BANGALORE: Flamboyant monuments, carved stones, exquisite marble or granite figures are something that one will not find in the Tower of Silence. The last ride of the members of the Parsi community has a total different foundation which is considered both secretive and sacred. As a part of the series on cemeteries, City Express examines issues faced by the Parsi Tower of Silence near Hebbal flyover. Maki, the care taker and manager, lives with her husband Jemul M Vakharia and her five dogs in the estate of the Tower of Silence. She is proud of the estate, built in 1940, and is happy to give a tour of the estate that houses a temple and a chariot that was used to carry the dead in the 1980’s. The Tower of Silence speaks volumes of history and heritage. However, with urbanisation in the form of highways, apartments and Metrorail creeping in, this place is losing the secrecy associated with the last rites of the Parsi community. A pensive Maki says, “The scenario was very different six years ago. It was a serene place with lush greenery around. Calmness was synonymous with this place. It was an apt place for the community to complete the last rites of their loved ones. However, today people prefer to visit the one on Mysore Road rather than coming here. The Tower of Silence on an average witnessed 10 to 15 death ceremonies in a year but has not received any ‘body’ in the last one year. Our community is a dying breed. We are about 6,000 Parsis in Bangalore and a majority comprise old people. There are only two towers near the city. Hence, it is obvious that people are comfortable with the one situated on Mysore Road.”Urbanisation has encroached this 13-acre estate with issues such as axing trees, constant noise from the highway interrupting the prayers and extensive construction right beside the place where the bodies are placed. In order to maintain its privacy, the trust-Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman that runs the Tower of Silence has installed a huge sheet as a barrier between the dead and the live.But, the main battle is the ongoing legal one with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The authority made its first acquisition of 600 sq meter on the premises four years back. President of the Bangalore Parsee Zoroastrian Anjuman, Dinshaw Cawasji said, “ We had filed the petition for objection four years ago and the case is still pending in the court. Initially, the compensation offered by them was `15 lakh. However we demanded `1 crore. Today. the price of the land has increased so we will be demanding more considering the present market value of land.” He further added, “The Judge has ordered the Deputy Commissioner to appoint an arbitrator to arrive at a mutual price of compensation.”The irony is that the NHAI is all set to make its second acquisition on a large portion of this land again. Dinshaw Cawasji said. “We are waiting for them to finish the process. Depending on the amount of compensation they are offering, we will take our step.”It definitely looks like it is no longer quiet at the Tower of Silence.
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