“Fighting shy”

For once the orthodox have the reformists foxed! Whether this is good or otherwise for the community, only time will tell. But you cannot deny the tortoise has raced to the winning post while the hare is still deliberating! And the irony of it all is that a new front has been opened — WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis). And so the split, so far under wraps is wide open for the world to see. Never undermine or underestimate the opposing voice.

Rightly the editorial of Parsiana states ("Fighting shy,” May 21, 2005) that postponing the meet of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anju­mans of India (FPZAI) to August is wrong. To quote "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 IZO (International Zoroastrian Organization), the Federation office bearers would lose face in the presence of their foreign counterparts.” So do we conclude that all that the FPZAI does is butter up foreign counterparts? Don’t the glaring issues of the Indian Parsis have credence any more? Aren’t the problems of housing, education, marriage, safeguarding our properties, agiaries, and to see to the betterment of the community, not important issues that need to be thrashed out? Or do we now conclude such issues are being sidelined as their sights are on going global, with plum positions at stake? At whose cost may I ask?

It is not necessary that a brilliant and honest businessman would be a forthright trustee or a leader who can patiently hear the fears, take note of the contrary voice of a cross section of people, and still keep the flock together in his fold, marching them towards unity, prosperity and a tomorrow with promise!

But if time and again lack of transparency and highhandedness, are the qualities one meets from the very people we have made our spokespersons, then I would say, don’t believe the Indian Parsi will accept any unsubstantiated verbal monolog only because we have voted you to represent us, and most certainly not at the cost of our dignity and Parsi­ness!

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda