Sanjan Day spectacle

Over a thousand Zoroastrians present at the Sanjan Day function in that town on November 18, 2010 were appalled to hear the guest speaker, Ahmedabad businessman and founder president of WAPIZ (World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis) Areez Khambatta, casting aspersions on the priests of Udvada alleging they permitted conversions and allowed non-Zoroastrians entry to the holy Iranshah atash behram. An unseemly fracas resulted when the priests and members of the audience protested vociferously at this unfair and untrue allegation, with some of the latter climbing onto the stage to physically stop the speaker and one person snatching away the mike. Udvada’s high priest Dastur Khurshed Dastoor walked off the dais and it took Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) chairman Dinshaw Mehta’s considerable persuasive skills to get him to agree to return to his seat (see "Snafu in Sanjan,” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, December 7, 2010), which he did to applause from those present.

From a video clip of the incident (now posted on youtube.com by Yezdi Dastoor, titled "Parsis Protest Against Areez Khambatta of WAPIZ on Sanjan Day” which has received 2,775 hits at the time of writing) much embarrassment was caused to the organizers and dignitaries present on account of the guest speaker’s intemperate utterances, with Bapsy Daviervala, president of the Sanjan Memorial Column Local Committee (SMCLC) rising in alarm, Mehta holding his head in his hands, fellow BPP trustee and WAPIZ co-founder Khojeste Mistree fanning himself, nodding and smiling ruefully, guest of honor Valsad district commissioner of police D. B. Vaghela and his wife looking on in disbelief as the drama unfolded and Daviervala’s daughter Pareecheher rushing onto the stage to help soothe seething tempers.

The Sanjan Stambh; (inset) a devotee pays obeisance

Barring this incident, the event, which marked the 90th year of the Sanjan Stambh being thrown open to the community by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, fifth baronet, was smoothly conducted, the auspicious day commencing with two jashans being performed, one by the priests of Nargol, Saronda and Sanjan and the other by their counterparts from Udvada, as per a write-up received by Parsi­ana from the organizers. The jashans were followed by a short cultural show and an entertainment program presen­ted by children from the Girton High School, Bom­bay, choreographed by Dinaz, Roxan and Aspi Driver.

Dastoor commenced the function with a prayer recital followed by a condolence tribute to Jamshed Guzder who had been the moving spirit behind the Sanjan Day celebrations and a generous and regular donor. The high priest spoke of the importance of preserving and protecting our religion, culture and age old traditions which have been safeguarded for generations by the Udvada Samast Anjuman and the nine families of that center of pilgrimage who are responsible for looking after the Iranshah. He dwelt briefly on the history of the Iranshah fire, and acquainted the listeners with the recent threat to its sanctity arising from the sale of adjacent lands to developers. The Anjuman has already approached the government of Gujarat and received an assurance of support that the land would not be used for any purpose other than agriculture, the write-up mentions.

Bapsy Daviervala informed those present that Guzder had backed her late husband Rohintan, and Nariman Balsara, SMCLC secretary when they held the first Sanjan Day celebrations in the early 1980s. She was happy to note that the annual celebrations have grown from strength to strength and the average age of pilgrims has actually reduced over the years. Vaghela said he was happy to address the peace loving, religious and enterprising Parsis who were celebrating an important occasion at the locale where they had first landed in India. His remark that he was always happy to meet a Parsi because of his "honesty, simplicity and straightforward behavior” elicited a loud cheer from the audience.

Khambatta, who was attending the Sanjan Day celebrations for the first time, began his speech by recalling that our forefathers had come to India as religious refugees led by Dastur Nairyo­sang Dhaval to protect and preserve our holy fire and keep the torch of religion flying. He paid tribute to King Jadi Rana for welcoming and nurturing the Parsis when they first landed in Sanjan. He mentioned that the government is doing much to help and assist us, but unfortunately a few members from the community are going against us with some priests indulging in wrongful conversions.

After Khambatta spoke about how he had built up Rasna he claimed he was "the largest soft drink manufacturer in the world. We Parsis are the first wherever we go in the world thanks to Ahura Mazda… today I am worth 500 crore rupees.”

He lauded Mehta’s actions against the renegade priests and urged the community not to support them as their actions were diluting the religion. He then launched into the emotionally charged blame game against the Udvada priests, referred to earlier, refusing to accept Dastoor’s statement that the priests do not permit converts to enter but that it would be difficult to distinguish such persons when community members themselves brought them along. An agitated Khambatta volubly insisted that it was the duty of the local priests to ensure that this would never happen and that they would be responsible for any breach.

As Dastoor stormed off the stage his priestly colleagues from Udvada seated in the audience were on their feet denying Khambatta’s allegations. A becapped Parsi climbed on the stage and gesticulated with his hands to the audience to rise. "Everybody get up,” he yelled. "I want everybody to leave. Everybody who supports the Vada Dastur get up.” In the background voices could be heard deriding Khambatta saying "maskéri karech (making fun)” and "shut up right now.” Another becapped Parsi snatched the base of the mike from the dais and then shouted: "We don’t like all this bloody nonsense. What is he talking… nonsense.” An emotional Pareecheher then appeared on the stage berating the dissidents: "This was a very peace loving function. Don’t do like this. It never happened in 30 years… don’t do it now.”

(In a letter titled "What happened in Sanjan” which appeared in the Jam-e-Jamshed on December 5, 2010, Khambatta explained: "At the Sanjan Day function I had only stressed upon the point and drew the attention of Dasturji Khurshed about the affidavits filed by inter-married women (not converts) about their entering Pak Iranshah. This too, I was constrained to bring to Khurshedji’s notice as he kept proclaiming from the stage that only Udvada mobeds are responsible for safeguarding Holy Iranshah and they are perfectly capable of protecting Holy Iranshah on their own.”)

(Clockwise from top l): Dara Varvadewala, Bapsy Daviervala, Dinshaw Mehta, Dastur Khurshed Dastoor, Areez Khambatta, Khojeste Mistree, Persis Khambatta, Armaity Tirandaz and Anahita Desai; the school children being felicitated; audience; D. B. Vaghela, Bapsy, Pareechcher and Adi Daviervala; late Rohintan Daviervala; Mehta, Dastoor and Khambatta at mike

After the "fireworks” which lasted around three minutes for which he apologized, Mistree suavely steered the subject to safer channels, launching into a lengthy history of the advent of Parsis in India. He also urged devotees to pay adequate respect, observe decorum, a dress code and proper conduct while visiting the Iranshah as they would be entering the "spiritual king’s darbar.” He decried the proposed development of the land in its vicinity. Since they are happy with the efforts of the SMCLC, the BPP trustees would provide the latter with all assistance, including renovating the dharamshala and adjoining areas, he announced.

Mehta too apologized for the fracas, saying that there was never any intention of hurting anyone’s feelings, even inadvertently. He urged that the community remain united in facing the danger to the Iranshah and the BPP would support the efforts of the high priests to ensure that there would be no development around the holiest of holies. Another threat the community was facing was from Dr Meher Master-Moos of Zoroastrian College in Sanjan who has filed a criminal writ petition in the Bombay High Court saying she has an inherent right under the Constitution to convert anyone to Zoroastrianism, and an injunction against the BPP trustees so that they cannot stop her activities, the write-up notes.

BPP trustee Armaity Tirandaz stres­sed on preservation of our religion, maintaining that prosperity will follow preservation; preservation and prosperity will lead to peace. Anahita Desai, wife of absentee BPP trustee Yazdi Desai, founder trustee of WAPIZ lauded the Daviervala family for successfully keeping a community tradition alive. Dara Varvadewala, SMCLC member expressed gratitude to all those who had contributed to making the function a success. He thanked the Western Railway for providing a special halt for two trains at Sanjan on that day, the police and local administration for arrangements, MEK caterers of Udvada for the excellent meal provided to all, Bombay’s Paris Bakery for the falooda, Dotivala Bakery and Aavan beverages for their donations and assistance. SMCLC treasurer Dosabhai Oliaji and Balsara, who could not be physically present due to old age and its attendant problems sent their best wishes and blessings, the write-up concludes.