Today marks the opening of the inaugural ZASHA World Zoroastrian Women’s Leadership Retreat, a transformative,...
arZan Articles
The Woebegone Parsi Cricketing Exodus
I am quizzing Eric Billimoria on the first floor of the iconic Parsi Gymkhana. Perpendicularly to my right, the...
India’s Bilimoria appointed to the House of Lords
Indian born, Cobra Beer founder Karan Bilimoria is now entering a more political role in the UK. A promoter of Indo-British ties, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea has the India story on top of his agenda...
It’s a life-changing moment: Lord Bilimoria
Life’s turned a full circle for Karan Bilimoria, CEO of UK-based £80-million Cobra Beer. Growing up in the family house at Marredpally in Andhra Pradesh, Bilimoria was deeply influenced by great...
Takht-e Rostam is pride of Karaj
Undoubtedly, the most ancient historical monument in Karaj, Tehran province, is Takht-e Rostam which dates back to the Sassanid Era (226-650 AD), reported the English-language newspaper Iran Daily....
Islam, The greatest threat to humanity worldwide
Nearly 1400 years ago, a group of nomads from across the scorching Arabian Desert conquered Iran (Persia), the greatest empire known to the history of man. With that, they almost destroyed one of...
More good news for nature’s waste managers
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...
The ‘SAP’ of life
Standing in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra, Alan Sedghi, president and MD, SAP South Asia, was mesmerized and deep in thought……. ……Born in Tehran, Sedghi claims that he had a...
Uncorking the good times with Indian wine
Ahuja, who sells to a predominantly Parsi neighbourhood, says Parsis buy wines for both personal and formal celebrations. “My sales are good,†he says. “But most of my customers feel that...
Takht-e Soleiman boundaries marked
Islamic Republic News Agency – Tehran,Iran … The complex is the remnants of a fortress home to Zoroastrian priests during the Arsacid and Sassanid dynasties. It was destroyed during the...
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...
Laughing all the way from Gujju to Parsi!
Aashish will now assume the mantle of another community known for its humour and pleasant nature- the Parsis! Our sources tell us that Aashish will play an amiable Parsi in Inder Kumar’s new...
No affairs for me, vows Boman Irani
Actor Boman Irani, who describes himself as a ‘boring old Parsee’, rules out any romantic hanky-panky. ‘No affairs for me. It is so wonderful to have a family to come home to, to...
Indian dairy workers protest salary delays
Parsi Diary Farm employees picketed the company’s head office at Marine Lines in Mumbai on July 10, protesting the late payment of salaries and the non-payment of bonuses for the past two...
‘Parsi Mecca’ Udvada on tourism map of State soon
UDVADA, a small town in Valsad district bordering the Union Territory of Daman is considered as the mecca of the Parsi community. The State Government is now set to develop it as a tourism centre...
Khorshed Italia: The grand dame of CP
Khorshed Italia knows Delhi like no other. After all, she has been here for 84 years IF living could blunt life, Khorshed Italia would be a rusted relic. If wrinkles could scar the mind, her memory...
Tomb and Prison of Cyrus the Great Eternalized
By preparing the map and holograms of the prison and tomb of Cyrus the Great, these two unique monuments will stay alive in the memory of history forever. Tehran, 22 June 2006 (CHN Foreign Desk)...
Flat allotments sparked rift
Acrimony has been vitiating the boardroom of the 350-year-old Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) for several months now. One of the ostensible reasons why four of the six trustees resigned on Tuesday was...
Going to London to get a degree?
Kaizad Mistry, a Counsellor, has been screening students and guiding them on how to make a proper choice For most students, going abroad after graduation is a done thing. While some can afford the...
Foreigner worked on Chinese Tomb
DNA tests show China’s first emperor employed a foreigner in building his mausoleum, home to the Terracotta warriors, proof of contact between Central and East Asia over 2,200 years ago, state...
Mumbai’s pioneering Gujarati newspaper completes 184 years .
Gulf News – Dubai,United Arab Emirates … On July 1 1822, a Parsi scholar and priest Fardoonji Murazban, a pioneer in journalism in western India, started publishing the newspaper as...
Vroom… and it’s a goal
Youngsters from Rustom Baug, Byculla will be playing football with gearless two-wheelers, this Sunday Boys playing football barefoot in maidans is a frequent sight one would witness during the...
Now, football lovers bend it on wheels
The match at Rustom Baug in Byculla on Sunday The incessant rain was no deterrent to sports enthusiasts who gathered at Rustom Baug, Byculla, on Sunday to witness a football match with a difference....
Parsi Chef Heads Whole Foods Meals
Grocery shopping can get pretty humdrum and meal planning a drag. So when I heard that Whole Foods Markets are putting some interesting ethnic items on their prepared foods menus, I wanted to meet...
Aspi and Persis
An original story idea for a Parsi feature film By Sorab Irani Authors Note: As this is written in visual terms for a movie screen, readers are reminded to bear this in mind while they read it...
Short Stories
Parsi Khabar is happy to announce the start of a new feature on the blog. From time to time we will feature short stories submitted by authors, and meeting the broad based guidelines and spirit of...
Resignation of Four Trustees of the BPP
The Remedy Is Worse Than the Malady By Noshir H. Dadrawala Ever since news regarding 4 out the present 6 trustees of the BPP resigning leaked out, my phone has not stopped ringing. I have been...
Pilgrimage to Iran – 2006
By Noshir H. Dadrawala The month of May 2006 marked my eleventh visit in the last one decade to Iran – the Spiritual Motherland of Zoroastrians all over the world. It was also one of my most...
Fortune’s fallout: Parsis are victims of their own wealth
Religion and real estate make a lethal alloy, and its the one piercing the heart of the Parsi community. Its latest manifestation was the resignation on Tuesday of four out of six trustees of the...
‘Indian Cowboy’ to come to life in DreamAcres…
‘Indian Cowboy’ to come to life in DreamAcres barn By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy Zaraawar Mistry may have never expected his character Gayomar Katrak to find himself in a barn, but that is...
Wada-pav and haircut, right outside Tata Blocks,…
Resident comes with photographs as proof as BMC turns a deaf ear to complaint Seventy-nine-year-old Phiroze Damania came to this newspaper office with a unique complaint and armed with photographs...
Boman Mahino: No Non Veg
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...
Shaking The Foundations
How Ratan Tata turned the country’s oldest conglomerate into a global force You wouldn’t expect the head of Tata group, India’s largest conglomerate, to say the rich are boring....
Avesta and the TV Guide
They lie on the table side by side The Khordeh Avesta and the TV Guide. One is well worn and cherished with pride. Not the Avesta, but the TV Guide. One is used daily to help folks decide. No, not...
To House or Not to House ???
Open land in Mumbai’s Parsi fire temples are the latest targets for re-development. How is the community reacting? It may be all quiet at Kappawalla Agiary, in Mumbai’s Tardeo, but...
Roots of fear and hubris
TO understand why Iranians are so proud of their culture and civilisation, I was repeatedly told, one must visit a few places besides Tehran, especially Shiraz, and Isfahan, regarded as the...
Parsis A Vanishing Race: Documentary
Sorab Irani, a producer of documentaries and movies, informs us about a new very interesting documentary on the Parsis. Directed by Oorvazi Irani, this documentary tries to the film medium is a...
Ties that bind
As for Zoroastrian boys planning to study in Pune at the junior college level, the soon-to-begin Seth Dadhbhoy PB Jeejeebhoy hostel for boys is the right place. Minoo Kabraji, rector of the hostel...
Zoroastrians Today
Tenaz Dubash, a documentary film maker has launched her latest project “Zoroastrians Today” Her website informs This hour-long documentary will focus on the assimilation of the...
A Moment With Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
A lot of Jews are intermarried, but few are married to Parsis. If you had to generalize, are there any similarities between the two groups? Oh, absolutely. Parsis are known as the “Jews of...
A year later, Wapiz continues to do its bit for Zoroastrians
Tomorrow, the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthostis (WAPIZ) completes a year riddled with controversies. But not one without achievements though. “Of 54 anjumans (group of people heading...
Where have all the John Crows gone?
An item in my local morning paper this week grabbed my interest because it graphically evoked something I noticed in the island a few years back. The news story was about the rapid dying off of the...
Apocalypse future: Through a glass, darkly
… She said Zoroaster was the first to teach about individual judgment, heaven and hell, the resurrection of the body, the last judgment, and life everlasting. … Continue reading here
Meet Malabar Hill’s senior-most citizen!
Trees are dust collectors, sound dampeners and homes for birds and animals… Incredible it may seem, but it’s true. In this concrete jungle of Mumbai, bang in the heart of South Mumbai,...
Let vultures live for our death: Parsis
A motley crowd of Parsis and nature-lovers listened with rapt attention as Dr RD Jakati, Chief Wildlife Warden of Haryana, spoke at length on his pet subject, vulture conservation. The topic, of...
Split in the Parsi Parivar
WHEN Anju Dawar, a Parsi lawyer based in Ahmedabad married a colleague, she was expelled from the community. ”At best her husband will convert but will this not dilute the very essence of the...
‘Builders want temple land’
The World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (Wapiz) on Friday warned that fire temple lands in the city were under threat from unscrupulous developers and said one of its main objectives would be...
Lord Bilimoria
The father was an Indian Army general; the son is to be a British Lord. Karan Bilimoria, 44, founder and chief executive of Cobra Beer, popular for washing down chicken tikka masala, has been...
Going great guns, Dr Udwadia.
Mumbai’s Dr TE Udwadia, Emeritus professor of surgery, Grant Medical College, consultant surgeon and the head of minimal access surgery, Hinduja Hospital, consultant surgeon of Breach Candy...
Whats the Fuss About: Da Vinci Code
It’s the Da Vinci showdown As protests against The Da Vinci Code gather momentum, Mumbai comes out strongly in favour of freedom of expression I was invited by the Censor Board to watch The Da...
Bhicoo J Manekshaw : Food Writer
Parsi Platter Bhicoo J Manekshaw has been the lone crusader of Parsi cuisine in the country. And at 83, she is still trying to popularise it through her books. She was the first Cordon Bleu chef...
Why are so many Parsis unmarried?
Minoo Shroff, chairman of Bombay Parsi Panchayat, feels most Parsis are very fussy about their choice of life partner One third of Parsis do not marry, according to a yet-to-be published study...