Picto Diary - 16 January 2016 - Zoroastrianism

Today the Margaret Taylor Dance Group traveled by bus from Shahpura, Rajasthan to Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Above: Diction, at front of bus on right, using bus mike, gives a presentation on Zoroastrianism. 16 January 2016.

Diction and her husband Zubin are Parsees, residents of Mumbai. Zubin was the manager of the New Delhi branch of Citibank when I was assigned there as a Sundries officer in 1972. They are very close friends of Maharaja (formerly 1%) and Comic Mom. They have joined the Margaret Taylor Dance Troupe for four days.

Zoroastrianism is arguably the world's oldest monotheistic religion. It is centered on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster and focuses worship on the one god, Ahura Mazda. The religion teaches that there are two competing principles representing good and evil. Humans are involved in a struggle between the two forces, holding off chaos and destruction through active goodness.

Traditionally, Zoroastrians do not accept converts. One must be born into the religion in order to participate, and marriage within the Zoroastrian community is strongly encouraged, although not required. According to Diction, in the Mumbai Parsee community, children of mixed marriages are only allowed to continue in the religion if the father is Parsee.

The prophet Zarrathustra, later referred to by the Grees as Zoroaster, founded Zoroastrianism between th 16th and 10th centuries BC. He is said to have lived in northern or eastern Iran, Afghanistan or southern Russia.

Zoroastrianism was started amidst the polytheistic background, precursor of Hinduism, of the Indo-Iranian area. Zoroaster probably elevated an already existing god into the role of supreme creator. Thus, the two beliefs share some similarities such as agents of order and chaos.

The overriding ethical principle of Zoroastrianism is Humata, Hukhta, Huveshta, “to think good, to speak good, to act good.” This is the divine expectation of humans, and only through goodness will chaos be kept at bay.

Ahura Mazda is strongly associated with both fire and the Sun. Zoroastrian temples keep a fire burning at all times to represent Ahura Mazda’s eternal power. Fire is also recognized as powerful purifier and is respected for that reason. The most holy temple fires take up to a year to consecrate, and many have been burning for years or even centuries. Visitors to fire temples bring an offering of wood, which is placed in the fire by a masked priest. The mask prevents the fire from being desecrated by his breath. The visitor is then anointed with ash from the fire.

Zoroastrians believe that when a person dies, the soul is divinely judged. The good move on to the “best of existences” while the wicked are punished in torment. As the end of the world approaches, the dead will be resurrected into new bodies. The world will burn but only the wicked will suffer any pain. The fires will purify creation and eliminate wickedness. The evil force will either be destroyed or made powerless, and everyone will live in paradise except perhaps the extremely wicked, which some sources believe will continue to suffer endlessly.

Unlike Hindus, Zoroastrians do not cremate their dead, believing that doing such pollutes the pure fire emblematic of their worship. Rather they put their dead on "towers of silence," sacred heights where corpses are consumed by carrion.

The Mumbai community of Parsees is about sixty thousand strong, and is the largest group of Parsees in the world. The religion is dwindling. It is not a proselyting religion. Many children of adherents today intermarry and lose interest in the faith.

Parsees reached India in 700 or 800 AD fleeing eastern Iran due to persecution from rising Islam.

Parsees have contributed to India disproportionate to their numbers. Many Indian business leaders are Parsee, including the Tata family. Zubin Mehta is a Mumbai Parsee, as was Freddie Mercury.

Above: Volvo bus used by the Margaret Taylor Dance Troupe on its tour of India. 16 January 2016.

Note communication tower at rear of the bus. Such towers are now ubiquitous in India and are indicative of the country's full scale charge into the modern era. Cellular technology, voice and data, have allowed countries such as India to leap frog land line technology. When TIMDT and Mwah (sic) lived in India in the early 1970's, obtaining a home telephone could entail a four or five year wait. And, once in possession of a telephone in those days, long distance calls had to be scheduled in advance.

Above: Comic Mom, TIMDT and Diction. Sujan Rajmahal Palace Hotel. Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. 16 January 2016.

Ladies and their husbands, members of the Margaret Taylor Dance Troupe, are vacationing in India... princesses remembering times past as Citibank wives living in India.

Diction and husband Zubin, divide their time between homes in Mumbai and Pune. Comic Mom and husband Maharaja have residences in New York City and Park City, UT... they spend a good deal of time in Los Angeles, home to both their children and their families. TIMDT and husband Bishop reside in Park City, UT.

Above: Sign at entrance of QE II Suite, Raj Mahal Palace Hotel. Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. 16 January 2016.

Queen Elizabeth II stayed in this suite during a visit in the 1950's as a guest of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Jackie Kennedy also stayed in the QE II suite.

Now, TIMDT and Mwah (sic) follow suite as residents of the QE II suite.

Above: Image of Queen Elizabeth II riding elephant during her visit to Jaipur in late 1950's. Sujan Raj Mahal Palace hotel. Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. 16 January 2016.

The above photograph is in our hotel suite.

Above: Dining room. QE II suite. Sujan Raj Mahal Hotel. Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. 16 January 2016.

Note ghostly apparition at rear of image.

The Raj Mahal Palace, an adjunct, guest palace of the Maharaja of Jaipur, as been converted into a hotel, just within the last year, by the Sujan Group, the same group which owns the Leopard Camp where we stayed a week ago.

Above: Margaret Taylor Dance Group dines at Raj Mahal Palace Hotel. Jaipur, Rajesthan, India . 16 January 2016. Maharaja auxiliary palace, recently converted to a hotel by Sujan Group, was guest house for Queen Elizabeth and Jackie Kennedy among others.

Addendum:

As usual, great account.

We miss being part of the fun. Best to all.

Basketball
Pelham, NY

just great Steve--so much depth.

Brand,
Venice, CA