Readers' Forum
“Funding the fight”
Due to the narrow-minded policies of some of our leaders, we have created bitterness and enmity in our community which is threatening the very core of our existence. The primary duty of trustees is to make judicious use of the trust funds for the welfare of the community. Trustees are not the owners, but custodians of funds and are bound to account for every rupee received and spent as per the wishes of the donors. No donor would give donations to be frittered away on litigations ("Funding the fight,” Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, August 21, 2017).
Dharwar cemetery land: create lasting memorial from Parsis
The sale proceeds of Dharwar cemetery land cannot be drained away on dubious litigation that brings no benefit to the community. It is best to gift the property to the Dharwar municipality to be converted into a beautiful park, with trees, plants, fountain, benches and other amenities for senior citizens to relax and children to play. It would be a lasting memorial from the Parsi community who lived and prospered in Dharwar. Another option is to give the land to establish a hospital or a school. The trustees and others concerned should decide the best way to make use of this place, and get the blessings from the dear departed. In no way should the sale of this holy place be utilized to encourage and fund the unholy fighting in the community.
Earlier it was the issue of "renegade” priests, where over three crore rupees (USD 4,69,796) of our trust money donated for worthy causes, was frittered away bringing no returns, except for tarnishing the image of the community. Now it is the issue regarding the entry of navjoted children of intermarried Parsi ladies to the Calcutta fire temple. Goolrookh Gupta is fighting for her rights in the Supreme Court against the Valsad Parsi Anjuman barring Parsi women who have married out of the community entry to the fire temple and doongerwadi. What a colossal, meaningless waste of community wealth!
Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee and honorary secretary of the Federation of the Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India (FPZAI) Noshir Dadrawala has stated that "neither the BPP nor the FZPAI should interfere in the Calcutta case (where an originating summons has been filed seeking the interpretation of the Calcutta High Court on who can enter the Mehta Adaran). As trustees they have to only discharge their duties concerning funds, assets and properties of BPP.”
Dastur Khurshed Dastoor has opined: "Ours is not a religion of force or violence. We cannot force, threaten or arm-twist people into choosing who they wish to marry, or the method they choose to dispose their dear departed ones.” In every possible way, we should encourage our children to marry within our community, not only on religious grounds, but for their own happiness, with better adjustment and understanding for a successful marriage, and more so for the respect, safety and security of their children.
Over a hundred years back, on a petition filed in the Bombay High Court, a ruling was given, which allowed the children of intermarried Parsi males to be considered Parsis. Since then, these children born of non-Parsi mothers have entered our fold, making a mockery of our religion, not wearing our religious outfits, nor observing the tenets of our religion, and enjoying the rights of Parsi Zoroastrians, without having any loyalty to their faith. A Parsi mother brought up in the Zoroastrian cult would however teach her children about the Parsi way of life, our culture, traditions, ethics, morality and values, the hallmarks of a Parsi Zoroastrian. All of us who claim to believe in gender equality cannot deny the claims of Parsi intermarried women asking for the same rights that men enjoy.
There are outstanding legal luminaries in our community. We can, with their advice, settle our internal problems without going to the courts, wasting our time and resources. Our community members settled abroad live in peace and harmony, not interfering in each others’ personal or religious matters. When shall we follow in their footsteps?
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