As the city prepares for the 9th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2027, a new generation is shaping the...
arZan Articles
Zarathustra in Goa: A painting by Angelo da Fonseca
A newly revealed 1964 painting by Angelo da Fonseca reworks Parsi iconography with daring tenderness In an unexpected...
Tête-à-Tête With Iconic Mumbai Eatery Britannia’s Owner
On a warm on Saturday afternoon in the city of dreams – Mumbai, when masses rejoice their weekend, a Parsi family gears up to welcome their customers at their iconic eatery Britannia & Co....
Zavera Shahuna: The Parsi platter
Zavera Shahuna’s kitchen speaks volumes of her love for order. Zavera Shahuna’s kitchen speaks volumes of her love for order. Glassware is neatly stacked on the shelves, a tray exclusively for sauce...
MMRCL shakes Parsi hopes for quick resolution to Metro row
A day after offering an out-of-court meeting to discuss options, MMRCL yesterday stated it would review the alternatives and decide whether the meeting was required Article by Arita Sarkar | Mid-Day...
Prove fire temple is important to you, state tells Parsis
Setting community and MMRCL on warpath, govt pleader taunts petitioners: ‘show more than two-and-a-half documents to prove that the Atash Behram is integral to Zoroastrianism The Anjuman Atash...
How Indian opium traders from Bombay helped the British Raj wreck China’s economy
Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, who helped build modern Bombay and was the first Indian to be knighted by Queen Victoria, was a prominent figure in the business. Article by Girish Shahane | Scroll India...
The Mango and Parsi Cooking: Niloufer Mavalvala
Our dear friend and cookbook author and chef extraordinaire Niloufer Mavalvala was recently featured on a cooking show that is making the rounds of public broadcast in the United States. On the 4th...
Nari Contractor: A Captain with Grit and Impeccable Character
Nariman Jamshedji Contractor was born on March 7, 1934 at Godhra Gujarat by accident. His pregnant mother was coming on a train from Dahod in Gujarat to Bombay for delivery when all of a sudden she...
Why Urban Food Fortnight is good for business
Cyrus Todiwala is the founder and owner of Café Spice Namaste, a Sustain Patron, long-time London Food Link supporter and JE reader. Here he shares his thoughts on how Urban Food Fortnight helps the...
XYZ Leadership Camp 2018 by Rayaan Dadiburjor
Rayan Dadiburjor the XYZ President-Elect writes in about the recent XYZ Leadership Camp. Rayan writes… We arrived at Karjat’s Rivergate Resort with our bags packed for an overnight trip but went...
How JRD Tata came up with a marketing strategy that ran through Tata ads for nearly a century
On September 9, 1925, Jehangir Tata wrote a letter to his father Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata from the barracks in the south of France. The 21-year-old had come up with a way to help the family business....
An artist who approached the work of painting like a campaign: Mehlli Gobhai (1931-2018)
He came to his canvas with no feelings of certainty about what he wanted, with no pretense that it was a willing ally in the act of creation. We were sitting in a Charles Correa-designed house,...
The Story Behind Raphael’s Masterpiece ‘The School of Athens’ And the Zoroaster Connection
Long before Rafael the hotheaded, red eye mask wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle entertained children onscreen, there was Rafael the esteemed painter who’d won over a cultured crowd of art...
Artist Mehlli Gobhai passes away
The 87-year-old veteran artist had been ailing for a while The Mumbai-based artist, Mehlli Gobhai has died at the age of 87 in a city hospital this morning. The artist was said to be ailing for a...
NanoViricides, Inc. Welcomes Dr. Irach Taraporewala as the New CEO
NanoViricides is pleased to announce that the Company’s Board has appointed Dr. Irach Taraporewala as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dr. Irach B. Taraporewala is a seasoned...
Dancing on the edge: In conversation with Astad Deboo
At 71, Astad Deboo still walks with the leaping grace of a warrior Is it sweet revenge to be acclaimed as a living legend of dance right here in the most conservative of dance bastions?” I ask Astad...
Sooni Taraporevala to direct Siddharth Roy Kapur’s upcoming production Ballet Boys
Siddharth Roy Kapur’s next brings back Sooni Taraporevala as director with a true-life story. A decade after making her directorial debut with the National Award-winning family drama Little Zizou,...
Jimmy Engineer promotes Pakistan soft image thru creative art in Canada
WORLD renowned Pakistani artist, social crusader and philanthropist Jimmy Engineer continues to promote and project soft, positive, moderate and forward looking image of Pakistan and its...
Ashdeen Lilaowala on his love for Parsi Gara
Ashdeen Lilaowala dives into his fabulous family archives and has come up some “Vintage Tales” Childhood memories never fade away. In fact, the talented tend to preserve these precious recollections...
‘There is no gender in the kitchen, we are all equals’ – Chef Anahita Dhondy
Anahita Dhondy doesn’t like being called ‘female’ or ‘celebrity’ chef, though she fits both definitions. Over a couple of rushed phone calls and food orders, we talk to this 28-year-old...
Nehru’s son-in-law Feroze, a crusader, who exposed corruption in his party’s government
It is because of a private member’s bill introduced by Feroze Gandhi in 1956 that it is possible for media to report Parliament proceedings. New Delhi: He was just 48 when he passed away on 8...
Parsi priest has a savage warning for people using mobile phones during temple visit
While the tweet is a way to deter the use of mobile phones in religious places, it also has a humorous take to it. It did not take long for the post to go viral with many complimenting the priest...
Tales of yore retold with parsi embroidery
What: Vintage Tales by Ashdeen Where: 85 Lansdowne, 85B Sarat Bose Road When: September 7 and 8; 11am-7.30pm Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala travelled back to the decade-old “studio culture” among the Parsis...
WZCC and Parsi tycoons help entrepreneurs for interest-free loans up to Rs 25 lakh
Raise a crore with help from top Parsi businessmen to provide interest-free loans to promising entrepreneurs from the community, keep target of Rs 5 cr Article by Arita Sarkar | Mid-Day...
Hollywood framed for a father
Maxie Cooper’s art exhibition, Now Showing, reels back in tribute to her movie mogul father Keki Modi and the golden cinema years he brought Bombay Brothers Sohrab Modi (extreme left) and Keki...
North American Mobed Council Awards Distinguished Scholar Awards
We are thrilled to inform that two of our very dear friends and eminent Zarathushtis in North America have been presented the Distinguished Scholars Award by NAMC. At the last North American Mobed...
Parsi Dastur wins Top Audience choice award and 2nd prize in Voices of India’s first national singing competition
Ervad Frazan Adil Kotwal has recently participated in the first ever national competition for Western classical singers, ‘Voices of India’ and secured second place and the top audience choice award....
Marespand Dadachanji’s Restored Cars Win at Pebble Beach Concourse D’Elegance
Our dearest friend Marespand Aspandiar Dadachanji, ace vintage car restorer wins 1st and 3rd positions at the Pebble Beach Concourse D’Elegance. Top Indian automotive journalist and good friend of...
Registration Opens for 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress
Registration for the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress has opened, per an email communique from the organizers. The 7WZYC shall be held in Los Angeles from July 1 – 6, 2019; and returns to USA,...
Dina Pestonji: How this woman overcame 2 strokes at 29, ran half-marathon 10 months later
Dina Pestonji wanted to inspire women through her book, Surviving Myself A Toronto woman has written a book about her struggles with an eating disorder, recovering from a car crash and two strokes,...
Remembering the Parsi community of Amritsar
The Parsi community, known for its entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities, has been a significant part of the history of Amritsar. The city, known for its open heart and the ability to...
Parties, Parsis and Politics in Pakistan
Bomb blasts, the trial of General Musharraf, socialite parties and beer from a Parsi-run brewery are some of the things Indian journalist Meena Menon experienced during her stint in Islamabad. Her...
Remembering Behram Palkhivala (1926-2018)
Behram Palkhivala, the younger brother of Nani Palkhivala, passed away last Friday (27th July). Not many lawyers know of the enormous role he played in the writing of Kanga and Palkhivala’s “Law and...
Spenses: In The Age Of Colas, This Parsi Family Survives In Biz Of Fizz
When the Parsis first landed in India sometime in the 7th century to escape persecution in Iran, they promised King Jadhav Rana that they would sweeten the Indian community as sugar sweetens milk....
Famous ballet teacher Tushna Dallas dies at 76
She is survived by her husband Feroze and daughters Khushcheher and Mahzeebar. The funeral took place on Monday. Article by Pooja Pillai | Indian Express Renowned ballet teacher Tushna Dallas, who...
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla nominated for Nobel Prize
Founder of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla has been nominated from India for the prestigious Nobel Prize, said Dr Parvez Grant, Managing...
Parsee General Hospital transfer deal triggers row
MUMBAI: The 106-year-old Parsi General Hospital’s plan to allow Medanta Group of Hospitals to use a portion of its 10-acre Breach Candy property worth an estimated Rs2,000 crore is snowballing into...
University of Leiden Seeks PhD candidate in Iranian Studies-History of Religions
PhD candidate in Iranian Studies/History of Religions (2 positions of 1.0 FTE) University of Leiden – Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion Qualification type:...
Dr Cyrus F. Hirjibehedin Awarded RMS Medal for Scanning Probe Microscopy
We are thrilled to share the news that our very dear friend Dr. Cyrus Farokh Hirjibehedin is a 2018 Royal Microscopical Society Medal recipient RMS Medal Series 2018 Winners Announced After a...
New book traces history of Sikhs, Parsis, Bohra Muslims who made Shanghai home
New Book traces the history of Indians in Shanghai. The number of Indians living in Shanghai was possibly at its peak in 1936, at around 3,000. They were a mix of burly Sikh policemen and busy...
Intelligent Conservatism Can Improve Parsi Survival Prospects
This is the text of a talk given by Berjis Desai at the recently concluded 11th World Zoroastrian Congress in Perth Australia. Berjis is an eminent legal counsel, journalist and columnist residing...
How Queen Front Man Freddie Mercury’s Zoroastrian Faith Shaped His Music
Unless you have been living in a cave, you know the rock band, Queen. For the last forty years, their music has been played at sports stadiums, movies, radio stations, and personal music players....
Introduction to Movement Therapy By Dilshad Patel
We are happy to bring you an exclusive Introduction to Movement Therapy by our good friend Dilshad Patel To become the best possible version of ourselves; we must develop a grounded understanding of...
Karachi’s Parsi community hopes for change through elections
Present today only in hundreds, the Parsi community of Pakistan, especially in Karachi, yearn for positive change and an inclusive atmosphere for all minorities. This hope stems from the upcoming...
Vada Dasturji Dr. Firoz Kotwal Explains Muktad Rituals and Prayers
The eminent Vada Dasturji, Dasturji Dr Firoze Kotwal enthralled the packed hall at the Empowering Powering Mobeds program on July 22, 2018 with his talk on the highly technical aspects of the...
Legendary maestro Zubin Mehta looks back on six decades of conducting
Even at 82 years old, famed maestro Zubin Mehta conducts with the same vigor and passion that have brought him worldwide fame. Last year, Mehta announced his plans to step down as music director of...
Bombay House: Iconic Tata headquarters to reopen after a year of renovations
After nearly a year of delicate refurbishment and some touches of modernity, Tata Group’s iconic headquarters near Flora Fountain, the Bombay House, will reopen on July 29, the 114th birth...
Professor John Hinnells : Obituary
Determined expert on Zoroastrianism who founded degree courses on world religion and zipped across the world on crutches As a child sick with tuberculosis of the bone, John Hinnells spent the best...
Lahore’s Cooper Agiary Celebrating 125 Years
Parsi Khabar is happy to learn that the beautiful Cooper Agiary in Lahore will be celebrating its 125th Salgreh this month. Below is a message from our dear friend Perin Boga. Cherished Friends and...
Parsi Zoroastrian Guards of the Holy Fire
To take care of Parsi fire temples across the country and fight for the preservation of their sanctity if need be, solicitor Berjis Desai has floated the idea of forming a body whose primary...
Dr. Irach J S Taraporewala – Zoroastrian Scholar
The below is a profile of the legendary scholar Dr. Irach J S Taraporewala penned by his grandson and namesake Irach Taraporewala. This appeared on the Zoroastrian Heritage page on Facebook When the...