For dignified disposal

After the election of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees by adult franchise the community has been riddled by several controversies and conflicts on trivial and easily avoidable issues. All these tussles are magnified as religious issues. Religion is an institution for binding us to one another, to love and cherish all humanity. The religion preached by Zoroaster is not only democratic and reformative, but gives us the freedom to make our own choices.
Unfortunately today our faith has become trapped in the custody of fanatics who in the name of religion have issued fatwas. The BPP trustees are entrusted with the task of preserving and protecting Doongerwadi and managing the funds and properties of the trust. There have been instances of breach of trust by trustees who should be serving the community.
When the Doongerwadi settlement deed was finalized the settlors had no idea that at some time in the future the system would cease to function. Rules can always be modified to suit the needs of the community. Depriving community members of the use of these amenities, ordering priests not to perform prayers for those who opt for cremation, and punishing those priests who defy these unethical orders reveal the height of the trustees’ arrogance and intolerance.
Dakhmenashini has failed due to environmental changes and dead bodies were seen lying in the most pathetic condition inside the dakhmas. Did the trustees make any effort to find a better and more dignified way for disposal of the dead? The solar panels are not adequate especially during the monsoons. Under these circumstances, people are justified in opting for alternative methods. The trustees could have taken the community into confidence, apprised them of the true facts, asked for suggestions, discussed the matter from the religious and scientific point of views and come to a final and acceptable conclusion. Or they could have called for arbitrators to find a solution. If all this still failed, the matter should have been left to the discretion of individuals. Why create such contradictions, conflicts, ill will, and above all the loss of tremendous amounts on litigation merely to punish those who do not heed their commands?
Those who opt for cremation are born Zoroastrians who lived and died believing in their faith. They cannot be denied the right to traditional prayers and rituals. No harm will be caused to anyone, nor will it make any difference to others if the sachkar and four days’ rituals and prayers are performed at our own community prayer halls. We should respect the sentiments of the relatives, especially when we are not in a position to offer them a better alternative.
There are other methods of disposal of cadavers like Promession and Resomation which are eco-friendly and fire free. Promession is a process of freeze drying which transforms the body into an odorless white powder which is buried in the soil to provide rich manure. Resomation is an alkaline-hydrolysis chemical process to break up the body into sterile liquid and bone ash which can be drained into the soil. Information regarding these methods is available on the Internet. But the trustees have not shown any true intent to solve the problem.
Our body is a temple for the divine soul. When death occurs, the body gets separated from the soul. The lifeless body needs a hygienic and dignified disposal. The soul is eternal and is progressing. It requires blessings and prayers for safe journey to its ultimate destination.
Unfortunately, in the name of religion, we are being offered a tough choice. Dakhmenashini today cannot be considered dignified disposal. Those who opt for cremation as a speedy and dignified method are denied the right to traditional prayers and rituals. Does it behoove the priests and elected leaders to stoop so low to deny people this basic right? It has never been an issue in the past and no objection was ever raised when prayers were performed for Zoroastrians whose bodies were buried or cremated. Even today prayers are performed at our agiaries for those who die in foreign lands and have been cremated there. Do the rules of religion differ from place to place?
Nowhere in our scriptures or in the constitution is it stated that performing of prayers under any circumstances is an offense. With tolerance we can amicably settle any differences. Despite the community’s demand for a clarification, neither the trustees nor the high priests have been able to provide a logical explanation. Why are they silent on the matter? Perhaps they have no defense.
The matter can be resolved merely by lifting the ban on priests and permitting rituals and prayers to be performed at our peaceful Towers of Silence. If anyone has reservations, or if they feel the sanctity of the place is affected in any way, we can arrange for a separate prayer hall at a suitable place on the Doongerwadi grounds where prayers can be performed and peace permanently established within the community.
We should be more concerned about the decline in moral values than the decline in the number of births in our community. What we are today is because our ancestors had established and maintained a very high standard of morality. We lived in peace and harmony and were a role model for others. Our ancestors earned name and fame and shared their fortune with others, making us proud inheritors of their culture, values and wealth. We have inherited their unique identity. Will we be able to pass on our rich heritage to the next generation? PIROJA HOMI JOKHI
piroja.jokhi@yahoo.com