“A loss of dignity”

The editorial "A loss of dignity” (Parsiana, December 21, 2006) has revealed what a mess the Doongerwadi scenario is in. It is a fact that many a times the nassessalars and khandhias are in a state of alcohol stupor. Their begging, at times with aggression, only reveals that all is not as well as is made out to be. But what choice do they have? Their interaction with people is only as pall bearers and they have been doing this work from generations, day in and day out. They have become totally devoid of feeling as their whole life revolves round the dead.

The orthodox know this well but have shied away from addressing the problem head on. As always they bury their heads in the sand, and will probably proclaim that the editorial was a pack of lies!

The solution lies not in trying to bring the nassessalars and khandhias into the mainstream of the community; for that the time has lapsed. What now needs to be done is to do away with the old system of ‘khandani khandhias’ which is demeaning and depressing. It’s not just fat salaries that they need; they need to be totally relocated with a new identity and craft that would help them to hold up their heads and no longer remain community imposed untouchables. Is the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zar­thosh­tis (WAPIZ) listening?

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda