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My son is a priest!

January 18, 2016 By: Mehroo16 Comments

I wrote these lines sitting at home, waiting for my 11-year old son to return from his 24-day stay at the fire temple, where he was a part of various rituals and ceremonies conducted in order to gain the honour of becoming a Zoroastrian priest –  just like his father. This ceremony is called ‘Navar’ and growing up in Mumbai while I did know about the term Navar, I only started learning about its importance, significance and practice once my son decided to become one. And while different sources offer different forms of knowledge – some more technical than the others, I feel that the essence of the whole program lies is in its simplicity. It’s a ceremony yes and that’s what most people, at least ‘Behdins’ (non-priestly family) like us know and talk about, but it is also a process of purification, which in my mind has much more importance in shaping the mind and body of a pre-adolescent child.

Called the ‘Nahan’, it is not only a process of self-discipline, self-purification and self abnegation but also a process of imbibing in a child our rituals and traditions that have perhaps over time become diluted as our lives become more modern. Self-discipline is in the form of having control over your hunger, your wants, your comfort. Having strict daily meal routines, doing prayers before and after meals, skipping lunch in the later part of the ceremony, sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor, eating food in silence whilst sitting cross-legged on the floor, not being able to touch another being, no games, no toys, no electronic devices used to spend time except reading books and performing prayers morning, noon, evening and night, are just some of the examples. And we are talking about boys between the age of 9 and 12! I spent most of the hours in my day visiting my child, talking to him when possible, reassuring him when the day felt too long and when late evenings felt too lonely, but more importantly I was there because I wanted to be there, in fact I loved being there. Never before have I felt this sense of peace and calm, one that emanated from the chants in the air and the purity of the souls. I knew my son was in a safe place. That he had two other young boys who went through the Navar ceremony along with him was an added bonus. Together their prayers seemed to reach the oldest of ears, their pure white outfits along with the traditional white caps seemed to be noticed by the weakest of eyes and their laughter echoed through the walls, bringing in more people than ever to this sacred place of worship.

Sorry…..I got carried away…..coming back to those lines now…..be funky

I sit here
And wait alone
For my precious child
To come back home.

24 days seemed long and slow
But the next 60 minutes even more

The rituals he had to follow
The rules and regulations too
Praying and praying for hours on end
Wasn’t an easy thing to do

The long days, the lonely nights
Of not being able to hug him as a mother
Made me want to scream at times
When someone asked “What do they feed him?”
“Oh God how does that matter?”

Of eating what he’s offered
And not make a fuss like he does at home
Of sleeping on a thin mattress, of being polite
And obedient, and do all as told

Of holding back the tears as the lights go out
The things that I prayed for outlined
His good health, during those never-ending weeks,
His happiness and his peace of mind.

And while the wait was long and hard
There were a few “highlights” you see
Of chatting with my son for hours on end
And not being disturbed by technology!

And saying “Yes he is my son” 
When someone would ask me passing by,
Then watching the glow of delight on his face
When they would praise him low and high.

Yes he couldn’t come home all that while
But he was as lucky as he could get
For his very big family would pay him visits
His grandparents, his aunts, his cousins he met.

I can’t keep waiting anymore
Twiddling my thumbs and getting them sore

So I now march silently down the road
A big broad smile forming on my lips,
I have never held my head up so high
My son, my priest, my pride – look there he is!

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  1. Charmaine rangel says

    January 20, 2016 at 9:33 am

    Congratulations Mehroo on your son becoming a priest. And kudos to you too for being such a supportive and strong mom.
    Loved reading this blog.

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      January 20, 2016 at 9:44 am

      Thank you dear Charmaine!

      Reply
  2. Pouruchisti Ukaji says

    January 20, 2016 at 10:16 am

    Superb Mehroo! Your words come straight from the heart!

    Reply
    • Pouruchisti Ukaji says

      January 21, 2016 at 6:44 am

      Superb Mehroo! Your words come straight from the heart!

      Reply
  3. Rachna says

    January 20, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    Congratulations to u n ur fmly.

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:16 am

      Thank you Rachna. Do keep visiting my blog.

      Reply
  4. Sayambrita says

    January 21, 2016 at 5:12 am

    It seems an equally big milestone for you Mehroo,as much as it is for your son. I can imagine how difficult it must have been to be away from your child. I have had to stay away from my little ones when I was taking care of my mom in another city. Yet it is a way we expand our lives and stay strong and our kids,learn from us by example. Loved your poem..it really touched my heart 🙂

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:19 am

      Hi Sayambrita, yes it was a big milestone. I wanted to be with him all the time and my little one was quite jealous in fact! I told him when its your turn I’d do the same and I must say he was quite matured about this whole thing too and spent a lot of time with his brother in the fire temple. You are lovely daughter and a mother is all I can say!

      Reply
  5. navroze bharthania says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:35 am

    Congratulations, my nephew 11 year old “Neville Shahrukh Kang from Texas, USA, also became a Navar last month,

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:20 am

      Hello Navroze, congratulations to Neville. I think I did read about his Navar in Parsi Times, a local newspaper in Mumbai. Thank you for visiting my blog and hope to see more comments from you.

      Reply
  6. Olesya says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:55 am

    Very beautiful and strong words, poem, feelings and thoughts.

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:21 am

      Thank you dear Oleysa. Motherhood brings out the poet in each one of us…wait till your turn.

      Reply
  7. DELNAZ MEDORA says

    January 21, 2016 at 7:15 am

    That is so touching !! and yes you are right….each day would feel too long without our children around. Love the way you express the deep emotions so well…and with ease.

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      January 22, 2016 at 2:23 am

      Thanks so much Delnaz. Yes its strange isnt it? I always knew I was a bummer at expressing my feelings through verbal conversations, but now I have found an outlet! Thank you for visiting my blog and do come more often.

      Reply
  8. Vishal Bheeroo says

    March 18, 2016 at 7:59 am

    Congrats to the priest of the family and Mummy must have missed him during the 24 days. Yet, another post to learn more on the rich Parsi culture and Navar. Lovely:)

    Reply
    • Mehroo says

      March 18, 2016 at 8:38 am

      Thanks Vishal. So happy to know that you are interested In our culture.

      Reply

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