A vision for progress

I am an educated, 33-year-old, married Parsi girl who loves our community. I’d like to share my vision for its progress.

I dream of a community that suffers less from prejudice and retains a healthy dose of openness. Nowhere have I witnessed so much prejudice against members of one’s own social group which is detrimental to the community. We have typecasts of "traditionalists/conservatives” (perceived as going to the agiary regularly, opposing marriage between Parsis and others, of a closed mentality, rooted in the past), "baug types” (very traditional, reveling in gossip about neighbors, motorbike riding, careless brats, uncompetitive, inward looking with an ostrich-like mentality), "small towners” (anyone belonging to an Indian city other than Bombay, unintelligent, uncompetitive, not hep enough), "career oriented women” (inadequate focus on family, excessive focus on careers, unwilling to settle in non-metro cities and suburbs in metro cities), "non-achieving Parsi men” (middle class, middle income, uncompetitive, average educated, not pushy). I could go on and on. Each of us harbors similar prejudices to some degree. Such typecasting excludes traits and features that challenge the scheme, biases our perception and affects our behavior.

I hope for a community that will continue to question what it says, does and believes in. It is within this questioning that I see the spark of curiosity, of a well functioning mental state that I believe is crucial to growth. Questioning does not always lead to change. In fact, questioning might lead to new or different answers, and to a deeper belief in customs and practices.

I dream of a community that gives some thought to the wood we offer our sacred fires in fire temples. Since burning wood has detrimental environmental consequences, we could explore sustainable ways of expressing our devotion by donating to the kathi fund to keep our fires burning instead of offering wood personally to be used up at one time.

I dream of a community where the scourge of cancer is eradicated. Too many of us are dying of the disease. Of the various causes cited, the abundance of red meats in our diet is one. I hope we discover the virtues of following a vegetarian diet and tasty ways of cooking vegetables. Similarly, I wish that we discover ways of combating osteoporosis, heart disease and mental ailments, all lifestyle diseases that can be countered by lifestyle changes such as practicing yoga regularly.

We could have simpler weddings and navjotes, with fewer items on the menu, where the music is not so jarring that we can barely hear each other talk, and where less money is spent on decorations.

I long for a community that acknowledges the scourge of loneliness and childlessness, discovers the reasons for these and works to reduce/remove them.

I wish we have mobile clinics that cater to the sick and old in our baugs on a weekly basis, so they don’t have to travel to the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital. I wish we train our youth to manage our trusts and the assets of our community, encourage them to participate actively in politics and become political representatives. I wish for a scheme whereby there are reservations in Parsi originated and funded institutions (with the consent of the founders and trustees), not merely in cosmopolitan or government funded institutions.

I wish for a strong effort towards resolving conflicts through mediation rather than recourse to the legal system of our country. We would save resources, time and money while reducing animosity.

I wish for a strong sense of solidarity amongst men and women in the community to inculcate a sense of identity and confidence in our social group. I wish our children learn to speak Gujarati: it sounds sweeter and closer home.

I wish we take the trouble to learn about the day to day lives of the poor, aged and needy in our community and, if we feel empathy, act on it.

I wish we showcase more positive news to the wider Indian and international community through the popular media rather than dwelling on our dwindling numbers and scuffles over which priest practices in which fire temple. We need to stress our continued contributions to the wider polity, rather than give the false impression that our reputation rests on the laurels of our ancestors. That is one major mindset I wish to challenge: that our parents, grandparents achieved more than us, were more enterprising and worked harder. We live and work in different circumstances, and all around I see young and middle-aged Parsis working hard to earn, bring up their children, and sometimes, look after the elderly. We work hard, and we deserve credit for it.

I could go on…

What’s most important, I hope we continue to laugh together, with each other, always!

SHAZNEEN ZUBIN LIMJERWALA

(NÉE COMMISSARIAT)

dr.shazneen@gmail.com