THE THREAT TO THE PEACE AMBASSADORS

In the country's most busiest city lying on the western coast, we the dwellers have almost forgotten about the existence of one very quiet, silent community, that migrated from Iran and had settled centuries ago, and now, can be identified as the true "Mumbaikars" just like other natives of the place.

I am talking about the Parsi community.

They migrated majorly from Iran, after the persecution of Muslims on Iran. They, majorly settled in Mumbai( Dorabji Nanabhoy, was the first Parsi to settle in Mumbai in 1640) and some also picked up Gujrat as their next motherland for generations to follow. The two basic languages spoken by them are: Persian & Gujrati. The community strongly believed in the method of following a "closed-community system". In this, they married within the community and also settled in specified colonies. This had finally led to their existence over the centuries.

But, now the threat is all over this community! According to recent Indian census there is about 9% decline in the population of the community every decade. This can lead to only twenty-three thousand parsis existing in India by the year 2020.

WHY IS THIS?..

It is majorly because of two reasons:
Genetic cause- most of the parsis have a late marriage that leads to lesser chances of producing their off-springs.
Social cause- In the modern world of globalisation most of the young parsis look beyond their community for choosing their life partner and in this bargain they are loosing out on their community's identity. If this trend goes on, then just like the number 1411(read, number of tigers left in India), Parsis too, will be identified by numbers.
The only thing that creates a concern within my heart and an untold pain for this community is that, it is always believed God blesses those who are harmless to mankind. Then, I must say, this is the most harmless community in the whole of human mankind, right from the inception of human society on this earth. Still then, they were thrown out of their country in Iran, they never retaliated, they silently accepted and migrated to another place. In their new place of living, they had been more honest than any other Indians, living. They do not posses any record for inception of communal disharmony or spreading violence.Still they are exposed to threats of existence from all-over.

Mostly, the Parsis have there own business, of export-import, or hotels and bakeries. They celebrate two festivals of their community with lots of grandeaur. The Parsi new year and the Navroze. Both these festivals, leads to luxurious feasts attended by freinds and family. There place of worship, is the "Temple of Fire" where they worship Fire god. If the religion, the common practices and beliefs of the community is studied then, one can trully experience the "Art of living in Peace". But, I must say, the world had trully prooved that though we may be having innumerable Peace rally going on across the world but, its true existence is not acceptable here.

The other day I was reading in the newspapaer about their "Tower of Silence" where, after the death the dead bodies are supposed to be kept for the scavengers to feed on them. It might sound to be a very cruel practise, but, if you think about the reasons then we can understand that even after death the Parsis never forget to serve the society. They give their body to nature for maitaining its ecological cycle.

But, their is a a grave danger again mounting on this peacefull community! The number of scavengers in the city have decreased remarkably in the city, hence, in their tower, they cannot expect their dead bodies getting used by the scavengers. Their body suffers even then. They lie half-eaten and rotten! Their soul keeps suffering after death aswell. For them, the last word uttered" May the soul live in peace" can never seem to be true.So, this small write-up of mine is just amalgamation of few words to indicate the urgency of saving the community that is perishing! The whole world needs to work towards it and show the Parsis, that it is not only them who are the true Peace ambassadors on earth, We too, are!