Mark J. Dresden was a professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1949 until he retired in 1977. He received a Fulbright Scholarship in 1960 to Bombay University to study and photograph the Denkart: A Pahlavi Text. He passed away in 1986. Below is the letter of gratitude written by his wife Jacqueline Dresden to the US Department of State. In the photo, Mark J. Dresden (third from right) is standing with two Zoroastrian priests and their wives in Mumbai.

November 27, 2009

Dear Members of the Fulbright Committee:

What a marvelous idea the Fulbright Program initiated by the late Senator J. William Fulbright is, giving so many students and scholars a chance to exchange knowledge in so many different fields. Proof of its value is that it continues to grow.

As I look back upon my life now that I am 101, it occurred to me that I wanted and needed to express my gratitude to you for having given me the opportunity in 1960 -- now nearly 50 years ago -- to join my husband, Dr. Mark Jan Dresden, a professor of Indo-Iranian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He had been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.

Memories of our trip to India were rekindled last fall when news came of a terrorist bombing of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay. During our Fulbright stay in Bombay, my husband and I lived at the Green's Hotel, next door to the Taj.

My husband's project was to find and study Zoroastrian religious manuscripts of the Sassanian times (224-651 AD) that were carefully stored in and near Bombay. The culture and religion are still alive and active today. The Zoroastrian priests, also known as Parsees, took these manuscripts from Persia when they fled Iran during a Muslim invasion around 1100 AD.

The Sassanian Dynasty of Ancient Persia, at its largest, covered an area of modern Iran and Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and large parts of Pakistan. Its literature, written in the Pahlavi language, is one of the primary original sources for the understanding and reconstitution of the religion and culture of this period. One can see, 50 years later, as the US is embroiled in this region, the Fulbright Program's foresight in funding my husband's work.

In 1960, the majority of books written in Pahlavi were not available in a form that could pass even a reasonably strict critical test. My husband's task was to prepare a printed edition of a Pahlavi manuscript, known as the Denkart. Among Zoroastrian books, the Denkart ranks high. Its content matter is more comprehensive and its length greater than that of any other Pahlavi text. A Parsee librarian brought the Denkart manuscript to my husband at our hotel in Bombay.

My husband hired a professional photographer to shoot the more than 800 pages of the manuscript. The photographer created a workspace on the balcony of our hotel room to have the best light. This painstaking work took nearly a month.

During our stay in Bombay, my husband spent a great deal of time and energy visiting with leaders in the Parsee community to gather additional resources to get a better understanding of their culture and society. These insights were critical to his ability to interpret the nuances of their way of life.

After his initial work in India, it took my husband an additional five years to prepare a comprehensive interpretation of the photographic reproduction and other resources he had gathered. The German publishing house, Otto Harrassowitz in Wiesbaden, published the work. It stands proudly on my bookshelves today.

I would like to share with you some reflections on our life experiences during this marvelous adventure. For us, coming from the United States, India was so different in climate, languages, religions, cultures, populations, food and problems of daily life that it took time to absorb and adjust to it. The guidance of the Fulbright representatives in India helped a great deal and our living quarters were so excellent that we felt secure and protected by our government.

We arrived in Bombay in September. The next day we and the other 30 or so Fulbright scholars flew to New Delhi where we participated in a two-week introductory seminar that included lectures and trips to important Indian sites. In lectures, we began to learn about the variety of cultures and understand India's practical problems such as scarcity of water, humidity and smelly mattresses, flies, cockroaches, dust and heat. During the two weeks, we went on trips to introduce us to India. The beautiful sightseeing trips included a visit to the Ajanta Caves with its unique Buddhist wall paintings. We also took additional tours of numerous temples with their gorgeous sculptures.

Our trip to the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum was a very special experience. My husband and I hired a big old comfortable Dodge to bring us there. We started in the morning and returned in the dark. Along the way we saw many barefoot women carrying water containers on their heads to bring home to their families. Fortunately, our Sikh driver brought bottled drinks in the trunk of his car to relieve our thirst in the hot weather. The mausoleum, so beautiful in white marble with inlayed flowers all over, was immaculately kept and was located in a big formal garden with an oblong pond in front.

When we returned at night, we were surprised by the intensity of the dark since there were no outside lights along the roads. As we drove, we could see the shining eyes of many hyenas prowling about.

Another very meaningful experience during our two-week stay in New Delhi was a garden party for Fulbright scholars hosted by India's President Radahkrishnan.

After the seminars and trips, we returned to our hotel in Bombay where the Fulbright Program had arranged for us to have a Parsee priest as a guide. He was with us every day.

Once back in Bombay, we traveled by train to visit a boarding school in the mountainous city of Poona where young boys were being educated to become Parsee priests. Although we did not see any young Parsee girls, they are also well educated since Parsees treat men and women equally. Parsees traditionally go to colleges in India and in England.

Some observations I remember are that I was very impressed by the “Choti taxis” (by Mercedes Benz), so efficient and practical. I was also surprised one day when we saw a huge swarm of locusts outside our hotel in Bombay. The locusts flew over the water and continued on because I assume there was not enough vegetation for them around the city. I had never seen anything like it.

Although the English are no longer in power in India today, their way of life still persists. The English language they left behind is an essential binding element in this huge multilingual country.

Over the years I have often reflected on the many memories of our time in India. I again thank the Fulbright Scholars program for having provided this important opportunity to my husband and me. May the program continue to flourish and promote better understanding among peoples of the world.

Sincerely yours,
Jacqueline H. Dresden-Haas