Unity is the key

The biggest stumbling block in our community today is lack of unity. Our very survival as a community depends on unity. There are so many different Zoroastrian organizations created in India, America, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The two main groups are the fundamentalists and the liberals. By following a middle path I am sure we can solve all our problems and differences, remembering the adage that united we stand but divided we fall.

In America the main groups comprise Parsis from India and Zarathushti Iranis from Iran. At functions held in America the main differences are over food. The Parsis want dhansak while the Iranis want chelo kebab. What a silly, trivial reason to fight over! I am sure a happy medium can be reached by serving both dishes at parties.

In Chicago they want to construct a darbe-mehr. The fundamentalists collected $ 1.5 million while the liberals collected another $ 1.5 million. However, they do not plan to construct one darbe-mehr worth three million, but will build two fire temples worth $ 1.5 million each. What a waste of money, time and labor! I am sure a middle path can be found by constructing one darbe-mehr but having two fires.

In our country, especially in the city of Bombay, there are many organizations carrying out the same activities or projects such as kusti weaving, sudreh stitching, helping mobeds, preserving and reprinting rare books, preserving monajats and other Parsi songs, preserving atash behrams and agiaries and other heritage buildings and the Save Udvada Project. Such duplication of efforts results in waste of labor, time and money.

Another factor is the controversy over the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) joining a world Zoroastrian body. This controversy has been going on since a long time with various parties, especially the fundamentalists, raising objections. They fear that if this happens foreigners will usurp BPP managed properties, claim a stake in our funds, charities and various other organizations. Another objection is that the BPP should be the leader of the world body as the majority of the world’s Parsi population resides in Bombay (about 50,000). But there is nothing to fear. When the BPP joins the world body it must insist on certain clauses to protect the Parsis of India, not of Bombay alone. For instance, no foreigner should be able to avail of the BPP’s funds or usurp its properties.

As all Parsis know, frasho-kereti is going to happen (Farshogard is the 101st name of Ahura Mazda). But the question is, when? I predict that it will be during this century and may even be in our lifetime. How will it happen? We will have to convert. At present we should not convert in India (one can do so elsewhere). Later, a time will come when we will be able to make select conversions. Long live the Zoroastrian community!

FAROKH D. DEBOO