“We develop, we don’t destroy”

"I am here first to congratulate the trustees of the Zoroastrian Information Centre (ZIC)…I have just gone through (it). I was deeply concerned. But I must tell you that I am fully convinced that visiting this Centre will fulfill all the questions of non-Zoroastrians…I do not share the fear that hundreds and thousands of people will come to mock us…”

Dr Mehroo Bengalee, Zoroastrian member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) and founder member of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) — an organization whose members have carried on a dogged and baseless propaganda against the establishment of the Centre — was speaking in Udvada as a guest of honor at its inaugural function on April 24, 2008.

The inauguration of the ZIC on two earlier occasions on November 24, 2006 and October 28, 2007 had been stalled because of state and municipal elections respectively in Gujarat. On both occasions, the proposed function was debarred by the Election Commission as the ZIC is the brainchild of the Foundation for the Development of Udvada (FDU), a body constituted of Gujarat government nominees and Parsi social activists, and set up with government funds. The WAPIZ propaganda machine had hailed both the setbacks as chamatkars (divine intervention).

In contrast to the highly charged atmosphere on the eve of October 28, 2007 when attempts had been made to thwart the holding of the function celebrating the 265th anniversary of the enthronement of the Iranshah at Udvada according to the Roman calendar, the ZIC inaugural on the 1,287th anniversary of the establishment of the Iranshah fire according to the Zoroastrian calendar — Adar mah, Adar roz — proceeded without a hitch. It prompted Dastur Khurshed Dastoor, High Priest of Udvada and chairman of the FDU, to comment that the real chamatkar was that henceforth the anniversary of ZIC and the Holy Fire will be celebrated together!

The dignitaries and the three guests of honor — High Priest of Udvada Dr Peshotan Mirza, Sir Jamsetji Jejeebhoy, 8th baronet, who performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting, and Bengalee — were escorted through the ZIC’s offerings of Zoroastrian history through five dynasties, the teachings of Zarathushtra, the ceremonies of initiation (navjote), marriage and death, a life sized replica of the Iranshah tended by a Sanjana mobed which thrilled Bengalee, information about Udvada and Sanjan and a room dedicated to the commemoration of Parsis who have achieved national and international recognition. On the upper floor is a library which will hopefully be developed with more contributions where a scholar may study and research in peace. A pavilion in the garden aims to house a cafeteria where young visitors to Udvada may get to meet each other — matrimony being a perennial Parsi goal, as noted Homai Modi, secretary-trustee of the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute (KRCOI), one of the two brains behind the mounting of the exhibition, the other being Dr Homi Dhalla, chairman of the World Zarathushti Cultural Foundation.

Mirza, the other Vada Dastur of Udvada, demurred at being made a guest of honor on the occasion. "I was born in Udvada, raised here,” he noted adding it was "awkward to be a guest of honor here.” Speaking in Gujarati, Mirza underlined the need to know the history of the community, not only as a record of past events but with an understanding of what led to the ups and downs, to know not only the renowned glorious chapters but also the chapters of decline and the causes that contributed to it. And in that, he declared, television, information centers and museums are sources of knowledge. Recapitulating the history of Iranshah and the wanderings of the Holy Fire due to social and political unrest as well as the fate of the Zoroastrians of Iran who, he noted, sacrificed land and belongings to save the religion, Mirza emphasized the need to preserve the sacred serenity of Udvada as the duty and responsibility of every Parsi. According to Mirza when the need to bring the fire back into Sanjana jurisdiction was felt, two high priests of the clan brought the fire from Navsari to Valsad where it stayed for one-and-a-half years. The idea was to move it back to Sanjan but during a temporary stay in Udvada its serene atmosphere triumphed over Sanjan’s commercial ambience and the die was cast.

Mirza voiced his opposition to the FDU’s objective of getting heritage status for Udvada, repeating that the place had no reason to be on the tourist agenda, reiterating the familiar orthodox jargon about neo-Zoroastrians, vituperating against the Zarathushtrian Assembly founder Ali Jafarey of California who according to the priest "considers himself a Zoroastrian leader,” castigating him for blasphemy against the religion. Some Parsis from North America are supporting him and their unwholesome ideas are being spread in India by emissaries like Dr Kersey Antia and solicitor Dina McIntyre, claimed the priest. "Udvada is a holy place. We have to make every effort to maintain it as such, not as a holiday place.”

Mirza also wanted some other clauses in the FDU trust deed eliminated and refuted the notion that the ingress of sea at Udvada was due to global warming. He preferred to blame the industrial development in the area which had led to sand harvesting from the beach, allowing the water to come further inland. Also, he said, the wall constructed by the Save Udvada Trust in conjunction with the government of Gujarat had been erroneously constructed from south to north leading to greater pressure of water towards Iranshah. He concluded by noting that Zarathushtra’s instructions should be maintained and followed, and the customs and traditions of the community as shown in the ZIC be maintained in unity and friendship.

Master of ceremony Noshir Dadra­wala responded suavely, "The Information Centre has been established to protect the ethos of the community. You have blessed this Centre. While you may have certain reservations regarding the trust deed, you have blessed it with your presence.”

Taking the dignitaries through the ZIC

Bengalee conveyed the greetings and good wishes of the chairman of the NCM Mohamed Shafi Qureshi "on this special occasion. The Government of India has given one crore rupees and the Gujarat Government has also added its bit and that’s how we’ve been able to set up this Centre.” Publicly announcing her "deepest gratitude” to both governments, she added that on a visit to Gujarat chief minister (CM) Narendra Modi she had "laid before him 10 concerns relating to Udvada village and he has attended to all of them and has added a few more. He has conveyed to us that whatever you desire as Parsi Zoroastrians, he is willing to grant.”

Content that the Information Centre will satisfy the curiosity of non-Zoroastrians to know what exactly we worship, Bengalee complimented all those involved in its establishment for an excellent job and noted, "I hope and pray that many more Zoroastrians will take advantage of it, to stay and study the religion” and suggested that madressa officials also make good use of it. "We are still regarded as one of the five minorities of India,” said Bengalee, urging the community to take advantage of the Prime Minister’s 15-point program for minorities and the special provisions in the 11th Five-Year Plan.

Noting that the "sea wall the dasturji spoke about” will be rectified so that the Iranshah is "completely protected,” Bengalee ended by reiterating her thanks to the two governments and saluting all those who "have toiled over Iranshah before and the lot who do so today.”

Commenting that the FDU had done service to the community by putting up the Centre, Dadrawala urged the lady, "Madam, you have been convinced. We hope you will convince your friends in WAPIZ!”

Jejeebhoy registered his pleasure at attending a function when Parsis come together and noted that he was "ever ready to help fellow Zoroastrians in need.” It is only our minuscule size that prevents the study of Zoroastrianism from attracting as much attention as Hinduism or Islam, he noted and disparaged the cynics who speak of its "glorious past, perilous present and grim future.” In a clarion call to all Zarathushtis he charged them with the duty to continue with traditions unabridged and convey them to future generations. Congratulating the FDU trustees on the "fine resolve and positive action,” Jejeebhoy noted that the ZIC’s best asset is that it is located in Udvada with a combination of the community’s ancient and modern past under one roof for its members "to draw inspiration from our countless achievements.”

Jejeebhoy attributed the decrease of attention to the religion and its culture and the challenge to its reet/reevaj to the community’s slavish absorption of western culture: "Young Parsis may have three pairs of Nike shoes but not a single pheta or pugree,” he rued. Lunging at the community propensity to pray before other gods, Jejeebhoy noted, "What you will achieve by praying to Iranshah you will never achieve by visiting swamis and maharishis (god men). Pray with your heart, mind and soul,” he urged. "The community was once considered a personification of honesty and integrity. Today many Parsis have sacrificed it... We get applications (for charity). The moneys collected are in excess of needs (and from several sources). Hence the trustees tend to look at these applications with suspicion. In the process some genuine cases slip through and people point fingers at trustees and make baseless accusations.”

In an effort to create more community consciousness, Jejeebhoy urged people with limited resources to give private tuitions to poor Parsi children, teach a widow a profession to enable her to earn her own living, spread joy and reassurance among the poor patients of the community by visiting them in hospitals. He ended with an apocryphal story: A spiritually inclined Parsi youth travels the world and in each of the religious high spots notices a golden telephone connected to God with a board reading $10,000 per call. The identical instrument and caption are sighted at the Vatican, at Mecca and at various other places but the one outside Iranshah notes Re 1 per call. Amazed at the disparity, the youth seeks an answer and is told, "Here, it’s a local call!”

The location of the ZIC in Udvada had raised a question in many minds. Why not Bombay? Amplifying on Jejeebhoy’s positive response, Dadrawala noted that you can pray before Iranshah for one hour, two hours, but after that what? Here you have the time, which no one has in Bombay, to go with the family as well as non-Zoroastrian friends to the ZIC, assimilate the information laid out.

Dastoor and FDU managing trustee Dinshaw Tamboly had remained in the proverbial eye of the storm through the past six years, ever since the FDU came into being at the behest of the Gujarat CM to showcase the Parsi community as a beacon of peaceful coexistence and commitment to the nation. They continued to toil through the mudslinging and allegations rained on them. The burden they had carried was evident in the emotion evident in Dastoor’s face and voice as he addressed the community. Speaking in Gujarati Dastoor said, "I am very proud that despite all the brickbats and opposition, with my supporters and well-wishers behind me, we have been able to accomplish this. In 2002 the concept of FDU-ZIC came up, to showcase Udvada as a symbol of peace, brotherhood, unity among other religions. The religion of our community as described by the CM ‘kharekhar doodh maa bhélai gayaa ché (they have truly sweetened the milk). They have never asked anything from the government, they have always given.’ For the first time government has given a donation of its own accord...

"Aapré duniya saathé bhélai gayaa (we mingled sweetly with the world) but the milk curdled within the community. People went to the CM (to stay the project) claiming we will bring in neo-Zoroastrians!” Disputing the allegation made by his detractors that FDU was only interested in publishing its own pictures, Dastoor invited those interested to read the minutes of FDU meetings with the collector of the district and the resulting improvement in the road ("the finest in Gujarat”), continuous supply of electricity with the exception of staggered hours as applicable in the state, declaration of the area around Iranshah as a no parking, no honking and no hawking zone, a proper police outpost and a new police station on the cards, sewerage and solid waste disposal. "Rainwater harvesting, change of decayed pipelines, complete supervision of Udvada beach, all these points were taken up with the collector in 2005.

Clockwise from top left: Homai Engineer, Rohinton Engineer, Ramiyar Karanjia, Jamshed Bhiwandiwalla, Bhavna Shirke,a member of the local committee, Pankaj Joshi, Merwanji Dastoor and Bachi Tamboly

Dastoor thanked architects Pankaj Joshi and Jamshed Bhiwandiwalla: "It was their project. They surveyed the whole Udvada village and stated that Udvada needs heritage status. Came the opposition. Why does Udvada need heritage status? they challenged. Yet they are fighting for heritage status for Bombay’s fire temples while over 20 Parsi properties in Udvada have gone into non-Parsi hands and highrises are coming up… The main purpose of a heritage status is to prevent growth, not to have nude women parading on the beach or to provide an entry for neo-Zoroastrians to Iranshah.” He also noted that the demography of Parsis is going down ("There are 120 Parsis in Udvada – 100 being over 65 years of age – among 7,000 inhabitants. We have no problems with them. They support us”).

"All kinds of allegations have been made against us — that the money will be siphoned out.” What happened to the crores of rupees in the AET (Athravan Education Trust)? he wondered aloud. "Our trust deed is diversified,” Dastoor acknowledged but assured the gathering the money collected for Udvada will be used for Udvada. "But we won’t shy away if others in Surat or Navsari need funds. We will seek these funds in their name.”

Acknowledging that Iranshah’s blessings were for everyone, he drew the line at the ownership and management of affairs concerning Iranshah which vests only with the nine Udvada athor­nan families of the Udvada Athornan Anju­man under the leadership of its two high priests. "Have you ever tried to live with mosquitoes, without electricity?” Dastoor challenged his detractors, adding, "We have served Iranshah despite all odds… We are labeled convertists. Yes! We do convert the bad and evil thoughts of people into good. We develop, we don’t destroy. You can’t call yourselves traditionalists. You are hypocrites of the first order.” Nor did he fail to slam WAPIZ chairman Areez Khambatta’s threat "Jé dharam ne chhoothsé téné Areezbhai nahi chhodsé (Areez will not spare anyone who despoils the religion).” Countered Dastoor, "Jé dharam naa naamé loko né chhétersé téné khudrat nahi chhodse! (Nature will not spare anyone who deceives others the name of religion).”

Appreciating all the volunteers and people who stood by them as well as Modi, Dhalla and Jehangir Cama at whose hotel function this whole FDU-ZIC concept was launched by Narendra Modi, Dastoor had "special thanks” for his colleague Tamboly and the latter’s wife Bachi "who have literally shown me how to take care of negative things.” And went on to acknowledge his own wife "Havovy and family who have stood by me like the Rock of Gibralter.”

Describing the ZIC to the audience, Homai Modi recalled how the exhibition Parasika which she had organized in celebration of the KRCOI’s 75th anniversary in 1990 "had touched the hearts of Zoroastrians.” There had been pleas to make the exhibits of Zoroastrian religion, history, culture, arts and crafts a permanent institution. But the event organized at the Prince of Wales Museum in Bombay was too huge for any permanent home. Happy to have had a chance to do something permanent in Udvada, Modi told the audience, "It was not set up to disintegrate you. It was set up to integrate you…We are all Zarathushtis. Let us strengthen our religion (and community) in the land where Iranshah resides.” Contributions of artifacts of antique and/or cultural value are welcome.

Among those felicitated before the end of the function, apart from the dignitaries on the dais, were Homai Engineer of Industrial Boilers who has stood massively behind the FDU, as noted Dadrawala, members of the Udvada Committee both Zoroastrian and non-Zoroastrian, Navroze Kanga of Ahmedabad and Mek caterers ere the assembled community concentrated on the next item on the menu: lunch.