The meeting, held on Tuesday at the office of a prominent law firm in Mumbai, saw Mehta offering Rs 2.9 crore to keep...
arZan Articles
As ‘Parsiana’ closes, Indian journalism loses a small but important voice
The final edition of Parsiana has rolled off the presses.Established in 1964, the semi-monthly magazine was a vital...
When Nani Palkhivala Refused to Defend Indira Gandhi in Court
On 12 June 1975, Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of Allahabad High Court found the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractices in the “State of Uttar Pradesh vs Raj Narain” case....
Shaheen Mistri’s Teach for India: Read, Baby, Read
It’s 5 p.m., but even at this late hour, the 50-some sixth-graders in Rushali Daga’s Mumbai classroom are bopping in and out of their seats. It’s the last class of the day; the kids belong to the...
Banajee Agiary in Calcutta is now an Electrical Market
The huge Rustomjee Cowasjee Banajee Agiary (Agiary – is a fire temple in which Parsi Zoroastrians pray) at 26 Ezra Street in Central Kolkata has been turned into an electrical market of sorts, but...
The Parsi Contribution to Indian Cinema
Being Parsi ‘The Path of Zarathrustra’ made in English is a film that perhaps for the first time explores the Parsi identity and the history and origin of the faith. This reminds...
Bumsuckerwallah Family of Karachi
Have you heard of the Bumsuckerwallah’s of Karachi ? Parsi family on a motorcar (Karachi, 1925): A Parsi family of Karachi poses for a photograph on their motorcar. Patrick O’ Meara wrote the...
The K.R.Cama Oriental Institute Turns 100
Institute houses Madam Cama’s will, and oldest image of Zarathushtra Today, images of the prophet Zarathushtra with his flowing beard, soft brown eyes, and golden halo, are ubiquitous in fire...
Parsis: Come Baby Come
The Parsi community, alarmed by dwindling numbers, has reason to celebrate as a repopulation programme shows results Around 35 Parsi middle-aged men and women, most of them couples and several of...
Vohuman cafe…. The Journey !
A man is known by the place he occupies. Very rare it is that a place us known by the man who is the life and heart of the place, Vohuman Cafe truly belongs to Hormaz Irani and his heart beats for...
Draw My Life: Ratan Tata
Watch as Vir Sanghvi takes us through the life story of one of the most philanthropic industrialists of India-Mr. Ratan Tata, in the latest episode of #DrawMyLife
Homi Bhabha:7 Things You Need To Know About The Father Of India’s Nuclear Program
Today is the 106th birth anniversary of the father of India’s nuclear program, Homi J. Bhabha. Not many know that he had initiated a successful nuclear programme in Great Britain and was in India on...
Najamal Welcomes Vohumai
Najamai is thrilled to welcome her new daughter-in-law...Of course as long as she is " whitish" !
Zubin Mehta Says Ink Attacks Shameful, Wants Pakistanis To Play In IPL
If public intellectuals are ostracized or vilified from speaking their minds, India risks becoming a "cultural dictatorship", world famous music conductor Zubin Mehta has said, calling the protest...
Keka the Quintessential Ogre
He was the quintessential ogre. To my 6-year-old eyes there did not exist a more ferocious giant than Keka. When I first saw the Bollywood movie ‘Sholay’ and Gabbar boasting about his notoriety and...
Zubin Mehta In COnversation with Al Jazeera
In the world of classical music, there are few conductors who are as well regarded as Zubin Mehta. He has led the world's best orchestras, but he is most closely identified with the Israel...
Zubin Mehta’s ‘The Score of My Life’ launched on Saturday
India's most celebrated music conductor, Zubin Mehta was in town to launch the paperback edition of his autobiography, The Score of My Life. Article by Lamya Karachiwala | DNA India Anil Dharker,...
Pallavi Shroff: An Introduction in to Zoroastrianism
This video by Pallavi Shroff is an attempt to inform people about the basic customs, traditions and beliefs of one of the world religions – Zoroastrianism
Shireen Khushroo Kiash: India’s Most Versatile Sportsperson
What is common between C. Ramaswami, Sir Vivian Richards and Jonty Rhodes? They all represented their country in more than one sporting discipline. Closer home, three Indians are notable for their...
Zarathushtis of Los Angeles Break Ground for their new Atash Kadeh
The Zarathushtis of Los Angeles have broken ground on their Atash Kadeh in Orange County. This is truly a momentous occasion and a continuation of the trend of Zoroastrianism spreading and finding...
Family Qualities & Mental Health of Zoroastrian Young Adults: A Study
Family Qualities & Mental Health of Zoroastrian Young Adults is the title of a very detailed and interesting research exercise conducted by Farin Bakhtiari and and Scott Plunkett. ADOLESCENT AND...
The Z Factor Exhibition by Zerbanoo Gifford
The amazing Zerbanoo Gifford has put together the Z Factor exhibition and has kindly shared the panels with us. She writes The Z Factor Exhibition celebrates some amazing Zoroastrians. They are the...
Birds and Bees: Growing Up
The girl gang consisting of tweens was growing up fast. Every evening and earlier on holidays, we would meet, talk, play, cycle around, exchange school news and happily pass our time together. In...
Lord Karan Bilimoria: UK should welcome people from overseas
As a 19-year-old in India in 1981, Karan Bilimoria was unusual in wanting to study in the UK. Many of his contemporaries were headed for the US. He remembers them asking: “What are you doing going...
Results of 2015 Bombay Parsi Punchayet Trustee Elections
The Bombay Parsi Punchayet Trustee's Election 2015 Results The Bombay Parsi Punchayet Trustee's Election 2015 were held on 18-10-2015 at the following venues: Sir Shapoorji Bharucha Baug, Andheri...
Havas Worldwide’s Rayomand J. Patell: A Peek at his week
Of problems with IT heads, co-pilots and finding magic in each client And for my third Sunday at the office, a few stray thoughts and a few general observations and a few points of view (all my own...
Sharmine Panthaky To Head Orchard Advertising’s Mumbai Operations
Orchard Advertising has got in Sharmine Panthaky as vice president and branch head of its Mumbai office. Prior to this she was national head – retail and customer engagement at Interspace...
Kersi Dubash Brings Sari Exhibition to Islamabad
Indian trader, Kersi Dubash is in town once again with an exquisite collection of apparel dominated by timeless ‘saris’ that are sure to arrest the attention of Islamabad’s middle and elite classes....
Parsiana Magazine: A Window Into A Vanishing Culture
Sustaining Parsiana’s high-quality journalism is quite a task given the declining numbers of people interested in the Parsi way of life. “The Parsi community is such a marvel that it does not need...
Parsis skipped their Sunday dhansak to vote
Punchayet Elections Witness Lower-Than-Expected Turnout Article by Nergish Sunavala | Times of India Serpentine queues marked the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) elections on Sunday , but for once they...
Election unlocks Bombay Parsi Panchayet’s 200 Crore Assets
Appointment of new trustees at Bombay Parsi Punchayet will end the charity commissioner's stay on its properties The Parsi community voted on Sunday to choose new trustees and chairman for the...
Parsi Punchayet poll today, development of community, not religion, main agenda
Seven years ago, when the city’s dwindling Parsi community last went for votes to choose the elected representative for its chief administrative body — the Bombay Parsi Punchayet – religion was at...
Palghar farmhouse of IAF veteran burgled
The Palghar farmhouse of a retired Indian Air Force officer was allegedly burgled early Sunday . Among the valuables stolen is his US passport which is a priced possession on the grey market....
After poll drive on WhatsApp, Parsis all set to vote today
There's a picture of a spacious flat doing the rounds on Par si Whatsapp gro ups. The floor is li ned with gold bars, stashes of 1000-rupee notes and silver trays. A drooling Alsatian can be spied...
Concert Between M and N
I woke up at 8 that day since it was a Saturday and a school holiday. As was my habit, I headed straight for the balcony, ignoring my Mum’s pleas to first brush my teeth and finish my morning...
Zoroastrian Presence at the 2015 Parliament of World’s Religions
Nearly 20 Zarathushtis are part of the FEZANA delegation at the 2015 Parliament of World's Religions at Salt Lake City Utah, United States of America. Over four days they are part of over 9500...
Parsiana Editorial Viewpoint on Bombay Parsi Panchayet Elections
Yes, No, Can’t say Parsiana, Editorial Viewpoint, Issue Date: 07-Oct-2015 Covering a Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship election with 23 candidates (two dropped out on September 30) vying for...
Crime steals Parsi heritage town Udvada’s thunder
Could flagrant and repeated armed robberies in the Parsi Mecca of Udvada, a sea town 177 kms from Mumbai mar the glint of Modi’s 20-crore development boost, including December’s grand Iranshah...
Supreme Court Orders Status Quo on Parsi Lying In Hospital Case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to all Trustees of Parsi Punchayat and managing of Parsi Lying-in Hospital and directed that there be status quo on its development after Punchayet chief...
Why we should all care about the Bombay Parsi Punchayet elections
The administrative body controls a vast corpus of funds as well as significant property: a chunk of the prosperity of contemporary Mumbai. Article by Dinyar Patel |Scroll In a matter of days, one of...
Finding Men of Honor
An Op-Ed by Maneck Davar Dear Humdins, As the BPP election draws to a close, I am left with mixed feelings of desolation and hope. Desolation, because of the plight of our humdins I have met,...
Daara Patel: In Conversation
Daara B. Patel is one of the candidates standing for the Bombay Parsi Panchayet 2015 elections. Below are three video messages he sent us to share with our readers. [video width="352" height="202"...
Only in Mumbai: 17 hour queue for Western classical music
But Audience For Zubin Mehta Event Suffers Culture Shock At Box Office MUMBAI: Apart from Ganpati Darshan or something like the final of the cricket world cup, no one in Mumbai queues up for as long...
Electronic Voting Machines, 500 officials for big, fat Parsi polls in Mumbai
With just a week to go for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) elections, aspiring trustees have been giving stump speeches at colonies across Mumbai. On Wednesday, three candidates, who are canvassing...
Ads galore for Bombay Parsi Punchayet elections
BATTLE FOR VOTES: For better recall value, Parsis are being peppered with advertisements by candidates putting a question mark over the code of conduct They may not be throwing lavish dinner parties...
Adille Sumariwalla: Getting an Olympic medal in athletics is my one-point agenda
'We keep climbing one step and slipping three. In 2004, our relay team was 7th in the world. Then we slipped from there. Otherwise, today our 4x400 metres relay team would have been gearing for a...
Jimmy Engineer: Evolution of Contemporary Art in Pakistan
A Keynote Speech by Jimmy Engineer (Celebrated Award-Winning Pakistani Artist, Author, Humanitarian and Philanthropist) titled “Evolution of Contemporary Art in Pakistan” (ICD House Berlin; October...
Applications Open for 2016 Return To Roots 3
The Zoroastrian Return to Roots is pleased to announce the opening of applications for Return To Roots 3 Trip scheduled for 9th to 22nd March 2016. Return to Roots is a youth-initiated program...
K Rustoms and Why Google was right to pick the name Ice Cream Sandwich
This October Google is rolling out the latest version of its Android operating system, codenamed Marshmallow. This series is called after confectionery, starting alphabetically with Cupcake, Donut...
Zubin Mehta concerts granted tax exemption
The Devendra Fadnavis government on Wednesday granted entertainment duty exemption to the Australian World Orchestra concerts to be conducted by Padma Vibhushan Zubin Mehta on October 25 and 26. A...
A blushing bride’s tribute to Parsi culinary art: Bawi Bride kitchen
‘Taste the Love. Love the Taste.’ So goes the tagline of Bawi Bride Kitchen, an authentic Parsi kitchen which rolls out the community’s signature delicacies. At the helm of affairs is Perzen Patel,...
Behram Siganporia: The pilot who gave up his flying dream to become a rockstar
As lead vocalist and bass guitarist of the four-member electro-pop band 'Best Kept Secret', Behram Siganporia qualifies as one of Bengaluru's pin-up rock stars. The 29-year-old, who performed at...