THE PARSEE VOICE GRATEFUL FOR DOKHMENASHINI FOR ALL
DOKHMENASHINI FOR ALL
It was heartening to note that after the dark days when the unfortunate Zoroastrian Covid victims had to perforce be cremated and we could only watch helplessly, a silver lining has come up. Zoroastrians, who have passed away due to Covid, can now be consigned to the DAKHMA.
The 1st body was consigned on June 18, 2022 and till date 6 Zoroastrian COVID victims have received the benefit of Dokhmenashini. Our sincere thanks to the Surat Parsi Panchayat for taking the initiative, taking the case right up to the Supreme Court and achieving success. We are profusely grateful to the legal team led by Senior Advocate, Fali Nariman and Advocate Zerick Dastur for making this possible. The Banaji Dakhma, which was unused for several decades, was promptly repaired, thanks to Mr. Bomi Mistry and his dedicated team, the cost of which was nearly 6 lakh, borne by one of the Trustees of the current Board! (In recent times, one has rarely heard of a Trustee coming forward to donate for a good cause! Truly, Happy Days Are Here Again!) Many thanks to the volunteers who helped in the installation of the overhead net, and did a commendable job, to the ubiquitous Mr. Vistaspar Mehta and his assistant Mr. Arzan Patel, without whose help this would not have been possible, to the Union of the pall bearers together with their leader, who agreed to cooperate, and of course, to the entire Board of Trustees, who joined hands and lent their support, and even agreed to bear the extra charge of Rs. 50,000 per paidust of Covid victims to be paid to the pall bearers. We earnestly request philanthropic Parsees to step forward and bear this cost to lighten the financial burden on the already beleaguered BPP.
We sincerely hope that this cordial, amicable trend continues in all matters, at least for the next 5 years! So, LET THE MOTTO BE
No one can do everything,
But each one can do something,
And together, we can do anything!
Request to the High Priests to rescind their decision on prayers for cremated Covid victims
Earlier, when due to strict Government regulations and protocols, Covid victims were not permitted Dokhmenashini and had to perforce be cremated/buried, the High Priests had taken a sympathetic view and granted permission for the 4 days obsequies to be performed for those cremated on account of Covid. Now that Dokhmenashini is available to all Zoroastrians including Covid victims, we request the High Priests to rescind their earlier decision and once again instruct the cessation of the 4 days obsequies for those who opt for cremation/burial in places where Dakhmas are available.
Source: Parsi Junction
