 It is my very great pleasure to present to you someone who really needs no introduction. It's my pleasure to present to you Lord Karan Billimoria, who is going to address us now. Thank you. Thank you Amit and what a great honour to be introduced by you. Thank you very much. And to have my cousin Sherry sitting there. It's a privilege to speak here at SOAS today at the conference looking back Zoroastrian identity formation through recourse to the past. And also on the occasion of the launch of the outstanding everlasting flame Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination exhibition and catalogue led by Dr. Sarah Stewart of SOAS. I congratulate Dr. Stewart and her editorial team. Feroza Godridge, Alma Tensei, Ursula Sims-Williams, who's here as well, and Feroza Mistry. I haven't seen Feroza. I don't know if she's here somewhere. So she is here. I've always respected Alma as one of the greatest living scholars in Zoroastrianism. My lecture is entitled the everlasting flame of Zoroastrian identity, one broken thread of achievement from Cyrus the Great to today. It's important to note the historical links between the Vedic traditions in India and their influence on the developments within the Persian Empire, which at the time was the greatest land power on the face of the earth. In Birth of the Persian Empire, book edited by none other than Dr. Stewart, it is noted, and I quote her, it can be no doubt that the religion of the Achaemenians is not part of the history of Zoroastrianism, the alternative to believe that there was a western Iranian non-Zoroastrian religion almost entirely identical to Zoroastrianism is difficult to conceive. There's much to be said for the concept of a religion that is founded by a prophet speaking of the eternal truth. Like all ancient religions, Zoroastrianism is full of ritual, which is important and significant. So many people have talked in detail about these traditions and how they came into being. That's not my role this afternoon to get the heart to what is a Parsi within the context of a wider community and a Zoroastrian Parsi of a multi-faith nation. And please note, when I talk about Zoroastrian Parsi, I also talk about Zoroastrian Iranis as well. One cannot be dismissive of the vital traditions and methods of worship that one sees within Zoroastrianism, but there have been far more authority for speakers at the conference, none other than Dasturji Kothwal, one of our former high priests, who can explain the historical significance of them in a better and much more detailed way than I could ever try. He explained the Yassna to me the other day much clearer than I've ever heard before. I want to talk about why Zoroastrianism is relevant today as it was to the ancient rulers of Persia. In many respects, history is comprised of threads that bind memories of the distant past with the present today. Today, the Vedic tradition has its origins in India. But how did it influence the Persian Empire? What connects modern aspects of faith and religion of Cyrus the Great and Xerxes? In 480 BC, it is estimated that 50 million people lived in the Achaemenid Empire. That is approximately 44% of the world's population at that time. This figure reached by Yashata would make the Empire the largest ever in the world in history in terms of the percentage of the world's population at any one time, even bigger than the British Empire. We look at Cyrus as Cyrus the Great as the harbinger of one of the greatest empires of the Asian world. He's best known for two things. The first is the Cyrus Cylinder, perhaps the first recognisable modern legal instrument. In the United Kingdom, we consider the vital role of the Magna Carta. When giving tours in the House of Parliament, I always like to point out to the facsimile of the document in the content corridor next to the Chamber of the House of Lords. And in terms of European history, it is very august, having been signed in 1215, 15th of June, on the field of runny meat. And people rightly consider it the first Bill of Rights. It sets out clear powers and authority of the barons over the King, as well as serving a vital role in the establishment of the House of Lords and thereafter the House of Commons, a parliament free of the direct control of the monarch. However, although the British are very proud of the Magna Carta and we are, it is juvenile compared to the Cyrus Cylinder. The declaration found in the ruins of ancient Babylon that sets out the great deeds and genealogy of Empress Cyrus the Great. Created in around 530 BC, the Cylinder notes the most important aspects of Cyrus' great humility and tolerance, which form vital aspects of the entire tradition of the Zoroastrian faith. This is especially true when one considers the role that Cyrus played, not just in the protection, but also in the active promotion of many different religions and faiths that flourished in the Persian Empire during this time. He cites his building projects in territories that he had conquered and I quote, I rebuilt sanctuaries and chapels that lay in ruins, the deities of Sumer and Akkad that Nabonidus had to the fury of the people brought to Shuana. I returned unharmed to their rightful sanctuaries. I've returned all the deities to their sanctuaries and restored their temples. It is rightly seen as a major artifact of world history, representing the first detailed look at statecraft within a multi-ethnic society. There is a direct link between the protection and patronage of the Zoroastrian community under Cyrus, as well as the role that they enjoyed and enjoyed today in the United Kingdom. Secondly, Cyrus is also well known for his magnanimity, a specific example being that concern with the refuge that he gave to the Jews in Egypt. The Old Testament and the Torah both note this as sewn in the passage from the book of Ezra and I quote, thus said Cyrus, King of Persia, the Lord God of Heaven had given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he had charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. It is important to note that neither Cyrus nor the major high priest in his court who acted as advisors sought to convert the people of the conquered lands of the Zoroastrian faith. As a figure, Cyrus was determined to ensure that the territories that he conquered often lands that had been under the domination of other empires had their traditional forms of worship and religious practices restored to the people who lived there. Although he was not the first Persian emperor to follow this route, he certainly went beyond the examples set by his predecessors. Babylonians and Jews alike considered Cyrus as being on a mission from their individual concept of God. His ecumenical approach remains one that is difficult to fit into the historical paradigm. By the standards of the day, Cyrus and his fellow Persian monarchs were almost unique in the way in which they practiced one faith while accepting the right of subjects and client states to practice another. To the present time, Zoroastrianism and Zoroastrians share this non-evangelizing tradition with Hindus. Although their approach is, I believe, even greater being as it one actively sets out to ensure that all individuals have a right to follow their ancestral faith, given that their belief is a fundamental part of a person's heritage and spirit. And this, I think, is where secularism comes in and secularism is all very well to be encouraged and pluralism as well as long as everyone can be true to their own faith as well as celebrating others. If we continue the thread of history onwards, let us next consider the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who comes to power well after the decline of the Zoroastrian religion has seen the Parsi community forced to seek refuge in India. Like Cyrus, Akbar was known by the epitaph of the great and was also known for his great magnanimity and tolerance for all religions. This continues to be a link between ancient Zoroastrianism and the influences of the Vedic tradition. Akbar was beloved both during his rule and in the centuries afterwards and his religious tolerance formed a major aspect of this tradition. Indeed, in 1582, he affected to establish Saddinil Alha, religion of God, which was an attempt to synthesize aspects of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism and Zoroastrianism into a single faith that would reconcile the infighting groups within his empire. These efforts were greatly down to the influence, I believe, of Zoroastrianism and the Vedic. After all, in Yassna 1, Ora Mazda proclaims that my sixth name is understanding. My seventh is intelligent one. My eighth name is knowledge. My ninth is endowed with knowledge. My 20th is Mazda wisdom. I am the wise one. My name is the wisest of the wise. As Subash Khark notes, this is a role that is very reminiscent of Purusa and the Vedas, whose projects such as wisdom onto the three planes of the heavens, the sun and the earth, the list of common deities and concepts between the two clearly show common system of belief between Zoroastrianism and the Vedic one. The presence of Indra and the list of the deus seems to mirror the relegation of Indra that started in the Puric times, where instead of connecting this far through the intermediate region of which Indra is Lord, a direct worship of the great Lord was stressed. This innovation is not counter to the Vedic system since the triple division is a recursive order. The devas are part of the good forces in the Zoroastrian system under the label of Yazata. Now, if one wishes to consider the legacy of Zoroastrianism, let us consider the religion of the great Western empires that existed just after Cyrus. At the same time, the Greeks and the Romans are seen as the founders of European culture, but their polytheistic beliefs have all died out. The Catholic Romans and Orthodox Greeks of today do not have the same thread of history going through them. Although Zoroastrianism was suppressed in Iran and has largely, sadly, virtually died out there, it still exists in a diaspora ranging from India to the United Kingdom to the United States. There is a historic unbroken link between the religion of the ancient Persians and the community that I am proud to be a part of today. On the other hand, there is Iran, a nation with so much potential and yet a country that is considered a concern for the whole world. It has a religious history that has been broken. The Zoroastrian community around the world, though scattered, has survived away from its ancient homeland, yet still holds such a strong historical link and thread to the past that is arguably unsurpassed in world history. The legend of the milk and sugar is apocryphal, but it retains a great historic basis. The Parsi community has survived by preserving a racial connection through the paternal line in India and also by strict preservation of the religion. This is thanks to a mutual understanding. There was a tolerance by the Indian kings, but also the direct role that the Parsi's played by not evangelizing and spreading the religion. They were not considered a threat. We, the Parsi's, were not considered a threat to the established order. So there's therefore no reason why, theoretically, anyone should be able to become a Zoroastrian today because that threat doesn't exist. Parsi's were not seen as a threat and one of the main reasons for the lack of persecution was their refusal to go out and convert followers of the state religion to Zoroastrianism. And although the Parsi's largely remained out of the historical narrative form from their arrival in India over a thousand years ago, they only really adopted a prominent role after the arrival of the British and their emergence and success with the British comes from a number of factors. Firstly, there's a religious role of Zoroastrianism on the development of their cultural, economic and social role. We must consider the position of the Gathas on this, not least one of the great defining characteristics of the vital role that great deeds and hard work play in life. I'm particularly struck by this, Yasna 31.11 By thy perfect intelligence, O Mazda, thou didst first create us having bodies and spiritual consciences. And by thy thought gave ourselves the power of thought, word and deed, thus leaving us free to choose our faith at our own will. When we compare Zoroastrianism to the more recent Abrahamic faiths, Catholicism, Anglicanism, they place a great emphasis on forgiveness of sins in the Book of Common Prayer. Even the Anglican Lord's prayer implores God to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. I believe there's a more positive attitude on Zoroastrianism. Obviously, forgiveness of sins is an essential component of monotheistic religions as they've evolved. But in the pure form, Zoroastrianism remains almost unique in the role that we place upon achievement in this life as well as preparing ourselves for judgment in the next. To go back to the concept of threads, is it not also incredible that we talk about Western philosophy and political thought and we always revert back to Plato and Aristotle? Why shouldn't we do the same with religion? Just as a school of thought that says that every person in the West can be called a Platoist or an Aristotelian, can we not argue that modern religion and their practices should not be seen as a reflection of the words of Zoroaster? We must consider the vital nature of what he encouraged, not least of his promotion of achieving greatness in life and nurturing the environment. All religions talk about stewardship, but none in the same way as Zoroastrians talk about the preservation of the seven Amesha Spenta. Yassna 47.1 mentions them, through a virtuous spirit and the best thinking through both the action and the word-befitting truth, they shall grant completeness and immortality to him. The same Gatha talks of these so-called divine sparks which are as follows. Vahumanu, good purpose. Asavahisa, best truth, righteousness. Shastravayriya, desirable dominion. Spantar maithi, holy devotion. Horvatat, wholeness. Amaratat, immortality. As Parsis, we're all brought up to learn about things from the heart, but not the meaning about it. We learn everything by rote. Most Parsis goes through their whole lives reciting prayers, not knowing what a single word means. I only gained a proper understanding from reading about it when I was introduced by Kathleen Reign, the famous poet and a very close friend to another very close friend, Pilu Nanavati Junglevala, and she presented me with her book, The Gathas of Zarathustra, and that is when I first got a real understanding. I believe that leading lives reciting by rote and listening to prayers without understanding a word of the dead languages that the Gathas are written in, and yet the practices and entrenched behaviors have led to the Parsis, the Zoroastrian Parsis community becoming one of massive achievers and a tradition of serving within the wider community. One could argue that this concept of being of a wider social entity in India could have arisen out of necessity given that the Parsis having to find a safe haven after their persecution in Persia, yes, but I believe that it predominantly comes from the inherent religious beliefs and practices. The threads of history continue to demonstrate this. Cyrus was magnanimous when he didn't have to be. He was all powerful and today's Erastians were allowed to flourish under the Mughal emperors and under the British Raj by the same aspect of tolerance. Most importantly, Parsis are seen as people who are trusted. This comes back from the founding origins of the faith. Parsis are respected by others. They are flourishing in India and in the UK. Britain's secular and multicultural nature has been a traditional source of sanctuary for persecuted people for centuries, starting from the time of the French Huguenots. This kingdom allows people of all religion, including Zoroastrians, to succeed. The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe, of which I'm proud to be patron, was founded in 1861, making it the first and the oldest of the Asian faith-based organizations in the UK. The other by Neroji was a founding member and Mahatma Gandhi used to attend its events in the late 19th century. However, tolerance has not always been ubiquitous. For example, in British India there's the situation where Jamshed Di Tata was discriminated against when he tried to enter a hotel and was told, sorry, you're a native, this is for British only, and of course he then vowed to open the finest hotel India had ever seen, the Taj Mahal Hotel, which was finally opened in 1903 to become not just the best hotel in India, but today one of the best hotels in the world. Closer to home, the other by Neroji, here in the UK, the first Zoroastrian House of Commons decided to contest a seat in Parliament. He found himself being attacked from representatives of all parties because of ethnicity and background. He'd been selected as a liberal candidate for a marginal seat and the Marquis of Salisbury said that one Gainford Bruce, a conservative candidate, Colonel Francis Duncan, who'd beaten Neroji at one stage and Lord Salisbury I quote, said I regard the election at Hoban as a valuable indication of public opinion at this moment. It is undoubtedly a smaller majority than Colonel Duncan won by last time, but then Colonel Duncan was opposed by a black man and however great the progress of mankind has been, however far we've advanced in overcoming prejudice, I doubt if we have yet got to the point where a British constituency will elect a black man to represent them. What I predict there will be in his Prime Minister of this country. Reports of the reaction to this speech were mixed with some noting laughter and others cries of shame, however it was certainly controversial. Isn't it ironic that Neroji was fairer in complexion than the notoriously ruddy face Salisbury? The Prime Minister never apologized for the remark although he would later invite Neroji to become a member of the governing body of the Imperial Institute and rather by Neroji took a seat in Parliament in 1892. In spite of all these problems Neroji's own maiden speech which he made after being elected as a member of Parliament for Central Finsbury talks of his thanks for being elected and I keep a copy of his maiden speech in my office in the House of Lords which I can see on my desk every day and he says, I quote from the speech Central Finsbury has earned the everlasting gratitude of the millions of India and has made itself famous in the history of the British by electing an Indian to represent it. Its name will never be forgotten in India. This event has strengthened the British power and the loyalty and attachment of India to ten times more than the sending out of 100,000 European soldiers would have done. I thank you sir for allowing me to say these few words in the House for so indulgingly listening to me and I hope that the connection between England and India which forms five, six of the British Empire may continue long with benefit to both countries. As I have made in speech which I made after my appointment to the House of Lords I referenced the Zoroastrian community when I became the first Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the upper chamber in 2006. Again, the thread of history connects me with Naroji, with the Parsi members of Akbar's court and the Zoroastrians at the time of Cyrus the Great. And if I may indulge you, I said in my speech today the Parsi's number fewer than 100,000 people in India well we know now it's just over I'm so proud of what our tiny community has achieved, not only in India but also by producing the first three Asian MPs in Britain. My great-grandfather D.D. Italia came from the city of Hyderabad in India where I was born. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house in India and he was a man in whose footsteps I'm proud to follow here in our upper house, the House of Lords. I'm also proud to have been inspired by his motto to aspire and achieve. I've adopted this as our vision and added to aspire and achieve against all odds with integrity. It may seem against all odds for Britain and this global world up against giants like China and India but we must aspire and we must continue to achieve and most importantly we must do so what we've always been renowned for and that is our integrity. When I made my speech I was so pleased that the Zoroastrian community had been an exigent, such a rounded way an impressive way which beguiles our tiny size. We ranged from the great industrialists like Jamsha D. Tata to some of the modern world's most famous musicians not least Freddie Mercury. We create great lawyers just a few years ago, the Chief Justice of the Indian Supreme Court and the Solicitor General were both Zoroastrians. We can have great military leaders, my own father Faridun Bilimoria, Lieutenant General Bilimoria was the Chief Justice of the Indian Army. My uncle, Lieutenant General Adi Settna, Sherry's father was Vice Chief of the Indian Army. Other Parsees have risen to command the armed forces. Admiral Jal Karsachi related to me was the first Parsee to be appointed Chief of the Naval Staff of India, Air Marshal Engineer, Air Marshal Fali Major, Air Chief Marshals, both of them of the Air Force. Politicians, Indira Gandhi's husband, Feroz Gandhi, Meenu and Dr. Sires Poonawalla who has been so benevolent to this and of course the Zartosi brothers and we have Homer Zartosi here with us today, their philanthropy to us here in the UK and around the world and if I may be so bold, I've followed in the entrepreneurial footsteps by creating Cobra Bear which is a household name. Homi Baba, the founder of the Indian Nuclea Program and HMS Trent Comerley, the oldest warship of float built in 1917, still a float in Hartlepool which I went aboard as a boy with my great-aunt Sheru Wadia, a Parsee family of ship builders. Closer to our hearts, Farouk Engineer, one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen in cricket, ever. Indeed, I could go on. I'm just giving you a few examples of Parsees in every field rising to the very top. Why has this happened? In my own experience, it is not purely encouragement to the family, but because I believe we're part of an entire community of achievers. Parsees are fortunate in that we're inspired by a whole community and I would go so far that the Zarestan Parsee community is the most successful community in the world in per capita of achievement. My great-grandfather was a major inspiration to me, as was my father, but I've also received, by a sort of cultural osmosis inspiration from our ancient history, there's a certain irony that goes all the way back through this unbroken thread to a community that was almost destroyed and remains tiny even to this day. Parsees are the smallest recognized religious group in the United Kingdom of under 6,000 people in a country of a population of over 60 million, but we retain a sense of pride in our achievements even to this day. On the other hand, the Parsees in Iran have not been allowed to flourish unlike those in India and Britain. My friend, Professor Mathias Sen, has written at great length about identity. He believes that we have as individuals multiple identities. In my case, having been brought up in India, I'm proud to be an Indian. Living and working in Britain, I'm proud to be an Asian living in Britain. And I'm very proud to be a Zoroastrian Parsee. Parsees in India, I know, are proud to be Indians, as well as extremely proud to be Zoroastrian Parsees. Adam Grant, a Professor of Management at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, recently authored a book entitled, Given Take A Revolutionary Approach to Success. Professor Grant says that there are three types of people in the world, givers, takers, and matches. Although he finds that the majority of givers don't exceed the accomplishments of takers and matches, he concludes that even if givers don't always get the same outcome when they do rise, they make friends rather than enemies. When I read that, I thought of the Zoroastrian community. To me, the Parsee community, the Zoroastrian Parsee community, is a living part of the aspiration and achievement of this ancient religion. Good values lead to the everlasting flame of the Zoroastrian community. It is a wonderful combination of identity and pride. In October 2010, Roan Williams, now Lord Williams, became the first ever Archbishop of Canterbury to visit the Zoroastrian Center in Harrow. He is now Master of Mordland College, Cambridge. He is now the first Archbishop of Canterbury to welcome him. He said, Lord Billimoria has used the word integrity twice. It comes from the Latin word integrity, meaning wholeness. And you can only practice integrity if you have wholeness within yourself. Many misuse the word integrity, but the Zoroastrian community, I believe, use it properly because we can gain integrity and heritage, identity and an instinctive, unarrogant humility and confidence without hubris over generations and generations. It is this aspect of us that represents the thread of history and the everlasting flame. I am the founding chair of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce in the UK and our slogan is industry and integrity. Asha and righteousness are at the heart of all we set out to achieve. If you would allow me to finish with a business analogy, management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right thing. Zoroastrianism is about always doing the right thing. Thank you.