Priestly enlightenment

Ervad Mehernosh H. Bharucha, panthaky of the Bai Manekbai Nusser­wanji Chenoy Agiary of Hyderabad was invited to a memorial service for the late Field Marshal Sam H. F. J. Manekshaw on July 5, 2008 at the Army Headquarters’ auditorium, Secunderabad. The service started with an all religion prayer, after which Gen (Retd) K. V. Krishna Rao paid tribute to the Field Marshal. It being the 10th day after Manek­shaw’s death, Bharu­cha enlightened the gathering about the significance of the dasma prayers which had been performed earlier in the day by the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman of Secunderabad and Hyderabad at the Khan Bahadur Edulji Dorabji Chenai Dar-e-Meher, Secun­dera­bad, mentions Ervad Homie Gowadia in a write-up sent to Parsiana.

Ervad Meher­nosh Bharu­cha: sharing knowledge

On August 9, 2008 Bharucha was invited by the Historical Society of Hyderabad to deliver a lecture on the Zoroastrian religion and history at the lecture hall of the Salar Jung Museum, Hyde­rabad where he took the audience way back in time to when the Aryans inhabited the north polar region, elaborated on the glorious era of the Zoroastrian rulers of Iran comprising five famous dynasties right up to the eventual downfall of the Sassanians and subsequent groups of Zoroastrians fleeing to various places in all directions. Bharucha also touched on how Parsis defended their Indian kings right up to the role they played in the making of modern India, writes Gowadia

On the religious front, Bharucha spoke in detail about the advent of Prophet Zarathushtra, his teachings and the antiquity of the Zoroastrian religion, the oldest monotheistic religion known to mankind, based mainly on the principles of righteousness. The meeting concluded with an interesting question and answer session after which Bharucha was felicitated by the organizers and presented with a beautiful memento.

On Khordad Saal, August 24, 2008, Bharucha led a jashan ceremony along with other priests at the Chenoy fire temple in Hyderabad. This was followed by a humbandagi and a talk on Zara­thushtra, his teachings and influence of the Zoroastrian religion on other religions of the world, Gowadia adds.

An alumnus of Andheri’s M. F. Cama Athornan Institute, Bharucha conducts regular humbandagis every Monday at 7 p.m. at the Hyderabad Agiary followed by short talks on the Zoroastrian religion, history, culture and current events, as per Gowadia’s write-up.