In the streets of South Bombay (I still refer to the city as Bombay, as the name didn’t change to Mumbai until after I left the country), hidden from plain sight by a thick veil of traffic and pedestrians, lie the iconic Irani cafés. Unlike most restaurants or cafés, they lack fanfare or fancy banners,… Continue reading The Life and Death of Bombay’s Irani Chai
Author: arZan
What Connects Jamsetji Tata and Vivekananda ? A Sea Voyage That Changed India!
The year was 1893. On May 31, aboard a steamer that sailed from Yokohama to Vancouver, two great Indians met for the first time. One was an industrialist who would go on to become one of India’s greatest visionaries, Jamsetji Tata. The other was a monk who would take India’s spiritual tradition to the West… Continue reading What Connects Jamsetji Tata and Vivekananda ? A Sea Voyage That Changed India!
Food Paves a Parsi-Jewish Passage to India
Food’s power to educate people about cultures united Parsi chef Meherwan Irani (owner of Chai Pani), Jewish chefs Todd Ginsberg (The General Muir) and Eli Kirshtein (formerly The Luminary), and Indian chef Archna Becker (Bhojanic) for Challah Walla, an evening of delicious food and discussion about cultural similarities between Jews and Parsis on Dec. 7… Continue reading Food Paves a Parsi-Jewish Passage to India
Delhi Parsi Anjuman’s President Yezad Kapadia Steps Down
Yezad Kapadia, who presided over the Delhi Parsi Anjuman for the last few years has retired from his position, per an email communique below. Yezad Kapadia writes… Dear Fellow Members of The Delhi Parsi Anjuman, As I had mentioned at the last AGM held in September 2017, my term as a Trustee andsubsequently, as your… Continue reading Delhi Parsi Anjuman’s President Yezad Kapadia Steps Down
The Delhi Parsi Aramgah
Walking through any cemetery is bound to stir feelings. And perhaps even more so in this secluded graveyard in central Delhi that belongs to the rapidly dwindling Parsi community, descendants of a religiously persecuted people who sought refuge in India more than 1,000 years ago. Article by Mayank Austen Soofi | Hindustan Times Parsi cemetery,… Continue reading The Delhi Parsi Aramgah
Shelley Subawalla: Founder Of Zarin’s Secrets In Conversation
Tell us about yourself and your background It is always so difficult to talk about oneself. I am a 40-year-old Parsi (Zoroastrian) lady residing in New Delhi, India. A married mother-of-two, I completed my education in Delhi at the Carmel Convent school followed by Jesus and Mary college where I attained my Bachelor’s degree in… Continue reading Shelley Subawalla: Founder Of Zarin’s Secrets In Conversation
‘Widows of Malabar Hill’ kicks off former Minnesotan’s new mystery series set in India
It is 1921 in Bombay, India, and three widows who live in purdah — secluded in women’s quarters where men cannot see them — have signed away their inheritances to a charity. Perveen Mistry, the city’s only woman lawyer, has just joined her father’s thriving law firm and is tasked with executing the will of… Continue reading ‘Widows of Malabar Hill’ kicks off former Minnesotan’s new mystery series set in India
Frene Ginwala, the Lenin supplement, and the storm drains of history
THE LENIN SUPPLEMENT In his book The Press of Africa – Persecution and Perseverance (Macmillan, London 1979) the Commonwealth media specialist Frank Barton said that if an identi-kit picture had to be made of the most improbable choice of an editor for a newly-nationalised newspaper in Africa soon after independence it would be something like… Continue reading Frene Ginwala, the Lenin supplement, and the storm drains of history
Zoroastrains in India to explore cultural boundaries
An annual tour is bringing together young Zoroastrians from across the world to explore their culture in India and even find a partner Return To Roots fellows on a BEST, Mumbai. Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint As the tall blue bus rounds the corner of Mumbai’s Crawford Market on to Mohammed Ali Road, the Sunday morning street… Continue reading Zoroastrains in India to explore cultural boundaries
