It gives us a comforting feeling to know that someone, whose ancestors left Iran so long ago, is sympathizing with us and thinking about Iranian Zartoshtis. This shows that there are still people who are clinging to their roots in the land of Ashu Zartosht and praise the glory of Damavand.
You know, we have roots in the land on which Ashu Zartosht walked and spread his message. Our ancestors stayed and safeguarded their land and his message. Only in one event, in a town at the foots of Damavand, 50,000 Zartoshtis were massacred in one day, just because they did not convert to Islam, but our ancestors stayed on and endured the hardships, in order to pass the message of Ashu Zartosht to the whole world. In an order by one of the rulers, 129,000 Zartoshtis were killed in 29 days, but we still stayed on. The few of us that have survived those days are now more experienced, and nothing can take away our pride and hopes any more. We face Damavand in the mornings and tell her, "We have learned from you to stand, and have no fear of enemies".
In the course of the hard times we have not forgotten the role that the Indian Parsis played in our survival. We shall never forget the great services of Manekji to our suppressed and dwindling community, in those days. We have not forgotten Golestan Banoo, who collected funds from the Parsis of India and sent them to Manekji, who was in Iran, to give support to the Zartoshtis. If it was not for the help of Parsis at a critical period of time, we might have completely been wiped out.
the difference between Parsis in India and we in Iran is that we have learned many stories of the sacrifices of our ancestors to keep the torch that Zartosht lit, burning, but since they have been away from Iran for centuries, they have lost touch with these stories and experiences.
My dear friend, Parsi Panchait gets its strength from you members of the Parsi community. If you become indifferent and do not participate in selecting reliable candidates to run this organization, factions and corporates will start forming and this is dangerous for the community. As we say, "When water becomes stagnant it will decay". Whatever the organization possesses belongs to all Parsis and should remain among Parsis. Dear friend, you also have a share in this heritage. Therefore, try in safeguarding it. History is like a roaring river which joins the ocean of evolution. Let us be those drops that go into the ocean and not those that decay on its banks.