“Nothing” shrugged Hukhta. “I am bored and need a break” he added after a pause. Hukhta looked clearly bored and Humata could not understand the reasons. Life, he was sure, would never have been so good and easy for any of his ancestors. They would have been happy to see his life now.  The lush, well maintained 55 acres on the Malabar Hill was too refined for his tastes but now he was used to the luxury. Hukhta and Hvarshta were his siblings and had been together ever since he could remember.  Their strange names were given by their mother, who was an integral part of the Dokhma.  She had been there all her life and had had deep respect for the people who were part of this system. It was this reverence that she showed by naming them thus. Their fine-looks were inherited from their parents, the shiny bald heads, long sleek necks and the lavish tuft of feathers around their necks. What told them apart was that Humata was more rounded; Hukhta leaner and Hvarshta had the longest and the most magnificent pair of wings.

 Hukhta always confused Humata. He could never understand his brother. He thought it unusual for a vulture to contemplate so much. Many a times after a good meal, he had noticed that while he sat with his crop bulged, drowsy and half torpid; Hukhta would be in deep thought.  It had never bothered him though. Hvarshta was always there to give him company, that was, till she left them. Now the loneliness was catching up on him too.  Hvarshta was their adorable sister. She loved adventure and did not confine herself to the Tower of silence.  While her brothers were contended to remain at the Dokhma, she chose to spread those beautiful wings and fly high. She loved to see the world. While her brothers did not have to wait for other animals to finish their meals so that they may have theirs, Hvarshta chose to hunt for carcasses. She would fly high, breathe in the air and latch onto any of those delectable stenches that reached her high above. That was her undoing too.  They were creatures that could eat rotting flesh and even flesh that was contaminated by Cholera and anthrax but they had no defense against man made drugs which was pumped into the farmlands and cattle. Thus Hvarshta had met an untimely death after eating the flesh of some cattle, so had several others who had been with them earlier.

They were only a few of them left and all of them together could not clean off the bones of the few bodies that were laid to rest there every other day. The tinge of an odor that wafted around could not tempt them either, once they were full.  Humata often wondered whether it was the sight of piled up rotting corpses or the dwindling of their own that made Hukhta think so much.  As Humata pondered over this, he heard the large Iron Gate clink open.  Two Nasasalars robed in white carried a body to the outer most Pavi and placed it there. “It’s a man today” thought Humata as he waited for the Nasasalars to remove the cloth that was covering the corpse.

As the men took their leave, Humata turned to a passive Hukhta and asked “coming?” Seeing no reaction Humata shrugged and hopped to the fresh body thinking “well, a vulture got to do what he’s got to do.”

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Dokhma – the Tower of silence where the Zoroastrians leave their dead for birds of prey to feed on.

Malabar Hills in Mumbai

Humata, Hukhta and Hvarshta are the 3 principles of the religion which means good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

Nasasalars – the men who carry the bier on which the body is laid. They are the only ones allowed into the Dokhma to place the body on the concrete slab.

Pavis – the concrete slab on which the body is laid. The outer most one for the men, the inner one for women and the one in the centre for children.