Readers' Forum
“For whom the bell tolls”
It was indeed disheartening and painful to go through your Editorial Viewpoint, "For whom the bell tolls” (Parsiana, September 7, 2013). There is so much hatred, like a venom-spitting cobra, pouring out... I fail to understand why we look down on a great religion, its traditions, practices and people. If for a moment we were to fill our hearts with love and respect for our religion and imagine the emotional status and sacrifices made by our ancestors to save it from the clutches of the Arabs, we would realize that it is but normal to bar entry to non-Zoroastrians into an agiary.
Regarding the garbage dump outside an atash behram in Bombay, if we unite and take a procession to tell the authorities about it, I am sure things can change for the better. Would they permit garbage around the Siddhivinayak temple?
There is mention of people having to commute long distances to visit an agiary. Why should this be a handicap? Other people undergo tremendous hardships and travel to far off mountainous places like Amarnath, Kedarnath, etc, or all the way to Mecca, spending their life’s savings. What deters devotees from visiting agiaries is lack of faith and determination, love and respect, not the unwritten codes of conduct you mention.
Most Hindu and Christian women cover their heads while praying. Muslims too wear caps. Most Hindu women do not go to temples while menstruating. In my opinion the practice was created to give women rest so that they do not overwork and become weak.
Hands must be washed, as is done at many temples, gurudwaras and mosques.
The kusti prayer needs to be done not just before entering a fire temple, but many times during the day. Muslims do namaz, Hindus perform aarti, Christians say their rosary. What’s wrong if we perform our kusti?
At the Aurobindo Ashram visitors have to remove their shoes even before crossing the road, switch off mobiles, refrain from taking photographs and maintain silence. At temples in Calcutta and Vrindavan I had blisters on my feet because it was mandatory to remove one’s slippers [in fact I had to go to the hotel and re-do my kusti, as it ‘breaks’ (the prayer’s potency is compromised and so it has to be said again — editors) if we walk with bare feet]. When we visited Amarnath, shoes and socks had to be removed much before we reached the temple (I had cramps in my legs due to extreme cold). We are lucky we need to remove our footwear just before we step on the carpet.
At the Golden Temple or at any gurudwara one has to fold both hands (in a begging bowl posture) to partake of the prasad. I remember, I had my cell phone in my left hand and put forward my right hand. I was corrected and had to ask another person from our group to hold my phone while accepting the prasad.
Naturally, non-Parsis are not allowed in agiaries. When one takes a Haj charter, one is not permitted to even step on the tarmac but has to remain in the aircraft for two or three hours and return on the same flight. We are not so rigid, are we? It is just the agiary premises that are out of bounds, not the entire city.
If we welcome others into the fold, the dilution will ensure that we become extinct even more rapidly. When we do not have faith in our own religion, what will the spouse or children learn? Many books are available on Zarathushtra and his teachings, but how many of us wish to read them? How many children or even adults watch episodes from Farohar Films? Who can stop a non-Parsi from reading, watching and putting into practice all the principles taught therein?
Chasni is not distributed amongst non-Parsis. In my opinion this may have started so that it is not disrespected or thrown around. Whenever we have a jashan performed at home, I have extra not-prayed-upon fruits which I send to my non-Parsi neighbors and friends. Why start finding fault with our religious values and practices? Surely, we know that there are such practices in every religion.
Have you tried going to an atash behram late in the night when there is peace... you can feel it in every cell (of your body). On the other hand, have you been to crowded temples on a feast day or to the Amarnath yatra? You can’t even properly glimpse the ice shivling (symbol of Lord Shiva formed by nature out of ice — editors); you are literally pushed onward by volunteers. You mentioned Shirdi; there is a three to five hour waiting line, as there is at Dwarka, Balaji, etc.
Why are we so ashamed to wear our sudreh kusti, or our pheta, topi, etc? Sardarjis wear a turban; Hindu Brahmins wear a janoi and sport a choti; Muslims sport a specific beard and cap; Bohris wear a topi and a dagli-like coat and of course the burkha that their women adopt.
If we contemplate all the good things we are blessed with, we would be a very contented race and gratefully thank Ahura and Zarthushtra for granting them to us.
ARMIN DUTIA MOTASHAW
Ahmedabad
armindutiamotashaw@gmail.com
Regarding the garbage dump outside an atash behram in Bombay, if we unite and take a procession to tell the authorities about it, I am sure things can change for the better. Would they permit garbage around the Siddhivinayak temple?
There is mention of people having to commute long distances to visit an agiary. Why should this be a handicap? Other people undergo tremendous hardships and travel to far off mountainous places like Amarnath, Kedarnath, etc, or all the way to Mecca, spending their life’s savings. What deters devotees from visiting agiaries is lack of faith and determination, love and respect, not the unwritten codes of conduct you mention.
Most Hindu and Christian women cover their heads while praying. Muslims too wear caps. Most Hindu women do not go to temples while menstruating. In my opinion the practice was created to give women rest so that they do not overwork and become weak.
Hands must be washed, as is done at many temples, gurudwaras and mosques.
The kusti prayer needs to be done not just before entering a fire temple, but many times during the day. Muslims do namaz, Hindus perform aarti, Christians say their rosary. What’s wrong if we perform our kusti?
At the Aurobindo Ashram visitors have to remove their shoes even before crossing the road, switch off mobiles, refrain from taking photographs and maintain silence. At temples in Calcutta and Vrindavan I had blisters on my feet because it was mandatory to remove one’s slippers [in fact I had to go to the hotel and re-do my kusti, as it ‘breaks’ (the prayer’s potency is compromised and so it has to be said again — editors) if we walk with bare feet]. When we visited Amarnath, shoes and socks had to be removed much before we reached the temple (I had cramps in my legs due to extreme cold). We are lucky we need to remove our footwear just before we step on the carpet.
At the Golden Temple or at any gurudwara one has to fold both hands (in a begging bowl posture) to partake of the prasad. I remember, I had my cell phone in my left hand and put forward my right hand. I was corrected and had to ask another person from our group to hold my phone while accepting the prasad.
Naturally, non-Parsis are not allowed in agiaries. When one takes a Haj charter, one is not permitted to even step on the tarmac but has to remain in the aircraft for two or three hours and return on the same flight. We are not so rigid, are we? It is just the agiary premises that are out of bounds, not the entire city.
If we welcome others into the fold, the dilution will ensure that we become extinct even more rapidly. When we do not have faith in our own religion, what will the spouse or children learn? Many books are available on Zarathushtra and his teachings, but how many of us wish to read them? How many children or even adults watch episodes from Farohar Films? Who can stop a non-Parsi from reading, watching and putting into practice all the principles taught therein?
Chasni is not distributed amongst non-Parsis. In my opinion this may have started so that it is not disrespected or thrown around. Whenever we have a jashan performed at home, I have extra not-prayed-upon fruits which I send to my non-Parsi neighbors and friends. Why start finding fault with our religious values and practices? Surely, we know that there are such practices in every religion.
Have you tried going to an atash behram late in the night when there is peace... you can feel it in every cell (of your body). On the other hand, have you been to crowded temples on a feast day or to the Amarnath yatra? You can’t even properly glimpse the ice shivling (symbol of Lord Shiva formed by nature out of ice — editors); you are literally pushed onward by volunteers. You mentioned Shirdi; there is a three to five hour waiting line, as there is at Dwarka, Balaji, etc.
Why are we so ashamed to wear our sudreh kusti, or our pheta, topi, etc? Sardarjis wear a turban; Hindu Brahmins wear a janoi and sport a choti; Muslims sport a specific beard and cap; Bohris wear a topi and a dagli-like coat and of course the burkha that their women adopt.
If we contemplate all the good things we are blessed with, we would be a very contented race and gratefully thank Ahura and Zarthushtra for granting them to us.
ARMIN DUTIA MOTASHAW
Ahmedabad
armindutiamotashaw@gmail.com
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