Readers' Forum
“The road ahead”
I refer to the letter "The road ahead” by one Behram Aga (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, January 7, 2009) and wish to draw the attention of readers that this entity has suddenly surfaced in the community Press in the last one year. If one were to observe his letters carefully, with all the references like the contents, language, tone and tenor, it would not be out of place to conclude that the said Behram Aga is none other than Behram T. Dastur, the ubiquitous erstwhile CEO (chief executive officer) of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet.
If this were to be the case, one wonders why he has assumed another name. Perhaps to create another record for letter writing to the Press, no matter whether the contents of the letters have relevance or authenticity?
The irresponsible manner of writing (bearing the B. T. Dastur stamp) is very apparent in the letter mentioned above. He writes: "The late Naval Tata contested Lok Sabha elections long ago and lost by a huge margin to his opponent, railways union minister George Fernandes.” The fact is that Tata contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1972 as an independent candidate, his opponent was one Dr N. N. Kailash of the Congress Party and Tata was leading the vote count throughout only to lose out by about 4,000 votes in the last few minutes of counting. In any case, it is not prudent to compare the voting pattern in the Parsi community to that in national politics.
The writer also refers to Mickie Sorabjee as a "she” in his letter. (Sorabjee is a woman — editors.)
Again, the letter states: "In the olden days, trustees were elected by the entire community,” and further implies that such was the case much before the Davar Beaman judgment. The fact is that in the beginning some reputed Parsis got together and ran the affairs of the community. The trustees were later on "selected,” not "elected” and they were supposed to hold office for their entire lifetime. It was only in 1910 that the first scheme for election of trustees came into existence, perhaps in the wake of the Davar Beaman judgment.
About why the stalwarts of the Adult Franchise for Progress lost in the recent elections, at this stage I would only briefly state that it was due to the destructive leadership of Berjis Desai whose entire campaign was based on utter falsehood.
Well, whatever be the reason for the dual name game of Dastur/Aga, one thing is certain — that this person enjoys the unfair advantage of having two letters published in the same issue of Parsiana (December 21, 2009), purportedly under two names.
Ervad ROOYINTAN PESHOTAN PEER
The editors reply
They are two different people.
Behram T. Dastur replies
I was very surprised to read Rooyintan Peer’s funny letter to Parsiana alleging that I write letters under an assumed name of one Behram Aga. Please clarify to him and express my disgust at his presumption. Just because the writer’s statements are gall and wormwood to him, it’s foolish to imagine that I write such letters. He could have checked with you telephonically before writing this letter.
Behram Aga replies
I have not had such a hearty laugh for a long time. Rooyintan Peer’s letter had me in splits till my sides ached.
I have read some of the letters written by B. T. Dastur but have never met him in my life. By making such baseless, frivolous, ridiculous, absurd and unsubstantiated allegations, Peer has revealed his true character, judging others by his own standards. Of course he needs no license or permission to let his imagination run amuck and make a fool of himself. The privilege is entirely his.
Let Peer make up his mind whether B. T. Dastur and Behram Aga are one and the same person. In his hilarious letter Peer concludes that they are the same, while at the same time expressing reservations and doubts by writing "if this were the case.” This creates the impression that the writer has had one too many before reading my letter in Parsiana and is letting off some steam, blowing hot and cold.
Though Peer’s letter is very insulting to me I shall not take umbrage, for this person has exhibited his ignorance in trying to show off under the false belief that he is Solomon the Wise and Mr Know All.
To satisfy his curiosity he should go to some Parsi library and try and get hold of the book Kisse-I-Gulestanbanu written by one Rustam B. Paymaster with a foreword by Sir Jehangir C. Coyajee, published in 1940. The book will give him an idea of my ancestry. On page 63 he will find a picture of the Aga family, and the young toddler in the middle, standing on a stool, is Behram Aga. If Peer is unable to find the book anywhere, he may contact me (C. D. Sethna Building, Flat no 11, Zoroastrian Compound, Golanji Hill, Parel, Bombay 400012; tel: 24122579). Let this pompous Mr Know All be my guest and I shall be glad to enlighten and convince him that I am Behram Aga and not Dastur, since the last 70 years.
I am also aware that Dastur holds a record in letter writing. However, I have no such desire. I write with a different purpose, and it matters very little whether my letters are published or not by the media. Is Peer not aware that when he points a finger at me and calls my writings irresponsible (he is entitled to his opinion) three of his fingers are pointing towards him and his behavior? His letter is not only an exhibition of irresponsibility but is in poor taste and smacks of venom. From his writing it can be assumed that he is obsessed with B. T. Dastur and harbors a grudge against him.
Peer is way off the mark when he states that I have suddenly surfaced in the community Press in the last one year. My first letter, published in the Jam-e-Jamshed on October 22, 2006, was titled "Why muzzle others?” My letters have appeared from time to time in many newspapers such as Mumbai Mirror, The Indian Express, The Times of India, Economic Times and DNA. If Peer takes the trouble to look at DNA of February 2, 2009 and glance at page 10 he will find yet another letter by Behram Aga, which has nothing to do with any Dastur.
I stand by what I have stated about the Naval Tata election as it is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Nor is there anything imprudent in what I have stated. On the contrary it appears that Peer has not grasped what I have tried to convey which has nothing to do with the voting pattern of the community or national politics. My views are very clear: no matter who you are, various extraneous factors are involved in elections, whether in the community or elsewhere.
After reading various articles that have appeared in the Parsi Press I feel that the trustees were elected and not selected or co-opted. I am entitled to my opinion and stand by it. I couldn’t care less about what Peer believes about the defeat of the Adult Franchise for Progress.
Whatever be the reason for this Peer/Paigambar/Olia/Dervesh to blow hot and cold, if he has the courage to do so, let him come face to face with me and prove that Behram Aga and B. T. Dastur are one and the same person. Let him be man enough to prove that I have written two letters in Parsiana in two different names or else eat humble pie.
Lastly, please keep the laughter flowing. There may be quite a few bawas who have lost their marbles and may provide me with hearty laughs.
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