Following the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link opening, Parsis in Mumbai are campaigning to reopen the Umrigar Agiary in...
arZan Articles
Conversations with a 100-Year-Old: Jamshed Fozdar
Daisy Irani in conversation with Jamshed Fozdar…. I had just lost a dear friend at 66 when I began a conversation with...
Know All About India’s Most Badass War Hero: Sam Manekshaw Whose Last Words Were Inspirational
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw is an iconic figure in the Indian Armed Forces. He’s known for many things- for successfully fighting for the country in major wars, for being in the first batch to pass...
Parsis get an exclusive matrimony app, Parsi Shaadi
According to a 2017 study, almost 99.9% Parsis within the age group of 18-25 said they wanted to marry within the community Parsi youth can now find a match within their community with the help of a...
Cyrus Poonawalla Gets Honorary Degree from Oxford University
It was a select group of his inner circle that accompanied Cyrus Poonawalla, founder and chairman of Serum Institute of India, when he received an honorary degree from the University of Oxford for...
Dr Cyrus F. Hirjibehedin Presented Royal Microscopical Society Medal for Scanning Probe Microscopy
We are thrilled to share the news that our dear friend Cyrus F. Hirjibehedin received the Royal Microscopy Society (RMS) Gold Medal in Manchester, UK on July 2, 2019 for his work in STM microscopy...
Tata vs Mistry: Book Excerpt
Minutes of the Oct-16 Tata Sons Board Meeting at Bombay House. There was not much time to think. Mistry messaged his wife, Rohiqa, that he may soon be sacked. There was probably no time to consult a...
On World Refugee Day: How Parsi Refugees From Yesterday Became Citizens of Today
Let alone India’s first cotton mill, first steel plant and first institute for fundamental research in science, we have Parsi Theatre to thank for the musical routines of Bollywood! by Amulya B June...
Tata Trusts to give new life to 99-year-old Parsi hospital in Surat
The Seth Rustamji Dhanjibhai Tarachand Parsi General Hospital, locatedin the centre of the city in Shahpore area, was started in 1920. The general hospital, which will celebrate its centenary next...
The Sari Closet of Cornelia Sohrabji, India’s First Female Lawyer
How the self-chosen dress codes of Cornelia Sorabji gave her a distinguished persona like no other Cornelia Sorabji (1866-1954) was India’s first woman lawyer. Beyond that, she doesn’t fit easily...
‘Bobby’ Talyarkhan: The Pioneer Of Indian Cricket Commentary
Talyarkhan, Indian cricket’s first commentator, began speaking from a little corner of a Bombay maidan. In the ‘Signpost’ section of the magazine India Today, dated 15 August 1990, an...
Mumbai boy Jehan Daruvala zooms to victory with Formula 3 win
It all began in 2009, when Khurshed Daruvala from Dadar picked up a copy of Bombay Times on a flight, and noticed a WhatsHot listing on go karting in Powai, during the weekend. He made a mental note...
The Funny Parsis: Not Just Dhansak Ep 07 Featuring Kunal Vijaykar and Cyrus Broacha
On this new episode, Bawi Bride Perzen Patel talks to two famous television personalities, Cyrus Broacha and Kunal Vijaykar about their childhood memories around Parsi food. Together, they recall...
At ZTFE UK, A Life Well Lived: Khojeste Mistree Conducts A Marathon 8 hour Workshop on Zoroastrianism
Khojeste P. Mistree’s association with Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) is a long standing one. A life member since the early 1980s, Khojeste has given talks at ZTFE, beginning soon after...
VFS Global CEO Zubin Karkaria honoured with Global Game Changers Award at The Indian Awards in London
· Founder and CEO of VFS Global recognised for outstanding contribution to India-UK relationship development and to global travel by transforming the visa application process · Award comes as VFS...
The Noble Family of Port Blair: Only Parsis in a 1000 km radius
A sea-loving Parsi family moved to Port Blair 35 years ago, to a house that had no electricity, no toilets, and on one occasion, no roof. Today, they run a thriving homestay, a spice farm and a...
Parsi Cafes, A Centuries-Old Tradition In India, Are Vanishing
Boman Kohinoor, 97, has spent the past eight decades committed to his beloved Britannia & Co., one of Mumbai’s last Parsi cafes. Here, he proudly holds up a photo of himself with two...
The Language We Pray In: Maya Joshi
Maya Joshi shares with us something she wrote for a writing contest. The piece is called “Do You Speak My Language”. Maya writes… The Language We Pray In My grandmother closes her eyes in the dawn...
Who Is Your Wedding Caterer, Dikra?: Not Just Dhansak Ep 06 Featuring Kaizad Patel
This week we dive into the elusive Parsi wedding and the delicacies one can find there. Bawi Bride, Perzen Patel talks to Kaizad Patel from Kaizad Patel Caterers about all the food traditions...
When Parsis Bake Cakes: Not Just Dhansak Ep 05 Featuring Kainaz Messman
On this episode, Bawi Bride Perzen Patel is in conversation with Kainaz Messman, Founder of the famous Indian brand Theobroma Patisserie. Kainaz shares stories of her idyllic childhood where...
Ervad Verzan Karkaria Ordained as Navar in Mumbai
9 -year old Er. Verzan Karkaria, son of proud parents Jennifer and Er.Cherag Sam Karkaria, was ordained Navar on 2nd June, 2019 at Kappawalla Agiary, Tardeo under the able guidance of Panthaki...
Everyday Heroes: The Pavri Family and their Hemophilia Walks
Our dear friend Nerina Rustomji writes in… Under the canopy of trees in Riverside Park overlooking the Hudson River, the energetic crowd was ready to get going. There in the midst was our Yasmin and...
Actor-Comedian Dinyar Contractor Dies At 79
Veteran actor-comedian Dinyar Contractor died in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, reported news agency ANI. The actor was 79. The actor died because of old age related ailments, reported news agency...
18th Vada Dasturji Meherjirana Appointed
Eminent community historian and our dear friend Marzban Jamshedji Giara writes in The uthamna ceremony of the late Vada Dasturji Kaikhushru Navroji Dastoor Meherjirana was held at the Mody Hall of...
Vada Dasturji Meherjirana Passes Away
Vada Dasturji Meherjirana passed away in the early hours of June 4, 2019 in Navsari, India. Garothman Behest to dear Dasturji soul. The above photograph is from December 2018, when the participants...
Jubilee Diamond & How it Saved A Tata Company
In a country obsessed with the legend of the Kohinoor, little public attention is paid to the fact that there were far larger diamonds in India until very recently. In fact many made the Kohinoor,...
XYZ Summer Camp 2019
Here is a detailed report of XYZ’s SUmmer Camp 2019, sent over by our dear friend and XYZ founder Hoshaang Gotla Day 1 of the week long XYZ summer camp began on a beautiful Sunday morning with 4...
Mobed Bhandara Urged Clergies to Interpret scriptures to Spread Peace, Love & Harmony
On Thursday May 16th, our very own Mobed Zarrir Bhandara along with clergies of different faith were invited to speak at Interfaith Iftar hosted by the American Muslim Women Empowerment Council in...
Cookbooks and Documenting Our Food: Not Just Dhansak Ep 04 Featuring Niloufer Mavalvala
On this episode, Bawi Bride Perzen Patel discusses documentation of the Parsi Food with author and food blogger, Niloufer Mavalvala. Niloufer shares her journey of starting a blog, creating a...
Home Chefs – The Parsi Food Custodians: Not Just Dhansak Ep 03 Featuring Gulrukh Irani and Furrokh Regina
On this episode, Bawi Bride Perzen Patel talks to home chefs Gulrukh Irani and Furrokh Regina and discusses why people like them are the true custodians of Parsi food. They discuss their childhood...
Vada Dasturji Jamasp Asa Passes Away
Earlier today news broke of the passing away of Dasturji Jamasp Asa in London, U.K. The high priest of the community, Vada Dastur Saheb Kaikhusroo Dastur Minocher Jamasp Asa, of the 124-year-old...
How To Build A Multi-Million Dollar Business Empire – The Jimmy Mistry Story
Our dear friend and brilliant designer and entrpeneur Jimmy Mistry in conversation on the “The Ranveer Show”. For the latest and today’s episode, we have another crazy motivational and inspirational...
Remembering Soli Batlivala
It was a scene out of a film. The young patriot supporting the Quit India struggle heard the police knock on the door of his Parel home. Though no stranger to jail, alerted by his mother Bachoobai,...
Cooking with the Time & Talents Club
The smell of dried Bombay duck infiltrates the air. Mum is making the Parsi dish Tarapori Patio, a ruddy pickle made from the quintessentially Bombay fish, the curiously-named Bombay duck,...
The Parsi burial ground is a sign of Rawalpindi’s rich heritage
On Murree Road, in the heart of the city, a lane leads towards a heavy iron gate that opens out on an era of Parsi history Article by Ammad Ali | Daily Times Pakistan Resting place of a WWII soldier...
A Parsi Mother Shares How The True Spirit Of Motherhood In Her Community Lies In Strong Camaraderie
“I keep telling my children, ‘You are my real wealth.’ My husband always makes fun of me at this by saying, ‘Great then you must have the BSES bills and all of that covered’,” says Shernaz Mehernosh...
WZCC Global AGM And Awards Gala 2019 in Orlando
The week of May 1-5, 2019 became ground zero in the Zoroastrian world as three major events coincided in Orlando, Florida. The Central Florida Zoroastrian Community played host to the multi-day...
Dadar boy Jehan Daruvala drives to F3 glory in Spain
20-year-old survives multiple safety car disruptions to lead from start to finish in the second race of the junior single-seater series Jehan Daruvala at the winners’ podium in Barcelona,...
The men from Mumbai who cycled around the world
Between 1923 and 1942, a handful of young Parsi men took off on three expeditions from Mumbai to cycle around the world. A photo exhibition tells their story. Written by Parth Khatau | Indian...
The Collected Scholarly Writings of Dastur Firoze M. Kotwal
Our dear friend and eminent author and Zoroastrian researcher Firoza Punthakey Mistree informs us about the limited edition book on the life of Vada Dasturji Firoze M. Kotwal A Must for Everyone...
Prominent south Mumbai dentist, hurt in Bhau Daji Lad Museum lift crash, dies
A prominent south Mumbai dentist, who was injured in an elevator crash at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum (BDL) on April 28, died on Thursday at Masina Hospital. Dr Arnavaz Havewalla, 63, suffered a...
JRB Jeejeebhoy: Mumbai has forgotten the ‘leading historian’ who once highlighted its forgotten past
JRB Jeejeebhoy, who wrote numerous pieces on the city and its heritage from the 1920s to the 1950s, has met the fate of his subjects. History unfortunately has been superseded in favour of flighty...
Chennai’s Parsi community looks back on its ties with the metropolis
The city’s Royapuram fire temple stands on the brink of turning 110 In Royapuram, heavy with humidity and the sharp tang of sea salt, stands a white building that has sheltered an undying flame for...
How to Get Away With Murder’s Behzad Dabu to Star in Put Your House in Order at La Jolla Playhouse
The world premiere from Chicago-based playwright Ike Holter begins previews June 2. Article by Adam Hetrick | Playbill Behzad Dabu (How to Get Away with Murder), Linda Libby (Ether Dome), and...
The dancer’s guide to hitchhiking: Astad Deboo
Celebrated Indian contemporary dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo on his 50-year career, hitchhiking across the world and more Article by Samira Sood | CNN Traveller Astad Deboo in flow. Photo:...
Toxy Cowasjee Steps Down as Editor of Hamazor After 17 years
Earlier this year Toxy Cowasjee, the editor of the Hamazor magazine reached out to me asking if I would cover a local NYC event for her to go in the next issue of Hamazor. I, of course said yes. You...
Batasas and the Parsi Bakery: Not Just Dhansak Ep 02 Featuring Cyrus Dotiwala
On this episode, Bawi Bride Perzen Patel is in conversation with the sixth generation owner of the very famous Dotivala Bakery in Surat, Cyrus Dotivala. Cyrus shares the story of how bread traveled...
A Bid to Maintain One of the World’s Oldest Culinary Traditions
For the ever dwindling Parsi community of western India, food is both pleasure and heritage — and a secret language in danger of dying out. TO TASTE DHANSAK at the Ripon Club in Mumbai — whose...
Chairman, trustees in battle over BPP’s place in all-India Parsi body
Yazdi Desai’s idea of keeping BPP out of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjumans of India’s affairs led to a heated exchange of words between trustees Noshir Dadrawala and Yazdi...
Irani Cafes: A fading love story
The little culinary revolution that Mumbai’s tiny Iranian diaspora began a 100 years ago is now quickly dwindling “Agar teer e aalambejombad be jay. Na barradragi, gar nakhwaahadkhodaay (Even if the...
What is Parsi Food, Really: Not Just Dhansak Ep 01 Featuring Kurush Dalal
On the first episode of our Parsi food show, Not Just Dhansak, our host Perzen Patel, popularly known as the Bawi Bride, is in conversation with archaeologist and food historian, Kurush Dalal. When...
The opium trader who became one of India’s richest men
On his fourth trip to China, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy was captured by the French. It was the middle of the Napoleonic Wars and hostilities between the British and the French had carried over to the...