With forgiveness and restraint, Divya Cowasji has reimagined her family history in enigmatic storytelling photographs...
arZan Articles
Sri Lanka’s Parsi community and the enduring story of Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is one of the smallest religions in the world in terms of adherents. In Sri Lanka, the faithful number...
Sandunes To Open For Bonobo In Manchester This July
To anyone who’s been keeping an eye on her career, it’s evident that Mumbai-based electronic musician Sandunes (Sanaya Ardeshir) has been waist-deep in a career surge of sorts. The Mumbai-based...
The Parsi Caregivers of Kolkatta
I have a dreaded fear that I am sharing in the open. When I grow old, I may become feeble. When I become old, my children may be far from me. When I grow old, I may become lonely. In perhaps no...
173-year-old agiary adds to Pune Camp’s pluralism
From the exterior, the Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Agiary looks anything but 173 years old or remotely as ostentatious as the life of the person this agiary or fire temple is named after. Article by...
Le Bon Magot Exciting New Specialty Food Brand Wins 5 SOFI Awards
Naomi Mobed is the person behind the award-winning speciality food startup Le Bon Magot. As the business proudly states “Le Bon Magot is the culmination of one family’s culinary journey.” Le Bon...
Zerbanoo Gifford & Farida Master Embark on USA Book Tour
FEZANA informs us about the upcoming book tour by Zerbanoo Gifford and Farida Master in the United States. They will be starting in Los Angeles, and making their way through Houston, Chicago,...
Keeping alive memory of ‘Mother of the Indian Revolution’ for decades
According to several accounts written by Parsis, the All India Women’s Conference wanted to pay homage to Cama during her birth centenary, and keep her memory alive in post-Independent India Named...
Astad Deboo To Perform in New York
The legendary Indian contemporary dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo returns to New York for two performances this month. Astad Deboo | Eternal Embrace May 25, 2017 - May 26, 2017 La Mama Theatre|...
How the Nanavati murder became India’s most sensational and glamorous trial
It's in poor taste to describe a murder trial as glamorous. And yet, no case in India commanded this much public attention and involved as many high-profile characters—before social media and 24X7...
Dadar Parsi Colony Agiary Well Runs Dry After 89 Years
For the first time in 89 years, the well of the Rustom Faramna Agiary in Dadar Parsi Colony has run dry. Now, the chairman of the agiary has pinned his hopes on the upcoming monsoon or else...
In Houston FEZANA Bestows Lifetime Achievement Award to Ervad Dr. Jehan Bagli
At a glittering 30th Anniversary Gala in Houston, FEZANA bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ervad Dr. Jehan Bagli. The Gala was hosted by the Zoroastrian Association of Houston at its...
Obituary: Maneck Dalal
Maneck Dalal, the man responsible for expanding Air India into an international operation, began his career with the airline looking after celebrity passengers. In the late 1940s, when the Hollywood...
Jiyo Mobed Workshop
Dear Friends, For many years we have been discussing the importance of giving respect to our Priests and enabling them to become Pastors to the Parsi community, as are the Catholic Priests as well...
Neomi Rao Picked to be Regulatory Czar in Trump White House.
Neomi Rao who has been picked to become the “regulatory czar” in the Trump White House, is the second Zoroastrian Parsi to head an office in the current US Administration. Readers of Parsi Khabar...
Book on Parsis traces their demographic decline
Four-volume compendium highlights issues plaguing community A four-volume compendium that traces the demographic decline of the Parsi community in India was released recently at the Max Mueller...
Mumbai’s oldest, architectural landmark Banaji Limji Agiary completes 308 years
The city's heritage Fort district is globally famous for its majestic colonial buildings. But few know that it also has seven ancient Zoroastrian Parsi Fire Temples in this enclave. The oldest fire...
Untold story of Bank of Bombay
The hitherto untold story of Bank of Bombay, one of the forebears of the State Bank of India, has been finally chronicled through rare documents and photographs at a newly opened heritage gallery at...
Supreme Court of India to examine Parsi woman’s right of religious identity
The Supreme Court today agreed to examine a contentious issue whether a Parsi woman can be deprived of her religious identity, acquired by the virtue of her birth, after marrying a man of different...
Kozikhode: Parsi culture still has its fire glowing
On April 18 which is observed as World Heritage Day, among the several monuments with a story to tell in Kozhikode is its only Parsi temple in Kerala. The local people are not well aware of this...
Not many takers for the Mobedyar scehem in Mumbai
Last week’s column on the ordainment of two deacons in Mumbai’s Catholic Church attracted a lot of interest among Parsi-Zoroastrians. Unlike members of the clergy, who need to be celibate, deacons...
A book on the Singapore Parsi community launched
Labour of love started by late wife comes to life as book on local Parsi community launched After his wife Suna died in 2015, retired pilot Mr Rustom Kanga knew what he had to do. He and his two...
The British, Portuguese and French influence on Parsi cuisine in India
Despite their dwindling population, the Parsis strive to preserve the legacy of their rich, robust and wholesome cuisine by even using social media to popularise it among food lovers around the...
Discover The Chinese Roots Of This Traditional Parsi Embroidery
Chinese Roots And Silk Routes “People tend to forget that it is not just a craft, but also a visual identifier of the Zoroastrian community and its achievements,” says Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala of...
Still Chuckling After All These Years
Parsi revue Laughter in the House 2 is a cornucopia of guilty pleasures One would perhaps not have imagined the Bee Gees song ‘Stayin’ Alive’ to be as felicitous to the boulevards of Ballard Estate,...
New Innings of JSA’s Former Senior Partner Berjis Desai
Following in the footsteps of Jyoti Sagar, J. Sagar Associates’ Senior Partner Berjis Desai retired from the firm on March 31 this year. Having followed the firm’s retirement policy, the senior...
Motorcycle Diaries
My journey into the two wheeler world began in 1948 when my youngest uncle Shapoor bought a war- surplus Matchless 350 cc, with a rigid frame. I don’t remember if it had shock absorbers at the back,...
Jamsheed Marker: Indians were furious we managed to secure the Americans first
Sitting with, and listening to, Jamsheed Marker is a fulfilling experience. History, diplomacy, anecdotes about politicians, music, culture, and a lot of cricket — he enlightens his audience in many...
When Pakistan census officials came to my home, they didn’t know what a Parsi was
A policeman, an army ranger and a government schoolteacher come to the home of a Parsi married to a Christian. If you think that sounds like the beginning of a joke, you are partially right. Article...
Parsis and Indian Classical Music: The secret history
The Parsis are associated today solely with Western classical music. The Swar Sadhana Samiti’s annual festival this week reminds us that this tiny community also led the way in promoting Hindustani...
Maneck Dalal: Air India’s Legendary London Head Passes Away
Our dear friend Meher Heroyce Moos draws our attention to the passing away of Maneck Dalal, who headed Air-India in London for many years and was a truly amazing person. Maneck Ardheshir Dalal OBE...
Dinyar Anklesaria: A Culinary Journey
If you happen to travel to Sacramento California and ask any one where one finds a good restaurant serving Parsi food, they will tell you not to miss the restaurant operated by Dinyar Noshir...
The obscure religion that shaped the West
Talk of ‘us’ and ‘them’ has long dominated Iran-related politics in the West. At the same time, Christianity has frequently been used to define the identity and values of the US and Europe, as well...
Zarahushtra’s Vision and Zoroastrianism Today: Prof. K. D. Irani
The Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) invited it’s founding member and past President Professor Kaikhosrov D. Irani to deliver a talk about “Zarathushtra’s Vision and...
Priest converts from Zoroastrianism to baptize his mother
It is not often that a priest has the opportunity to baptize his own mother, but Father Hezuk Shroff will get to do just that this Easter. Shroff comes from a Parsi family. The Parsis are an Indian...
Tehmtan Andhyarujina: An Epitome Of Decency And Uprightness
A cliché that is often employed when marking the demise of an eminent personality is that the event represents “the end of an era”. In many cases the use of such language is symptomatic of...
The mysterious man who owns one solitary share in the unlisted Tata Sons
When the corporate battle at Tata Sons was being fought out a few months ago, a strange mystery came to light. In the list of Tata Sons shareholders made public, the Tata Trusts owned 266,610...
Bar grieves loss of legal giant: Tehmtan R Andhyarujina passes away
UPDATE: Due to a technical glitch, an earlier version of this article linked to a picture of Mr. Nariman. The error was on our part and we are sorry for this mistake. Former solicitor general of...
Sacramento Zoroastrian Association Inaugurates its new Dar-E-Mehr
FEZANA, Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America informs It is with great pride that FEZANA congratulates it’s newest member association the Sacramento Zoroastrian Association on the...
Tehmulji Parsi Lying In Hospital case thrown out as ‘infructuous’ by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court early this week quashed as “infructuous” a running battle between two groups of eminent Parsis raging past five years over a nine-decade old Parsi hospital lying defunct and in a...
Katy Mirza The Asli Braveheart
Tracing the Playboy Bunnydom to Bollywood journey of the yesteryear sensation who succumbed to cancer at her central London home a week ago No one cried for Katy Mirza, the pleasure principle of the...
In New York: A new year for Zoroastrians, a new challenge
Members of the Dar-e-Mehr Zoroastrian Temple in Pomona get ready for their new year celebration as they worry about the Trump travel ban Report by Peter Carr/The Journal News New City’s Marzie...
India’s Ticking Time Bomb! : Dr. Zarir Udwadia
One indian dies of this disease every minute. Dr. Zarir Udwadia shares the story of the suffering of one patient diagnosed with Totally Drug Resistant -Tuberculosis (TDR-TB). And...
Navroze Celebrations at Dadar Parsee Colony
The Dadar Parsee colony celebrated Jamshedi Navroze with great enthusiasm and festivities. This program was organized by the Mancherji Edulji Joshi memorial trust at the Dadar Parsee colony...
NoRuz Celebrations Usher in New Day for Zoroastrians at Spring Equinox
Zoroastrians Throughout North America Celebrate Ancient Tradition of NoRuz, Ushering in a “New Day” to Mark the Turn of the Spring Equinox Zoroastrians throughout North America will mark the...
Shazneen Arethna releases new single Dance Alone
Shazneen Arethna is one of the first female rock singers as part of the 90’s and early 2k’s brewing scene when the country was realizing the real potential of independent music in India. Her...
Sardar Sorabji Patel Agiary: Keeping the flame alive
The Sardar Sorabji Patel Agiary is a vision of calm in the stark concrete jungle that is Nana Peth. Ensconced by trees, a golden Faravahar — the feather-robed angel and the bestknown symbol of...
Pourdavoud Center for ancient Iranian studies to launch spring quarter
UCLA established a new interdisciplinary center focused on the study of ancient Iran and its influences on contemporary Iran. The Pourdavoud Center for the Study of the Iranian World is the first...
Jamshedi Navroze Mubarak 2017
On behalf of the entire Parsi Khabar team we would like to wish you and your families, loved ones and friends a very Happy Jamshedi Navroze 2017. The above Haft Sheen table was laid out by...
Persian New Year, or Nowruz, explained for non-Persians
In Iran, the idea of "spring cleaning" isn’t just a seasonal excuse to gut your closet; it’s the basis of a national holiday dating back millennia. Every year, millions of Iranians celebrate Persian...
An Iranian Holiday That’s Perfect for Americans
As a little girl in Iran, I loved Nowruz, the first day of spring, known as the Persian New Year. It was the only time when grown-ups seemed joyful and full of hope. Even my most morose relatives...
What to cook for Nowruz, the Persian and Zoroastrian New Year celebration
On Sunday, 71-year-old Shamsi Katebi will be in her West Los Angeles kitchen, bossing around one of the best chefs in the city. She’s the mother-in-law of Tony Esnault, chef-owner of the downtown...