“A call to alms”

Your editorial "A call to alms” (Parsiana, June 21, 2012) is an eye-opener. Some time back Rahul Gandhi ate with a Dalit’s family and even slept in their hut. What was that in aid of? Simple; vote politics. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees have taken a leaf from Gandhi’s book and shared a meal with the khandhias and nasse­ssalars. How touchingly magnanimous of them!

Your editorial shows the sheer cussedness of the BPP’s functioning. Despite lack of vultures and failure of the solar panels, they insist on continuing with semi-functional dakhmenashini. So be it, but to blatantly say that the system functions perfectly is to make a mockery of the Parsi community. For this very reason we have created a class of ‘untouchables’ who are used only for the purpose of carrying corpses into the dakhmas. Other than this they are left to themselves without acceptance within the community fold. In fact at most times we behave they don’t exist at all.

The khandhias and nassessalars should be absorbed into more lucrative and self respecting jobs. Why should they work where no other Parsi will deem it fit to? Firm steps need to be taken to bring about this change. It’s time to forget the deplorable status given to those who are assigned as pallbearers at the Towers of Silence.

In your own words, a Tower of Silence is a ‘house of horror.’ Let the families of the deceased take up this responsibility, and see how many volunteers BPP can muster. Man-made segregation must stop sooner than later. Let those who still wish to go to the dakhma be consigned there, but let there be alternative and more hygienic modes of resting for our beloved ones. Yes, it could be burial or even cremation with all due religious formalities observed. This is the need of the hour, and shying away from it will only make things worse for Parsis.

RODA D. HAKIM

Baroda

vadhakim@yahoo.com