Parsimonious Parsis

Most Parsis spend a lot of money on good clothes, housing and eating but we are very parsimonious when it comes to spending on wearing the sudreh and kusti because a gents sudreh costs Rs 70 and a kusti can go up to as much as Rs 800-Rs 1,050.

Some years back I met a couple from Secunderabad who were traveling to the US for a holiday. They bemoaned the fact that a sudreh costs Rs 30 and a kusti between Rs 400 and Rs 500. But they did not bemoan the cost of a two-lakh rupee trip to the US!

It is not only at social functions that we find girls (some as young as 10 or 12) and some women (over 70) not wearing the sudreh. It seems that a time has dawned when not wearing the garment has become fashionable!

In 2005 when I attended the World Zoroastrian Congress hosted by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe in London, I confronted a young priest from Bombay and told him to (instead of lambasting the Bombay Parsi Pun­chayet) give a short talk on the importance of wearing the sudreh and kusti as over 90 percent of the women and about 70 percent of the men were not seen to be wearing them. His most unacceptable reply was: "To each, his own.”

So, our priests denounce, lambaste or admire as per their convenience. How do you expect the laity to look up to them? The high priests, in particular, have done little to resuscitate our religion, except lending support to dogmatism. No wonder today’s generation doesn’t look up to them or seek solace from them. The true meaning of "dastur” is "dasaatir,” one who gives a helping hand. Where is that hand? They should introspect and regain their respect.

B. T. DASTUR