Twin tamashas

"Between December 2004 and May 2005 the Parsi community witnessed two public tamashas (fracas), each entertaining in its own way, one at Ahmedabad and the other at Bombay,” noted an editorial in the quarterly Parsi Pukar of January-March 2005 which reached its readers in September 2005. The Ahmedabad reference pertained to the rowdyism by the Khojeste Mistree camp over the world body (WB) fiasco at the meeting of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India. The Bombay reference was to the formation of the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) promoted by orthodox leaders Areez Khambatta and Mistree.

"On the one hand those WB-wallas have made the conversion hydra hiss again, and on the other WAPIZ sounds as hollow as a cracked drum. The former is to be opposed strongly as is done... since more than a century. The latter has adopted a definition of a Parsi to include the child of a Parsi father and non-Parsi mother. It is obvious that no Khshnoomist can accept this…” states Parsi Pukar.

Dastoor’s diatribe

Convinced that "there cannot be in the very nature of things a Parsi who is not a Zarathoshti and a Zarathoshti who is not a Parsi,” the editorial lists the seven requirements of a Zarathoshti – one who wears the sudreh-kusti at all times, prays from the Khordeh Avesta, recites the Atash Nyaish before the sacred fire, performs the requisite ceremonies for the dear departed, believes in dakhmenashini, and most importantly "is honest, truthful, sincere and loving in all her or his dealings with all the creatures and creation on the earth; has a natural instinct to be of service to them, and to be humble enough to control her or his ego…She or he knows the great truth that... preservation of the racial gene is a spiritual command and requirement taught by the Din and avoids its breach.”

According to editor Kaikhushroo Dastoor, WAPIZ was launched because ‘Ahmedabadi Areez’ Khambatta was piqued by the comment of ‘Madrasi (Nariman) Mogrelia’ that Madras Parsis were richer than Ahmedabad Parsis. This prompted Khambatta to display his cheque of one crore rupees at the launch of WAPIZ and further give generous ashodads to the mobeds praying at the jashan, and the High Priests "known to swing and vacillate.” Counsels Dastoor, "Take it Areez, from this 10 years older than you (Ahmedabadi Baheramgore Dastoor’s brother) that you have wasted your... money which you could have well utilized for the poor, Parsis and non-Parsis.”

Dastoor doubts the intentions of Homi Ranina and Hoshang Wania two of the seven WAPIZ founders, after seeing the roles they played in connection with the Batliwalla Agiary at Tardeo and the Langrana Agiary at Fort. Dastoor analyzes the 12 objects of WAPIZ: Six of the 12 objects contain the words ‘Parsi and Irani Zarathoshtis,’ one contains the words ‘Zarathoshti religion (not Parsi Zarathoshti religion),’ and the remaining five do not contain any word like or related to Parsi or Zara­thoshti. According to him, "They are cosmopolitan. They arise out of the usual psyche of chartered accountants to be out of the taxation net, forgetting that it falls into another more dangerous pit resulting in the failure of the main objects…WB and WAPIZ both are just tamashas displaying the fallen Parsi intelligence and approach of extinction…”