Prominent Parsis form a think tank to reduce community conflicts
Eight senior Parsis have formed a think tank to de-escalate conflicts between two strong-minded groups in the community: the traditionalists and the liberals.
The think tank includes former managing director of Tata Power Adi Engineer; adman Sam Balsara; senior advocates like Darius Khambata, Burjor Antia and Nadir Modi; high priest Khurshed Dastur and former Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustee Dinshaw Tamboly and Maneck Davar.
“In any and every community, there are sections that follow different ideologies. The situation is the same in our community and it often results in conflicts,” said Engineer, who put forward the suggestion of forming a group to ease tensions between liberal and conservative Parsis.
“The idea is to find amicable solutions without imposing any ideology on anyone.”
An email containing ‘charter for co-existence’ was circulated in the community recently to announce the formation of the think tank.
“I fully agree with the sentiments expressed by the ‘Fab Eight’, said Punchayet chairman Dinshaw Mehta, referring to the think tank.
Mehta said a council of elders should also be formed to discuss all controversial issues. “But disparate groups will have to put their egos aside and be prepared to obey the council’s decision,” Mehta said.
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This is a creepy WOW… from your above writeup
Mehta said a council of elders should also be formed to discuss all controversial issues. “But disparate groups will have to put their egos aside and be prepared to obey the council’s decision,” Mehta said.
Put aside their egos ??? The BPP guys are the most hedonistic, egoistic and corrupt people… they are not worthy on speaking for the community…How much wealth have they amassed and how many children and grandchildren do they have to inherit all that.. it’ll finally go to some Parjaat caretakers or ayahs in a few years…
Immediately needed is to be like the Jews and take in children who are not considered Parsis, but have atleast one Parsi parent or grand parent, and see the difference. Maintaining any purity of race any longer will see the end of all of us. Please convey this to all the great guys who are trying to increase Parsi population by putting their heads and necks into sand and not seeing reality outside.
Request to the moderator. Kindly put up my above comment for anyone to read. It’s not wrong nor abusive. Have guts to show it to anyone interested in reading.
Time is running out and even those mixed children may not be interested if a hawk like stance is shown.So be gentle give huge financial, housing and educational incentives for such mixed kids to come into the fold. And do that fast.
There are lots of kids of non mixed parentage in Parsis who never get any of the benefits mentioned then why should children of mixed parentage get those benefits. You are mistaken only children of influential people eg. BPP Trustees, Top Executives in big companies get these so called benefits. Hindus are misled by the big influential people who miscontrue facts about incentives which only their children get. While the schemes on paper are for the middle class and poor Parsis only the top Parsis and their children get the benefits.
Secondly, you yourself being a Hindu do not understand the gravity of being a tiny minority in this country where you are victimised at every instance for the only fault of belonging to tiny religious minority.
Are Zarthosties of India bigoted compared to Iran & elsewhere in the World ? Sort of more Zartoshti THAN Zarthost !
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“I wholeheartedly support the ideology of such a Think Tank, in my objective mind we Parsi must irrespective of alliances support and respect our elder statesman in our community, period.
Except for Burjor Antia don’t see any other name from the traditionalist camp. Not sure how balanced this would be.
A person with ideology as that of Hushang will not allow use of vast Parsi properties to their Parsi brethren who have different viewpoints. Yet they will not mind if such a property is encroached by non Parsis. An utterly shameful attitude.
I have never stood in the way of development of properties which are wasted.
Hawkish people are the Trustees and influential people who deliberately will not allow the properties to be developed as they want only their children and family to get the benefits.
They should be developed and only Zoroastrians in the true sense i.e. that is children of people who have followed the acceptable marriage practise (customs laid by Zoroastrians for ages) should get the benefit. Here I mean children whose navjotes are allowed as per practise should get the benefit. No back door conversion and entry should be allowed.
Hushang and others I am late in replying as i was busy elsewhere.
Hushang in your reply to my 1st response you say that I am a Hindu, Far from it I am a full Parsi as you define above, from a family where all my great great great grandparents were devout Parsis, we have the family tree with names etc. And I am an Indian citizen quite like you I guess. Do not categorise by names if Tina / Jimmy / Kelly are Parsi names so is Heena, and if Desai / Munshi / Joshi are Parsi surname than so is Shah.
So I fully understand what it is to be in such a small microscopic minority. A few times I may also have had to face some issues but those have been very rare and I did not feel victimise by any of such incidents. Come to think of it many other castes / communities may be facing a more tough time on many areas particularly finance & education.
However may I kindly remind you and others of your ilk that there were and still are many Parsis who looked down up non-Parsis or half-breed Parsi and call them parjats or beydelas. In many villages during the British period and just after independence there were many Parsi so-called landlords who made life hell for their labourers or tenants by way of sexual & physical violence. In other countries or societies such behaviour would have led the future generation of yours and mine to be heavily penalised and all assets taken away. So thank your stars that you have had a relatively comfortable life, but still grumble and complain for everything.
In today’s world having an inward looking attitude and burying face in sand wishing the storm to pass over will not help. Yes I have a modern outlook, very much needed today and it’ll benefit our community long term if we bring freshness and innovation in our thinking and way of life, to survive in the high tech world, and overcome our precarious present condition.
Ms.Heena
First of all I have never got any finance or education benefits as mentioned by you. Also, I belonged to lower middle class. So your comment is incorrect. There are many Parsis who have never got anything in the nature mentioned by you. These benefits are only for the well connected. After independence of this country, most of the Parsi institutions and trust have only benefitted the majority community. Whereas all the other communities have created trusts which solely benefit their community members. As far as discriminations are concerned, I doubt if you read the newspapers wherein the facts are for one and all to see. It is this insecurity in the community and institutionalised discriminations which have led to the emigration of Parsis to the West after independence. Add to this the BPP and their kind who control most of the Parsi Co-op Hsg Societies want only their rich spoilt children to benefit.
Hushang, who came in the way of development of Dadysett Atashbehram premises.? The intended building was for meant for Parsees.
What you and your ilk going to with so many Fire Temples say in Mumbai? Just go and since the plight of Fire Temples in Gujarat. In the name of preserving and protecting, persons like you are playing into the hands of builder lobbies. If not now than in near future such holy premises may be used for other purposes not by Parsees as we are declining in geometric progresssion BUT BY NON PARSEES…