Honing priestly skills

After 10 years the Residential Refresher Programme for Ostas and

Ervads along with the fourth year of the sessions for Behdin Pasbaans organized by the Ex-Students’ Association (ESA) of The M. F. Cama Athornan Institute (MFCAI) shifted from the spacious grounds of the Institute in suburban Andheri to Cama Baug in the Khetwadi area of South Bombay.

"Sad” that the venue had to be changed, Ervad (Dr) Cyrus Dastoor was quoted in the Programme’s write-up sent to Parsiana as stating, however, "the show must go on.” Dastoor is the prime mover of the 11-year-old program that seeks to assist mobeds in honing their ecclesiastic skills and teaching interested laity the basics of priestly duties. Participants ranging in age from 10 to over 70 attend the 10 to 15-day residential course without any charge.

Ervad Pirozeshah Sidhwa, one of the co-ordinators who has been conducting the course for the past 10 years referred to "the ugly article in the newspaper” which alleged that mobeds, ostas and behdins are taught together. "That’s a lie. Everyone is taught separately except for ceremonies like jashan, etc which pertains to all… We teach how to make darun, papdi and malido and they say that we are making chasniwallas out of mobeds, but in certain villages where there is no one to make darans, the mobeds have to do it themselves. There are, today, even senior mobeds who do not know how to tie a pagdi. What is wrong in teaching them how to do it? Here, they are taught to pray with correct pronunciations. Geh sarna should be done orally, with eyes on the corpse. How many can do it? Even I learn new things every year,” he said. "Instead of highlighting our achievements, wrong propaganda is made which is very unfortunate. We will continue doing our good work. If there are mistakes in our work, we will try to improve on them.”

The ‘three pillars’ of the Programme: Ervads Cyrus Dastoor (alongside), Pirozeshah Sidhwa (center) and Homie Gowa­dia. At the valedictory function (below, l to r, standing) Dastoor, Viraf Daruwalla, Marzban Giara, Gowadia, Marazban Wadia and young participants; (seated) Dinshaw Mehta, Dastur K. N. Meherjirana, Dastur Peshotan Mirza and Ervad Keki Ravji

He was referring to an article in the Jam-e-Jamshed Weekly of May 6, 2012 by Ervad (Dr) Rooyintan Peer which alleged that the same people kept enrolling in the course, some of them up to seven to eight times. Peer questioned how 10-year-olds who have not undergone the navar ceremony could benefit from a "refresher course.” Though the course is a residential one, he alleged people came and went depending on their professional and personal requirements. Young and old, osta and behdin, were taught together, he claimed and added that behdin pasbaans should not be allowed to avail of the course as the MFCAI was created only for athornans. He further alleged the accounts were not submitted to the MFCAI trustees and for that and other reasons the trustees had denied permission to hold the course on their premises. He stated that the chairman of the MFCAI, former Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee and noted solicitor Ervad Burjor Antia, who is also the head of the ESA, had resigned from the Association on account of the alleged irregularities.

When Parsiana asked Antia why he had stepped down he replied it was "to give a chance to others. Dastur (Dr) Peshotan Mirza (of Udvada) is a better candidate.” As regards denying permission for holding the program, Antia said there were "some differences of opinion between Cyrus and the trustees.”

Alongside: Jashan being performed at the inaugural function. Far left: Benefactor Merwanji Cama

MFCAI trustee Ratan Lalkaka told Parsiana that the trust was footing the expenses of the course but that they were "not quibbling” about the monies. "The incorrect actions” of the organizers, is what annoyed them. It is alleged that the furniture and other equipment of the ESA was left at the MFCAI premises despite several reminders to remove the material. The other trustees of the MFCAI are BPP trustee Muncherjee Cama, Camaji Cama and Adi Jehangir.

Dastoor, when contacted by Parsiana said, "We want to continue to do our work. There will be no backbiting,” but he was annoyed and angered by the allegations made in Peer’s article.

Winners all (from l): Ervad Adiba Gowadia, Marazban Wadia and Osta Farzad Driver with Mehta

The initiative of the ESA is here to stay. Despite the controversy the spirit of the participants at the 11th Residential Refresher Programme for Ostas and Ervads and 4th Residential Workshop for Behdin Pasbaans from May 13 to 23, 2012 at the Cama Baug (Small Otla), were not dampened. "We will continue doing our good work,” announced Sidh­wa. This was echoed by 11-year-old participant and winner of the trophy for best junior in overall performance, Osta Farzad Driver at the closing ceremony when he quoted a couplet penned by his late grandfather Ervad Adi Jamshedji Mirza, once a student of the Cama Madressa: "Tara mahel ni aaju baaju, jhupra vasé tau vasva dé/ Tari chaal tu chaal jagat ma/ Tari chaal tu chaal jagat ma, kutra bhasé tau bhasva dé (It matters not if hovels surround your palace,/ Carry on doing what you choose to in this world./ If dogs bark, disregard them).”

The course was inaugurated with a jashan on May 13, 2012 led by Dastur Mirza, followed by a humbandagi. He welcomed the chief guest, Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal as also guest of honor BPP trustee Yazdi Desai. Mirza underlined the need for our traditions and customs to be maintained, toward which end the course is being conducted. We always remember our benefactor, Merwanji Muncherji Cama, stated Dastoor, "I believe his blessings are with us today.”

Each year participants eagerly await the course, even though they may have attended it earlier. Teachers include Ervads Keki Ravji, Asphandiar Dadachanji, Parvez Bajan, Yazdi Aibara, Dastur K. N. Meherjirana, Comde Aspi Marker, Dr Homi Dhalla, Prof Faredoon Kapadia, BPP trustee Khojeste Mistree and others. Students are taken to the four atash behrams in Bombay, to the Iranshah in Udvada and have interactive sessions with Kotwal at his residence and with BPP trustee Jimmy Mis­try at Della Adventure in Lonavala. Community historian Marzban Giara has been both participant and lecturer at these programs. Despite his serious ailment, Ervad Dara Gowadia took active part, the write-up mentions. One can’t learn everything in 12 days, but one can learn something new in every course, averred Sidhwa.

Kotwal told the gathering that he had spent 30 years at the MFCAI, as student, teacher and finally principal. In those days the status of priests was bad, and they prayed with incorrect pronunciation. At the Andheri and Dadar madressas, they were taught how to pray properly. Desai opined that religion is practices, prayers, manthravani and ritual, the last being the "most important.” If the priests die out, who will perform them? "For Parsis to survive, rituals must survive,” was his contention. He announced that Nusli Wadia of Bombay Dyeing has come up with a scheme to encourage full-time priests who will be given good salaries, mentions the write-up.

Dastoor requested Mirza to felicitate Kotwal and Desai on behalf of the ESA. Ravji then thanked guests, well-wishers, donors, helpers and supporters. Dastoor thank­ed Mirza and his wife Mahrukh for their support and guidance, as well as the trustees of the MFCAI for permitting them to hold the course at the Institute for 10 years, and expressed the hope that they would do so in future as well.

Section of the audience at the valedictory function and Dr Zenobia Madon (right)

The program closed on May 23 with the giving away of prizes to successful participants at a well attended ceremony. Rotating trophies donated by Tanaz Kerawalla in memory of her late husband Keki were awarded to Ervad Adiba Gowadia (best senior, overall performance), Driver (best junior) and Marazban Wadia (best overall behdin pasbaan). Prizes were given for best bhanter (prayers) in all categories, for the quiz contest, darun-malido-papdi making and the written test.

Chief guest Meherjirana of Navsari and guest of honor Dinshaw Mehta, BPP chairman were welcomed by Mirza. Meherjirana announced he was a staunch supporter of ESA’s effort and urged the organizers to include some Ilm-e-Khshnoom teaching for the participants in future courses. Mehta too underlined his support to the ESA. He announced a scheme to uplift the economic standards of all full-time practicing priests by raising their salary to Rs 25,000 per month and also reserving 15 percent of the new housing allotments by BPP for them, preference being given to newly married or about-to-be married mobeds.

Behdin pasbaan participants Wadia and Giara thanked the "three pillars” of the Refresher Course — Dastoor, Sidhwa and Ervad Homie Gowadia for their tireless work for over a decade. Wadia praised the additional efforts of Gowadia to take them to Davier and Tarapore for hands-on training in performing ceremonies like boi, jashan, uthamna, Sarosh nu patru, dahm yazad jashan, afringan, farokshi, stum, etc with full tarikats, fruits, flowers, malido and mithai paid for and prepared by the participants themselves at the venue. They referred to Gowadia as the jagto (alert) soldier among them. (Gowadia passed away on May 27. A jashan followed by a public condolence meeting was held in his memory by the ESA of the MFCAI and Parsi Resource Group at the Banaji Atash Behram Hall on June 23 — editors)

The write-up notes that during the course the participants had been addressed by Ervads Pervez Mithaiwala and Cyrus Darbari. Mathemagician Minoo Jokhi and Rustom Chothia also shared their field of expertise with the participants.

After the felicitation of dignitaries and well-wishers, all were treated to a dinner sponsored by Dr Zenobia Madon in memory of her late brother Hoshang, catered by Ervad Noshir Gowadia and his family, the write-up concludes.