This is a conversation I had with my father a decade ago…
3M: I was reading the Qissa-e-Sanjan…
the saga of the Parsi Community… how they came to India!
Baba: Hmm
3M: How they were being driven out of Persia during the
Islamic conquests
Baba: Hmm
3M: They realised that the safest place where there would
be no religious persecution is India… So they sailed in 7 ships – 18000 in
number… finally landing in Sanjan – the southernmost tip of current day Gujarat
Baba: Hmm
3M: On arrival they sent an emissary to the local king
Jadi Rana… who sent them a cup filled with milk to the brim indicating that
there was no place for outsiders in his kingdom
Baba: Hmm
3M: The Parsi elders sent back the cup after adding some sugar
to it… indicating that they will similarly mix among the local populace!
Baba: Hmm
3M: The Rana was delighted. But he allowed them to settle
only after they agreed to his conditions
· Won’t convert the locals
·
Won’t eat Beef
·
The women folk will wear the local dress - Sari
·
Draw a rangoli outside their house
·
Won’t carry Weapons
·
Marriages will happen after sundown
Baba: Hmm
3M: And above all they will speak the local language –
GUJARATI!
Baba: So what are you indicating?
3M: Sanjan is less than 5 kms from the border of current
day Maharashtra… Had they landed slightly southwards they would have ended up
speaking Marathi instead of Gujarati. ;-)
Baba: No way my son! How many non-Marathi people in
Mumbai can speak Marathi well?? Marathi Manoos rushes to speak in their tongue to
make them comfortable... Had Parsis landed southwards, the local Marathi ruler
would have accepted Persian as the new language!
3M was speechless
