“Vanishing priests”

In the letter "Vanishing priests” by Farrokh Vajifdar of London, UK (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, January 7, 2006) which I read a few days back, some of the facts stated about our religious background may be true, but I differ when he writes: "What is the point of tykes who learn prayers by rote in wholly alien languages quite devoid of their comprehension, who in effect simply don white uniform and at the given times, mechanically repeat ritual gestures to accompany their bhantars during ceremonies.”

There may be some such examples, but does Vajifdar really know what he is talking about? Has he ever experienced what goes on during the one month rituals and ceremonies taught and performed by young students who are to be ordained navars and maratabs? Has he ever discussed this with the learned priests who train such boys? Has he ever visited the Dadar Athornan Boarding Madressa and talked to Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia or visited fire temples like Vachaghandhy Agiary at Hughes Road where Ervad Aspandiar Dada­chanji and his devoted family teach and prepare these boys? Has he ever met the Dadar Madressa boys (now full grown family men) like Ervad Bomi Parvez Baja and several others who are the pride of our community?

Rustom Baug had an athornan like the late Ervad Jal Kutar who, with no expectation of name, fame or monetary gains, inspired and trained our athornan boys to become navars and even maratabs. Ask these boys, including my grandson Xerxis Rohintone Anklesaria, great-grandson of Ervad Rustomji Mogal of Dadysett Atash Behram, why they are proud to have undergone this experience even though not one of them may be a full-time practicing mobed in later life.

Does Vajifdar know that a boy should become a navar or maratab before he reaches puberty to observe the sanctity of the ceremonies? Will Ervads Karanjia and Parvez Bajan please remove the ignorance of those who don’t know what they are talking about?

KUMI J. DAROOWALA

Farrokh Vajifdar replies:

Kumi J. Daroowala evidently has developed a knack of filling in blanks between lines in letters; hence it would be quite natural for her to assert that people do not know what they are talking about. On the strength of her objections, based on her wayward presumptions that I had not visited certain institutions or consulted with their operatives, then indeed I do not know what I am talking about!

Unfortunately for her I sometimes do, and in my letter "Vanishing priests” whose actual lines were obviously missed by her, I had suggested that Bombay Parsis give serious thought to the proper selection, training and maintenance of suitable candidates for priesthood. The need is for a standard of persons who promote Zoroastrianism; not for assembly-line specimens who bellow forth the shoddy politics of Parsiism.

Daroowala’s empty rant about priestly training bespeaks a mind closed to the realities and demands – no less! – of a great religion whose dimensions elude her and delude those who persist only in trivializing it. Why else continue to insist on rituals and ceremonies which have scarce connection with Zoroastrianism and just about everything attaching to the superstitions and primitive beliefs of dhongiism (aka Parsiism)? And what on earth has puberty to do with religious training and syllabuses? I have to remind her that Zoroastrianism, being a true monotheism, needs no priests. Those who experience a calling towards things spiritual, and who aim to guide others truthfully, are welcome to enlist as teachers and, yes, priests, providing of course that they studiously apply themselves and truthfully teach.

The deluders make the best bigots. It is a matter for genuine regret that the great priestly names of the late 19th century and up to the late 80s of the 20th century have slipped from her directory: it explains her utter confusion.