Mumbai: ‘Nobody seems to want to do anything in our case’

It has been five years since Sanaya Dalal and her partParsi husband Rishi Kishnani have waged a war against the lsquoorthodoxrsquo Dadar Parsee Colony Gymkhana over membership for their son In 2021 Dalal moved the Supreme Court after her sonrsquos membership was allegedly rejected over his nonParsi status They now find themselves ensnared in a prolonged series of court dates ldquoMy son is almost 10 years old now but the matter is still stuck where it was We are getting automated dates for the case but the case is not being listedrdquo said Dadar Parsi Colony DPC resident DalalSanaya Dalal with husband Rishi Kishnani who is partParsi at their sonrsquos Navjote ceremonySanaya and Rishi are raising their son as a Zoroastrian and even had a Navjote ceremony a ritual through which individuals are inducted into the religion for their son with much fanfare ldquoIn 2019 we began our ground work and research on the issue Finally in February 2021 we moved the Supreme Court In May 2023 a brief hearing happened after that we are getting automated dates In August dates changed three times thereafter we got a date for September 23 which has now been changed to October 4 But the case has not been listed yetrdquo Dalal saidlsquoRules amendedrsquoDalal a former journalist highlighted that in recent times the ldquoorthodoxrdquo Parsis who control the religious and social institutions have lsquoamended the rules and principlesrsquo in response to an uproar in the Parsi community provoked by incidents which were especially despicable and bigoted She also argued that in reality no religious script or tenet of the Zoroastrian religion which justifies discrimination on grounds of race ethnicity parentage or gender and such discrimination is part of the religious faithDalal said ldquoI applied for my sonrsquos games membership in January 2019 just a month later they told us that the process has been stopped It was only when we moved court they submitted the real reason for not allowing membership to my child In these five years we sought intervention from the National Human Rights Commission NHRC Charity Commissioner Women and Child Welfare Commission but nobody seems to want to do anything in our case People openly speak on social media using derogatory terms such as soda lemon water bhelpuri children meaning diluted ones These are shameful outdated and immoral views This kind of discrimination has been going on for generations now The Indian judiciary needs to strike down these unconstitutional practicesrdquolsquoAlso gender discriminationrsquoShe added ldquoMy motherinlaw is a Parsi and my husband is not recognised as a Parsi as his father is a Sindhi Had my fatherinlaw been a Parsi and motherinlaw a nonParsi my husband would have been recognised as Parsi and would have been allowed into communityrun institutions This is also gender discrimination We have not exposed our son to all this he is unaware about the caserdquoRishi a National Content Director of a FM radio channel said ldquoDiscrimination is encouraged and racism is normalised amid a section of Parsis The Dadar Parsee Colony Gymkhana is a prime example of discrimination and sexism As a child I have stood outside the fire temple where my friends used to go I have had to stand outside and not pay my last respects to my fatherinlaw after his death I have not been allowed to take part in several games and I have been told that is because my Parsi mother did not marry a Parsi I was 16 and batting while playing cricket with my friends at the gymkhana when I was asked to leaverdquoParsis speakDalalrsquos case sparked controversy within the community pitting conservative members in favour of the rule against progressive members ldquoA membersrsquo meeting was convened in September 2019 wherein a proposal to change rules to permit nonParsi spouses as guests all year through was discussed This is a virtual back door entry to nonParsis It is unfair The Parsis will undoubtedly find a means to preserve their heritage and legacyrdquo said a member of the community from DPCAnother member said in favour of Dalal ldquoWe are a community which is declining Excommunicating children of women who marry nonParsis is also one of the factors and a major one This is the stage that we need to be more inclusive instead of discriminating Zenobia Unwalla president and trustee of Dadar Parsee Colony Gymkhana said ldquoThe matter is in the Supreme Court and so it will be inappropriate to comment about itrdquo