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The Young
Rathestars |
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The Rathestars were made aware of additional families that have
been living in even further and remote villages of Bharuch and Ankleshwar. These
are the villages of Borbhatha, Mandvi and Mangrol talukas.
Pictures speak a thousand words. Viewing some of these pictures will bear witness to the plight of our Fellow Zarathusthis. It is indeed amazing that our very own are living in such abject poverty. They have very little or no means of livelihood. Demographics show families living with infirm aged
parents/grandparents. Many are unable to have a source of income having to take
care of the old at home. Some have seasonal source of income working in the
Agyaries during the Muktad prayers. Some work as field hands for the Adivasi
Farmers. There are yet a few that work as domestic servants in nearby towns.
Their ancestors being the land owners, these rural Zarasthusthi
families suffered set-backs with the Tenancy Laws. By this they lost holdings to
the land they owned. Some have hung onto their little plots of land. These folks
do their best to raise crops as a means of livelihood. However, with primitive
farming practice they are heavily dependant on the monsoons, etc.
So what does it take to help these people, who are our very own,
fellow Zarasthusthis. It is unbelievable to see how these folks live in their
mud houses, with simple thatched roofs that leak heavily in the monsoon season
and bring cold air in the winter months, (the interior of Gujarat has
temperatures that drop down to 45 degrees in the winter), where the outhouse in
many cases is a mere hole in the ground.
Yet these Zarathustis have an amazing sense of pride. They
welcome the volunteers each year with open arms and offer us drinking water and
hot tea as we enter. Each and every one of them, regardless of age, can read and
write gujarati, they maintain chawk and torans on their front porch and proudly
display the Sabi of Asho Zarathustra!!!
It would be a good thing to show our children, and explain to them, there are people of our faith who live with so little yet are willing to give so much. They are so humble and gracious with what is handed to them. An Appeal: Parsis are known for the slogan – “Parsi, thy name is Charity”. The Young Rathestars are continually trying to raise funds
that enable the volunteers to distribute essential ration “Kits”. Though the
amount is not great, it helps our poor brethren for a period of time.
If making a contribution within the US, please make checks out
to: “ZANC” (The Zarathusti Anjuman of Northern California) |
