Action packed year

What an action packed 2006 it was,/For us Parsis an upheaval it did cause,/I thought we were tolerant, honest and progressive,/And we believed in the principle of live and let live,/But we have double standards and are opportunists too,/One set of rules for the powerful and mighty, and one for me and you./Controversies galore we are literally seeped into it,/Is this what Ahura Mazda wants, us to break into fragmented bits?

No two priests can a forthright explanation give to us,/But badduva (curse) and threats by a segment, as they can’t discuss/Or try to question the trustees and they certainly take offence,/They seem to forget that they are only custodians, and we don’t lack sense./High-handedness and brisk talk is how they seem to react,/Lack of transparency gives rise to doubts of a dubious pact.

What can one say about the Doongerwadi tale,/Why this mud-slinging when burials elsewhere prevail?/Times have changed and with it the topography of Bombay too,/Once it had abundance trees and foliage, where birds and vultures flew,/But now no greenery, hardly any birds and the vulture is extinct, that’s a fact,/This is a matter of concern for us, to tackle it, one needs tact,/So I pray, let an individual choose and let him have his way/Where they wish to rest, in eternal peace, is for them to say.

Prayers for all Parsis, whichever way they choose to cross the Chinvad Pool/No more hara-kiri on this issue, after all it’s only ourselves we fool!/Don’t let my miniscule community be made into a laughing stock,/As a lot can be achieved with honest straightforward talk./Let’s walk down the road together as we have still far to go,/Forgive and forget and with Ahura Mazda’s grace, in numbers grow./A very Happy New Year, and peace for us all this 2007,/It’s for us to make this place a hell or heaven!

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda