Parsis worried about the growing pile of bodies in their ‘Towers of Silence’ can take heart. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has decided to take up, on an express basis, the job of breeding vultures, which can later be transported to various parts of the country. Though the problem of undisposed bodies… Continue reading Scientists to help breed Vultures
Category: Issues
Parsi Dead: A Video of the Towers of Silence Controversey
The video below is the segment that appeared on the Indian cable news channel CNN-IBN. The video has some disturbing imagery and therefore caution is needed when viewing the video. The controversey however rages on and something needs to be done to bring this to a closure. The video may take a little time to… Continue reading Parsi Dead: A Video of the Towers of Silence Controversey
Religion and Materiality
Isn’t it strange how Rs.200/= seems like such a large amount when you donate it to a fire-temple, but such a small amount when you go shopping? Isn’t it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you’re at the fire-temple, and how short they seem when you’re watching a good movie? Isn’t it strange… Continue reading Religion and Materiality
Blog World Responds to NYT Article
Sepia Mutiny the power house Indian group blog points out to a response by a blogger to the NYTimes article. Amardeep at Sepia Mutiny writes Perhaps the reluctance by more conservative Parsis to accept intermarriage has to do with exactly the kind of internalized racial thinking the blogger (who is not a Parsi him/herself) is… Continue reading Blog World Responds to NYT Article
Bury funeral ritual: Parsi woman
A centuries old custom has triggered off a bitter debate within Mumbai’s influential Parsi community. The Parsi community is now divided over how to dispose off their dead. The bodies are kept in a well for vultures to feed on in a tradition called Dokhmenishin dating back to the 16th century. Under community law, the… Continue reading Bury funeral ritual: Parsi woman
Islam, The greatest threat to humanity worldwide
Nearly 1400 years ago, a group of nomads from across the scorching Arabian Desert conquered Iran (Persia), the greatest empire known to the history of man. With that, they almost destroyed one of the most benevolent and beautiful religions of all humanity, Zoroastrianism, often called the mother of all revealed religions. Due to its antiquity… Continue reading Islam, The greatest threat to humanity worldwide
More good news for nature’s waste managers
Asian vultures faced with a plummeting population after eating animals treated with a toxic veterinary drug have been thrown a lifeline in Nepal. Three once-populous species of vultures have been forced to the brink of extinction by the widespread introduction of a drug commonly used to treat livestock in the Indian sub continent. While good… Continue reading More good news for nature’s waste managers
Flat allotments sparked rift
Acrimony has been vitiating the boardroom of the 350-year-old Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) for several months now. One of the ostensible reasons why four of the six trustees resigned on Tuesday was the allotment of community flats to friends and relatives of one of the trustees, Dinshaw Mehta. The four trustees–Minoo Shroff, Maneck Engineer, Burjor… Continue reading Flat allotments sparked rift
Resignation of Four Trustees of the BPP
The Remedy Is Worse Than the Malady By Noshir H. Dadrawala Ever since news regarding 4 out the present 6 trustees of the BPP resigning leaked out, my phone has not stopped ringing. I have been inundated with calls from both friends and strangers wanting to know my views regarding the situation and the possible… Continue reading Resignation of Four Trustees of the BPP
