A bright blue lamppost in the gallery feels like it’s been brought in off the street and given a fresh lick of paint....
arZan Articles
140-Year-Old Ripon Club At Kala Ghoda Faces Eviction From Landlords; Court Hearing Scheduled On November 24
After a furore over the proposed sale of the Sanjan sanatorium, Parsis have raised concerns about the future of...
BPP Divided Over Rs 1000 Crore Silver Oaks Property in Mumbai
While a majority of Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustees feel the property should be reserved for Parsis only, its chairman says charity funds should not be spent on legal fees to make it...
Jehangir Sarosh Takes over as Interim General Secretary of ECRL–RfP
Seasoned RfP activist Mr. Jehangir Sarosh OBE is the new interim General Secretary of European Council of Religious Leaders-RfP (ECRL-RfP). He replaces Mr. Stein Villumstad who has stepped down to...
Rustom’s of Delhi: The Taste of a Parsi Home Fare
It is not every day that you see someone wanting to serve their family recipes in a restaurant setting. It is even rare if this restaurant is not a quick service restaurant (QSR) but a humble...
Ahmedabad’s Vakil Anjuman Adarian to move out of Old City
The Bukhara Mohulla at Khamasa Crossroads in the Walled City is home to two shrines. One is the Parsis’ Vakil Adariyan Agiyari fire temple. And the other is the only Jewish place of worship in...
The Dabu Couple wins over Syracuse theater scene, 20 years running
Hints of spice waft in swirls of steam. Pastel teacups brimming with brewed Indian chai rest on the sanded wood of a low table. Binaifer Dabu and her husband Navroz Dabu sit side-by-side on their...
Daryush Mehta: Zoroastrian Chaplain at Harvard and MIT in Boston, USA
From Harvard’s website: Daryush Mehta It is with great humility that I represent the Zoroastrian community as a Chaplain at Harvard University. Dr. Cyrus Mehta has diligently represented the...
Mercenaries and merchants: A short history of the strong ties between India and Yemen
As Houthi rebels overran the Yemeni capital of Sana’a in March, the embattled government shifted its capital to Aden. For many Indians, and especially for residents of Mumbai, the name of the city...
Dr. Navroze Kotwal and Urdu Poetry
Why can’t a Parsi pen Urdu poetry, asks orthodontist When he is not fixing his patients’ teeth, he is penning Urdu couplets. But orthodontist Dr Navroze Kotwal’s passion for Urdu poetry,...
Death and Legal History on Sunday Afternoons
Cemeteries as Historical Evidence In Law and Identity in Colonial South Asia , Mitra Sharafi argues that rather than trying to maintain collective autonomy and integrity by avoiding interaction with...
Row over Parsi hospital’s pact with private firm goes to Bombay High Court
A quaint heritage Parsi hospital property built in 1895 and lying defunct for several decades in the prime Fort area of south Mumbai will be redeveloped into an orthopaedic and neurosurgery centre....
Enlarged Compendium of Zoroastrian Calendars
Rohinton Erach Kadva writes in Appeal to preview and purchase my book entitled ‘Enlarged Compendium of Zoroastrian Calendars’. I am a civil engineer settled with my wife in Bangalore for the past 36...
Setback to Wadia in land battle as Supreme Court upholds old Act
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a law made in Maharashtra in 1977, which requires that before courts get into the facts of a case, they should decide on jurisdiction when...
AirAsia unveils aircraft with JRD Tata livery
JRD Tata was a visionary who established civil aviation in India for the benefit of its people, Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata said on Saturday after unveiling an AirAsia India aircraft with...
Rattana Pestonji: Pioneering Thai film director
Rattana Pestonji was a Thai Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer and is regarded as the father of contemporary Thai film. Although his filmography was brief, his...
The steady, inspiring rise of Zia Mody
You’ve seen them at the peak of their careers — P Chidambaram, Dimple Kapadia, Rajdeep Sardesai, Shashi Tharoor and many more. But what were they like when they were 25? What was India...
Mumbai City Development Plan forgets to mark as many as 24 fire temples as heritage structures
Parsis were among the first settlers in Mumbai in the 17th century and they started consecrating their fire temples (Agiaries and Atash Behrams) over the next 200 years. In the past decade, the...
Farida Khambata Appointed as Tata & Sons’ first ever woman director
Tata Sons, promoter of the major operating Tata companies, appointed top-ranked investment strategist Farida Khambata as the first woman independent director in the company’s 103-year history....
An Interview With The Field Marshal
The below interview was carried by the August 10, 1974 issue of Swarajya In the course of a 45-minute interview the author had with him in a Calcutta hotel on July 5, the retired Field Marshal H. F....
The Phoenix of Persia: A Book Review
The following book review was recently published in the FEZANA Journal. The FEZANA Journal is the leading publication of FEZANA and over the last two decades and more has become the leading...
Parsis prepare list of defunct Anjumans, other properties
Mumbai: Soon after the demand for a “waqf-like” board by Parsis to manage their properties, members of the community have begun to prepare a list of properties that they want to be...
Collector forbids Mhow Parsi community from selling property
Based on a letter from the under secretary of the Minority Department of Government of India regarding a complain filled by Parveen Jahangir, collector Akash Tripathi found mismanagement, after...
Can marriage deprive women of their religion? Parsi woman asks Supreme Court of India
Can a woman be prohibited from practising her religion if she marries a man from a different religion? Is she bound to follow her husband’s religion? Can her religious places bar her from...
Yazdi Karanjia Felicitated in Baroda
This year, the World Theater Day was celebrated at Vadodara by Triveni in a unique way, as they invited Yazdi Karanjia, the doyen of Parsi Theater, who delivered a humorous talk about his theater...
Remembering Sam Manekshaw, India’s greatest general, on his 101st birth centenary
Valsad Nagarpalika has decided to honour Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, architect of the country’s victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan, by naming a road after him in the town on his 100th...
Adi Jehangir on the Closing of Café Samovar
As Mumbai bids goodbye to Cafe Samovar this week, Adi Jehangir says he is simply making room for artists. It’s a busy Thursday afternoon at Kala Ghoda’s Jehangir Art Gallery. A queue...
Shroff’s of Hong Kong Donate New Facility to Parsee General Hospital
A Parsi couple from Hong Kong has donated Rs 135 crore to south Mumbai’s Bomanjee Dinshaw Petit Parsee General Hospital, hoping to halt its decline. The endowment has been made with the...
Emperor Akbar’s Parsi counsel: The First Dastur Meherji Rana
Established in 1874, the first Dastoor Meherjirana Library in Navsari is named after the first Parsi high priest of India. The most priceless manuscript at the library is a framed original document...
Thrity Umrigar on her latest novel, and living in chilly Ohio
Who is Cleveland’s most prominent writer? Kevin Keating seems like a rising star. Paula McLain found success with The Paris Wife. Mystery writers would likely mention Les Roberts. Science...
Bawas and Babies
Coming from an ancient movie projector, the image is shaky and scratchy. Kajol and Anil Kapoor’s marriage seems beset with problems. But, that does not stop the usual Bollywood song and dance...
Navroz The New Day at the United Nations
This film from India was screened at the United Nations last month as part of the celebrations of the International Day of Navroze – Preserving an Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The film was...
Navroz in New Delhi: Shernaz Italia
While a dwindling community struggles to survive, filmmaker Shernaz Italia documents the little-known lives of the Delhi Parsis who moved to the capital at the turn of the 19th century “Aavoji,...
Parsis Want Courses in Zoroastrianism at University of Bombay
The Parsi community wants the government to encourage universities to start courses on Zoroastrian studies. At a recent meeting with the National Minority Commission, the Parsis put forward their...
The French In My Food: Niloufer Mavalvala
Good friend of Parsi Khabar and amazing chef and author Niloufer Mavalvala is now on Huffington Post. Check out her latest column. Growing up in a generous family in Karachi, our dining table was an...
A judge who knows God
Your faith in the judiciary may notch up if we tell you that justice Rohintan Fali Nariman, one of Supreme Court’s judges is an ardent man of God once his judicial duties have been meted. And...
Parsi sisters move SC seeking freedom to enter religious places
Kindling hope for a large number of Parsi women who marry outside their religion, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging a decision by its religious council banning their entry...
Meet the Scientist: Dr. Adi Bulsara
Adi Bulsara, scientist, holds a 3-axis coupled-core magnetometer originally developed for C-IED applications at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific. (Photo by Alan Antczak Released)...
Beloved But Left Behind
There was a royal feast at Aunty Villy Engineer 96th birthday. There was cake, and there was suuji ka halwa too. Everybody inside the Parsi General Hospital came to the party; Aunty Nargis Gyara,...
Operation Theater at the Parsee General Hospital
What would you make of “Manchu Macbeth” and “Hamlet no Omelette”? Shakespeare with a delicious twist, yes. But dramatically different too was the fact that these Gujarati spoofs were stirred up in...
Orange County Temple at heart of Zoroastrian Community in Los Angeles
The three sheets of papers taped to a window, spelling ZAC, give little indication of the growing temple housed in a former church on Walnut Avenue. The Zoroastrian Association of California Center,...
The NavroZYNG Boat Party Ran Foul of the Cops
The Mumbai police brought an illegal boat party spread across three boats near Gateway of India to a screeching halt around midnight on Friday. By Vijay Kumar Yadav, Hindustan Times Colaba police...
When Astad Deboo Made A Fort Dance
The celebrated contemporary dancer’s performance was part of the One World Retreat, a three-day event to promote the cause of the Indian Head Injury Foundation. Astad Deboo, the celebrated...
The Original Shippers: Cowasjee’s of Karachi
There is an old sign from the Colonial era that reads ‘Cowasji’ outside the brick structure of the Cowasjee building in Karachi’s port area, Keamari. Inside, 86-years-old Cyrus Cowasjee’s office...
Jamsetji Tata’s residence wins UNESCO honour
“A good conservation job is like a root canal,“ says architect Vikas Dilawari.“It does not happen quickly and requires many sittings.“Recently , one such root canal took Dilawari 10 years. His hair...
What goes into authentic Parsi cuisine ?
Last month, London’s Bombay-styled cafe Dishoom beat top restaurants such as Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Spanish tapas bar Barrafina and other highbrow eateries to became...
Jamshedi Navroze Mubarak 2015
On behalf of the entire team at Parsi Khabar we wish you all, our dear readers; and your families, loved ones and friends a Happy Jamshedi Navroze 2015. We thank you for your readership and support...
Young Zoroastrians to foster community links
At a time when population of Zoroastrians or Parsis in India has declined, an effort is being made at the global level to foster new links between community members and strengthen their identity....
Iranshah Udvada: Bachi Karkaria
BACHI KARKARIA relives her visit to the oldest Fire Temple, the Iranshah, in Gujarat on the eve of Jamshedi Navroz Iam in Zoroastrianism’s holiest place, the Iranshah at Udvada in Gujarat. The...
Chalo Jamye: A Food Tour of Udvada
Instead of booking a table at a city Bawa eatery on Parsi new year, drive to Udwada for boi, dal-chawal and patio It’s the oldest story of amalgamation, and if Zoroastrian history in India has...
Navroze: Yesterday and today
I remember celebrating Navroze since I was in Mama Parsi Girls’ Secondary School. All the Zarthosti children and teachers would put up the Navroze table on the eve of the New Year. Every girl would...
Pakistan’s Parsi Parliamentarian fights for minority rights
Isphanyar Bhandara Demands 5% Job Quota In Private Sector The 1857 Revolt had big and small consequences for the sub continent. One of the largest was the British Crown formally extending its...