To stop rapid decline in number of Zoroastrian priests, a Jiyo Parsi workshop aimed at providing them training, is hoping to give them a much larger role, bring them closer to the community
Hormuzd Dadachandji and son; Khushroo Makihatana, part-time mobed at Rustom Faramna Agiary, Dadar
'No money' and 'no life' seems to be sending the city's mobeds, as Zoroastrians priests are better known, hurtling towards extinction. Desperate to arrest the shrinking numbers by giving mobeds a much larger role in the community, the Jiyo Parsi programme has organised a first-of-its-kind workshop at Masina Hospital, Byculla, next week. Here, veteran psychiatrists will train the priests in counselling and grievance redressal, to help make them more approachable to the laity. The workshop will also help identify the next generation of priests.
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Binaifer Sahukar, counsellor and voluntary workshop consultant with Jiyo Parsi (right) Hormuzd Dadachandji, priest at Mithaiwala Agiary in Grant Road
"Young people no longer want to practise this as a full-time profession," says Khushroo Makihatana, a part-time mobed at Dadar's Rustom Faramna Agiary for the past eight years. He believes there are too many serious sacrifices involved in the traditional path - from father to son - of priesthood. "The remuneration is poor and there is no social life. One can't even buy a house in spite of being of service to god," says the 37-year-old Makihatana.
A giant step
"The programme is called Jiyo Parsi, Jiyo Mobed," said 47-year-old Binaifer Sahukar, a counsellor and a voluntary workshop consultant with Jiyo Parsi. The programme was initially supposed to be just another Jiyo Parsi orientation, with focus on mental health, but took a turn keeping in mind the low number of priests in the community all over the country. "We would like to make our priests more relevant by increasing interactions between them and the laity. As most of our priests today are very old, the question is who will take over after them? These workshops will help us identify the next generation of leaders."
Need of the hour
"This workshop is for the future generation of mobeds," Makihatana said. "All our high priests are old and we now need to find suitable replacements. The total number of full-time priests in Mumbai is just 250-300. Despite our low numbers, we are woefully neglected. The remuneration is low and there are a lot of hardships. The workshop will help identify loopholes and maybe future generations will happily opt for priesthood."
According to Hormuzd Dadachandji, a priest for nearly 22 years, who is currently looking after the Mithaiwala Agiary in Grant Road, "We lack confidence and leadership skills. The aim of the workshop is to learn how to respond to the laity's questions satisfactorily. We are generally very shy, and hopefully this will help us change. People come to us before they go to counsellors, which is why we should be knowledgeable enough to guide them. I think it is a good move for priests."
Parsi Punchayet says
"We feel our priests can become true leaders if trained properly," said Armaity Tirandaz (72), BPP member and nodal representative on the Jiyo Parsi Project. "Mobeds have never been given a leadership role in the community before. The time has come for that to change." When asked whether the Punchayet would take steps to ensure proper remuneration for priests, she said, "Most priests are connected to fire temples, which have their own trusts. There are only two fire temples under BPP."
The workshop
"The programme will kick off with a quick orientation about the Jiyo Parsi programme, followed by a session by a well-known priest, who is also successful in the corporate world," said Binaifer. "Dr Kersi Chavada, a top psychiatrist with Hinduja and Reliance Hospitals, will cover communication skills and how to enhance self esteem. Dr Yusuf Matcheswalla of Saifee Hospital and his colleague, Ali Gabrani, a psychotherapist, will talk about how to effectively counsel parents and couples. In addition to this, the priests will also have a workshop to identify 'red flags' in the behaviour of those who seek their blessings and advice."
Jiyo Parsi
Jiyo Parsi, initiated a decade ago, is a scheme backed by the government of India to arrest the population decline in Parsi community. The project is a joint effort of the Parzor Foundation, Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Bombay Parsi Punchayet and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
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