Who are the Parsis and what are the basics of their religious tradition Zoroastrianism? Let's have a look at the picture of a fire temple situated in a Parsi colony in Mumbai first. As you can read on the sign, as non-Parsis we are not allowed to enter. Outsiders would endanger the purity of the fire inside the temple. Dualistic distinctions like insiders and outsiders or purity and impurity are very important for the community and its tradition. Let's have a look at the distinction between insiders and outsiders. Who qualifies as a member of the community and who is an outsider? There are two aspects, an ethnic and a religious one. The ethnic one points to the fact that you have to be a descendant of Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran, and the religious condition is that you have to be a follower of Zoroastrianism. So, the community is both a community of blood – the ethnic aspect – and a community of spirit – the religious aspect. What are the basics of the religious aspect of Zoroastrianism? Let's ask Ervad Dr Ramiyar Karanjia, a prominent member and a scholar and priest of the community, who lives in Mumbai. Dr Ramiyar Karanjia, a scholar and a Zoroastrian priest, will be so kind to explain some crucial elements of the Zoroastrian religion and tradition. Dr Karanjia studied Iranian languages and history, and he did research about Zoroastrianism – the languages, the tradition, and the rituals. He is especially interested in spirituality and rituals and I am looking forward to our interview. So, Ramiyar could you tell us what are the crucial elements of Zoroastrianism that people should know about? The most important thing about Zoroastrian religion that people should know is that it is one of the oldest driven religions in the world. It started off as a belief system called the Mazdayasna belief system and later on crystallized as the Zoroastrian religion. The main teachings of the religion as codified and crystallized by prophet Zarathustra, number one, that it is a monotheistic religion. It believes in the existence of one supreme being as the creator force of the universe whose name is Ahura Mazda, which means “lord wisdom”. The second important teaching of the religion is that there are two spirits, which were involved in the creative process of the universe, and are still fighting against each other to get control over the creations including human beings. These two spirits are Spenta Mainyu, the good spirit and Angra Mainyu, the evil spirit. And the third important teaching of the religion is that the two worlds – the spiritual world, that is the menok, and the material world, that is the getik – are two important components of this world, and they should be in connection, including the inhabitants of the two worlds. That is, the divine beings of the menok and the human beings of the getik should always keep connected. So, what's the importance of rituals in this context? In this context, rituals play the important part in connecting the menok and the getik – that is the spiritual and the material. Through the rituals, the priest can connect in a way – in a special technical way – to the spiritual world, and get the blessings of the spiritual world for the people of the world and for the whole creation. That is the primary role of the ritual. Then there are other secondary roles, like it is meant to cleanse the whole creation – the performance of a ritual. And in most rituals all the seven creations are represented. Then the rituals also dramatize the teachings of the religion – or some of the rituals dramatize the teachings of the religion – in their ritual gestures. So in that way, even the religion in a way benefits from that. And most importantly, the sacred texts, which are recited in the rituals [inaudible], just because they are used in the rituals. So, in this way rituals play a very important role. I see, and what is the significance of nature in Zoroastrianism? Nature is given great importance, significance, and sanctity in the Zoroastrian religion. So much so that each element of nature is presided over by a divine being. We call them Yazata Ramish Aspin which can be loosely translated as an angel. An angel is meant to help human beings in every sort of way – like we drink water, we take fruits and vegetables from the vegetable kingdom, we live on the world etc. So, we are beholden to nature for helping us, and in turn we have to look after them, nurture them, not to pollute them, not to contaminate them, and not to misuse them in anything. So, you are the principal of a boarding school, a school where young Zoroastrian boys learn to be priests? Yes. What do you think is most important for them to learn on their way? Priesthood in Zoroastrian religion is a way of life. It is not just a performance of rituals. So, the most important basic thing that they have to learn is how to lead a Zoroastrian life and how to live a priestly life. That is what they are taught here. Secondly, they are taught sacred texts, which they are supposed to recite along with the performance of rituals. And thirdly, they are taught to be good human beings, because they are the custodians of the rituals and the religion in a way. And they are the connection between the religion and the lay people. So, that is why they have to be in a position to be able to communicate well with the lay people. And what does tradition mean to you personally or to your community? Tradition means the way we are practicing religion today. It has come down to us from our ancestors and several generations. Now, these traditions are generally based on the teachings of the religion. But, all the teachings, as they come down as practices, change from time to time. So, a practice that is being followed presently may not be codified in the text – may not be recorded in the text – more so in the case of Zoroastrian religion, because many of the texts of Zoroastrian religion are lost today. So, tradition is the practice of the religion as it is happening now based on how it was happening in the past generations. And hence, it is an important part of the religion, and in the religious texts the traditions are referred to as dirgha upayanam that means long-standing traditions. Thank you so much Ramiyar, have a nice day. It was a pleasure talking to you. Goodbye. Bye.