One Dark Night

Fog crept slowly into the night
making it's way into everything that was in sight
Teary-eyed and broken willed I stumbled along
Not a soul was to be seen for miles around
Where am I?...Will I ever be found?
Never have I felt so forlorn
The sound of thunder in the twilight sky
A cry in the distance – hope!
Was there someone else in this God forsaken place but I?
My very being shaken and my knees weak
I continued on…
Curious I was to get to the source of that sound…
Suddenly right before my eyes, an apparition began to form
of a young woman, her attire – a long white gown
I reached out my hand to touch her shoulder – why do you cry so?
Slowly she turned around and terror seeped through me
The woman staring at my face was none other but me!

She awakened with feelings of foreboding strong,
Was that a shadow she saw outside the balcony wall?
What a strange reverie – visions of it still clear in her mind,
Think about things pleasant and sweet
This dream shall no longer give you any grief
His touch, his smile, his kind ways
Immediately bought a smile to her face
Her eyes lit up and no longer was she afraid
When all of a sudden, she knew she did not mistake
She did indeed see a shadow lurking down below
Who could it be at this hour so late?
A thief, a burglar, a castaway?
Worried again with hesitant steps,
she made her way back to her bed
Silence was all she heard and then the sudden hooting of a train....
The entire world was asleep but she could not explain,
the pain she felt in her heart - empty and dark
Overwhelmed with feelings so deep,
She wished that she could lie still and watch her beloved sleep....
With his thoughts on her mind she fell into a slumber of some kind.

Birds were chirping in the early morning sky,
the sun not up completely - being a tad bit shy
A new day was beginning and with it new hope,
"I must forget about last night's dream" she spoke
Spirits restored and will revived!
She started to arise when suddenly her gaze, fell right next to her pillow case
Alarmed and confused she thought to herself
"What is this that I see!...a single red rose for me"?

A loud thud! A banging on her door,
"Who is it" she implored,
"A messenger...I bring news"
In he walked with steady steps...
"Why must it always be me to give regret"?
The look of inquiry on her face,
he knew he had to tell her and not make her wait,
"Yesterday at midnight I'm afraid your lover met a terrible fate...
Death took him away, and I cannot say how sorry I am he had to pass that way"
She looked at the rose and held it tight
It was him last night.

Zoroastrianism Funeral Rites

I have always been fascinated and somewhat amused by Parsi funeral rites which basically centre on the notion that the body must be exposed after death. The ritual is referred to as “Dakhma Nashini” and begins three hours after death since it is believed that evil decay of the body begins at this time. It is prohibited for anyone to touch the dead body except for the “Nassesalars” or corpse bearers. A corpse is considered to be filthy and unclean and is bathed with “Taro” which is the urine of a special white bull to purify it. This is an ancient Aryan tradition of purification.

After the corpse is washed and the body clothed in a “Sudreh” or religious garment, it is tied to an iron bar and placed on a stone slab where a dog is made to gaze at the face of the deceased to make sure there are no evil spirits lurking around it. Dogs, according to Parsi tradition possess divine sight and are able to see and chase away evil spirits. Finally the corpse is placed in a well shaped circular stone structure also called the “Tower of Silence”. Placed in the open vultures take no time at all in devouring the flesh of the deceased.

Mumbai is home to the largest Parsi community and there are only 250,000 Zoroastrians in the world today. Over 55 acres in size, Mumbai also has the largest Parsi cemetary which was in the news a while ago because cemetary caretakers allowed billboards to be constructed on its grounds. This was done in order for them to raise money for cemetary care taking and was met with a lot of hostility by the Parsi community.