The Mumbai police have registered a case against city-based builder Kersi Jamshed Randeria and his son Astaad Kersi...
arZan Articles
Leo Varadkar Former Ireland Prime Minister: If you want to be an Irish citizen, you must be the sugar in the milk
If you want to be an Irish citizen, you must be the sugar in the milk
The Parsis are a small but successful minority group who emigrated to India centuries ago. Today, they are associated with success in business and culture — for example, the Tata family and Farrokh Bulsara, aka Freddie Mercury.
They left their home in Persia as they were unwilling to give up their Zoroastrian faith for their nation’s new one, Islam. When they arrived in India, King Jadhav Rana, who welcomed guests, did not want them to stay. He explained that his kingdom was full and sent them a glass of milk full to the brim to demonstrate his dilemma.
Article by Leo Varadkar | The Times Ireland
Noel Tata joins Tata Trusts board
Tata Trusts, which controls India’s largest conglomerate, the Tata Group, has inducted chairman Ratan Tata’s half-brother Noel Tata on the board. The appointment is seen as paving the...
Zarathushti Women’s Herstories: An Oral History Project
The ZXX study was created as a tribute to Zarthusti women and as a way to celebrate their lives. Our aim was to interview Zarthusti women about their lives in order to gain insight and contribute to...
Ronnie Screwvala’s production house RSVP donates 1 crore to Welfare fund for Army widows on Army Day
Ronnie Screwvala’s production house RSVP has kick-started 2019 with a big hit Uri: The Surgical Strike grossing over Rs 46.24 crores over four days of its release. Touted to be the first content...
Fake Emails Implicating Parsi Khabar
Dear readers of Parsi Khabar Over the past few months, a series of anonymous emails and Whastapp messages have been floating around that claim to be from Parsi Khabar and make reference to me...
145-year-old Parsi agiyari in Rajkot battered by encroachments
The only agiyari (fire temple), holy place of worship for Zoroastrians or Parsis in Rajkot, has been battered by encroachments from nearby residents, causing irreparable damage to the 145-year-old...
Ervad Zal Darius Mody Ordained as Navar
Ervad Zal Darius Mody was recently ordained as a Navar on December 20, 2018, Roj Khordad, Mah Amardad, in memory of his grand uncle Ervad Sorab Hormusji Mody. Zal was taught his Navar prayers...
Parsi community gets partial relief; metro station to shift away from fire temple
In a partial relief for the Parsi community, the Metro Rail Authority on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it will shift the Kalbadevi Metro III station 20 metres away from the nearest boundary...
Dr. Bomsi Wadia: The only Indian to have participated in London to Sydney Marathon rallies
50 years after the first London to Sydney Marathon took place, Dr. Bomsi Wadia says, “It was one of the most memorable adventures of my life. I loved it so much, that I even took part in the...
Cyrus Meher-Homji awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Cyrus Meher-Homji, General Manager, Classics and Jazz, Universal Music Australia is among those awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) today as part of the Australia Day 2019 Honours...
Dinyar Contractor Awarded 2019 Padma Shri Award
The brilliant theater legend Dinyar Contractor has been awarded the Padma Shri Award by the Goverment of India in 2019. The awards announced on the eve of the Republic Day are a testament to...
A Tribute to the Feriyas
Feriyas is a colloquialism from Feriwalla, Gujarati for someone who takes a ‘Fero’, a round of some place. During the struggle for Indian Independence, people used to have Prabhat Feri,...
WZCC kicks off funding initiative for young Parsi entrepreneurs
Parsis offer interest-free loans, flexi pay options to its young entrepreneurs A year ago, Parsi community came together to encourage young entrepreneurs and new start-ups and founded a programme to...
Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor Clarifies Incorrect News Coverage Re: ‘Parsi Priest’s Suggestion To Sell Agiary Is Opposed’
A news item up has been published in Hindustan Times of 16th January, 2019, under the heading, ‘Parsi Priest’s Suggestion To Sell Agiary Is Opposed.’ As is the practice, certain misguided elements,...
Tracing the journey of a Parsi who brought French Revolution in Bombay
A new book revisits the untold, illustrious life of a renowned academician, Zenobia Mistri, who steered a French revolution in Bombay When the late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India...
Ailing Zubin Mehta to skip farewell U.S. tour with Israel Philharmonic
Conductor Zubin Mehta will not join the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on a U.S. tour that was to be his last here as orchestra leader, a step attributed to Mehta’s health by tour organizers who...
The incredible history of the traditional Parsi Gara sari
The timeless elegance of a traditional Parsi Gara is undeniable. Embroidered to life with photorealistic precision, the Gara sari is a unique member in the exhaustive variety of crafts found in the...
From Persia with love: How an Empress transformed Iran with art
From Persia with love: How an Empress transformed Iran with art Dubbed “the Jackie Kennedy of the Middle East”, Farah Pahlavi built a world-class collection of modern art before she and her husband...
Ervad Freyaan K. Vimadalal of Houston ordained as Navar
Parsi Khabar is happy to announce that the son of our dear friends Khushroo and Parynaz Vimadalal was ordained as a Navar this past week. Ervad Freyaan K. Vimadalal was born in New Jersey USA and...
Tower of Silence out of bound for drones, aviation ministry to mark it as prohibited area
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has ruled against flying drones around Tower of Silence in Malabar Hills, where the Parsi community carries out last rites for their departed. The MoCA has also...
Majority of Bombay Parsi punchayet trustees want chairman out
Four of seven Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees have voted to file a no confidence motion against chairman Yazdi Desai for allegations ranging from protecting a non-Parsi trespasser to promoting...
Experimental Treatment Helps Maryland Woman Beat Lymphoma
Our dear friend Dr. Pashna Munshi is part of the team that is working on this experimental treatment for Lymphoman. A Maryland woman who suffered a lengthy battle with stage-three non-Hodgkin...
Mumbai’s Parsi Dairy milks modern retail, with nostalgia and social media
Once an iconic Mumbai landmark and cafe, the 102-year-old brand is reinventing itself Article by Amritha Pillay | Business Standard Parsi Dairy Farm, set up by Nariman Ardeshir in 1916 is redolent...
A Parsi art historian rediscovers his heritage on a trip across Iran
What do you mean you’re from New Zealand?” a shopkeeper in Mozaafarieh named Omid exclaimed. We were in the carpet quarter of Tabriz’s Grand Bazaar, and I had just told him that I was a Kiwi Parsi....
Feroze Gandhi’s grave lies forgotten
Feroze Gandhi may be the patriarch of the Congress’s first family, but the party as well as his family members seem to have neglected his cemetery in Allahabad, now rechristened as Prayagraj....
Cillie’s – A sweet token from the Parsis of Karachi
The Parsi community in Karachi has always been a minority, but one that has left an inimitable legacy. Late Jehangir Framroze Punthakey, in his book, The Karachi Zoroastrian Calendar, called the...
Stanley Insler Passes Away
Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology Stanley Insler GRD ’63 passed away on Jan. 5 at the age of 82. Insler was a distinguished historical linguist who studied Indo-European...
Maneckji Bhumgara: The Indian bowler who took American cricket by storm in the 1900s
Southern California discovered cricket in the late 19th century, two centuries after the sport reached American shores, but the region lost little time in taking to the game with enthusiasm. The...
Ashdeen Lilaowala: The ‘gara’ goes mod
Traditional Parsi embroidery finds contemporary expression with fresh motifs and colours while retaining its multicultural roots in the hands of textile designer Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala Ashdeen Z....
What Connects Vivekananda and Jamsetji Tata? A Sea Voyage That Changed India!
“Rooted in the past, full of pride in India’s prestige, Vivekananda was yet modern in his approach to life’s problems, and was a kind of bridge between the past of India and her present.” –...
‘Vacationing’ to reconnect with India’s Zoroastrian culture
Farzad Irani, a physical therapist born and raised in New York, tucked into a plate of mutton dhansak and egg chutney pattice, happily reacquainting himself with Parsi cuisine as part of a 15-day...
Jiyo Parsi Kicks Off Brilliant ‘Care’ Campaign
‘Jiyo Parsi’ – the Government of India’s undertaking which supports our community’s efforts in arresting the declining Parsi population and aid in its increase – kicked off its latest Campaign...
Aryenish Birdie: People in the Movies Aren’t Parsi Like Me, Except in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Flaws aside, the Freddie Mercury biopic was “deeply personal” for writer and activist Aryenish Birdie because it was the first time she ever saw her ethnic identity in pop culture....
Support Ava Irani’s Kickstarter Campaign
Ava Irani is an 8th grader living in the Bay Area, where she also volunteers to teach Sunday School at the Zoroastrian Association of Northern California. Ava has started a Kickstarter campaign...
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla congratulated for life-long commitment to boosting vaccine coverage in the world’s poorest countries by the GAVI
Serum founder wins inaugural ‘vaccine hero’ award ABU DHABI, 10 December 2018 – Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Founder of Serum Institute of India (SII) and Chairman of Poonawalla Group, has been given the...
Parsis of Pakistan "The Silent Server"
The Parsis are the descendants of the Zoroastrian community who fled from Iran during 8th to 10th century to escape the persecution of the Fanatical Muslim invaders who invaded Iran. They fled and...
From Candles To Turkeys – How Zoroastrians Celebrate Thanksgiving In Style In Karachi
Karachi has always gone out of its way to pay respects to its Zoroastrian community. We have been blessed with a home here, given opportunities to self-actualize and to nurture our future...
Parsis last joined Mumbai police 21 years ago
The dwindling numbers of the Parsi community has cast a long shadow on its representation in the Mumbai police force, over the past five decades. The brick-red tiles of the Police Gymkhana on Marine...
Ahya Yasa Nemangha: The Gathas
We are happy to provide a downloadble copy of the Ahya Yasa Nemangha. This book is a study of the Gathas of Prophet Zarathushtra containing the Text with Literal Translation into English, and an...
Architect Sarosh Anklesaria Wins 2019 Richard Rogers Fellowship
Sarosh Anklesaria is one of the six winner of the 2019 RIchard Rogers Fellowship. Announced by the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Sarosh will will spend three and a half months completing an...
Zerbanoo Gifford Enters the Honorable Society of Knights of Round Table
We are thrilled to learn that our dearest friend and mentor Zerbanoo Gifford has been welcomed into the Honorable Society of the Knights of the Round Table. Zerbanoo Gifford is the founder of the...
Meet Chef Delzad Khurshed Avari whose signature dish is the barbecued pulled pork
Chef Delzad Avari’s pulled pork is one for all seasons: it can be cuddled between breads, bundled in rotis or tucked in with rice. Delzad Avari, 30, wanted to cook since the time he...
Parsis in Mumbai move SC to realign Metro-3 tunnel below Atash Behrams
A special leave petition was filed challenging the HC order, which was mentioned before Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Article by Yesha Kotak | Hindustan Times Three days after the Bombay high court...
Sale to non-Parsi stokes society’s 25-yr legal battle to expel member
A cooperative housing society formed exclusively for Parsi community members in Sanjan town of south Gujarat has been fighting a legal battle for more than 25 years to expel a member. The main...
Could a Tower of Silence For Zoroastrian Funerals Be Built in Texas ?
Khushbu Solanki, a Rutgers Law graduate makes a compelling arguement for a Dokhma in Texas. Khushbu writes… Traditional Zoroastrian funerals require stone structures called Dakhmas — “Towers of...
Bombay High Court Permits Mumbai Metro 3 tunnelling under two fire temples
Senior Journalist and friend of Parsi Khabar, Nauzer Bharucha writes A COMMUNITY SCARRED “The Bombay High Court today allowed a metro rail tunnel to run under one of the most venerated Fire Temples...
JIYO PARSI: CARE OF ELDERLY DEPENDANTS
Our dear friend and mentor Dr. Shernaz Cama write in the Jame Jamshed newspaper The Jiyo Parsi Scheme was set up to arrest the decline in our community’s population. However, over time, it has been...
Arzan Nagwaswalla Plays Cricket For Gujarat: First Parsi in Decades to Play at State Level
Parsis have played an important part in Indian cricket history. Parsis were the first Indian side to visit England in 1886. And around 12 Parsis, such as Farrokh Engineer, Polly Umrigar, Nari...
Astad Deboo’s Astonishing Back-bends
The dancer is revolutionary in many ways, one being his ability to make his body do what he wants it to At 71, Astad Deboo has one hell of a back bend. In his new performance Liminal, and the...
10 Indians in the 1920s-30s went on cycling expeditions; 7 succeeded
October 15, 1923 was yet another mellow Monday morning in Bombay, but the city’s central district of Grant Road was ablaze with blaring music. The erstwhile Bombay Weightlifting Club had organised a...
Zoroastrians Soar at the 2018 Parliament of World’s Religions in Toronto
Two weeks ago, over 8000 people gathered in Toronto for the 7th edition of the Parliament of World's Religions. The Zoroastrian flag was flown by under the aegis of the Federation of Zoroastrian...