TMYZ BOARD TOO CRITICIZES ARZ’S ACTIONS AND QUOTES DASTURJI PESHOTAN MIRZA ON KERSEY ANTIA AND “CONVERSION”

From: TZML Admins
Date: Jan 31, 2008 1:56 PM
Subject: TMYZ BOARD TOO CRITICIZES ARZ'S ACTIONS AND QUOTES DASTURJI
PESHOTAN MIRZA ON KERSEY ANTIA AND "CONVERSION"
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

This issue contains a release from the TMYZ Board too who have
criticised ARZ for misleading the Zoroastrian community

DASTURJI DR. Peshotan Hormazdiyar has written against "Conversion" on
behalf of Vada Dasturjis of India.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS RELEASE TO ALL GOOD ZARATHUSHTIS YOU KNOW OF

ALSO PRINT IT AND CIRCULATE IT IN PARSI COLONIES AND BAUGS

HUMATA HUKHTA HAVARASHTA!

31 January 2008

Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc: Vada Dasturjis,
cc: Ervad Sahebs,
cc: The Parsee Voice,
cc: Zoroastrian Studies,
cc: Parsi Pukar,
cc: Dini-Awaz,
cc: Prominent Zoroastrians,
cc: TZML
cc: TMYZ officials

Subject: TMYZ BOARD TOO CRITICIZES ARZ'S ACTIONS AND QUOTES DASTURJI
PESHOTAN MIRZA ON KERSEY ANTIA AND "CONVERSION

Subject: TMYZ BOARD TOO CRITICIZES ARZ'S ACTIONS AND QUOTES DASTURJI
PESHOTAN MIRZA ON KERSEY ANTIA AND "CONVERSION

We hope you have read the ARZ Warnings circulated by TZML yesterday.

We are pleased that another traditional Internet group TMYZ too have
guided the Parsi community on this matter and cautioned us all on the
"Conversion / Acceptance" message quoted by ARZ lately in expensive
advertisements in Parsi newspapers.

We enclose the release from the TMYZ Board below.

Please read it and circulate amongst your friends and relatives who
may otherwise be falsely lured by the irreligious claims from ARZ and
AIMZ.

If we remain united against this threat to the community from within,
our community will survive the onslaught of these misguided groups.

The information below serves as a good guide in understanding why the
claims of ARZ are wrong and irreligious.

We congratulate the TMYZ Board for their timely release.

Sincerely

TZML Admins

(Email: tzmladmn@gmail.com)

RELEASE BY TMYZ BOARD

31 January 2008

Dear Members and Friends of TMYZ,

As a result of Kersey Antia's lecture and the showing of the film on
Saturday evening, our learned and rightful Dasturji Sahebs are
cautioning the community regarding the scriptural truth and the
dangers of conversion, indirectly called 'Acceptance'! Please be aware
and do pass this on to all your friends, relatives and neighbours. The
religiously ignorant and the gullible will accept deceitful lies
propagated by Kersey Antia and his likes. Let the Dasturjis and the
Scholar Priests spread the Truth regarding conversion and
'acceptance'!

Please circulate through e-mails and also by printing out this
circular which will be distributed today in baugs and colonies. Every
one of you can do your share by circulating this mail/leaflet. Thank
you.

The Board of TMYZ.

(see below for Dasturji Peshotan Mirza's warning)

ANTIA'S AHRMOGHI (HERESY) OF 1983 RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN ON
FEBRUARY 2, 2008.

- writes Dasturji Dr. Peshotan Hormazdayar Mirza for and on behalf of
all the Vada Dasturjis and Scholar priests of India

Parsis Beware!

Ervad Kersey Antia of Chicago is trying to mislead the gullible of the
Parsi-Irani Zarathushti community in India with help from the two
associations named ARZ and AIMZ.

Ervad Antia was condemned by the Dasturjis and the athornans of India
in 1983 when he so-called converted Mr. Joseph Peterson in New York,
U.S.A. He was also publicly disowned by his Alma Mater, the M. F. Cama
Athornan Institute. On February 2, 2008, a quarter century later, he
is stepping on Indian soil to promote his ill-conceived heretical
concept of conversion.

Ervad Antia should realize that the Christian Missionaries are
murdered in India for their proselyting zeal. When Pope John Paul II
visited India he had to retract his statement regarding conversion. He
clarified that he referred to the moral conversion only! The Hindus do
not accept conversion which is forbidden in their religious scriptures
such as the Bhagvad Gita. The Parsi-Irani Zarathushti community is
respected in India and throughout the world because we respect all
religions and practice the true brotherhood by not accepting
proselytes. When we first landed at Sanjan in the 7th century A.C.E.
we were accepted by Jadi Rana because we, like the Hindus, did not
practice conversion as per our religious mandate. Till today, we have
not practiced conversion in India and the Hindus accept us as good
citizens of India!

Ervad Kersey Antia is jeopardizing the lives of our brethren in Iran
and worldwide by coming to India and propagating conversion in a
public forum. The mullahs in Iran are not at all in favor of Muslims
being converted to other religions. Recently, a Muslim was given
public hanging in Tehran because he admitted that he had converted to
Zarathushtrianism. The Muslims in Iran will come to know of Kersey
Antia's so-called 'acceptance' propagation and who will save
Zarathushti lives in Iran and elsewhere if Muslims begin to convert
themselves here in India? If he is sincere and sure of his scriptural,
historical and other references that promote conversion, he should
first go to Iran, deliver his speech there, convert some Muslims in
Iran and then target the gullible Parsis of India who may blindly
accept his conversion-mania! We hope the Parsi-Irani Zarathushti
community will realize how precariously dangerous any conversion
activity will prove for the community in India and Iran, especially
since we are such a small community with no defense mechanism and no
country
of our own!

Please read carefully and acquaint yourselves with what the Holy
Avesta reveals regarding conversion/acceptance of juddins (followers
of other revealed religions) as 'Zarathushtis'!

Conversion means to convert, to change. Customarily, one converts to
something better. If "to convert" means to change one's religion of
birth then there is no such word existing in the entire sacred Avesta
to indicate changing or giving up one's religion of birth to 'accept'
another religion.

The only conversion the sacred Avesta mentions, specifically in the
Ahunavad Gatha, Y. Ha 30, is to convert Angre-Mainyu to Spenta-Mainyu!
Y. Ha 30.2 mentions only the two moral choices which are further
defined in Y. Ha 30.3 as the choice between good and bad only.
Emphasis is laid on the moral choice without which spiritual progress
would be stagnant. The freedom to choose comes with grave moral
responsibility. Irrefutably, only the two specific moral paths are
revealed and the inevitable consequences of the choice between the two
paths is repeatedly mentioned as Divine Justice or the immutable law
of reward and punishment, i.e. good to the good and suffering to those
who choose the wrong path. There is absolutely NO mention of the word
'religion(s)'.

Different religions are different prescriptive medicines for the •
soul. It is not the name of the religion that makes an individual
spiritually progressive. It is in following the path laid down by the
prophet of a specific religion the individual is born into that makes
the individual spiritually enlightened. The learned, e.g. Swami
Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and others have maintained that
proselytism hinders spiritual progress.

Proselytism / acceptance leads to hatred and wars. Religious riots,
genocide, holocausts, jihads, crusades and human misery and strife are
the cause of religious rivalry stemming from the act of proselytism.
Proselytism advances the belief that one particular religion is
superior to the others and therefore those who promote conversion
insist that mankind must adopt only one particular religion. This is
against the Divine Plan as revealed in the Zarathushtrian scriptures.

Religion is bestowed at birth by Lord Almighty. Y. Ha 19 reveals the
sacred Ahunavar manthra in detail. It reveals that as soon as Ahura
Mazda uttered the Divine Word, Ahunavar, the Universe became manifest.
Y. Ha 19.14 clearly states that: "There are five faiths or religions,
pancha tkaesha, which enlighten." In Y. Ha 19.16 the words pancha
ratu, meaning the five leaders appears. This proves that the Divine
Will has manifested the five main religions and prophets for the
spiritual benefit of the varied needs of humanity. We are taught that
an individual is born in a certain family, in a specific religion
according to the Divine Plan. Conversion from religion to religion,
therefore, goes against the Divine Will, against the soul's spiritual
progress and creates disorder in the basic Law of Nature. For this
reason the Bagvad Gita also admonishes, "para dharma maha bhay",
meaning, adopting a different religion is spiritually perilous.

Asho Zarathushtra did not convert individuals from religion to •
religion. He lived and preached Ahura Mazda's Revelation during the
Kiyani Dynasty. There were no conversions during the Peshdad and
Kiyani dynasties. Both are considered to be pre-historic dynasties
when only the Mazdayasni Din existed. There were no other established
religions to convert from! Asho Zarathushtra put back on the right
path those Mazdayasnis who had deviated from the Path of Asha and were
led into following some Devayasni practices. King Vishtasp was a
Mazdayasni who accepted Asho Zarathushtra's teaching. Asho
Zarathushtra renovated and restored the Mazdayasni Din to its pristine
form and thus our religion came to be known as the Mazdayasni
Zarathushti Din. At a tender age of 7 or 9, at navjote, a Parsi-Irani
Zarathushti child confesses: "Mazdayasno ahmi mazdayasno
Zarathushtrish", meaning, "I am a Mazdayasni (by birth) and a
Mazdayasni follower of Zarathushtra".

During the Achaemenian Dynasty also, the Parsi Kings did not convert •
the followers of other revealed religions. Cyrus the Great liberated
the Jews from the Babylonian captivity and granted them complete
religious freedom and even rebuilt the Temple of Solomon from his own
treasury. For this, Cyrus is remembered in the Old Testament as a
'Messiah'. Cyrus could have converted all the conquered people but
according to the religious tenets, he did not! Darius also did not
convert the subjects of the 28 Nations he ruled. Adhering to the
fundamental tenet of boonak pasbani or preservation of the 'gene',
tokham, he has carved his genealogy in the famous inscription at
Naqsh-i Rustom: "Parsa parsahya puthra arya ariyachithra", meaning (I
am) a Parsi, the son of a Parsi, an Irani, of Irani lineage! To even
remotely think that our ancestors practiced proselytism is to defame
their names!

The Sassanians did not convert other followers but stray instances
happened among the nobility in later times when the Empire became
decadent. This resulted in the weakening of the Empire from within due
to religious rivalry, treason, religious riots, patricide, fratricide
and the end of the Empire came swiftly. In the last four years of the
Empire, before Yazdgard III ascended the throne, ten monarchs ruled
over Iran!

History records that the only group of Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis to
survive outside of Iran is the one which came to Sanjan with the sole
purpose of protecting and preserving the religion as was practiced
since time immemorial in Iran. The Parsi-Irani Zarathushti community
flourished in India only because it preserved its religion and
religious identity.

Groups who left Iran for Europe, China and other parts of Eurasia did
not preserve the religion. They converted, intermarried and got wiped
out. Today, the memory of their existence survives through some
archeological evidences that stand as mute testimony to the groups of
Zarathushtis who left Iran during and after the Arab conquest. They
left Iran to escape the inhuman persecutions and oppression they
suffered at the hands of the Arab conquerors but got assimilated into
other host religions and cultures due to the open-door policy of
conversion and intermarriage.

In 1983, Ervad Kersey Antia of Chicago so-called converted Mr. Joseph
Peterson. Ervad Antia, in his attempt to introduce and promote
proselytism, states in his treatise "The Argument for Acceptance" that
"it is contrary to present Parsi practice or politics." He forgets
that the Avesta does not mention proselytism but only the ethical
conversion of converting vices to virtues; that Asho Zarathushtra did
not convert any followers of any other religions; that the practice is
alien to our religion which is a non-missionary religion; that during
the worst times the Zarathushtis faced in Iran immediately after the
Arab conquest, the Din-Dasturs of Iran have described us in the
Pahlavi Dinkard as "tokhmak paspaan", preservers of the genetic seed!
It is not only after coming to India that we do not convert but
throughout the interminable millennia long history of our religion,
we, as a religious community, have not converted the followers of
other revealed religions.

For our small community to open its doors to conversion/acceptance is
to inevitably toll our own death knell. The converts will outnumber
the true Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis and they will dictate to us based
upon what they will add from their own religions, customs and
traditions. Our survival does not depend upon numbers. It depends upon
unity within the community and in continuing to practice the
time-tested rituals, customs and traditions as we have inherited these
since countless generations and upon which our survival depended till
today. No community survives that has moved away from its doctrinal
and traditional usages. Today, we have no enemies threatening our
survival from outside but the destruction comes from within. This is
the greatest threat we have faced so far in our long history of
survival, despite all odds.

In order to justify conversion/acceptance of juddins, Ervad Antia's
ilk discard the Vendidad with its moral and hygienic code and declare
it to be "unZarathushtrian"; "written by the Babylonians"; they call
the sacred Nirang, "bull-piss"; the sacred health-giving Hom is
mentioned by them as "mind-altering", "intoxicating", and "bhang"; the
gays and the homosexuals who are not wanted in their religions are
accepted by them into ours! O Parsis! Is this the altered, mutilated
religion you wish to pass down to the future generations? Our
ancestors sealed their fate in blood and some left their beloved
homeland, Iran, to protect, preserve, to hand down to us our great
religion. We are the preservers of our religion, of our ancient Kiyani
tokham! Let us not open the flood gates to converts who will
inevitably alter our traditions, customs, rituals and scriptures.
Conversion is anti-Zarathushtrian. It is not propagated in the sacred
Avesta.

Acclaimed, distinguished European scholars who studied the Avestan and
Pahlavi languages and dedicated their life to the study of the sacred
Avesta never converted themselves to our religion. They recognize that
the Avesta does not mention proselytism but only the ethical
conversion, and they also know how dangerous the outcome will be to
the small Parsi-Irani Zarathushti community if we accept the so-called
'converts'.

For a better understanding of our scriptures and the problem of
conversion, please read: 1) "Conversion Caucus", by Dasturji Dr.
Hormazdyar Dastur Kayoji Mirza, 2) "Conversion in Zoroastrianism _ A
Myth Exploded" and 3) "Antia's 'Acceptance': A Zoroastrian Ahrmoghi
(Heresy)", jointly written by Dasturji Dr. Hormazdyar Dastur Kayoji
Mirza, Dasturji Dr. Kaikhushroo Minocher JamaspAsa and Dasturji Dr.
Firoze Meherji Kotwal. In addition, we urge you to read "Outlines of
Parsi History" and "Some Problems facing the Parsi Community" by
Dasturji Dr. Hormazdyar Dastur Kayoji Mirza; "Zoroastrianism _ Ancient
& Modern" by Ervad Phiroze S. Masani and the booklet "Acceptance _
Never Ever!" published by Rustom A. Irani.

Education is our best weapon against din-dushmani!

( Dastur Dr. Peshotan Dastur Hormazdyar Mirza for and on behalf of all
other Dasturs and Scholar Priests of India.)

(end)

Kersey Antia - hardly a "responsible" priest, says Mrs Pervin J Mistry

From: TZML Admins
Date: Jan 27, 2008 3:56 PM
Subject: Kersey Antia - hardly a "responsible" priest, says Mrs Pervin J Mistry
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

27 January 2008

Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc: Vada Dasturjis,
cc: Ervad Sahebs,
cc: The Parsee Voice,
cc: Zoroastrian Studies,
cc: Parsi Pukar,
cc: Dini-Awaz,
cc: Prominent Zoroastrians,
cc: TZML
cc: TMYZ officials

Please find here enclosed a very informative article by Mrs. Pervin J Mistry.

Please forward this article too to our good Zarathushtis you know.

Sincerely
TZML Admins.
(please see below)

In 1983, Ervad Kersey Antia of Chicago performed the fake navjote of
Joseph Peterson! By so doing, he went against the Dasturi Formula he
prayed at the time of taking his bareshnoom when he became a navar.
All navars recite this Sacred Formula to pledge that they, as Ervads,
will uphold the unbroken succession of Dasturi handed down from Ahura
Mazda to the Ameshaspands, to Sarosh Yazad, to Asho Zarathushtra, to
Gushtasp Padshah and from him to Aderbad Mahrespand and then the
Dasturi that is passed on to the Dastur-e Zaman under whose domain the
new navar is initiated. The Dasturjis of all the Panthaks in India
under whose domain the Ervad is initiated unequivocally and
unanimously condemn conversion and intermarriage. The act of Ervad
Antia to perform the fake navjote of a juddin is therefore an act of
heresy!

When Ervad Kersey Antia committed this act of heresy in North America,
in 1983 with encouragement from like-minded heretics and religiously
illiterate folks, the Dasturjis of India, Dasturji Hormazdyar Mirza,
Dasturji Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa, Dasturji Firoze Kotwal, jointly
published books which were circulated among the Parsi community. These
scholarly books, Antia's ' Acceptance ': A Zoroastrian ' Ahrmoghi '
(Heresy); Conversion in Zoroastrianism _ A Myth Exploded; and
Conversion Caucus should be reprinted and freely circulated so that
the fallacy of the gullible who believe in Ervad Antia's personal
opinions and presumptions are put to rest. The three learned Dasturjis
who have studied the Avesta-Pahlavi and have spent their lifetime
studying the Avesta cautioned and educated the gullible as to what the
Avesta reveals regarding conversion, meaning proselytism. Their
learned word against Antia's carries heavy weight wherein erudite
scholarship refutes every single argument Antia extended to justify
his heresy.

Ervad Antia does not have a doctorate degree in Avesta and Pahlavi
languages. His degree is in psychiatry! He has no right to flout our
time-tested rituals, scriptures, customs and traditions. It should be
duly remembered by one and all that while our ancestors came to the
shores of India their only motive was to preserve and perpetuate the
ancestral Mazdayasni Zarathushti Religion which was under threat of
being extinguished by the Arabs when they conquered Iran and forced
many of our ancestors to give up our religion for Islam. Our ancestors
came to India to save, practice and follow the essential boonak
pasbani, the fundamental Pillar of our Religion without which we will
loose our religious and ethnic identity! Without this enjoined
discipline which is revealed in the Sacred Avesta, we would not have
survived for these past 1300 plus years in India. The groups that left
Iran and went to Europe and China and other parts soon got wiped out
through intermarriage and conversion. Today, only some archeological
evidences remain as mute testimony to these groups who left Iran after
the Arab conquest but failed to preserve their Zarathushti identity
and religion. They did not follow the mandate of boonak pasbani except
the group that landed on the shores of Diu. We are the descendants of
these wise ancestors who have passed on the baton of preserving our
religion, unaltered, to the succeeding generations.

The newer and recent migration to North America and other lucrative
parts of the world was only for the sake of greener pastures and not
for the sake of religion! These new immigrants were seeking to alter
our religion to suit their own convenience. In North America many fake
gurus and charlatans sprang up and were received by the spiritually
gullible community to hasten the process of the "melting pot" theory!
Many dime-a-dozen half-baked scholars sprang up and succeeded in
fooling the community to accept "change", "become progressively
modern" and to outdo the Westerners in all aspects of unbridled and
irresponsible "freedom". They first pronounced the Vendidad to be
"unZarathushtrian" because the Vendidad condemns intermarriage and
sets a strict moral code of conduct to be followed by all
Zarathushtis.

Today, as a result of Antia's conversion, more heretics have sprung up
and are subverting our religion. Ali Akbar Jafarey, a Muslim heretic
who has renounced his own Faith and become a 'kafir' has become a
self-styled 'ratu' and is converting other followers of other divinely
revealed religions to our religion! Think! If I sprinkle some water on
any individual, will I make that individual a Christian? Will
Christians accept such a fake convert as a Christian? No! But the
religiously illiterate and totally gullible Zarathushtis of North
America accept the converts these Muslim brings into our religion by
making them put on the sudreh-kusti in mass navjote ceremonies
performed by the aid of a loudspeaker! Many of these converts are the
unwanteds in their own communities; they follow alternate lifestyles,
meaning they are the gays and homosexuals. These are strictly
condemned in our scriptures, specially the Vendidad. To justify these
wrong immoral acts, the heterodox in North America first destroyed the
Vendidad as unauthentic and unZarathushtrian! Many of these morally
perverted juddin converts have become self-styled 'ratus' of our
religion! Oh Zarathushtis, do we have any self respect left? Did our
ancestors learn our religion from the heretics of other faiths? Should
we not listen and respect our Dasturjis when they unanimously condemn
conversion and intermarriages?

The learned Dasturs have pronounced with evidences from the Avesta
that the word "to convert" meaning to proselyte is absolutely
NON-EXISTENT in the entire corpus of the Holy Avesta!

Today, the Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis of India are trying to copy the
West! It should be duly noted and ingrained in every Parsi-Irani
Zarathushti's memory that not too long ago, at a FEZANA Meeting in LA,
in 2001, a Muslim convert, Arnan Ariane, challenged the Parsi-Irani
Zarathushtis that converts like him are now in majority and they will
dictate to us, the true followers, what our religion should be and how
it should be followed! In reality, we ARE a microscopic community and
the converts will swamp us in no time. Are we prepared to accept these
converts who will enter our religiously consecrated places of worship
and spit 'pan' on the floors? Are we prepared to welcome in our midst
gays and homosexuals? Are we prepared to do away with our sacred
ritual of Nirang-Din which is referred to as "bull-piss"? Without
nirang, no other rituals such as navjote, wedding, bareshnoom, etc.
will be performed! Are we going to do away with the Ijeshne ritual
because the converts are calling the sacred Hom as "bhang" or
mind-altering? What have we come to? Only the so-called 'educated',
'modern' Parsis community accepts these insults heaped on our
religion, scriptures, rituals, traditions. Look at the other
communities! They stand up for their right to practice and preserve
their religion the way they are used to! Will they keep quiet if a
Parsi insults their rituals, Prophet, mullahs, soma, the holy cross,
etc.

Any Parsi-Irani Zarathushti worth his/her salt will NOT GO to Ervad
Kersey Antia's lecture. All of you please spread the word to your
family and friends what sacrilege it is to hear heresy! Ervad Antia
will mention about Khurshedji R Cama that he was an orthodox who
accepted "change". But KRCama never propagated conversion! He was an
ardent appreciator/student of Ustad Behramshah Shroff! Behramshah
Shroff did not accept conversion and intermarriage as a Zarathushti
discipline but always stressed on the fundamental discipline of boonak
pasbani. Ervad Antia will quote from the scriptures to fool the
gullible. All his quotes and arguments have been appropriately and
scholarly refuted by the Dasturjis. Only the ignorant and the
heretics, as they are in every community, will believe in what Kersey
Antia says! These quotes and their interpretations are his own made-up
presumptions. He will quote from Dastur Dhalla but will not mention
that when asked by the Court in Bombay if Dastur Dhalla ever converted
anyone, the reply Dasturji gave was in the negative because, he
confessed, it went against the collective conscience of the community!
This was during the Vansda case when Ervad Bode lost the case!

So friends, be careful, please. We are enjoined to participate at
'SAT-Sang' where likeminded folks gather and generate spirituality.
This is anti-sat-sang! This is din-dushmani wherein angre-mainyu is
invited to subvert our age old, time-tested rituals, scriptures,
traditions and customs! Please do not go and pollute your soul! To
know the Truth please do read the 3 above-named books written by our
learned Dasturjis and also read Outlines of Parsi History as well as
Some Problems Facing the Parsi Community, both written by Dasturji
Hormazdyar Dastur Kayoji Mirza; also read Zoroastrianism _ Ancient and
Modern by Ervad Phiroze Masani. The key to our survival is religious
education.

The first generation of the Parsi-Irani Zarathushti community in North
America discarded their ancestral religious practices for "change" and
accepted intermarriage and conversion to mix with and be accepted by
the host majority followers of other missionary religions such as
Christianity and Islam. After 30 to 40 years of altering our
scriptures, rituals and traditions, the current second generation has
lost much that is today followed by the Parsi-Irani Zarathushti
community in India. They are mostly "Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis" in name
alone. Within the next 30 to 40 years our religion will be dead to the
Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis in North America and there will be those who,
like the Mazdayasnans of Europe, will call themselves "Mazdayasnans"
or "Zarathushtis" but they will be so in name alone. Already, some who
are honest, acknowledge that intermarriage and 'acceptance'/conversion
dwindles our community since the children of intermarrieds do not take
up the practices of our religion. They do not feel any affiliation to
our religion. The converts bring their own shade and hues of
"Zoroastrianism" but the real Mazdayasni Zarathushti Religion
practiced and handed down by our forefathers will not survive in North
America. It will not survive in India if India accepts the North
American model of our religion which is altered to suit personal
conveniences.

Both ARZ and AIMZ are renegade associations. By definition the AIMZ
group is the Association of Intermarried Mazdayasni Zoroastrians! The
ARZ is correctly dubbed as the Association for "Ruination" (instead of
Revival) of Zoroastrianism since they duplicate the renegades of AIMZ
and other such associations.

Do pass the word around! Thank You!

Sincerely,

Pervin J Mistry

21 Jan 2008

ARZ push "Acceptance" and "Conversion" - now inviting Kersey Antia from Chicago, of all people

From: TZML Admins
Date: Jan 30, 2008 8:26 PM
Subject: ARZ push "Acceptance" and "Conversion" - now inviting Kersey
Antia from Chicago, of all people
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

OUR COMMUNITY AND RELIGION ARE IN DANGER OF BEING SWAMPED BY
SOME IRRELIGIOUS IDEAS.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ALL GOOD ZARATHUSHTIS YOU KNOW OF SO
THAT THEY REALISE THE TRUTH AND DO NOT FALL IN FOR THE EXPENSIVE
ADVERTISEMENTS IN PARSI PAPERS.

BEING ARMED WITH THE TRUTH YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SPOT THE REAL FROM THE UNREAL

HUMATA HUKHTA HAVARASHTA!

30 January 2008

Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc: Vada Dasturjis,
cc: Ervad Sahebs,
cc: The Parsee Voice,
cc: Zoroastrian Studies,
cc: Parsi Pukar,
cc: Dini-Awaz,
cc: Prominent Zoroastrians,
cc: TZML
cc: TMYZ officials

Subject: ARZ CONTINUE THEIR "ACCEPTANCE" MISTAKE - NOW INVITE KERSEY
ANTIA FROM CHICAGO, OF ALL PEOPLE

Subject: ARZ CONTINUE THEIR "ACCEPTANCE" MISTAKE - NOW INVITE KERSEY
ANTIA FROM CHICAGO, OF ALL PEOPLE

A Happy New Year to all of you.

Lets pray that the New Year brings the best for the Zoroastrian community.

Lets pray that our community comes back to its traditional roots and
not be misguided by groups who do not know the ABCs of the complex and
ritual based Zarathushti religion.

One such group is ARZ - who have been aptly called the Association of
Ruination of Zoroastrianism.

Over the last many months ARZ has been pouring money into expensive
adverts in the Jame Jamshed weekly - money which could well be spent
on more important essentials like the Kathi Funds for Agiaries - in
launching a campaign to spread "Acceptance" in our community.

By "Acceptance", them mean full-frontal "conversion" of
non-Zoroastrian spouses of intermarried Zoroastrians.

For the information of dear readers, "conversion" or proselytism as
such does not exist in the Zoroastrian religion. When people ask
"Didn't Zarathushtra convert people into Zoroastrians?". The answer is
a categorical "No".

When Prophet Zarathushtra was born, the people were already in the
Mazdayasni faith. Zarathushtra just re-revealed the religion and
rooted out all the wrong practises that had crept in it, and lo and
behold, the Mazdayasnis were henceforth called "Mazdayasni
Zarathushtis". That is what we Parsis today are.

Then why ARZ are so keen on spreading the bogey of "Conversion" amidst
the community members. The answer is simple. ARZ believe that by
making "Acceptance" acceptable, the spouses of intermarried couples
can be brought into the community. Also, ARZ has now openly associated
itself with "The Association of Intermarried Zoroastrians (AIMZ)".
This group has inter-marrieds like Meher Amersey and others who in
spite of marrying outside the community, want to be regarded as
Zoroastrians.

No Vada Dasturji of India agrees with the mis-truths propounded either
by ARZ or AIMZ.

Hence ARZ have now invited what we call a "irresponsible priest" from
USA, Kersey Antia. Surely, not that Antia, who went against the Vada
Dasturjis in 1983 and performed a "naojote" of an American white
Christian by the name of Joseph Peterson. Yes, the very same Antia who
unnecessary caused controversy in our community way back in 1983. Now,
Kersey Antia who was severely chastised by the real Vada Dasturjis for
his acts of 1983 is called a "Vada Dasturji" in the ARZ ad. It just
shows the desperate measures which desperate and misguided people
take.

We wish to thank our Vada Dasturjis from the bottom of our hearts for
guiding us on the correct position on these matters.

Highly respected Vada Dasturji Dr Hormazdayar K Mirza, Vada Dasturji
Dr Kaikhushroo M JamaspAsa and Vada Dasturji Dr. Firoze M Kotwal had
released a paper in 1983 called "Conversion in Zoroastrianism - A Myth
Exploded".

In this paper, the respected Vada Dasturjis (High Priests) start as:
"We have read with grave concern reports appearing in a certain
section of the press regarding some irresponsible members of our
priestly class residing in North America having performed the
so-called Navjot of a 27 year old American of Christian faith, Mr
Joseph Peterson, on Saturday, 5 March 1983, at New York." (emphasis
ours)

The Dasturjis write: " The so-called Navjot of Mr Peterson is against
the Zoroastrian religion, tradition and long-standing customs, manners
and practises. In their long and chequered history, even during the
days of their empires, the Zoroastrians had never adopted a policy of
conversion or proselytism. A lot has been said and written from the
Zoroastrian view-point, against this 'conversion', 'proselytism' or,
as it is euphemistically called 'acceptance'.

The Vada Dasturjis also guide us about how the Yasna 30.2 which talks
about "freedom of choice" should be properly interpreted. The
Dasturjis say that the "freedom" spoken to in the Gathas is the
freedom of "moral choices", meaning man has to choose between "the
Righteous Path or the evil Path". No where it is mentioned that
"freedom of choice" means 'converting' people of other religions.

It is so simple, yet both Zoroastrians like Kersey Antia and
non-Zoroastrians like Ali Jafarey twist the real meaning.

Incidentally, Kersey Antia's brother Burjor Antia based in Mumbai, had
mentioned in a Jame interview years ago something to this effect: "If
you marry outside then there will be nothing left of the Zoroastrian
community". Hope Kersey Antia listens to the more sensible and
traditional voice of his brother Burjor.

If ARZ are interested in boosting the number of Zarathushtis in India,
then they should encourage youngsters to marry within the community
only and at an early age, and begetting at least 2-3 children per
couple.

Anything else is putting the cart before the horse.

Fellow Zarathushtis, let us remain traditional and united and not be
misled by the weekly false adverts put in by ARZ.

Please forward this email and others sent along with it to all good
Zarathushtis you know.

That is the only way our community will be kept aware and be able to
chose between the RIGHT and wrong!

Ushta Te,

- TZML Admins

[ PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ALL GOOD ZARATHUSHTIS YOU KNOW OF]

Kersey Antia - hardly a "responsible" priest, says Mrs Pervin J Mistry

From: TZML Admins
Date: Jan 27, 2008 3:56 PM
Subject: Kersey Antia - hardly a "responsible" priest, says Mrs Pervin J Mistry
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

27 January 2008

Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc: Vada Dasturjis,
cc: Ervad Sahebs,
cc: The Parsee Voice,
cc: Zoroastrian Studies,
cc: Parsi Pukar,
cc: Dini-Awaz,
cc: Prominent Zoroastrians,
cc: TZML
cc: TMYZ officials

Please find here enclosed a very informative article by Mrs. Pervin J Mistry.

Please forward this article too to our good Zarathushtis you know.

Sincerely
TZML Admins.
(please see below)

In 1983, Ervad Kersey Antia of Chicago performed the fake navjote of
Joseph Peterson! By so doing, he went against the Dasturi Formula he
prayed at the time of taking his bareshnoom when he became a navar.
All navars recite this Sacred Formula to pledge that they, as Ervads,
will uphold the unbroken succession of Dasturi handed down from Ahura
Mazda to the Ameshaspands, to Sarosh Yazad, to Asho Zarathushtra, to
Gushtasp Padshah and from him to Aderbad Mahrespand and then the
Dasturi that is passed on to the Dastur-e Zaman under whose domain the
new navar is initiated. The Dasturjis of all the Panthaks in India
under whose domain the Ervad is initiated unequivocally and
unanimously condemn conversion and intermarriage. The act of Ervad
Antia to perform the fake navjote of a juddin is therefore an act of
heresy!

When Ervad Kersey Antia committed this act of heresy in North America,
in 1983 with encouragement from like-minded heretics and religiously
illiterate folks, the Dasturjis of India, Dasturji Hormazdyar Mirza,
Dasturji Kaikhusroo JamaspAsa, Dasturji Firoze Kotwal, jointly
published books which were circulated among the Parsi community. These
scholarly books, Antia's ' Acceptance ': A Zoroastrian ' Ahrmoghi '
(Heresy); Conversion in Zoroastrianism _ A Myth Exploded; and
Conversion Caucus should be reprinted and freely circulated so that
the fallacy of the gullible who believe in Ervad Antia's personal
opinions and presumptions are put to rest. The three learned Dasturjis
who have studied the Avesta-Pahlavi and have spent their lifetime
studying the Avesta cautioned and educated the gullible as to what the
Avesta reveals regarding conversion, meaning proselytism. Their
learned word against Antia's carries heavy weight wherein erudite
scholarship refutes every single argument Antia extended to justify
his heresy.

Ervad Antia does not have a doctorate degree in Avesta and Pahlavi
languages. His degree is in psychiatry! He has no right to flout our
time-tested rituals, scriptures, customs and traditions. It should be
duly remembered by one and all that while our ancestors came to the
shores of India their only motive was to preserve and perpetuate the
ancestral Mazdayasni Zarathushti Religion which was under threat of
being extinguished by the Arabs when they conquered Iran and forced
many of our ancestors to give up our religion for Islam. Our ancestors
came to India to save, practice and follow the essential boonak
pasbani, the fundamental Pillar of our Religion without which we will
loose our religious and ethnic identity! Without this enjoined
discipline which is revealed in the Sacred Avesta, we would not have
survived for these past 1300 plus years in India. The groups that left
Iran and went to Europe and China and other parts soon got wiped out
through intermarriage and conversion. Today, only some archeological
evidences remain as mute testimony to these groups who left Iran after
the Arab conquest but failed to preserve their Zarathushti identity
and religion. They did not follow the mandate of boonak pasbani except
the group that landed on the shores of Diu. We are the descendants of
these wise ancestors who have passed on the baton of preserving our
religion, unaltered, to the succeeding generations.

The newer and recent migration to North America and other lucrative
parts of the world was only for the sake of greener pastures and not
for the sake of religion! These new immigrants were seeking to alter
our religion to suit their own convenience. In North America many fake
gurus and charlatans sprang up and were received by the spiritually
gullible community to hasten the process of the "melting pot" theory!
Many dime-a-dozen half-baked scholars sprang up and succeeded in
fooling the community to accept "change", "become progressively
modern" and to outdo the Westerners in all aspects of unbridled and
irresponsible "freedom". They first pronounced the Vendidad to be
"unZarathushtrian" because the Vendidad condemns intermarriage and
sets a strict moral code of conduct to be followed by all
Zarathushtis.

Today, as a result of Antia's conversion, more heretics have sprung up
and are subverting our religion. Ali Akbar Jafarey, a Muslim heretic
who has renounced his own Faith and become a 'kafir' has become a
self-styled 'ratu' and is converting other followers of other divinely
revealed religions to our religion! Think! If I sprinkle some water on
any individual, will I make that individual a Christian? Will
Christians accept such a fake convert as a Christian? No! But the
religiously illiterate and totally gullible Zarathushtis of North
America accept the converts these Muslim brings into our religion by
making them put on the sudreh-kusti in mass navjote ceremonies
performed by the aid of a loudspeaker! Many of these converts are the
unwanteds in their own communities; they follow alternate lifestyles,
meaning they are the gays and homosexuals. These are strictly
condemned in our scriptures, specially the Vendidad. To justify these
wrong immoral acts, the heterodox in North America first destroyed the
Vendidad as unauthentic and unZarathushtrian! Many of these morally
perverted juddin converts have become self-styled 'ratus' of our
religion! Oh Zarathushtis, do we have any self respect left? Did our
ancestors learn our religion from the heretics of other faiths? Should
we not listen and respect our Dasturjis when they unanimously condemn
conversion and intermarriages?

The learned Dasturs have pronounced with evidences from the Avesta
that the word "to convert" meaning to proselyte is absolutely
NON-EXISTENT in the entire corpus of the Holy Avesta!

Today, the Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis of India are trying to copy the
West! It should be duly noted and ingrained in every Parsi-Irani
Zarathushti's memory that not too long ago, at a FEZANA Meeting in LA,
in 2001, a Muslim convert, Arnan Ariane, challenged the Parsi-Irani
Zarathushtis that converts like him are now in majority and they will
dictate to us, the true followers, what our religion should be and how
it should be followed! In reality, we ARE a microscopic community and
the converts will swamp us in no time. Are we prepared to accept these
converts who will enter our religiously consecrated places of worship
and spit 'pan' on the floors? Are we prepared to welcome in our midst
gays and homosexuals? Are we prepared to do away with our sacred
ritual of Nirang-Din which is referred to as "bull-piss"? Without
nirang, no other rituals such as navjote, wedding, bareshnoom, etc.
will be performed! Are we going to do away with the Ijeshne ritual
because the converts are calling the sacred Hom as "bhang" or
mind-altering? What have we come to? Only the so-called 'educated',
'modern' Parsis community accepts these insults heaped on our
religion, scriptures, rituals, traditions. Look at the other
communities! They stand up for their right to practice and preserve
their religion the way they are used to! Will they keep quiet if a
Parsi insults their rituals, Prophet, mullahs, soma, the holy cross,
etc.

Any Parsi-Irani Zarathushti worth his/her salt will NOT GO to Ervad
Kersey Antia's lecture. All of you please spread the word to your
family and friends what sacrilege it is to hear heresy! Ervad Antia
will mention about Khurshedji R Cama that he was an orthodox who
accepted "change". But KRCama never propagated conversion! He was an
ardent appreciator/student of Ustad Behramshah Shroff! Behramshah
Shroff did not accept conversion and intermarriage as a Zarathushti
discipline but always stressed on the fundamental discipline of boonak
pasbani. Ervad Antia will quote from the scriptures to fool the
gullible. All his quotes and arguments have been appropriately and
scholarly refuted by the Dasturjis. Only the ignorant and the
heretics, as they are in every community, will believe in what Kersey
Antia says! These quotes and their interpretations are his own made-up
presumptions. He will quote from Dastur Dhalla but will not mention
that when asked by the Court in Bombay if Dastur Dhalla ever converted
anyone, the reply Dasturji gave was in the negative because, he
confessed, it went against the collective conscience of the community!
This was during the Vansda case when Ervad Bode lost the case!

So friends, be careful, please. We are enjoined to participate at
'SAT-Sang' where likeminded folks gather and generate spirituality.
This is anti-sat-sang! This is din-dushmani wherein angre-mainyu is
invited to subvert our age old, time-tested rituals, scriptures,
traditions and customs! Please do not go and pollute your soul! To
know the Truth please do read the 3 above-named books written by our
learned Dasturjis and also read Outlines of Parsi History as well as
Some Problems Facing the Parsi Community, both written by Dasturji
Hormazdyar Dastur Kayoji Mirza; also read Zoroastrianism _ Ancient and
Modern by Ervad Phiroze Masani. The key to our survival is religious
education.

The first generation of the Parsi-Irani Zarathushti community in North
America discarded their ancestral religious practices for "change" and
accepted intermarriage and conversion to mix with and be accepted by
the host majority followers of other missionary religions such as
Christianity and Islam. After 30 to 40 years of altering our
scriptures, rituals and traditions, the current second generation has
lost much that is today followed by the Parsi-Irani Zarathushti
community in India. They are mostly "Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis" in name
alone. Within the next 30 to 40 years our religion will be dead to the
Parsi-Irani Zarathushtis in North America and there will be those who,
like the Mazdayasnans of Europe, will call themselves "Mazdayasnans"
or "Zarathushtis" but they will be so in name alone. Already, some who
are honest, acknowledge that intermarriage and 'acceptance'/conversion
dwindles our community since the children of intermarrieds do not take
up the practices of our religion. They do not feel any affiliation to
our religion. The converts bring their own shade and hues of
"Zoroastrianism" but the real Mazdayasni Zarathushti Religion
practiced and handed down by our forefathers will not survive in North
America. It will not survive in India if India accepts the North
American model of our religion which is altered to suit personal
conveniences.

Both ARZ and AIMZ are renegade associations. By definition the AIMZ
group is the Association of Intermarried Mazdayasni Zoroastrians! The
ARZ is correctly dubbed as the Association for "Ruination" (instead of
Revival) of Zoroastrianism since they duplicate the renegades of AIMZ
and other such associations.

Do pass the word around! Thank You!

Sincerely,

Pervin J Mistry

21 Jan 2008

ARZ continue their "Acceptance" mistake - now inviting Kersey Antia from Chicago, of all people

From: TZML Admins
Date: Jan 27, 2008 3:43 PM
Subject: ARZ continue their "Acceptance" mistake - now inviting Kersey
Antia from Chicago, of all people
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

HUMATA HUKHTA HAVARASHTA!

27 January 2008

Dear Zarathushti humdins,
cc: Vada Dasturjis,
cc: Ervad Sahebs,
cc: The Parsee Voice,
cc: Zoroastrian Studies,
cc: Parsi Pukar,
cc: Dini-Awaz,
cc: Prominent Zoroastrians,
cc: TZML
cc: TMYZ officials

Subject: ARZ CONTINUE THEIR "ACCEPTANCE" MISTAKE - NOW INVITE KERSEY
ANTIA FROM CHICAGO, OF ALL PEOPLE

A Happy New Year to all of you.

Lets pray that the New Year brings the best for the Zoroastrian community.

Lets pray that our community comes back to its traditional roots and
not be misguided by groups who do not know the ABCs of the complex and
ritual based Zarathushti religion.

One such group is ARZ - who have been aptly called the Association of
Ruination of Zoroastrianism.

Over the last many months ARZ has been pouring money into expensive
adverts in the Jame Jamshed weekly - money which could well be spent
on more important essentials like the Kathi Funds for Agiaries - in
launching a campaign to spread "Acceptance" in our community.

By "Acceptance", them mean full-frontal "conversion" of
non-Zoroastrian spouses of intermarried Zoroastrians.
For the information of dear readers, "conversion" or proselytism as
such does not exist in the Zoroastrian religion. When people ask
"Didn't Zarathushtra convert people into Zoroastrians?". The answer is
a categorical "No".
When Prophet Zarathushtra was born, the people were already in the
Mazdayasni faith. Zarathushtra just re-revealed the religion and
rooted out all the wrong practises that had crept in it, and lo and
behold, the Mazdayasnis were henceforth called "Mazdayasni
Zarathushtis". That is what we Parsis today are.

Then why ARZ are so keen on spreading the bogey of "Conversion" amidst
the community members. The answer is simple. ARZ believe that by
making "Acceptance" acceptable, the spouses of intermarried couples
can be brought into the community. Also, ARZ has now openly associated
itself with "The Association of Intermarried Zoroastrians (AIMZ)".
This group has inter-marrieds like Meher Amersey and others who in
spite of marrying outside the community, want to be regarded as
Zoroastrians.

No Vada Dasturji of India agrees with the mis-truths propounded either
by ARZ or AIMZ.

Hence ARZ have now invited what we call a "irresponsible priest" from
USA, Kersey Antia. Surely, not that Antia, who went against the Vada
Dasturjis in 1983 and performed a "naojote" of an American white
Christian by the name of Joseph Peterson. Yes, the very same Antia who
unnecessary caused controversy in our community way back in 1983. Now,
Kersey Antia who was severely chastised by the real Vada Dasturjis for
his acts of 1983 is called a "Vada Dasturji" in the ARZ ad. It just
shows the desperate measures which desperate and misguided people
take.

We wish to thank our Vada Dasturjis from the bottom of our hearts for
guiding us on the correct position on these matters.

Highly respected Vada Dasturji Dr Hormazdayar K Mirza, Vada Dasturji
Dr Kaikhushroo M JamaspAsa and Vada Dasturji Dr. Firoze M Kotwal had
released a paper in 1983 called "Conversion in Zoroastrianism - A Myth
Exploded".

In this paper, the respected Vada Dasturjis (High Priests) start as:
"We have read with grave concern reports appearing in a certain
section of the press regarding some irresponsible members of our
priestly class residing in North America having performed the
so-called Navjot of a 27 year old American of Christian faith, Mr
Joseph Peterson, on Saturday, 5 March 1983, at New York." (emphasis
ours)

The Dasturjis write: " The so-called Navjot of Mr Peterson is against
the Zoroastrian religion, tradition and long-standing customs, manners
and practises. In their long and chequered history, even during the
days of their empires, the Zoroastrians had never adopted a policy of
conversion or proselytism. A lot has been said and written from the
Zoroastrian view-point, against this 'conversion', 'proselytism' or,
as it is euphemistically called 'acceptance'.

The Vada Dasturjis also guide us about how the Yasna 30.2 which talks
about "freedom of choice" should be properly interpreted. The
Dasturjis say that the "freedom" spoken to in the Gathas is the
freedom of "moral choices", meaning man has to choose between "the
Righteous Path or the evil Path". No where it is mentioned that
"freedom of choice" means 'converting' people of other religions.

It is so simple, yet both Zoroastrians like Kersey Antia and
non-Zoroastrians like Ali Jafarey twist the real meaning.

Incidentally, Kersey Antia's brother Burjor Antia based in Mumbai, had
mentioned in a Jame interview years ago something to this effect: "If
you marry outside then there will be nothing left of the Zoroastrian
community". Hope Kersey Antia listens to the more sensible and
traditional voice of his brother Burjor.

If ARZ are interested in boosting the number of Zarathushtis in India,
then they should encourage youngsters to marry within the community
only and at an early age, and begetting at least 2-3 children per
couple.
Anything else is putting the cart before the horse.

Fellow Zarathushtis, let us remain traditional and united and not be
misled by the weekly false adverts put in by ARZ.

Please forward this email and others sent along with it to all good
Zarathushtis you know.

That is the only way our community will be kept aware and be able to
chose between the RIGHT and wrong!

Ushta Te,

- TZML Admins

[ PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ALL GOOD ZARATHUSHTIS YOU KNOW OFF]

Appeal for Parsi General

Date: Jan 24, 2008 10:51 PM
Subject: Appeal for Parsi General

Friends,

Could you help in publishing this appeal for the Parsi General please.

The following are missing in this hospital forcing many Parsi patients to
go elsewhere. The poor are worst effected.

Biopsy Procedure Facility = 2 lakh rupees
Dialysis machine = 10 lakh rupees
C.T. Scan = 1 Crore rupees
M.R.I. = 1 Crore rupees

The address is:

B.D. Petit Parsi General Hospital
Bomanjee Packet Road
A.K. Marg
Mumbai - 400036
Landmark: Near Kemps Corner
Phone: 022-23633212, 23633641

Regards,

Porus.

Sherevar roj, Sherevar mah YZ 1377 - and Salgrehs, Gahambars in this month

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tehemton B. Adenwalla
Date: Jan 20, 2008 9:38 AM
Subject: Sherevar roj, Sherevar mah YZ 1377 - and Salgrehs, Gahambars in this month
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

Baname Khuda!

 

 

Dear Zarathushti humdins,

 

today is Sherevar roj, Sherevar mah, a parabh day in the year 1377.

 

Sherevar is one of the seven Ahmeshaspands and His sovereignity is over the mineral kingdom.

 

The co-workers of Sherevar Ahmeshaspand are:

* Khorshed Yazad

* Meher Yazad

* Mino Aasman

* Mino Aneran

 

Is there any Sherevar-nu-Parabh jashan in any agiary today.

 

The Salgrehs of Agiaries in this month are as follows:

 

Ardibehest roj (Sat, 19 Jan 2008)

- The Bai Dhunbai and Cawasji Dadabhai Daremehr (Dadgah), Bangalore

 

Asfandard roj (Mon, 21 Jan 2008)

- Ardeshir B Patel Agiary (Dadgah) at Salsette Baug, Andheri, Mumbai

 

Dae-pa-dar roj (Thurs, 24 Jan 2008)

- The M N Maneckji Daremeher, Daman

 

Adar roj (Fri, 25 Jan 2008)

- Anjuman Daremeher, Mhow / Indore, Madhya Pradesh

- Irani Daremeher, Dahanu

 

Meher roj (Fri, 1 Feb 2008)

- Kadmi Meherangan Jashan

 

Sarosh roj (Sat, 2 Feb 2008)

- J J Dadabhoy Agiary, Colaba, Mumbai

- Saher Agiary, Warden Road, Breach Candy, Mumai

- Bag-e-Parsa Adarian, Surat

- Faramji Cawasji Contractor Agiary, Vadodra (Baroda), Gujarat

- New Ghamat Daremeher, Bhatha

- Guzder Dadgah, Chikli, near Billimora/Gandevi, Gujarat

- Banoo Rustom Farokh Daremeher, Kerman, Iran

 

Behram roj (Tue, 5 Feb 2008)

- Karani Daremeher, Cusrow Bau, Mumbai

- Tata Agiary, Bandra

- Lady Avabhai J Jeejebhoy Adarian, Malesar, Navsari

 

Astad roj (Mon, 11 Feb 2008)

*** Paeteshhem Gahambar (Shahenshahi ) ***

*** Ayathrem Gahambar (Kadmi) ***

 

Aasman roj (Tue, 12 Feb 2008)

- Dumas Daremeher, Gujarat

 

If there are any errors or omissions in the above mini-calendar, please let us know.

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

Tehemton B. Adenwalla

 

LONG LIVE THE PARSEES !

From: Tehemton B. Adenwalla
Date: Jan 16, 2008 7:46 AM
Subject: Fw: LONG LIVE THE PARSEES !
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

Baname Khuda!

An inspiring article forwarded to me.

Sincerely
Tehemton B. Adenwalla

________________________________

LNG LIVE THE PARSIS !

'Dying ? Who's dying ?' he asked, outraged. 'I'm not. And I have
extensions of myself - two sons and one daughter. So have you. Dying ?
What are you talking about ?'

But Fali, we are dying', I tried to explain. 'Read this article :'The
death rates are higher than birth rates. What can you say to that ?'

Fali belongs to the old, 'never-say-die' brigade. There was no way I
could convince him about the gravity of the situation.

'The whole world worries about us; most of our customs and rituals are
being documented for preservation.' I pressed on.

'What preservation ? Fali growled. 'I am here, jivto jagto ! Are you
scared, or what, by what these idiots are saying ? Heh, heh, heh', he
chortled. 'Nothing can wipe us out !' Fali put the thing in perfect
perspective.

'I don't believe these rubbishy statistics. If the Lord intended to
die out, our little boat would have been gulped down by the ocean when
we fled Iran. But he did not. We were just a HANDFUL that landed here
on the sands of Sanjan and see how many we are today. More than a lakh
all over the world.' (this is the most important I think we should
work on this paragraph, how did we multiply when we were only a few)

'He wanted us to do something and look what we have produced : gems
.......a JRD, a Palkhivala, a Fali Nariman, a Sam Manekshaw, a
Pirojshaw Godrej, not to talk of the Udvadias, the Sunawalas, the
Godiwallas and Zubin. We have brains and business acumen.'

'And 'Quality'. We don't produce children by the dozen, but what we
leave behind is quality stuff. It is nature's law that good things are
rare, like us. We have always been a minuscule community. Now if you
want to sit and cry, cry ! But I don't think we are doomed. If they
want to document us, let them ! We have yet much to do and much to
give!'

I watched him, bedazzled, as he put on his bushcoat to leave and
planted a Parsi kiss on cheek. I raised a hand in quiet salutation and
felt proud of the blood that flowed through my veins. He was like a
breath of fresh air in an overcrowded room. I sat transfixed for a
while. His attitude was convincing and contagious.

Probably it is this attitude that has kept us going. Numbers don't
count. It is all a matter of attitude !

This was send to me by a friend please pass it on to all Parsis.

WE R THE BEST,

HIP HIP HURRAY TO ALL THE PARSEES ON MOTHER EARTH.
WITH LOVE AND REGARDS TO ONE AND ALL.

Salgrehs of Agiaries on Sarosh roj, Amardad mah, YZ 1377 ( 3 Jan 2008, Thurs)

From: Tehemton B. Adenwalla
Date: Jan 3, 2008 11:53 AM
Subject: Salgrehs of Agiaries on Sarosh roj, Amardad mah, YZ 1377 ( 3
Jan 2008, Thurs)
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

Baname Khuda!

Dear fellow Zarathushtis,

It is Sarosh roj today and Amardad mah of YZ 1377, an opportunity to
revere Atash Padshah's whose Salgrehs fall today. The secular date is
3 January 2008.

Please note that it is the 150th Salgreh of the Vatcha Gandhi Agiary
at Chowpatty today.

We have the Salgrehs of these wonderful Agiaries today:

1. Boyce Dhanapatel Agiary, Tardeo, Mumbai

This Adarian was consecrated in the year YZ 1203 (AD 1834) and is
hence 174 years old.

It is one of the 4 Agiaries in the Tardeo area, the other 3 being the
Sethna Agiary, Batliwalla Agiary and the Kappawalla Agiary. Lucky
residents of Tardeo!

The admirable part of this Agiary is that it does not have any
electricity connection. The trustees, management and Panthaki Sahebs
of this Agiary have to be congratulated for this correct decision,
since electricity and our ritual ceremonies do not go well with each
other. The electric and magnetic circuits cause interference with the
ritual ceremonies of our jashans and other prayers.

In day time, having no electric lights is not a problem at all, but
what about after sunset. The Agiary people have kept various bright
diva lamps at crucial places and nooks of the agiary to help devotees
find their way through.

I am not sure whether they have divas or other natural oil lamps in
the kebla room, will some one who frequents this agiary please inform
us.

Not having electricity is the correct stance and we wish that other
agiaries too follow this practise at least in the kebla rooms and
places where jashans and liturgical ceremonies are held. They may have
electricity in the other rooms where there are lectures held.

A very good explanation on how detrimental electricity is for Agiaries
can be found in many articles in the well read Dini-Awaz and Parsi
Pukar magazines, plus the columns of Parsi Avaz which we are fortunate
to have a glimpse of now and then. One useful article explaining how
Atash and electricity are mutually opposed is found at
http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/elect33.html

2. Vatcha Gandhi Agiary at Chowpatty, Mumbai

The Mody Sohrabji Vatcha Gandhi Adarian at Chowpatty, minutes away
from the lovely Arabian Sea, was consecrated in the year AD 1227 ( AD
1858) and is therefore 150 years old today.

Congratulations on the 150th Anniversary !

What are the functions planned for this day - apart from the Salgreh
jashan, who will be lecturing today in its premises.

The current Panthaki Saheb of this Agiary is Ervad Aspandiar Dadachanji.

3. A K Pankhaky Agiary at Bandra, Mumbai
The Ervad Adarji Kharshedji Panthaky Adarian at Bandra was
consecrated in the year YZ 1299 (AD 1930) and is 78 years old today.

This agiary, along with the Tata agiary, serve well the needs of the
Parsi population at Bandra.

4. Belgamwalla Daremeher at Hoobly, Karnataka State

The Seth Hormusji Navroji Belgamwalla Daremeher (Dadgah) was
consecrated in the year YZ 1304 (AD 1935) and is therefore 73 years
old today.

How many Parsis stay at Hoobly? And at Belgaum today?

Sincerely
Tehemton B. Adenwalla

UDVADA PROBLEM - important points from Ervad Hoshang Bhadha

From: TZML Admn
Date: Jan 3, 2008 12:55 PM
Subject: Fw: UDVADA PROBLEM - important points from Ervad Hoshang Bhadha
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>, "(Ervad) Hoshang
Bhadha Ph.D."
Cc: TMYZ Moderator <TMYZ-owner@yahoogroups.com>, The Parsee Voice

Dear TZML members,

we share some important points made by Ervad Hoshang Bhadha on the
"Udvada problem"

Dear Ervad Bhadha,
Thank you for your letter.

We are sharing parts of your letter with TZML members, TMYZ officials,
the Parsee Voice and other Zarathushtis.

We warmly recommend that you join both TZML and TMYZ and restart
writing on various topics.

It is only by constant interaction and staying in touch that we can
overcome these hurdles.

Who is currently taking the lead in preservation of Udvada - perhaps
you should communicate with Parsee Voice. Their contact is
theparseevoice@yahoo.com

Wishing us all good luck and anticipating your joining the traditional
mailing groups soon.

Sincerely
TZML Admins

----- Original Message -----
From: Hoshang Bhadha
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 1:54 AM
Subject: UDVADA PROBLEM

Hello TZ Friends,
I am here in Udvada to perform Navjote of my two daughters. Inquiring
about the donations to Udavada Athornan & Samast Anjuman Fund, I read
JAm-e-Jamshed dated Dec 23rd 2007 where it states that funds were
received from many people (with names) in India & abroad. The list
shows only names & Z.Assoc of New-York.

I would like to know why other groups and Associations are not listed
as I understand the funds are contributed by many people from abroad
via their registered group or individually. Why only few are listed
showing this as a complete list of donations & if not where all the
contributions are going to if at all received by the Udvada Anjuman?
The newspaper says this amount (Rs.10.26 Lakhs) is collected during
this calender year.

In the past we have heard several cases of intermediaries collecting
money in the name of Udvada Anjuman & using it for personal use or
distributing among their acquaintances. I have seen many emails
talking about Udvada properties Zarathostis. iDid anybody from this
panel did anything besides writing emails to resolve these problems?.
* LOCAL PROPERTY OWNERS PREFER TO SELL THEIR HOMES TO NON-ZARATHOSTIS
* ONLY 2% PEOPLE LIVING IN UDVADA ARE REALLY POOR. MAJORITY LIVES IN
AN AVERAGE LIFE-STYLE SACKING SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WEALTH VIA THEIR
ANCESTERS OR CHILDREN. HOWEVER THEY PREFER TO SHOW THE POOR-SIDE TO
OTHERS.
* QUESTIONS OF FUNDING IRANSHAH IS NOT EFFECTIVE FOR ITS MAINTENANCE.

Around 10 years back I have written an eye-opening article on Udvada
condition I recommend you all to read this article on TZM website once
again and reply to me so that I can highlight the effects of its
ignorance in todays Udvada.

Read many emails on "Heritage-town effects" on Udvada but nothing
about what YOU CAN DO personally to help stopping it.

I have a plan that I wanted to implement at the time of writing that
article. Anyway, when I saw the situation again encouraging serious
disasters in future I thought of highlighting once again with an
anticipation of getting valuable contributions from TZM Panel.

NO NEGATIVE THOUGHTS PLEASE. SOLUTION .... SOLUTION .... SOLUTION.

What You can do to resolve the problem. IDEAS, CONTRIBUTIONS are only
welcomed. LETS SEE WHO IS THE REAL-ONE.

Regards,
Ervad Hoshang J. Bhadha

Salgreh of the Dasturji Kookadaru Adarian at Sanjan today on Behram roj, Amardad mah, YZ 1377 ( Sun, 6 January 2007)

From: Tehemton B. Adenwalla
Date: Jan 6, 2008 7:06 AM
Subject: Salgreh of the Dasturji Kookadaru Adarian at Sanjan today on
Behram roj, Amardad mah, YZ 1377 ( Sun, 6 January 2007)
To: TZML <TraditionalZarathushtris@yahoogroups.com>

Baname Khuda!

BEHRAM YAZAD PIROJGAR DUSHMAN-ZADAR!

Dear Zarathushti humdins,

today is Behram roj of Amardad mah in the year YZ 1377. ( Sunday,
6th January 2008).

It happens to be the Salgreh of the Dasturji Kookadaru Adarian at
Sanjan, Gujarat.

This Daremeher was consecrated in the year YZ 1360 ( AD 1990) and is
thus 17 years old, using the YZ 1377 - YZ 1360 dates.

Strangely, if the consecration date is AD 1990 as per Mr. Giara's
book's 1st edition on page 126, it becomes 18 years old.

Will Mr. Giara or someone else please clarify this discrepancy.

Whatever be the case, it makes it one of the youngest Adrians in the community.

Quoting from Mr Giara's book: "This Daremeher was consecrated in
memory of Dasturji Kookadaroo, a saintly pious Dastoor well known
amongst the Parsi community for having performed miracles."

About the Adarian it says "Unique features: The base of the afarganyu
is a tripod. Two sacred winged bulls Sarosh Yazad Saheb bull and
Burges Yazad Saheb bull adorn the main gate." [ Burges = Burjish ]

We pray that, where possible, more and more Parsis take up residence
in the towns of Sanjan, Udvada, Pardi, Valsad, Navsari,Surat, Bharuch,
etc and thereby look after the properties of our community by taking
an interest in its welfare.

Sincerely
Tehemton B. Adenwalla