“Drifting to other faiths”

Some of the observations of Brig N. B. Grant (Poona), one of your perspicacious contributors, must be very galling to the ultra-orthodox Parsis who refuse to change with time and continue to live with anachronistic conventions ("Drifting to other faiths,” Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, January 7, 2006).

He is very right when he says that the use of the taro (albino bull’s urine) and the presence of a dog, after the geh sarna are both anachronistic. There are many who believe, and say, that after the due performance of prayers, the taro is believed to stay neutral and not degenerate even after five to 10 years but I am unsure of its antiseptic properties, like that of Dettol and Listerine (as mentioned by Grant).

In today’s times, a qualified doctor’s death certificate, and not sighting by a male dog, is mandatory, for a corpse. The dog is very dear to Parsis, but, what its medical utility in today’s times is, I cannot follow.

While talking of these two anachronistic practices, let me add one more: The custom of observing ara antar, when a Parsi wedding is being solemnized, in an age, when the consenting partners have seen each other a hundred or more times before. We have been a technology driven community for over 150 years, but refuse to reform the anachronistic features of our socioreligious practices.

Grant has made an observation, perhaps for the nth time, on the subject of a lack of scholarship amongst our priests. It is no wonder that only one percent of the male Parsi population comprises priests, because it is a very unattractive calling. No priests of any community can be paid commercial wages, but until 20 years back, the wages paid to our priests were subsistence wages, with the result that those who could do nothing better, took to priesthood. Unless we triple the wages of our priests (and that is possible through a sound management of our funds) I do not know how we are going to attract a better class of athornans.

Maybe, one generation later, there may be a compulsion to throw open the doors to the behdins who are prepared to undertake the avocation of priests provided we pay them respectable wages.

BEHRAM T. DASTUR