HVK Archives: Zoroastrian situation in Iran
Zoroastrian situation in Iran - Organiser
Dara Kadva
()
4 August 1996
Title : Zoroastrian situation in Iran
Author : Dara Kadva
Publication : Organiser
Date : August 4, 1996
I am a little mystified as to how a purely PR piece
concerning the "Zoroastrian Conference in Iran" appeared
in a journal like the Organiser (147-1996).
A Zoroastrian myself and a columnist in the Parsi weekly
Jame Jamshed of Mumbai, let me enlighten your readers
further as against the one sided picture given by the
published item.
The said conference was scheduled to take place in Tehran
last February and preparations for it had begun since
early last year. But they were called off last summer
after the Tehran regime expressed its inability to issue
visas to delegates attending a non-Islamic religious
meeting in its capital. Later, some influential Parsis
of Delhi, led by (Retd) Lt. Gen. Sethna, approached the
Iranian Foreign Minister during his visit to the capital,
and it was Shri Velayati who promised cooperation and
then moved the wheels of his government. Later, the
Tehran leadership developed a vested interest in the
conference. as its hosting gave an international
impression of its 'liberal' attitude at a time when Iran
was facing diplomatic isolation in world fora. The
leadership lined up with sweet words to gain some much-
needed good publicity abroad. But the leaders fell short
of owning up Zoroastrianism as the ancient religion of
Iran.
India is proud that Buddhism was born in the country
although few Buddhists are now left here. But the
present Tehran regime does not take pride over
Zoroastrianism which actually embodies the entire Iranian
culture as it exists today.
It was only the last Shah of Iran, who has acknowledged
this fact, when he held the 2,500th anniversary
celebration of Darius the Great on a massive scale in
1975. The Shah had not only facilitated the Iranian
Zoroastrians but also invited Zoroastrians from other
countries, especially India, to come to Iran and work and
prosper. An estimated 10,000 Parsis from Maharashtra and
Gujarat regions had gainfully settled in Iran during the
Shah's time.
But. after the onset of the Islamic revolution, not only
all Indian Parsis left Iran but also Iranian Zoroastrians
migrated abroad and never returned. They mostly went to
the US, Canada, Australia and India. My estimate is that
about 5,000 Iranian Zoroastrians settled in Mumbai, Pune
and Bangalore and have also by now acquired Indian
nationality.
As a Parsi, I am deeply interested in Iran, which I
visited many times during the Shah's time from Kuwait,
where I was employed as a journalist. After the
revolution I went there only once and that too as a
member of a press delegation, invited by the regime in
1982 during the Iran Iraq war to gain some positive
publicity in the neighbouring countries. Some of the
changes I noticed then were:
* Whereas Jamshedi Navroze (New Year) was a ten-day
holiday beginning 21st March each year, during the Shah's
time, the Islamic regime reduced it to just one day
because it smacked of celebrating a non-Islamic festival
on a national scale. Actually, Navroze has nothing to do
with religion but marks the onset of spring when Iranians
flock to the Caspian and other northern resorts for
prolonged festivities. The term Jamshedi is there only
because it first began during the reign of Zoroastrian
Emperor Jamshedi more than 2,000 Years ago.
* During the Shah's time, live performances from the
epic Shahnamah were held daily in Iranian cafes and were
highly popular with the people. The Islamic regime
banned them totally by claiming that they are frequented
by druggists.
* Programmes on Zoroastrian history, which were common
before in the Iranian media, were removed by the new
regime.
* The Shah during his visit to India in 1971, made it a
point to come to Mumbai and meet Parsis and address Parsi
gatherings whereas President Rafsanjani, during his
visit to India last year went only to Lucknow to see Shia
monuments and address Shia gatherings. He avoided Mumbai.
* Zoroastrians were referred to as "Zardushti" in Persian
before. After the revolution, they came to be clubbed
with the "Ghadrs" (infidels) and "Majusis"
(untouchables).
* There is only one nominated Zoroastrian Deputy in the
Iranian Majlis at present, whereas there were several
during the Shah's time, although they too were nominated.
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