“Emperors, epics...”

In your coverage of the National Museum’s Zoroastrianism in the New Millennium conference, New Delhi ("Emperors, epics, excavations,” Parsiana, June 21, 2016), you have incorrectly attributed linkages between Avestan and Sogdian to Prof Nicholas Sims-Williams in that he adduced a Dr Hemming Jorgensen to bolster his viewpoint. There is nobody in Iranistics, past or present, with that name. Sims-Williams did refer, however, to W. B. Henning (1908-67), Mary Boyce’s teacher and his predecessor at several removes, who held during the last century the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) chair (1947-61) in Iranian and Central Asian studies. I think Parsiana might do well to erase any and every mention of Hemming(s) which lingers in your archives. For the late Arnavaz Mama (July 1997 issue) also referred to one such Hemmings which elicited a correction from Boyce in a subsequent issue. (The story in question was the post of Zoroastrian studies at SOAS and a reception at its Brunei Gallery honoring Boyce and both Bombay high priests, Dastur (Drs) Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa and Firoze Kotwal.)
Central Asian Zoroastrianism, evidently, makes for unappealing reading whence my Russian colleague, Pavel Lurje, and myself, were noted merely by the titles of our papers devoid of any details. We did, separately, display several slides whilst lecturing so as to engage — and entertain — a Parsi audience. Your attending correspondent, presumably, deemed otherwise. But it was appropriate that Sims-Williams, who initiated the day’s proceedings with Central Asia, merited mention at length.
I cannot tell what editorial policy prompted Parsiana, a Bombay-based magazine, to designate this Bombay-born Iranist in the gallery of images merely by his initials. All of the other delegates, save myself, had their Christian names and surnames spelt out in full. No matter.
BURZINE WAGHMAR
London, UK
bw3@soas.ac.uk

The editors reply:
Our apologies for mistakenly alluding to Dr Hemming Jorgensen instead of W. B. Henning.
Central Asian Zoroastrianism is an appealing subject as seen from our coverage of Dr Nicholas Sims-Williams’ introduction. But we regret that the presentations made by Dr Burzine Waghmar and Dr Pavel Lurje were difficult to track due to the speed at which Waghmar read out his paper and inability on our part to comprehend Lurje’s talk.
In the schedule of sessions for March 22, provided to us by the organizers, Waghmar was the only speaker who was referred to by his initials and last name. We therefore adopted that nomenclature in our report.