Parsis plan 2-yr ad blitz to increase numbers
In a first, Parsis are gearing up with a massive advertisement campaign to tackle the issue of their dwindling population. Ad veteran Sam Balsara and his team at Madison have designed a four-pronged campaign that urges Parsis to have early marriages, childbirth, provide the child a sibling and even have a third baby.
“The campaign will start next month in the Parsi and Gujarati press,” said Shernaz Cama, member of the executive council of Parzor, a team that runs a project to preserve Parsi Zoroastrian heritage and works with Madison. “The entire campaign will be spread over two years to motivate Parsis to have more children and increase our population,” said Cama. While Parzor will pump in funds of more than Rs 35 lakh, it is hopeful that the Union ministry of minority affairs will also provide funds to sustain the campaign and take the issue to the national press. “Balsara and his team have agreed to work free of charge,” added Cama.
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By Jyoti Shelar, Mumbai Mirror | Sep 15, 2014, 12.55 AM IST
Shahbaash! At last the right approach! Mixed marriages will lead to rapid evaporation-history bears this out! Marriages within the community is the only way out. Not only marriages must be encouraged but marriages must produce progeny. I hope my daughter and son-in-law are seeing this.
I am proud that I went ahead and had three children and brought them up under difficult circumstances!
I agree it is very difficult to raise 3 children since, local community gets the first preference in all jobs etc., the remaining are lapped up by the South Indians and Parsis even though they may be professionally qualified go nowhere since they do not have any community support.
Our industrialists have produced crores of jobs but only lowly jobs are available for the Parsis what a shame. For the past 60 years of Parsis not supporting their brethern has resulted in the decline of Parsis and also their population. Prayers and religion is important but also to live with dignity. Dignity in this country is only commanded by communities who have number or small ones like the Jains and Bohri Muslims who are totally united. Ours is a disunited community where even the priests quoting from the scriptures are dominated by the rich who want to impose their brand of Zoroastrianism.
I agree. In Dadar Parsee Colony, there is Parsee Central Housing Society Ltd., which has atleast 24 buildings under it. The Society members who are actually a syndicate have been milking the society as their personal property and holding the members to ransom. Shares are deliberately not transferred on a death of a member for many years. Shoddy repair work is done on over 90 years buildings with the result the tenants have to shell out nearly a lakh every three years. The syndicate takes its cut from the repair work. Unnecessary litigation is imposed on tenants and when flats are vacated, the first preference is for the syndicate and their progeny. Even if only this Society goes for redevelopment atleast 1,000 Parsi couples can get accommodation. Eminent members of the Parsi community should look into the workings of this particular society and find the decay in which our community members have stooped to.
ARE Parsees that idiots that with the help of adv ,our population will increase.?Parsees know everything ,BUT are helpless as the main problem is HOUSING.Instead of spending on these adv. spend this money on small 1 bhk. Anywhere in BOMBAY & see young couples coming forward,& will see our population grow by heaps & bound.HOUSING NOT ADV .WILL GROW OUR POPULATION.
Yes I agree this is one of the problems plaguing our community wherein inspite of ample vacant lands available in our baugs, BPP has deliberately not developed them. BPP trustees and their progeny want to make huge profits in future.
Also, most of the Parsi girls are very materialistic and nowadays they will only marry a boy who has a huge atleast 2bhk flat located at the most uptill Bandra. Even those who stay beyond Bandra have ambitions of settling for a boy only having accommodation in South Bombay.
Further, the going rate that the boy should atleast earn Rs.1.50 p.m. then his proposal is attractive.
Thirdly I have found most of the girls are least interested in continuing our religion or marrying within the community and their easy way out is by saying out of caste marriage, while hiding the fact that it is interreligious marriage and not out of caste.Since, we Parsis are not a caste of Hindus or Muslims etc.
No amount of advertisements will see the population grow as this is an inherent trait of our community which saw the fall of the mighty Zoroastrian empire due to interfactional infighting.