The Paradoxical Parsis of the Greater Toronto Area
According to Firdausi’s Shahnameh, the tyrannical Zahak reigned for a 1000 years, and during his reign, the wise concealed themselves and their deeds; while the devils achieved their heart’s desire. Virtue was despised and sins applauded. Evil people rejoiced in their sinful acts; while goodness was criticized and kept at bay.
Are we as Parsis on this planet today, recycling back in time where respect for religion and goodness have no meaning whatsoever? Are we trying to change the age-old tenets of our religion just because the change seems so convenient? Or, are most of us trying to somehow redeem ourselves from the guilt and shame that we brought on to ourselves?
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in all of the above, with one common theme – Most of us lack wisdom and foresight to decipher between good (Spenta-Mainyu) and evil (Angreh-Mainyu), and thereby, also become oblivious to realize the consequences of our chosen behavior. Disparagingly enough, a few who do realize the difference still go ahead in the path of evil. They do this to get fame and recognition, which perhaps have evaded them throughout their lives. It is precisely this ignorance and/or hunger for recognition that most of the Parsi Zarathushtis today are infected with, and disappointingly, this infection appears quite acute and widespread these days in our beautiful city of Toronto and surrounding areas, within our Parsi community.
This hypothesis of mine may be well supported by the recent occurrence where most of the Torontonian Parsis are on the bandwagon to build an Agiary within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Any half-brained Parsi with a speck of religious knowledge would be dumbfounded with this strange idea of the GTA Parsi community – because this half-brained Parsi knows that building an Agiary is much more than just needing mortar and bricks, it is a monumental religious undertaking. And when you’re talking of a location thousands of miles away from an existing Agiary, the task becomes almost impossible. Just from this standpoint alone, this strange vision of our GTA community sounds like nothing more than a five year old fantasizing to build a castle with his army on the side.
But wait!!! Before we throw out the supporters of this goal into a bucket of trash, maybe we should try to analyze their possible rationale of thinking of such a venture. In my humble opinion, I for my life simply cannot think of any logical explanation. The only thing that sticks out in my mind is the fact that unfortunately as it may seem, we have to concede that a majority of the GTA Parsis appear to have a compulsive tendency to be pretentious. And in being so, they end up pretending to be someone they’re not! Some of them have been working so hard on this attribute over the years that they end up believing their own manipulation.
For starters, here are my observations over the past 40 years in Canada. These observations may clearly indicate that most Parsis are not what they think they are, when it comes to religious standards for being true Zarathushtis. The following disappointments have been witnessed in an increasing manner over the past few years.
- A majority of the GTA Parsis simply DO NOT, or very seldom wear Sudreh and Kusti. Of course, this is quite evident when you see Parsi ladies, old and young alike, in their low cut blouse and fancy attires at functions and events.
- A vast majority of them CANNOT recite our basic prayers, let alone the Nyayesh and the Yashts. Out of those that do, most recite with horrendous pronunciations.
- A huge number of them DO NOT pray our ‘Farajiyat’ prayers on a daily basis.
- Very few Parsi homes will have a divo lighted on a daily basis.
- Some of the GTA Mobeds have a hard time reciting their own prayers – one wonders aloud when you start to see a Mobed reciting Atarsh Nyayesh from the book sitting in a Jashan. As if that’s not all, sinfully enough, quite a few of the Mobeds have renounced performing ritual ceremonies the way they should be performed.
With the above factors being a non-debatable reality, WHY would the GTA Parsis want an Agiary??? It’s certainly paradoxical for those not abiding by the rules of the religion, and still wanting a religious place of worship!!! As a matter of fact, looking at the overall community profile with its non-religious mentality, the GTA Parsis DO NOT deserve an Agiary, never mind whether it’s possible to build one or not. The Mobeds involved in this far-fetched and meaningless project, certainly have a good platform to perform their acts; and in turn, they gain recognition from the ignorant and gullible crowd.
The first ‘push’ on building an Agiary in the GTA was observed by me in 2010 when I had invited the Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor to my place. I was forced into having the Dasturji at the Darbe-Mehr with the pretext of having him do the jashan. This was sponsored by the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) in the east end of the city. No sooner the jashan was over and a brief speech by the Dasturji, the President of the society at the time and a couple of his colleagues surrounded the Dasturji to have him agree to their vision of building an Agiary. The response from the Dasturji was a flat NO with relevant rationale. Pragmatic reasoning was provided as to why it’s simply impossible to build and maintain an Agiary. The persuasion from the Directors of the society at the time seemed a bit juvenile, as the President dragged a chair while we were having our dinner and started regurgitating his request over and over again. The response from the Dasturji was still NO. Time went by and regardless of the Dasturji’s position on the matter, ZSO accumulated a good chunk of money through gullible donors and finalized their plans, only to be rejected by the city later on. Very few know today as to what’s happening with the funds that were accumulated.
Without getting into political reasons as to why another association was formed in the west end of the city, this one called OZCF, has now been raising its head to do the same thing as the previous one. Incidentally, the Vada Dasturji was back at my place this summer, and he was invited this time around by OZCF. Guess what? The same old story was repeated from different mouths this time around and the response was still the same – a big fat No by the Dasturji. Once again, defiance crept in as Dasturji’s advice was set aside, and the OZCF Directors are continuing to beg for donations. Donors – be wary of how your funds are going to get utilized. You don’t want to end up with another community centre under the guise of an Agiary.
OZCF in good conscience should be sending out a copy to each of its members of their complete strategic plan for the venture, including a complete financial picture – how much do they already have v/s how much is needed with itemized estimates. What SPECIFIC tactical plan do they have to maintain an Agiary, which would require a full time Mobed, his salary and the accommodation requirements for his family? Where would they expect to get ‘Kathis’ for the ongoing upkeep of the fire? Etc., etc. My hunch is that no such requests are going to get fulfilled, as no such detailed analysis exists. One needs an expert to develop all this – bear in mind don’t get fooled by the qualifications of the board members – that’s a different story for some other time.
It’s as superfluous as a person not wanting to use a computer, but still wanting to order a computer; the GTA Parsis don’t need an Agiary – what they really need is some spiritual awakening and at least make an attempt to learn the imperatives of our religion.
Disclaimer – Please note that my comments about the GTA Parsis in the above article obviously do not apply to all, as there is a small minority of Parsi Zarathushtis in the GTA that warrant true respect.
Contributed by Jal Dastur
<jaldastur@hotmail.com>
This sounds as a rant by a very disgruntled Parsi, who has his own axe to grind and is using a public forum to do so.
A similar complaint in a similar vein was left about another Toronto resident on another post here on this blog.
Mr. Dastur’s basic premise merits argument and should be considered. But not as a way to quash the initiative. Rather as a way to fine tune it and get the correct answers.
If our forefathers had thought the same way as Mr. Dastur does; there would have been no Agiaries in India. The same baseless rationale of building them 1000’s of miles away from Iran can be applied here.
Arzan – you’re missing one major point – perhaps you read my article too rapidly, or did not comprehend fully. The central theme of my write-up is the paradoxical nature in the way you guys want things to be happening. If a majority of Parsis do not even care to wear Sudreh and Kusti, how pretentious can they be, by wanting to have an Agiary?? It’s certainly mind boggling.
IF our community was inclined towards the tenets of our religion, then perhaps your point may be valid i.e. to find out the ways and means to build a place of worship.
With respect to your point on our forefathers, they were very wise, religious and spiritual. They had the know-how to establish with ceremonial piety an Agiary or an Atash Behram. I don’t know which group of people you’re talking about to fine tune and get correct answers, but the GTA Parsis do not fit that bill by a longshot. In fact, they are on the other side of the spectrum blinded by Anghre-Mainyu.
For your information, I’m not one of those disgruntled Parsis – I am a Navar – Murtab Mobed myself. With God’s grace, I’m very happily residing here over the past four decades after retiring as an executive of Merck where I worked for 34 years. What I’m terribly disappointed is the way in which our community has declined in its religious beliefs over the 40 years that I’ve been residing here in Canada.
My staunch religious beliefs and practice were the only impetus for me to write this article, knowing well enough that I’ll receive negative responses from people such as yourself. Quite frankly, I don’t blame you and others giving me a backlash – it all lies behind how one is raised and how our religious values are ingrained during childhood.
Stay well and May Ahura Mazda Bless you.
Regards,
Er. Jal Dastur
Dear Dasturji Jal,
You have shown a great deal of courage to point out “that a majority of the GTA Parsis appear to have a compulsive tendency to be pretentious.”
Well you have made your point as a Mobed and thank you for that.
What is your thought for the majority of Agiaries in Bombay? Do you think there is no need to keep them open as more and more Parsis of Bombay might be falling in to the same category as the GTA?
So what course of actions are needed? We all know that the Parsi community is rapidly becoming extinct. What is the best way for some spiritual awakening and for us to learn the tenets of our religion.
Perhaps you can show leadership in this area and find ways to change the current trend. Since you are retired now and a Navar Mobed you sure have the right credentials and authority to rectify the current trend. Show them the need to use computer and then buy them one.
Kind regards,
Pesi D.
P.S. Also, we are very small community and why do we need two associations in the GTA?
Kudos!!!!1 Er. Jal Dastur! They are misleading the community & the laic follow blindly like the “Three Blind Mice”
We need Leaders with a Spine & the courage to stand up to these Ervads & excommunicate them for creating an atmosphere of Racism Discrimination & Bigotry as well Segregation.
When the Great Call comes the Sunset Gleams all you will be needing is :
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
there’s a saying BUILD THEM AND THEY WILL COME.
Don’t understand what you’re trying to say…
FINALLY, someone brave enough to call a spade, a spade! Bravo!
THIS IS SO TYPICAL OFUS PARSIS ‘ARROGANCE AND GRANDEUR’….’AAPRA JEVOO KOI NAHI ‘ Firstly we need 2 associations like we need a hole in the head.. to empty whatever little brains we have….As far as “BUILD THEM AND THEY WII COME” goes that reference is true for CASINOS….to the Modern Day so called educated enlightened NON PRACTICING PARSIS are concerned who want to make changes to suit them and the new enviro they are in . I have only one thing to say …Start your own religious CULT and YOU can aptly call it ” FAR.SEE”… As far as our forefathers are concerned there is nothing absolutely nothing that we will ever do that will come close to their vision and well being for our community…some. to the extent of being ungrateful in not even remembering what it took to bring so many of them from poverty to this new found lap of” I KNOW IT ALL” ..I HAVE IT ALL ”and I’LL KEEP IT ”
Excellent reply
Jal when you write an article please make sure your comments are factual.. I have known of you for last 40 years or more. I have never seen you at any Zoroastrian Function or meetings. I assume that you are an ordain priest and if you are you have never offered your services to the community. As so many Mobeds have done for last 50 years. These are the Mobeds which has kept Zoroastrianism alive in North America. These Mobeds have scarified their family and work time to take care of the community needs. What have you done for the community?
What I have heard of your hobbies you have spent most of your time at Horse racing arena. And not in community service. So please do not criticize any Mobed unless you have walked in their shoes.
In 2010 when Dastoorji visited ZSO location in Toronto there were no plans to build an Atashkade. The plans were to replace the existing community centre and prayer hall with a new one. So where does the talk of Agyari or Atashkade came from? So please stop making up stories, See if you were active in the community you would have known all the facts.
OZCF was founded to serve west Toronto Zoroastrian community. OZCF members have worked very hard and contributed a lot to buy 10 acres of land and renovate the small building for their use. The community has contributed over 2 million Dollars to achieve that. Where were you?
Yes we will build an Agyari to keep Zoroastrianism going in North America.
We do not need any permission from any person or a body to do so. We just need community’s blessing .
In 1973 our learned Dastoorji Dr Hormaziad Mirza told me that we Mobeds in North America should think and decide for all religious matters our self as it is difficult for Dastoorji to guide us as he does not stay in North America. If our forefathers had not taken steps to establish Agyaris in India there would be no Zoroastrians today in India. If you read the history Zoroastrians from did not ask permission from Iranian Dastoors they just ask their guidance.
I am sure in those days also there must have been people like you who likes to criticise what others were doing but never took part in helping the community. It is every Mobed’s duty to take part in community’s religious and social needs.
It is easy to criticize what others are doing. But it is better to be active in community affairs and help.
Ervad Kobad Zarolia
President NAMC.
Kobad,
I am very glad that you wrote. Your comments were long awaited, particularly after I wrote my disappointing comments about you after seeing the Fezana video. Before I address each of your allegations, let me start off by saying that – maybe everyone in the community MUST see the Fezana video, to judge on their own as to how pathetic was your performance at one of the Fezana meetings, when you were asked to lead the group with a simple prayer. I, myself as an ordained priest was ashamed and embarrassed to see the so-called President of the North American Mobed Council already making two mistakes in the early part of the Din-No-Kalmo prayers, after which he appeared to have lost the concentration (or perhaps didn’t know the words) and totally fumbled towards the end of the prayers. Kobad, this is a simple prayer that most of our Parsi children confidently recite during their Navjote. Mobeds who struggle with such simple prayers ought to read from the Khorde Avesta and not dare to orally recite by memory. Mobeds such as yourself get away each time with your disgraceful performance without being caught or noticed, is simply because the crowd that hears you is probably ignorant of the exact wordings of prayers themselves.
By the way, some of the other GTA Mobeds when told about this video are not a bit surprised, as I have been. Why? Because they all are fully aware of your shortcoming in this regard. Zarathost Saheb is my witness – what some of them have flatly told me that you simply do not know your prayers – period! Also, they have gone on to give me their own examples when they have either prayed with you, or just observed you – they have always been embarrassed with your performance. Having said all this, my dear sir, despite your questionable reputation as a Mobed, you have the audacity to say that you’ll build an Agiary and keep Zoroastrianism alive!!! What kind of Zoroastrianism are you planning to keep alive? This is yet another great example of a GTA Parsi being pretentious and pompous – the very point of my article.
Enough said about your competence, actually lack of it, as a Mobed. Let me now address a couple of your comments.
First off, you are very correct in saying that over the past 40 years, you have not seen me performing or participating in any ceremonial prayers. You see, rightly or wrongly, I am the type to react quite swiftly when I observe or experience any undesired happening or behaviour as it surrounds my religious beliefs. Here is a personal example that I don’t normally share frequently, but I guess, this might be an opportune time to do so. In the late seventies, I was asked to participate in an Uthamnu ceremony at a residence here in Toronto. When I arrived, just outside the house, I saw a young man freely smoking. At the time, I didn’t make much of it, although I was a bit surprised to see a Parsi smoking just when the ceremony was scheduled to start. In any event, I changed my attire, wore the jamo, tied the padan and sat on the carpet with a couple of other Mobeds. Very shortly thereafter, I see the same young man who was smoking rushing into the house, changed into his priestly attire and comfortably sat across me and the prayers started. I was so utterly stunned and shocked and felt, as though I wanted to get up and leave from there right away. The most appalling thing was everybody in that house were well aware of this guy smoking – the sinful individual calling himself a Mobed, just participated in such an important religious ceremony for the deceased!!! This was certainly the most nauseating and creepy thing that I experienced that made me ponder about the quality of Parsis residing in that house.
As time went on, these kind of examples, where I clearly observed that Parsi population at large here in the GTA would not really care to abide by any religious tenets and their pretentiousness was simply right down repelling to say the least. While there maybe religious minded Parsis around at the time, unfortunately, the one’s that I encountered appeared to have been made with the same yarn. Remember, you don’t need to eat the whole egg to find out that it’s rotten. As such, I decided from that point on, to play a low key, and not participate in any religious ceremonies that do not uphold the required ‘tarikats’ of our religion. As years passed by, my impressions were only reinforced through more and more unbelievable and ghastly non-religious anecdotes of the GTA Parsis, and particularly the Mobeds. These were the barriers that I’ve been facing which have probably prevented me from being a very close part of the community, which in my humble opinion, is rapidly going down the tube largely due to Mobeds such as yourself taking them down the wrong path. Again, I must point out that this suggestion does not relate to all the residing GTA Parsis or Mobeds – there were, and there are still a handful of exceptions left.
Moving along to your second ludicrous allegation of me making up stories when I brought the Vada Dasturji to the ZSO. First off, I don’t think that you were even there, otherwise knowing you – you would have made your presence be known in any way, shape or form. But that wasn’t the case – so I believe, you were simply not there. Nonetheless, having said that, when we all sat down for dinner where the Dasturji was seated right across me, the ex President of the ZSO dragged a chair to speak one more time with the Dasturji. I heard the Dasturji say loudly several times, “Nahi ahiay Agiary to bundhaij nahi” – Pardon my transliteration, it should read “No, you simply cannot build an Agiary here”. Kobad – you just can’t accuse people with your hollow statements.
Pardon me, but your cockiness in saying that we do not need to ask anyone’s permission to build an Agiary, what we need is community’s blessings. There again you fell short in your wisdom – you ought to say that the only thing you need is Ahura Mazda’s blessings. Obviously, when a person is blinded by Angreh Maynyu, any leftover wisdom goes by the way side.
By the way, your comment on your so called discussion with Dasturji Mirza in 1973 doesn’t hold much water. Was anyone with you who is alive today to confirm this? If not, please do not make up your fantasizing story. In any event, you guys did get the guidance from Udvada’s Vada Dasturji, once in 2010 and now in 2014 – and both times, the guided response from the Dasturji was a big fat NO. What is it that you and others don’t understand?
Kobad, believe me, I’m not being sarcastic when I say that I don’t despise you at all, but I feel quite sorry for you.
May Ahura Mazda revert you back to the right path.
Regards,
Ervad Jal Dastur
EXCELLENT rebuttal!
Excellent article Kobad. Janoo and I are very proud of you to put this man in his place. When I will get some time I will also reply to the so called Protector of Faith.
Meher
Meher,
It is so ironical – you are Meher and your husband’s name is Jal – I am Jal and my wife’s name is Mehru. Although we share the same names – one is a destructor of faith while another is a protector. Go figure!
Ervad Jal Dastur
Please, Meher! You all are one of THE biggest problems in the community – not only in Toronto, but for the entire Zoroastrain religion! Tell me, do you even wear your Sudra/Kusti? Do you follow the REAL rites and traditions of our religion? Did you/your family follow the purity rites that need to be in place of a mobed’s family (self-exclusion during certain times of the month?) No need to answer – I already know the answers. Of course, I’m not the least surpirsed that you and your ‘janoo’ are proud of the so-called president of the NAMC – you are ALL a black mark on our wonderful religion! What’s the use in serving the community if it’s corrupting the religion? It’s very apparent you all are more interested in being liked/popular that upholding the tenets of the religion. Looking forward to your reply to Ervad Dastur – expose your sins even more.
Dear Jal Dastur
I share your views about GTA Parsis. However, its not restricted to GTA. I have similar concerns about Sydney Parsis. We have here established Australian Zoroastrian Association of NSW (AZA) and have Darb-e-Mehr; not full fledged Agiary. Its almost 30years old, built from Donations received from Arbab Give trust, Meherban Zarthosti Bros., and locally Ostowari family. All Iranians.Their main aim is to promote Zoroastrianism.
Last year Ostowari family made another donation of more than $200,000 for commercial kitchen. Job well done. By virtue of their donations they were Major Donor Trustees. However, Parsi majority members now want to change Constitution. In last September AGM they proposed to pass a resolution saying “there will be equal number of AZA nominated Trustees to Major Donor Trustees. Why? To crush Donor Trustees decision making majority. AZA has quite good assets (Proprty as well as Cash Reserve worth more than $250,000). Nevertheless, the Resolution was defeated but it will happen.Trend is there.
Even it is hard to get $80 a year membership fee from Parsis. 40% of the Population is member. Rest are still coming as non-member; bring their children to Sunday School to learn Religion for free.
Mis-management is plenty. Membership Fee plus income from Functions plus Donations plus interest income from Cash Reserve put in Bank as Term Deposits all gets spent. Now they have an eye on Cash Reserve. Resolution was put to not to draw any money from Cash Reserve till it reaches $500,000 but without success.
There is plenty to say but who is listening? Religion? Even Dasturs do not know meaning except ukuku ukuku ashem vohu! Nobody wears Sudreh-Kushti. Nobody cares. But keep on spreading our voice and may be future generation will change. Amen!
Gustad Kadwa from Sydney
a member of AZA.
Dear Gustad,
Sorry for the delay in responding to your posting. Yes… I’m not a bit surprised that your community in Sydney is no different than here in the GTA. I’m trying to figure out the genesis of this problem, and I come again and again on the same conclusions – the parents of these poor souls didn’t do a good job in raising their children and moreover, settling down in different parts of the so-called 1st world countries appeared to have made most Parsis feel superior than their counterparts in India – the latter contributing to non-religious mindedness and careless attitude towards religious beliefs and practices.
You’re very correct in saying that even Mobeds are an integral part in this crime, their ukukukus only support their ignorance on the tenets of our religion. Their support of these sinful acts is very evident at every step of the way, – some appear to do this to gain popularity, others to satisfy their ego, and some others to make money. All in all it’s a sad state of affairs.
We can’t do anything more, as you said, than spreading our voice and only hope that change happens for the better. Reading all of the above comments from different Parsis certainly indicate that all is not lost – there are people who have a true passion for our religion and they whole heartedly despise the sinful acts committed by the worthless Parsis.
Thank you again for your contribution.
Regards,
Ervad Jal Dastur
OH,OH,OH,MY GOD…..& I thought we are the only PARSEES of BOMBAY who fight among themselves.The scene in BOMBAY has something different topic,BUT a few handful pockets of Parsees staying abroad,& I thought u people are HALI MALI NE REHTA HASE…. JUST out of curiosity I happened to read these articles & I do not want TU TU,ME,ME, As I am not in ur territory .AS a ZORASTRIASM ,I give my honest opinion,u may like it or not.1)Just as in BOMBAY orthodox vs liberal ,it is the same case here.U cannot follow strict taricut in foreign land where PARSEE children are surrounded by western culture.so some blending should be there,2) Even in BOMBAY where PARSEE population is highest in the world, there are PARSEES who do not wear SUDRA BUT wears KASTI,& some do not wear either of them,they do not know proper prayers, BUT they make a point to go to fire temple everyday,& bow before fire.NOBODY stops them BUT some are happy that at least they come to our LORD.3 ) AS far as building AGIARY or DADGAH is concerned,why should someone stop from doing this noble cause, because HE OR SHE does not know to pray!or does not follow MOBEDI TARICUT or whatever.?ATLEAST HE OR SHE remembers our LORD ZORASHTRA it is OK… BUT BUT IT SHOULD COME WITH A CAVIET,,,,ENTRY ONLY FOR PARSEES & IRANIANS ONLY as we have in BOMBAY. OTHERWISE IT WILL BE FUTILE EXERCISE TO FOLLOW. ……..Also eager to know if a mother is PARSEE & she marries outsider, will a child still become a PARSEE.if both parents agree…????Atleast it is not allowed in BOMBAY…….
Remember Aspi, our religion like all other religions have its stipulations and requirements – one cannot simply on one’s whim and convenience, choose some and throw away others, if one wants to follow a specific religion. No more, no less – period! If this doesn’t happen, then one is called a “DHONGI” if he/she does a “DHONG” by entering the Agiary and just bow down at the Atarsh Padshah.
At least, you demonstrated a speck of residual religious common sense when you mention the ‘caveat’ of having only the Parsis and Iranis enter the fire temples. My friend, the GTA Mobeds have superseded Mumbai’s Zarathushti religion’s problems. They have with their corrupted minds have declared that if an Agiary is built here, they’ll allow anyone and everyone to come. What’s more, these Mobeds (particularly the one’s I’ve named in one of my other replies above) are in a practice to have group prayers amidst other ‘parjats’ and distributing the prayer pages to the crowd – as though to suggest to the non-Parsis that they can also read along if they so desire. Of course, there is no requirement here to cover the heads while praying whether you’re a Parsi or a non-Parsi..
Finally, you were interested to know what’s happening here with respect to your last query re: Parsi mother marrying a non-Parsi. Here, there is no such distinction – come one, come all – these corrupted Mobeds will gladly do the Navjote of a child born out of a Parsi mother and a non-Parsi father and be recognized as a Parsi. All in all, these (the one’s I’ve named) corrupted, disgusting, sinful, wretched Mobeds here in the GTA have no conscience whatsoever – they have sold it to the Ahriman a long time ago. I’m sure, all these will come to haunt them when they meet their maker.
There you go… now you can say OH,OH,OH MY GOD… and laugh at us sarcastically, or say OH MY GOD!!! and feel the disgusting surprise as some of feel here in the GTA.
May God Bless you!
Ervad Jal Dastur
EVERYDAY IN EVERYWAY…I am getting convinced that our BELOVED RELIGION OF ASHO ZARTHOST Is slowly but surely dying, not by INVADERS but by the minds hands and everything is OK faith of its followers… I strongly believe that AHURA MAZDA in all his wisdom had a hand in guiding us to the shores of AAPRU HINDUSTAN knowing very well that the followers of his religion would get the freedom to truly follow his faith.. always be safe… and prosper beyond belief….Over 1300 years::::…History has also shown that every where else we have landed in the WORLD be it ASIA…AFRICA M..EAST…EUROPE or THE AMERICAS one way or the other our religion has failed. We now seem to be grabbing at all straws that come our way from all angles ,,CONVERSIONS. ABANDON AND.CHANGE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE that has stood the test of time, so more followers will come..Yeh !!! and they are all waiting knocking on our doors..to see. what a joke some of this so called MODERN DAY PREACHERS..AND FUTURE GOD`S of this faith have to offer…We can build all the AGIARI`S…ADERRANS….DARBE MEHRS WE WANT but if our own ZARTHOSTI children are walking away from our faith and we don`t or won`t do anything to stop this sad decline. We must very seriously make it clear to them who we are….where we come from and what it took our forefathers to do what they did so today they can say “ I AM ZARTHOSTI AND PROUD OF IT “ .
Eruch – You’re so correct, raising the children the way they ought to be raised from a religious standpoint is the most crucial element, but the sad part is that we raise our children with our own beliefs and viewpoints – that’s where the plane crashes, because a majority of the Parsi parents today have no religious passion themselves. To make this matter even more worse is the existence of religiously incompetent and radical reformist Mobeds (at least in our part of the world), who continue their rampage to discredit our age-old traditions and pure rituals that have long been passionately practiced by our spiritual forefathers.
The response of Farbor above, if correct, clearly indicates the shameful example of a Mobed’s household – if outright sins are committed day in and day out in the Mobed’s family, what can one expect from the rest of the non-mobed crowd? And this Mobed has the audacity to serve on the board of OZCF and as I’m led to believe, is the mentor of this association’s ignorant President!!! No matter how you slice it, or dice it; these people, along with others that have been named earlier, are a lost cause – they should be shunned, and left up to the justice of the Almighty.
The only comfort we ought to have is that notwithstanding the magnitude of the lost souls around us, there still remain Parsis who are staunch believers of our Zarathosht’s Saheb’s religion, albeit a few in numbers. The chances are highly maximized that the children emerging from these religious families would be attracted towards Spenta Maynyu and maintain the Zarathushti religion in the years to come. How long can this be sustained? Only Ahura Mazda knows!
Regards,
Ervad Jal Dastur
Our Community needs to be Educated & the practice of Racism Disrimination Bigotry & Segregation needs to eradicated
Good words, good deeds and good thoughts… Simple as it could be… They are doing nothing wrong.. If ur a good person.. Ur. On.the side of God.. Everything else doesn’t matter..