Jiyo Parsi forges ahead with a striking campaign
In a press conference on 10 November 2014, Jiyo Parsi showcased a series of ads that have been developed by Madison, to promote the program to Parsi Youth of 
marriageable age.
“It is an absolute honour for me to be associated with the Jiyo Parsi Campaign..Our community must see a rise in numbers and I would urge all Parsis to marry and have At least 2 kids..Young mothers who are career women please know that both motherhood and a flourishing career can co exist. Chalo Let’s all Cheer and Support the Jiyo Parsi Campaign !!!” – Perizaad Zoroabian – Brand Ambassador – Jiyo Parsi
‘There are times when we have to put the community first, times like battles. We do not want people to sermonize, but there comes a time when you must put individual convenience against a larger cause. This for the Zarathushti community is such a time .’ H.E Masood Khaleghi, Consul General Islamic Republic of Iran
Enclosed is the Press Release and the thought provoking campaign
Jiyo Parsi Event Press Release (3) (1)
Final Jiyo Parsi Madison Campaign IVF Ad_New 4-11-141
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-diary-tuesday-tales/15756179
http://www.afternoondc.in/epaper/EpaperPost.aspx?id=124060
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/parsis-pen-their-own-multiplication-theory/
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-parsis-protest-against-condomnible-adverts-2034698
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141113/jsp/nation/story_19034071.jsp#.VGSVnTSUfE0
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/a-7-year-research-behind-jiyo-parsi/
http://www.bestmediainfo.com/2014/11/jiyo-parsi-making-fun-of-parsi-community/
“Such a commendable initiative, Chalo.” ~ C/O Neville Cawas Cyrus Bardoliwalla OBE
Too little was done thruout so many years on many fronts confronting Parsis in India (not other Zoroastrians elsewhere). This was coz of the community’s own collective conservative attitude of thinking themselves too great and high in society.
Are you and others really serious and convinced that the Political Jiyo Parsi campaign will do wonders for the community. When a consensus is not arrived for years on taking in children of mixed marriages (with one Parsi parent) .and when many well known priests & people take a mighty stand on purity of the community, what sort of purity will be left when children born today will have no Parsi to marry and procreate.
When you still look down on mixed marriage kids as parjaat, refusing to acknowledge them as half breeds worthy of being Parsis, you signal the coming of the end of the already small community. .
The merits of this Programme should not / can not be linked to this ad campaign. The Programme has been launched & funded by the Ministry of Minority Affairs with good will for our community & appreciating our communities’ contributions to our nation over the years. What is important now is to focus on this programme, conduct it with dignity, ethically, respect sensitivity of our community members, respect total confidentiality of the beneficiaries of this Scheme as we have agreed with the Ministry and enrol participants with Informed Consent, by which we ensure that only by their own willingness they have participated and not by any force or coercion. Infact. all these points have been laid down in our Proposal at submission to the Ministry and also at the launch programme during my presentation. As long as the science, ethics and necessity of precision record keeping of patients – all fundamental points with which the Programme was conceptualised are not jeopardised, there are at this stage no major causes of concern. At the same time, if some of our couples are deriving benefit from this Govt Scheme, its good for them to go ahead considering the costing of the IVF treatment. Lets keep right now the unmarried Parsis for a separate well thought of, well planned Programme with an objective to increasing community size by increasing marraige rate, in which case this Programme would have some Parsi couples who would marry and probably even conceive at early age and would not even need to seek the Fertility route. Also generalisations that all Parsi boys are mamma’s boys and all Parsi girls are snooty sound inappropriate when discussed widely in public forums and outside Parsi circles.In today’s times both Parsi boys and girls present themselves quite confident and independent, and I don’t see them depending on the advise of their parents for taking vital decisions while at the same time taking their own decisions without disrespecting them.I think that since we have been the preferred / chosen community by the Govt of India to benefit from such a Scheme, for a change lets all say a big “yes, we will make it happen,” rather than being our usual selves, debating on whether it should happen or not, fault-finding and arguing the merits and demerits of this Programme even if it does or does not concern our family & involving so many unrelated issues of no consequences whatsoever. We are an educated community, we know for ourselves what is best for us. Ad campaigns of this nature have an intent of creating awareness and the community is by and large quite aware of this Programme even before the campaign as the media had covered our Proceedings well enough on an all India basis. Now is the time that the real enrolment of Parsi couples need to happen.Let us await to see the figures rising soon and the community celebrating many more births of beautiful, healthy and intelligent newborns. All will agree on one point at least that our unique genes even though a bit eccentric, are not worth wasting.
Dr Zinobia Madan,
PhD, MAMS, FIMSA, FICN,
Founder & Managing Director
ClinOma Healthcare
Dr Zinobia Madan,
You have tried to give a good explanation. Most Parsis are knowing what is said by you.
Ironically the high level of education since the 60s and 70s added with increase in purchasing capacity & living standards and high level of working young ladies has meant that many Parsis in the marriageable age remained unmarried and single. Lots of others who have married within the community have chose to have only one child.
You may be aware that the replacement rate of population for any community is each person having 2.1 children i.e. more than 2 children. Now how many Parsis since last 30 -35 years have had 3 or more children so that it offsets for those who have only one child or for those large number who remained single.
I saw you on TV last year on Barkha Dutt show for Jiyo Parsis. On that show some young adult children of mixed marriages with one parent Parsi were also interviewed. Children having a non-Parsi mother were more inclined not to think of them as Parsis, and so even if our Patriarchal system and leaders agree to accept them into the fold, in today’s age many of such children (read boys) will get non-Parsi spouses and go away from the community. I say boys as such girl children if they marry outside, they will be automatically out anyway. You say our unique genes should not be wasted. As a doctor you will agree that a child gets equal genes from both father & mother and so any child of a mixed marriage of Parsi- nonparsi is genetically same, i.e half Parsi, and all such children if both their parents are willingly to do navjote for them, must be taken in for navjote. (Cyrus Broacha, who was on dais with you, is such a example) This becomes all the more important as we Parsis have more females to males in our general population as per the Indian census. Hope you are able to see my point.
Dr Zinobia as you are associated with the Jiyo Parsi scheme and perhaps with other Parsi causes, may I request you to use your connections, knowledge and experience to bring about a gender based equality in determining genetically who actually is a Parsi. Personally I do not know if you also support the thinking and interpretation of most Parsi hardliners that mixed marriage children should be kept out and those of Parsi mothers with non-Parsi fathers should not be ever recognised as Parsis. Please I cannot believe a lady like you will have such views degrading fellow Parsi women.
Being a qualified lady Doctor you must be surely be having your own personal opinions which could benefit the community in a much larger manner. Just for a moment imagine if by chance any near dear lady relative of yours married a non-Parsi, would you as a modern educated woman go along with the highly insensitive approach and handling that is being done for last 30 -40 years against such a Parsi woman. Surely not, that’s why you need to do more on this front then just saying that IVF and fertility treatment cost will be given confidentially to childless Parsi couples. Best wishes to you for that.