Fantasy to pharaghat

I flip the pages of my Oxford Dictionary back and forth and land at alphabet "P,” but just cannot find the meaning of the word "pharaghat.” In despair I pick up my Concise Oxford Thesaurus… Eureka, it’s there. It’s synonymous with the word "Parsi” and so I protanto flip the pages backwards to the word "Parsi” and guess what, it’s synonymous with the words food-fun-fashion-fantasy. I shut the Oxford Thesaurus and wonder as to how those guys at Oxford School are aware of those Parsi traits.

There is nothing wrong in having certain traits, especially when they are good and carried on from generation to generation. Let’s take food. Ask a Parsi about food and he will tell you every new restaurant in town with its speciality and finally he will sum up with saying "I live to eat and not eat to live.” The next trait is "fun” which is inherent in every blue blooded Parsi. Even a visit to the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital will say it all. Parsis don’t need a reason to have fun… just get three or four friends and there you will see a Parsi having his share of fun. The trait of "fashion” can give Donnatella Versace a good run for her money. I’m sure, if she was invited for the annual May Queen Ball at Rustom Baug, she would definitely rope in one or two of our dancing damsels to walk the ramp. Yes we do fantasize in high degrees. Fantasy is just a state of mind and it’s healthy to let your imagination run wild once in a while. And finally "pharaghat” –– is what I will experience after completing this article. Although I will not sit on an easy chair and stretch my legs out, I will tuck myself under my comforter and go into a deep slumber as it is past 2 a.m.

DELNA KOTWAL