You have to feel sorry for vultures. For animal campaigners they are a difficult case. Other, more photogenic, slightly less sinister creatures may gain the world’s sympathy at the drop of a hat, but raising money to save the world’s most proficient scavenger is a different matter.

As far as the Asian vulture is concerned, however, the situation is now urgent. Asian vultures may be ugly, but soon, if current trends continue, their unprepossessing appearance will be consigned to history.

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The route from Churchgate to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is sprinkled with memorials to sentinels of Mumbai history. Only, nobody cares

Sipping my masala chai one morning, I suddenly realized that the Khada Parsi statue, literally the Standing Parsi standing not far from where I live, had a name: Shet Cursetjee Manockjee, whose statue had been erected in his memory in the 1860s.

A newspaper report said a group of Parsis were hoping to have the iconic statue, after a thorough scrub-down and a restoration, to a new location—Parsi Colony, Five Gardens. Wedged at the point where the Byculla flyover splits to go in two directions, the statue was one among several public monuments to historical figures who feature prominently in the city’s history, the report said.

That’s where my dusty journey began, to find the other sentinels of our streets, and to see if they were faring better than my Khada Parsi.

“We tend to hurry up erecting statues in the memory of great personalities but end up demeaning them by our negligence,” says writer and city historian Sharada Dwivedi, also a member of the heritage committee.

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Iran’s Zoroastrian minorities gathered at their temples across Iran on Wednesday to mark Sadeh _ an ancient feast celebrating the creation of fire that has been observed since the days when their religion was the overwhelming belief in the powerful Persian empire.

In Cham, a small mountainous village outside Yazd in central Iran, hundreds of Zoroastrians came for the celebration.

They listened to three priests, all dressed in white to symbolize purity, recite verses from Avesta, the holy Zoroastrian book. The congregation then walked down from the village temple, led by two brightly dressed girls holding torches, to set ablaze a pile of wood.

«Fire is considered sacred in Zoroastrian beliefs, but it is not only a festival,» said priest Kamran Lorian. «What is more important, Sadeh is an opportunity bringing people together in order to love each other and promote understanding, love and affection.

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By Bachi Karkaria,

Jug Suraiya’s Second Opinion (January 4) may be dead-on in blaming India’s ersatz modernity for what happened in Mumbai , but it is way off the mark in also damning the city’s migrant nature. As a theory, it may be impeccable to argue that morality and ethics, a sense of right and wrong is inextricably linked with a sense of place, but in practice it simply does not apply to the way migration has shaped out in Mumbai, much less to the way it has shaped Mumbai.

More than any other metropolis, Mumbai is native-neutral, whatever the Shiv Sena may like to project. Migration is a continuous-process industry here, and the city would be non-existent without migrants. This is exactly the opposite of the pattern in Chennai and Kolkata, places firmly rooted in their mono-chauvinism.

Similarly, the Dehli-walla and the post-Partition Lalaji culture of the Capital have only been challenged in the recent decade by a completely different demographic dynamic. Bangalore falls into the same slot; its original Kannadiga and Tamil population may have always been diluted by multicultural pensioners seeking out its quietude and salubrious climate, but they shared a common temperament.

This is all completely different from the cultural maelstrom that has distinguished Mumbai for centuries. More so, as in any self-respecting kaleidoscope, each 24-hour turn changes the patterns.

Yet, contrary to Jug Suraiya’s premise, this does not make for a disparate anonymity where you can get away with murder or molestation. Quite the opposite. You learn to adapt, and live in the togetherness of strangers. In fact, communal angularities have full rein in the company of your own kind. Outside it, it is imperative that you emery them down. This is why the Goan makes good outside Goa;, the Bengali does better outside the stifling cultural terrorism of Kolkata; the Punjabi is so much quieter outside Delhi. As a Parsi, I could have claimed Mumbai as my patrimony, but I was a migrant too from the communal outpost of Kolkata, and the first thing that struck me was that the resident of the baugs and colonies was almost a different species from the Parsis back home.

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A Tower of Silence is the place where Zoroastrians laid their dead to rest in the life-giving power of the sun.

Zarathustra is the ancient Persian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism 3500 years ago. The ancient creed which was the dominant religion during the Sassanid era greatly influenced other religions and is still practiced worldwide, especially in Iran and India.

The followers of Zarathustra consider death a temporary triumph of evil over good. They believe a dead body is impure and the evil spirit will therefore enter anything exposed to the corpse.

All creation and natural elements are deemed sacred in Zoroastrianism and followers are prohibited from defiling the sky, earth, water, plants, animals, man, and fire.

Ancient Zoroastrians used to carry their dead to the top of hills or low mountains away from populated centers and sacred natural elements.

Zoroastrians expose their corpses to the sun as they believe it has the ability to destroy pollutants and disintegrate flesh.

The exposure procedure is called ‘Khurshed nigerishn’ which in Pahlavi means ‘beholding by the sun’.

In ancient times bodies were fastened to the ground so that they could not be dragged toward any life form, vegetation, water body or human settlements and defile them.

In Iran, Zoroastrians placed their dead on the top of a tower, called the Tower of Silence, which had an almost flat roof with a perimeter slightly higher than the center.

The roof was divided into three concentric rings. The bodies of men were arranged around the outer ring, women inside the second circle, and children in the innermost ring.

When the sun disintegrated the body and the birds stripped the body of its flesh, the remaining bones were collected in stone ossuaries with holes to allow the deceased to look upon the sun. Ossuaries would then be laid within specially erected structures.

At the funeral, the body was placed upon three flat stone blocks surrounded by a rectangular thin line of sand to protect mourners from the corpse demon.

Zoroastrian population has stopped this ancient practice for forty years now. Today, they bury bodies and use a layer of concrete to secure the ground from contamination.

Towers of Silence still stand in many parts of Iran, especially in the provinces of Yazd, Kerman and Tehran.

Some of these towers date back to the Sassanid era and others date back to more than 3000 years.

!! Saal Mubarak !!

August 20th is the first day of the Parsi New Year. A time of happiness and rejoicing for all members of the small Parsi community, of which Shirrin and I are a part.

This is one of my favorite days of the years. Memories of this day right through childhood included visits to the fire temple, wearing “new” clothes, receiving monetary gifts from grandparents, eating great food and going to parsi plays or “nataks” in the evening and to dinner thereafter.

Living in a Parsi colony meant that everyone did the same and it was a “jalsa”. It was one day where you would see the whole Parsi community out in full force, in every theater or playhouse in town. Every restaurant would have entire families of Parsis chattering away, drinking, eating, and greeting all and sundry around even if they did not know them.

It did not matter that there would be rain or shine, we would be out in force.

Over the last few years, being in NYC, away from family, on this particular day, sucks. There is something beautiful and inherent in celebrating festivals with family, that can never be substituted. There is a Zoroastrian Association here in NYC and they do hold a function in the evening, but its not the same.

On this occasion of the New Year we wish all our readers a very Happy New Year….one filled with peace, prosperity, harmony and love.

BY Rakshande Italia

If I cherished one special day during the year, besides my birthday, it was the New Year - not Jan. 1, but a day in August when members of my tiny Zoroastrian community in Mumbai, India, celebrated the beginning of their calendar year.

Colloquially referred as Parsi New Year, the day was extra-special as community members, the Parsis, party all day long. One prime reason that this day was special is that unlike the scores of Hindu festivals, which are an all-year-round affair, our community celebrates only two others in the year. Navroze, a celebration of spring equinox, and Khodadsal, the birthday of our prophet Zarathusthtra.

You see, our forefathers landed in India in the eighth century after fleeing the Arab invasion in Persia, refusing to leave their Zoroastrian religion, which is said to be one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, founded around 1200 B.C.

Today, there are only 150,000 Zoroastrians left worldwide. While India houses the largest population - 65,000 - the Greater Toronto Area comes in second with 6,000. Toronto is unique because Zoroastrians from India, Pakistan and Iran come together here, sharing the same religion even as they have different customs, cultures and languages.

On Aug. 20, Toronto’s Zoroastrians will celebrate the new year, congregating in two community centres in the GTA - one at Bayview and Steeles avenues and another in Oakville. The evening starts with a Jashan, a prayer ceremony, ending late but only after a sumptuous meal and loads of entertainment.

In India, the community doesn’t congregate together as it does here, but there’s a set pattern to the celebration.

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Mehlli Bhagalia and his wife, Perin, tend a small flame in their home in Carlsbad. Bhagalia said the flame, safe in the fireplace, has been consecrated by the couple’s prayers and is only extinguished when the couple go away. Just as the cross and the star of David are symbols of Christianity and Judaism, the fire is a symbol of divine light or wisdom for those of the Zoroastrian religion.

“In India there are consecrated fires that have been burning for over 1,300 years,” said Bhagalia, who prays before the sacred flame or the sun several times each day and wears a special prayer girdle of wool called a kusti.

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He was one of the most illustrious kings of ancient Iran (then called Persia)

On 21st March, Parsis and Iranis the world over celebrate Jamshedi Navroze named after the Persian king Jamsheed of the Peshdadian dynasty who ascended the throne centuries ago on the day of the spring equinox. This day was deliberately chosen since on an equinox, day and night stand equal upon the scales of time and space. A day when the planetary positions and cosmic-energies (Pran-Shakti) fecilitate humans along the upward energy-spiral of spiritual evolution. Chaldean, Egyptian and Persian astronomy confirm this occult fact. This day also heralds springtime when nature regenerates herself hence, it was named Navroze by the Persians, Nav meaning new and Roze meaning day. But who was this King Jamsheed and why is he remembered year after year every year, even today, after centuries????

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One of the world’s oldest cuisines is that of Persia. And with the coming of the Persian New Year, or Norouz, on March 21, now is a good time to discover the rich flavors and scents from this part of the world.

With stews perfumed with cinnamon, mint and pomegranate; tender grilled kebabs of chicken and lamb, and exotic fruits and vegetables, Persian cooking has one of the world’s oldest histories and greatly influenced cuisines as far away as India and Morocco.

Norouz means “new day” in Farsi, language of Iran, which is present-day Persia. It begins on the first day of spring and is a two-week celebration of rebirth and renewal.

Dating to pre-Islamic times, when much of the massive Persian Empire followed the religion of Zoroastrianism, Norouz today is the biggest holiday of the year in Iran. Schools and businesses are closed, and the most prosperous take their vacation or retreat to the countryside.

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Tonight Iranian people will celebrate the ancient festival of fire or Chahar Shanbeh Soori in all Iranian cities. Chahar Shanbeh Soori, literally means Red Wednesday, is an ancient festival, dating back to 4000 years ago since the early Zoroastrian era, which is still celebrated the night before the last Wednesday of the year. The word Chahar Shanbeh means Wednesday and Suri is red.

Chaharshanbeh Soori Festival

On this occasion people make bon-fires on the streets and jump over them. The streets coming alive with children and people as families spill out of their homes and greet each other. The young use much firework before and during the Chaharshanbe Suri.

In Chaharshanbeh Soori, bonfires are made in the streets and some times in the yards. Based on Zoroastrain tradition the number of bonfires at any one place should be three representing the three holy values including: Good thoughts, Good words, and Good deeds. A bonfire can also be made in a single spot and this would symbolize unity and solidarity of Ahura.

Then someone is the first to go, taking a running start and jumping over the fire they say ‘Sorkhie to az man, Zardieh man az to. This rhyme complements this ancient purification ritual where the healthy glow of the fire is beseeched to bless the person and to take away all their sickness.

Another tradition practice in Chahar-Shanbeh Soori is that people, most often children and young adults, wear strange dresses and sometimes wrap themselves up in sheets to symbolize Sorkhie to az man, Zardieh man az to, literally means your redness (health) is mine, my paleness (pain) is yours. This phrase is whispered in Chaharshanbeh Soori, ancient purification ritual, while people jump over the fire.the shrouds of the dead and head go to the street with pots and pans to create a cacophony you will never forget. As the saying goes, they could wake the dead! And that’s pretty much the intention; this ancient ritual is said to ward off evil spirits. Then the kids go door to door to receive Chaharshanbeh Soori nuts, chocolates, etc.

It is said that wishes come true on the eve of Chahar-shanbeh Soori. So, the ones making wishes, should cook Pottage Ribbon called Ashe Reshteh in Farsi by themselves or assistance of friends and family members and serve it for guests and neighbors. It is cooked mainly by boiled beans and legumes, Spinach and some other vegetables, fried garlic and spearmint and noodles.

The ancient Iranians celebrated the last 10 days of the year in their annual obligation feast of all souls, Hamaspathmaedaya (Farvardigan or popularly Forodigan). They believed Farahvahar the messenger of Ahuramazda (in Zoroastrian belief), the guardian angles for humans and also the spirits of dead would come back for reunion. These spirits were entertained as honored guests in their old homes, and were bidden a formal ritual farewell at the dawn of the New Year. The ten-day festival also coincided with festivals celebrating the creation of fire and humans.

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From Tehran to Isfahan to Mashad to Shiraz, businesses, shops and government offices are getting ready to close as Iran sets out to celebrate the country’s New Year, called Nowruz.

Iranians are currently traveling all over the country to visit relatives or just to see the country’s picturesque scenery to mark the start of the celebration in a week’s time.

In Tehran alone, hundreds of thousands of people have been out and about in recent days as Nowruz shopping kicks off and the Bazaars shift into high gear.

So, as the UN Security Council members are working away to pressure Iran into accepting its demands over the country’s peaceful nuclear program, here Nowruz is coming and the spirit of celebration has infused the country.

NOWRUZ (IRANIAN NEW YEAR)

Nowruz, new day or New Year as the Iranians call it, is a celebration of the spring Equinox. It was celebrated by all the major cultures of ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians, (3000BC), Babylonians (2000 BC), the ancient kingdom of Elam in Southern Persia (also 2000BC) and the Akaddians all celebrated it in one form or another. What we know today as Now Ruz has been celebrated for at least 3000 years and is deeply rooted in the traditions of Zoroastrianism.

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Although the Iranian government has condemned “300″ as insulting to the Persian civilization, the film has been packing them in at movie houses across the country. This is rather ironic, as what the current regime in Iran fears most is the renaissance of this ancient culture.

On March 25, the fourth annual Persian parade will begin on 40th Street and Madison Avenue. Organizers say the single-day festival commemorates Noerooz, the Persian New Year of 1386, and its theme will be “Celebrating the Persian-American Community.” In a statement, they said: “The 2007 parade is promising to be bigger, better, and more colorful than ever.”

That’s because it’s in New York, where we are free to express our cultural heritage without losing our national identity. Judging from persianparade.org, which shows last year’s Iradj Javid parade, I expect to see as many American flags as in tomorrow’s Irish-American St. Patrick’s Day parade.

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Heads of UNESCO’s national commissions in ten countries sharing the Norouz tradition will get together in Tehran in April 2007 for a final review of Norouz file to be sent to UNESCO for inscription in World Intangible Heritage list.

Tehran, 13 December 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk) — With the completion of Norouz dossier for world registration in UNESCO’s list of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, directors of UNESCO national commissions in Caspian Sea regional countries and Iran’s southeastern neighbors will come to Tehran next year in April for a final review of the file.

Announcing this news during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s ambassador in Iran, director of the Research Center of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), Dr. Taha Hashemi stressed the importance of an all inclusive effort on the part of the countries sharing the tradition of Norouz celebration in registration of this old tradition.

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By Nauzar Bharucha

Setting to rest the controversy over the Parsi Towers of Silence at Malabar Hill, the health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which inspected the 65-acre wooded estate early this week, has ruled out any chance of a health hazard from the corpses lying there.

“There is no doubt that this place is 100% safe. There is no question of any health hazard,”BMC’s executive health officer Jairaj Thanekar told TOI He has submitted the report to municipal commissioner Johny Joseph.

Many in the community were aghast early this year when an old Parsi woman distributed illegally clicked pictures of corpses placed inside the Towers of Silence in a bid to to show that the place was a health hazard.

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We received this via an email tip. It makes interesting reading. Author Unknown

When my time has come, when my race is run

I want to go that very way of my Fathers and their Sons.

When my breath has left and life is not around

Don’t extinguish me by the Flame or lock me underground.

Cause I don’t want the earth, and I don’t want the Fire

Take me to the mountain tops where the eagle meets the sky.

Where my soul can breathe, and heave a heavy sigh.

As I prepare to meet my maker and look Him in His eye.

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This write up was forwarded to us by email. I don’t know the author or the source. However it makes fascinating reading, and something that a lot of people will relate to.

The 20th day of the Zoroastrian calendar is not just another day, but a date with Victory. For, it belongs to the angel Behram Yazata who presides over triumph, success, and victory of all and any sort. Small wonder then that this day sees more bent knees and lowered heads, petitions and pleas… and more than anything, kept promises to Iranshah, as there is little else that beats the Heaven and Earth combo of Behram and Iranshah; McParadise indeed!

Passed down to a generation of us from folklore and the folds of our grannies’ sarees, Behram roj and Udvada together signal the arrival of good times, changing times, a turn in a devotee’s tide. All through the month you pray around this landmark day, a crescendo of wishes or one single wish which if Behram, favours clashes with cymbals within the keblah room as a bell is rung ten powerful times. So auspicious is this day that there are more Behrams in the community than there are, say, Cyruses.

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Asian vultures faced with a plummeting population after eating animals treated with a toxic veterinary drug have been thrown a lifeline in Nepal.

Three once-populous species of vultures have been forced to the brink of extinction by the widespread introduction of a drug commonly used to treat livestock in the Indian sub continent.

While good for the lifestock, the drug, diclofenac, has decimated the birds as even in tiny doses it cripples their kidneys, quickly causing death.

In May the Indian Government announced it would be banning the drug, giving vets three months to phase out its use (see related story).

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The Parsi community is known to be extremely food-loving. Unlike a majority of religions in India, the Parsis do not have the concept of fasting. They are known, on every possible occasion, to enjoy a hot meal of Dhansak, Sali Gosh, chicken farcha and the list goes on…

But few people outside the community know that the community has a month in their calendar during which they abstain from eating meat. This month, known as Bahman Mahino, is dedicated to the Bahman Ameshaspand (angel) who is the guardian of the animal kingdom. “So, as a way of respect to this divinity, the community abstains from eating meat,” said Dr. Firoze Kotwal, one of the high priests of the community.

The Bahman Mahino started last Friday and will last for 30 days. But not all the people in the community refrain from consuming non-vegetarian food. “Most of the community just follow four important days in the month. The Bahman roj (day), Mohor roj, Gosh roj and the Ram roj,” informed Dr Kotwal.

While Bahman roj is dedicated to the Bahman Ameshaspand, the other three are dedicated to his co-workers. “Mohor, Gosh and Ram are the co-workers of the Bahman Ameshaspand, which is why these three days are important too,” said Dr. Kotwal.

The Bahman roj fell on Saturday, and on this day, there was a jashan (prayer ceremony) to invoke the divinity.

Originally printed in the Afternoon and Dispatch.

Spare a thought for the scrawny vultures — those once-familiar birds of prey that used to circle lazily high in the air, scanning for anything to scavenge. In my youth, they even perched on tall palm trees in suburban Mumbai, peering disdainfully at the goings-on below. People may be forgiven for wondering why anyone should shed a tear about the disappearance of these ungainly beasts, with their scruffy, elongated necks and menacing beaks.

Just a decade ago, there were 85 million vultures in India; they are now estimated to number just a paltry 3-4,000. The one community that is only too well aware of this phenomenon are the Parsis, Zoroastrians who are the descendants of exiles from Persia and still dispose of their dead in towers of silence in Mumbai and a few other cities. There, they expose them on open platforms where vultures, kites, and crows are supposed to dispose of them cleanly, speedily, and efficiently.

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“Problems of the aged are not confined to the elderly but also impact the younger generation,” A.M. Sethna, president of Parzor Foundation that deals with issues of the Parsi community, told IANS.

Around 30 percent of youths in the Parsi community have not been able to get married as they have the responsibility of their elderly parents, said Sethna.

He revealed that 31 percent of the Parsi community living in India comprised people over 60 years, a higher average than in any other community or country.

Continue reading here

The Parsi community in the city will soon usher in its New Year by celebrating Jamshedi Navroz.

JAMSHEDI Navroz is knocking at the doors of Parsis in the city, and with it, the community will welcome its New Year with its typical affability and zest for life.

Navroz is a time for Parsis to take out their traditional clothes, stir up an ethnic fare and come together to celebrate life.

But, like every year, some of the issues that stare at the community are erosion of its cultural and religious values and a dwindling population.

No doubt, Parsis have been a set of universal people, happy being passive observers and appreciators of other religions and cultures, but there’s a dichotomy among them regarding their belief systems.

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Jamshedi Navroze is one of the three main festive days in the Parsi Calendar. The others being Parsi New year in August and Khordad Saal, the birthday of Zarathustra.

Navroze falls on March 21st, which is also Spring Equinox. It is celebrated the world over in various manifestations. It heralds the coming of Spring. In Iran it is celebrated as a ten day celebration and is the one Zoroastrian festival celebrated in an otherwise Islamic country.

In India, it is another day for us Bawas to party and eat and drink….as if we ever need a reason. Since it is not a public holiday, most celebrations are reserved for the evening.

Over time, the festival has sometimes been labelled “Jamshedji” navroze, which is a misnomer. It is Jamshedi Navroze, after the ancient Sassanian King Jamshed, who proclaimed the day as the start of the ancient Persian Calendar.

Navroze is one of the oldest known festivals of the Parsis. Firdausi, in his Shah Namesh, Book of Kings, attributes its origin to the legendary King of Persia, Jamshed son of Tehmooraz of the Peshdadian dynasty in Iran. Persia was ruled by many dynasties, the last being the Zoroastrians. It is said that Jamshed was a great king and cared for the welfare of his subjects. Though there were no clocks to measure time, the King sought the help of the great astronomers and mathematicians of his day who devised a calendar which was known as the “Tacquim-e-Nowrooze-e-Sheheriyari”. The King accordingly decided that Navroze or the New Year would start on the Vernal Equinox when night and day were of equal durations. {…link…}

The rituals of the day include a visit to the fire temple and then the gathering of the entire family to partake in drink and food.

Of course this is only if you are in Bombay. Here in NYC, the day is just another Tuesday. The local Zoroastrian association did have a get together last Saturday. And in recent times there has been a Persian Day Parade here in NYC. The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg will welcome a group of Zoroastrians at City Hall this week to celebrate the festival.

This article appeared in Sify, in 2003 and is an informative synopsis of what Navroze is all about.

Navroze is the Parsi New Year which is celebrated on 21st March annually. It is regarded as the Parsi New Year chiefly by only a sect of Parsis viz., the Faslis. But, all Parsis participate in this festival and rejoice. Navroze is celebrated by the Muslims of Iran and by Zoroastrians all over the world.

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Zoroastrians are looking forward to celebrate Navroze with their loved ones tomorrow..

Oh yeah, the preparations have begun. At the Kajanwalla household in Grant Road, it’s just finishing touches to the festive preprarations that are being given. The house is spick and span, new clothes hung up all ready to be worn, the aroma of the food wafts across the kitchen and yonder.
Farina Kajanwalla, a designer is barely able to conceal her excitement as she squeals, “I usually celebrate by going out for a movie with my family.

Also lunch and dinner has to be a sumptuous spread so we tend to go to a good restaurant. The cuisine doesn’t necessarily have to be Parsi. I drop in at my granny’s where I love snacking on different food which she dishes out.” And she adds even more excitedly, “Ah yes, new clothes are a must!”
Come the morrow and Zoroastrians all over will celebrate Jamshedi Navroze. Preparations for the D-day begin a couple of days in advance with the cleaning of the entire house, and new clothes are bought for each member of the family. On Navroze vibrant ‘torans’ adorn doors and colourful ‘rangoli’ is designed at the doorstep.

Food, ah yes, food… is, of course, a vital part of the festivities. ‘Rava’ is cooked with milk and sugar and sev is cooked in sugar syrup and with almonds and raisins tossed in for good measure. Breakfast done, families visit the agiary where a thanksgiving prayer (Jashan) is offered and sandalwood is offered to the Holy Fire.

Bank employee Kersi Irani says, “We will be setting the table near midnight today. It’s been a family tradition for as long as I can remember. My wife and I will visit the agiary in the morning and then visit some relatives. Since both my children are out of the country, celebrations will be slightly subdued. We have not yet made any plans to go out.”

For Zoroastrians, Navroze is celebrated with great pomp and festivity. Sing-song melodious voices chime and trill across as greetings of `Sal Mubarak’ are heard in households and fire temples. The day is entirely dedicated to family and friends by Parsees and Iranians. Visitors are served sweets and offered chilled glasses of Falooda, flavoured with rose and vanilla essence. For lunch, there’s delicious pulao, traditionally rich flavoured patrani macchi, sali boti, chicken curry rice replete with ice cream.

After lunch, it’s time for a quick siesta. The youthfulness of the day springs back once again as evening sets in. Dressed in their finery, it’s time to catch a movie, a play or cultural functions organised at different ‘baugs’. Needless to mention that it involves a lot of song and dance, drinking and eating lagan nu bhonu.

How much of a significance does the festival have for young Zoroastrians today? Ask engineer Zubin Tafti who is as enthusiastic about the day as any other Parsi twice his age. “Navroze is the perfect time to watch plays. I meet my family members, go to the agiary and eat a lot of paneer, naan and pudina! I also like sprinkling rose water on my family. Basically it’s a great time to bond,” says Zubin. Not many in the community would disagree!

Article here

And for the last Saturday before Parsi New Year, the fifth without Busybee, a few stray thoughts.

by Farzana Contractor | Saturday, March 18, 2006 11:11:0 IST

Without doubt, life without Parsis would be like bun without maska, patia without the prawns. It is a community that lends charm to our living. It would be tough to imagine just how colourless it would be without them. And, frankly, all their idiosyncrasies only add to the beautiful hues.

And what can one say about a community that offers us such a variety in their cuisine, papeta-per-eeda and tameta-per-eeda. No seriously, look at the lagan nu bhonu, apart from the fantastic food, a great concept by itself. For the uninitiated, it’s a wedding banquet eaten seated only on one side of the table. With rows upon rows of people, some facing each other, some backing, the service guys swiftly walking past you serving in great hurry, from large aluminium plates, straight onto your banana leaves, course by delicious course. Patra ni machhi, chicken farcha, kid gosht, pulav dal, my absolute favourite topri ma paneer and raspberry from the bottle, no glass, no ice, please. The best touch, of course, is when the parents of the couple come by inquiring if you are eating well, delicately shaking your left hand ( because your right hand is busy with the sali boti).

As for the Parsi gara, my search for a heavy embroidered one is still on, though kind relatives in Surat did present me with one that belonged to my mother-in-law ages ago. These sarees are beautiful, even to the touch.

I have seen enough agiaries, though all from outside, but through Behram’s eyes I do know a few from inside too including the Atashbehram in Udvada. Udvada, which in itself can be transformed into such a heavenly place. There is so much serenity there. And if there is anything that upsets me so about Parsis who can make a difference, it’s the fact that they have allowed Udvada to go to seed. Such a pity.

But never mind that, come Tuesday and I will be heading to the fire temple in Cusrow Baug to happily remember and thank.
In the meanwhile here is wishing all my Parsi friends Navroze Mubarak.

Especially Rusi Karanjia, Dilnaaz Anklesaria, Dina Vakil, Khushroo Santook, Shirin and Jehangir Sabavala, Kali Modi, Kamal Mulla, Homi Mulla (also Namrata), Roshni and Parvez Damania, Dara Mehta, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, Mehroo and Behram Jeejibhoy, Lily Elavia, Vijaya and Farukh Mehta, Dilshad and Farrokh Khambatta, Tanaz Godivala, Zend M. Zend, Jamshed Guzdar, Ness Wadia, Areez Khambatta, Anahita and Yezdi Desai, Khojetse Mistree, Silloo Medora, Farah, Rita and Karl, Dr. Shirin Wadia (also Naheed, Aashish and Soli), Dr. Rashid Wadia, Meher Moos, Rattan Batliwala, Zenia Lawyer, Bhaktawar and Bezan Chenoy, Tehmi, Bejan Daruwalla, Shernaz and Baji Awari, Adi, Pheroza, Jamshed, Smita, Rati, Nadir Godrejs all, Ratan Tata, Dr. Rusi Soonawala, Dr. Tehemton Udvadia, Dr. Rushad Udvadia, Soli and Jehangir Sorabjee, Mickie Soarabjee, Parveez Agarwal, Kerman and Cyrus Rustomji, Jeroo Mango, Jeroo Lakdawalla, Piruz Khambatta, Cyrus Merchant, Shernaz Engineer, Cyrus Broacha, Tanaz Currim, Penaz Masani, Homi and Jimmy Talati, Rasna and Noushir Talati, Shiamak Davar, Bacchi and Jehangir Karkaria, Gulshan Patel, Thrity Talyarkhan, Farokh Jassawala, Mehraboon Irani, Phiroze Havaldar, Dadiba Pundole, Rusi Dhondy, Jehangir Patel, Vira and Dr. Farukh Udvadia, Kate and Rusi Irani, Mehli Cama, Katy Dalal, Adi Dubash, Patsy and Pallon Mistry Dadi Contractor and, of course, my dear friend Hafeez Contractor.

Original Article at Afternoon D&C.

MehrNews.com - Tehran,Iran

… s legendary animals, the gods and goddesses, motifs and designs in ancient Iran, and the era of Avesta (a collection of sacred Zoroastrian writings, including …