Editorial Viewpoint
A tale of two cities
Once upon a time not too long ago or far away, two kingdoms existed side by side: the kingdom of Pars and the kingdom of Zors. Prior to their creation, they were one state under the leadership of King Ahu but on his death, his two sons, Par and Zor could not see eye to eye and so they decided to equally split the territory into two such that each got an equal portion of the land, population, natural resources, treasury reserves, monuments, etc. The brothers, whatever their differences, were after all adherents of the same religion, Maz, which preached good thoughts, good words and good deeds.
The citizens could choose which kingdom to live in. Those who thought highly of Par and his outlook went to Pars and likewise for Zors.
The two countries lived in peace and prosperity. But then a disquieting trend was noted in Pars. The population started to dwindle while in Zors it not only remained the same, but actually increased.
It was also noted that Pars culturally lacked diversity. The staple food was dalsukh which consisted of brown rice, lentils and meat or chicken. On festive occasions white rice and lentils were served in addition to fish steamed in palm leaves, chicken cooked with chopped potatoes, eggs on vegetables and cooked semolina. All the Pars dishes were variations of these basic recipes.
Pars art consisted mostly of portraits of the prophet Mazyasani. They were hung up in the water temples. Visitors to Pars could never see them because non-Mazs were not permitted in their place of worship. It was feared their presence would pollute the special cleansing qualities of the holy water. The holy water was consecrated after much ceremony and represented water from a water purifier, a natural spring, a river, a lake, a sewer, a tap, an earthen pot, a water bottle, a fountain and so on.
Pars had a policy of not accepting any immigrants and only issued tourist visas and temporary work permits. No one could stay indefinitely. As most of the Parsors were affluent they did not opt for manual labor which the foreigners on work permits did. But as only Mazs could enter the water temples, there was no one to keep them clean.
As a result the water in most temples was unsuitable for drinking. The Pars municipality put up notices at the water temples cautioning devotees from drinking the water. Many Parsors unknowingly believed the water contained curative properties. Even though the temples were well constructed, their appearance was marred by bare tubelights, garish portraits or photographs of prominent Parsors. The aesthetic senses of the Parsors was not very refined. Greeting cards printed in China were viewed as art.
As for music, most of it consisted of devotional songs written and composed by fellow Parsors or handed down from the days of Ahu.
Because Pars had no real culture or art they imported rock n’ roll, rap, disco, bhangra and pop. For food they opened hamburger chains and pizza joints.
Zors shining
Zors on the other hand was flourishing. Emigrants were permitted and made citizens after due process with full equal rights. They could enter the water temples as a result of which the places were kept spotlessly clean. Great art adorned the tem- ple halls and passageways. People would flock to the water temples in large number and donate generously as a result of which the temples were flushed with funds so the clergy opened schools, colleges, hospitals, hospices and old people’s homes.
A Zoro could marry a non-Zoro and a non-Zoro could become a Zoro if he or she so chose. Children of interfaith marriages could opt for any religion or even no religion if they so chose.
Industry, agriculture, the arts and science flourished in Zors. It became a superpower.
Pars by contrast found itself unable to meet even the citizen’s daily requirements. As many of their young had migrated to other lands (including<
The citizens could choose which kingdom to live in. Those who thought highly of Par and his outlook went to Pars and likewise for Zors.
The two countries lived in peace and prosperity. But then a disquieting trend was noted in Pars. The population started to dwindle while in Zors it not only remained the same, but actually increased.
It was also noted that Pars culturally lacked diversity. The staple food was dalsukh which consisted of brown rice, lentils and meat or chicken. On festive occasions white rice and lentils were served in addition to fish steamed in palm leaves, chicken cooked with chopped potatoes, eggs on vegetables and cooked semolina. All the Pars dishes were variations of these basic recipes.
Pars art consisted mostly of portraits of the prophet Mazyasani. They were hung up in the water temples. Visitors to Pars could never see them because non-Mazs were not permitted in their place of worship. It was feared their presence would pollute the special cleansing qualities of the holy water. The holy water was consecrated after much ceremony and represented water from a water purifier, a natural spring, a river, a lake, a sewer, a tap, an earthen pot, a water bottle, a fountain and so on.
Pars had a policy of not accepting any immigrants and only issued tourist visas and temporary work permits. No one could stay indefinitely. As most of the Parsors were affluent they did not opt for manual labor which the foreigners on work permits did. But as only Mazs could enter the water temples, there was no one to keep them clean.
As a result the water in most temples was unsuitable for drinking. The Pars municipality put up notices at the water temples cautioning devotees from drinking the water. Many Parsors unknowingly believed the water contained curative properties. Even though the temples were well constructed, their appearance was marred by bare tubelights, garish portraits or photographs of prominent Parsors. The aesthetic senses of the Parsors was not very refined. Greeting cards printed in China were viewed as art.
As for music, most of it consisted of devotional songs written and composed by fellow Parsors or handed down from the days of Ahu.
Because Pars had no real culture or art they imported rock n’ roll, rap, disco, bhangra and pop. For food they opened hamburger chains and pizza joints.
Zors shining
Zors on the other hand was flourishing. Emigrants were permitted and made citizens after due process with full equal rights. They could enter the water temples as a result of which the places were kept spotlessly clean. Great art adorned the tem- ple halls and passageways. People would flock to the water temples in large number and donate generously as a result of which the temples were flushed with funds so the clergy opened schools, colleges, hospitals, hospices and old people’s homes.
A Zoro could marry a non-Zoro and a non-Zoro could become a Zoro if he or she so chose. Children of interfaith marriages could opt for any religion or even no religion if they so chose.
Industry, agriculture, the arts and science flourished in Zors. It became a superpower.
Pars by contrast found itself unable to meet even the citizen’s daily requirements. As many of their young had migrated to other lands (including<
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From the archive