arZan Articles

Behind Rawalpindi’s urban sprawl, a 128-year-old Parsi cemetery preserves a fading community’s legacy

Once home to thousands of Parsis, Rawalpindi’s community has dwindled to fewer than 15 people Century-old cemetery offers rare glimpse into a minority that helped shape city’s commercial history Article by UROOSA JADOON | Arab News 21 July 2026 The...

Parsi films that never made it to the big screen

Here are some Parsi films that never made it to the big screen…not forgetting the classic Shakespearean remakes: Rumi and Juliet Two Gentlemen of Udwada Much Bhonu about Nothing The Taming of...

Marzban’s Dark Laughter

Marzban’s Dark Laughter

In my boyhood in Pune, the West End cinema would, at least once a year, transform itself into a live theatre to host a Parsi natak by a visiting troupe from Bombay. The wooden benches of the...

The Freddie Mercury we didn’t know

To his legions of fans, Freddie Mercury was a flamboyant, and very British, rock star. But in the background was a much more complex sense of identity, summed up by one picture, a black and white...

A Treasure Chest For An Opera House

Jamshed Bhabha’s NCPA will remain on song thanks to a generous endowment. Until a few years ago, at most concerts held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai, two plum...

Authentic Parsi Cuisine: Part 1

What constitutes authentic Parsi cuisine is a matter of great debate. One of our colleagues who hails from a blue blooded Parsi family contends that any vegetable ma gosht and any vegetable pur...

Authentic Parsi Cuisine: Part 2

This columnist’s maternal grandfather, Behramji Baria of Navsari, was a bad businessman but a great cook. He ran a catering business between the two World Wars. Article by Berjis Desai | Mumbai...

Raspberry: The Rose Drink of Persia

Raspberry: The Rose Drink of Persia

Raspberry soda? Raspberry fizz? Duke’s raspberry? Or as some of us used to call it, by dint of its identical packaging with a more famous soft drink: raspberry Mangola? “Please never call it...

Parsi population in Surat up 6% in 6 years

Extinction is one of the biggest concerns of the Parsi community in India, given their rapidly dwindling numbers. But the Parsis of Surat have bucked the trend. In the last six years, the community...

Z-Meds: Zoroastrian Doctors Without Borders

A note from Parimah Irani: I am involved with a Zoroastrian group called Z-Meds. This group is the Zoroastrian version of Doctors without Borders and its mission is to gather a directory of...

Freddie Mercury To Be Honoured At Asian Awards

The Queen star will be given a special Founders Award… Paying tribute to Freddie Mercury on what would have been his 65th Birthday this year, The Asian Awards will honour Freddie’s life and...

A chronicle of Parsi theatre’s heyday

For Parsis growing up between the 1950s and 1980s, social life was defined by weekly visits to the theatre, to watch, re-watch and enjoy Parsi plays. Directors like Adi Marzban and Pheroze Antia...

Artist Jehangir Sabavala passes away

Artist Jehangir Sabavala passes away

Jehangir Sabavala, an artist whose career spanned over 60 years, passed away on Friday morning after battling lung cancer for two years. The end came at Breach Candy hospital due to respiratory...

MLA funds Doongerwadi repairs

Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who spent Rs10 lakh from his funds to repair three pavilions inside the Parsi Towers of Silence in Malabar Hill, seems to have hurt the sentiments of the...

Parsi Food at Heathrow Terminal 5

Continuing the Indian theme, Cyrus Todiwala, the chef behind one of the City’s favourite restaurants, Café Spice Namasté, is bringing his pan-Indian cuisine to Heathrow. The Hilton hotel at the...

Elvis and a fasting Parsi

In this Parsi New Year one hoped that things would pan out differently. No major miracles, of course, like India beating England in a Test match or Anna Hazare becoming the Prime Minister of India....