Parsis in Navsari can now opt for burial after death

NAVSARI: Parsis living now in the Indian city have been granted the option by their community to choose burial as the method of disposition of the dead. 

At a meeting held in Khurshed Wadi, community leaders gathered to reach a decision about the method of burying one's kin. The meeting had been called by Navsari Samast Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman (NSPZA), which had received requests of starting the burial practice from 163 community leaders.

It was decided that the burial ground for the Parsis will be developed around Dokhmas, where people from the nearby villages can come to bury their dead. In the meeting held, seven out of the 166 community leaders opposed the decision. 

"Little over 2,000 Parsis live in Navsari, which is highest number in Gujarat. A large number of Parsis also live in neighbouring villages. The decision will help Parsis find a suitable place for dead kin near their houses and would no more need to come all the way to Navsari for dokhmenishini," Jimmy Bacha, the president in-charge, said. 

"We have both options. Community members are free to follow the traditional way and those who want burial are free to adopt it. We have completed the procedure peacefully and the majority has supported the decision," said Yezdi Kasad, the secretary of NSPZA. 

Another community member said: "Earlier a body was kept at Dokha for vultures to eat it. In the absence of vultures, we were disposing of the bodies using solar energy and heat. It takes a lot of time to dispose of a body and hence community members wanted us to adopt burial as another mode."