Editorial Viewpoint
Fighting shy
With the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India postponing their June 4 and 5 meeting till August 2005, the orthodox body hosting the inaugural bash of their world body on May 28 at the Turf Club grounds, the Eighth World Zoroastrian Congress being held June end in London, and the conducting of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) Anjuman Committee election in early 2006, the community's activity index is soaring.
The BPP's last minute decision to delay the Federation's executive council and general body meeting was to avoid embarrassment at the subsequent London Congress. Should the orthodox lobby have succeeded in steamrolling a negative vote on joining the proposed International Zoroastrian Organization (IZO), the Federation office bearers would lose face in the presence of their foreign counterparts.
But what exactly the BPP hopes will change by August is not clear. If anything the orthodox World Association of Parsee Irani Zoroastrians (WAPIZ) may have consolidated its position further. By keeping the membership to individuals rather than anjumans, WAPIZ may be able to rope in people from across the globe. The orthodox leader, Khojeste Mistree, has both the time and the inclination to travel around the world garnering support. And with business magnate Areez Khambatta bankrolling the project, funds are not a problem.
The IZO on the other hand has to contend with pulls from all quarters. Much of the money spent, if not all, is from the individuals' pockets. And most of these individuals are employed or engaged in some business or profession. They face all possible constraints. Of course it is to Mistree's credit that he has forsaken all other occupations to devote his full time to community activities. But that it is used in a divisive manner is what negates his efforts.
An orthodox world body is what the conservatives require to put across their point of view. Most of the existing national or international bodies follow the middle path. The Parsi Press also leans to the liberal side.
Rather than resort to subterfuge and gain legitimacy by representing minuscule anjumans at the Indian Federation, WAPIZ could serve as a genuine platform. But the orthodox group has always been riddled with factions and few, if any, democratic norms.
Whether WAPIZ will fall prey to the same ills has to be seen. Both Khambatta and Mistree are strong willed, determined individuals. Can they function together within the constraints of an institutional framework? If so, then with their boundless energy and gumption, they may finally provide the orthodox with due recognition and respect. If not, it will be one more set back in a string of failures.
How is WAPIZ to be countered by the middle-of-the-road, liberal thinking Parsis and Zoroastrians? One alternative is for the more moderate associations such as the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA), the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO), Iran and Australia to go ahead and form a world body minus India and the UK. This would isolate the Indian Feder-ation and the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) which has stated that it will toe the BPP's line.
The BPP, by insisting on the 'Parsi Zoroastrians only' clause for the leadership in IZO, has left itself in a state of limbo. This condition neither satisfies the orthodox demand of all membership being restricted to Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians nor the FEZANA-WZO requirement of membership to Zoroastrians. The community's apex body has thus become an inconsequential player in the world body stakes. And by delaying confrontation with the orthodox anjumans in the Federation, has only put off the day of reckoning.
The BPP's tactic to postpone the Federation meet caught most anjumans off-guard. Some had already made their travel reservations. This implies that the BPP has functioned in an autocratic manner and even those anjumans that are a
The BPP's last minute decision to delay the Federation's executive council and general body meeting was to avoid embarrassment at the subsequent London Congress. Should the orthodox lobby have succeeded in steamrolling a negative vote on joining the proposed International Zoroastrian Organization (IZO), the Federation office bearers would lose face in the presence of their foreign counterparts.
But what exactly the BPP hopes will change by August is not clear. If anything the orthodox World Association of Parsee Irani Zoroastrians (WAPIZ) may have consolidated its position further. By keeping the membership to individuals rather than anjumans, WAPIZ may be able to rope in people from across the globe. The orthodox leader, Khojeste Mistree, has both the time and the inclination to travel around the world garnering support. And with business magnate Areez Khambatta bankrolling the project, funds are not a problem.
The IZO on the other hand has to contend with pulls from all quarters. Much of the money spent, if not all, is from the individuals' pockets. And most of these individuals are employed or engaged in some business or profession. They face all possible constraints. Of course it is to Mistree's credit that he has forsaken all other occupations to devote his full time to community activities. But that it is used in a divisive manner is what negates his efforts.
An orthodox world body is what the conservatives require to put across their point of view. Most of the existing national or international bodies follow the middle path. The Parsi Press also leans to the liberal side.
Rather than resort to subterfuge and gain legitimacy by representing minuscule anjumans at the Indian Federation, WAPIZ could serve as a genuine platform. But the orthodox group has always been riddled with factions and few, if any, democratic norms.
Whether WAPIZ will fall prey to the same ills has to be seen. Both Khambatta and Mistree are strong willed, determined individuals. Can they function together within the constraints of an institutional framework? If so, then with their boundless energy and gumption, they may finally provide the orthodox with due recognition and respect. If not, it will be one more set back in a string of failures.
How is WAPIZ to be countered by the middle-of-the-road, liberal thinking Parsis and Zoroastrians? One alternative is for the more moderate associations such as the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA), the World Zoroastrian Organisation (WZO), Iran and Australia to go ahead and form a world body minus India and the UK. This would isolate the Indian Feder-ation and the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) which has stated that it will toe the BPP's line.
The BPP, by insisting on the 'Parsi Zoroastrians only' clause for the leadership in IZO, has left itself in a state of limbo. This condition neither satisfies the orthodox demand of all membership being restricted to Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians nor the FEZANA-WZO requirement of membership to Zoroastrians. The community's apex body has thus become an inconsequential player in the world body stakes. And by delaying confrontation with the orthodox anjumans in the Federation, has only put off the day of reckoning.
The BPP's tactic to postpone the Federation meet caught most anjumans off-guard. Some had already made their travel reservations. This implies that the BPP has functioned in an autocratic manner and even those anjumans that are a
◆ ◆ ◆
From the archive