Monday, November 23, 2009

The old taxi-driver who was a fisherman in his youth

I was talking to an old taxi-dirver - he told me, for the first 20 years
of his life he was a fisherman and used to live in a village, and
used to get all his food from the sea and from his vegetable 
patch - and he was very happy. He put his net in the sea
and in 3 hours caught enough fish to sell and eat for 1 week!
He said he had no needs, no wants, no worries. A lot of 
people in Asia were living this way for thousands of years.

Until the modern times caught up with him, and the way
of life was lost for ever for him. His old village is gone and 
he has regretted it ever since. He misses the simple life.

Is this what is known as modern progress, the way 
that is taught to us as something every country should 
be doing? Can we question it? Yes, we can.
 
One day, we hope that that simple life will be back for all
of us. The modern cities and technological advances that
the world is so proud of today, do not give human
beings that peace and happiness our  ancestors had for
thousands of years, for we have come far from mother nature.
We have come far from the land, from the seas. We no longer
have the feeling that mother nature, in her endless bounty,
will feed us and look after us. Today we are at loggerheads
with nature and all it's powers - we treat nature as the enemy.
Our cities are a testament to that, because we have cut
ourselves out from the natural way of life.

Like the story about the famous violin player playing in a 
subway and no one paying attention to him, today, 
we miss out all of God's Creations - we dont have the time
to stop and stare. How many of us have looked at the starry sky
recently? We used to do this as children.

There was an English poem like this we learnt in school. 
If anyone remembers it, let us know.

Regards,

Porus.

Monday, November 9, 2009

[ilmeKhshnoom] To, The Editor - Bombay Samachar PTA 08/11/2009

From: Dara Acidwalla
Subject: To, The Editor - Bombay Samachar PTA 08/11/2009
To: "Dara Acidwalla"
Date: Sunday, 8 November, 2009, 20:39


Parsi Tari Arsi (PTA), The Bombay Samachar PTA Edition Dated 08/11/2009

http://bombaysamach ar.com/new/ ptadetails. asp?newsid= 24852


To, The Editor,


In your "Parsi Tari Arsi" column which appeared in the Bombay Samachar
of 1st November 2009, your correspondent Smita Godrej Crishna has
erroneously mentioned inter alia: "The two Trustees belonging to WAPIZ
by issuing a ban against the two priests Ervad Madon and Ervad Mirza,
preventing them from praying at Doongerwadi and two Agiaries – have
taken on the seemingly self-appointed role of religious authority ..It
is deeply distressing that only one Trustee Mr. Noshir Dadrawala has
had the courage to raise his voice in opposition, apparently with no
support from the other Trustees."

These pronouncements are totally misleading and completely distorted.
We all know that Mr. Noshir Dadrawala is a deeply religious person and
as a matter of fact at the Board Meeting of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet
held on 4th August 2009 all the Trustees, without exception (including
Mr. Dadrawala):

RESOLVED THAT Mr. Khushroo Madon and Mr. Faramroze Mirza shall not be
permitted to perform any religious ceremonies/rituals in any B.P.P.
properties or B.P.P. run institutions, at Doongerwadi, Godavara Agiary
or Jokhi Agiary at Godrej Baug.

RESOLVED FURTHER THAT B.P.P. Trustees or their employees/staff, at
such places of worship, shall take such steps as may be necessary to
give effect to this Resolution.

At the said meeting, Trustee Mr. Dadrawala had handed over a letter
dated 3rd August 2009 from Mr. Homi R. Khusrokhan on the same issue.
After detailed deliberation all the Trustees unanimously passed the
aforesaid Resolution.

What is more Vada Dasturji Dr. Kaikhushroo M. JamaspAsa, High Priest
of the Anjuman Atashbehram, Vada Dasturji Dr. Firoze M. Kotwal, Vada
Dasturji Meherji K. Meherjirana of Navsari, Vada Dasturji Dr. Peshotan
H. Mirza of Udwada and Vada Dasturji Cyrus N. Dastur of Surat by their
letter dated 27.8.2009 had welcomed the Trustees' decision to boycott
the service of these two renegade mobeds who have also advertised in
the Parsi Press offering their services for irreligious acts such as
praying for the dead who have been cremated and for carrying out
conversion ceremonies of non-Parsis.

With warmest regards,

Godrej N. Dotivala

Public Relations Officer

Bombay Parsi Punchayet