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 conglomerate, with businesses ranging from software, cars, and steel to phone service, tea bags, and wristwatches - usually drives himself to the office in [...]

Zoroastrian Fires and Temples

Fire, the source of heat and light is not only revered in ancient Indo-Iranian rituals but also in modern day Zoroastrianism and Hinduism.
Zoroastrianism, which dominated the Sassanid Empire, is the religion ascribed to the ancient Persian prophet, Zarathushtra (Zoroaster), who lived 3500 years ago.

Fire (Atar), together with clean water (Aban), are considered agents of ritual [...]

Youth, entrepreneurship are focus of ancient faith

The world’s oldest monotheistic religion has taken steps to empower its youth and preserve the faith for the future.
Zoroastrians, as they wound up their 14th North American Congress in Toronto this week, emphasized mentorship and the need for unity among the scattered faithful.

“We are moving the identity issue forward,” said prominent Toronto Zoroastrian Daraius Bharucha, [...]

Taking pride in caring for elders

The ageing of population is inevitable and an obvious consequence of the process of demographic transition. However, as the country faces a steady growth of the elderly, facilities or institutions for their care remain inadequate. The Zoroastrian community in Karachi, commonly referred to as Parsis, is known to run one such institution for the elderly [...]

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 community, whose population has been on the decline.
The community, which gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the World Association of the Parsi Irani Zarthostis (WAPIZ), thanked ‘this earth, this land [...]

LAHORE LAHORE AYE: The Parsis of Lahore

As the sun is about to set, a group of pale tall men in spotless white can be found on the beach, the sacred Zorastrian belt knotted around their waists. They stand at the edge, bend down and immerse both their hands into the water, which they then raise to their forehead, touching it briefly. [...]

Tehmulji Parsi Lying-In Hospital May be Demolished

Parsi maternity home on the block
Tucked away in a quiet lane off D N Road is one of the city’s oldest infirmaries–the charmingly named Dr Tehmulji’s Parsi Lying-in hospital. Built more than a century ago in 1895, the heritage building near New Excelsior cinema is up for sale.

For generations, Parsi women have delivered their babies [...]

K B Grant: Pune’s ‘Young’ Medical Architect

Pune’s ‘Young’ Medical Architect
Despite braving many odds, Dr KB Grant, Founder and Managing Trustee of Pune’s Ruby Hall Clinic never dithered from his purpose of providing the latest medical technologies. Rita Dutta trails the journey of this 87-year-old patriarch.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Dr Keki B Grant’s (87) heart beats for Pune. [...]

Persepolis Today

Two videos showing Persepolis today and a glimpse of the grandeur of what it was in its day.

Inbred Investment Eyes Genomes

Bangalore-based biotech firm Avesthagen is studying an inbred Indian population.
Bangalore-based biotech company Avesthagen said Wednesday it has launched a genome project to build a genetic database of an inbred India community known as the Parsis.

The Avesthagenome project will study the Parsis people of the Zoroastrian community to gather data for a genealogical and medical database.