Ahead of new year, some members of the Dawoodi Bohra community are constructing new Indian toilets in their homes. After Bohris were asked to schedule weddings at specific venues where only a particular dress code and cuisine would be permitted, the community members claim that local community heads are now making an unusual request — to break their western toilets and construct only Indian toilet seats. Community members The Indian Express spoke to claimed that local community heads called ‘aamil sahabs’ had started visiting houses across India to inspect which style of toilet the community members use. In Mazgaon and Byculla, a few families have already demolished commodes to make way for squatting Indian toilet seats following instructions, they claimed. “Three weeks ago, two members from Yusuf Mohalla visited our house. They asked about the number of bedrooms in our flat and which kind of toilet seat we used. They had a questionnaire for each Bohri family,” said Amir, a Byculla resident who is the director of a financial marketing company. “My mother got very angry. It is a personal choice which toilet seat we use. Why should we change it?” Amir asked. Tasneem, a resident of Deen Dayal Nagar in Vasai, claimed representatives from the Dawoodi Bohra administrative committee visited her home last week and enquired about the number of toilets in her house, apart from whether they had basic amenities. “We have one Indian style and one western style commode. I told them my mother-in-law has arthritis and cannot use Indian seats,” Tasneem said. In their visits, officials from the Syedna’s office, community members said, urged them to switch to Indian toilets. A spokesperson from Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s office said, “The advisory has been issued by local jamaats representing the Syedna’s office.” “They told us western seats are unhygienic. It can lead to infections. It is also un-Islamic to pray with clothes that may get dirty when they come in contact with a toilet seat,” said Murtaza, a Bhendi Bazaar resident. Residents claim modifying a toilet can lead to drainage and seepage problems in old buildings, apart from putting an additional financial burden of constructing a brand-new toilet. “Using western toilets is alien to our culture. It is an accepted fact that using Indian toilets has certain proven medical benefits and advantages over using western toilets. It is all part of the upliftment and awareness drive. No one is forced to change, let alone a person who needs to use a western toilet due to any medical condition,” a spokesperson of the community said in an e-mail to The Indian Express. In Mazgaon, a 50-year-old hardware store owner and another 45-year-old resident in Byculla broke their western toilets two weeks ago to replace them with Indian seats. “We understand the scientific reason behind use of Indian toilets. There is no harm in maintaining hygiene,” said the 50-year-old, adding they wanted to follow the “Syedna’s guidance”. The community members have been asked to restrict their venues for weddings to limited registered community halls. Bohris have been asked to refrain from attending weddings in venues that are not registered. “I had booked a school ground in South Mumbai for my wedding next month. We realised a lot of guests may not come, so we cancelled the booking. It cost us Rs 40,000,” said a 29-year-old Bhendi Bazaar resident. The diktat, he alleged, had come overnight even as several weddings were already planned months in advance. In Vasai, Shabbir got married last week in St Augustine school grounds. Since he had already booked the hotel and distributed cards, he could not change the venue. “Bohris were asked not to attend such weddings. At least 200 guests did not turn up. A lot of food was wasted,” said a relative. Another family in Vasai had planned a wedding on YMCA grounds on December 29 but had to make last-minute changes to ensure community members show up at the wedding. They have now lost the booking amount of YMCA grounds and booked a community hall in Husaini Colony, Vasai, for the reception. “Nobody from Bohri administration is compensating for our loss,” said a family member. In response, a spokesperson of the community said, “The policy regarding community venues for marriages has been in place for the past 20 years or so. This is not something new. The advisory encouraging Bohras to use community venues for weddings has many advantages. One of them is that it is designed to allow rich and poor to share the same venue and it should be viewed as an attempt to promote an egalitarian position, which ought to be lauded and not criticised.” Byculla resident Arwa Taha (28) said the move was aimed at cutting down extravaganza in the weddings. “They are trying to simplify the cuisine. Instead of wasting food and having a huge variety, it is better to have limited cuisine,” she said. The financial marketing director from Byculla, however, said, “Our community is considered progressive but such a move pushes us back. These are unnecessary diktats.” He added that Bohris were now only discussing possible ways to evade the new problem of constructing Indian toilets. (Full names of some people quoted have been withheld on request) mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com
