“Fighting an enemy…”

So my friend Dr Kersey Antia has been upsetting the dhongis again ("Fighting an enemy that does not exist,” Parsiana, February 21, 2008). It is remarkable that decades after his wholly Zoroastrian decision to initiate Joseph Peterson into the Mazdayasni (not Parsi!) fold, the raggle-taggle bunch at the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) had — "allegedly!” — tried to spike Antia’s guns by forewarning the Y. B. Chavan Auditorium’s management about his wholesale conversion intentions. What? No fatkas (hits) and no fatwas from the dhongis?

To compound this felony, Antia had even been billed as "vada dastur.” I’m unsure what "vada” means in the minds of his detractors — they probably use it in the Pahlavi sense; in those possessed of good sense it means simply "great” or "reputed/renowned.” It is in no way a religious title and could just as easily, and meaninglessly, be applied to the undersigned.

Readers must be aware of several individuals who sign themselves as "ervad.” Partly in connection with Aspi Irani’s letter "Pope for the Parsis” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, February 21, 2008), it should be explained that ervad/herbadh (which Iranians pronounce as hirbod) means teaching priest, of course with presumption of prior learning. Athravan is merely generic for fire-priest: mobadh/mobed has long fitted the billing with us. With dastur we encounter problems: it clearly means one who, as dastwar, is learned in the dad/dat interchangeably meaning "law” and "religion” — "bearer of the religion” just about covers it. In all cases it implies learning, teaching and supervising religious instruction. Regarding Irani’s suggestion for a Parsi Pope, who will be acceptable, who is truly learned, and who has the necessary integrity for this awesome office? Also, will he be styled ayenbed? (He would then have a most distinguished pedigree, albeit from a rather fearsome predecessor!)

The nonsense of seven high priests as some kind of closed collegium has been exposed by the "high ones” themselves through their unseemly squabbles over the admission or renunciation of new candidates.

Some of us, rightly fed up with their infighting, have suggested that there are seven too many! Nowhere do the magical (I use this term advisedly!) seven allow for the induction of high priests in the lands of our recent diasporas, some with sizeable Zoroastrian populations. And please don’t slip in the criterion of western-obtained doctorates, for having conversed with the mentors of certain Dastur Doctor-sahebs, it is best for everyone’s health that I remain silent over their actual merits.

The fact remains that our future Pope must be the product of deep and extensive learning, based on a proper educational foundation — one who communicates through inspiration and not tergiversation, as sadly with our current priesthood. It is the community worldwide which should adequately support this Vada Holiness with his family and residence through guaranteed financial backing and pious religious trust. And may it be ensured that this non-hereditary office is freed from trustee and panthaki control, for only then will we regenerate Zoroastrianism and put to rout the gremlins of gender difference, religious indifference, disinformation, racial humbug and insidious heresies over which our vada dasturs remain disturbingly silent.

FARROKH VAJIFDAR

London

f.vajifdar@btinternet.com

The New Indian Express in its editorial titled "Compulsions of choice” on February 9, 2008 wrote about the intolerance of the Parsis in Bombay, referring to the conflict between the orthodox and reformist groups in the context of Dr Kersey Antia’s talk on acceptance in Zoroastrianism.

Well, it’s out in the open now. There are just a handful of Parsis left on the planet and they can’t get on with one another, washing enough dirty linen in public to warrant mention in a scorching editorial of a national newspaper. What other factor is there as divisive as religion? As long as Zoroastrianism was a philosophy, a way of life, it only involved gentle discussion on the different interpretations of Zarathushtra’s teachings. It was a polished way of life admired by all.

Not anymore. The Parsis have gone the way of religious fundamentalists and it won’t be long before they start issuing fatwas to one another. It’s just a question of time before the traditionalists haul themselves back to the Stone Age, lose their love of music, decry the arts and turn from enjoying the benevolence of Ahura Mazda to foolishly questioning His wisdom. Do these so-called keepers of the faith realize that we live in a democracy where intolerance and violence are anathema?

The claim that so many Parsis are uneducated is unpalatable. Parsis are the ones who made Bombay what it was, the nation’s pride, before the city degenerated to Mumbai and spawned a ‘son of the soil’ policy taking a leap backward in time. With the collapse of tolerance and insight, taking away that unique and special Parsi blend of wisdom, Bombay will have lost forever a breed of people who were unquestionably above the herd. A race of giants who looked down at religious bigotry and fanaticism has now been reduced to pygmies.

MINOO E. AVARI

Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu

minoo.avari@gmail.com