Read, pray, have fun

My Little Book of Zoroastrian Prayer (With Some Fun Activities) simplified and written by Rebecca Cann. Published in 2011 by Asha Publications, 15466 Los Gatos Boulevard Suite 109-315, Los Gatos, California 95032, USA. Pp 75. Price: $ 14.95.

This collection of more than 40 Zoroastrian traditional prayers translated into lucid English prose is aimed primarily at the young reader, though it could be profitably perused by persons of all ages, especially those unable to read the prayers in the Gujarati script, never mind the original Avesta, Pahlavi or Pazend. The author, Rebecca Cann, has included selections from the Gathas, the 17 holy songs composed by the Prophet, which are the oldest and most sacred of Zoroastrian scriptures. Other prayers are from the Khorde Avesta, the Heptanghaiti (seven songs composed by Zarathushtra’s close friends and followers, now part of the Yasna), the Yasna itself, the Yashts and lastly the Visperad, usually read during the regional festivals.

Cann acknowledges that the prayers from the Gathas and its supplements are based mostly on Dr Ali Jafa­rey’s translation though selections from Prof Mary Boyce, Dr L. H. Mills, Bamanji Nusserwanji Dhabar, James Darmesteter and Joseph Peterson have also been used. The book, a laudable attempt at furthering knowledge about the faith, contains a glossary of simple Zoroastrian terms.

Of particular interest in the latter part of the book are a number of everyday questions about God, prayers, good and evil, which are followed by simple answers. To explain and clarify the prayers for children, for example, the answer to "What is prayer?” reads: "Prayer is like talking to God... (He) listens to everything we tell him. Sometimes it takes awhile before our prayers are answered, but God is always listening and watching over us.” The fun activity that follows involves getting a small notebook and starting a prayer journal in which the child writes a few words to God every day. The journal can be decorated with "stickers, glitter glue or some of your own drawings,” the author suggests. The book is tastefully illustrated by Nassim Azadi, a designer from Dubai.

If the author’s name should raise a few eyebrows, a note at the end of the book reveals that Cann is a Zoroastrian, the owner of Zoroastrian Kids Korner, an educational website for Zoroastrian children. She lives in northern California with her family and can be contacted at rebecca@zoroastriankids.com

SHERENE VAKIL