Parsi Panchayat proposes three-child scheme to stem rapid slide in community strength

Joy In Numbers: Unable to decide who the third child was, the panchayat decided to sponsor all three of the Dussabhoy tripletsMother India's biological clock never stops ticking. Every minute marks the birth of 54 babies. However, it is tragic that of them, often not even one is a Parsi. Maybe not even in the next minute, or the next five, or the next 10.As a nation expands, a community diminishes. And, alarmingly, it points eventually to the extinction of a people. Wake up one morning and you could find an entire culture - food, worship, speech, attitude - erased from the Indian map. Naturally, the Parsis are fighting to stay alive as a community.It's a battle for survival; Adil and Thrity Dussabhoy of Indore can testify to this. They'll always remember the day when the gynaecologist told them about their having a baby, not one, not two, but three. What joy triplets bring; what responsibility too. As Adil and Thrity slowly headed homewards, realisation dawned. Says Adil, a year later: "We were deliriously happy but also a bit worried about how we would manage, financially and otherwise." Their problem found a unique solution: the Parsi Panchayat, the apex forum for India's Parsi community, agreed to sponsor all the three children.Never has the birth of a child been so important for a community. With a high mortality rate - 800 deaths a year - and a similarly high migration rate, Parsis are a fast greying community. A problem compounded by a high incidence of bachelorhood and spinsterhood, late marriages, small families and the desire for a high standard of living. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Says sociologist Ava Khullar, who conducted a demographic study on the Parsis in 1993: "There are various factors which lead to this demographic problem and all are peculiar to the Parsi community." Two years ago, the panchayat underlined this by declaring incentives for Mumbai's Parsi couples opting to have a third child. This month, the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India endorsed the panchayat's decision to extend the benefit to the rest of the community. In a nation slowed down by its burgeoning population, battling the resistance to family planning, the Parsis have charted a contradictory course. Go forth and multiply, they exhort."A study suggests that by 2021, the number of Parsis among 1,200 million Indians will be only 22,000."Don't rush into judgement. As Jamshed Guzder, chairman of the Parsi Panchayat, says, "Consider the statistics first." In 1951, when the population of India was 300 million, the Parsi community was 1,15,000 strong. According to the 1991 census, while the population of India trebled to 900 million, the number of Parsis had come down to 76,000. And so in 1993, Guzder suggested a demographic study "to find out where the Parsi community was headed". The results were appalling. Findings suggested that by 2021, when India's population is expected to touch 1,200 million, the community's strength would decline to 22,000. "This was most distressing," says Guzder. And so "to control the situation", the panchayat began propagating the idea of a third child. Initially, the community was not enamoured of the proposal. Especially women, and the panchayat was besieged by indignant voices on the phone and protest letters. Guzder recalls the outrage clearly: "Middle-class Parsi women came to me and said, 'How can you encourage more children? We cannot afford it'." There was only one option left and the panchayat offered to sponsor the third child till the age of 18.The Dussabhoy family became a rather unique beneficiary. When Thrity wrote to the panchayat in Mumbai, requesting that the grant be extended to them, a curious dilemma unfolded. Since only the third child qualified for panchayat support, Guzder was stumped. He says, "The question that then arose was, which of the triplets was the last?" The panchayat was all set to consult gynaecologists when, in a moment of lighthearted banter, Thrity suggested to Guzder that it sponsor all the three. To her utter amazement, the panchayat acquiesced. In the process, they set a precedent. Explains Guzder: "By logical conclusion, the benefit extends also to twins born after the first child."Sponsorship at present extends to 40 children, the panchayat's contribution to the families being Rs 1,000 a month. A third child born after June 1993 qualifies and parents are expectedly elated. Every rupee is a welcome relief. As Pesi and Khorshed Hilloo (names changed on request), parents of one-year-old Mahzaver, say, "When we learnt about the scheme, we applied to the panchayat and it was accepted quickly. We know now that we can afford a good education for Mahzaver." The panchayat's response - rather daring, certainly imaginative - is also indicative of how shaken up the community is. "The sponsorship extends also to twins born after the first child." Jamshed Guzder, chairman, Parsi PanchayatEvery time they look in the mirror they've shrunk further. In the 1950s, the first alarm bells rang with the publication of Shapoor Desai's book, Community at Crossroads. Desai, former chairman of the University Grants Commission, shattered the picture of an ideal community - urbanised, westernised and modern. Intercaste marriages were not acceptable among them. Says Khullar, "They naturally had a very small group to choose from." She avers that much of the concern for the purity of the race came from the fear that the strength of the community was being wiped out.Change was imperative and it came. The orthodoxy thawed measurably, and the community has been going through a transition. Explains Kullar: "Today, even though non-Parsi spouses have no religious rights, socially they are welcomed. Mixed couples tend to have more children than in cases where both parents are Parsis." A 1990 survey presented to the World Zoroastrian Congress revealed a high incidence of intercaste marriages - 45 percent, up from 33 percent in 1978. But in the past couple of years, Parsi youth, particularly those settled abroad, are making a conscious attempt to return to their roots and marry within the community.Will such incentives help? Opinion is divided. Says Hosi Vasunia, theatre personality, "It is a step in the right direction that will help bolster the dwindling population." Others advocate more integral methods. Says Jehan Daruwalla, editor Bombay Samachar, "Most Parsis are financially secure and not interested in having more than one child. The panchayat should instead amend laws to allow inter-religious marriages and adoption of non-Parsi children." Bomi Hirjee, chairman of the Indore Anjuman, has mixed feelings. "It may improve the situation in the long run, but not many people will plan and have a third child just because there are incentives." The other question before the panchayat is how long the scheme can be sustained. Guzder insists, "There are no limits defined, for that would vitiate the scheme's purpose. We are trying our best to get the support of the entire community so that they can contribute." Till then, they will have to be content with keeping a few couples happy. As an elated Adil puts it, "This is fantastic. It's a lesson for the other communities of the world." Only if it actually works. - with Robin AbreuPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Mar 2, 1998--- ENDS ---

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Parsi Panchayat proposes three-child scheme to stem rapid slide in community strength

The Parsi Panchayat comes up with a radical three-child proposal to stem the rapid slide in the community's strength.

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