– Dr. Avan M. Ardeshir –

It’s time we confront a growing concern within our community. Cigarette-smoking is slowly choking the values our community once held sacred. What was once seen as an outside vice has quietly made its way into our baugs, balconies, and social gatherings. What often starts as a casual puff at a party is fast turning into a daily habit for many Parsi men and women. Quiet corners of colonies now bear silent witness to a trend our forefathers would never have endorsed. But even as the smoke rises, so does a critical question: are we burning away more than tobacco with every drag? Are we slowly clouding the very principles of purity and well-being that our faith upholds?

Once known for our impeccable manners, irreverent wit and impeccable sense of hygiene, Parsis now find themselves battling a curious and rather un-Parsi affliction: tobacco addiction. Who needs statistics when the truth is right in front of us, for all to see: young professionals taking ‘smoke breaks’ with colleagues, seniors in their 70s still reaching for the Gold Flake after lunch, and hookah ‘experiments’ at house parties that soon turn into habits. Add to this the silent and not-so-common, yet pervasive trend of chewing tobacco, often masked under the guise of ‘mukhwas’ or ‘just once in a while’ indulgences…. and we find ourselves behind a deadly smokescreen.

When Fire Becomes A Casualty…

For us Parsis, tobacco is more than just a health risk – it’s a spiritual paradox. We are a community that holds fire sacred – not just metaphorically. We pray before it, revere it and regard it as the symbol of Ahura Mazda’s divine light and energy. Here lies the irony so thick, that even the densest smoke can’t obscure it! After all, how can we, as followers of a faith that worships fire, simultaneously pollute our own inner fires with tobacco?

Every puff of smoke that emerges from a cigarette is, in effect, an act that disrespects what we hold holy. Smoking is prohibited in the presence of sacred fires in our Agiaries and Atash Behrams. Our very breath is considered sacred. Polluting it with nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide doesn’t just defile the body, it disrespects the spirit.

This isn’t just spiritual hyperbole. The Vendidad, one of the ancient Zoroastrian texts, warns against acts that defile fire, including smoke from impure sources. How can we offer worship with the same hands that just tapped ash into a tray?

When the soul shudders, the body suffers. Smoking is linked to over 25 diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic bronchitis and at least 14 types of cancer, the most notorious being lung, mouth and throat cancer. Chewing tobacco comes with its own sinister baggage: oral cancers, gum disease, and disfiguring jaw conditions that are as painful as they are humiliating.

In a community already grappling with a shrinking population, rising health costs and a disproportionately aging demographic, can we afford to let tobacco drain our vitality further? Our community doctors, many of whom are baffled by the uptick in tobacco-related cases, are quietly urging us to consider this not just a personal health issue, but a communal one.

But There’s Hope… And Help

Here’s the good news: it’s never too late to quit. And the benefits start piling up faster than you’d think. Within 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate drops. Within 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your blood return to normal. Within weeks, your lung function begins to improve. And within a year, your risk of heart disease is halved.

There are innumerable options for those ready to stub it out – from nicotine patches and gums to prescription medications like varenicline (Champix) and bupropion (Zyban), which can double your chances of success. Add to this behavioral therapy, group support programs, yoga, breathing exercises, and the underrated power of a stubborn will – and you’ve got a robust Quit-The-Tobacco plan!

Those who’ve successfully quit often cite a powerful motivator: their children and grandchildren. “I didn’t want my granddaughter to see me with a cigarette,” shared 62-year-old Vistasp, who quit after 40 years. “My granddaughter once asked me, ‘Why are you setting fire to your mouth, Pappaji?’ That shook me.”

It’s time we brought our ancient reverence for fire into our modern lifestyles. Let’s model to the next generation that fire belongs in sacred spaces, not in rolled-up sticks laced with addiction. Let’s show that discipline and dignity can be more powerful than peer pressure or momentary highs. And importantly, let’s not forget the Parsi trait that has always helped us punch far above our demographic weight – the ability to laugh at ourselves and then do even better!

So, if you’re a smoker reading this, don’t beat yourself up. You’re not the first, and you certainly won’t be the last. But maybe, just maybe, you can be the first in your circle to stub it out… for good! As we empower ourselves with this understanding, let’s make a commitment to our lineage alongside our lungs. Let us protect the fire within, honour the fire we worship and breathe free and healthy again! Because when a Parsi quits smoking, it’s not just a health win, it’s a spiritual homecoming!