Parsis Go Online To Save Dispersed And Blenching Community

While walking down a morbid street today, I came across a Parsi Agiary that read – “No one allowed to enter, except Parsis”. No, we’re not getting into religious sentiments as of now. But, do you think the religious privateness has resulted in a shrinking Parsi community?

Well, after migration majority of the Parsis settled in western parts of India. While 70% of them reside in Mumbai. Today they take help of the internet to bring back their dispersed and blenching community.

Parsis have played an important role in the development of trade, industry, finance, and philanthropy, which has earned them an important place in India’s social and economic life. Many of the Parsis or Zoroastrians have earned accolades in government services and law. Such connections are more important for them as the largely prosperous, urbanised minority that produced the likes of Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, actor Boman Irani, comedian Cyrus Broacha and Queen singer Freddie Mercury gets smaller every year. Hence, Parsis, Iranis, Zarathushtis – ALL Under One Roof. Most of the material on this blog refers, and links, to other websites.

There’s also a special social networking site for the Zoroastrians called Ushtatebook.com. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a tedious signing up process that a curious non-Parsi will have to undergo just to see what’s in it. For now the network is by invitation only which is pretty obvious from what I’ve seen this morning! Besides having reserved social networking sites and Zoroastrians.net, they have Parsi Yellow Pages, Online Parsi Directory and Parsi Match Makingsites as well.

Mumbai-based Architect Arzan Sam Wadia runs a blog that revolves around Parsis and news stories that THEY might want to read about on a daily basis. It’s called ParsiKhabar, which claims to have half of their readers outside India. Mr. Govalkar, president of the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) once said in 1973, “I do not understand why the Parsis want to modern ize. I do not understand why they want to integrate themselves out of existence. I do not understand why Parsis are ashamed of their Sudreh and Kusti… Why do they want to do that? Why don’t they want to keep their identity? We Hindus don’t want to convert the Parsis, as we don’t want Parsis to convert us.”

I came across this news item on ParsiKhabar which you may or may not want to take a look at -

On the other hand, Arzan Sam Wadia mentioned in one of his posts called ‘We are Getting Wiped Out‘ -

We are dead and dying community. 62 percent of the boys and girls in colleges do not know one thing about our religion other than that Zarathushtra was there and he was a very great prophet. As many as 25 Percent of our women – and I may say – as many as 18 percent of our boys every year marry outside – while proclaiming that they love Zoroastrianism. The Catholics take their children to the church every Sunday. The Muslims do so religiously on a Friday. Where are the Parsi boys and girls ?

This clearly shows how despairing the community is getting to find themselves together. Demographers predict that there could be as few as 32,000 Parsis left by 2051, based on studies of fertility rates.

The Bombay Parsi Punchayat governing council is looking to young people to save the community by launching what has been called a “Facebook for Parsis” website and a youth wing. Zoroastrianism may be the world’s richest religion per capita, but they shift gears and get online to save a shrinking community. As hysterical as it may sound, one of the most successful Parsi women in India, Shernaaz Engineer has been contributing with her blog called Parsi Link to spread awareness about the 3,500 year old religion and eventually save it from dying out. Shernaaz once wrote for the Page 3 section of Bombay Times which is well known for its glamorous Advertorialsand has been an editor with Oomph!, a fashion and lifestyle magazine. Pretty oomph, isn’t it?

Nevertheless, Parsis are using the internet penetration for the betterment of their community. And, if I missed out with something, it could be soon found out. A site made especially for reporting missing Parsis – The Missing Parsi, claims to solve one out of two reported cases of missing Parsis. Trust me, its not just about those ‘Missing’ or Laapata stickers that we find in trains and streets, but for friends and loved ones who have lost contact due to obvious reasons.

If you’ve seen Homi Adajania’s debut film Being Cyrus, you’ll know what I actually mean. A typical Parsi moth-eaten marriage was portrayed which also describes a slow-moving lifestyle of a Parsi couple brilliantly. The list goes on as there is another magazine meant only for the Zoroastrian communities called Parsiana, whose subscriptions can be booked online.