Divided, we fail

For the past many years, I have been reading strongly and sincerely felt expressions on whether Zoroastrians in Bombay need to change and adapt. Ours is now a truly small community — regarded by the government as a minority of minorities — and division in the small numbers of about 40,000 needs to be avoided.

Bernard Shaw’s words — though not directly addressed to us — pithily underline a message that bears thinking about: "Though all society is founded on intolerance, all improvement is founded on tolerance.”

Before our minuscule community implodes, I do believe that the left and the right, the conservative and the liberal can and need to coexist.

The rancorous debates are not about the Zoroastrian religion at all. They are about customs and practices and traditions, which vary from place to place, from family to family, and individual to individual; and these evolve.

One day, before it is too late, there needs to be a commitment by all to our religion and allow flexibility in customs and practices.

ARROKH MEHTA

farrokh_mehta@yahoo.com