Source: Toronto Star
On December 6, 2003 the Toronto Star ran a feature article on two brothers following in their father's footsteps into the Zoroastrian priesthood: "It may not be as cool as getting a bat signal, but a couple of times a month Zaheer, 16, and Farhad, 14, are summoned by Zoroastrians in need. Their services as mobeds (priests) are required for anything from a house-warming ceremony to performing a Navjote, the Zoroastrian initiation ceremony similar to a bar mitzvah. The brothers don't find anything extraordinary in balancing homework, playing basketball and leading a jashan (celebration). They regard their priesthood as something of a duty, and an opportunity to give back to the community...For Zaheer and Farhad, their faith is never much of a discussion point, as not many of their friends know about Zarathustrianism. 'It's only during gym, when my friends see my sudre and kusti, that they ask,' says Farhad...The shortage of priests is perhaps one of the more serious issues faced by the Zoroastrian community, as a relatively small number of young men choose to undertake the Navar ceremony required to become a mobed."