Doongerwadi bunglis

In India, controversy has always surrounded dakhmenashini, the ancient and time-tested Zoroastrian system for disposal of the dead. Even in the early part of the 20th century there was a move by a wealthy and influential section of the community in Bombay to establish a crematorium for Parsis, though not on the Doongerwadi grounds. In those days there were no high-rise buildings in the city and vultures were aplenty. The trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) strongly opposed this reform movement and the Parsi crematorium proposal was given a quiet funeral.

Today, vultures have virtually disappeared from the city because of excessive urbanization, destruction of their natural habitat, noise and other forms of pollution, as also high toxicity in cadavers, diclofenac poisoning and unknown viruses. However, there are learned and highly intellectual ‘scholars’ in our midst who are convinced that a large number of crows and kites have effectively filled the vacuum and the system continues to work quite effectively. It is another matter that photographic evidence and several eye-witness accounts (including my own) reveal quite a different story.

Personally, I am orthodox — both by upbringing and conviction. But I cannot allow orthodoxy to cloud my quest for truth, a fundamental precept of Zoroastrianism. And if truth be told, things are far from working effectively. I have not changed my views on dakhmenashini. In fact I am all for strengthening and sustaining it – with or without vultures. However, the earlier we (particularly the high priests and scholars) come to grips with the truth, the better. There is no point in fooling ourselves, or worse still fooling gullible members of the community.

We have a major challenge before us and unless we all decide to take off our blinkers, put aside our king-size egos and work towards a viable and peaceful solution with total integrity and solidarity, the problem will go out of our control.

When Dhun Baria, rightly or wrongly, raised a stink in the cosmopolitan media, an emergency meeting was convened at BPP chairman Minoo Shroff’s office on September 5, 2006 at which a majority of BPP trustees, three high priests, three scholar-priests, a trustee of WAPIZ (The World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) and a few other well-wishers of the community were present. Fortunately or unfortunately the ‘Parsi messiah’ was not in India at that time. At this meeting, Shroff candidly asked if the BPP could offer prayer facilities outside the Doongerwadi complex to those seeking alternate systems for disposal of the dead. The high priests and scholars remained silent. One seemed to get the impression that while the high priests and scholars could not bless the proposal, they perhaps would not oppose it either.

A few smaller meetings were subsequently convened including one with Dhun Baria and solicitor Berjis Desai and, in the absence of the ‘messiah,’ the community had come close to a viable, peaceful and sustainable solution. Various options including the plot of land near Spenta apartments, vacant plots around Godrej Baug and Ambawadi were being considered. But then the ‘messiah’ returned from his sojourn and promptly turned the wheels of progress (progress in brokering peace in the community and healing frayed nerves) backward. "BPP should not part with even an inch of land anywhere in Bombay,” became a slogan for the self-styled defenders of the faith.

The Wadia brothers of the Association for Revival of Zoroastrianism have filed an application under the Right To Information Act, questioning the report and ‘clean chit’ given by the Bombay Municipal Corporation health officer. Architect Keki J. Unwalla of Andheri has also questioned the report. Former BPP trustee and municipal commissioner Jamsheed G. Kanga and two others have filed an originating summons in the Bombay High Court. First it was just letters in the Parsi media followed by photographs and video clips which brought the community negative international media exposure. Now finally the matter is in court. What’s left? I feel that the rape of the community by its own people, both orthodox and reformist, is complete.

Cussedness always comes at a price. Sadly, the price will have to be paid by the community and not just by those on both sides of the orthodox-reformist divide. Have the Parsis truly lost the will to solve this problem peacefully and amicably?

NOSHIR DADRAWALA

The editors write

In response to our request to Khojeste Mistree to reply to this letter Firoza Punthakey-Mistree wrote: "The position of WAPIZ on the issue of giving bungli facilities to those who seek the crematorium or burial routes has been printed in the WAPIZ Page of the Afternoon newspaper dated February 8, 2007. You may wish to refer to it.” We quote here the WAPIZ response:

"It is strange that even after the BPP have taken a pro-dakhmenashini stand and rescinded its 2001 decision to give bungli facilities to those who opt for cremation; even after the BMC has given a ‘clean chit’ and certified that there is no health hazard existing therein, Noshir Dadrawala continues to pressurize the traditionalists to give crores of rupees worth of community land for bunglis to the pro-cremation lobby! Dadrawala says that the high priests, scholars and traditionalists should back off and ‘amicably’ give this precious community land for bunglis to the pro-cremation group! This would solve the Doon­gerwadi problem according to him. It is obvious that Dadrawala has not given any serious thought to this nonsensical solution, leave aside thinking it through to its logical conclusion!… This one single act … will instead of resolving the issue, have a ripple effect and in fact will encourage more such irreligious demands from the small but powerful reformist lobby which controls the Parsi media.”