Qissa-e-Sanjan with a twist!

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