Readers' Forum
Fads or figures?
The Madras Parsi Zarthosti Anjuman (MPZA) members have a right to believe and practise what their sense of justice and right thinking leads to ("Fads or figures,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, May 2004).
The members of MPZA need no advice, tutoring or exhortations from self-appointed leaders to make their decisions. No one wishes to change the mindset of media styled vada dasturs and scholars or to tell them how to lead their lives.
No man or woman easily changes his or her beliefs or can be re-educated after the age of maturity and yet there are those who are so eager to make others think their thinking.
With reference to the statement "... is not recognized by the Parsi Zoroastrian community...” may I ask which Parsi Zoroastrian community has authorized this spokesman? Who in the "community” gave him the mandate? And what is his self-styled status to authoritatively be empowered to decide for others?
Our elected politicians claim to speak "for the people.” But even they exceed their mandate when they claim to speak for "people” other than those in their constituencies. Furthermore they are elected.
I am not aware of The Parsee Voice. The excerpts quoted by Parsiana leads one to expect it to be the voice of conservatism which in the present day debate is the voice of hara-kiri which our community is bent on pursuing.
The Parsee Voice is reported as asking "Whose property is the Zoroastrian religion?” If they are suggesting that sane voices of human beings who have the God given faculty of reasoning cannot claim allegiance to the Zoroastrian faith then it is time for them to look for "...hybrids and pariahs (mongrels)...” in their own fold.
RASHID MINOCHER
Bangalore
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