Parsi Khabar

Bombay Parsi Panchayet declares that funerals of woman married outside community will not be allowed at towers. After refusing permission to an inter-caste married Parsi woman to let her body be consigned to the Towers of Silence after her death because she had assumed a ‘Hindu’ name, the Bombay Parsi Panchayet (BPP) has declared that [...]

About 100 Parsis were on Sunday reminded again of the need to show the will for survival. The message was communicated to them by one of the most learned members of the community, Ervad Navad Modi. By Ashutosh Shukla / DNA India Modi was talking on the subject ‘How to increase numbers without decreasing quality’ [...]

It’s a Sunday morning. A fire is burning on a silver urn in the sanctum sanctorum as about 30 children pray with a priest in the main hall of the Darbe Meher, the place of worship and community activity for Zoroastrians, in the Sydney suburb of Annangrove. By Neena Bhandari, Womens Feature Service Nestling amidst [...]

In the 10th century, a group of Zoroastrians arrived from Iran on the shores of Gujarat, India, and sought refuge in the kingdom of Jadi Rana in Sanjan. An oft-told tale then describes a meeting between the reigning Hindu king and the community chief, Dasturji Nairyosang Dhaval. “My kingdom is like a cup of milk, [...]

By Nauzer K Bharucha / TNN Perhaps for the first time in the more than 1,300-year history of the Parsis in India, the community’s oldest high priest at age 83, was anointed at Navsari in Gujarat on Tuesday. Kaikhusro Navroz Dastoor Meherjirana, a respected scholar priest, is interestingly also an advocate, author of two books [...]

She calls it the U-Trip. Setting out from Karachi, 15-year-old Rosheen Birdie plans on visiting every major hub of Zoroastrians in the world, just so she can find one to marry. It’s not so easy to locate a ‘match’ in her homeland anymore. Colloquially known as Parsis, Zoroastrians in Pakistan seem to be on a [...]

By Deena Guzder / The Washington Post Many of us recently finished celebrating Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah; however, few of us have heard of the religion that deeply influenced those traditions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. As the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, Zoroastrianism introduced ideas of a single deity, a dualistic universe of good versus [...]

A decade ago, karate champion Vispi Kapadia (52) lost his five-and-a-half-year-old daughter Fareena. Seven years ago, she appeared in his dreams and asked him to do "something for children" and the annual Zochild Day was born. By Anahita Mukherji, / TNN Every year, the Zoroastrian Children’s Foundation (of which Kapadia is a trustee) celebrates the [...]

The Parsis have decided to ensure that, like other communities, they too have a representative in the Maharashtra assembly. Members of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) and BJP legislator Mangal Prabhat Lodha made a representation to governor SC Jamir asking that a Parsi be nominated as a member of the assembly. "Our community has been [...]

By Nauzer Bharucha, / TNN In a city where a decent two-BHK apartment within 30 km of the business district is the exclusive domain of crorepatis, the Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) will sell almost 75 flats in Panthaky Baug, Andheri (East), to low-income community members at a rock-bottom rate of Rs 2,400 a square foot. [...]

This article is written by Kersee Kabraji of Pune, India and published with his permission. At the outset, I like to make it clear that I am neither a priest nor a scholar of our religion. With some grace, I can perhaps pass off as a ‘student’ of our religion. I am an engineer by [...]

Ervad Marzban J.  Hathiram, a good old friend, editor of Frashogard.com and the Panthaki at the Jogeshwari Daremehr has written a hard hitting post on religious adultery. Marzban writes My apologies for not updating the blog for the last few weeks since I was tied up in the Muktad preparations and prayers in our Daremeher [...]

See corporator’s attempt to include representatives of the community in the upcoming Assembly elections as a gimmick A proposal from a Malabar Hill corporator to include representatives from the Parsi community in the upcoming state Assembly elections has not found favour with the community. The letter by BJP Corporator Mangal Prabhat Lodha to Governor S [...]

Nargol is set to become the first village in the country to host a Parsi festival. This will be similar to government sponsored annual fests like Tarnetar fair, Kutch festival and kite festival. The historic village was developed by first generation immigrant Parsis who landed on the Arabian Sea coast in Valsad’s Umbergaon taluka bordering [...]

Zoroastrian priest banned by the apex community trust challenges its decision; says he will not stop conducting rituals for mixed-marriage Parsis A Zoroastrian priest – who was banned from praying at the Towers of Silence and fire temples because he has been conducting Navjotes (initiation ceremonies) for children from mixed marriages and offering after-death prayers [...]