“People in glass houses”

I refer to the glass house in which our learned Khojeste Mistree resides. He has been very vocal about interfaith marriages, about conversion to the Zoroastrian faith and about the disposal of our dead by any other means except by consigning the bodies to the dakhmas.

However his own brother, Farrokh P. Mistree, who resides in the US has married a non-Zoroastrian lady who, according to Khojeste’s mother (the late Dr Nergesh) is a very fine person and wears a sudreh-kusti. Recently when Farrokh and his family were in Poona, Khojeste and his wife threw a party to celebrate Farrokh’s wedding anniversary.

Sometime back Nergesh was visiting her son Farrokh in the US when she expired and was cremated there. Khojeste who is so against the dead being cremated or buried, could have easily brought his mother’s body to Poona or Bombay to be consigned to the dakhma. I would suggest that our very local guardian of the community vacate his glass house and only then start throwing stones at others.

SOLI B. MOTIVALA

Poona

The editors reply

Motivala’s letter was sent to Khojeste Mistree for his reply if he so wished. Instead Parsiana received an e-mail from Khojeste’s wife Firoza stating, "With reference to your e-mail of December 8, 2005, the letter contains a number of inaccurate statements made knowingly or unknowingly by Motivala. As it refers to issues appertaining to and connected to Khojeste’s brother Farrokh Mistree and his wife, in all fairness you should send this e-mail to Farrokh.”

Accordinlgy an e-mail was sent to Farrokh Mistree on December 12 to which he sent the following reply:

"Motivala’s argument is based on incorrect premises and hence is spurious.

"My wife is a non-Zoroastrian and does not wear a sudreh or kusti.

"My brother and his wife Firoza did not throw a party in Poona to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary; my wife and I hosted and paid for the party referred to by Mr Motivala. My wife and I requested our sister-in-law Firoza to get in touch with friends and relatives and invite them to join us for dinner at the Turf Club in Poona.

"My mother, Nergesh Mistree, died in Atlanta and Khojeste had no say in how her body was to be disposed. Had she died in India I would have had no say in how her body was disposed off in India.

"My brother Khojeste has dedicated his life to the study of Zoroastrianism and to helping our coreligionists; I respect and applaud him for these actions. Khojeste arrives at his positions after deep study of the texts pertaining to our doctrine and after careful deliberation. Clearly, Motivala’s views about our religion differ from those of my brother Khojeste — but Motivala does not support his position by reference to Zoroastrian doctrine. Quite the contrary. In his letter to Parsiana, Motivala argues his position by making spurious references to my family. It is distressing that Motivala has chosen this low road instead of doing the right thing – reading and reflecting on Zoroastrian doctrine thereby educating himself sufficiently to argue his position based on doctrinal principles instead of spurious premises anchored in sheer ignorance.”