“Golden glow - II”

On going through the article "Golden glow - II” (Parsiana, February 21, 2012) I was disturbed to read what Kainaz Shroff thinks. At her level, as a PhD student, she should have studied the details before making comments like "you have barbaric customs.”

As my professor of preventive medicine had explained, Shroff should try touching pickles during menstruation. She will find that they get spoilt faster than pickles that have not been touched. This has been experimented on by many, including myself, just to verify the truth of what my professor had told us. Please request Shroff to do the same and then let me know the result.

Regarding the chasni, we always purchase additional fruit which has not been prayed upon to distribute to our non-Parsi friends. The consecrated fruits can be served to Parsis.

About non-Parsis visiting agiaries and atash behrams, Shroff must know that non-Muslims cannot even touch the ground in Mecca and Medina. When we take Haj charter flights we are not permitted to deplane on that land, forget entering the mosque. Yet, if they wish, non-Parsis can see the model of the Iranshah at Udvada.

Times have changed and so must we, but for the better. Marry early, but within the community. Learn and then teach our children to have faith and respect in our great religion. Shroff must know that wearing the sudreh and kusti is for our own protection, and is not a favor to the religion.

Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia’s deep knowledge must be tapped by us. Shroff can request him with an open mind and heart to find out the reasons why we have these rituals.

ARMIN DUTIA MOTASHAW

Ahmedabad

armindutiamotashaw@gmail.com

Kainaz Dotivala Shroff responds:

I have great love for our religion and truly wish to follow it to the best of my ability. I have deep faith in the power of prayer and strongly believe in educating our children about the religion. However, I also feel very disturbed by the rigidity and enforced rules (which were only norms that may have been relevant for their time in history) that have taken over the practice of religion. One of the cardinal tenets of the religion is the use of the ‘power of reason’ which each individual has been blessed with. Zara­thushtra himself widely spoke against following ritual blindly.

There are many myths that surround a woman’s ‘purity’ during her menstrual period. I have also been told about milk curdling, mint leaves wilting and pickle spoiling in the presence of a woman who is menstruating. None of these has any actual scientific basis. Pickle spoils really quickly if anyone touches it (male or female). I would think that randomized controlled trials would be needed to scientifically prove these findings.

I use the term "barbaric” to indicate the magnitude of horror I feel that such practices are being followed in the name of religion. Moreover, such segregation was practiced in an age when women did not have any equality (women not having any right to education, men having multiple wives, or women not even being allowed to sit and eat in the same space as the men folk). This again is contrary to a core belief in our religion which treats men and women as equals.

Another fundamental belief in our religion is that all of nature must be respected. I take great umbrage to the practice of giving consecrated food to animals but not to other human beings (non-Parsis). Individuals may follow whatever practice they choose, but do not do it in the name of religion. I would be very pleased to know of any religious text which forbids sharing consecrated fruit.

I would like to clarify that on no occasion have I mentioned that non-Parsis should be allowed to visit agiaries. It further disheartens me to hear of examples like Haj being used to justify certain practices. We must learn from the good practiced by other religions not their exclusionary ones. Members of many other religions like Muslims, Christians and Jews, for instance, take great trouble in educating their children about their religion in an organized manner. We should follow that example.

Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia is providing yeoman service to the community and we should all be very indebted to him. However, when I asked him my queries at the Delhi function I was left dissatisfied with his answers. He propounds the belief in having faith in the religion but was unable to give me a single answer to my questions.

I very strongly feel that we are doing a great disservice to young people in our community by not teaching them the good things in our religion. Most youth will seek a reason for whatever they are asked to do. Providing logical explanations to them, explaining the meaning of our beautiful prayers, teaching them the basis behind many of our rituals, will only encourage more people to follow our religion. It is the duty of the clergy and the learned members of our community to do this for the coming generations.

After all, manashni (to use our power of reason), gavashni (to speak the truth) and kunashni (working towards helping others) are the principles that we all endeavor to live by.