Jini Dinshaw, violin virtuoso and founder of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra (BCO)—India’s oldest indigenous Western...
arZan Articles
Jini Dinshaw: A one-woman institution for whom music was life itself
Jini Dinshaw (1930-2025), the founder of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra – India’s oldest active Western classical...
Zubin Mehta – Good Thoughts, Words, Deeds, And Music!
'Aapro' Zubin Mehta is in the news. The ongoing Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has an 89-minute documentary on the celebrated Western classical music conductor in its 'Discovering India' section by...
India’s Tata gives UCSD $70M in hot area of genetics to University of California San Diego
One of India’s top philanthropists is giving UC San Diego $70 million to explore ways to use a radically new way of editing genes to fight insect-borne diseases, make crops more resistant to drought...
Shakeup at House of Tatas: Ratan Back !
The board of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, has unexpectedly replaced Cyrus Mistry as chairman. Ratan Tata has been named as interim chairman and a selection committee has been...
Remembering the 20th century theatre impresario who built Mumbai’s iconic Opera House
A slice of history is being resurrected in Mumbai this week. The Royal Opera House, an imposing Baroque building, will come alive again on Thursday after a hiatus of 22 years and following seven...
Family matters: Raghu Karnad and the Calicut Parsis
On the Calicut seafront, Raghu Karnad traces the lingering stories of the Parsis who lived there, including a thrice-great-grandmother It’s soon after sunrise, and women in burqas are power-walking...
Zubin Karkaria: Meet the first Indian to head a Swiss company
'Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission,' Zubin Karkaria, CEO of the Kuoni Group and the first Asian to head a listed Swiss company, tells Niraj Bhatt. In the past...
All You Ever Wanted To Know About Sacred Rituals Of A Parsi Wedding
Marriage in India is a sacred institution where the bride and the groom exchange vows and promise to stay together through thick and thin, not only in this birth but in the following births as well....
Patiala court acquits Kobad Gandhy of all charges
The court of Additional Sessions and District Judge Mohammad Gulzar on Tuesday acquitted Kobad Ghandy, an alleged leader of banned CPI (Maoist), of all charges in a six-year-old case. He was booked...
With Kersi Lord’s Passing a Long Era of Hindi Film Music Comes to an End
In 1969, Hindi film music fans were enthralled to hear the songs of Aradhana, a film starring a budding actor Rajesh Khanna and the well-known actress Sharmila Tagore. Each song was hummable, but...
Where Is My Tent
Where is my Tent is a beautiful film directed by Zubin Sethna that documents the journey of a tent. “Somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Northern Pakistan: I find myself back in a village named...
The Agas on the dynamics of giving
Thermax’s Anu Aga and her daughter Meher Pudumjee see philanthropy as much more than writing out cheques for charity Anu Aga and her daughter Meher Pudumjee, of energy and environment...
The Parsi Connection to the US Diwali Stamp
Due to the request of the author quoted in an earlier version of the article, we have removed the author's note. Here is an interesting Parsi connection to the very first Diwali Stamp issued by the...
How 100 Parsi Kids Collected 12000+ Shoes under 3 Hours For the Underprivileged in Mumbai
One hundred Parsi children, who are a part of the Xtremely Young Zoroastrians (XYZ) foundation, have collected 12,199 shoes for the underprivileged within three hours in Mumbai. The shoe collection...
Garshasb Soroosh’s NASA Project: Terps in Space
Dr. Behram Pastakia, Chair of FEZANA’s Publication committee, and a dear friend writes in. Garshasb Soroosh, (see Fezana Journal - summer 2016 issue) is part of the Zarathushti Youth Without Borders...
Feritta – Get Up Now – Official Music Video
A new music video by Feritta was recently launched on youtube. Readers of Parsi Khabar will remember that Feritta has been featured here in the past for her previous music videos and other...
Navroze Contractor: The dying culture of ‘kushti’ in akhadas
Navroze Contractor now records the tradition of kushti and akhadas. Navroze Contractor wishes there are more than 24 hours in a day . The veteran cinematographer, known for his work in national...
PARZOR Kusti Exhibit On Google Arts & Culture.
The amazing folks at PARZOR under the leadership of Dr. Shernaz Cama have been coming up with virtual online exhibitions on Parsi and Zoroastrian themes. The latest one is on the Kusti. Kusti...
The Parsi Directory Android App
Our dear friend Yazdi Tantra informs us of a new Android app that he has launched called The Parsi Directory. TheParsiDirectory.com has been around for over 10 years now, with more than 79,000+ live...
Adil Jal Darukhanawala, the man who eats, sleeps and drinks automobiles!
Circa 1983, Nehru Stadium, Pune. A couple of days before the start of Pune’s first ever International Motocross event. The roar of the dirt-track motorcycles, clouds of dust and the inimitable...
Vanishing point:The last remaining parsis of Delhi
Delhi’s Parsi community is by far the smallest minority group residing in the city. According to the 2011 Census report, the number of Parsis in the national capital is now down to three figures,...
A Zoroastrian Temple Opens in Kurdistan
Zoroastrians in the Kurdistan Region who opened their first official temple in Sulaimani last week hope that their first official temple in the region will provide the right environment to...
XYZ Making A Difference
Below is an appeal received from our good friend Hoshaang Gotla who runs the amazing kids program XYZ in Mumbai Dear members of the community, Our organisation - XYZ is organising a MAD Initiative...
Hormazd Narielwalla Amongst Winners at the 4th International Print Biennale
The winners of the 2016 Print Awards, part of the 4th International Print Biennale currently taking place across the North East of England, have been announced. Six artists have received awards...
Cyrus Todiwala and Zerbanoo Gifford Talk about Dadabhai Naoroji on BBC
Chef Cyrus Todiwala OBE chooses Dadabhai Naoroji, the 'Grand Old Man of India' who in 1892 became Britain's first Asian MP for Finsbury Central. He later returned to India and petitioned for the...
WZCC Annual Global Meet Hosted By Hong Kong Zoroastrians
Below is a message from Edul Daver, Global Chair of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce. The 2016 Annual Global Meeting shall be hosted by The Incorporated Zoroastrian Charity Funds of...
Echoes of history
City physician and history aficionado Dr. Farokh Udwadia recalls the power and glory of the Achaemenid Empire For more than one hundred summers, the Cama Institute has been the go-to venue for...
The Mehergan Festival: Advent of autumn
Thursday, September 22, 2016 is the autumn equinox, the first day of fall. The autumn equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the...
Paris call for Astad Deboo
As part of Namaste France festival, contemporary dance icon Astad Deboo will collaborate with Manipuri drummers at France’s Opéra Bastille He turns 70 next year, but there’s no stopping Astad Deboo....
Sanaya Bharucha Speaks at United Nations Youth Panel for Financing Global Education
Sanaya Bharucha, 28 years old, from Pune, India; works as Senior Manager - Training and Support with Teach for India, was selected as part of the United Nations Youth Panel for Financing Global...
Cornelia Sorabji Law Program at Oxford
Somerville College, Oxford Press Release THE CORNELIA SORABJI LAW PROGRAMME Cornelia Sorabji, the first female law student at Oxford in 1889 continues to provide a pioneering link between India and...
Kobad Zarolia Represents Zoroastrian Faith at Israel Conference on Ancient Faiths
Ervad Kobad Zarolia was invited to represent Zoroastrians at this Conference held in Jerusalem Israel. This was the brain child of Bawa Jain Secretary General of World Council of Religious...
At the WZO Center in Navsari The Wedding Bells Toll A Second Time
DESTINY PLAYS ITS PART FOR SECOND NUPTIAL AT WZO TRUST FUNDS BAI MANECKBAI P. B. JEEJEEBHOY SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER AT NAVSARI. By: Dara M. Rivetna On September 16, 2016 early in the morning there...
Young Soccer Star Arzan Todywalla from New Zealand Strikes Again
15 year old Arzan Toddywalla of Auckland, New Zealand has had the privilege of going to the United Kingdom thrice in last three consecutive years, and it has all been due to his immense passion...
Houston Welcomes Udvada’s Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor
Houston Welcomes Udvada’s Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor It began with a simple email from Ervad Soli Dastur of Florida, who wrote to some of us about Udvada’s Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor’s visit...
Najamai for Donald J. Trump
The amazing Zavare Tengra brings us “Najamai For Trump”. Najamai can't wait for Trump to be her next President ! Imagine a country that's all white like her !
A Trust deficit that needs to be bridged urgently: Noshir Dadrawala
Politics is too serious a matter to leave to politicians. Rightly did Federick Lewis Donaldson in a sermon at Westminster Abbey, London, on March 20, 1925 say: "The Seven Social Sins are:1. Wealth...
Hormuz Mehta Speaks About The Recent Fracas
Below is a message we have received from Hormuz D. Mehta. Hormuz writes… When I got married earlier this year, I gave a commitment to my wife that I would not embroil myself in BPP politics,...
PARZOR Presents: An Evening with Boman Irani
Boman Irani gets candid discussing Parsis and Entertainment, while interacting with an audience in Delhi during the Parzor Cultural Events supported by Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla.
Kersi Randeria Speaks About The Recent Fracas
Below is a message we have received from Kersi Randeria, BPP Trustee. Kersi writes… I am a Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet, and I believe in and am committed to upholding the dignity of this...
Parsi Punchayet trustees fight in court, file assault cases against each other
A Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustee and its former chairman filed criminal complaints against each other after a fight at Ballard Pier magistrate court on Thursday. Kersi Randeria, the trustee...
Delkash Shahriarian Selected for ICC Cricket Camp in Philadelphia
DELKASH SHAHRIARIAN: Women’s cricket champion does it again! New York based architect and cricketer Delkash Shahriarian has once again been selected by the USA Women's Selection Panel as part of a...
Inspirational Woman: Dr. Shernaz Cama
Dr. Shernaz Cama needs no introduction. Over the years she has done amazing work that has enhanced the community’s standing in the society and helped highlight and preserve the glorious history and...
Dr. Zarir Udwadia: Battling Drug-Resistant TB, and the Indian Government
IT is doubtful when he wrote a letter to a medical journal about patients in Mumbai afflicted with an untreatable form of tuberculosis that Dr. Zarir Udwadia was seeking to become the source of...
Freddie Mercury: Asteroid named after late Queen star to mark 70th birthday
An asteroid has been named after Freddie Mercury to mark what would have been the singer's 70th birthday. The Queen frontman has had his name attached to Asteroid 17473, which was discovered in 1991...
Olympic gold medallist Michael Klim visits 81-yr-old coach Khorshed Bhathena in Mumbai
Australian Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and sister visit their 81-year-old coach Khorshed, who trained them in the late 1970s It was a different homecoming of sorts for former Australian...
Freddie Mercury’s House Awarded English Heritage Blue Plaque
On the occasion of the 70th birth anniversary of Freddie Mercury (Fred Bulsara), his home was awarded the English Heritage Blue Plaque. Per a news release forwarded via email by Malcolm Deboo,...
History of the Famous Parsi Batasa: In Conversation with Cyrus Dotivala of Dotivala Bakery in Surat
WZCC Global President (and dear friend of Parsi Khabar) Edul Daver recently spoke with Cyrus Dotivala of the legendary Dotivala Bakery of Surat. The interview is published below with Edul’s...
Uncovering Shanghai’s Parsi Past: Mishi Saran
Q&A With Author Mishi Saran on Uncovering Shanghai’s Parsi Past sixthtone.com | Sep 2nd 2016 “Who says nationality is the sole barometer of belonging?” asks Indian novelist Mishi Saran. The...
Melbourne Parsis Celebrate New Year in Style
The enduring legacy of Zoroastrianism: Parsi community gathers to celebrate Nowruz Who would have thought that anyone could get a comprehensive taste of Zoroastrian culture in one day, in Melbourne?...
Dr. Percy Chibber Spreads Medical Awareness at the Indo-American Society
Indo-American Society spreads medical awareness on a very common mid-age problem - Loss of Bladder control Indo-American Society organized a Medical Seminar, inviting Urologist, Dr Percy Chibber as...