Events & Personalities
Prayer Hall rules
"With the funerary facilities offered at The Prayer Hall being regularly utilized by members of the Parsi Irani Zoroastrian community, it has become essential to frame rules governing its use,” wrote Dinshaw Tamboly, chairman of The Prayer Hall Services and Maintenance Trust (PHS&MT) at Worli, in a letter addressed to the Parsi Press.
Though The Prayer Hall is for cosmopolitan use, Parsi Irani Zoroastrians will be given priority from 7 to 9 a.m. (for morning paidast), 3 to 8 p.m. (for evening paidast, uthamna and Srosh prayers) and 4 to 6 a.m. (for early morning uthamna and jashan). There is no prior booking system and use will be on first come first served basis. The Hall can only be used for the first four days’ prayers. There are two inter-connected halls that can be used together or separately, with a total seating capacity for 200.
Should a body be brought there at night for a paidast the following morning, at least one family member must remain at the Hall throughout the night. There is no cold storage, but Mirza may be requested to provide the names of funeral directors who will provide this service. There is no provision for overnight stay for relatives, though washrooms and a water cooler are available. The Hall is cleaned daily and has round the clock security.
Though The Prayer Hall is for cosmopolitan use, Parsi Irani Zoroastrians will be given priority from 7 to 9 a.m. (for morning paidast), 3 to 8 p.m. (for evening paidast, uthamna and Srosh prayers) and 4 to 6 a.m. (for early morning uthamna and jashan). There is no prior booking system and use will be on first come first served basis. The Hall can only be used for the first four days’ prayers. There are two inter-connected halls that can be used together or separately, with a total seating capacity for 200.
Should a body be brought there at night for a paidast the following morning, at least one family member must remain at the Hall throughout the night. There is no cold storage, but Mirza may be requested to provide the names of funeral directors who will provide this service. There is no provision for overnight stay for relatives, though washrooms and a water cooler are available. The Hall is cleaned daily and has round the clock security.
A paidast ceremony at The Prayer Hall in Worli
Generally bodies are transported from The Prayer Hall to the adjoining crematorium by friends/relatives, using an ambulance trolley which can be easily wheeled up to the furnaces. There are no nassessalars, but crematorium staff assist when required.
Though Mirza is entitled to serve as an officiating priest at the ceremonies, relations of the deceased are free to avail of the services of any priest on giving prior intimation to the coordinator (telephone: +91 8691012488) regarding the timing and the name of the priest. This is essential as there could be two or more ceremonies at a particular time and only the coordinator will decide how the two Halls are to be used. Mirza will assist, provide guidance and coordinate all arrangements for hearse, funeral directors, registration of death and how to obtain the death certificate, make arrangements for sandalwood, flowers and equipment used during ceremonies. Additional chairs may be hired if attendance is likely to exceed 200 persons. An amount of Rs 3,600 will cover the costs of gratuities. This should be given in cash to the coordinator for appropriate distribution.
Since the PHS&MT covers the cost for daily cleaning, security and services of the coordinator, users are requested to make modest donations towards the corpus of "The Prayer Hall Services & Maintenance Trust,” C/o The WZO Trust Funds, C-1, Hermes House, 3rd Floor, Mama Parmanand Marg, Opera House, Bombay 400004; tel: 91 22 23684451-2-3; email: prayerhalltrust@gmail.com by cheque or cash handed over to the coordinator who will issue a stamped official receipt.
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