The development plan department of the BMC has received nearly 3,000 letters from Zoroastrians all over the world in support of an official proposal to list the 47 fire temples in the city under the protection of heritage laws. After four years of hectic lobbying by activists, the BMC finally notified these structures in June… Continue reading Heritage status: Parsis pen support for BMC’s plan
Author: arZan
Sat with the Dead
All Zera, 85, had in the world was her 65-year-old nephew, Homi Kaku. The latter, who was suffering from diabetes and gangrene, died on Saturday night. With no relative to inform about his death, Zera sat with his body for three days. Perhaps, she would have been sitting there for ever, had not the neighbours,… Continue reading Sat with the Dead
The Grandson of Field Marshal Maneckshaw Speaks
This was received via email from my kaka Keki P. Wadia. It's a message from Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw's grandson. Makes wonderful reading It's been an overwhelming few weeks for us as a family, and now, I shall tell you about the man I knew, the man behind the one you all knew as Field… Continue reading The Grandson of Field Marshal Maneckshaw Speaks
Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran
The August 2008 issue of the National Geographic has “Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran” as its cover story. I just finished reading the printed issue. The photographs as usual are fantastic. The stories are very interesting in a very non-political way and brings out the remnant traces of the glory that was Persia. If you… Continue reading Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran
Loyalty is a meter of Mehta
IT IS not, at first sight, a marriage made in heaven. The conductor is a Parsee Indian, brought up in Bombay, trained in Vienna and living in Los Angeles. The orchestra is a band of refugees who maintain a pocket of the ultimate in Western culture in the middle of in a war zone. And… Continue reading Loyalty is a meter of Mehta
Zubin Mehta to perform in Mumbai
World-renowned music conductor Zubin Mehta will hold a charity concert at the Brabourne stadium in October. The Mehli Mehta Foundation, founded in 1995 in memory of Zubin's father, confirmed that he is slated to hold a series of concerts in the city, one of which would be held at the CCI grounds. According to a… Continue reading Zubin Mehta to perform in Mumbai
225th Birth Anniversary of Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy
Parsis from all over the city gathered to celebrate the 225th birth anniversary of the first baronet His initials are JJ. At 22, Jehangir Jejeebhoy is not just another law student. He has an ancestral connection with the Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, the Sir JJ flyover, the Sir JJ School of Arts, and Mahim… Continue reading 225th Birth Anniversary of Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy
The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction
Kaevan Umrigar, a filmmaker, and good friend of Parsi Khabar runs his own blog. His latest article in on Uran Next on my itinerary was Mora Bunder at Uran, a small fishing village across the harbour from Bombay. The agiary wasn’t far from the jetty, and as I walked towards it I saw a couple… Continue reading The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction
Ardeshir Cowasjee on Sam Bahadur
SAM Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw was his full name by which he was rarely called, as he was known familiarly and affectionately by his men and officers and friends as Sam Bahadur. Manekshaw was no ordinary run-of-the-mill man. Born in Amritsar in 1914, he died in Wellington, Ootacamund, in the Nilgiri Hills of South India… Continue reading Ardeshir Cowasjee on Sam Bahadur
