Readers' Forum
Consequences in Valsad
The community needs to know who is providing financial support to the Valsad Parsi Anjuman (VPA) to engage in litigation against Goolrookh Gupta who is fighting for her right to visit the agiary and Doongerwadi. Though I am aware that in this matter now before the Supreme Court the Anjuman is the defendant, it cannot be denied that the litigation was self invited and not thrust upon the Anjuman which created this controversy on an issue which the previous trustees wisely did not precipitate.
The trustees of VPA cannot be oblivious to the fact that many inter-married Parsi women professing the Zoroastrian faith visit fire temples, including atash behrams, located in other towns and cities. This is not done surreptitiously and no fuss has been made by anyone. The priests present are fully aware of the marital status of the concerned interfaith married Parsi lady participating in the ceremony or offering prayers.
In fact, death ceremonies including geh sarna (funeral prayers) of such inter-married Parsi females have been performed and are being performed, subject to certain formalities like signing an affidavit. So why this special rule for the Valsad fire temple? Is that agiary more sacred than many atash behrams?
The trustees of VPA are intelligent enough to understand that even if the verdict of the Gujarat High Court is upheld, it will acquire status of an established law of the land, which will be a big loss of face for those claiming to be orthodox — sorry dhongidox — as by implication all non-Parsi wives of Parsi men will be entitled to enter Zoroastrian institutions. (Two of the three-member Gujarat High Court bench stated under the Special Marriage Act, wives took the religion of their husbands — editors)
Is the community, especially those proudly proclaiming to be traditionalists, ready for this eventuality? I, at least, am not. Will the community appreciate such an outcome? The onus of such a consequence will be laid squarely on the present VPA trustees. They owe a reply to the community. Trustees are not owners of the estates under trusts but have fiduciary responsibility. By squandering trust funds, would they be considered prudent enough to hold the office of trustees? HOMI DALAL
homeedalal@gmail.com
The trustees of VPA cannot be oblivious to the fact that many inter-married Parsi women professing the Zoroastrian faith visit fire temples, including atash behrams, located in other towns and cities. This is not done surreptitiously and no fuss has been made by anyone. The priests present are fully aware of the marital status of the concerned interfaith married Parsi lady participating in the ceremony or offering prayers.
In fact, death ceremonies including geh sarna (funeral prayers) of such inter-married Parsi females have been performed and are being performed, subject to certain formalities like signing an affidavit. So why this special rule for the Valsad fire temple? Is that agiary more sacred than many atash behrams?
The trustees of VPA are intelligent enough to understand that even if the verdict of the Gujarat High Court is upheld, it will acquire status of an established law of the land, which will be a big loss of face for those claiming to be orthodox — sorry dhongidox — as by implication all non-Parsi wives of Parsi men will be entitled to enter Zoroastrian institutions. (Two of the three-member Gujarat High Court bench stated under the Special Marriage Act, wives took the religion of their husbands — editors)
Is the community, especially those proudly proclaiming to be traditionalists, ready for this eventuality? I, at least, am not. Will the community appreciate such an outcome? The onus of such a consequence will be laid squarely on the present VPA trustees. They owe a reply to the community. Trustees are not owners of the estates under trusts but have fiduciary responsibility. By squandering trust funds, would they be considered prudent enough to hold the office of trustees? HOMI DALAL
homeedalal@gmail.com
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