The Parsis of South Bombay

By Aakar Patel
No Indian community internalised the civilising mission of the British as did the Parsis. Only 50,000 remain, mainly in South Bombay, the most disciplined and cultured part of India. In South Bombay, the cutting of lanes by drivers is punished, jumping a red light is impossible, parking is possible only in allotted areas, [...]

Parsi Swimmer Rehan Poncha At the Beijing Olympics

Swimmer Rehan Poncha of Bangalore was among the last Indian athletes to qualify for this edition of the Olympics, so naturally it’s a reason to celebrate for the 22-year-old.
However, Poncha who was adjudged the best swimmer at the National Aquatics last year harbours no illusions to the competition that awaits him in the 200m butterfly [...]

Southern California Mourns Manecksahaw’s passing

A condolence meeting was held at the Woodland banquet hall to celebrate the life of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw. Organized by Zarir Bhandara the meeting brought together a large cross section of the community including members from the local Parsee Zoroastrian community.
Also present was Indian Dy Consul Gen PP Sircar, Bangla Desh Dy Consul Gen [...]

Soon, heritage status for fire temples

Mumbai, July 3 47 Parsi structures, including 4 Atash Behrams, in city’s heritage list
Parsis across the city were cheering on Thursday when, after a long battle that has lasted over six years, their sacred fire temples including the four Atash Behrams have been proposed for receiving heritage status, which will safeguard these beautiful century-old structures [...]

Ronnie Screwvala: Bollywood to Hollywood

Screwvala lives with his second wife, Zarina, and his lookalike labrador, Sprite, in an upscale apartment block in Mumbai. They are currently having another apartment renovated that will look out over the Arabian Sea. It has mogul written all over it. Zarina is easily a match for Screwvala. She is a successful television executive and [...]

Shehnaz Treasurywala: Big Secret Revealed

Shehnaz Treasurywala the new host of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge has her task cutout as she will be seen anchoring a Hindi show for the very first time!! But what exactly motivated her to anchor this rib-tickling comedy show? Well, the answer is right there in the question.
As Shehnaz very neatly puts it, [...]

A Tribute to Pandit Firoz Dastur

As a tribute to Pandit Firoz Dastur, artistes Shrikant Deshpande, Girish Sanzgiri and Srinivas Joshi are organising a concert
Having passed away on May 9, Pandit Firoz Dastur, the doyen of the Kirana Gharana and a disciple of Sawai Gandharv, leaves behind a legacy that is hard to equal. Having commanded a singing career of six [...]

The Parsi Wedding

By Firoze Hirjikaka
The main theme and the true raison d’etre for a Zoroastrian wedding is food. Zoroastrian wedding banquets are definitely for the weight watchers. Demurring protestations to the contrary, food is the reason most invited guests show up at these events. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Owing to some archaic promise my ancestors [...]

Zoroastrian Information Center at Udvada: Speech by Dasturji Mirza

This is a brief report on the speech given by Dasturji Dr. Peshotan Dastur Hormazdyar Mirza at the launch of the Zoroastrian Information Center at Udvada, Adar roj, Adar mah, YZ 1377, April 24, 2008.

Report submitted by Pervin J. Mistry on an email distribution list.
It is reported that a small crowd of about 200 Parsi-Irani-Zarathushtis [...]

Fertility clinic gives hope, aid to dwindling Parsi community

Mumbai: After the Hakims married, they looked forward to a quiet life, interrupted often by the laughter of children.
Five years later, none had arrived. Troubled by the void, they began visiting doctors. But nothing worked—until they stumbled upon the fertility plan of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, the apex organization in the city that offers financial [...]