By M S Neelakantan in Expressbuzz. The cover pages of all leading dailies on July 29, 2009, carried an advertisement paying tribute to a great man on his 89th birth anniversary. A visionary and a leading industrialist but more importantly, humane in his interactions with his staff, J R D Tata’s reputation preceded him as… Continue reading J R D Tata: It’s more important to be nice
Author: arZan
Arjun Rampal and the desecration of an Agiyari
The image you see below is from a recent issue of GQ Magazine published in India. Arjun Rampal actor/model answers some candid questions and one of his answers is a boastful “I am one of the few people who have gone into the Agyari pretending to be a Parsi”. This is really pathetic and obnoxious… Continue reading Arjun Rampal and the desecration of an Agiyari
Nargol leads Nilekani, has own ‘UID’ for residents since 2006
It is not a part of Jammu and Kashmir or even the North East, but if an outsider is visiting Nargol, a seaside village in Valsad in south Gujarat, about 150 kms from Mumbai, he or she will need to get a background check and a permission letter. Though not officially endorsed by the district… Continue reading Nargol leads Nilekani, has own ‘UID’ for residents since 2006
Pune’s Sorabji Ratanji Patel Agiary: Temple of subdued grandeur
Demure and unassuming, Sardar Sorabji Patel Agiary in Nana Peth is quite like the Iranian and Parsi Zoroastrians who worship at this fire temple. And, although the community is arguably among the richest, the temple itself wears an austere look. The agiary (Gujarati word for house of fire’) was originally built in 1824 by Seth… Continue reading Pune’s Sorabji Ratanji Patel Agiary: Temple of subdued grandeur
Playwright Meher Pestonji: Feeding Crows
The small Parsi community has often presented a universal picture, albeit with the help of Parsi writers. The latest voice to join this force belongs to Meher Pestonji. This Mumbai-based writer’s play Feeding Crows has emerged as the runner-up of BBC’s International Radio Playwriting Competition and the winner for the South Asia segment. “I came… Continue reading Playwright Meher Pestonji: Feeding Crows
Nari Contractor reminisces about Kanga League
Nari Contractor the former India skipper and opening batsman inaugurated the 62nd edition of Mumbai’s monsoon tournament, the Strategen Dr HD Kanga cricket league on Sunday with the traditional breaking of the coconut. It brought memories for 75-year-old Contractor. "I first played in 1950 and turned out for Sassanian, Cricket Club of India and Parsi… Continue reading Nari Contractor reminisces about Kanga League
Cyrus Sahukar: In Conversation
Spirituality to me means an extremely deep connection with the forces at work around me and cannot be simply picked up from a book or manuscript or be told to you by someone. I definitely believe in God and do not think that most things that happen around us are as random as they seem.… Continue reading Cyrus Sahukar: In Conversation
3,215 new flats for Parsis on anvil
Resourceful minority communities in the city are doing all they can to keep their flock together. Close on the heels of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin’s initiative to redevelop 270 buildings in Bhendi Bazaar and rehouse 25,000 residents—mainly Bohra tenants—in new buildings, the Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) has now unveiled its own housing… Continue reading 3,215 new flats for Parsis on anvil
The Time and Talents Club Recipe Book
A Dhansak that dates back to the 1930’s Circa 1965, when Villie Mehta would feverishly cook in the kitchen of the Victory stall at Apollo Bunder, her biggest worry was the dhansak going out of stock. Mehta, now 78, was terrified of a customer turning up only to find the Parsi delicacy missing in the… Continue reading The Time and Talents Club Recipe Book
