Parsi pallbearers
Just as vultures have disappeared, pallbearers too will disappear. Enlightened Parsis should not use the word khandhias, as it sounds derogatory. The pallbearers are treated as second class citizens, with many restrictions placed on them. I have not heard of a single trustee working for the advancement of pallbearers while yelling at the top of their voices that the system of dakhmenashini should continue. What hypocrisy!
If the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) can spend three crore rupees on litigation against the "renegade priests,” the pallbearers have the right to say: "Why squander money on irrelevant issues? Increase our emoluments instead and give us facilities for a better lifestyle.”
The BPP trustees have formed a second line of defense by calling for volunteers. This is not necessary. Family members of those who have opted for dakhmenashini should carry the body of the departed into the dakhma. Parsis will then get a firsthand view of what the situation inside the dakhma is and decide whether or not to continue with the system.
In Persia the kings and the elite were buried and on some graves tombs were erected. Only the poor consigned the bodies of their dead ones to the wells as that was the cheapest mode of disposal.
The current situation is a godsend as all Parsis can review and introspect on the future of dakhmenashini.
P. R. DESSAI
prdess@yahoo.com
A few Parsi Zoroastrians had leapt to defend the faith by volunteering to carry the bodies of the dead to the Towers of Silence during the period of the proposed strike by the khandhias. I wonder if they would have done the complete job including clearing the dakhma of partially decomposed corpses and pushing them into the central wells. That is the really terrible, unhygienic part of the job and I doubt that the religious fervor of these volunteers would have extended to such work.
Isn’t it time we recognized that no one wants to do such onerous tasks and pay the khandhias fairer compensation. Come on, Bombay Parsi Punchayet. Show understanding and at least some generosity where it is overdue.
FARROKH MEHTA
farrokh_mehta@yahoo.com
Dhun Baria did not write on the peace and tranquility of the surroundings at Doongerwadi. She wrote about the anguish she underwent about the state of her dear departed mother’s body within the confines of the well which is out of bounds to the laity. The same fate had befallen my children’s three departed grandparents.
In the early days vultures devoured most of the flesh and the bones were disposed of. For the past many years the bodies fester from inside then they bloat, the eyeballs pop out, the stomach bursts open and the innards fall out. When the stench outside becomes unbearable, efforts are made to pick up the bodies. Common sense tells us that the decomposed bodies cannot be picked up in one piece as they fall apart. The pieces are then made into a heap which congeals into a mass of flesh which is then buried. Even the khandhias refuse to do this, so others are called.
Baria went public because some people refuse to take things lying down. The world would not progress if all of us are cowards and allow ourselves to be subjugated and trampled on by a minority variously called ultra-orthodox, ultra rightists, fundamentalists, fanatics and bigots. Yes, this minority mostly wins, but not forever.
A system ceases to be a system if it falls apart completely. It does matter by which system bodies are disposed of. According to the Geneva Convention an enemy’s body is to be returned with respect to his native soil or given a decent burial befitting a soldier. There has to be dignity in death too.
Pick up the courage and see Baria’s photographs and film. JIMMY F. KHAN
jimmyfkhan@gmail.com
Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry was an eye opener. In what age are we living? Even in earlier times Parsis were considered to be progressive, modern in outlook, tolerant of the sentiments of others. How can we have this strange divide between the few families of pallbearers who live in Doongerwadi and the rest? How can one treat one’s own in such a shameful manner?
Every Parsi must read Mistry’s book. The current trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) maintain they are doing a lot for these unfortunate pallbearers with decent pay and free living quarters. To me it seems they are the living dead! Ostracized by mainstream society, the pallbearers are not even allowed to enter fire temples unless they undergo a nahn. Who takes care of the families of the nassessalars and khandhias when they die? Where are they relocated? Are they accepted by the community?
There is a solution. Convert the Doongerwadi land into a burial ground, with prayers allowed on the premises for even those who are cremated. Then there will be no need for nassessalars and khandhias as all Parsi families will bury their own dead! Also, this way our property will remain safe with the BPP for all times to come. RODA D.HAKIM
Baroda
vadhakim@yahoo.com