Globally renowned scholar of Avestan language, Fellow of the British Academy and a Zartoshty Brothers Professor of Zoroastrianism at SOAS, University of London, Dr. Almut Hintze recently visited Mumbai and shared her views on different aspects of her field of study, on two occasions in the city – at the Royal Yacht Club on 29^th November and NGMA Auditorium on 9^th December, 2024. Dr. Pheroza J. Godrej, Chairperson – Museum Society of Mumbai, introduced and felicitated Dr. Almut, welcoming her to share her wealth of knowledge and research, at the venues which were filled to capacity with numerous notable community members and academics.

The talk at the Royal Yacht Cub, hosted by the Rotaract Club, titled, ‘The magic of the chariot race: on Zoroastrian imagery for perfecting the world’, saw Prof. Hintze focus on the key concept of the Zoroastrian world view – that Evil has a separate origin from God and as such is an intruder into our world. She explained how Zoroastrian priestly and lay rituals were aimed at fighting the presence of evil. She explained how the Gatha and Avestan texts used the imagery of the chariot race as a metaphor for life and the person’s actions in life being linked to rewards in the after-life and at the ‘turning point of creation’, with the ultimate goal being the removal of the ‘flourishing of evil at the end of time’. She also quoted Yashts for added confirmation. She pointed out that Avestan vocabulary refers to Ahura Mazda as a ‘charioteer’ who guides us towards the ‘prize at stake’.

The theme of the second event, hosted by The Museum Society of Mumbai, in association with the F D Alpaiwalla Museum, was titled, ‘On Patronage in the Zoroastrian Tradition’. Dr. Almut explored the role of laity in the transmission of Zoroastrian sacred texts and its significance for the survival of the Avesta. Her talk focused on two of the oldest known sponsors – from Khambat (Gujarat) and Sistan (Iran).

She traced the routes taken for travels and exchanges of texts by scribes commissioned to copy the texts that proved invaluable for the continuity of tradition for the Zoroastrian community to the present day. She spoke of “the triangle of interaction,” wherein the patron paid the scribe an honorarium to copy a manuscript and in turn received blessings/rewards from Ahura Mazda for performing this good deed. One such scribe, Mihraban Kayhusraw copied many manuscripts (from 1321 – 1351 CE) at the request of Cahil Sangan, his patron. In fact, all surviving manuscripts of the Yasna with its Pahlavi translation and of the Videvdad with the Pahlavi translation descend from those copied by Mihraban.

Dr. Almut’s talk was followed by the world premiere of the movie, ‘Mobed – Vewing of the Sacred: Zoroastrian Magis in today’s world’. The movie explored the Dadar Athornan Institute, where young initiates are trained to become priests, their tough life away from family and having to manage religious and academic studies along with extracurricular activities. They were praised as mobeds of the future and the keepers of the faith.

Dr. Almut’s study of ancient Greek and other languages led to her studying Pahlavi and Avestan languages and piqued her interest in Zoroastrianism. She is currently involved in directing an European Research Council project to investigate the ritual tradition of the Avesta in India. This research will go a long way in collating and compiling detailed investigations into Zoroastrian traditions, rituals and foster a deeper understanding while kindling an increased awareness and interest in one of the oldest religions of the world.