The BPP’s role

Matters concerning the community, the role of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) and its trustees are really getting out of hand. Even in the 21st century in a megalopolis like Bombay there are community members who choose to live in another century and wish to foist rules that were framed (by equally fallible elders of that time) on the rest of us. During election time, when cajoled by food and drink, our educated city dwellers are no more enlightened than the rural populace of the country.

The BPP is an administrative body empowered to look after properties by several trusts and benevolent families. The BPP has not been given the mandate by adult community members to interfere or dabble in religious matters. As caretakers of the Towers of Silence it is their duty to ensure cleanliness, general maintenance and handle other administrative matters. Who is to pray, and whose funeral can be conducted there has nothing to do with the BPP.

What happens in places where there is no dakhma? Does the departed soul not get a chance to cross the Chinwad bridge? Will that soul wander aimlessly forever? If the answer is in the negative, why are only Bombay based community members selected for such a fate? We pride ourselves on being educated and enlightened, yet we bask in the superstitions that surround us for which no one has any rational explanation. We accept self-proclaimed scholars of our community without inspecting their bona fides. They are mere opportunists who have nothing better to do than inciting the public through meaningless invective.

We are not political and getting appointed to committees as part of a minority is not for us. We are a peace loving folk and our trustees should thank their stars that they have some position in the community today. Passing comments on religious matters and making public statements is not a part of our culture. We are supposed to blend like sugar into milk (or, in current parlance, like soda into whisky). The manner in which the trustees are conducting themselves is no different from that of the Shiv Sena or Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. They wish to ensure that their name is writ in the annals of community history!

It is absurd, when continuously finding fault with opposing community thought processes, to spend thousands of rupees to air views of a few in the Press for circulation among 14,000 families. Look at the impression it has been creating over the years among other communities about us. It is time to tell the soft drink concentrate to concentrate its financial largess on educating the younger generation instead of these tirades in the Press that are read by persons outside the community.

Didn’t the BPP chairman, community scholars, social workers and their ilk ever play as children? Did they never play pranks? So, a non-community member married to a Parsi casually mentioned that he ran into the compound of an agiary when he was a child. Why so much fire and brimstone at this recollection? There are hundreds of fair looking, Gujarati speaking persons in various cities who have, just for the fun of it, done similar things. Besides, there was no outcry heard from the community. Only these few bigoted individuals reacted.

For one group of trustees to decide to take a fellow trustee to court for not being in intellectual sync is very bad for the BPP and for the community. There is not a single family in which all the members have identical opinions, thoughts or convictions. Why do the BPP trustees prevent a second or third view from emerging and proving itself?

With profound respect to the Tatas, Godrejs and Wadias, whose names and deeds are oft quoted for the wonderful work they have done and continue to do, what is the "take” of the trustees about their social standing and their very successful interfaith marriages that have stood the test of time and have received universal acceptance?

We are a community that likes to live in ghettos and tries to remain within the gates of the compound. We select a life partner from within the confines of these gates and breed further generations of similar thinking members. Our horizons are limited; we do not know the outside world, how wonderful it is and how little it matters whose name one takes in prayer.

If you read the obituary columns, so many announcements clearly indicate (without really stating it) that there was a cremation and the third day prayers would be at a convenient location. If this is not apparent to the trustees, it speaks of their ignorance, lack of intelligence or of another agenda which will unfold over the time they occupy their chairs.

JAMSHED IRANI

Calcutta

iranjams@yahoo.in