January 26 Sunday – In Bombay, Sam’s notebook:

Sunday, we lunched at Government House with their excellencies, the Governor and Lady Sandhurst; & at 4 p.m. visited the Towers of Silence with three Parsi gentlemen.

Lovely drive around the sea at sunset, Malabar Point and Scandal Point [NB 36 TS 25-6].

The three “Parsi gentlemen” were C. Rustomjee, D.H.J. Rustomjee, and Framjee C. Mehta, founder of a Parsi weekly. At the gates they were received in time for the ceremonial disposal of the dead by the son of the head priest of the Fire Temple at Colaba, Jeewanjee Jamshedjee Mody. Mody was the secretary of the Parsee Panchayet Trust Funds, and had spoken at the Chicago Congress of Religions [Parsons 78]. See Sam’s account of his visit to the Towers of Silence in FE ch XL 371-7.

Parsons writes that Sam was “vibrant with curiosity,” wanting to know all about the Towers: “In response to his questions, he was shown a model of the Towers by Nusserwanjee Byramjee, who explained their construction and use. Then the visitor [Mark Twain] wrote in the book of the Panchayet [Parsi council]”:

One marvels to see here a perfect system for the protection of the living from the contagion derivable from the dead — I mean one marvels to see this proof that modern science is behind the ancients in this so important matter. S.L. Clemens [“MT India” 78]. Note: the bodies thus delivered were devoured by vultures, which Sam felt was about on a par with cremation.

Upon leaving the towers, the Clemens party was given bouquets and taken on a drive along the Walkeshwar Road by these same three Parsi friends [“MT India” 79; Ahluwalia 10].

Sam’s notebook:

The model of the Towers [of Silence, a Parsee shrine,] shown & explained by Mr. Modi. See his book [Gribben 479; NB 36 TS 26]. Note: Modi published several books in Bombay about the Parsees.