Great Parsi divide

I was not in India when I read on the Internet about the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) giving a clean chit to Doongerwadi and ruling out any possibility of health hazard. I found no reason to smile and later when I received some jubilant e-mails I told myself this is only a battle victory for the orthodox – the war is not yet over. And sure enough the Hindustan Times of November 21, 2006 quotes solicitor Berjis Desai stating, "We’ve decided to send a legal notice to the BMC for shoddy investigation without going inside the wells where the bodies are actually disposed...if the BMC fails to respond we will file a writ petition.”

It is a crying shame that today the community is destroying itself from within due to the cussedness of just a few on both sides of the great orthodox-reformist divide and the weak and procrastinating trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) sitting right on top of the fence that divides these two warring factions.

It is a fact that today in the absence of the big birds of prey the time-tested system of dakhmenashini has been considerably weakened. But it is also a fact that way back in 1973 when there was a reasonable number of vultures, the then sitting trustee of the BPP, S. R. Vakil had entered one of the dakhmas and warned about the system being a potential health hazard. The trouble is we are pronouncing judgment based only on visual data. If one were to peer inside a grave or position oneself near the chimney of an electric crematorium neither the sight nor the smell would be pleasant and the danger to health would be real and substantially magnified.

Desai is a favorite whipping boy for the orthodox. But I can personally vouch for his sense of fairness and his being a man of reason. If he decides to send a notice to the BMC or file a writ petition, I would urge him in all fairness to also request the BMC to look into the real health hazard faced day in and day out by not just Parsis but all communities residing around Chandanwadi. Dozens of residents of the area including doctors will be willing to sign petitions or swear affidavits and give concrete evidence of respiratory illnesses, the regular layers of soot that line their homes and the foul stench that is emitted whenever a corpse is consigned to the electric crematorium.

I would also urge Desai to request the BMC to test soil and water samples around Christian and Muslim graveyards.

Those who talk glibly about inspecting the insides of a dakhma should know that this is the final resting place for the dead and not a museum for perverts to peer into and shoot illegal pictures. The dead do not deserve the indignity that the reformists have subjected them to in that famous 15-minute video footage. It is unfortunate that those who talk so glibly about ‘dignity for the dead’ are themselves perpetrators of the crime of violating all norms of privacy and decency.

One could go on arguing on this subject from both sides of this great Parsi divide but at what price and to what end? A solution has to be found and peace must be negotiated with both sides demonstrating a degree of flexibility and fairness.

Let the orthodox take the lead by accepting the truth that things are not working one hundred percent at Doongerwadi. Let the reformists be equally fair in accepting the fact that despite Vakil sounding a warning more than three decades ago, there is not a single case of an epidemic or a proven health hazard at Malabar Hill.

Let the reformists accept the fact that the huge Doongerwadi estate and its entire infrastructure are held in trust for the sole purpose of dakhmenashini. The sooner they give up their pipe-dream of having an aramgah or crematorium on this estate the better. But on the other hand let the orthodox demonstrate magnanimity and allow the reformists in Bombay to have some prayer facility outside the Doongerwadi complex – at some vacant plot around Godrej Baug or Spenta or Khareghat Colony or perhaps even at Ambawadi. As far as I know, Desai, Jamsheed Kanga and others are open to such an idea and this may perhaps be the most viable solution in quelling the flames of controversy which are threatening to consume the community.

I am fully conscious of the fact that by writing this I am exposing myself to the wrath of the extremists among the orthodox. Perhaps I may find an ignoble mention along with my photograph on the WAPIZ Page (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) in the Afternoon Despatch and Courier. But all my life I have endeavored to look at the ‘bigger picture’ and the ultimate weal of the community. The Doongerwadi controversy is unproductive, divisive and downright destructive. It is time for both sides to pick up a white flag in the larger interest of the community. Enough is enough. Let us stop fighting over the dead and focus our energies on doing something concrete and tangible for the living and particularly our youth who appear to be completely disillusioned and jaded by the ill-effects of all this infighting.

NOSHIR H. DADRAWALA

In the dakhmenashini controversy some traditionalists argue that the four elements — fire, water, air and earth — should not be polluted. Even a school child knows that fire cannot be polluted. Fire cleanses and sterilizes everything it comes into contact with. It is claimed that vultures can dispose of an adult body in under 40 minutes without polluting any of the elements, but where are the vultures? An electric crematorium can do the same job in about the same time, leaving behind no ugly mess. Only a few sterile ashes remain, which can be collected by the relatives if they so desire, for scattering on land or sea. It is certainly not on my own agenda to end up as the excrement of vultures.

An electric crematorium can be ideally situated at Doongerwadi amongst beautiful surroundings. All the Zoroastrian rites can also be performed at Doongerwadi. If necessary, another agiary can be built near the bunglis. As far as I am aware, there is nothing specific in the Zoroastrian religion that forbids disposal of bodies by means other than the dakhmas. If there is, will some enlightened scholar please quote accurately? It seems to be only an ancient custom suited to a period 3,000 years ago. Has the community not moved forward at all in 3,000 years in the fields of industry, law, medicine and engineering?

The Parsi Punchayet is itself doing a fine job of polluting the atmosphere at Malabar Hill — on a good day one can locate Doongerwadi and even the dakhmas by just following one’s nose. Today some educated and progressive priests are willing to perform all the ceremonies for the Zoroastrian dead after cremation. My own mother was cremated many years ago and all the ceremonies were performed at home amongst beautiful floral surroundings and attended by friends and neighbors of various religions and communities.

Cremation is quick, clean and dignified. It is time Zoroastrians change their ancient ideas and move forward, especially the priests, journalists, and so-called Zoroastrian scholars who should be the leaders of enlightened thought in the community.

Regarding intercommunal marriages, the community is dying out because the "gene pool” is getting more concentrated and anyone who understands genetics knows that this is a very unhealthy trend. The infusion of fresh genes will give new life to the community, even if it is at the expense of some loss of identity. Intermarriage and conversions in genuine cases is the only way to preserve the Zoroastrian religion and community.

Many young Parsi couples postpone marriage for lack of suitable accommodation. The lands belonging to the BPP adjoining Doongerwadi should be used for low cost housing and offered to Parsis who want to get married and start families.

The younger generation of Zoroastrians with a more modern outlook must now take the lead in such matters.

H. R. VAKIL