Alliance alienated

The WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) Page in the Afternoon Despatch & Courier (ADC) that appears every fortnight has raised more hackles than plaudits. The stance of the eight-month-old orthodox Alliance has earned the ire of not only men like real estate developer Zarir Bhathena and Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee Dinshaw Tamboly but also orthodox spokesmen like Dastur Khurshed Das­toor of Udvada, Noshir Dadrawala and Ervad Darius Sethna.

Disgusted that WAPIZ uses the media to disseminate misinformation regarding the Hilla Towers project and the Wadia Agiary facing it, Bhathena’s nearly two-column explanation in the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly of January 8, 2006 concludes: "WAPIZ, it seems, believes that a lie repeated a hundred times becomes a truth. Try hard as they may, their lies will remain just that…lies.” He was critical of what he termed the WAPIZ hypocrisy in pointing out the dire poverty among Parsis and the need for welfare work whilst ungrudgingly spending nearly two lakhs of rupees a month to buy space in ADC "to satisfy the political ambitions of some of the people…to denigrate others. Can one imagine that the same money could be spent to look after Zoroastrians who are living below the poverty line? Can one imagine that the same (money) can be used to construct one house for a poor Zoroastrian brother in South Gujarat? It is very easy to give advice on paper…”

WAPIZ’s favorite whipping boy on the ADC WAPIZ Page is Tamboly because he financially assisted Jam-e-Jamshed editor Rusi Dhondy some years ago, and for his association with the World Zoroastrian Organisation and more recently the Foundation for Development of Udvada. As Tamboly countered in the Jamé of January 15, "Negative minds think negatively and the energy they dissipate is negative…WAPIZ is presently trying to foment fear that by adding new clauses to the constitution of FDU I would divert funds meant for Udvada, overseas… These same people were earlier singing the tune that I was raising funds overseas, getting them into India to help individuals/institutions and was thereby placing beneficiaries under the burden of obligation! If the Parsi sentiments about Udvada are so strong as WAPIZ makes them out to be, how is it that the Save Udwada Trust, in spite of numerous public appeals is struggling to raise funds…?”

Bhathena (left) and Dadrawala

With Dastoor declaring that the acronym WAPIZ stands for War Among Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis, it is apparent that his sympathies do not lie with the ultra orthodox. In the ADC of January 5, 2006 WAPIZ retaliated questioning "why he so rightly spoke up strongly against development on agiary lands during the Dadysett Atash Behram controversy and yet has lent his support to the Hilla Towers project in the Lalbaug Agiary complex. Dasturji’s conflicting stand is confusing the community.”

In his letter to the Press Dadrawala wrote, "I am an orthodox, both by upbringing and conviction… There are times when I feel that knowingly or unknowingly Parsis purporting orthodoxy are bringing shame and dishonor to the fair name of the community in the eyes of other communities…” He was critical of the chairman of WAPIZ (Areez Khambatta) with his "enormous appetite for acrimony which is periodically whetted by some of his colleagues and advisors including a ‘messiah’ (Oxford educated community activist Khojeste Mistree) who can make sacred fires fly and receive divine ‘messages’ from them…It amazes me how despite living in such fragile glass houses these champions of orthodoxy find the moral courage to pelt stones at others…There is always a place for dissent and opposition in any civilized, fair, just and democratic society. However dissent should not lead to destruction and opposition should always be objective and without personal malice…No one will remember what they write in the ADC or state at public meetings for long. If WAPIZ desires to be remembered in Parsi history and by generations to come they will have to mend their ways and do something more tangible, positive and constructive…”

Equally critical was Sethna who declared, "In fact, WAPIZ in my considered opinion has misled our gullible and noble Parsi Zoroastrian community by misrepresenting itself as a truly traditional and an orthodox world body by virtue of the fact that they have accepted Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians (who have intermarried) and their progeny as Parsi/Irani Zoroastrians. This is totally unacceptable by any traditional orthodox Parsi/Irani Zoroastrian.”

In the meanwhile after a several month search for an office premise the WAPIZ Page of January 19, 2006 noted: "WAPIZ opens its head office in Bombay. On roj Asman, mah Amardad 1375 (January 13, 2006) the WAPIZ office was declared open by founder member Dr (Ms) Mehroo Bengalee after a jashan.” The office is located on the first floor of the Framjee Cawasjee Institute at Dhobi Talao.