“Review reservations”

I was delighted to read that the National Commission for Minori­ties has sought nomination of Parsis to parliament and the legis­lative assemblies of Gujarat and Maharashtra where a majority of the Parsi population lives ("Review reservations,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, May 21, 2005).

The news item is all the more welcome as the proposal has come from a non-Parsi, Tarlochan Singh, chairman of the said Commission, who recognizes the contribution of our minuscule community to the country as a whole.

It must be realized, that the British are no longer here to give us plum posts, and we have to survive in a competitive atmosphere of "dog eats dog” and "let the devil take the hind-most.” With increasing competition and a burgeoning population of other communities we cannot stick to old dogmas and must grab the opportunity when it arises and push ourselves forward so that we can once again stand up and be counted.

Surely, there must still be quite a few in our community who could aspire for these nominations on their own worth, abili­ty and qualities. Why does not our community recommend such names for such posts?

PHIROZE B. ILLAVA

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