“Insulting the community”

In her letter "Insulting the community” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, October 7, 2010), Yasmin Cama has vented her hurt about the language used against the vada dasturs by some of your contributors.

While appreciating her feelings, one would like to draw the writer’s attention to the fact that times have changed. In the past it was considered necessary to respect the "raja sahib” (however unknowing he may have been). Today, this is not so. People ask questions of those in authority and expect proper answers.

On the issues of dakhmenashini and performing navjotes of children of mixed married couples, we have quoted scriptures which all say that anyone who wishes to follow our religion voluntarily can be initiated into Zoroastrianism and that when there are no scavenging birds dakhmenashini should not be used. We have been crying ourselves hoarse asking our vada dasturs to show us the religious scriptures that support their stand. All we have received in response is a stony silence.

Our Ahunavar prayer says, "Just as the ruler is supreme, so is the religious teacher, through his righteousness” (translation by Ervad Kavasji Edulji Kanga). In simple words, the religious teacher who practices righteousness and preaches righteousness is given the same status as the king in our scriptures.

Having said that, can we say that the stand taken by our vada dasturs is righteous, based on our scriptures (or even common sense)? If they themselves practice double standards (like performing the navjotes of Neville and Nusli Wadia while denying the same privilege to poorer families; performing death ceremonies in Madras, Nagpur and Delhi for those who were buried but denying the same in other places), what respect are they likely to command? If they do not even bother to respond to honest queries, how can they deserve respect in the minds of those who wish to be enlightened? Have they not invited on themselves the title of "fatwa masters?”

Cama, Kerfegar Antia and others of their ilk are of course free to go on worshipping them if they choose, but kindly give us the freedom to express ourselves as well. Your magazine is doing a service to the community by publishing different viewpoints and letting members of the community decide for themselves what is right and what is not.

KERSEE KABRAJI

Poona

kerseekabraji@gmail.com