Modern mausoleum

For the Parsis in India, disposal of the dead has been a nightmarish problem in the absence of scavenging birds. Burial is objected to by the orthodox and our priests as it pollutes the land which we consider holy. Electric cremation is rejected because the body catches fire and thus pollutes it.

Perhaps a modern mausoleum, where the body is consigned in a concrete box, is the way out. I understand it is a specially designed large building comprising a number of concrete boxes. The following website gives some idea about this system: http://www.mausoleum. com/whybuild.htm

This is not a new idea but has been practiced for many years in Western countries because of paucity of land for burial. Why can’t Parsis adopt this method for the disposal of the dead body?

KERSEE KABRAJI

Poona

kerseekabraji@gmail.com