Readers' Forum
All Zoroastrians expect
All Zoroastrians expect
There is a serious problem brewing in the background which needs attention before it gets out of hand. Places like US, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and a few others now have a sizable population of Zoroastrians who have migrated mostly from India to live there for various reasons. They are generally referred to as Zoroastrians, unlike their counterparts living in India who are referred to as Parsis.
Khojeste Mistree has reportedly said that "there may be a million Zoroastrians in the world but there are only a few Parsi Irani Zoroastrians left. The latter need to be protected because when they are gone the whole Zoroastrian religion will come to an end.” This is a tall claim which tends to set apart the original Parsi Irani individuals who came from Iran and their descendants (from the male side) as the "real” Parsis of the world, the rest being lumped together as "Zoroastrians” because they include some converted individuals, non-Zoroastrian spouses of Zoroastrians and such. We need to be careful as this could be the beginning of a new caste system, which we do not want. We are all Zoroastrians, not superior caste Parsis and commonplace Zoroastrians.
Some of the Zoroastrians abroad are, in fact, better educated regarding our religion and more aware of the world’s realities than their tradition bound Indian counterparts. My only regret is that the two groups are not doing enough for each other. The Indian Zoroastrians thankfully have Parsiana to find out what is going on in Dubai or in North America. They would like to know more about the experiences of Zoroastrians in other countries on a regular basis. Similarly, it is hoped that the Zoroastrians of North America and other countries share their experiences and proceedings with us through publications and the internet. Why can’t we all get closer? We will then not have any caste system to worry about.
The foreign group could sponsor (at their cost) a few pages in issues of Indian publications describing their activities so that we come to know how life is panning out for them. They could inform us through advertisements about jobs, education, meetings, invite us to their functions, such as university commencements, to short courses arranged for visiting Zoroastrians from India, etc. Those interested and who can afford will be able to strike new ground. This will help to expose others to their activities in affordable ways such as travel, publications, advertisement and news.
The media has a great role to play in bringing both groups together. Some American universities are apparently doing things towards this end. My exposure to foreign institutions makes me notice this gap perhaps more than others and makes me suggest this approach with some confidence.
There is a serious problem brewing in the background which needs attention before it gets out of hand. Places like US, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and a few others now have a sizable population of Zoroastrians who have migrated mostly from India to live there for various reasons. They are generally referred to as Zoroastrians, unlike their counterparts living in India who are referred to as Parsis.
Khojeste Mistree has reportedly said that "there may be a million Zoroastrians in the world but there are only a few Parsi Irani Zoroastrians left. The latter need to be protected because when they are gone the whole Zoroastrian religion will come to an end.” This is a tall claim which tends to set apart the original Parsi Irani individuals who came from Iran and their descendants (from the male side) as the "real” Parsis of the world, the rest being lumped together as "Zoroastrians” because they include some converted individuals, non-Zoroastrian spouses of Zoroastrians and such. We need to be careful as this could be the beginning of a new caste system, which we do not want. We are all Zoroastrians, not superior caste Parsis and commonplace Zoroastrians.
Some of the Zoroastrians abroad are, in fact, better educated regarding our religion and more aware of the world’s realities than their tradition bound Indian counterparts. My only regret is that the two groups are not doing enough for each other. The Indian Zoroastrians thankfully have Parsiana to find out what is going on in Dubai or in North America. They would like to know more about the experiences of Zoroastrians in other countries on a regular basis. Similarly, it is hoped that the Zoroastrians of North America and other countries share their experiences and proceedings with us through publications and the internet. Why can’t we all get closer? We will then not have any caste system to worry about.
The foreign group could sponsor (at their cost) a few pages in issues of Indian publications describing their activities so that we come to know how life is panning out for them. They could inform us through advertisements about jobs, education, meetings, invite us to their functions, such as university commencements, to short courses arranged for visiting Zoroastrians from India, etc. Those interested and who can afford will be able to strike new ground. This will help to expose others to their activities in affordable ways such as travel, publications, advertisement and news.
The media has a great role to play in bringing both groups together. Some American universities are apparently doing things towards this end. My exposure to foreign institutions makes me notice this gap perhaps more than others and makes me suggest this approach with some confidence.
Prof SOLI ARCEIVALA
solijal@hotmail.com
solijal@hotmail.com
The editors reply:
We would happily carry the news without any charge.
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