Sacred service site

Currently their sukhad and divo services are most popular and Mistree-Shroff believe users want to try these out before opting for the higher services. They expect many requests for muktad though. "Over these past two months, we already have more than 300 followers on Facebook and plenty of regular users. We have had about 20,000 visits to our site since then," reveal the two in response to Parsiana’s queries. The first service was requested about a year ago when the hosts were ensuring the workability of the site. "We were literally praying for the site to work," admit the duo. Thereafter they had several "alpha users" experiment with the site for the first time from different countries before they announced their services. "The target audience for this site are Zoroastrians in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia but users come from all over the world. We estimate that there are about 60,000 Zoroastrians who do not have access to temple services," they add. The website explains the significance of the different ceremonies, the favorable time and circumstances when the prayers should be offered, and the benefits that could accrue to the devotee.

When looking for a full-time young priest who is technologically savvy, they found Ervad Hoshedar Panthaki "was a perfect fit for us… He runs the oldest agiary in Bombay and he immediately saw the vision. He has been patient with the inevitable delays that come from starting something like this and he has even made some very helpful suggestions… As we get more users, we are working to partner with several other agiaries and atash behrams," said the website creators who spent "several thousand dollars of our own money and plenty of time building the program and the site ourselves." Whilst Mistree is pursuing his PhD in politics from Princeton University he takes pride in announcing that he has visited 65 consecrated holy fires in the world and his favorite prayer is the Yatha Ahu Vairyo. Shroff being currently on a sabbatical in Bombay, she renders her language and interpersonal skills to ensure that the vision of Agiary Connect is implemented. She plans to attend law school and considers Hazangaram as her favorite prayer.

The duo appreciate too the guidance and expertise rendered by many well-wishers. Whilst initially bureaucratic hurdles prevented them from accepting donations, Agiary Connect is now seeking funds to better their services as also to improve the lives of the priests who they realize are suffering as a substantial portion of the community has moved abroad. Currently registered as a sole proprietorship in India they are on the lookout for accountants/tax lawyers who could advise them on how to restructure their organization to avail of tax deduction benefits. Their research indicated that priests in the rural areas of Iran facing hardships were being assisted by their counterparts in the cities who would forward them requests for services in their shrines.

To assuage fears that Agiary Connect will drive up the costs for priests’ services, their FAQ (frequently asked questions) section explains that their dream is to make it financially worthwhile for even a few young talented priests to remain in the priestly vocation and in particular learn higher rituals. "The services offered on this website are not a substitute for attending ceremonies in person. Instead (they)…are the next best thing," reminds the website adding, "All the experts and priests have confirmed positively: in Zoroastrianism, it is believed that rituals and prayers can help, even if you are not physically there to witness them being carried out."

In response to a query "Is it wrong to ask for things from God?" Agiary Connect explains, "There is nothing wrong…provided that these things help you live a better life as a good Zoroastrian. Ahura Mazda and His angels have a great track record of responding to such requests