What do Freddie Mercury and the family that founded Tata Steel have in common? Apart from global success, they all...
arZan Articles
Bheja Fry: Dr Mazda Turel Brings the Human Side of Neurosurgery to Life
Mumbai-based neurosurgeon Dr Mazda Turel has added “author” to his already distinguished resume with the release of...
Temple hosts first navjote of kids with non-Parsi father
Zoroastrian centre in Pune allows entry to people of all religions and gender The newly opened fire temple in Kondhwa in Pune, which welcomes people of all religions and gender, hosted a navjote...
Not Just Milk and Sugar
Not Just Milk and Sugar is a beautiful film written and directed by good friend and brilliant young director Divya Cowasji. Not Just Milk & Sugar is an accessible inquiry into the Zoroastrian...
Streets of Udvada to get CCTV cameras, free Wi-Fi zones
The Union textiles and information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani dedicated an entrance gate which depicts Parsi culture at Udvada in Valsad district to the people of the village on Sunday....
Cyrus Broacha: In Conversation with Arzan Sam Wadia
On this episode of Cyrus Says, architect and urban designer Farzan Wadia, talks to Cyrus about:The unique smells that set Mumbai apart. Why he got thrown off a train in Austria. How many Parisis...
Iranshah Udvada Utsav 2017 A Resounding Success
The second edition of the Iranshah Udvada Utsav was a resounding succes, bringing 2000 Zarathushtis from near and far together for a 3 day celebration. [gallery type="rectangular"...
Youth of Parsi diaspora arrive in India to explore roots
Members of the Parsi diaspora have joined community members in India to devise a guided tour for youngsters who wish to explore their roots in this country. Article by Bella Jaisinghani | TNN The...
Some members of Parsi community protest the Udvada Utsav,
Some members of Parsi community protest the Udvada Utsav, as it ‘violates the sanctity of the place’ The festival, sponsored by the Gujarat government, is held in Udvava, which has long been...
Global Working Group Meet 2017, Mumbai India: Press Release
Leaders from the worldwide Zoroastrian diaspora met for the annual Global Working Group meeting at the Banaji Atashbehram Hall on December 20th, 2017. The meeting was chaired by Yazdi Desai, the...
Global Initiative to Support Iranshah Atashbehram Udvada
In an email announcement Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) announced a Global Initiative to Support the Iranshah Atashbehram in Udvada, Gujarat, India. FEZANA...
Who is a Zoroastrian?
The court is showing that it is all too eager to meddle in the affairs of religions. Article written by Dinsha Mistree | Indian Express While many voice concern over Narendra Modi and the Hindu...
Narges Kakalia Named One of Leading Woman Lawyers of New York City
Our very dear friend Narges Kakalia has been named to the inaugural class of the Leading Women Lawyers in New York City. Narges, more power to you in the years to come. Mintz Levin is pleased to...
WZCC Global Meet 2017 Bangalore
The World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce held its 2017 Annual Global AGM and Meet in Bangalore on 15th and 16th December 2017. The event was hosted at the Clarks Exotica Resort on the outskirts of...
Update on Supreme Court Case Regarding Goolrukh Gupta
Two days ago we had published news about the Supreme Court order regarding the case between the Valsad Parsi Anjuman v/s Goolrukh Gupta. There were some inaccuracies in the article and thus we...
The Fire Temple vs The Mumbai Metro: Bachi Karkaria
In early October, a petition was sent to the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, about the latest phase of the Mumbai metro – a 33.5km stretch that is currently under construction. The petition...
Supreme Court of India Rules in Favor of Goolrukh Gupta in Landmark Judgement
Parsi Times and Parsiana both report on their social media streams that the Supreme Court of India has ruled in favor of Goolrukh Gupta overturning the previous judgement of the Gujarat High Court....
Ratti Petit: Li Gotami – The Woman Who Dedicated Her Life to the Arts
Born into a wealthy Parsi family on 22 April 1906 in Mumbai, Ratti Petit, more commonly known as Li Gotami, was a talented painter, photographer and writer. Her family owned the Bomanjee Dinshaw...
Udvada train accident: Aspi Sepoy Gets Back On His Feet
Parsi museum caretaker at Udvada, who lost both legs in Sept, will be getting permanent prosthetic legs in a fortnight Forty-six-year-old Aspi Sepoy, caretaker of the Udvada Parsi Museum, who lost...
Mumbai Parsis offer ‘solution’ to prevent Metro-3 tunnel from passing under their shrine
Community proposes that MMRC reduce space between two tunnels by 20 feet so that one of it does not pass under Wadia Atash Behram on Princess Street Offering a ‘solution’ to their objections against...
Forjett Street: Singer, sailor, soothsayer, Spy
What would Charles Forjett make of the colourful characters inhabiting the street off Gowalia Tank Road named for him? He was a top cop in the days when the term really meant something. Slipping...
Rs 150 crore donation to Parsi General Hospital kicks up row
A Hong Kong-based Parsi businessman is donating Rs 150 crore to rescue the financially ailing Parsi General Hospital at Breach Candy here, exclusively meant for Parsi patients. The philanthropic...
Parsee General Hospital rapped for refusing poor non-Parsis
Charity Commissioner to issue second show cause notice Mumbai: The BD Petit Parsee General Hospital (PGH) in Cumballa Hill has invited the ire of the Charity Commissioner for not treating non-Parsi...
Christians, Parsis discuss Metro threat to structures
The controversy over the proposed underground metro rail tunnels at Jagannath Sunkersett Marg in Girgaum has brought together Christians and Parsis for the first time to discuss the project at a...
Milind Deora meets Mumbai Metro brass over Parsis’ fire temple issue
A delegation of Parsis led by former south Mumbai Congress MP Milind Deora on Friday met senior officials of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to express concern about the rail tunnel...
The Shoonyam Quotient by Dr. Mickey Mehta
Our dear friend and India’s finest health guru Dr. Mickey Mehta recently launched a new book titled “The Shoonyam Quotient: The Light of Life” published by Penguin Books, India. The book is...
Parsi woman contests Raj-era personal law
Encouraged by Muslim women's successful fight against triple talaq, a Parsi woman has moved the Supreme Court questioning the validity of many provisions of Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, alleging...
Dwindling population in Navsari, Mecca of Parsis
Navsari, once a sleepy town with magnificent buildings, sprawling lawns and wide roads but is fast turning into a ghetto Kersi K Deboo’s eyes light up when he starts talking about the Parsi...
Arun Jaitley, Mukesh Ambani spotted at the Karanjawala wedding in Delhi
"It was a wedding laced with affection and not with power. Everyone who walked into the various functions was treated with equal affection and love, and that's what set it apart," says Suhel Seth...
Theater: Class Act by Meherzad Patel
Meherzad Patel’s The Class Act promises plenty of laughs this weekend While city folk maybe in splits now with the Bangalore Comedy Fest, those who wish for more laughs could check out Meherzad...
Rustom Sidhwa Marg And The Man Behind The Name
‘It is tragic only a few remember the fearless crusader, let alone recall his services to nation’ Named after Rustom K Sidhwa, former member of the Constituent Assembly and the first Parliament...
The Disappearing Cuisine of an Ancient Religion
Mumbai’s beloved Parsi restaurants are struggling to survive. It all began with a milkshake. After the Arab conquest of Persia in the mid seventh century, adherents to Zoroastrianism, which may be...
Jal and Pervin Shroff Clear The Air on the Parsi General Hospital Medanta Issue
Recently a lawyer from Mumbai wrote to various government authorities as well as the CEO of Medanta raising false alarms and insinuating issues that do not exist regarding Medanta’s handling of the...
Bhikha Behram Trust wants 292-year-old well in south Mumbai to be protected during Metro-3 work
The Bhikha Behram trust wrote to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) on Wednesday, seeking a fresh survey be conducted to ensure that their centuries-old well will not be damaged by the...
XYZ Kids Raise 10 Lakhs for Cancer Patients Through Dance Competition
We are thrilled to read about the excellent work done by XYZ founded by our dear friend Hoshaang Gotla. Hoshaang and his team have been doing wonders with the Xtremely Young Zoroastrians program and...
Google Doodle on Cornelia Sorabji’s 151st Birthday
November 15, 2017:Cornelia Sorabji’s 151st BirthdayVia Google…….Today we celebrate Cornelia Sorabji, who overcame numerous obstacles to become India’s first female lawyer. Sorabji was the first...
From India to Israel, Making Beautiful Music
Zubin Mehta discusses Wagner, Mahler and the evolution of the Jewish state in the half-century since he adopted it. For the first few minutes of our meeting, Zubin Mehta is on his cellphone with an...
Chopped N’ Stewed in Houston: Kaiser Lashkari of Himalaya Restaurant & Catering
Located in the Olympic Center shopping strip directly off of Hillcroft and Southwest Freeway, right at the Mahatma Gandhi District, Himalaya Restaurant & Catering is perched atop a mountain of...
Vote for Parsi Road Station in Singapore
Our dear friends Shirin and Rssi Ghadiali of Singapore have sent us this request. We urge all of you to sign the petition. To do so, click on the link below. All you need to enter there is your...
Metro III: Unveiling All The Facts You Need To Know
There has hardly been a more confusing time for the Community than today, when once again we seem to be divided. But this is not just any other issue – it is one that is most intrinsic to the...
Parsis up in arms over ‘damage’ to temples due to Metro construction
Parsi priests Vada Dasturji Dr Firoze Kotawal and Vada Dasturji Khursheed Dastur met the CM and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) officials to express their concerns over the underground tunnels...
Mehroo Jeejeebhoy: The Steinway comes home
In September 2016, this paper was the first to tell you about a unique fundraiser called the Steinway 88 Keys Programme, which was launched for the first time in the country by the noted Mehli Mehta...
Ruyintan Mehta’s 1970 Pledge to Give Back to India Results in Nearly $1 Million Over 25 Years
Ron Mehta’s 1970 Pledge to Give Back to India Results in Nearly $1 Million Over 25 Years in Total Philanthropic Contributions Most recent donation from IIT Bombay alumnus comes in advance of WHEELS...
Conductor Zubin Mehta Discusses Wagner in Israel, Palestinian Musicians
As he prepares to step down from the Israel Philharmonic in 2019, he talked about a variety of topics with The Wall Street Journal When Zubin Mehta finds an orchestra to his liking, he sticks...
Dadabhai Naoroji: The ‘black man’ in Westminster
Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Indian elected to the House of Commons, lent his energies to causes as diverse as the women’s suffrage movement and Indian self-rule Article by Manu S. Pillai | LiveMint...
In memoriam: Iranshah Yozdaathregar Mobed Palanji Pirojshah Dastoor
Our dearest friend Ervad Soli Dastur writes a beautiful heartfelt and personal obituary on the passing away of his brother Palanji It is with a very heavy sad heart I have to inform you about the...
PAC: This Little Counter Serves The Most Delicious Parsi Snacks In Mumbai
The Parsi Amelioration Committee-run shop at Nana Chowk may be tiny but is a formidable threat to your waistline thanks to its shelves of Parsi snacks, most of which are golden brown and deep-fried....
With a farewell on the horizon, Zubin Mehta’s concert with the Israel Philharmonic is a triumph
Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra are touring North America again — which ordinarily wouldn't be considered a milestone. But this time it might be, because Mehta has decided to step...
Dina Wadia passes away at 98 in New York
Dina Wadia, the daughter and only child of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, passed away at her home in New York on Thursday, a spokesperson for Wadia Group said in a statement. She was 98. Dina...
Two Parsi high priests petition PM to realign Metro-III tunnel
Two Parsi high priests have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to realign the tunnel of the upcoming Metro-III rail project because it threatens two of the most sacred fire temples...
Parsi high priests in a debate over Metro 3 route
Metro 3 is from Colaba to Bandra to SEEPZ which passes by two fire temples and a well A difference of opinion — with a trace of lack of trust — broke out between Parsi high priests, with one saying...
Neville Sanjana Granted NIH “New Innovator” Award for Genome Editing to Probe the Noncoding Genome
The National Institutes of Health has selected the laboratory of Neville Sanjana, an assistant professor in NYU’s Department of Biology and an assistant professor of neuroscience and physiology at...