Born into privilege, Madam Cama could have enjoyed a life of ease. Instead, she founded the Paris Indian Society to...
India Articles
Sisters divided: How partition ruptured a family in a vanishing community
To mark this week’s anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan, a writer recalls her encounters with two...
Parsis and National Politics of India
We Parsis have had a long tradition with politics at the national, state and city level. Dadabhoy Navroji was one of the founding fathers of the Indian National Congress in the late 19th Century. He...
A towering icon of India stumbles, raising alarms
In this Nov. 29, 2008 file photo, people sit next to the waterfront in the backdrop of the Taj Mahal hotel, owned by the Tata group, after the completion of an operation against terrorists in...
Zubin Mehta in Conversation
Interview by Noopur Tiwari Sunday, September 28, 2008: (Zurich) : NDTV's Noopur Tiwari got talking to music maestro, Zubin Mehta about his personal life, his Indianness and his love story with...
The journey of the holy fire
India’s western coastline boasts of vast stretches of untouched beaches dotted with gently swaying palm and coconut trees. It is also home to several imposing forts that have been witness to several...
Parsi Meter: Down Down Down
We came across this article via the Delhi Parsis website. Image courtesy DP. The text is from the author's blog. by Mayank Austen Soofi for the Hindustan Times. The city's Parsi population is...
A Cry for Independence: What Independence are we celebrating?
The article below is a guest article by a regular reader and guest author Anosh Doctor. We encourage readers of Parsi Khabar to send in editorials, views, thoughts and critiques that they would like...
The Harbour That Gave the Name ‘Bombay’ to Mumbai
Mumbai harbour has been the gateway to the world for commerce and travel since the British took control of the island city from the Portuguese in 1660s. However, the group of seven islands acquired...
The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction
Kaevan Umrigar, a filmmaker, and good friend of Parsi Khabar runs his own blog. His latest article in on Uran Next on my itinerary was Mora Bunder at Uran, a small fishing village across the harbour...
Tata, the headiest brew in the world
An Indian Giant Tea, cars, steel, IT... Tata, the headiest brew in the world India's extraordinary conglomerate has found unique solutions to many of its problems. But it's still unclear what will...
Around the world bicycle trip memoirs to be released after 80 yrs
Vadodara, April 18 One of the three men was a Barodian; almost 80 years after it was first published, his son will release a new edition of the book today Just in their twenties and living off a...
Around the World in 53 months
Recently we reported about the launching of the book that chronicles the bicycle trip around the world by Parsi cyclists. Below is an article by Ervad Marzban Hathiram, a good friend of the Parsi...
Marry, live in joint families: Minority panel to Parsis
The clock is ticking away fast and furious for India’s Parsi community. Alarmed by their dwindling numbers - as per the last census the Parsi population was less than 70,000 - the National...
Global warming may douse Iranshah fire at Udvada
UDWADA (VALSAD): If there is one place the Parsi community considers holiest of holy in India, it is the small town of Udwada on the Gujarat coast. For two-and-a-half centuries, it has been home to...
Who are they talking to?
Dr. Kersey Antia was in the Zoroastrian news recently, for better or for worse. In fact, the officers at the Colaba Police Station will also tell you who he is. Dr. Antia came to Mumbai to...
Vultures on the brink
The Indian government has a big job on its hands. It is accused today of ‘overseeing’ the decline of tigers. Another iconic creature, the vulture, is also on the brink of extinction and the...
Ratam Tata Awarded the Padma Vibhushan
Ratan Tata was one of the 13 people who have been conferred with the nation's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan. It is a testament to the Tata House of Industry that successive...
Ratan Tata turns 70 today
Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata turns 70 today (December 28, 2007). Among Asia's business titans, Ratan N. Tata stands out for his modesty. The chairman of the Tata Group - India's biggest...
Dwindling numbers: Parsis at the fire temple in Secunderabad.
HYDERABAD: In a bid to understand the genetic factors, which are apparently leading to high incidence of various kinds of ailments among members of the Parsi community, a project named...
Trueroots: TATA Launches Long Distance Calling Service to India
Parsis Remembered in Hong Kong On Independance Day
As the tricolour is hoisted to mark the 60th anniversary of India’s independence, it is well worth acknowledging the contributions of the Indian diaspora across the world in keeping the tiranga...
Of Parsi and modern Hindi theatre
PATNA: When it comes to setting standards in theatre, every Bihari Hindi theatre artist or director invokes the lessons learnt at the National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi. Ironically,...
Bound by a handbook
In Deepa Mehta's 1947: Earth, actress Kittu Gidwani, in the role of a Parsee, says how Parsees in India are like dissolved sugar in milk, not conspicuous, but noticeable because of their...
Pakistan Will Break Up: Ardeshir Cowasjee
Pakistan Will Break Up, Get Out When You Can: Columnist Cowasjee Saturday 21st of July 2007 Pakistan 'is going to break up in the years to come and everyone who can, should pack up their bags and...
Save the Tehmulji Nursing Home
In the recent weeks, there has been news about the selling off of a very important Parsi heritage building. The Temulji Lying In hospice has for generations been the first point of entry into the...
Numbers down, but not their spirit
Numbers down, but not their spirit Family planning, migration, restrictions on conversion are reasons behind decline in Parsi population. Kolkata, June 21: Some thirty years ago, they were 4,000....
WAPIZ celebrates Second Anniversary
When 2,500 Parsis gathered at the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Saturday evening, the main topic of discussion was the birth and death rates of the Message To Get My Ex Girl Back community, whose...
Concern Over Delhi’s Dwindling Parsi Population
Delhi Minorities Panel plans to meet Parsi families New Delhi, May. 17 (PTI): Concerned over the declining population of Parsi community in the Capital, Delhi Minorities Commission is planning to...
Lose the vultures, and lose the soul
By Bachi Karkaria As an Indian Parsi Zoroastrian, I'm proud to belong to a tiny minority widely admired for its material success and its philanthropy. But I feel a closing sense of siege. The...
The Islamization of Europe
Excerpt from a longer article here Mary Boyce, Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of London, has confirmed the external validity of Bat Ye'or's analytical approach in her...
The King of Cobra is in town
HYDERABAD: It's not exactly the return of the prodigal, because Karan Billimoria has been coming home to Hyderabad every year from London, the city that he has made his own for the past two decades....
Avesthagen launches AVESTAGENOME
Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt. Ltd., (Avesthagen) a leading biotechnology company today announced the launch of the AVESTAGENOME TM project, a unique project to build a complete genetic,...
The Persian king who is remembered every year
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...
Navroze Celebrations
Navruz: An evening crammed with joy For Zorastrians, Navruz is a time to eat, drink and celebrate. But in recent times, the festival has lost its zest as people leave celebrating to those precious...
Jamshedi Navroze Mubarak
On the occasion of Navroze, we wish all our readers worldwide, a very happy, healthy and prosperous Jamshedi Navroze. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for their loyal...
Parsi Demographic Statistics
This article was sent to us by our regular reader Dilnaz Mory Indian census data (2001) records 69,601 Parsis in India, with a concentration in and around the city of Mumbai. There are approximately...
Persian New Year full of symbolism, savory foods
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...
Parsis to import, breed vultures
The Parsi tradition of cremation by keeping the bodies in the Tower of Silence to be devoured by vultures was under threat as birds of prey had gone almost extinct in Mumbai. The Bombay Parsi...
Dwindling Numbers in India
Concerns for dwindling numbers. Seminars on how to save their race. In 1940, when their number in India was a sizeable 1.14 lakh, the community probably never imagined that 67 years later, it would...
Tata – integral part of Indian life
We also make steel. This was the triumphant punch line of a happy Tata Steel television commercial not very long ago. The commercial wasn't wide of the mark. If you wake up in India, you are likely...
Indian of the Year: Ratan Tata
Think India, think Tata. The visionary business house that grew up with independent India, driving down new highways, providing the nation its morning cup of tea and adding that vital pinch of salt...
Only 23 Parsi families left in the capital
Only 23 Parsi families are now residing in the capital while among the minorities, Muslims are the largest chunk here. According to the Delhi Minorities Commission's annual report 2004-05, which has...
Polly Umrigar Passes Away
The legendary cricketer, sterling statesman to the game, and an amazing personality, Pahlan (Polly) Umrigar passed away today. This was reported in the 10 pm. CNN-IBN news channel. Polly kaka was...
Zubin, Freddie, Ratan: The Parsi conquests
When Ratan Tata made that big Diwali-eve announcement to pitch for India's biggest overseas acquisition yet, he sent a unique cultural message with a trait so typical of his Parsi community. He...
Indian market is booming: Bilimoria
Describing India as a booming market, NRI entrepreneur Lord Karan Bilimoria has said that British businessmen should engage more in that country. "I am passionate about what's happening in India...