Dwindling, Yes. Dodo, No

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: Fleeing the sword of Islam from Iran, they fetched up on India’s western shore centuries ago and promised to be like sugar dissolved in milk if allowed to settle here. Who will deny that the Parsis have kept their promise most splendidly and consistently? But Census figures released three weeks ago reiterate what everyone already knows: the community has registered a big drop in population from the last decade.

Prominent corporates voice their concern. Nadir B Godrej, managing director, Godrej Industries Ltd, says that the decline in Parsi numbers is a part of the normal demographic transition. “Being a well-educated and relatively affluent community, the number of children has been low. Late marriages and a large proportion of unmarried people have aggravated the problem.” But this is not just a Parsi issue. Says Godrej, “Japan and many European countries have declining populations, too. It’s worse for the Parsis because they start off with much smaller numbers.”

The writing was on the wall for a long time now, notes Cyrus Guzder, chairman and managing director, AFL Private Ltd. “Since the National Census of 1870, the demographic analyses have shown the Parsi family size as below four for over a century. In the last few decades, the Census reveals that the family size continues to shrink. If two children do not replace two parents (to give a family size of four), obviously, community numbers will decline. Therefore, no one in the Parsi community would disagree with the Census findings or with the obvious conclusion to be drawn—that the number of Parsis in India is on a decline and this is set to continue.”