The benevolence of the rich Parsi has become legendary. His/her desire to be charitable with their wealth is embedded deep in their soul by centuries of following a code of ethics. Humata Hukta Huvereshta. Good Thoughts Good Words & Good Deeds. Zarathushtra taught that the Good Spirit Spenta Mainyu was in constant battle with Angreh Mainyu the bad spirit, & with our free will given by Ahura Mazda we must join the fight alongside Spenta Mainyu against Angreh Mainyu, one way to fight is to become wealthy (in an immaculately honest way), & then use that clean wealth to uplift those who have suffered poverty, sickness & injustice. In my lifetime I have never seen a Parsi beggar. For the Parsi charity begins at home & then spreads outward into the community & then the nation. It is a physical effort to defeat a spiritual enemy & the Parsis are winning, but the battles are ongoing. In numbers beneath contempt yet in charity beyond praise, the burning desire to succeed comes from the burning desire to uplift the helpless, incapable of standing by & watching the suffering the Parsi nature is to do something & do something that lasts for generations, with quiet dignity. The famous question “Ask not what your country has done for you but ask what you have done for your country”, has been answered well by the Parsi. Full of gratitude for the asylum he has found in India. We spent a few days at one such bequeathed institution called Manek Baug a Sir JJ Dharamshala in Pune, currently managed by Ms. Hutoxi Driver, extremely kind & efficient, the place immaculately clean, the ambiance beautiful, it’s got the old world hill station charm. It is strictly for Parsi’s, as promised to Raja Jadi Rana.
Hutoxi’s son Cyrus (jovial, articulate, helpful & a fine gentlemen) made a fish curry that was spectacular, it was perfectly balanced, spicy yet tangy & full of that unique Parsi/Goan fish curry flavor the Parsi palette salivates for. At Rs. 300/- to have such fish as a part of a meal it’s a steal. I cannot wait to go back & enjoy the gardens, the birds, the quiet, the food & their wonderful hospitality.