Editorial Viewpoint
A new approach?
As Jamshedi Navroz marks the
beginning of spring, this is a
good time of the year to take an overview of community developments across the globe. Plans for the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress (WZC) are afoot with philanthropist and major sponsor Dr Cyrus Poonawalla insisting the meet be titled a Zoroastrian and not a Parsi Zoroastrian Congress as the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees were adamant on terming it. All the congresses till now were called Zoroastrian congresses but in order to pander to their electorate, the trustees wanted the Congress ethnically defined.
Poonawalla’s recommendation was made with a mind to include the children of Parsi women married to non-Parsis. So while the BPP’s submission to the old nomenclature is not a step forward — the 50-year name status quo being retained — it is at least not a step back into the dark ages. We have come to a stage where even a minor victory is to be viewed with relief.
But aside from congresses how does the community interact globally? The answer is sporadically and with exceedingly limited authority. At the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) meet in Bombay on February 11 and 12, BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta and co-trustee Jimmy Mistry pleaded with the delegates — the majority of them the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) plants — to permit them to at least continue a dialog with the overseas federations on the Global Working Group (GWG).
The WAPIZ-dominated FPZAI finally authorized their representatives to “talk” to the other federations (there was no mention of listening) but no “structure” was to be created nor any decision-making of any kind (maybe except the menu and venue). The GWG would therefore be literally “a talk shop.”
Do we need a GWG or even an official, properly structured, world body? Isn’t everyone doing well enough on their own? The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) is holding its 25th anniversary celebration with a North American congress this August. The FEZANA Journal is amongst the best publications around, the association heads meet regularly and amicably. There is no overt attempt by one geographic or religious clique to corner the bloc. The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) has held a string of successful meets to celebrate their 150th anniversary including a visit by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and the Archbishop of Westminster, the Rev Vincent Nichols.
The Hong Kong Parsis are thriving and helping their co-religionists across the globe. The Pakistani Parsis in Karachi have opened their temple doors to the children of Parsi women married to non-Parsis. The Hamazor quarterly published by the World Zoroastrian Organisation from Karachi is among the top two organizational community publications. In Iran women have taken up the priesthood with the encouragement and blessings of the establishment. Singapore which was denied the hosting of the 10th WZC by the BPP has been selected to host the next annual general meeting of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce (WZCC). Australia and New Zealand are holding their own.
But aside from creating a channel of communication, a truly representative world body is required to lobby and make representation to governments and international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union and so on.
This also holds true for the FPZAI. Additionally, the all-India body also provides an opportunity to learn about developments across the country. However as most of the FPZAI delegates are Bombay based with loyalties to WAPIZ, this objective is not served. In addition the anjumans of the east were totally absent as were Delhi, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad amongst others, at the last Federation meet. Women also are under represented in the all-India body.
Many anjumans like Valsad bar women from holding office. WAPIZ, to its credit, has numerous, Bombay based, vociferous females representing the orthodox body’s interests. Surprisingly none of them are in favor of equal rights for Parsi women.
But then women in India generally, and in the community particularly, get a raw deal. The only recourse is to brave the onslaught as Roshni Maloo and Savio D’Souza did while performing the navjotes of their children or to move the courts as Goolrookh Gupta has courageously done in Gujarat when the Valsad anjuman barred entry to their fire temple and doongerwadi to Parsi women married to non-Parsis. Or as Jamsheed Kanga, Homi Khusrokhan and the members of the legal fraternity did in challenging the ban on the alleged, “renegade” priests.
So are the rest of the world’s Parsis moving ahead and the Indians lagging behind? There are pockets of enlightenment such as in Delhi, Jamshedpur, Lucknow and elsewhere but the bastions of Bombay and several anjumans in Gujarat are still chauvinistic.
But in the aftermath of these incidents as well as the alleged assault on Meher Master-Moos and the Russian Zoroastrian priest in Sanjan, the moral brigade and the vigilantes have laid low. At the FPZAI meet Mehta struck a more moderate tone as did Yazdi Desai. Compromises were worked out and some differences settled. Is this a chance occurrence? Not quite. There is a maturing of the leadership, a realization that winning an election is not the same as fulfilling electoral promises. To accomplish their goals the trustees need the cooperation of all stakeholders in the community.
Till October 2008 the Bombay Parsis had almost no say in the election of their leaders. With adult franchise being introduced that year the public’s pent up frustration found an outlet. The first time around the candidates based their appeal on the basis of “religion in danger.” On being elected, they felt obliged to demonstrate their religiosity. The next time around voters may not so easily accept the premise that the faith is endangered. The electorate may opt for candidates who promise and can deliver development — socially and economically. Perhaps the BPP trustees have read the writing on the wall. They know they have to perform or perish. With three years in office and little to show for it, perhaps they are finally beginning to perform.
beginning of spring, this is a
good time of the year to take an overview of community developments across the globe. Plans for the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress (WZC) are afoot with philanthropist and major sponsor Dr Cyrus Poonawalla insisting the meet be titled a Zoroastrian and not a Parsi Zoroastrian Congress as the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees were adamant on terming it. All the congresses till now were called Zoroastrian congresses but in order to pander to their electorate, the trustees wanted the Congress ethnically defined.
Poonawalla’s recommendation was made with a mind to include the children of Parsi women married to non-Parsis. So while the BPP’s submission to the old nomenclature is not a step forward — the 50-year name status quo being retained — it is at least not a step back into the dark ages. We have come to a stage where even a minor victory is to be viewed with relief.
But aside from congresses how does the community interact globally? The answer is sporadically and with exceedingly limited authority. At the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) meet in Bombay on February 11 and 12, BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehta and co-trustee Jimmy Mistry pleaded with the delegates — the majority of them the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (WAPIZ) plants — to permit them to at least continue a dialog with the overseas federations on the Global Working Group (GWG).
The WAPIZ-dominated FPZAI finally authorized their representatives to “talk” to the other federations (there was no mention of listening) but no “structure” was to be created nor any decision-making of any kind (maybe except the menu and venue). The GWG would therefore be literally “a talk shop.”
Do we need a GWG or even an official, properly structured, world body? Isn’t everyone doing well enough on their own? The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) is holding its 25th anniversary celebration with a North American congress this August. The FEZANA Journal is amongst the best publications around, the association heads meet regularly and amicably. There is no overt attempt by one geographic or religious clique to corner the bloc. The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) has held a string of successful meets to celebrate their 150th anniversary including a visit by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and the Archbishop of Westminster, the Rev Vincent Nichols.
The Hong Kong Parsis are thriving and helping their co-religionists across the globe. The Pakistani Parsis in Karachi have opened their temple doors to the children of Parsi women married to non-Parsis. The Hamazor quarterly published by the World Zoroastrian Organisation from Karachi is among the top two organizational community publications. In Iran women have taken up the priesthood with the encouragement and blessings of the establishment. Singapore which was denied the hosting of the 10th WZC by the BPP has been selected to host the next annual general meeting of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce (WZCC). Australia and New Zealand are holding their own.
But aside from creating a channel of communication, a truly representative world body is required to lobby and make representation to governments and international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union and so on.
This also holds true for the FPZAI. Additionally, the all-India body also provides an opportunity to learn about developments across the country. However as most of the FPZAI delegates are Bombay based with loyalties to WAPIZ, this objective is not served. In addition the anjumans of the east were totally absent as were Delhi, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad amongst others, at the last Federation meet. Women also are under represented in the all-India body.
Many anjumans like Valsad bar women from holding office. WAPIZ, to its credit, has numerous, Bombay based, vociferous females representing the orthodox body’s interests. Surprisingly none of them are in favor of equal rights for Parsi women.
But then women in India generally, and in the community particularly, get a raw deal. The only recourse is to brave the onslaught as Roshni Maloo and Savio D’Souza did while performing the navjotes of their children or to move the courts as Goolrookh Gupta has courageously done in Gujarat when the Valsad anjuman barred entry to their fire temple and doongerwadi to Parsi women married to non-Parsis. Or as Jamsheed Kanga, Homi Khusrokhan and the members of the legal fraternity did in challenging the ban on the alleged, “renegade” priests.
So are the rest of the world’s Parsis moving ahead and the Indians lagging behind? There are pockets of enlightenment such as in Delhi, Jamshedpur, Lucknow and elsewhere but the bastions of Bombay and several anjumans in Gujarat are still chauvinistic.
But in the aftermath of these incidents as well as the alleged assault on Meher Master-Moos and the Russian Zoroastrian priest in Sanjan, the moral brigade and the vigilantes have laid low. At the FPZAI meet Mehta struck a more moderate tone as did Yazdi Desai. Compromises were worked out and some differences settled. Is this a chance occurrence? Not quite. There is a maturing of the leadership, a realization that winning an election is not the same as fulfilling electoral promises. To accomplish their goals the trustees need the cooperation of all stakeholders in the community.
Till October 2008 the Bombay Parsis had almost no say in the election of their leaders. With adult franchise being introduced that year the public’s pent up frustration found an outlet. The first time around the candidates based their appeal on the basis of “religion in danger.” On being elected, they felt obliged to demonstrate their religiosity. The next time around voters may not so easily accept the premise that the faith is endangered. The electorate may opt for candidates who promise and can deliver development — socially and economically. Perhaps the BPP trustees have read the writing on the wall. They know they have to perform or perish. With three years in office and little to show for it, perhaps they are finally beginning to perform.
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From the archive