“Appreciate their roots”

The article "Appreciate their roots (Parsiana, February 7, 2006)” was commendable. I always enjoy Dilnavaz E. Bhagwagar’s articles and contributions, but this one just blew my mind away. I was so elated and fascinated by these two wonderful ladies Anahita and Ayesha Dua, especially when Ayesha said, "In that single hour of the ceremony, I grew as a person, more than I have in all of my 18 years” and when Anahita said, "In having our navjote ceremony, we have consciously chosen a revolutionary direction.” We should be proud to have two such wonderful Zoroastrian women in our fold and even the most die-hards must have been lost for words after reading this article and seeing the lovely pictures, as there was not one single comment from the usual old, orthodox, pure, blue-blooded Parsis. Does that mean things are changing and people in Bombay — the purest of the pure race followers are starting to think?

In the February 21 issue, the letter by Jamshed R. Udvadia of Lansing, Michigan, USA says what I and many of us have expressed for years now, that "Our religion, once brutally suppressed by the Arabs in Iran, found sanctuary and flourished in multi-ethnic, tolerant India. Now that it is persecuted from inside by biased and narrow-minded people of our own community who cannot or will not look beyond their noses, it will flourish again in the more tolerant multi-ethnic West.”

We who have left our motherland will make sure that our religion stays alive, just as Asho Zarathushtra wanted it to stay, by accepting true believers and followers who give unconditionally of themselves to follow a religion they believe in.

My congratulations to the families of both Arnavaz and Kulwinder and may Ahura Mazda shower His blessings on both the girls. But my hats off to our dear priests Kersey Antia, and also Ardaviraf Minocherhomjee who also showered blessing at my daughter Delna’s wedding to Barry and performed the navjote of my two daughters Tanya and Anita along with our Ervad Jehangir Panthaky in Vancouver, B.C. In Vancouver, we have had many navjotes where the father has been Parsi and mother Japanese (and it was she who taught the children their prayers), where the mothers have been Parsis and the children have learnt and recited their prayers beautifully and all of these have been choices made by the children to have their navjotes done. One of them was my granddaughter Zoe who had her navjote done two years ago.

Kudos to the Dua family and both the priests — you will not be criticized but be held in great esteem by many true Zoroastrians like myself.

SHERAZ BHESANIA

Vancouver, B.C.