Friday, December 16, 2011

Letter from Rustom Chothia - Let us not question the word of GOD

Date: 12/15/2011 7:23:17 PM
Subject: Zarathusti = Parsi
Dears ...

Reading your mails I have one comment to make.
We cannot keep tearing to pieces the translations and the extant Scriptures.
Firstly they were destroyed twice. What we have left today is just one nask
and some fragments of other nasks.
Disputing Sahib's word is nothing less than a sin.
His teachings are quite clear to any sensible person.
The controversies created are manmade.
They come from 2 sources:
1) a lack of Faith.
2) ignorance
Our prayers and His Teachings are divinely inspired.
So as the saying goes: IF YOU HAVE FAITH NO EXPLANATION IS
NECESSARY WHILE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE FAITH,
NO EXPLANATION IS POSSIBLE.
PRAYER AND LOVE FOR GOD EMANATE FROM THE HEART.
Some main controversies people harp upon are:
1. Conversion - Dasturji Mirza, and Pervin Mistry (To name only 2)have given
answers quoting scripture, chapter and verse.
2. Intermarriage - This is nothing but selective conversion which will wipe us off the
face of the earth in 3+ generations.
3. Dokhmenashini or other means of disposal. - There are no two ways about this.
The extant Scriptures are clear on this. No defiling nature.
4. Why people of other faiths cannot enter our Fire Temples.-
For the same reason no non-Muslim cannot enter the whole city of Mecca.
For the same reason no non Hindu cannot enter the Jagganath Temple in Orissa,
and some Temples in South India.
For the same reason that non Christians cannot enter certain coptic churches.
Let us all discard our egos and bow down in humility and pray from our heart
whatever is in our Scriptures.
Remember "A MAN CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL, IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL"
Let us not question the word of GOD.
Rustom.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

FEED NEEDY OLD PARSIS in MUMBAI: APPEAL to all Zoroastrians Worldwide

FEED NEEDY OLD PARSIS in MUMBAI: APPEAL to all Zoroastrians Worldwide
by Rustom C. Chothia

THE DADAR-MATUNGA PARSI ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATION
(Registered under the Societies Registration Act., XXl of 1860)
(Registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act ,1950 under No. F -736
Bom.)
(Estd. May 1925)
PRESIDENT: RUSTOM C. CHOTHIA - 757, RD.NO. 7,
PARSI COLONY, DADAR, MUMBAI 400014.
TEL/FAX: +91 (India) -22 (Mumbai) -24148394
E-mail: chothia@vsnl.com

Dear Folks,

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

I approach you on behalf of The Dadar Matunga Parsi Zoroastrian
Association, which is doing laudable work since the last 70 years by
helping old and needy people of our community. The segment of society
we assist are aged, infirm people, people who are mentally and
physically handicapped and people in need of medical help. Many of our
beneficiaries are widows and some are even bedridden. These are people
who cannot be rehabilitated as they are incapable of doing any sort of
work. Most of these people are under constant medical treatment though
they cannot even afford a square meal. We have today more than 200
such on our roles and there is a waiting list of fresh applicants. We extend cash assistance of Rs 100 per month which is inadequate in present inflationary times. It is our aim to raise this sum and also to help more people who are on our waiting
list. Our volunteers screen each applicant individually for
suitability (financial and health) before we accept them as
beneficiaries. You may find it difficult to believe but some of our
beneficiaries are even residing in slums.

We organize a GHAMBAR LUNCH every year at Sohrab Palamkot Hall and
feed over 500 poor people who come from all over Bombay to enjoy a
true LAGAN NU BHONU complete with side dish, eggs, chicken and pulav
followed with ice-cream.

We organize an EXHIBITION CUM SALE once a year with more than 100
tables where people bring all types of home made utility articles and
foodstuff and also bought out items for sale.

We purchase mulmul and get poor women to stitch sudras which are then
sold by our members.

We have brought out 4 editions of the Dadar Parsi Colony Directory
listing all Parsi residents with addresses, phone numbers and even
blood groups. It also lists emergency services, doctors etc and is
very popular with the people.

We hold social/cultural functions to raise money but still our funds
are limited and we depend on donations we receive from time to time
from charitable minded organizations and individuals. We look forward
to your support by way of a generous corpus donation which shall bring
relief to and blessings from the underprivileged of our community.
Today out of one billion Indians we are only around seventy thousand,
which works out to less than one Parsi per ten thousand Indians. The
other communities are not going to help our people. It is for us to
look after our poor.

If you are abroad, personal cheques can be sent in foreign currency to
the above address. Please make out the cheque payable to "Dadar Matunga Parsi Zoroastrian Association" and send it to the address. RUSTOM C. CHOTHIA - 757, RD.NO. 7, PARSI COLONY, DADAR, MUMBAI 400014 India.

Currently donations are quite low so the poor old Parsis need all the help they can get. Please ask your friends to donate too. You can send a local rupee cheque or you can also send a foreign currency cheque.

We do not qualify for income tax exemption as we are helping our own
community only.

Yours sincerely,

RUSTOM C. CHOTHIA. (President)
E-mail: chothia@vsnl.com
TEL/FAX: +91 (India) -22 (Mumbai) -24148394

USHTA AHMAI YAHMAI USHTA KAHMAICHIT
HAPPINESS TO HIM WHO MAKES OTHERS HAPPY
(PROPHET ASHO ZARATHUSTRA, HOLY GATHA YS. 43-1)