro ­ astrian compatriots and the Parsis of Bombay with whom we share a common heritage, ” he stated. Refer ­ ring to the evolution of ideas, Karimian noted that Iran, being on the cross ­ road of world civilizations, has been able to borrow from many cultures and re ­ turn the borrowings with value added. “The Arabs of 1,400 years ago had not recognized the ability of Iranian intellectuals. They tried to hu ­ miliate the Iranians. When Firdausi com- first floor and an intensive care unit of 14 posed (the Shah Namah) he was ttymg to iirsL uuui d u _ - . overcome this prejudice and prove Ira ­ nian worth... Now, after more than 1,000 ------he is remembered with honor, con- A return to the PGH On Jamshedi Navroze the B. D. Petit Par- see General Hospital (PGH) once again started to register patients to the relief of the community. A notice regarding the Hospital ’s return to i „ ' ' , ' ’ ’ , published in the Jam-e-Jamshed of March tion 20 and several patients were ready to admit them ­ selves the following day. Though there was no lockout at the PGH over the past two months, pa ­ tients had been discharged or relocated in other medi ­ cal centers by the manage ­ ment as 1 . indiscipline might endan ­ ger the health and lives of patients. The decision to readmit patients is based on the de ­ tailed order of the Indus ­ trial Court dated March 17 which states “...it is also (the) obligatory duty of the workers to work in a Sn^^ori^a?crin^*the"Hospital so as to Parsee General Hospital: readmits safeguard their employment and (the) patients photo: Homyar Mistry life of patients, ’’ as informs a notice in decreed that “the beds'on ihe second floor No alternate llio VUUU Wijv orAQO M/111 V i VT-PDB 4 •• ,£^3 t s t' • f "fi-.&.V. 4 ! •> ® ®"3 3933 3 3 3 3 3 3 j |S|w Home have been listed separately. Damania Airways: penalized for alleged “It has been compiled and published safety violations with the sole aim of enabling the local community to be in touch with one an ­ other, ” writes Ms Maharukh Zubin Chichgar, president of ZWAS, in the editor ’s note. “We hope you will recog ­ nize, appreciate and benefit from the Marshall and some nuggets concerning well-known families of Surat by Rusi Besania. A list of the Parsi dharamshalas in India and several advertisements con ­ stitute the remaining pages in the Direc­ tory. Priced at Rs 15, the directories are this Directory," she adds. To make the available from ZWAS, C/o Yezdi N. Directory more readable, a quotation ap- Karanjia, 12/723 Rati Villa, Bhavnagri pears at the bottom of each page which Street, Surat 395003. Phone: 26497. bears names. To collect information on the resi- Damania: tarmac tied dents of Surat and the nearby areas, no ­ tices were published in three newspapers appealing to the residents to send in the World-Marg survey in August-Septem- data. For the names that may have been ber 1993 — were grounded for six days by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) from March 10 to 15,1994. The punishment of the air taxi operator who offers 26 flights a day to eight destinations in India began on the airline ’s first anni ­ versary and resulted in total chaos at Bombay airport even as the Damania staff strove to put stranded pas ­ sengers on board other planes. Damania had ap ­ plied for licence renewal on February 24. But the axe did not fall until 4 p.m. on the eve of its first anniver ­ sary in the form of a five-page note from the deputy director general. Penalized for alleged safety viola ­ tions, the order as quoted in The Times of India of March 11, 1994 notes that on a Damania flight from Bombay to Delhi on December 19, 1993 safety announce ­ ments were made after the plane was air borne while passengers were served re ­ freshments during the initial stages of the Damania Airways — “India ’s most pre ­ ferred airline, ” according to a Business Surat’s Directory Of the 2,823 individuals who feature in the Directory of the Parsee Zoroastrian Residents of Surat, the mar . jority (53 percent) are in the 20-59 age-group. Twenty- two percent are in the 0-19 age bracket and a margin- | ally greater percentage (25) | are aged over 60. According I to their entries, the | seniormost resident is 95 years old. This age-wise tabulation of Ramrao Adik inaugurating the photo the Surat Parsis was presented in the first exhibition during the Iranian Cultural directory brought out under the aegis of Festival the Zoroastrian Women ’s Association of Surat (ZWAS) in 1994. In addition to the names, addresses, telephone numbers and ages, there is also quest for feedback to enable them to rec ­ one more column which specifies tify the mistakes. whether that individual is earning or studying. The inmates of the Nariman profile on the Parsis of Surat by Dr Ratan entries. 11 Parsiana April 1994 r- invariably omitted and the printing er ­ rors, the organizers apologize with a re- The Directory also carries a historicalMangalsmruti, 14th Road, Khar, Born- Homi Rogers 1917 English translation of Mademoi ­ selle Delphine Menant ’s epochal work bay 400052. Tel: 6487123. _ _____ on the community. The Parsis, first pub- a tray _ of glasses on her lap. On a flight lished in France nearly a hundred years from Calcutta on January 3, 1994 an in- ago. Enthused to publish a reprint of this At the 60th World Foundry Congress laiC, and now completely forgotten held at The Hague last year, Sorabji monograph. Mango pursued with her Hormusji Commissariat from India was task. For the 1994 Jamshedi Navroze she elected president of the International brought out the reprinted edition of the Committee of Foundry Technical Asso­ ciations (CIATF) for the year 1994, men- ______________________ tions a report in the Indian Foundry ans in Persia, the exodus, and the popula- Journal (IFJ) of October 1993. In its 66 tion of the Parsis a century ago, “when years of existence this is the second time seneers ” notes The Times. old ways were still generally practised that an Indian has been selected to pre- ® 1 /’ 1 . ___________ :„1 tnlzma rwrf^r nf C'TATP nn which lie bU^UeilMUil wad lUi a pzvi ivu v* l/wv -----------o-- ------ - 11 j t'U month from March 9 “or till they place. ” The chapter on population should 36 member countries are enrolled. The take positive steps and institutionalize a be of particular interest to the commu- new president will be inauguraUng the system to the satisfaction of the DGCA... nity today, when, as Mango notes, “one international congress on metal casting - -• ¦ >• ¦' ------- -—-—c in Dusseldorf m June 1994 where the lat ­ est technology and equipment concern ­ ing the foundry industry will be on view, informs Commissariat. “For us in India, his election to this august post is particularly welcome since the Indian foundry industry, in the wake of the recent liberalization polices of the to inte- takeoff. The hostess did not have the time to fasten her seatbelt before the flight was airborne as she sat down with Chief of world foundrymen from Calcutta on January 3, 1994 an in ­ ebriated passenger became belligerent rare^ even as the plane was descending for touchdown at Bombay. The cabin crew was alleged to have served the passenger four or more pegs of whisky. The DGCA book in two volumes, “regretted that there were no instructions ' to the cabin crew regarding the quantum of alcohol which could be served to pas ­ The suspension was for a period of but striking social changes were taking side over the affairs of CIATF on wlBCh * ... . a ,, -T-i _ „i QA Tvi^»avakaar pniintripc pnrniiP.n I nft one I..---- ----- ------- . be of particular interest to the commu ­ nity today, when, as Mango notes, “one of the urgent topics of debate in the com ­ munity has been the decline of the Parsi The Parsis throws light on Zoroastri- whichever is earlier, ” according to the order. Despite the mortifying birthday population. ” present Damania gamely carried through I' „ with their anniversary celebrations on the faithful reproduction of the translation grounds of the Dadar Parsee Gymkhana. A large gathering snacked and cocktailed while watching internationally renowned dancer Astad Deboo and his troupe present a synthesis of western and orien ­ tal dance forms. Another attraction was a revue of avant garde fashion creations as the Bombay semi-finalists and the all-In- Mango ’s work is intended to be a undertaken by M. M. Murzban, a Parsi lawyer and scion of a distinguished fam ­ ily, who with his access to material in the Gujarati language had added prefatory Government of India, is trying notes and appendices to enrich and sup- grate with a globalized system of economy, ” noted the IFJ write-up. Acknowledged Commissariat, “The notes and appendices to enrich and sup ­ port the original text. Some statistical ap ­ pendices, made irrelevant by the passage of time, though, have been purposely liberalization policy of the Government dia finalists of the first Damania De- omitted by Mango. has given a new impetus to the Indian signer Awards presented their creations Profusely illustrated with over 235 foundry industry as (it) will now be free in a variety of fabrics and styles. A third attraction was the lilting voice of Ms Jasmine Bharucha. The entertainment was followed by a multicourse, Parsi buffet. Chief guest Balasaheb Thac ­ keray, Shiv Sena supremo, had some words of encouragement and sympathy (as did several other prominent citizens) for his host and some barbed comments on governmental inequity, was pointedly mentioned more than once that evening that crashes of Indian Airline planes had not Commissariat (left) and Katgara half-tone portraits and illustrations. The Profusely illustrated with over 235 It to compete and export (its) cast ­ ings to any country in the world. However, it has also opened the floodgates of competition as In ­ dia will no longer be the pro ­ tected market that it was for In ­ dian foundries. ” Some of the energy saving processes that Commissariat in ­ troduced have meant a saving of millions of rupees on fuel oil and even earned him a shield from the National Research De ­ velopment Corporation, states Commissariat. He has pioneered too the production of synthetic pig iron in India. ____________ Besides leading the Indian delegation to Parsis has a foreword by Zoroastrian several international foundry confer ­ ences, Commissariat — a fellow of the Institute of British Foundrymen, member resulted in the grounding of the Airline; that air taxi services on the other hand were being penalized for minor trans ­ gressions. Thackeray assured his support as he launched Touch, the airline ’s 48- page inflight glossy with travel and managerial articles, dietetic advice and a spot of humor. a.s.m. The Parsis for Navroze Leafing through volumes at antiquarian others interested. ” booksellers some 18 months ago, Ms Jeroo Vakil-Mango, owner of the Danai chain of bookshops, stumbled upon a scholar Dr (Ms) Mary Boyce who, inci ­ dentally, holds Mlle Menant in great re ­ gard, and had only recently dedicated her of the American Foundry Society and the latest work on Zoroastrianism to her Standards Engineering Institute — has (Menant). '‘The Parsis," notes Boyce in also been president of the Organisation her foreword, “is a mine of information of Professional Executives and is a mem- both for Parsis themselves and for all ber of several sectional committees of the Bureau of Indian Standards. The Mercury Iron and Steel Company Private Limited of which he is presently chairman and managing director, was a Those readers interested in gifting or possessing a copy of the reprint, priced at Rs 790, may contact Mango at Danai, 12 Parsiana April 1994partnership firm that he had started as a young science graduate in a rented shed using a furnace designed from more or less scrap material, he reminisces. Sub ­ sequently there were other companies that he promoted and on which he ac ­ cepted directorship. Commissariat makes time for commu ­ nity institutions too. He is a trustee of eight charitable trusts like the N. M. Wadia Charities, Motibai Wadia Chari ­ ties; of hospitals like the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital in Bombay and the N. M. Wadia Cardiology Institute in Pune: and religious bodies like the Iranshah in Udvada. Hall of Fame for Katgara Director of Travel Corporation of India (TCI) Nari J. Katgara was recently con ­ ferred the Hall of Fame Award by the In ­ dian Association of Tour Cperators at its convention at Khajuraho. Founder presi ­ dent of the Travel Agents Association of India, the honor was bestowed on Katgara in recognition of his contribu ­ tion to the travel industry, notes a press release. Former chairman and presently com ­ mittee member of the Bombay Custom House Clearing Agents ’ Association, Katgara has also been a founder member of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India. Sixty-seven-year-old Katgara, as mentioned in the handout, even enjoys the distinction of being the first Indian to attend the annual convention of the Mirza: stage presence American Society of Travel Agents in 1949. On the Pacific Asia Travel Asso ­ ciation he has served as secretary and vice chairman of its Indian chapter and was distinguished with a life membership recognition. The family firm of Jeena and Com ­ pany where he has served as director histrionics have improved at Ms Rael since 1947, and of TCI with which he has been associated since its inception in 1961 have gained from Katgara ’s tour ­ ism exposure over the years. His com ­ mitment extends to educating people in the travel trade for which reason he founded the Florimond Volckaert Be ­ nevolent Fund (India) 17 years ago, adds the release. Gidwani ’s Graffiti Productions. This Lawyer’s will undone “little volcano of talent, ” nine-year-old Zenia Kersi Mirza, “acts beautifully, dances nimbly and sings wonderfully, ” as notes a write-up sent to Parsiana by Ms Aban Kekobad. In fact, Punch-A- Tantra was conceived by Gidwani with solely Mirza in mind, according to the release. Her dance talent has been nurtured by who was also named an executor in the Shiamak Davar. She learnt jazz ballet will along with another lawyer Dheeraj Mirajkar. The details of this case were reported in The Times of India of January 12, 1994 which ctirricd a gist of the Bombay High Court ruling where the bench — comprising Justice Madhav Pendse and Justice M. L. Dudhat — declared that it was not empowered to penalize lawyers. Since they come under the disciplinary jurisdiction of the bar council, the matter would be directed to the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa to examine whether any action was necessary against the advocates. When the notice of motion was earlier brought up in the court of Justice Ajit Shah his verdict was “in my opinion the so-called will appears to be completely suspicious and fraudulent. ” He further pointed out that no other profession was subjected to such severe scrutiny as the legal profession. He refused to accept Rustomkhan ’s case even prima facie be ­ lieving it would tantamount to negating the high traditions of the profession and allowing it to become the sorriest of trades. In the course of his order the judge observed that the advocate had met Marshall only a few months before his 82-year-old client ’s demise on Novem ­ ber 27, 1989. On the strength of the alle ­ ged will, the advocate had sought an in ­ junction restraining the widow from dealing with the estate in any matter. Rustomkhan asserted that Marshall ’s widow Dina was estranged from her hus ­ band and lived separately, while records indicated that Dina had been attending to her ailing husband. The executors then went into appeal with the division bench where too the judges ruled that if such wills were al ­ lowed to pass judicial scrutiny, people would lose faith in the judiciary. They also agreed with the widow ’s counsel who pointed out that lawyers like Rustomkhan were a menace to society and needed to be punished. As per the will, neither the widow nor the three sisters nor the two brothers got any share from Noshir Dara Marshall ’s estate. Relative strangers like a grocer got Rs 2.5 lakhs and another lawyer. Na ­ dir Modi, Rs 50,000. Largely the benefi ­ ciary of the estate was the deceased ’s lawyer Pervez Manekshah Rustomkhan L.J Bl from Davar who has now included her in his advanced group of dancers. Mirza was selected by the well-known music maestro Kalyanji for his Kalaveer Acad ­ emy, the prestigious institute that trains talented children from all over India. Her “Little volcano of talent” On screen she may have been visible on Zee TV’s Body 2 Body, Soul 2 Sole pro ­ gram. Or she may have been seen in cer ­ tain different advertisements. On stage, she was the star of the show Punch-A- Tantra, a dance-drama from Ashwin Padamsee ’s Little Actors Club. In sing ­ ing she takes lessons from Merlin DeSouza and Ms D’Cunha. Currently she has been signed by Suresh Thomas ’ Crescendo Music Company for a thrcc- year contract and it is hoped she may cut a disc next year, her background is made known. Mirza ’s prowess is not merely in extra curricular activities. A student of the J. B. Vachha High School, Mirza ’s aca ­ demic career is also brilliant. Besides, she has won prizes in elocution too. Not ­ withstanding all these achievements, this “down-to-earth sweet child like all little girls likes to play with dolls and watch TV, time permitting, ” adds the release. Compiled by Pariiiaz Gandhi 13 Parsiana April 1994ZOROASTRIANS ABROAD The gold lining on the silver screen Porus P. Cooper Millionaire cinema owner Alayar Dabestani discusses the compulsions of the business art® B Jiw* Dabestahi (right) has given cinema houses a new lease of life with vintage and first-run movies ¦i layar Dabestani has a stake in 10 movie theaters, with a total of 21 screens, spread over four chains in the United States and Canada, with personal holdings that he puts at several million dollars and a payroll of more than 150. i^nd he plans to double the number of screens in the next two years. Compared to where it began in the mid-1980s — with one small discount cinema house in the Seattle suburb of Marysville — Dabestani ’s little movie empire looms as large now as a close-up on the big screen. Three theaters in 1983, three more in 1988, more openings in December 1990, February 1991, November 1991, Febru ­ ary 1992, April 1992, June 1993, No ­ vember 1993... Dabestani, 50, lists them by name and date and with palpable af ­ fection, as if accounting for the birth of his son Ardeshir and daughter Nousheen. When he and his partners refurbished and reopened the 50-year-old (and long shut) Admiral Twin cinema, considered a historic landmark in West Seattle, he earned widespread notice. “If you want to go to Congress, you will be elected, ” he said a local official gushed to him during the gala opening celebrations. Proud though he is of his business ac ­ complishments, he said he prefers to measure his success by a different yard ­ stick: service to his community. Of the 150 people who work for bis various parmerships, he said, 25 are 2k)- roastrians, several of them refugees from Iran, all of them hired because he trusts implicitly in their honesty. It ’s a sentiment shared even by his American partner of three years, Jack Clark, who is president of the National Association of Discount Theaters. “From what we have seen, ” said Clark, “an aw ­ ful lot of the values people- have in today ’s world are situational. We have found that among Zoroastrians there is a high honesty level. They run a business as if it is their own business. ” Said Dabestani: “I’d like to offer any Zoroastrian family a chance. I don ’t re ­ ally do it for the money part. I want to benefit my society, ” he said in a recent interview. To needy Zoroastrian students in the land of his birth, Iran, Dabestani, joined by a fellow Iranian, Shahrokh Mirzanian, 14 Parsiana April 1994each year sends scores of prizes and That ’s where he spotted the most recently hosted a seminar on the ' scholarships. Marysville, a bankrupt operation. “No- subject of “Zoroastrian thought from Each year about 60 college and uni- body liked to touch it; I saw potential Achaemenian to present times. ” versity students in Iran receive interest- ....................... ““ free and collateral-free loans from him, he said. The only condition is that they agement. Joined by his wife, Gitty and pay back the money after « graduation. It ’s an arrange- I ment that he says was I inspired by a man who I similarly assisted his educa- I tion so many years ago. “I | am paying back my moral I debt, ” he said. I But with his scholastic as- I sistance he said he mainly I pays tribute to two members I of his family — his younger I brother Bahman, who died " an untimely death, and his late father Ardeshir, who " founded a village school for ¦ Zoroastrians in Yazd pro ­ vince and was a teacher there - for 39 years. In fact, i “Dabestan means elementary i school, ” said Alayar 1 Dabestani. ¦ Along the way, he worked as an er- Ardeshir and Nousheen help mother rand boy and public bath attendant, then Gitty and father Alayar maintain their rose to become a government economic official and after that an executive with a World Bank affiliate. He said he re ­ signed both positions on matters of prin ­ ciple. Dabestani has come a long way from his days as a college student in Canada in 1972. His assets, he said, were “minus $200.” Finishing his MBA in 1974, he got a summer job with the British Columbia has swiftly grown into a conglomerate. That ’s where Marysville, a bankrupt operation. “No- there, ” he said. The problem, he concluded was man- He still belongs to the Zoroastrian So ­ ciety of British Columbia and the Zoro ­ astrian Society of Ontario. His activism and philan ­ thropic impulses draw rave reviews from one of his colleagues in the Washington State group, Behram Deboo. “No matter how busy he is, ” said Deboo, “he always tries to make our meetings. ” Deboo, a microbiologist in the Seattle area and secretary of the association, cited one instance in which Dabestani joined in lending emergency financial assistance to a handicapped Parsi student who suddenly found himself short of funds to complete his education. Always, there are small favors — like the free movie tickets that came in the year- end greeting card Deboo received from his friend. Too bad. Deboo chuckled, he ’s not big on going to the movies. Ms Bella Tata, who was chairperson his son and daughter, Dabestani made a of the 1992 North American Zoroastrian series of moves to try to return the theater Congress hosted by the Vancouver to fiscal health: first-run movies, second- run movies, art films, foreign films. They finally settled on first-run mov ­ ies as the way to go. Luckily for them, Marysville also started to grow. The seed sown in the Seattle suburb the way from Washington State (and) he will drag whoever he can find in his fam- telephpne company, which ended up In the movie-theater business, he said, ily to the event. ” paying him $5,000, to purchase his thesis “you get bigger or you get out. ” Dabestani ’s own voice betrays some on inter-provincial migration. . Then he dabbled in real estate. “Frankly for three months I did nothing, suppliers who control its lifeblood. Then but I learned a lot, ” he said. Mostly what there are the usual economies of scale: he learned was that real estate was a dumb idea during an economic slump. He needed something with “cash flow, ” he said. Enter Rahim Hashemi, an Iranian Muslim friend who owned theaters in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida. “I went there and looked at their op ­ eration and really liked it. I started to quantify that. ” study the business; for practically over a j- . - - • year I did research on such things as the fellow Zoroastrians has led him to play - ----- -¦ an active role in a series of local associa- said J'f ¦¦ » in /I i ¦« " theaters in financial health group, said what was most striking about Dabestani was that his promises to help the community were “not just lip ser ­ vice. ” On the association ’s annual sports day, she said, Dabestani “will come all “you get bigger or you get out. ” The larger the chain, the greater its dismay when he discusses the Irani-Parsi clout with movie distributors and other tensions that have ruptured the fabric of the community in certain places in North America. He was the first Iranian to join the Zo ­ roastrian Society of British Columbia in Vancouver, he points out, and was a di ­ rector there for five terms. “It ’s a very “The district manager or technician can take care of five theaters, or 15 of them, ” Dabestani said. And always, he said, the greatest plea ­ sure is derived from creating jobs. “You delicate question, ” he ventures of dis- are creating a life for them, ” he said of putes elsewhere, “a very unfortunate the growing number of people who work event. ” In its formative days, there were for him. “I don ’t know how you can similar tensions amid the Seattle associa ­ tion, he said, but no rift followed. “What we do, ” he said, “is we try to . , accommodate both sides. We never let impact of video ” on the movie-theater an active role in a series of local associa- our anjuman be divided because of lan- busirtess, said Dabestani, who by then tions. He is a co-founder and president of guage. We fought that in Vancouver, too. the Zoroastrian Society of Washington How many are we to have different State, a small group of about 70 who groups? ” had relocated to Seattle, in the bracing northwest comer of the United States. 16 Parsiana April 1994 His impulse for reaching out to hisSEMINAR To party and participate Admission to the Seventh All India Zoroastrian Youth Seminar was contingent on participation Arnavaz S. Mama “Trapped between rosy memories and fu ­ ture fears, the potential of Zoroastrian youth lies untapped. ” Mehernosh Dhunji- bhoy •“Mama ’s boys? We are loyal to our par ­ ents. Someone else said we are disre ­ specting our elders. These are contra ­ dictions... Even in the past, not every youth was a Jamsetji Tata. ” Jehangir Bisney •“Thank Because you brought us up in such a cosy world we can ’t face the challenges outside. ” Ms Feroza Mota- shaw •“If you try to examine the reasons for intercommunity marriages you might find that parents were respon ­ sible. ” Jal Unwalla •“Zoroastrian youth... de ­ pending upon institutions to provide us with homes to our satisfaction, begging for everything... Beggars are no assets. ” Ms Yasmen Dadra- walla •“With current attitudes will the community continue to command respect from others? ” Rayo- Dahanu youngsters who performed a mand Palkhivala •“No proper direction from elders. ” Farhad Divecha •“Young lives wasted because of lack of delegates from various locations merged parental guidance. ” Ms Firoza Bajan and harmonized into a new kaleidoscope of ideas and opinions — and succeeded. For the delegates, boarded and lodged at faith in prayer, its “strong vibrations. Un ­ Sea Breeze Hotel, it became necessary to you parents. nizers of the Dahanu Seminar had en ­ sured full participation for the youth. Af ­ ter the jashan and formal inaugural, mis ­ tress of ceremonies Zarine Bahmani an ­ nounced the 16 competing teams with 14 members each, named after Iranian panelists — noted solicitor Ervad Burjor towns. Antia, the principal of the M. F. Cama The organizers. The Young Zoroas- Athornan Institute Ervad (Dr) Rooyin- trian Association of Dahanu (YZAD), tan Peer, freelance journalist and khshnoomist lecturer Adi Doctor and Noshir Dadrawala, secretary of the Centre for Ad ­ vancement of Philan ­ thropy. In the ensuing open forum the pane ­ lists, all from the ortho ­ dox camp, responded to questions and com ­ ments from the house. At the formal inau ­ guration, after the jashan had been per ­ formed by Dastur Kai- kobad Dastur of Udva- da, Bombay Parsi Pun- chayet (BPP) president Jamshed Guzder refer ­ red to the comtnunity ’s youth as its- most precious asset. “The future of India is bright. (The country) will overcome its problems and the same applies to our had labored long and hard to ensure that community. ” Guzder who is known to be deeply at ­ tached to the religion, his image as bon vivant notwithstanding, reiterated his T3 Viltt .1 folk dance and the afternoons to games — crazy Olympics, volleyball, handball, etc. At plenary sessions a youth representative of each team spoke on its behalf. This was followed by the comments of the The debate — “In the opinion of this house today ’s Zoroastrian youth is an asset ”— proved to be the highlight of the shelve hometown affiliations and con- three-day Seventh All India Zoroastrian Youth Seminar in Dahanu (November 26-29, 1993). Unlike the six earlier events the orga- . 18 Parsiana April 1994 1 a I A after like addiction to drugs, addiction to prayer can lead from strength to centrate on team coordination from the strength. ” He appealed to the youngsters very first evening. to start the habit. But, he cautioned those The program had been so planned that who might take him too literally, “Khoda the mornings were devoted to discussion ni meher a ma hij nahi ave (God ’s gracein his city, Bhopal: “(There is) neither crated sweet); a lagan or navjote means patras (banana leaves laid out for the ceremonial banquet) or food. I am con- blame. (Our) lethargy and lack of ditioned to accept my religion as ac ­ quired practice (which is) different from cannot be had for nothing). You must in his city, Bhopal: “(There is) neither more hardworking, more stable, (pro ­ aim for it, work at it. ” Supplementing honest disbelief nor (committed) belief vide) better security. Only a hardworking Guzder ’s message Dastur added, “Go to in Zoroastrianism... We merely exist as attitude on the part of the Zoroastrian the atash behram, agiary, etc. Padshah Parsis... A jashan means malida (conse- boys would help this problem. ” Accept- na khore thora bi lev (soak in the radi- crated sweet); a lagan or navjote means ed Gev Satarawalla, “Forty percent of ance of the sacred fire), especially at the patras (banana leaves laid out for the women marry outside. (We are) partly to time of the boi when the mobed prays c------------------ z against evil. His strength will save you ditioned to accept my religion as ac- entrepreneurship has a dually detrimental innumerable times. ” quired practice (which is) different from effect on the community... If man is During the plenary sessions in the natural, spontaneous feeling... Apart made in God ’s image, it ’s about time we shamiana in the adjoining field, one from merely following the Zoroastrian did justice to the image. ” Ms Mahrukh could not avoid a sense of deja vu. As faith, we must be happy to be Zoroastri- Shroff had spoken of the community s noted a speaker during the discussion on “Survival strategies for the present and the future, ” there was the same atmo ­ sphere, the same topics as last year. from merely following the Zoroastrian faith, we must be happy to be Zoroastri ­ ans. ” Intermarriage should be debarred dangerous “fear of failure, ” noting that fully or not at all; everyone so inclined “ultimate glory lies in rising every time should be allowed into the priesthood, you fall. ” It was said of the cornmunity. The need, according to him was to “How far are we going to put our words “change the mindset, not merely laws. ” into action or will we be addressing the I-------------------------------------- - same insisted, “Speak to us in language we un ­ derstand... Why not tell a smoker it ’s bad for health? Why say the religion says ‘no? ’” The theme of “Religious knowl ­ edge (being) an important factor and key in a minimal three children “only when ters and doctors (as sons-in-law) and “People are never satisfied; they are always chasing some material goal, ” in contrast to the Hindu concern for getting the children married. Commented Noshir Dadrawala, “You ’ve done us proud... (You ’re) think- Neville Marker held Parsis in the 50- topics again? ” Basically the youth 60 age-group responsible for the community ’s declining numbers because too many of them had remained spin ­ sters. Ms Tanaz Dadrawalla noted that ing articulately, thinking right. Everyone marriages will be speeded up and result Noshir to survival ” was oft repeated on the po- the girls ’ parents stop demanding barris- dium and off it, but enthusiasm was nota ­ bly absent when the youth were sug ­ gested titles for self education in infor ­ mal chats. As Dhunjibhoy noted on the basis of his observation of the 11 Parsis ¦ 19 Parsiana April 1994 is very clear in their mind that mixed marriages are detrimental to the commu ­ nity. ” Antia underlined the traditional at ­ titude towards wearing sudreh-kusti: “not when the boys ’ parents stop their fear of only as a symbol of the religion but as a the girl. ” Homing in on the problem of shield — without it (you ’re fighting) a intermarriage Ms Khushnaz Ghadiali losing battle in life... Immense faith is noted, “Men of other communities are necessary; (it) elevates the soul... under ­ standing is not essential. ” Addressing himself to the youths ’ cry ­ ing foul against the discrimination practiced against Parsi women with non- Parsi husbands in contrast to Parsi men with non-Parsi wives. Doctor reiterated, “According to the religion there ’s no dis ­ crimination — both males and females have to go if they intermarry... If you create a disorder in nature it ’s a sin. ” Then, referring to the comments about the never married 50-year-olds whom some of the youth considered responsible for the community ’s depletion, Doctor, a bachelor, said, “You as youths should not be sermonizing... some of us missed the bus! ” Peer urged the youth not toTorm opin ­ ions on “face value but on detailed study, ” advocating a knowledge of his ­ tory, geography, sociology and anthro ­ pology to understand why intermarriage should not be condoned. The ratio be ­ tween Parsis and Hindus is T. 10,000, somewhat equivalent to a pot of water in an ocean, said Peer, and pointedly re ­ ferred to a Jewish curb on mixed mar­ riages in the Gulf states as the number of Above (from left): Peer, Noshir Dadrawala, Burjor Antia and Doctor Below (from left): Guzder, Banoogoshasp Irani and Aspi IraniWE SCRUB GASES OTHERS WON'T TOUCH PHOSGENE SILICON TETRACHLORIDE SULFUR DICHLORIDE BORON TRIFLUORIDE ORGANIC ANHYDRIDES ORGANIC ACIDS ALCOHOLS ACRYLATES/ACETATES ‘OXIDES OF NITROGEN SPECIALTY GASES: e g.. Arsine/Phosphine/Diborane I 1 -I '“•lap /¦ ¦¦J?' 'i'' * I I - Prophet his revelations. The Quran cat ­ egorically denies the allegation. It is from seventh century Hijri (13th Caliph. He should have been the fore ­ century AD) that we have the stories quoted by Ms Coorlawala. Hamd-Allah Mustaufi of Qazvin, a town 200 kilome ­ ters west of Tehran (680-750 Hijri/128 1- 1349 AD), supplies the text of 'Ahd- nameh. He gives the name of Salman ’s The conquest of the Persian empire and Afro-Asian part of the Roman em ­ pire brought in a flood of riches for the Arabs and every person was given a share in it. When things got better orga ­ nized, all of them received salaries. Salman was one among thousands who received it. Like many others, he was given a part of the conquered lands in which to live comfortably. Being an Ira ­ nian, he chose to live in Ctesiphon. I need not give a list of the fat salaries __ __ and the amount of wealth obtained nor) and that Ibn Mas'ud taught fiqh and by other Muslims of the days ^of the religious knowledge. ” One would have expected the reverse of it. Salman, “the life-long ” companion of the Prophet should have been more qualified to teach and preach among his countrymen. The life- Why did Ali sign the treaties decades after Salman’s death? Salman (who was appointed the gover- extend beyond nine years because, of his years in Medina where Salman joined Salman {Parsiana, October 1991); “I dis ­ him a year later. ' <- It is strange that none of the respond- by ers and I am sure many of the readers of Parsiana have ever i-- — a person who had gone over to Is ­ lam and is reported — of course in late reflected how overlords... (Salman) was a simple fol ­ lower who joined Muhammad ’ in Medina, (more accurately) some 14 years mostly Iranians with, of course, long history books — to have played a very after (Muhammad) had proclaimed his for the Parsi and Iranian Zoroastrians is _____ that he is reportedly the only Iranian [y Ali,towrite treaties to spare his brother who, by his own accord, embraced Islam during the Prophet ’s time. After all, our Iranian historian Hamd-Allah Mustaufi is at hand to report that the Prophet had said; “I am the first Arab, Suhaib ibn Saihan ibn Malik the first Roman, Salman the first Persian, and Bilal the first African Muslim. ” Islam “if they wish to remain Zoroas ­ trian; ” posthumously because Salman died before Ali was elected as the fourth most person to spearhead the conversion of the entire Iranian population to the re ­ ligion he had so enthusiastically em ­ braced. Early history books shed no such light on his career. As pointed out, his ­ tory records neither show him as a great nephew (and not his brother) a.s Mahad preacher, not a good warrior nor a spe- ibn Farrukh ibn Badakhshan ibn Idris ibn Mursalan (note the two non-Iranian names). Dawud Bunakati of northeast ­ ern 1 makes Salman, in his history book, relate cial consultant on the invasion of Iran, his homeland. ___________ None of the respondents have given a Khurasan (died 730 Hijri/1329 AD) second thought on how Behzad Dinyar could be a brother of Mehdi Faruk been Ali A. Jafarey, who studied Avesta and Pahlavi under Dr t Manek Pithawalla and ¦ Dastur (Dr) M. N. Dha- I Ila, obtained his doctor- ate in Persian literature f from Karachi. He has I authored 11 books on Zoroastrianism in En- - ¦ glish and Persian. 39 Parsiana April 1994BOOKS Probing the Parsi mind Burjor K. Karanjia The Parsi Mind — A Zoroastrian Asset to Culture by Jer D. Randeria. Published in 1993 by Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Private Lim ­ ited, Post Box 5715, 54 Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi 110055. Pp: 161. Price: Rs 180 their religious convictions. ” The operative word in the book ’s title is Zoroastrian. The Parsi mind, rich and Randeria ascribes these controversies to complex as it is, would not have the fact that Zoroastrianism includes the achieved its cultural pre-eminence with ­ out the inspiration of Zoroastrian pre- achievements of its followers, the pro ­ cess has not been free of controversies. teachings and cultural traditions of four interlocked eras: The distant pre-Zoroas- trian Ahura worshippers, the lifetime of Spitama Zarathushtra and his first dis- It is believed that Zoroastrianism, by all accounts the first revealed religion that cepts. The book not only shows how the deeply influenced Judaism and Christian ­ ity, would have become the religion of the entire civilized world cultural ideologies. ” Zoroastrians. To make things more com- but for an acci- P ’ ” . 1 dent of history exclusivity, but Randeria takes pains to Alexander (The"Great and/or the Ac- t cursed in the Achaemenian period) and from pride of class consciousness, but Avestan parchments were consigned to . flames, and many Magi priests who I where the reli- • • • • - ' gion failed in reach, it more than made up in inner strength, surviving all the vicissitudes of history as well as geography. It has so survived since the time when, in the mountain vastness of Ushideran, 15-year-old Zarathushtra was deeply troubled by questions: Who deter ­ mined the path of the sun and the stars? Who made water and plants? Who cre ­ ated sleep and waking, and morning, noon and night, that remind man of his duty? Then Zarathushtra saw the vision of Ahura Mazda, the one God, and good- thoughts-words-deeds as the glowing pathway to Him. Ms Jer D. Randeria ’s The Parsi Mind British rulers was that, unlike other mi- — A Zoroastrian Asset To Culture, comes in the wake of several books de ­ scribing Zoroastrian doctrines, beliefs from whose religious persecution Parsis and customs and others listing the im- fled to India, had second thoughts, and phatic that the modernists have no reason pressive achievements of Parsi practitio- made amends in the present century by ners of the religion. Randeria ’s book, as referring to the fleeing Parsis as “our val- pointed out by Prof Kaikhosrov D. Irani ‘ ‘ in his brief but thought-provoking fore ­ word, “attempts to relate the two by ex ­ ploring the source of their achievements and their problems in their culture, and recognizing their culture to be rooted in fluence visibly recognizable in the religious teachings led to a wealth of cul­ tural assets, but hopes to “energize the ciples, the Zoroastrian period in recorded community towards an upsurge in noble history, and the post-Sanjan era of Parsi Parsis in India give the appearance of plicated, during the conquests of Be. - ^1- H Randeria: relates culture to convictions (the defeats of point out that this exclusivity arises not Qudisiya i Nihavand). But from genuine community consciousness. On the other hand, Zoroastrianism has knew the scriptures by heart were killed. Randeria treats these raging contro ­ versies as ripples on the surface that do not disturb the calm beneath. Take the long-standing controversy over the Zoro ­ astrian calendar. Parsis today use at least three separate calendars with three dif ­ ferent opinions on which “angel ” a par ­ ticular month is dedicated to. Randeria gently admonishes: “Failure of agree ­ ment and reconciliatory efforts... added to Parsi maturity, ” may at last “call upon Parsi pragmatism to insist on one calen ­ dar for one people! ” One is inclined to and customs and others listing the im ­ pressive achievements of Parsi practitio- 40 Parsiana April 1994 What is being safeguarded is mainly Parsism Parsi interests and Parsi progress t had an almost universal appeal. The mi ­ nority-majority relationship with the comment: May this not remain a pious Hindu.s has largely remained without hope! conflict since the Parsis landed at Sanjan more than 1,300 years ago. Likewise, in recent years they have not been in con ­ flict with the Muslims. Again, one rea ­ son why Parsis earned the respect of their norities, they never asked for reserva ­ tions or concessions. Even Islamic Iran, Another matter of controversy are the new cultural norms whereby cremation or burial is thought preferable to the sys ­ tem of exposure to birds of prey. With ­ out taking sides, Randeria states with au ­ thority that the funerary proceedings that Parsi Zoroastrians follow incorporates some of the most advanced socioreli ­ gious and hygienic concepts. She is em- to look down on the traditionists for the simple reason that the latter ’s practices iant truthful ancestors who regarded life (like the morning gomez application be- as a perennial struggle between good and fore bathing, the evening “censering ” of evil. ” .. . ... ............................... While the ethical influence of Zoroas ­ trian scriptures has become a cultural in- the home with sandalwood and frankin ­ cense, and the practice of silence or baj- taking prior to starting the meal) are hy ­ gienic and health-oriented.Other sensitive issues threatening Parsis today are the rejection of intercommunity marriages and children of non-Parsi fathers, and opposition to voluntary conversion. Here a further dis ­ tinction, attributed to male chauvinism, is that the child of a Parsi father marry ­ ing outside the community is allowed privileges denied to children of Parsi mothers who marry non-Parsis. How can such a distinction be justified in this day and age? Randeria is surprisingly silent. Ac­ cording to her, the Parsi communal mind being a majority organ, group departures which do not gain majority support may remain ineffective. But who is to deter ­ mine what is merely a group departure and what is the genuine majority opin ­ ion? The tragedy is that organizations like the Parsi Punchayet are not so con ­ cerned with what is right or wrong, as with adopting the path of least resistance. Misconceptions also persist about the Parsi insistence on exclusivity. The rea ­ sons attributed for this are self-preserva ­ tion, and maintaining the purity of their religion. Surely it is arrogant to assume that Zoroastrian virtues are a product of Parsi blood, when in fact Parsis are in ­ debted to Zoroastrian influences for whatever virtues they may possess. But within the exclusiveness of Parsi society today, only a Parsi born of a Parsi father enjoys rights. The real reason for this, as Randeria suggests, is socioeconomic (not religious) in the way of fixed trust deeds earmarked for specific Parsi usages “from the cradle to the grave. ” What is being safeguarded is mainly Parsism, Parsi interests and Parsi progress. Two other matters which are the book ’s major concerns are the decline in the practice of Zoroastrian ceremonies and the disadvantaged position of the priestly class. The rituals are, in the main, purificatory, since purity is seen as a powerful defence against the forces of evil. Their performance serves a purpose that goes beyond reason. The grand chantings of invocations by the priests, even if little understood by the layman, ’ can be soul-stirring to the receptive. “The entire cultural impact is not money- linked, but truely wealth-linked, the wealth of scriptural injunctions poured out in thought-word-deed, (striking) the mind ’s eye as a picture so perfect in or ­ derliness that it touches one ’s deepest sensibility... A well-conducted Zoroas ­ trian ceremony is an all-absorbing mov ­ ing event, joyful or sad depending on the occasion, but always inspiring, both spiritually and culturally. ” Those in the priestly vocation, re ­ stricted by the very nature of their call ­ ing, reflecting the glory of a great reli ­ gion, should inspire reverence and awe. Many do so by the simplicity and dignity of their lifestyle and the eloquence and fervor of their invocations. But alas, there are quite a few who, weighed down by worldly concerns, reciting prayers by rote without their heart in it, cut pathetic, dismal figures. Randeria offers several suggestions to enrich Zoroastrian culture. She calls for a revival of ghambar celebrations. Apart from their religious function, they serve in the sociocultural context to bring to ­ gether the high and the low as equals in the eyes of God. More importantly, she believes that Parsis with their versatility and linguistic skills should revive inter ­ est in ancient Persian languages to pro ­ mote further study in our scriptural and historical writings. We should acquaint ourselves with the Gathas, she feels, “if we are to pride ourselves as cultured Parsi Zoroastrians. ” In the early stages of acclimatization in India, after achieving a measure of prosperity in Gujarat, Parsis became aware of uncertainties and a lack of knowledge in their ecclesiastical con ­ duct. This led to the origin of the Persian Rivayats, which were documents con ­ taining answers from Iran to religious queries on matters of rituals, purificatory observances, worship and customs. An important consequence of the Rivayat correspondence was that the literary- minded Parsi laity got involved in con ­ veying the Persian replies to their Parsi kinsfolk. These Rivayats brought to the Parsis in India fresh memories of their fatherland after a separation of 600 years. They were followed by messen ­ gers and Irani priests who came to serve in Bombay fire-temples, bringing with them precious books and manuscripts. “It is time, ” Randeria pleads, “for a get- together to rake up ideas, to dig into trea ­ sure chests forgotten in dusty attics, to thread the pearls and stud the scabbards, now in Parsi style. ” Parsi social conscience needs to be awakened to decide on norms for Parsi marriages and adoption. The community should go out of its way to make it pos ­ sible for intending couples to get mar ­ ried. Parsis owe it to their young men and women to give them this opportu ­ nity. Didn ’t our forefathers get a similar opportunity from the benign Sanjan ruler when they first landed in India? The Parsi Mind doesn ’t make for easy reading. It does, however, make for re ­ warding re-reading. Every Parsi should read it, for the love and joy of soaking in the essence of a great religion. It would make him, if not a better Parsi, at least a more knowledgeable one, in tune with his heritage and willing to live up to it. Zoroastrianism has not only kept the Parsis religion-minded, but has provided them with the highest traditions in worldly conduct. The book ends on a note of hope. Vohu Mana, the mind that understands good, and Spenta Armaiti, the mind that helps one to achieve, are both omniscient and omnipotent. Zoro ­ astrianism has in it the vitality of life ev ­ erlasting. Priestly tales Homi Rogers Dasturan Dastur First Meherjirana by Rusi Framroj Besania and Sant Dasturji Kukadaru by Minoo Burjorji Desai. Both books have been translated into English from Gujarati, and pub ­ lished in 1993 by Marzban J. Giara, Dhunmai Building, 667 Lady Jehangir Road, Dadar, Bombay 400014. Dasturan Meherjirana — Pp; 44+viii-i-14 plates. Price: Rs 25. Dasturji Kukadaru — Pp: 28. Price: Rs 15. Despite the reverence and respect ac ­ corded by the Zoroastrian community in India to its dasturs, there is a hiatus in our knowledge of the lives and achieve ­ ments of the priests who guided and guarded the community for over 13 cen ­ turies. Dastur Nairiosang Dhaval, for ex ­ ample, lies shrouded in myth: he is often erroneously referred to as the dastur whose glib tongue (remember the sugar and milk story?) secured the community refuge in Sanjan, though he lived around four centuries after the historic landing. Dastur (Dr) Maneckji Dhalla, while praised for his erudition, is generally mildly chastised for his forward thinking. And a certain Dastur Azar Kaiwan, who spent his lifetime in Patna (where his tomb can still be seen), is but a faint memory. The only two dasturs whose names 41 Parsiana April 1994I <0^0 Bllil 1 I p Meherjirana: associated with miracles est man of many parts who served as edi- occasional miracles performed to help tor of The Bombay Samachar, and Rusi members of the community. A mere rec- Framroj Besania, a resident of Surat. ollection of Kookadaru ’s personal habits Desai ’s book on Dastur Kookadaru is (“he had only one meal of khichdi and the work of a journalist, albeit one with ghee during the whole day ”) and hagiographic knowledge. He questions miracles only adds grist to the mill of the material in hand, and it is apparent that he has selected for inclusion only such facts as can be authenticated or making religion more alive for the stand the test of reason. Thus, we have four long pages of “two documented let ­ ters ” from a certain Shri Ratanji Hormusji Jivahmana who had written to the Dastur to “let me know what prayers I should recite on that day ” (his birthday) jirana as its patron saint and where the and to inform him that “I have been blessed with a son... (who) will be named as ordered by you. ” The letters add little sketches of eminent Parsis. ” And sur- to one ’s knowledge about the Dastur, and prisingly, neither his nativity nor his they do not seem to have been replied to naivety at writing, detract from his pro- either. Yet it is apparent from their in ­ clusion that Desai lays great store by the written word, and that he revered the Dastur, deeming it a joy to touch letters that had passed through Kookadaru ’s hands. Probably this is the reason why Desai skims through many events which could 1992), there would seem to be little ma- show up Kookadaru ’s shortcomings, warts and all. We are informed in the booklet that Kookadaru was against trivia adulators, and of the bedside-story fathers who smugly imagine they are younger generation. But are they? On the other hand Besania ’s life sketch of Dastur Meherjirana is a more engrossing read. Besania, familiar with Navsari, a township that treats Meher- 16th descendant of the subject holds ecclesiastical power, “likes to write life ducing an appealing book. The tale of Meherjirana is a difficult one to narrate. Distanced by over 400 years (the original book in Gujarati was written as part of the celebrations held in Navsari to commemorate the 400th death anniversary of Dastur Meherjirana in immediately spring to a Zoroastrian ’s mind, are Dasturan Dastur Meherjirana and Dastur Jamshedji Sorabji show up Kookadaru ’s shortcomings, terial at hand by way of records or live Kookadaru. The latter is more famous, warts and all. We are informed in the testimonials to help in recreating his life perhaps because he is closer to us in booklet that Kookadaru was against and times. Yet Besania has managed to time, and possibly because a certain granting inheritance rights to girls, produce a lively record, complete with mobed in Bombay kept alive the Desai does not give any reason why the photographs, plates of the document of Kookadaru legend by dispensing nirangs Dastur held this retrogressive stand be- Madad-e-Maash (grant of land to the (efficacious prayers from the Avesta) to fore the Legislative Council in 1862 Dastur by the then Moghul Emperor, the afflicted, claiming visitations from when the views of the community were Akbar), reports from foreign travellers, his miraculous guru. Yet surprisingly enough, not many ter. Similarly, Desai in- Zoroastrians in India or abroad know much about the life of either, barring one famous legend woven around each of miffed with the Bom- them. Mention Dastur Meherjirana, and bay Parsi Punchayet the drama of how he recited Avestan prayers to expose a charlatan who put up a thali (metal plate) in the sky and pre ­ tended it was a ‘duplicate ’ sun, comes to ' mind. Talk of Dastur Kookadaru, and pat Dastur has long been comes the association with yet another hailed for rendering handed down tale of how his prayers “true service to the yielded a brick of gold to fund the build ­ ing of the Anjuman Atash Bahram in Bombay. Sadly, most Zoroastrians know noth ­ ing beyond this. To remedy this state of tion was keenly Kookadaru: might of prayers affairs Marzban Giara, who in the past awaited. Unfortunately, few years has been publishing and publi ­ cizing books on Zoroastrianism, has brought out two slim books in English detailing the lives of the two Dasturs — a laudable enterprise. The books under re ­ view are translations from original the Zoroastrian way of life, barring his Gujarati works by Minoo Desai, a mod- donation for the Atash Bahram and the Jamshedji ascertained on this mat- forms the reader of how the learned Dastur was when it did not under ­ take to fund his transla ­ tion of the Dinkard. Desai ’s work on the “true community, ” and in the absence of a fresh edi ­ tion of his Gujarati ver ­ sion, the present transla- was And 42 Parsiana April 1994 the book reads more like newspaper ar ­ ticles strung together than a biography. We are not told what happened to Kookadaru ’s Dinkard translation nor, more importantly, how he contributed to and even words of a song said to have been composed and sung by Tansen, Akbar ’s court musician, in praise of Meherjirana. Like Desai ’s work, Besania ’s monograph is also episodic, naturally, the emphasis is on the miracle that continues to be associ ­ ated with Meherjirana. But where Besania ’s treatment differs from Desai ’s is that he does not simply describe the miracle, but proceeds to analyse it. Besania takes care to mention the scientific fact that two suns can apparently be visible in the sky, if and when the sun ’s rays fall on the circles of corona (the colored halo of ­ ten seen around luminous bodies). Desai ’s account of Kookadaru ’s golden miracle, on the other hand, does notspeculate that alchemy was a possible cause. Interestingly, both the monographs provide fodder for discussion and re- evaluation of the Zoroastrian faith and its practices down the years. Dastur Meherjirana, from Besania ’s account, seemed to have practically converted Akbar to Zoroastrianism. The emperor, we are told, performed jashans publicly, offered Parsi prayers, and used to wear a garment resembling the sudreh. Writes Besania glowingly, “When Zoroastrian ­ ism was acclaimed throughout India, its standard flying high in the sky, Zoroas ­ trian hearts were full of joy. ” Could we say the same now, if a high-placed digni ­ tary converted himself to the faith? Besania ’s book concludes with a Confused cosmology Adi Doctor In this brief notice it is impossible to mention all the errors and fallacies that the pages of this monograph bristle with. Suffice to cite just two or three examples where he really comes a cropper: On page 5, he says: “Ahura (who is Self-Ex ­ istent, all-round goodness...) is given No 1 in (the) Zoroastrian calendar and repre ­ sents (the) Etheric Sun, whereas the Sun Khorshed Yazad is 11th and represents its physical side, which can be influ ­ enced by Angra Mainyus. ” If Khorshed Yazad can be influenced by Angra, then the first thing one is prompted to do is to stop reciting the Nyaish and Yasht dedi ­ cated to Khorshed! Right? Wrong, ac ­ cording to the author himself. On page Foundation of Zoroastrianism through Cosmol­ ogy by Dada-Perviz Manijeh Rustumji Adagra. Published from Sagittarian, Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari, Bombay 400102. Not for sale. In his introduction to the 50 odd pages of 16 he writes, “Several times we recite, DoaiiMi wuuuuw - typed monograph, the author makes a 'Khorshed Arnerag Rayomand Aurvad fairly lengthy note on the descendants of couple of confessions worth noting: “I Asp Beresad, meaning strength to t e the first Meherjirana, bringing the history have dared to give a comparative sum- "’«v,na p.vp.r shmmir. immortal of his lineage up-to-date. This updating mary of the 30 divinities pertaining to is not there in Desai ’s work. From one of the (Zoroastrian) calendar and have re- Jivahmana s letters quoted by Desai, we sorted to several conjectures... ” And know that Dastur Kookadaru had at least also: “I am a non-professional priest both Mano, Jupiter is Spendarmad and Saturn one son Faramroz, and the reader would navar and martab from Navsari; also a is Amerdad! Again, I firmly believe that have liked to know more about the prog ­ eny of his/her favorite Dastur, Nevertheless, both the monographs serve as a background to what follows, have achieved their purpose, even if it be rather marginal, as in the case of Desai ’s The books, with their insight into the of numbers, ” “Delineation of Yazads ” ma^able^heights of spiritual lives of the two Dasturs, make us feel and of Ameshaspands, a chart and a * proud to belong to the community that graph comparing the 12 zodiacal constel- produced them. Giara has done a com- ' ’' ” mendable job in presenting these books in English to the younger generation. The translation, though, can be faulted in parts. Giara talks of astrology on de ­ scribing halos around the sun and moon, when he clearly means astronomy. And Meherjirana ’s descendants are said to “enjoy Dasturi ” in the manner of reign ­ ing monarchs, when many Dasturs, we are informed, were “very poor finan- ------- w -------- —- „ daily. ” Also certain links in continuity whole) exercise smacks of a peculiar sacrifices were common. On page /, have not been well maintained. Both the cockiness and an avoidable intellectual “Mars or Ardibehesht Amesh^pand... books could have done with tighter edit- arrogance. Ervad saheb Adagra seems to which is associated with two Faristes, ing, even if this meant differing from the be living in a world of his own — a Saok and Airyamana... are noming but original, as on many occasions thoughts world inhabited by beliefs and flights of satdlites of Mars, Phobos and — and even sentences — are repeated. ’ ’ " Many a devout Zoroastrian claims to have seen the silhouette of Dastur losophy. Meherjirana etched on a wall of the Navsari Atash Behram. Even today Dastur Jam- shedji Kookadaru is said to visit a particu ­ lar comer of the Anjuman Atash Bahram hall he helped to build. The publication of suit is the clubbing together of wayward, these two slim booklets, it is hoped, will disjointed thoughts and personal predi- help many Zoroastrians to glimpse the sub ­ stance behind the shadows. fastest moving, ever shining, immortal body of Ahura Mazda. ” Any comments are superfluous. For the author, the Moon is Vohu navar and martab from Navsari; also a practising CA for 15 years... ” These and the symbol of Swastika represents Meher other revelations not repeated here will Yazad. ” Or, ...Meher, Sarosh and Rashna Yazads are not supernatural nor (sic) mythological beings... these are The work is divided into about a , , _ _ . . . dozen short chapters, including the pref- nothing but dormant sparks of divinity, ace, and contains topics like, “Rationale which when enlightened (?)^ lift us to re- One of the more amusing fragments is on page 39, wherein the author, who at times seems to see himself as a latter-day reformer and savior, offers a “Supple ­ mentary Revision. ” “Zoroastrians rightly lations with Zoroastrian divinities and depicting the “Inter-relationship of the 12 divinities of mahs (months), ” “Phi- --------j ----------- - - - losophy of life ” and “Stellar chemistry of worship Atash, ” he says, a man-made( .) metals .” creation as son of Ahura, but are shy of To a lay reader the subjects and their acknowledging Ameshaspands as plan- ----- ets... ” Or, “All the characteristics of Mars the warrior and the killer planet are easily discernible in Ardibehesht, Tir and Dae-pa-Din... Dae-pa-Din relates to Pre ­ “Phi- crealion as son of Ahura, but are shy of treatment may appear impressive, even awesome. But delve a little deeper and one just can ’t help concluding that in spite of the author ’s resourcefulness and sincerity, the whole (or almost the Mazdayasni-Din period when human cockiness and an avoidable intellectual arrogance. Ervad saheb Adagra seems to be living in a world of his own — a theories and dogmas almost entirely Deimos, alien to Zoroastrian scriptures and phi- The non-professional priest may be well versed in astrology and as ­ tronomy, as he claims, but that doesn ’t give him licence to play havoc with Zo ­ roastrian texts and the calendar. The re- lections that make the overall picture highly nebulous. In his preface Adagra states that since 1939, “I have been addicted to the occult sciences... ” A thousand pities that the one occult science directly connected with the Zoroastrian religion has com ­ pletely eluded him! Had he some idea of the truths and facts of nature that are em ­ bodied in Ilm-e-Khshnoom, he would have been spared the Sisyphean labor of writing this monograph. 43 Parsiana April 1994MILESTONES ¦This month Parsiana publishes intercommunity marriages reg ­ istered both at the Old Customs House and at the MHADA of ­ fice in Bandra (East) for the five month period of October 1993 to February 1994. Civil mar ­ riages between Zoroastrians debility. Septicemia, fmeture, have also been listed. However, names that could not be con- sion, gastro-enteritis. Downs ’ fumed as Zoroastrian have been syndrome (a type of congenital, .._j r . mental subnormality with Mon- gloid facial characteristics), Par ­ kinson ’s disease, asthma and hernia were the isolated cases registered in February. Tlie youngest to breathe his last was a six-day-old baby boy as com ­ pared to the oldest — 98-year-old male. The data on births, marriages and deaths has been compiled from information supplied by H. Goil; November 8 various newsletters and anju ­ mans in India and abroad, courts and hospitals. This information is not always complete or con ­ sistent. For example, the birth cancer (nine). Two victims each succumbed to uremia, hypo ­ proteinemia (deficient protein in the blood plasma from dietary deficiency or excessive excre ­ tion), head injuries, kidney failure and old age and generiil Govekar; February 9 A girl to Ramona and Neeraj Maheshwari; February 9 A boy to Jesmine and Hanoz Baria; February 11 A girl to Tina and Neville Mehta; February 12 A girl Shireen and Kaikobad multiple organ failure, hyperten- Mistry; February 16 sion, gastro-enteritis. Downs ’ A boy to Villoo and Darayus Irani; February 20 A girl to Jaloo and Rusi Shahna; February 21 A girl to Khushnood and Adil Vakil; February 22 A girl to Nergish and Homiyar Madan; February 28 omitted from the list. There were 15 intercommu ­ nity marriages and two civil mar ­ riages registered at the MHADA office and 33 at the Old Cus ­ toms House plus one civil mamage between Zoroastrians. The Chandanwadi cremato ­ rium registered seven Zoroas ­ trians who were cremated over the four month period of No ­ vember 1993 to February 1994. The age of Zoroastrian various newsletters and anju- Zahera Y. Shums and Faroukh brides (as listed in this issue) mans in India and abroad, courts Gandhi; November 15 ranged between 20 and 32 years, and hospitals. This information Parwana H. Chargeman and the arithmetic mean (the total is not always complete or con- Zulfikar Hussain; November 19 number of individual ages di- sistent. For example, the birth Charmaine Linda Dhondy and vided by the total number of figures for Bombay are supplied Devashis Roy; November 21 brides) being 25 years. The cor- by four hospitals; births in sub- Melissa Michelle Rodrigues and responding figures for the urban hospitals and private Kerman Lalkaka; November 25 grooms were 23 and 39 years, nursing homes are not included Roxana A. Cooper and Pravin averaging at 29 years. unless individuals send us infor- S. Deokar; November 28 Due to the two month long labor strike at the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital there were no births registered there. Hence this month, Parsiana re- a civil marriage precedes the re- Maharukh B. Chhapgar and ports births from only three ligious ceremony. In the breakup Mayurkumar Manubhai Shah; hospitals in Bombay. of deaths according to illnesses. As compared to 17 births in especially of the elderly, death is often due to a combination of several diseases. If readers have any births/ T. Laher; December 3 a MARRED Sang it a P radhan and Nauzer F. Gagrat; October 17, 1993 Yasmin J. Bulsara and Manoj by four hospitals; births in sub ­ urban hospitals and private nursing homes are not included unless individuals send us infor ­ mation together with a copy of Niloufer J. Shastri and Ganu the birth certificate. There may Dewnani; November 28 be an inadvertent repetition of Shirley Maria Menezes and names in the marriage list when Viraf Adajania; November 29 a civil marriage precedes the re- November 29 Monica Koshal and Ariez Ruslom Tata; November 29 Ayesha H. Sonavala and Homi February there were 76 Zoroas ­ trians who were consigned at the Doongerwadi. Twenty-one vic- _ _ _ tims fell prey to heart disease marriages/deaths they would Nancy Funk of Ohio, USA and which was last month ’s major ........... killer, of whom seven were 80 years and above. Next came pneumonia and lung disease which took the lives of 17 pa ­ tients, brain disease (10) and like published, some proof to Jimmy Mistry of Ohio, USA; ensure the veracity of the report would be required. We are sure our readers would appreciate this requirement and cooperate with us. BOMBAY BORN A boy, Mehrab, to Jeroo and Kaizad Bhaya on December 7, 1993 A girl to Simonil and Dinyar Madon; February 2, 1994 A boy to Shiraz and Cyrus Parbhoo; February 2 A girl, Nyra^ to Shernavaz and Cherezad Bharucha; February 4 A boy to Aban and Khurshed Birdy; February 4 A boy to Tanveer and Zubin Balaporia; February 7 A girl to Dilshad and Jamshed Kershaw; February 8 A boy to Anahita and Sorab Parekh; February 8 A boy to Gulshan and Marzban Gheewalla; February 9 A boy to Nergish and Zarir December 6 Kamal D. Cooper and Rohinton Eruch Bhathena; December 10 Roxan Kekobad Mody and Nikhil Vithal Jhaveri; December 12 Roshni DipakShah and Feroze Ruslom Soonawalla; December 12 Rashna Sheheriyar Dadrawalla and Uday Sadanand Limaye; December 16 Preksha Vrajlal Shah and Jonil M inocher Panthaki; December 16 Meher C. Dadachanji and Atul T. Ursekar; December 18 Mrinalini Raghunath Latkar and Abud Tehemasp Kelawala; December 18 Zenobia Jehangir Gazder and. KhushnoodHosyViccaji; December 19 Naseema Amin Umershaikh and Firoze Rustomji Cooper; December 22 Jasmin Hoshang Palsetia and Firdaus Bhathena; December 23 Hutoxi Dinshaw Katgara and Lokesh Kumar Shrivastava; December 23 Farida T. Patharia and Malian K. Kurian; December 26 Anaita Marzban Nalladaru and Paul Mathews Mullasseril; December 29 Hemali N. Shah and Persi D. Pooniwala; December 30 Lidya Machado and Hormuz H. Bharucha; December 31 Meher Jimmy Bilimoria and Khurshed Burjor Poonawala; December 31 Meher Purvez Dholoo and Salim Roshanali Lokhandwala; January 2, 1994 Arnavaz H. Havewala and Sriram S. Ratnam; January 2 Mona Prakash Mehta and Rohinton Minoo Patel; January 4 Jermina Sutaria and Krishna Kumar Menon; January 9 Bhavna Parihar and Cyrus Sorab Patell; January 10 Dinaz G. Bhagoorwalla and Nilin S. Advani; January 15 Diana Rustom Machhina and Porus Rusi Dover; January 18 Hutokshi Jehangir Chinoy and Bomi Soli Bhajiwalla; January 20 Benaz Bomi Mistry and Zubin Phiroze Marolia; January 22 Anahita Homi 'Variava and Behram Hooshang Bakht; January 23 Nelly Adi Balsara and Barjoo Meherwan Dhei of Nasik; January 23 Arlene J. Mendonca and Ronnie H. Mehta; January 25 Delnavaz Godrej Bharthania and Eruch Noshir Kapadia; January 27 Nisha Chandrakant Pandya and Nozer Kersi Mistry; January 27 Dilshad Shavak Palia and Irfan Abubaker Fruitwala; January 28 Armeena Amir Sayed and Pervez Keki Nassarwanji; 44 Parsiana April 1994 LJanuary 28 Veena Stella Stanes and Aspy Eruch Engineer; January 29 Pearly Philomena Almeida and Adil B. Gandevia; January 29 Kamal Minoo Marfatia and Yezdi Dinshaw Mistry; February 1 Ava Phiroze Cama and Neville Cyrus Poonawala; February 1 Armaity Kavas Byramji and Noshir Gustadji Shroff; February 1 Shernaz Hosi Vasunia and Zulfiquar Shale Tyebjee; February 1 Teenaz Purvez Patel and Mahveer Maneck Javat of Karachi; February 3 Kashmira Hoshang Ranji and Adil Pervez Kakalia; February 3 Fanaz Bomi Kodia and Aspi Keki Illava; February 4 Zena Burjor Vakil and Maneck Minoo Mavji; February 4 Roshni Rustom Godawalla and Hormazdiar Rustomji Mobedji; February 4 Pearl Kersi Palkhivala and Farokh Bahadur Keravala; February 6 Diana Sarosh Todiwalla and Firdosh Khurshed Tolat; February 1 Soonoo Noshir Katrak and Sanab Natverlal Mazumdar; February 8 Zenobia Behram Movdawalla and Gopalkrishna B. Shettigar; February 8 Rashna Dara Sinor and Raiomand Fall Poncha; February 9 Toshar Shapurji Chinoy and Zareer Shorabji Bhathena of Secunderabad; February 11 Natasha P. Alpaiwalla and Sunil Gopal; February 11 Shaheen Phiroze Irani of Dahanu and Hormuz Bheram Irani; February 11 Yasmin Sohrab Dahmubed and Jehangir Khodadad Parvereshi; February 11 Khushnam Nariman Kapadia and Yazad Pirojshaw Patel; February 11 * Anahita Jamshed Aryana of Poona and Faroukh Rustom Pirozmand; February 11 Shahnaz Rustomji and Todd L. Slater; February 12 Kashmira Hoshang Mistry and Zarir Sarosh Patel; February 13 Petal Maria Crasto and Viraf Keki Colah; February 14 Nandini Bhaskaran and Hoshi Jal; February 14 Veera Shiavax Bachana and Rohinton Manecksha Nazir; February 14 Armaity Sohrab Elavia of Surrey, England and Zarir Dara Patel of Dahanu; February 14 Navaz Sheriyar Foujdar and Percy Firoz Sutaria; February 14 Navaz Dinshaw Kathawala and Darayus Erach Bacha; February 15 Deshnandani Hariprasad Mistry and Peshotan Paurusasp Dabdi; February 15 Armin Bahadurji Patel and Mehelli Cawasji Engineer; February 15 Sangeeta Singhvi and Dinshaw Soli Irani; February 15 Nazreen Dinshaw Daji and Eric Dadi Mistry; February 15 Yasmin H. Dalal and Satish Rao; February 15 Zenobia Dara Irani and Framroz Rustom Irani; February 18 Ayesha Naozer Aga and Kaizad Rusi Dadyburjor; February 19 Shiraz Burjor Patel and Sharoukh Meherwan Irani; February 19 Agnella Rohini Viegas and Kersi Minoo Korkhau; February 19 Beroze Faramroze Boga of Thane and Paurush Dorabshaw Govadia; February 20 Jasmine Firoz Bhot and Percy Dadi Irani; February 20 Kainaz Kharshed Dastur of Ratlam and Kurush Hoshang Bharucha; February 21 Khushnavaz Russi Chichgar and Jamshed Phiroze Kamdin of Ahmedabad; February 21 Sanober Tehemton Bava-adam and Neville Faredoon Vapiwalla; February 22 Meher Kersi Palkhiwala and Me her nosh Minoo Contractor; February 24 Rozebeh Phiroze Gandhi and Rohinton Jehangir Satarawala of Kalyan; February 24 Rukmani B. Gurnani and Kurus M. Vakil; February 25 Behroze Rusi Patel and Bomi Dinsha Sidhva; February 26 Keshmira Hormuzdiar Mistry of Gulbarga and Rayomand Minocher Adajania; February 27 Meher Dadi Asli and Ferhad Phiroz Bharucha of Madras; February 27 Mcher Dara Bhathena and Cyrus Faredoon Marchant; February 27 Silloo Keki Sanjana and Aspi Noshir Dubash; February 28 Kashmira Noshir Motiwalla and Phiroze Phiroze Motiwalla; February 28 Died Arnavaz K. Burjobehram (84), residing at 11, Heera Mcher, Wodehouse Rd, 400005; November 6,1993 (cremated) Jimmy Taleyarkhan, husband of Phiroza and father of Rasheid and Gitanjali; January 5, 1994 (cremated) Framroz (Fall) Hormasjee Mistry (65), 6/5, Petit Chmbs, Opp Mehella Patel Agiary, B alaram St, 400007; January 8 (cremated) Hosie Kaikobad Framroze Nariman (78), 126, CCI Climbs, D. Vatcha Rd, 400026; January 17 (cremated) Meherjee Dinshaw Hirjee (67), Halima Manzil, V. M. Naik Rd, 400036; January 26 (cremated) Rashid Boman Irani (Poonawalla) (74), Khareghat Clny, Behind Bldg 11 (32/E), Hughes Rd, 400007; February 1 Kaikhushru Palanji Patel (76), 2A/19, Tata Mills Co-op Hsg Soc, Parcl, 400012; February 1 Homi Sorabji Pesina (88), 62, West Minister, 400022; February 1 Mani Erach Gora (75), 191, Bhabha Hse, Bora Bazar St, Fort, 400001; February 2 Nergesh Hormusji Kapadia (79), 20/D, Sagar Sangeet, Colaba, 400005; February 2 Shirin Darabshaw Khan (75), 3/A, Soonawalla Bldg, Tardeo, 400007; February 2 Piliamai Pestonji Pithawalla (87), Raj Mhl, M. V. Rd, Andheri (E), 400069; February 2 Darabshaw Pallanji Bhathena (84), lA/31, Tala Mills Co-op Hsg Soc, J. B. Marg, Parel, 400012; February 3 Phiroze Munc hers haw Dhondy (88), J/6, Cusrow Baug, S. B. Rd, 400039; February 3 Jerbai Sohrab Patel (81), 704, Sea Breeze, Seven Bglws. Versova, 400061; February 3 Sheriar Kaikhushroo Irani (75), 40, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Rd, 400004; February 4 Aloo Burjor Katgara (66), 2/C, Hormazd Apts, 44, Pali Mala Rd, Bandra, 400050; February 4 Adi Hormasji Mogal (54), Chokshi Mans, Opp Fort Market, Mint Rd, 400001; February 4 Manekji Bejanji Hodiwala (84), Kwality Hse, Kemps Comer, 400036; February 5 Manek (Mack) Pirojshaw Khambatta (56), 113, Nibhana, Pali Hill, Bandra, 400050; February 5 Veera Jehangir Tarapore (60), Burjor Bldg, Wadia St, Tardeo, 400034; February 5 Nargesh Bomi Karai (53), C/14, Contractor Baug, Mori Rd, Mahim, 400016; February 6 Behram Rostam Parvaresh (73), Alpaiwalla Bldg, Cawasji Hormusji St, Dhobitalao, 400002; February 6 Jamshed Ruttonji Shroff (82), 81, Meherdad, Cuffe Parade, 400005; February 6 Behram (Behli) Shapurji BatUwala (76), Coste Belle, 603, Perry Cross Rd, Bandra, 400050; February 8 Katy Merwan Engineer (71), Dinath Court, 71, Pochkhanawalla Rd, Worli, 400025; February 8 Baby boy of Shiraz Cyrus Parbhoo (6 days), Dhun Villa, Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari (W), 400102; February 8 Hoshang Rattanshaw Bagwadia (70), 3, Chandrabala Est, 30th Rd,T. P.S. Ill, Bandra, 400050; February 9 Mehra Dara Bharucha (83), 5, Sleater Rd, Above Grant Rd Post Office, 400007; February 9 Keky Mistry (73), Haji Adam Mans, Store Lane, Fort, 400001; February 9 (cremated) Tehmina Hormusji Turel (70), 692, Chinoy Bldg, Dr Dinshaw Master Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; February 9 Goolu Keki Udwadia (76), 22/A, Wellington Ter, Wellington St, Dhobitalao, - 400002; February 9 Pervin Aspi Limbuwala (49), B-63, RNA Shopping Arcade, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (W), 400058; February 10 Hilla Eruch Mehta (84), M, Dalal Est, Lamington Rd, 400008; February 10 Dorabji (Darabshaw) Jamshedji Mistry (88), 15, Katgara Hse, Napean Sea Rd, 400036; February 10 Dara Sorabji Bagli (JJ), Daswani Hse, Dhuswadi, Dhobitalao, 400002; 45 Parsiana April 1994 LFebruary 11 Hormusji Manecksha Nanavaty (88), B/9, Shapur Baug, V. P. Rd, 400004; February 11 Jehangir Dossabhoy Ogra (71), 401/A, Laxminarayan Apts, Narayan Mhatre Rd, Dahisar (W), 400086; February 11 Jal Nadirshaw Badshaw (51), 17/A/2, Rustom Baug, Victoria Rd, Byculla, 400027; February 13 Silloo Percy Khatow (57), Union Bldg, 54, Sleater Rd, 400007; February 13 Soli Hormusji Poonjiaji (65), 281, SidhwaBldg, Princess St, 400002; February 13 Fall Dinshaw Vachha (73), Q-13, Shapoorji Bharucha Baug, Andheri (W), 400058; February 13 Sorab Rustom Bastani (80), 5, China Bldg, 1st Carpenter St, Near Mazgaon Dock, 400010; February 15 Silloo Behli Battiwala (70), Jer Mans, Gowalia Tank, 400036; February 15 Naval Hormasji Contractor (69), 781, Readymoney Bldg, M. Joshi Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; February 15 Jean Bomanji Dubash (79), Mount Napean, L. Jagmohandas February 21 Marg, 400006; February 15 Jerbai Rustomji Mistry (90), C/11, Captain Clny, Tardeo, 400034; February 16 Freni Meherji Variava (77), 71/B, Embassy Apts, Napean Sea Rd, 400006; February 16 Jamsheed Dorab Dhondy (42), A-23, Rosaiy Hse, Gunpowder Rd, Mazgaon, 400010; February 17 Dolly Purvez Mistry (62), 7/B, Old Wadia Chawl, Chandanwadi, 400002; February 17 Perin Nariman Bharucha (79), l/ll,Pusha Vihar, Opp Colaba Post Office, 400005; February 18 (cremated) Dhun Jal Mehta (90), Queen ’s Chmbs, 89, M. Karve Rd, 400020; February 18 Goolbanu Mondegar Tafti (Yazdegardi) (80), Marine Chmbs, Marine Lines, 400020; February 18 Manek Kaikhushru Baliwala (64), 4/18, A. H. Wadia Baug, Parel Tank Rd, 400033; February 19 Dhunmai Rustomji Colah (82), Motiwalla Bldg, E. S. P. Marg, Byculla, 400027; February 19 Ardesher Hgrmusji Desai (95), Master Chmbs, Metro Cinema Lane, 400020; February 19 Nergish Behramshah Ghazi (65), Umrigar Bldg, Zoroastrian Clny, Tardeo Rd, 400007; February 19 Nariman Kavasji Chaina (98), Yusuf Mans, 204, Khetwadi Back Rd, 400004; February 20 Hilla Shavak Mistry (55), 422/A, Dubash Bldg, Near Novelty Cinema Lane, Grant Rd, 400007; February 20 Khurshedji Meherwanji Nagpurwala (78), 622, Palia Mans, Lady Jehangir Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; February 20 Pervez Nadarsha Chinwalla (61), Daruwalla Trust Bldg, 13, Low South Freare Bridge, Grant Rd, 400007; February 21 Mani Dhanjisha Guzder (69), 14, Badat Manzil, Mehella Patel Agiary Lane, Grant Rd, 400007; February 21 Aloo Lovejoy Mehervanjee (68), February 27 2/204, Beach Haven, Juhu Tara Rd, 400049; February 21 Burjor Hormusji Vacha (66), 905, Cumballa Crest, 42/A, G. Deshmukh Marg, 400026; Daulat Cawasjee Vajifdar (80), Tarachand Bldg, Zoroastrian Clny, Chikalwadi, Tardeo, 400007; February 21 Erachsha Navroji Mehta (86), Davar Hse, Bunder Rd, Kalyan, 421301; February 22 Homai Darabsha Vatcha (85), Boman Hse, Homji St, Fort, 400001; February 22 Jehangir Bomansha Follwadiwalla (64), 3/23, Tata Clny, Tardeo, 400034; February 24 Sorabji Jehangirji Gandhi (74), 209, F. Marwadi Chawl, Opp Gamadia Clny, Tardeo Rd, 400007; February 24 Jehangir Rustomji Dadabhoy Lakdawalla (80), The Orison, Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari, 400102; February 24 Homi Framji Thuthy (75), Aria Bldg, P. D’Melo Rd, Fort, 400001; February 24 Goolbanu Dhunjishah Pardiwalla (84), E/7, Shapur Baug, V. P. Rd, 400004; February 25 Homi Ratanshah Balaporia (80), C/o Western India Oil Company, Nadkami Marg, Opp B. P. T. Hospital, Wadala, 400037; February 26 Daul at Khodaram Irani (88), 4/17, India Hse, Kemps Comer, 400036; February 26 Motoo (Piloo) Burjor Toorkey (74), 15, Park Haven, Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari (W), 400102; February 26 Bapaimai Hormasji Wachha {19), E/5, Model Hse, Proctor Rd, 400004; February 26 Jer Kaikhushroo Dalal (88), 512, Mehr-Muncher Mans, R. P. Masani Rd, Matunga, 400019; February 27 Dhunjishaw Kekishroo Lilaoowalla (88), 1/12, Kashinath Bldg, Kashinath Rd, 400034; February 27 Piroja Jamshedji Nagporevala (79), C/o Sam J. Nagpore ­ vala, 625, Nariman Bldg, Dhobitalao, 400002; February 27 Nowrojee Sorabjee Nuggad (Nowrojee) (86), 615, Dhun Villa, Jame Jamshed Rd, Parsi Clny, Dadar, 400014; Soo/Kjo Jolly Shroff (81), 19/C, United Chmbs, 347, Grant Rd, 400007; February 27 Behram Maneckji Buchia (59), 598/A, Wadia Bldg, J. Shankersheth Rd, 400002; February 28 Pilla Shavaksha Pardiwalla (78), 3416, Hill Side, Godrej Clny, Vikhroli (W), 400079; February 28 CALCUTTA Born A girl, Sazujya, to Pareen and Jehangir Tankariwala-, December 10,1993 A girl, Naintara, to Niloufer and Rajiv Patkar, December 25 Married Suparna Roy and Dinyar Nariman Mucadum-, January 17, 1994 Died From Dinshaw Billimoria, father of Dhun, Dinshaw and Mary Fatakia; February 12 Beji Kaikhusroo Engineer, faAer of Yezdi and brother of Dolly H. Buchia; February 12 Nergis Medhora, wife of Jal and motlier of Dorab, Burjor and late Veera; February 22 MHOW Died Mehera Rustom Dastur, mother of Ardeshir; December 1,1993 NAVSARI Married Shanaaz Nariman Kasad of Middlesex, UK and Mehernosh Phirojshaw Billimoria', October 12 SURAT Died Rusi Nariman Kelawala (64), Athugar St, Nanpura, 395001; February 3,1994 Maneckshaw Pallanji Mirai (94), Bhhaya St, Nanpura, 395001; February 19 Alanmai Dhanjisha Variava (80), Village Karjan, Taluka Kamrej, Dist Surat, 394180; February 22 Jehangir Behram Ragebi (Irani) (66), Nariman Home and Infirmary, Shahpore, 395003; February 26 *** CANADA Barnaby, British Columbia Married Sharareh Soltani and Hormoz Diniary, September 4, 1993 Montreal, Quebec Died Tehmina Karkaria, mother of Gev; September 29 Ontario Born A girl, Veesta, to Camelia and Shahrad Mavandadi-, September 5 A boy, Jeandiar, to Medea and Effandiar Kalanter, November 13 Vancouver Married Susan Hillary Ward and Rubin Engineer, son of Gool and Minoo; September 4 Roxana Anklesaria, daughter of Diana and Dinshaw of Poona, India and Yezdi Pavri, son of Roda and late Jamshed; December 4 IRAN Tehran Died Ardeshir Sasany (83), father of Simin Shahrvini; January 5,1994 46 Parsiana April 1994V PAKISTAN Karachi Died Dhun Manijah, mother of Khursheed Engineer and Nusserwanji; September 16, 1993 Jamshed Mehta', September 25 Khurshed Mlnwala, brother of Soonoo Mama, Fhirviz Saher and Villie Homji; September 25 SPAIN Madrid Died Goolrookh Sohrab Vima- dalal, sister of Dinshaw; February 27,1994 UGANDA Kampala Died Tarun Sidpra', December 14, 1993 UK London Died Rustom Edulji Kumana, hus-band of Perin and father of Cyrus, Thrity and late Tehemtan; February 25, 1994 Middlesex Born A boy, Kayvaan, to Yasmin and Farshid Kapadia, brother to Jehan; December 28, 1993 USA California Born A boy, Kyrus, to Zareen and Kaiyomarz Mohta; October 6 A girl, Nasha, to Perveen and Minoo Kat rack', December 11 Died Pheroza Vania, wife of Tehmurasp and mother of Darab, Nilufer, Dhan Divecha, Keki and Bannu Shrikhande; September 12 Perviz Confectioner (66), wife of Adi and mother of Zarir, Vira Okuda, Darayus and Kolly; November 16 Cherry Hill, New Jersey Born A boy, Burjis, to Ilutokhshi and Porus Cooper, brother to Malcolm; October 6 Houston, Texas Born A girl, Tania, to Rubina and Farshid Khan', October 16 Died Rusi Laskari, husband of Katy and father of Kairasp; February 17,1994 Philadelphia Died Arnavaz Arjani (79), mother of Tehemlon, Kobad, Neville, Freny Ranji, Dolly Balsara and Jer Udvadia; December 21, 1993 Smyrna, Georgia Born A girl, Delsheen, to Behnaz and Jehangir Dahmubed, sister to Justin-Kaiwan; December 6 St Paul, Minnesota Married Susan Anne Hallenbeck and Farhad Patel, son of Roda and Khushroo; January 22,1994 Texas Born A boy, Jamsheed, to Nancy and Mehrdad Yazdani', September 21,1993 Compiled by Roxana A. Driver BORN Boys Girls A 9 9 MARRIED Parsi Intercommunal 49 49 DIED CONSIGNED Males Females CREMATED Males Females 40 36 5 2 The Telling Figures Both marriages and deaths in Bombay indicated an increase in 1993 when compared to the 1992 figures. In terms of actual numbers, the community mar ­ riages showed an increase of 64 over the 1992 totals of 260 to give a count of 324 in 1993; intercommunity marriages in ­ creased by 12 over the 1992 count of 67 to give a total of 79. Tlius, while community mar ­ riages rose by 25 percent, intercommunity marriages rose by 18 percent. Of the total 403 marriages in 1993, 79. were intercommunity matches. This means that the percentage of intercommunity marriages was 20 (if calculated as a ratio of intercommunity marriages to the total number of marriages -- 79:403) and 24 (if unavailable. The average of the calculated as a ratio of inter- ~ - - community marriages to com ­ munity marriages — 79:324). The respective figures for 1992 were 20 and 26. The number of bodies con ­ signed at tire Bombay doon ­ gerwadi increased by 137 to give a count of 1,087 in 1993. The corresponding figure for 1992 was 950. The count of those cremated remained con- slant with both 1992 and 1993 registering eight deaths. But while the doongerwadi listing is exhaustive, that is not the case with the crematorium count as we have access to records only al the Chandanwadi cremato ­ rium and not at the three other crematoria in Bombay. The birth figures available with Parsiana indicated a count of 272 in 1993, lower by 44 when compared to the 1992 fig ­ ure of 316. This number in ­ cludes offspring of intercom ­ munity marriages irrespective of whether the father or mother is a Zoroastrian. However, as the Bombay Municipal Corporation no longer cites religion on the birth certificate, the official birth count for the community is Greater Bombay birth figures from 1981 to 1990 was 557 but presently there is no way of as ­ certaining the actual decline in the community. We list below the 1993 fig ­ ures as collected by Parsiana'. Born: Boys 137, Girls 135 Married: Parsi 324 Intercommunal 79 Died: Consigned 1,087 Cremated 8 Bombay B 137 135 324 79 563 524 2 6 TOTALS FOR 1993 AND 1994 India B C A c A World B c 18 21 89 24A 84 76 5 1 2 7 4 1 5 4 37 40 1 1 1 5 3 11 4 98 76 1 A: Total numbers in this issue B: Running totals lor 1993 (February 1993-April 1994 issues) C: Running totals for 1994 ''Males married out - 13 Females married out - 11 1 2 2 13 6 1 10 6 6 6 51 38 3* 1* * Overseas deaths are listed in the consigned column as Parsiana does not have any breakup ol those cremated. These figures pertain to information provided or collected by Parsiana. They do not represent the total number ol births, marriages and deaths in the Zoroastrian community in India or abroad. 47 Parsiana April 1994IN MEMORIAM Duggan: widening vision Parinaz Gandhi nected with the Nehru family too, par ­ ticularly Ms Vijayalakshmi Pandit who fondly called her “Chick, ” reminisces Vyas. Bubbling with energy, an evening Died: Lady Jena Jamshedji Duggan, 96, tai. From her husband ’s legacy she is at home would be a torture for her, men- social worker committed to blind welfare credited with having donated a munifi- tions a close friend. “She had a very who was instrumental in starting the first cent amount for this cause and thereafter active social life and a very loving per ­ eye bank in the country, on September 2, retaining her association as a member of sonal life, ” says Ms Mi.hoo Coorlawala, 1993 at her residence following a brief the governing board of this Sir J. Duggan president of the Time and Talents Club illness. Government of Maharashtra e Bank. where Duggan was a founder member “As a founder member of the National The NAB Sir J. Duggan L le Press, and on its executive committee until her Association for the Blind (NAB), she the NAB M. P. Shah All India Talking demise. “She had a great capacity for was a great source of inspiration and as- Book Project Committee, the NAB Fi- nurturing people, ” adds Coorlawala, sistance in developing services for the blind, ” noted a resolution passed at the avenues where she extended aid. “I was condolence meeting on December 15, struck by her active and alert mind, ” ad- tai. From her husband ’s legacy she is credited with having donated a munifi- Government of Maharashtra e Bank. The NAB Sir J. Duggan L le Press, Book Project Committee, the NAB Fi­ nance Raising Committee were the other “being very generous with her approval and very honest about her disapproval. ” She had her share of tragedies, but she 1993 presided over by the sheriff of mitted Ursekar. “When she undertook “would ride over calamities with Bombay, F. T. Khorakiwala. “So intense was her interest in the welfare of the dis ­ abled and deprived sections of society that despite very advanced age and indif ­ ferent health she would participate in the decision making process of many bodies on the managing committees of which she was an active member, ” further added the resolution. Even at the age of 96, she climbed three storeys to reach the venue of the meeting when she found that the lift was not working on one occasion, remembers Dr Rajendra Vyas, honorary secretary general of the NAB, India. “A lady of Duggan greeting Sharad Pawar. very few words, ” Vyas refers to her “si- Looking on (from left) are: Vijay lent contribution, guiding people from Merchant, Nana Chudasama and behind the scenes and making herself M. Nasrullah Photo: Asian Photos available for good causes. ” The Red Cross, the War Widows ’ Fund, the Sol ­ diers and Sailors Welfare Board and the pursue it till completion... working re ­ Cheshire Home were the other philan ­ thropic organizations for which she made time. Her services to the war widows was recognized by the British government who conferred on her the Kaiser-E-Hind medal. She was involved in ameliorating the of this gracious lady — stick in hand, im- condition of the blind much prior to the peccably dressed, (the Dowager walked gra- SB ¦ I . I enormous ciousness, ” acknowl ­ edges Coorlawala. Born to Alamai and Munchersha Parekh at Bombay, she was brought up by her maternal grandfather Hor- musji Guzdar and had schooled at the Fort Convent. She believed in prayer and ceremony, but not all Parsi customs. In fact, on the Time and Talents ’ 50th anniversary, a multi-religious thanksgiving jashan was held at the prayer room at her resi ­ dence. Invariably at navjotes and wed- any work for some project, she would dings she had that self discipline to be on time for the ceremonies and not ientlessly to see that these organizations merely to join in the festivities, remem- get enough funds to carry out their social work. ” “No future NAB function or an FRC belief that one must always pay one ’s re- (Finance Raising Committee) show will be the same without the august presence bers a family friend. Going to a funeral was a must with Duggan — an old Parsi spect to the dead. She did however break away fron tradition in opting to be cre ­ mated. While the large-hearted Duggan passing away of her husband Col Sir sedately to) her seat in the front row — helped in widening vision, her own eyes Jamshedji Duggan, a leading ophthalmic one of the first to arrive and the last to surgeon at the Grant Medical College, nearly 35 years ago. But as acknowl- Nariman, vice chairperson of NAB’s cherishes a short note scribbled by edges renowned ophthalmic surgeon Dr T. FRC. Considered as one of “the last rem- Duggan where she writes, “There is no N. Ursekar, “We ophthalmologists will nants of the fading aristocracy of the way to repay affection except to offer af- always remember her for establishing the Raj, ” Duggan had tremendous social fection. ” first eye bank in Bombay. ” On Sir contacts which she put to use for the Duggan is survived by her grand^n Jamshedji ’s demise, his widow per ­ suaded the Government of Maharashtra Lord and Lady Mountbatten she would to build a separate building for the eye bank in the compound of the J. J. Hospi- could not be donated due to her old leave the function, ” states Ms Ratty age and debility. One of her associates Nariman, vice chairperson of NAB’s FRC. Considered as one of “the last rem ­ nants of the fading aristocracy of the On Sir contacts which she put to use for the charitable causes that she promoted. Dr Firoze Duggan and granddaughter Fa ­ rina Duggan, both her sons Nusly and address by their first names, Louis and Homi having predeceased her by a few Edwina. She was very intimately con- years. 48 Parsiana April 1994