Burning sandalwood thickens the air in a room that’s so exclusive only a vanishingly small number of people are...
arZan Articles
Echoes in a Parsi attic: How a box of keepsakes opens story of early Jamshedpur via Mumbai
In 1935, Khurshed Maneckji Bharucha, the first Indian chief cashier of Tata Steel in Jamshedpur, borrowed ₹3.5 lakh...
How Mumbai’s corporators evolved from colonial elites to elected representatives
On July 26, 1875, just over 1,200 citizens voted in the first elections to the Bombay Municipal Corporation. The 64 councillors elected then were drawn almost entirely from the city’s elite,...
This traditional Parsi wedding in Mumbai carried ritual and revelry to a historic racecourse
For the Zoroastrian wedding ceremony, Sanaya Irani wore a custom Ashdeen ivory gara sari while Varaz Printer opted for a Kaizad Wadia ivory dagli Article by Thea Mulchandani | VOGUE India While...
Zubin Mehta Says He Canceled Concerts in Israel Over Netanyahu Policies
The musical director of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981 until his retirement in 2019, the maestro said he is not able to divide his musical endeavors from politics, and urged musicians...
A century in the capital: How Delhi’s Parsis mark 100 years of community, faith and philanthropy
The Parsi community shares a deep-rooted relationship with Mumbai (then Bombay), where much of its history unfolded. Concentrated largely in older neighbourhoods such as Colaba, Parsis were among...
Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla donates Rs 10 crore to GCZT, strengthening new community welfare efforts
The Global Council of Zoroastrians Trust (GCZT) has announced a Rs 10 crore contribution from Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, describing it as the Trust’s first major donation and a milestone that will help...
Justice Rohinton Nariman Speaks on the Delhi Parsi Anjuman Centenary Celebrations
Retired Justice Rohinton Nariman addresses the Delhi Parsi Anjuman gathering on the 100th Anniversary Celebrations of the Anjuman.
Rusi Taleyarkhan: Purdue nuclear engineer creates, validates inexpensive gamma radiation monitoring tech
Purdue nuclear engineer creates, validates inexpensive gamma radiation monitoring tech Technology costs less than traditional methods, distinguishes gamma from neutron radiation Rusi Taleyarkhan,...
The Legends: Zubin Mehta’s Interview With Rajdeep Sardesai
The Legends | Zubin Mehta’s Interview With Rajdeep Sardesai | Republic Day 2026 Special | India Today World-renowned conductor Zubin Mehta joins Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today’s...
Dadar Parsee Zorastrian Cricket Club Celebrates Century
There have been several tons scored at Dadar Parsee Zorastrian CC, but this one is of total commitment from pillars Masa Pithawala, Madhav Mantri, Naren Tamhane, and current Gen Secy Mangesh...
Farah Madon Receives Member of the Order of Australia: Australia Day Honours 2026
Farah Madon AM: Australia Day Honours 2026 Farah Madon’s AM honour this Australia Day recognises a career that has quietly but deeply reshaped how Australians think about architecture,...
Parsi Gayan Uttejak Mandali: Parsis, custodians of the raaga
How Mumbai’s first music club transformed Hindustani classical from an imperial privilege into a cultural movement that shaped the nation’s musical identity How did Hindustani classical music escape...
Rhode Island School of Design Exhibition traces the Parsi gara’s passage across oceans, trade, and time
This exhibition traces the Parsi gara’s passage across oceans, trade, and time Ashdeen Lilaowala and Bhasha Chakrabarti’s recent exhibition at Rhode Island School of Design traces the Parsi gara’s...
From fire temple to Festspielhaus: Frazan Adil Kotwal
It began with a moment of audacity. A 19-year-old student from Jai Hind College, mesmerised by a soprano’s power, mustered the courage to ask a simple question: “What form of singing is this?” When...
Indian baritone Frazan Adil Kotwal brings opera to Mumbai stage: ‘Every note reflects my life’s journey’
From international stages to his hometown, Frazan Adil Kotwal presents From Dawn to Dream, a Western classical recital with pianist Nadine Jo Crasto For internationally acclaimed Indian baritone...
3rd World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum 2026 Announced
Applications are open for the 3rd WZYLF 2026 to be held at the ASHA Center in the UK in May 2026 The ASHA Centre is proud to host the highly anticipated third World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum...
Behramji Malabari—Parsi activist who fought widowhood, child marriage in Hindu society
Shedding scrutiny on his ‘anglicised’ Parsi roots, Malabari emerged as the force behind the Age of Consent Bill that helped end ‘matrimonial slavery’. Article by Tenzin Zompa | The Print...
Gen Z women are wearing Ashdeen garas on their own terms
The designer has turned a ritual wardrobe into a piece of living heritage by Butool Jamal | The Nod Magazine Natalia J Mistry in an Ashdeen lehenga Ashdeen Lilaowala is probably the quietest rebel...
Future Zoroastrians – Leadership Programme for Emerging Priestly Leaders
SOAS informs…. Scholarship overview We are delighted to announce that applications for the Future Zoroastrians: Leadership Programme for Emerging Priestly Leaders are officially open. Designed for...
TISS course on Parsi culture draws global participation
A lively online classroom of 50 students, including a five-year-old boy — who asked more curious questions than his mother who had enrolled — and a retired executive aged 80, made up the...
The Magi’s Reminder: The Work of Light Continues
Our friend Dr. Sousan Abadian, Executive Director, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington shares her thoughts on the Magi’s Reminder The days following Christmas invite a deeper remembering....
Only brick & mortar remain to narrate tale of Punjab’s Parsis
From Field Marshal Manekshaw to ‘Grand Old Lady’ Bhandari, philanthropic community has had a notable impact on state’s cultural tapestry The residence of Tehmi ‘Bogga’ Bhandari that once hosted the...
Redevelopment creeping in, yet Dadar Parsi Colony has retained its charm
In the 1920s, when municipal corporator and civil engineer Muncherji Edulji Joshi, initiated a housing project for Parsi families in Dadar, his vision was to construct a model neighbourhood with...
1,500-year-old church found next to Zoroastrianism place of worship in Iraq
A 2,000-year-old palace in the Republic of Georgia and a 1,500-year-old church in Iraq suggest Zoroastrians coexisted with people of other religions. The Gird-î Kazhaw archaeological site is in...
Surat-Navsari Highway 4-Laning: Parsis oppose NHAI plan to acquire Doongerwadi Land
The Parsi community in Navsari has opposed the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) plan to acquire a portion of the sacred Doongerwadi (Tower of Silence) land for road widening, calling...
Delhi Parsi Anjuman, founded to serve as a cultural, spiritual hub for community, marks its centenary
If Delhi offered the community prospects for professional growth, the Parsis returned the favour in full spirit, across the fields of law, healthcare and architecture. It is well known that Parsis...
Delhi Parsi Anjuman marks 100 yrs with centenary celebrations
Founded in 1925, the Anjuman has anchored the Capital’s Parsi community for a century. Events include a photo exhibition and cultural performances. The Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) building at Bahadur...
Zoroastrian lawmaker highlights restoration of historic fire temples
Behshid Barkhordari made the remarks on Monday during a meeting with Isfahan Governor-General Mehdi Jamali-Nejad and provincial cultural heritage chief Amir Karamzadeh, Miras Aria reported....
Ambedkar and Bhathena: An unlikely friendship that stood test of time
Revisiting the special bond between Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and his Parsi businessman friend Naval Bhathena on Mahaparinirvan Diwas Even great men need friends who are not overawed by their greatness,...
VFS Global earns EcoVadis Platinum Medal, ranks in top 1 per cent for sustainability
The company secured an 88-point score from the sustainability ratings platform VFS Global, a global leader in trusted technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions, has been...
Meet Ella Wadia, Jinnah’s great-great-granddaughter, who just made her Le Bal debut in Paris
At the world’s most exclusive debutante ball — an event often described as the Met Gala for teenagers — a young woman carried a name deeply familiar to South Asia. Ella Wadia, the...
Rasna Group, Partners Celebrate Parsi Heritage and Community Service in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad: Rasna Group, in association with Rasna Foundation and the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust, the CSR arms of the Rasna Group, today concluded a two-day commemorative ceremony in Ahmedabad...
Uran tehsildar puts on hold transfer of Bhiwandiwala trust land to BJP MLA
The Uran tehsildar has put on hold the change of ownership of land from the name of Khan Bahadur Hormasji Maneckji Bhiwandiwala trust to BJP Uran MLA Mahesh Baldi. Rahul Mundke, sub-divisional...
South Mumbai flat allotment halted after trustee objections; Bombay Parsi Punchayat under scrutiny
Bombay Parsi Punchayat faces internal dissent over a flat allotment to a family allegedly owning multiple properties. Three trustees publicly opposed the decision, citing eligibility concerns,...
Kolkatta’s oldest agiary not lost to fire, believers call it a miracle
Call it divine intervention or simply a miracle. A nearly two-century-old fire temple, the city’s oldest, survived a devastating inferno that consumed over 100 shops surrounding the structure...
From Dadar Parsi Gymkhana To Five Gardens, Zervaan Bunshah’s Fast And Funny Guide To Mumbai
Know Mumbai through Zervaan Bunshah’s quick, grounded guide as he revisits Dadar Parsi Gymkhana, Five Gardens and Bombay Scottish, offering an insider’s take on the city’s pace, people and everyday...
Bachi Karkaria: Gutted Ezra Street agiary was our personal hotline to Ahura Mazda
My growing-up years were inextricably linked to the Banaji agiary — physically, too, because our rambling 120-year-old house shared a wall with it. My mornings were infused with the fragrance of...
Dinshaw Avari: Karachi Was the Dubai of the 1970s
Karachi’s history does not reside merely in its buildings, its roads, or the long curve of its shoreline. It lives in the memories of those who saw the city up close, who breathed with its rhythm...
Early morning fire at godown on Ezra Street ravages Calcutta’s oldest Parsi temple
Twenty-five fire tenders battled the blaze in central Calcutta for over six hours from 5.30am, when the first alarm reached the Kolkata Police headquarters, Lalbazar A fire that broke out early on...
At 89, Zubin Mehta Shows No Signs of Stopping at the LA Philharmonic
At 89, conductor Zubin Mehta doesn’t make things easy for himself. Since taking on the role of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s conductor emeritus, Mehta has been bringing Walt Disney Concert Hall...
Ashdeen Lilaowala Redefines Parsi Heritage with Contemporary Gara Embroidery
Ashdeen Lilaowala ‘s relationship with Parsi Gara embroidery began long before it became his life’s work. Growing up surrounded by the craft—watching his mother and aunts adorned in...
Zubin Mehta, at 89, still commands mammoth Bruckner
Zubin Mehta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s conductor emeritus and (without exaggeration) a living L.A. icon, returned last weekend to conduct Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony with his old band. The score...
The Parsi Legacy of Jamshedpur
The Parsi community’s connection with the steel city dates back to its earliest days. Following the establishment of the Tata Steel plant in 1907, the first group of Parsis arrived in Jamshedpur...
The Architectural, Spiritual and Personal: Karl Singporewala at SOAS Gallery
A bright blue lamppost in the gallery feels like it’s been brought in off the street and given a fresh lick of paint. Look a little closer and you’ll see tiny people at the base and within the lamp....
140-Year-Old Ripon Club At Kala Ghoda Faces Eviction From Landlords; Court Hearing Scheduled On November 24
After a furore over the proposed sale of the Sanjan sanatorium, Parsis have raised concerns about the future of another community Institution – the 140-year-old Ripon Club on Mahatma Gandhi...
Nadir Godrej — the Renaissance man
On a rainy afternoon in Mumbai, inside the executive dining room at Godrej Industries Group’s sprawling Vikhroli headquarters, water droplets on the glass windows blur the view outside — a single...
Nilufer Shroff Honored by ACUA with the Outstanding Professional Contributions Award
Congratulations to our dear friend, Nilufer Shroff, on her Outstanding Professional Contributions Award! Parsi Khabar is delighted to share that our dear friend Nilufer K. Shroff has been recognized...
The women who made Parsis India’s one of the most progressive community
They were few, but far ahead of their time. In a country still grappling with child marriage and female illiteracy, Parsi women were already walking into universities, laboratories, and courtrooms....
Now reopened, the Parsi Museum in Mumbai offers a compelling insight into Zoroastrianism
Pheroza Godrej, co-curator of the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum, gives AD a special tour of the Parsi Museum in Mumbai. Recently restored with great discernment, the Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla...
Ratan Tata’s sisters speak up: “Future of the Tata Trusts troubled him the most”
Sisters of the late industrialist Ratan Tata have voiced distress over the turmoil at Tata Trusts, describing last week’s removal of Mehli Mistry as a retaliatory action by other trustees. In...
WZO Trust Suspends Auction Of Sanjan Parsi Sanatorium After Donor Steps In
The move follows widespread backlash within the Parsi community, which had launched online campaigns and social media groups opposing the auction of the loss-making property. Article by Manoj...