Be wary of ‘worshipers’

Be wary of ‘worshipers’

It is with great disdain that we have learnt about the untoward incident at the Karani Agiary in Cusrow Baug on Sunday, February 17, 2002 (mah Meher, roz Hormazd).

We are informed that two gentlemen of dubious ancestry entered the Agiary on the pretext of listening to a religious discourse by a Parsi lady. It was only when she announced at the end of her lecture that those present became aware that the gentlemen in question were from Tajikistan professing the Zoroastrian (!) religion.

The lady under discussion is conducting a so-called ‘Zoroastrian College’ and issuing degrees not recognized by any university in Bombay or India.

We write this to inform the respected trustees and panthakies of all atash behrams and agiaries to be wary about such persons so that such adverse and unfortunate incidents do not occur in future.

All our religious institutions in India and Pakistan such as atash behrams, agiaries, dakhmas and bunglis, consecrated places of worship are specifically intended for the use of Parsi Zoroastrians only. They are not open to any­­-one merely professing the Zarathushti faith.

Dastur (Dr) KAIKHUSROO M. JAMASPASA

High Priest, Anjuman Atash Behram

Dastur (Dr) FIROZE M. KOTWAL

High Priest

Meher Master-Moos, president of the Zoroastrian College, replies

It is indeed astonishing that the letter writer duo rushes into Press on mere hearsay without bothering to ascertain the correct facts. On what basis does this duo arrogate authority to itself to tell people to violate the Constitution of India?

The two Dasturs are misinformed as to what occurred on February 17, 2002 at Karani Agiary, Cusrow Baug. In fact I was to deliver a discourse after the Hormazd roz, Meher mah jashan at the Agiary. These lectures I have been giving for over 15 years, when the late respected panthaky Nadirsha Aibara and I used to take turns every month on Hormazd and Behram roz since these lectures were first started. On February 15, 2002 Sohrab Dehmobed of the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjuman sent a gentleman named Ardeshiri to the Mazda­yasnie Monasterie office informing us that he is from the Tehran Zoroastrian Anjuman and had come from Iran to Bombay to study the Zoroastrian religion. He came to the Karani Agiary hall on February 17 to listen to my lecture. I was praying in the kebla and I was informed after I came out of the kebla that the panthaky had asked him to go out of the Agiary hall. My lecture began immediately. He waited outside the Agiary door till my lecture was over to meet me.

As regards the second gentleman Prof Rustom Fuzaylov, head of the English Department of the Technological University of Tajikistan in Khujand, a highly respected University academic, he is a Zoroastrian gentleman of old original Iranian stock, whose navjote was performed by the Iranian Mobed Jamshedi Kamran, after Tajikistan gained independence from ex-USSR. He is in India for the purpose of writing the entire Avesta in Cyrillic Tajik script, to make it easier for the persons of old Zoroastrian stock in Old Iran, now named as the modern republics of Tajikistan, etc, to read our Avesta prayer book in their script presently in use. This has been done from time to time; just as Tehmuras Sethna of Karachi wrote the Avesta prayers in Roman script to make it easier for Zoroastrian children living in Pakistan, UK, USA, Canada, even India, and just as Ervad Kavasji Kanga during his time wrote the Avesta prayers in Gujarati script; because Zoroastrians in India and other countries had forgotten how to read Avesta prayers in the original script.

In fact, Fuzaylov was invited to share the lecture platform with me at the Karani Agiary as I was speaking on the subject of Navroz, and the Navroz Scrolls discovered in the "Kuh-e-Mogh” mountain (mountain of the Maghavs) in Tajikistan. Many highly educated persons were attending my lecture including persons from the legal profession, and they complimented both of us after the lecture.

The two Dasturs say that the Zoroastrian College (ZC) is "issuing degrees not recognized by any University in Bombay or India.” In fact the correct position is that ZC has affiliation/collaboration with eight international universities including inter alia, the World University (Arizona, USA), the Open International University for Complementary Medicine (Sri Lanka), the United Nations (UN) Peace University, the Tajikistan Technological University. The degrees issued through ZC are recognized in every country of the world which is a member of the UN General Assembly and signatory to the UN Peace University resolution. The Government of India is a signatory to the resolution, as also Pakistan, Sri Lanka, UK, Canada, USA, etc and the degrees by research thesis issued through ZC are recognized in these and all other signatory countries.

It is astonishing that the duo states that it writes to inform trustees and panthakies of all atash behrams and agiaries "to be wary about such persons.” Precisely what do they mean? Under the Constitution of India, every Zoroastrian has a right to enter and pray in places of worship meant for Zoroastrians in India. How can anyone stop any Zoroastrian from entering and praying in any agiary or atash behram? It would be a violation of constitutional rights. Nobody in India has any authority to violate the Constitution, least of all trustees and panthakies of agiaries and atash behrams.

The last para of their letter is even more astonishing. As indicated in the book Zoroastrians Worldwide at the Millennium released at the Seventh World Zoroastrian Congress in Houston in December 2000, there are Canadian Zoroastrians, British Zoroastrians, and Zoroastrians in Europe, USA, Iranian Zoroastrians, Australian Zoroastrians, Pakistani Zoroastrians, Indian Zoroastrians, etc. Iranian Zoroastrians include those living in the present political boundaries of Iran and also those living in old Iran provinces of the Sasanian empire such as Khorrasan, Bactria, Soghdiana, the Caucasian Mountains, etc which historically came under the suzerainty of Communist USSR for a period of about 80 years in the 20th century and are now independent republics such as Tajikistan; as also those Iranian Zoroastrians living outside Iran, in UK, USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, etc. How absurd of the two Dasturs to think, let alone write in the public Press, that religious institutions in India and Pakistan such as atash behrams, agiaries, dakhmas, bunglis and consecrated places of worship are "intended for the use of Parsi Zoroastrians only.” Do they seriously mean to say that when Zoroastrians from USA, UK, Canada, Iran or anywhere else come to India, they are to be prevented from using the Zoroastrian places of worship? This is nonsensical.

The term dastur is derived from "dastagir = to lead by the hand.” These two Dasturs appear to have acted hastily without bothering to ascertain the correct facts and in fact their letter is both misleading and defamatory. They should take greater care in future; otherwise they will lose the respect of the orthodox behdin community.

Prof Rustom Fuzaylov replies

Spitama Zarathushtra first taught the Paegam of Ahura Mazda to our ancestors in the court of KaiVishtasp in my country. For thousands of years, my people have preserved and practiced these teachings. Till today in the remote villages in high mountainous regions the local dialect spoken by the people is very close to Avesta. In the 20th century my people came under the Communist regime during which time all religions, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism were prohibited; and places of worship closed down and converted into bazaars and offices.

Since 1991 when my country was liberated from ex-USSR, in our republics we are free to worship and revive the faith of our forefathers.

I am the head of the English language department at the Tajikistan Technological University in Khujand, an ancient city over 5,000 years old. Tajikistan is the modern name for the geographical area previously known as Khorrasan, Soghdiana, Bactria, and other provinces of the Iranian Empire from the Kyanian dynasty. Many millions of Tajik people are of ancient Kyani tokhum (lineage). So our government is reviving the Avesta. Even the new hotel built by the government in Dushanbe is named "Avesta.”

In 1992, our Tajik government held the first World Avesta Conference to celebrate our first republic anniversary and invited many scholars from other countries, including Zoroastrian College delegates. In 1994, our Tajik government held a UNESCO supported conference to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. Zoroastrian mobeds from India knowing Persian were invited to Tajikistan to perform the navjotes of our people, but due to the then Tajik war they could not come. In 1996, our Tajik government held the second World Avesta Conference. In 1999, our Tajik government held a Conference for Somonid. Mobed Jamshedi Kamran, a Persian-speaking Iranian mobed, was invited and he performed the navjotes of Tajiks in Dushanbe. In 2001, on our 10th republic anniversary our Tajik government held the third World Avesta Conference when the entire Avesta translation in Persian, written in Cyrillic Tajik script, was released. Kamran was again invited and he performed the navjotes of persons, including myself, who were trained and ready.

I have come to India for the purpose of writing out all the Avesta prayers to publish a standard textbook of Avesta prayers in Tajik Cyrillic script; so that my people can read the Avesta prayers more easily. This would help more persons to be trained and ready for navjotes. We lost this knowledge of performing ceremonies during the Communist period in my country. Now we have to revive it. So I have come here for this purpose, and to learn from the respected Zoroastrian priests in India, as the ceremonies are still performed here. I have visited and prayed in many agiaries and atash behrams in India since coming here, and stayed in Zoroastrian dharamshalas in several places in India. I am thankful to all the educated, kind, good and hospitable Zoroastrians who have helped me throughout India, in Delhi, Bombay, Hyderabad, Sanjan and elsewhere, in my endeavor to revive our faith in my country.

I am really surprised how these two ‘Dasturs’ can write such a letter in the public Press, which is all full of wrong statements about me when they have never met me. In my country to be ‘disdainful’ is a very shocking attitude of mind for any person who is educated. I expect better cooperation from the Zoroastrian priests in India.