“We are bigger than...”

This is in response to the two letters from Canada in your 40th anniversary issue ("We are bigger than...” Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, November 2003).

The letters were written by S. J. Bharucha of Ontario and the response was given by Ervad Kobad Zarolia, the president of the newly formed OZCF (Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation). My interest in both the letters is that I was involved with Zarolia in floating the idea of establishing an agiary in Toronto in 1993. We strongly felt that without an agiary we are unable to perform any higher liturgical ceremonies such as baj, yasna, etc.

The philosophical tenets of our religion such as free choice, the conflict between good and evil, maintaining a balance in our lives are all etched in the psyche of modern men. However, to enable our future generations to keep a connection with our religion the way it was handed down to us, we felt that it was important to preserve our religious rites and rituals in the New World. With this in mind, some like-minded members of our Zoroast­rian community in Toronto, started collecting funds for the project. We tried for two years and collected $ 18,486 in actual donation and another $ 32,000 in pledges. This is the $ 55,000 that Bharucha is talking about. This was done outside the juris­diction of the ZSO (Zoroastrian Society of Ontario) and had nothing to do with the ZSO. When we failed to collect the two million needed for the agiary project we returned the $ 18,486 to the various individuals who had contributed towards this project. I have a detailed record of the same on file. The ZSO has always been opposed to a new structure or a new building as it believes that it will divide the community. We in Toronto feel that our community is growing rapidly, with new immigrants and young children and another center in the west end of the city should not in any way threaten the existing Darbe Meher in the east end. Living in Bombay you would understand how difficult it is to go from one end of the city to another, without spending a lot of time in traffic. When Bharucha stated that Zarolia wants to build a center near his home, he means the ‘west end’ of the city where a very substantial number of Zoroastrians now reside.

People like my husband and I belong to both organizations. I take offence at Bharucha’s reference to us, "for a track record of unprincipled positions, questionable financial practices, violence, strong arm tactics and underhand petitions!” We are all respectable members of the Toronto community. In the past 26 years we have personally invested a lot in our community and so has Zarolia. Bharucha himself is a witness to all that we have put in for our community. We all have the good of the community at heart and together we can do great things, but if we resort to foul name-calling and wild accusations, it just creates bitter­ness and further divides our small community.

Zarolia has been the president of the ZSO. Under his presi­dentship we had hosted a very successful North American Zoroast­rian Congress in 1988. Zarolia is also responsible for initiating the North American Mobed Council. He has been a key member in the Zoroastrian Cricket Club and Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce. These are only some of the community activities that Zarolia has been involved in. The point is that we have always been active, productive members of the ZSO. Our investment of time and effort has been to preserve our religion for our children and do what is best for our community in the New World. None of us would use underhand means to bilk the members of our community and pocket peoples’ donations as suggested by Bharucha. It is this kind of personal assault and abuse that puts off so many well meaning people from volunteering and giving their best to the community. I wish I can tell you what a great community we have in Ontario as I work very closely with it during the five Gatha days that we observe every year. I have nothing but respect for all our mem­bers and it was with immense sadness that I read Bharucha’s unkind and uninformed public letter.

PUTLI NOSHIR MIRZA

Toronto, Canada