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The Great Divide has set into our dear community. The Parsees today seem to be divided into Groups. You think so? I don't. Why? Read on. An educated community has to allow free thinking and free opinionated attitude to its members. So yes, our friends think differently on issues pertaining to our Community topics. Thus, one hears of fractions and factions supporting one view or the other. Free thinking you know. We respect that as educated people and of course we should. When speeches, lectures are held, the people throng there. Some go out of curiosity, some for time pass and a few to affirm and confirm. Well, that has to be accepted. We are constitutionally allowed free speech and free movement. However, this divide is only on the surface. It has to be, as the basic fabric is intact. The common name for all of us is Zoroastrians, never mind, if we are Parsees or Iranis. We all worship Lord Zarathurstra, so what if we believe in one school of thought or the other. We all pray from the Holy Avesta, not withstanding whether its written in Gujarati, Farsi or English script. We all pray in front of the Holy Fires in our Sacred Agiaries and we all kneel down and bow to the Power of Dadaar Ahura Mazda, the Almighty for us. We all have our Sudreh Kusti as our armour and all our little toddlers very purely and honestly fold their hands to recite the Yatha and Ashem which are all powerful for all of us. The fantastic Baugs were built for all of us Zorastrians where we live in a secure and homogenous environment. Every flat has the Toran and Chawk on occasions , never mind the different ideologies followed by the residents. All dance to the music and merrily spend the evenings enjoying the Navroze Dhamaka. The theatre halls are thronged by Zorastrians on Pateti and New Year evenings enjoying the plays. They are all there together in brotherhood, so what if they think and opine differently. That's all on the surface, my dear. After all Navroze and Pateti are common to all of us. Oh Yea! Who can forget the aromas of Akuri and Dhansaak every Sunday in Parsee Homes whether in Mumbai or Manchester. Aha! We all love our food and Patra Fish or Patia with Dhandaar on joyous occasion. Every child's forehead is adorned with Chokha Kumkum on birthdays, never mind the fact that there are different opinions whether the Navjote should be done or not. All children are embraced with love and warmth by the arms of all adults. The Pora is Parsi alone , whether made in Navsari or New York. Who can forget the ever present relationship Zoroastrian men have with all sisters and mothers. After all, they feature in nearly every sentence of the manly conversations held either at Pavilions or on garden chairs or yet again in the drawing rooms of the Parsee Homes. To every Mumbaikar and Indian a Parsee will always be a BAWA. It matters the least if he is a Traditionalist, Conservative or Modern. The greeting to each other is Sahebji, Hi, Hello and for every sandlewood offered to Holy Fire, it's the Dasturji Saheb doing it as per his duty. Here , for or against is not the question. So you see the simple truth. The Zoroastrian Fabric is intact and whole. No tear , no cut , no divide. Its just a myth. What say you, my dear friend. |
The
British left India and two things belonging to them stayed behind. One was Queen
Victoria's portrait adorning Parsi Homes and the second was the Divide and Rule
Policy. The former added color , the latter broke the country and people into
pieces and communal divide respectively. Aha! But my thoughts are not on this
topic!!