“Just a charade”

Regarding Jamsheed Kanga’s fulminations ("Just a charade,” Readers’ Forum, Parsiana April 7, 2007) against orthodoxy in general, the following may suffice. According to Kanga, we have "disqualified” Dasturs Maneckji Dhalla, Faramroze Bode and Khurshed Dabu as scholars, whereas what we have tried to maintain in "Just a charade” (and over the years) is that all the three learned dasturs had done a lot to impair orthodoxy.

Kanga would have the readers believe that K. R. Cama was a "Dr” and a priest. The fact is that Cama, though the guru of many a scholar-priest, was neither a "Dr” nor a priest.

Like a number of heterodox, Kanga speaks about the puzzlement of "intelligent and well educated” Parsis regarding a certain claim of the high priests vis-à-vis a teaching of Zarathushtra. The question is "intelligent and well educated” in which sphere(s)? Economics, secular law, medicine, journalism, tap-dancing or tomfoolery?

Kanga questions the wisdom of the high priests regarding the functioning of dakhmenashini and in forbidding the use of bunglis for those opting for "alternate methods” (really speaking, un-Zoroastrian methods) of disposal. Now, in such cases, who is the authority? A solicitor who stealthily enters the dakhma or a qawwali singer who "produces” pictures of the interior of a dakhma?

My article clearly indicates what the unscrupulous ones, with "power in their hands,” are bent on doing. Lawyers, medical doctors, men of big business, civil servants are at the helm of our punchayets, sabhas, committees, manda­lis and even an oriental institute. People who have nothing or very little to do with such institutes are at the helm! For example, can one imagine people who have nothing to do with orientology being in the driving seat of an oriental institute? Yes, the high and the mighty have seen to it that only such persons are in command here, there and everywhere. Hence, what can one make of Kanga’s moans about power being in the hands of "unscrupulous” people?

Kanga appeals for "support,” and lo, the flamboyant envoy of heterodoxy, Farrokh Vajifdar responds before one can say Jack Robinson! The "ultimate solutions” are found "very jolly” by the respondent, who resorts to sophistry and discusses non-issues. Unlike Kanga, we need no support.

Again, unlike Kanga, we are not, and have never been, in a position to "advise” the high priests in the religious field, and hence the question of acceding to Kanga’s "sincere request” cannot arise. Besides, isn’t Kanga aware of instances of Dasturs Hormazdyar K. Mirza’s, Kaikhusroo M. JamaspAsa’s and Firoze M. Kotwal’s counseling during the last 30 to 35 years falling on deaf ears of many a "confused” heterodox?

FARIBOURZ NARIMAN

Though I live in New York, USA, I regularly follow the various discussions and controversies that occur in India as reported in the Jam-e-Jamshed and Parsiana. I must confess that it saddens me to find that venerable institutions such as the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) have become hotbeds of controversy and the misdeeds and acts of omission and commission of the trustees are filling the pages of the Press. Real issues concerning our religion, and our survival, get little importance in these debates.

I enjoy Parsiana’s balanced editorials and the thought provoking and provocative articles that Jamsheed Kanga writes from time to time. He has the courage to expose the hypocrisy of the orthodox. Though what he states about conversion as being enjoined in our faith is considered as heretical by the orthodoxy as well as the high priests and persons such as Khojeste Mistree, what amazes me is that none of them has directly contradicted or rebutted Kanga nor quoted from our scriptures to prove him wrong. Does their silence indicate the absence of such injunction against conversion? Will Mistree, the self-anointed ‘messiah,’ please enlighten us? The only response of the orthodox is to abuse Kanga and others like him in periodicals like The Parsee Voice, and on some websites. Even on the issue of the failing dakhmenashini system, the high priests approve of the mass burials taking place that clearly pollute the earth.

While I was in Bombay I saw Kanga’s letter "Just a charade” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, April 7, 2007) on the failure of our high priests to lead the community, and the decision of the earlier high priests’ conclave to form a Sallakar Mandali to guide the community, which never took off. What a wonderful concept, which Sir Rustom Masani had conceived. I would appeal to Parsiana and Kanga to try and revive this idea with the help of the BPP. Let our scholars and high priests, who are educated in the best universities of the West, rise to the challenge, meet our intelligentsia as well as learned priests and scholars to discuss these issues so that persons like me are able to understand what is right and what is wrong. Otherwise the community will lose respect for the high priests. My kudos to Kanga for his courageous efforts. I wholeheartedly support him and also urge other Parsis who agree to do so in the Parsi Press which is to be thanked for printing such articles.

JEHANGIR MAMA

New York, USA