Dakhma debate

The debate over dakhmenashini is tearing the very fabric of our Zarathushti community. In the discussions taking place in various fora all we hear is that the age old system has failed and we must therefore look for an alternate system of disposal of our dead. It is true that the system in the prevailing conditions is not as proficient as it should be. But does the answer lie in getting rid of it? Should we not look for ways in which we could augment the dakhmenashini system?

Let us take ourselves back a few centuries, to the days when corpses of the departed were laid to rest atop mountains. They did not have Towers of Silence. What we have today has evolved over centuries owing to changes taking place in the environment, demography, geography, etc. We urgently need another evolution. But do we have the courage to identify ways and means of enhancing our system by incorporating procedures/methods whilst remaining within the parameters stipulated in our scriptures? Or do we take the easy way out?

We have some of the world’s greatest think-tanks in India. Why can’t we seek assistance from technical and medical institutions, commissioning them to carry out studies to help bring dakhmenashini back on track within the present environment? After all, what we are looking for is a source of ‘energy’ to help decompose the body in the quickest and safest possible time.

Here I must congratulate Dr Homi Dhalla for his search for the "new dimension to revitalize dakhmenashini.” He has single-handedly decided to catch the bull by the horns but should we leave him alone in the arena?

If individuals have the capacity to recreate Persepolis for a few hours, why can’t we, as a community, resurrect dakhmenashini for posterity and live in peace and harmony thereafter?

Com (Retd) MEDIOMA BHADA