Parsis may have to stop using certain painkillers

Date

December 10, 2012

Post by

arZan

Category

Medicine

Parsis in the city, particularly those who offer their dead to the vultures, may be asked to do away with some popular painkillers like Voveran, if their vulture breeding program is successful.

By Ashutosh Shukla | DNA

Feeding on dead bodies that contain traces ofDiclofenac and other drugs is largely blamed to have made vultures extinct in the city.

This reaching out will be done as a part of the aviary project or the satellite breeding centre that is being debated within the community since three months. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) along with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) is planning to have a satellite breeding centre at the Doongerwadi (where the Parsi dead are laid to rest).

This will start after the main centre has been set up at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, for which BNHS is in talks with the forest department.

“The project will commence only after the high priests of the community, the doctors and the members are with us. The majority are with us as of now,” said Dinshaw Mehta, chairman of the BPP.

While majority of the high priests have given a go ahead, some are apprehensive.

“How will you certify if a dead body has Diclofenac in it or not? You cannot do a biopsy or post mortem. Some people are talking about non-invasive methods like deep stick method, but that is still in the invention stage,” said Dasturji Khurshad Kotwal, a high priest who has opposed the project.

He added that ultimately they are trying to preserve the vultures and the community, particularly the traditional custom of disposing their dead.

Mehta said that asking doctors who treat Parsis to prescribe drugs that does not contain Diclofenac will help.

“Though the punchayet has spoken of having vulture breeding programs earlier too, it was always set aside. The present one is also an election gimmick as it is not feasible. Diclofenac has over 400 derivatives. Also, not all Parsis take drugs from the doctors they talk to,” said Dr. Homi Dhalla, who was instrumental in getting solar panels installed at the Doongerwadi, where the dead bodies are laid with no vultures to feed on them.

“Who knows when one dies?,” asked Mehernosh Fitter, an activist speaking about taking an affidavit from the family stating that the dead person had not taken any drug containing Diclofenac 72 hours before his death.

Khojeste Mistree, trustee of the punchayet said that they will go to the community and ask them to substitute Diclofenac with other drugs if there are no other alternatives.

11 Comments

  1. dolly

    It is just a way to fleece this gullible community of scare and precious charity funds so that the BPP Trustees and their henchmen can make money. This is just a ritual and was practised for ages in the Middle East as it was supposed to be a easy method of disposal. Today throughout the world Zoroastrians practice burial or crematorium as the means of disposal. Does this practice make them less Zoroastrians. Perhaps they might even be better than the BPP Trustees and Trustees of other Trusts who are blatantly corrupt and only worship money and favour persons having power and influence.

    Mr.Dinshaw Mehta is the most corrupt Trustee in the history of BPP hence he is going all out to enforce this project. The right way would be for all the Zoroastrian High Priests to oppose this unattainable and foolish project.

  2. dolly

    It is just a way to fleece this gullible community of scare and precious charity funds so that the BPP Trustees and their henchmen can make money. This is just a ritual and was practised for ages in the Middle East as it was supposed to be a easy method of disposal. Today throughout the world Zoroastrians practice burial or crematorium as the means of disposal. Does this practice make them less Zoroastrians. Perhaps they might even be better than the BPP Trustees and Trustees of other Trusts who are blatantly corrupt and only worship money and favour persons having power and influence.

    Mr.Dinshaw Mehta is the most corrupt Trustee in the history of BPP hence he is going all out to enforce this project. The right way would be for all the Zoroastrian High Priests to oppose this unattainable and foolish project.

  3. dolly

    It is just a way to fleece this gullible community of scare and precious charity funds so that the BPP Trustees and their henchmen can make money. This is just a ritual and was practised for ages in the Middle East as it was supposed to be a easy method of disposal. Today throughout the world Zoroastrians practice burial or crematorium as the means of disposal. Does this practice make them less Zoroastrians. Perhaps they might even be better than the BPP Trustees and Trustees of other Trusts who are blatantly corrupt and only worship money and favour persons having power and influence.

    Mr.Dinshaw Mehta is the most corrupt Trustee in the history of BPP hence he is going all out to enforce this project. The right way would be for all the Zoroastrian High Priests to oppose this unattainable and foolish project.

  4. Bakhtawar Pardiwala

    This sounds really stupid. So if the dead person was on this particular drug, you mean to say that their body will not be put in the dokhma. This is just rediculous to me.

  5. Bakhtawar Pardiwala

    This sounds really stupid. So if the dead person was on this particular drug, you mean to say that their body will not be put in the dokhma. This is just rediculous to me.

  6. Bakhtawar Pardiwala

    This sounds really stupid. So if the dead person was on this particular drug, you mean to say that their body will not be put in the dokhma. This is just rediculous to me.

  7. Bomansha Patel

    Mr. Fitter is right as far as giving Affidavit is required. Firstly, many patients have no relatives or relatives have abandoned them. Secondly, how is the relative expected to know what drugs were given to the deceased. This is not at all practicable. Secondly, why those talking in favour of Aviary are avoiding what was told by Mrs. Jemmima Perry Jones about additional feeds of fresh meat to be given to the birds as being absolute necessity?

  8. Bomansha Patel

    Mr. Fitter is right as far as giving Affidavit is required. Firstly, many patients have no relatives or relatives have abandoned them. Secondly, how is the relative expected to know what drugs were given to the deceased. This is not at all practicable. Secondly, why those talking in favour of Aviary are avoiding what was told by Mrs. Jemmima Perry Jones about additional feeds of fresh meat to be given to the birds as being absolute necessity?

  9. Bomansha Patel

    Mr. Fitter is right as far as giving Affidavit is required. Firstly, many patients have no relatives or relatives have abandoned them. Secondly, how is the relative expected to know what drugs were given to the deceased. This is not at all practicable. Secondly, why those talking in favour of Aviary are avoiding what was told by Mrs. Jemmima Perry Jones about additional feeds of fresh meat to be given to the birds as being absolute necessity?

  10. Barak Aga

    THE GREAT DEFORMIST CIRCUS : The Ring Master – BPP Chairman with a Sindhi daughter-in-law. A “chor” who became “Kotwal”, took money and apartments from an old Christian, and converted him to Zoroastrianism. DEFORMIST Circus sponsored by a “Sarbatwalla”. Marquee event Vulture eating Solar panel Grilled Parsi with baked beans and tomato sauce. Side acts are i) the marriage of a Parsi and a vulture in an endeavour to increase the population of both, ii) a pole dance – Rasna Rouge – by models featured on the WAPIZ Strip TIZ calendar. Trapeze Act featuring BPP Trustees with relatives married to non-Zoroastrians and a High Priest with a non-Zoroastrian daughter-in-law.
    The clown and monkey troupe called “The Sanjan Sissies” featuring Sad Sacks, wolves-in-priests’ clothing, low caste converts from Nargol and Vandsa, like frivolous Phiroze Ghantucky.
    Final Act – Vulture versus Diclofenac stuffed Parsi – Who will be the last one standing? Or will both collapse in the Dokhma?
    Tickets will be sponsored by candidates for the next BPP elections.

  11. Barak Aga

    THE GREAT DEFORMIST CIRCUS : The Ring Master – BPP Chairman with a Sindhi daughter-in-law. A “chor” who became “Kotwal”, took money and apartments from an old Christian, and converted him to Zoroastrianism. DEFORMIST Circus sponsored by a “Sarbatwalla”. Marquee event Vulture eating Solar panel Grilled Parsi with baked beans and tomato sauce. Side acts are i) the marriage of a Parsi and a vulture in an endeavour to increase the population of both, ii) a pole dance – Rasna Rouge – by models featured on the WAPIZ Strip TIZ calendar. Trapeze Act featuring BPP Trustees with relatives married to non-Zoroastrians and a High Priest with a non-Zoroastrian daughter-in-law.
    The clown and monkey troupe called “The Sanjan Sissies” featuring Sad Sacks, wolves-in-priests’ clothing, low caste converts from Nargol and Vandsa, like frivolous Phiroze Ghantucky.
    Final Act – Vulture versus Diclofenac stuffed Parsi – Who will be the last one standing? Or will both collapse in the Dokhma?
    Tickets will be sponsored by candidates for the next BPP elections.