Binding through books

One aspect of the community that does not seem to be affected by dwindling numbers is the publishing of books. In the past five months close to a dozen tomes have been published, several with multiple launches. At the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress in end December 2013, four books were released: Threads of Continuity — The Zoroastrian Craft of Kusti Weaving, Fire Altar, In Praise of Ahura Mazda and Udvada. A fifth book, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, The Man and His Times had a preview. That was subsequently launched in Delhi on April 3, 2014 and in Bombay on April 14 at the Trident Hotel.
Coinciding with the exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art Across Oceans and Flowing Silks: From Canton to Bombay 18th -20th Centuries and No Parsi is an Island was published by Spenta Multimedia while the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London published as a legacy of its exhibition in end 2013 The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination.
On March 25, 2014 a collection of Adil Jussawalla’s prose writings, Maps for a Mortal Moon, Essays and Entertainments was launched at Kitab Khana. On April 28, Sheryar Ookerjee’s Altamont Road And Other True Stories was released before a packed audience at the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute (KRCOI). Following the event a member of the audience inquired from Parsiana how he could go about finding a publisher for a novel he had written!
Six days prior to the Congress, Sooni Taraporevala and Meher Marfatia released Parsi Bol, a collection of Gujarati sayings with English translations and transliterations. On October 25 last year, Bakhtiar Dadabhoy’s tome, Barons of Banking was released at the Cricket Club of India by the A. D. Shroff Memorial Trust in conjunction with Random House.
Zia Mody authored 10 Judgements That Changed India while her mother Zena Sorabjee brought out The Right To Be: An illustrated children’s book on Human Rights. Saker Mistri and Mamta Dalal Mangaldas authored The Mighty Tale of Hanuman. Secrets From The Kitchen: Fifty Years of Culinary Experience at the India International Centre co-authored by the late Bhicoo Manekshaw and Vijay Thukral was published by Niyogi Books and comedian Cyrus Broacha’s Netagiri is to be brought out in July 2014.
Mushirul Hasan and Dinyar Patel published From Ghalib’s Dilli to Lutyens’ New Delhi this year. Earlier Hasan had published Wit and Wisdom: Pickings from the Parsee Punch. Ayesha Taleyarkhan’s Beyond Bombay Balconies was launched at a function at the Taj Mahal Palace on September 28, 2013.
All of these publications were well produced with no expense or effort spared to ensure a professional, top notch product. The prices of most books are within reach of the average book lover. Years ago, one of the directors of English Edition Publishers and Distributors whose books were on sale at the Parsiana Book Shop observed that Parsis were avid buyers of books.
Whatever the literary tastes of the community, the best selling books in the Parsiana Book Shop and on the website, parsiana.com are the cook books, the most popular writers being Jeroo Mehta and the late Dr Katy Dalal.
Over 10 years ago the Bombay Parsi Punchayet reprinted 11 classic books in two sets for sale at a nominal price of Rs 130 and Rs 175. The black and white, paperbacks were published through the efforts of their then chief executive officer Behram Dastur, himself a prolific author. The KRCOI reprinted books thanks to a munificent donation by the Zartoshty Brothers. North America also publishes books pertaining to the religion and its practices.
Prayer books are also in demand with printers like JAK printing and distributing an attractively produced book free of cost. Union Press has been printing prayer books for sale over the decades. Ervad (Dr) Ramiyar Karanjia publishes books explaining basic tenets of the religion for youngsters. Marzban Giara’s compilations serve as an information base for the community. The Ilm-e Khshnoom School of mystic Zoroastrian philosophy and thought brings out books regularly.
Aside from these major publications, countless other books, some self published, make their appearance. At the Parsiana office, finding reviewers for the plethora of books requires much effort. Deciding on reviewers for non-fiction is harder than fiction. In non-fiction, knowledge about the subject is a prerequisite. When reviewers are scathing in their comments, relations with the authors/publishers are strained. Though reviews feature often in the magazine, they are sometimes held over to accommodate current, news events.
The volumes cited are published in English and in India. Gujarati titles also exist but their marketability in the community is limited. In Iran, one knows little of the publishing scene. Communication becomes difficult because of the language barrier.
The publishing of so many books gives an indication of the community’s underlying literary and intellectual heritage. From the 1800s onwards, Parsis have published travelogs, poetry, short stories and novels. Many of them are forgotton and forgettable. The writing and publishing of books manifests a desire to share an experience, to make a statement. In an age before the advent of the mass media, movies, digital media and the internet, people turned to books to express their point of view. Before the advent of the printing press, people painstakingly wrote manuscripts which were equally painstakingly copied and distributed. Errors in copying however often abounded.
Now despite all the technological advances, the printed book still holds sway. The ability to present a book as a gift or expression of intent still pervades. Handing over a compact disc does not produce the same effect.
A book case makes more of a statement than a rack of CDs (which could contain music or videos). But sadly while the community does not lack in publishing books, libraries are neglected. Aside from a few large libraries endowed by Parsis, most are on a small scale. In community housing colonies libraries are rare, and most anjumans either devote a shelf or two for books or nothing at all. Many associations/anjumans do not even subscribe to Parsi journals.
The community will one day disappear as will much of its literature. But some will remain to tell the story. A professor of comparative religion once commented that all the books on Zoroastrianism worth reading could fit on one library book shelf while another academic reduced the space to a bedside table.
Whatever the prognosis, for now the community appears bent on publishing before perishing.