“An eerie silence”

With reference to my letter ("An eerie silence,” Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, December 7, 2010), I need to clarify that when I wrote that Murzban Shroff has always had our support, I was speaking of the Narmada Bachao Andolan’s support to him during the time he was being harassed by people who had not even read his book but were filing cases against him in different corners of the country. He was made to run around and waste his time and money, preventing him from furthering his excellent work and depriving him of his well earned sleep and peace of mind.

I completely sympathize with him and the Parsiana editor when they say that the Parsi community could and should have come out vocally in his favor.

My apologies to Shroff for any miscommunication I may have inadvertently caused.

PERVIN JEHANGIR

pjehangir@gmail.com

I refer to "An eerie silence” (Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, November 7, 2010). Did Parsiana really expect the Parsi community institutions to condemn the ban initiated by the Shiv Sena on Rohinton Mistry’s novel? Which institutions? The Bombay Parsi Punchayet or the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India, both of which are presently firmly controlled by the so-called "orthodox?”

It would be ideologically inconsistent for the "orthodox” institutions to oppose the Shiv Sena because they share the same ideology! Both practice the politics of exclusion. The "orthodox” want to exclude all those not born of Parsi Zoroastrian parentage. The sectarian party wants to exclude all those not born of Marathi speaking parentage.

They are both sides of the same coin.

There are no liberal institutions in the community today.

E. P. BHARUCHA

epbharucha@gmail.com