For our future

When finance minister Pranab Muk­herjee announced that one crore rupees would be allocated in the Union Budget to address the problem of dwindling populations in minority communities such as the Parsis, this generated some criticism within the Parsi community: how can one crore (roughly US $ 220,000), a paltry sum for such a rich community, solve anything? What use is a blank check with no discretion over how the money is to be used?

Critics, I believe, entirely miss the point. For quite some time now, people outside the community have expressed their concern about our dwindling numbers in India. Now, the government has sent an official signal that it, too, is greatly alarmed by our demographic crisis and wants to see some action taken. This is the true significance of the one crore rupee allocation.

What is to be done? Debates on demographics and the population decline have been going on for decades. As early as 1948 Sapur Faredun Desai pointed out the sharply declining fertility rates in his book A Community at the Cross-Road. Desai and his colleagues predicted that the Parsi population in India would stabilize at 1,20,000 "unless special measures are taken in time to check the tendency.” In the absence of any special measures, the Parsi population has not stabilized but has halved instead.

Outmarriage has undoubtedly contributed to the population decline. But two other factors are equally — if not more — responsible and do not receive the attention they deserve: the large number of Parsis who do not have children or do not marry at all. Our religious texts place great emphasis on marriage and having offspring. Lack of offspring, religiously speaking, is a fundamentally bad thing. In Zoroastrianism, humans are agents of good — thus, there is a philosophic and religious incentive to enlarge the tribe that professes good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

I agree with Dr Shernaz Cama of the PARZOR Foundation that Parsis must make a significant attitudinal change: we need to restore the traditional Parsi and Zoroastrian sense of importance given to family. Thirty-five and 40 are not ideal ages for marriage. Fertility programs and second and third child incentives, currently offered by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), have a role to play, but more can be done.

The BPP can coordinate a unified, community-wide marriage portal on the Internet. At present there are dozens of scattered Parsi matrimonial websites — many with seriously outdated technology — along with a number of professional matchmakers. A BPP trustee, Arnavaz Mistry, has already started a marriage bureau. Perhaps her commendable work can be complemented by such a matrimonial website connected to zyng.org, the new BPP-sponsored website for Parsi youth. The BPP should also consider how its greatest asset — community housing — can be best utilized. Community housing is not a right but a resource which is to be used for the greater good of the community.

Lastly, some reflection is needed on what it means to be Parsi and Zoroastrian. Youth and adults are equally guilty of ignorance of our history, culture and religion and not surprisingly tend to drift away from the community. I disagree with those who believe that we need to divorce the Zoroastrian religion from any sense of Parsi identity. Jettisoning our Parsi cultural identity — as some have done in the West — only deepens our collective ignorance.

Rather than condemn or mourn such ignorance, we can work toward promoting better religious and cultural education and awareness. As someone who has studied Parsi history and Zoroastrianism for several years in academia, I can attest to the fact that we have a truly fascinating cultural heritage that is worth celebrating. Our story is not limited to the Parsi giants of Indian industry and politics or the glories of ancient Iran — we have unique celebrations, customs, ceremonies and cuisine that should fill us with pride rather than spawn apathy. Take a moment to research the significance of certain religious rituals or investigate your family history. Speak to an elder of the community about what life was like in their day.

Celebrating the uniqueness of Parsi culture will, hopefully, strengthen the glue that binds us — especially the youth — to the community. Promoting interest in community involvement is, ultimately, the most important investment that we can make for a better future.

DINYAR PATEL

Harvard University, USA

dinyar.patel@gmail.com