Presence in Parliament

"I am sure the Zoroastrian influence on Parliament… will be benign, gentle and civilized,” commented Eric Pickles, Member of Parliament (MP) and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when delivering the keynote address at the launch of the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group (ZAPPG) on October 14, 2013. For Lord Karan Bilimoria, the first and only Zoroastrian to sit in the House of Lords, who had taken the initiative to form ZAPPG in the British Parliament, it was "wonderful to see the Zoroastrian community finally represented in the Mother of Parliaments.” The two primary objectives of ZAPPG are to promote awareness of the Zoroastrian religion and community, and to provide an important link between Zoroastrians and the Parliament.

Parliament House in London

(Alongside from far left) Lord Karan Bilimoria, Homa Zartoshty, Dorab Mistry, Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal, Eric Pickles, Malcolm Deboo, Ervad Rustom Bhedwar, Dastur (Dr) Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa and Nayab Dastur (Dr) Jamasp Dastur

Whilst a minimum 20 members from the House of Lords or the House of Commons are required for the formation of a Parliamentary Group, Bilimoria was "thrilled that 47 members had already expressed their interest in becoming founder members of the ZAPPG.” Availing of the presence of several MPs and Peers at this function at the Members’ Dining Room of the House of Commons, the first annual general meeting of the Group was convened when Bilimoria was duly elected as the chair of this new body. There were over a hundred invitees in the audience including the principal office bearers and volunteers of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) who had assisted in organizing this event, local dignitaries and some overseas invitees like Homa Zartoshty. Also gracing the two-hour event were two high priests from Bombay, Dasturs (Drs) Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa and Firoze Kotwal with London’s senior priest Ervad Rustom Bhedwar and Nayab Dastur (Dr) Jamasp Dastur.
As explained on the website www.parliament.uk, "All-Party Groups are informal, cross-party interest groups that have no official status within Parliament and are not accorded any powers or funding by it.” When forming an All-Party Group, at least 10 members have to be from the House of Commons and 10 from the House of Lords. Ten of the founder members should be from the same political party as the government. According to the Register of All-Party Groups, until September 2013 there were 135 groups classified under the denomination of ‘country,’ and 470 groups under ‘subjects.’ Once ZAPPG is formally registered by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, it will begin a regular program of events aimed at raising awareness of the Zoroastrian community. It will soon launch its official logo and website too, notes a communiqué from Bilimoria’s researchers Monica Sharma and Jack Tindale.
In the House of Lords since 2006 when he was appointed as an independent Crossbench Peer, Bilimoria also serves as vice chairman of the Indo-British All-Party Group. Repeating a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: "In numbers beneath contempt, in contributions beyond compare,” Bilimoria said that although the Zoroastrian population in UK may number just 6,000 in a total strength of 63.23 million, with the regular holding of events like this he hoped "to make people aware of the Zoroastrian faith here and around the world.” (As per the 2011 census figures for England and Wales released by the Office for National Statistics in UK, Zoroastrians numbered 4,105.) Whilst the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta will be celebrated in the British Parliament in 2015, it has its origin in the famous Cyrus Cylinder which is considered the first bill of human rights promulgated by Cyrus the Great.

Active ZTFE members at the House of Commons in London

Admiring Bilimoria’s candor, Pickles commented, "Only a Zoroastrian would say that the Magna Carta was a Johnny-come-lately. I’d like to see the same energy and excitement brought to Westminster.” Declaring that he would be happy to join ZAPPG he hoped the Group would serve as "a burning flame of cooperation in these difficult times.” A benediction by Kotwal in Avestan and Sanskrit set a seal of sanctity on the new Group.
Serving as the ZAPPG’s first secretary will be Gareth Thomas, MP who noted that his Harrow West constituency being home to the Zoroastrian Centre, the headquarters of ZTFE, "I am very lucky to be able to work very closely with this community.” He further acknowledged the contribution of "my colleague Navin Shah” who represents the seats of Harrow and Brent in the Greater London Assembly. In a lighter vein Thomas continued, "I am not charming and nor am I as sophisticated as Lord Bilimoria but I am proud to be the only current Zoroastrian (in spirit) member of the House of Commons!” He lauded the efforts of the community for "building interfaith connections and promoting understanding within and across different faiths. You need to visit SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) to see the superb exhibition that gives a sense and flavor of what it means to be a Zoroastrian and a sense of their history.”

"Some years ago inspired by a book (A Zoroastrian Tapestry: Art, Religion and Culture by Pheroza Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree) I decided on this exhibition,” remarked Dr Sarah Stewart, curator of the exhibition. "Once the Brunei Gallery dedicated space for the exhibition and the ZTFE pledged a co-funding of £ 100,000 we were able to approach different institutions for (exhibit) loans 18 months ago.” The exhibition "The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination” became a reality when it was inaugurated on October 11, 2013 and will be open to the public until December 14.
According to Dorab Mistry, former president and current treasurer of ZTFE, the association’s contribution to "The Everlasting Flame” exhibition at SOAS is "the finest investment and the best pledge we have made.” Welcoming members of all faiths, he introduced each of the dignitaries and referred to their support to the community. As president of ZTFE, "the oldest voluntary faith based organization in the UK established in 1861,” Malcolm Deboo described his coreligionists as "fiercely loyal to the royal family and appreciative of what it has done for the Zoroastrian community.” From the ZTFE archives he was able to establish that the Queen assisted the community to petition the Shah of Iran to ameliorate the condition of fellow Zoroastrians in Iran. During the early part of the last century, ZTFE that "exists on voluntary donations… went bankrupt contributing to the War efforts.” When Thomas who has long known Mistry and Deboo’s disciplined style of functioning compared them to Lenin and Stalin, Mistry promptly clarified he would rather be Lenin than Stalin and chose to bestow on another ZTFE past president Rusi Dalal the nomenclature of Khrushchev! On behalf of ZTFE Deboo presented the 150th anniversary medallion to Pickles.
In his exposition on "What does it mean to be a Zoroastrian,” Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustee Khojeste Mistree referred to the adherents’ belief in the Lord of Wisdom or Ahura Mazda and the recognition of the importance of mind, truth, power, devotion or piety, wholeness and immortality. Faced with "cosmic and ethical dualism, we uphold the truth and fight the lie. Our job is to champion the force of good.” The Zoroastrian belief in good life abhors "abstinence and fasting is seen as a sin.” The Encyclopedia Britannica describes Zoroastrians as "people known for benefaction.” As upholders of ecology, they have prayers for the sky, water, plants… Referring to death as a "temporary triumph of evil,” he stressed that Zoroastrians "don’t believe in reincarnation but in resurrection” and that according to Zoroastrian eschatology, the future course is decided on the fourth morning after death when a soul is made "accountable for his words and deeds but not for his thoughts.”

Before Pickles arrived for the official launch of ZAPPG several other speakers too were invited to the podium: Dr Virander Paul, the Acting High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, expressed his pride "that India is home to the largest number of Zoroastrians. The small Parsi community has a disproportionately high number of achievers” who have excelled not only as industrialists and businessmen but in the civil and defence services, medicine and other fields, he added.
Whilst Lord Dolar Popat assured his full support to ZAPPG, Lord Navnit Dholakia referred to his association with the Parsi community "from the time I grew up in Gujarat.” He attributed "India’s growth to the contribution of the Parsi community” and said that when there were riots two summers ago he had urged, "Examine how the Parsis have integrated within the Indian community. Treat them as an example of how to lead a life as citizens of a country.” Companies like the Tatas are rescuing industries in this country. The chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Maneck Dalal brought the culture of India to the UK, he acknowledged.
The new party has also found supporters in Keith Vaz, MP who mentioned that "When Lord Bilimoria writes to you, you don’t argue. You just do what he says.” Lord Akash Paul referred to the "goodwill towards the Zoroastrians” and was happy that he has had a "long association with this community; one of my largest suppliers and customers are the Tatas.” The formation of ZAPPG was necessary according to Barry Gardiner, MP, who looked "forward to a much greater understanding” with the community.
Whilst happy to partake of the high tea with scones, sandwiches and pastries at the commencement and conclusion of the function, some of those present exchanged enquiring glances at the mid-session ringing of a bell for a few seconds especially since the visitor entry tag hung around their necks specified: "On hearing the fire alarm all persons should leave the building by the nearest available exit and congregate at the designated fire assembly point.” The visitors were relieved to learn from Bilimoria that the bell signified a bill had come up for voting. Within a few minutes flashed on the TV screens in the room were the results of the poll on Anti-Social Behavior, Crime and Policing Bill, not that they seemed to distract the audience.

Voicing aloud the query in the minds of many, Pickles enquired, "Why didn’t you start this Group earlier? What took you so long?” Although he was not explicitly given a reply, the answer lay in the fact that after the first three Indians, beginning in 1892 with Dadabhai Naoroji, Sir Mancherjee Bhownaggree and Shapurji Saklatvala, became Members of Parliament, the next Zoroastrian to earn a seat in the British Parliament nearly a century later is Bilimoria.