In a modest Parsi household in Andheri, where the pagri-clad patriarch passed away last month, there are no portraits...
arZan Articles
BPP’s Leave-and-Licence to Tenancy Proposal: A Community Conversation on Housing Security and Trust Stewardship
Mumbai’s Parsi housing community is engaged in an important conversation on a matter that touches many families across...
Everyday Parsi: Persis Driver
Today is the Vahishtoishti Gatha, the fifth and final Gatha day of this year’s muktad. And in the 2025 Everyday Parsi series we feature our tenth author Dr. Persis Driver. Flickering Memories of...
Everyday Parsi: Arnavaz Sethna
Today is the Vohuxshathra Gatha, the fourth Gatha day of this year’s muktad. And in the 2025 Everyday Parsi series we feature our ninth author Arnavaz Sethna. My Memories of Muktad in Karachi...
Everyday Parsi: Roshan Rivetna
Today is the Spentamainyu Gatha, the third Gatha day of this year’s muktad. And in the 2025 Everyday Parsi series we feature our eighth author Roshan Rivetna. Muktad Memories – From Mumbai (Bombay)...
Everyday Parsi: Mahtab Dastur
Today is the Ushtavaiti Gatha, the second Gatha day of this year’s muktad. And in the 2025 Everyday Parsi series we feature our seventh author Mahtab Dastur. The Muktad times have always been a time...
Everyday Parsi: Ervad Adil Mithaiwala
Today is Ahunavaiti Gatha, the first Gatha Day of this year’s muktad. And in the 2025 Everyday Parsi series we feature our sixth author Ervad Adil Mithaiwala In the Presence of Fravashis: My Muktad...
Everyday Parsi: Ava J. Patell
Our fifth author in the Everyday Parsi 2025 series is Ava J. Patell My husband and I come from families where the tradition was to do Muktad ceremonies only for the first year. Visiting the Agiary...
Everyday Parsi: Havovi Antia
Our fourth author in the Everyday Parsi 2025 is Havovi Antia of Melbourne, Australia. Muktad: A Journey into Meaning Growing up in Jamshedpur, my memories of the Muktad Gatha days are few and...
Cyber crooks impersonate Parsi bizman to scam community on fake 80th birthday
A Parsi businessman fell victim to a birthday scam, with cybercriminals impersonating him to solicit fake donations, prompting a police investigation. Article by Vinay Dalvi A reputed Parsi...
Everyday Parsi: Shernaz Cama
Our third author in the Everyday Parsi 2025 series is Dr. Shernaz Cama The Living Presence of the Fravashis By Dr. Shernaz Cama Muktad in childhood was a time of joy and excitement. The scent of...
Bombay Parsi Punchayet Launches Mental Health Fund For Parsis Facing Psychiatric Illnesses, Addressing Stigma
Mumbai: The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) has launched a mental health corpus aimed at providing financial and therapeutic support for Parsi Zoroastrians facing psychiatric illnesses like depression,...
Everyday Parsi: Zubin Mory
Our second author in the Everyday Parsi 2025 series is Zubin R. Mory Muktad evokes profound meaning and deeply rooted memories for every Parsi and Zoroastrian. These ten days are associated with a...
Seth Pestonji Meherji Dar-e-Meher: All you want to know about 178-year-old fire temple in Secunderabad
The Seth Viccaji Meherji and Seth Pestonji Meherji Dar-e-Meher is the oldest Parsi Fire Temple in Secunderabad. It was consecrated on 12th September 1847. It celebrated its 178th anniversary on 30...
Everyday Parsi: Zarin Amrolia
Our first author in the Everyday Parsi 2025 is Zarin Amrolia My first memory of the Muktad ceremony goes back decades—when my wardrobe for auspicious occasions consisted of pastel frocks with bows....
The Everyday Parsi Returns: A Celebration of Muktad Memories
They’re back. Every August, as Muktad arrives in the Shehenshahi calendar, Parsis around the world enter a sacred pause. For ten days, we honor the Fravashis—the souls of our dearly departed—with...
Meet Zubin Irani: Mumbai Based Businessman &Smriti Irani’s Husband
Smriti Irani has always made headlines because of her presence both on television and in Indian politics. Recently, she is generating a lot of buzz as she will be making her comeback as...
Peshawar’s Historic Parsi Graveyard Becomes Parking Lot
UPDATE: Since we published the post below, our friend Sunnu Golwala has reached out with the following update. We thank everyone who took the effort to resolve this issue. “…On July 31,...
How Pallonji’s – An Old School Soda Brand Became A Modern Day Icon
Served at the Delicious Dining Awards, this fizzy pink soda stirred up nostalgia, and proved why some classics never lose their fizz. Article by Rooplekha Das | Travel and Leisure Asia At this...
Sacred fire still burns as many Zoroastrians quit Iran for America
A small fire is lit at dawn and quenched at dusk at the Zoroastrian center in Orange County, California in imitation of sacred fires in worshippers’ home temples of Yazd and Tehran which have...
Shahnaz Pestonji: ‘Grandma’s in the light’: Family mourns woman fatally stabbed in North York parking lot
Shahnaz Pestonji was a nurse, a mom, a grandmother and a wife. Her two daughters and her husband are now left with the grief of a tragic death after she was fatally stabbed in a North York plaza...
Jehangir Patel: The editor who turned a stodgy journal into a whippersnapper on the end of ‘Parsiana’
‘Parsiana’, the journal, which stood out as much for airing social issues as for taut writing and tight editing, is facing an imminent closure in a few months MUMBAI: Come October, ‘Parsiana’ will...
Cowasji Patel Mango Variety Makes A Comeback
Satara Farmer Brings Back Rare Mango Once Grown Across Mumbai & Gifted to British Royalty Article by Hiren Kumar Bose | The Better India On a quiet June morning in Vechale village in...
Poona Parsee Panchayat seeks minority status for Parsi students in admission forms – Hindustan Times
The Poona Parsee Panchayat on July 22 made a formal appeal to educational authorities, requesting the explicit inclusion of the Zoroastrian-Parsi community under the minority category in admission...
Farokh Engineer’s Parsi Pride: A Stand at Old Trafford
On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in a historic moment for cricket and Parsi legacy, Old Trafford’s iconic B Stand was officially renamed the Sir Clive Lloyd and Farokh Engineer Stand, making...
Iconic Parsi Fortnightly ‘Parsiana’ To Shut Down In October After 60 Years Of Chronicling Community Affairs
Parsiana was founded in in November 1964 by Pestonji Warden. The magazine covered articles about the Parsis, their Zoroastrian religion, history, traditions, and the fierce debates that grips the...
Tehmina Kaoosji Named to Tatler Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2025
We are delighted to share that Tehmina Kaoosji, a respected journalist, communications strategist, and advocate for gender equality, has been named one of Tatler Asia’s Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow...
Experience the Parsi showcase at Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield
With Chef Rashna Morena and Chef Firozi Karanjia at the helm, the festival brings with it a legacy of flavours rooted in celebration Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield will bring a rare culinary...
Jimmy Boy Café: A Historic Pause, Not a Farewell
Mumbai’s beloved Parsi café, Jimmy Boy, which has stood proudly at Horniman Circle in Fort for nearly a century, recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Just weeks shy of its 100th...
Jehan Bhujwala Saving Kutch’s 150-Year-Old Thorn Forest: Preserving Chadva Rakhal
Preserving Chadva Rakhal: Meet The Man Saving Kutch’s 150-Year-Old Thorn Forest In Bhuj, a rare patch of tropical thorn forest continues to flourish, protected by Jehan Bhujwala, whose life mission...
The Bhuj House: Living legacy, one room at a time
Living legacy, one room at a time Anil Mulchandani | New Indian Express Standing discreetly in Gujarat’s historic town of Bhuj is a five-room homestay that feels less like a getaway and more like a...
Parsi Tower of Silence gets plaque with a view
Mumbai’s historic Parsi Tower of Silence cemetery on Malabar Hill, established in 1672, has been honored with a heritage plaque under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Mumbai Legacy...
ZASHA Retreat Launches: A Landmark Gathering of Zoroastrian Women Leaders at the ASHA Centre
Today marks the opening of the inaugural ZASHA World Zoroastrian Women’s Leadership Retreat, a transformative, week-long gathering of dynamic Zoroastrian women leaders from around the globe. Hosted...
The Woebegone Parsi Cricketing Exodus
I am quizzing Eric Billimoria on the first floor of the iconic Parsi Gymkhana. Perpendicularly to my right, the announcement speaker bolted to the thick, diagonal wooden beams above us has caught...
New Virginia Law Criminalizes Nazi Iconography, Protects Sacred Swastika
Virginia’s House Bill 2783 went into effect on July 1, making the public display of Nazi symbols a criminal offense and formally distinguishing Adolf Hitler’s “Hakenkreuz” from the sacred Swastika,...
Shahriar: Phoenix of the Desert
Our dearest friend Zerbanoo Gifford writes a beautiful review on a new book titled: “Shahriar: Phoenix of the Desert, Reborn Out of Darkness by Behram and Shahin Bekhradnia.” As a young girl, my...
Uniting Democracies: The US-India Alliance | Policy Stories with Dinsha Mistree
Our dear friend Dinsha Mistree speaks about The US-India alliance and how it is key to securing democracy, innovation, and balance in a shifting global order. Check out more from Hoover Fellow...
Professor Zubin Sethna appointed to United Kingdon All-Party Parliamentary Entrepreneurship Advisory Board
W e are thrilled to share that our dear friend Professor Zubin Sethna has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Entrepreneurship. This news was shared...
A Historic Moment for Parsi Cuisine: Niloufer Mavalvala Honored at the Gourmand Awards in Portugal
Cascais, Portugal – Parsi cuisine took center stage at one of the world’s most prestigious culinary events this past week, as author and food historian Niloufer Mavalvala received two global...
The Parsis who once ran theatres in Madras
Parsis settled in Madras ran most of the single-screen theatres in the city since mid-1910s Article by Sriram V | The Hindu An old poster for Casino Theatre, Madras | Photo Credit: Music Academy...
The taste of tradition: Shelley Subawalla
Shelley Subawalla sells Parsi spices not just for business, but to keep her community’s traditions alive “For every spice mix that I sell, I give a recipe on how to...
Reviving Heritage Through Fashion: A New Zoroastrian-Inspired Brand by Xenia Byramji
In a bold and beautiful effort to bring Zoroastrian culture to the global fashion scene, Xenia Byramji, a designer with deep roots in the community, has launched a fashion brand that merges...
Del Irani’s Experian Exchange Breaks Through with 1.7M+ Views Per Episode, Redefining B2B Storytelling
Del Irani, Reaches 1.7 Million Views per Episode with Experian Exchange Zoroastrian journalist and media trailblazer Del Irani has achieved a remarkable milestone with Experian Exchange, the...
Iran tensions spark concern in Mumbai’s Persian heritage communities
On Friday morning, Israel struck major nuclear facilities in Iran, in what it said was “pre-emptive military action” aimed at thwarting the nation’s attempts to build nuclear weapons....
Finding Courage in Truth: Dr. Niaz Kasravi on Justice, Advocacy, and Action
In a compelling new episode of And Now, Love, host Cynthia Marks is joined by Dr. Niaz Kasravi—nationally recognized expert on criminal justice reform and human rights—for an unflinching...
Ervad Rooyintan Nozer Mehenty: The Journey of the Soul After Death
The Journey of the Soul After Death — A Zoroastrian Perspective Delivered at Devlali Agiary | June 12, 2025 We are honored to share a powerful and enlightening speech by Ervad Rooyintan Nozer...
Who Really Built Navi Mumbai? The Untold Story of Adi Kanga
Navi Mumbai — a dream that rose from the shores of the Arabian Sea and took the form of a modern, thriving metropolis. But behind this bold vision was one man: Adi Kanga. An unsung hero in...
The story behind the centuries-old Parsi Gara embroidery
Part art, part archive, Parsi Gara embroidery is having a moment, thanks to the artisans keeping its legacy alive, one intricate nature motif at a time. by Ashdeen Lilaowala | Harper’s Bazaar Few...
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa Speaks about the Civil Casualties in Gaza
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, an American trauma surgeon who has volunteered in Gaza, briefed the United Nations on the injuries he has seen in children and pregnant women and what he called the deliberate...
ZTFE at the Vatican: A Zoroastrian Witness to History
In April and May 2025, members of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) participated in two extraordinary events at the Vatican: the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis and the Inauguration...
Looking for Parsi footprints in Delhi
From Kashmere Gate to South Delhi, the city’s Parsi community marks 100 years of influence across the national capital Article by Vivek Shukla | The Patriot Tucked inside the Parsi Anjuman is...
Parsis of Delhi: How the small community survived, thrived and made the Capital their home
The first set of Parsis, who started settling in Delhi in the 19th century, were mostly shopkeepers and traders. Historian and author William Dalrymple mentions that during the Delhi siege of 1857,...