Gandhi discusses his latest film Paswaar, the Parsi community, loneliness, and moreData from the Elders Helpline that...
arZan Articles
Victorian Leader Dilnaz Billimoria Honoured for Promoting Multiculturalism
Melbourne’s Zoroastrian community has reason to celebrate as Dilnaz Billimoria was recognised with the Promotion of...
Vahbbiz Dorabjee: Movie Actress
Seems like Shakespeare's famous quote was meant for Vahbbiz Dorabjee who essays the role of Panchi in Ekta Kapoor's Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani. She is one of the few Parsi actors on television, besides...
Businesses held by diminishing races in a crisis to stay afloat
Ratan Tata is used to being feted. So when shareholders showered effusive eulogies in the mid-August annual general meeting, the managing director of the country’s largest conglomerate hardly batted...
India’s Zoroastrians dying out for lack of Parsi clergy
In the cramped heart of the suburb called Andheri, the MF Cama Athornan Institute was strangely quiet. The institute, founded in 1923 to train Zoroastrian priests, is a large, M-shaped edifice with...
Dadar Parsi Zoroastrian Sports Club Turns 85
Dadar Parsi Zoroastrian Sports Club (DPZSC) is one of the well known maidan clubs in the city. It may not be on par with the traditional Dadar Union Sporting, Parsee Cyclist, Shivaji Park Gymkhana...
Noshir Gowadia gets 32 yrs for selling US secrets
Indian-American Noshir Gowadia, a former B-2 stealth bomber engineer, was on Monday sentenced by a US court to 32 years in jail for selling American military secrets to China. Gowadia, 66, has spent...
Three Eminent Parsis Bestowed Padma Awards 2011 by Indian Government
Homai Vyarawalla, Late Dr. Keki Byramjee Grant and Dadi Dorab Pudumjee were amongst the 128 Indians bestowed with the Padma Awards. More about Homai Vyarawalla here. Legendary photographer Homai...
ZYNG Parsi Calendar Makes A Date With Controversey
By giving more than just the important dates concerning the Zoroastrian religion, a Parsi calendar released by the Zoroastrian Youth for the Next Generation (ZYNG), youth wing of the Bombay Parsi...
Dr. Ratan Marshall Passes Away
Eminent Parsi scholar Dr Ratan Marshal, who turned 100 in October last year, passed away on Sunday morning. He was not keeping well for the past three days. Marshal was the first to chronicle the...
15th North American Zarathushti Congress Houston: A Report
Houston: It was a spectacle of light, colour and movement that unfolded onstage as the fifty actors walked through their steps and captivated an engrossed audience in the huge ball room of the...
The Pioneering Parsis of Karachi
UPDATE: It has been brought to our attention that the article below was originally authored by Farishta Dinshaw and published on Vohuman.org. The original article is now available here. We regret...
Afshin Irani: How a Young Irani Girl Stumped Obama
Afsheen Irani, a Mumbai college student, asked the one question everyone wanted to ask the most powerful man in the world. 'Why is Pakistan so important an ally to America so far as America has...
Tuition class teacher held for sexually abusing students in Mumbai
Eight students of the class eight and nine have approached the Shivaji Park police station against their coaching class owner, Feroze Katrak, 49, who had reportedly sexually abused them. By Manish K...
Avesthagen Completes the First Whole Genome Sequence of a Parsi Breast Cancer Patient
Avesthagen Limited has yet again established its position as a leader in the successful application of next gen technologies as it announces the completion of the first Parsi breast cancer whole...
Dr. K B Grant Passes Away
Dr K B Grant, founder and chairman of the Grant Medical Foundation that runs Ruby Hall Clinic in the city, passed away here on Monday. He was 91. Credited as being the man who brought in some of the...
Poor Parsis can look forward to new homes
The New Year is bound to be good for some Parsis as they could get their much-awaited homes. By Ashutosh Shukla | DNA The poor Parsi housing issue was entangled in court cases, with the result that...
10 Predictions for Parsis for 2011
Taking a leaf out of Bejan Daruwalla, the renowned astrologer, Bombay Samachar takes a shot at predictions for Parsis in 2011 A BPP trustee will resign and elections will be held. Efforts to find a...
BMC Wants to demolish contested toilet block near Bhikha Behram Well
The much-contested toilet block, built almost 15 years ago near the Bhikha Behram well at Churchgate, will be demolished so that the facility does not block views of the newly restored garden at...
The Magi: Where did the Three Wise Men come from
Where did the Three Wise Men come from, and how did they know the importance of that Child? The Three Wise Men, who came from the East, to find the newborn Jesus Christ are only described in...
Planning Commission says No to boosting Parsi numbers
The government's plan to boost the dwindling population of Parsi community received a severe jolt with the Planning Commission rejecting a scheme proposed by the minority affairs ministry to improve...
Playwright Nozer Buchia: Vari Baanna Paachhal Thi
Nozer Buchia has been writing, directing and acting in plays for over 25 years under the banner of Nozer Buchia Productions. The latest play to release on stage is “Vari Baanna Paachhal Thi”...
Parsi Punchayat gets SC nod to build on Panthaki Baug Plot
After almost three decades of litigation, the Bombay Parsi Punchayat is free to construct at least a hundred flats at Punthaky Baug in Andheri. Last Friday, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for...
Neville Wadia: Bicycle Ride from Bangalore to Bombay to Raise Cancer Awareness
28-year-old Mumbai born and bread Neville Wadia looks to raise awareness and funds for a cancer awareness centre in Mumbai by riding his bicycle solo from Bangalore to Bombay a distance of 1000 kms....
Villie M. Appoo Makes Her Mark as CEO of Illinois Girl Scouts
Villie M. Appoo, the current CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois assumed her postion in 2009 and later formed a Senior Leadership Team that successfully led the merger of two legacy...
Have they been barred from entering the temple?
A notice at a fire temple prohibiting inter-married Parsi-Zoroastrian women from bringing their children has them wondering whether their religious rights are at stake All fire temples in the city...
Shiamak Davar: India’s Most Successful Choreographer
On June 7, 2005. India is playing host to Bill Clinton and the sleepy town of Lucknow is a stop over. On the menu is the finest Awadhi cuisine and the best dancer India can find to entertain a...
Vidal Urges Obama To Meet With Parsi Leaders In Iran
Author, playwright and scholar GORE VIDAL has repeated his plea for PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA to meet with Parsi leaders in a Christmas letter to the U.S. leader. In the missive, released via movie...
High Court Relief for Bombay Parsi Punchayat
In a reprieve to the Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP), the HC on Friday stayed an order passed by the assistant charity commissioner. The commissioner had directed the punchayat to furnish documents...
Bangalore Dakhma Dysfunctional
Bangalore’s explosive growth, while triggering a huge demand for living spaces, has caused an acute shortage of land for the dead. The pressure on graveyards is mounting. Here’s a searing look at...
Planning Commission Still to OK Scheme for Parsi Population Decline
The Planning Commission has not given "in-principle" nod to a Central government scheme aimed at containing the population decline of Parsi community, the government told the Lok Sabha...
Parsi children return to roots
Religion is best understood by children when it is not preached pedantically. A testimony to this was Zochild Day organized by the Zoroastrian Children's Foundation (ZCF) at Shanmukhananda hall in...
Gustadji Hathiram And The Power of Prayers
Over the years Parsi Khabar has published several articles [ 1, 2, 3, ] about the tremendous, fantastic feat of Parsi Cyclists cycling around the world in 53 months way back in the 1920's. One of...
NYC Zarathushtis celebrate Halloween
The Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York is one of the oldest Zoroastrian organisations in America. For over 30 years they hold a prayer class for kids every first Sunday of the month. Last...
Sanjan Day Celebrated amidst controversey
Below are two article on the recent Sanjan Day Celebrations. Conversion issue mars Sanjan Day celebrations Published by DNA India / Manoj R Nair The issue of religious conversions raging in...
Ruttie Jinnah: A Book Review
THIS study deals with Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s marital life and its tragic break up, resulting finally in the death of his 29-year-old young beautiful and highly talented wife, Ruttie. Originally...
Two trains to stop at Sanjan in special arrangement on ‘Sanjan Day’
Western Railway has given special stoppage of two scheduled trains Flying Rani(up) and Gujarat Express(down) at south Gujarat’s Sanjan railway station on 18th and 19th of November on the occasion of...
Udvada: The Land Controversey
It's a change of different sort, a not-so-nice one, where one of the world's most ancient religions finds its nook of worship threatened. Parsi-Irani Zoroastrians in India and around the world have...
Dorabji Damania and Life in the Indian Railways
Below is an article by A. B. Damania who talks about his uncle Dorabji Damania. Parsis were once a very large presence in the Indian Railway system, both pre and post Independence. MY FATHER’S OLDER...
India’s religious community in irreversible decline
Parsis are an ethnic community in India that follow the Zoroastrian religion. They are originally from Fars in Iran and had migrated to Western India more than 800 years ago. They are an essential...
Oh, for the love of beautiful, embroidered Gara
In a bid to bring back the popularity of Gara — the intricately embroidered saree on Chinese silk — the Parsi community has thought of a new method: Help the young learn draping the traditional...
Parsis to organise matrimonial meet in Bardoli, Gujarat.
To promote marriages within community and arrest the decline in population, the Parsi community in the state has decided to hold a two-day matrimonial meet at Bardoli. The meet has been organised to...
Delkash Shahriarian: US T20 Women’s Cricket Player
WHAT an honor for the first Zoroastrian participant in the US. Women's T20 Cricket Open Championship which engraves a new Chapter in American Sports History The home of the first official Cricket...
Parsi theatre group from Surat in Karachi for play
Surat-based Yezdi Karanjia drama group, which is due to mark its Golden Jubilee this year, will perform a Parsi comedy play “Kutra Ni Punchdi Vanki” in Karachi, where the troupe comprising mostly...
Yaraana: Edited by Hoshang Merchant
Hoshang Merchant is a senior poetic star in the firmament of Indian poetry. He and his work sparkle bright, like the mischief in his eyes. His Parsi background and early years in Mumbai, coupled...
Vada Dasturji Meherjirana on the Udvada Land Issue
Below is a message from Vada Dasturji K N Dastur Meherji Rana on the Udvada Land Issue received via email from Kaizad F Keravala. The matter of the Udvada land near Paak Iranshah Atash-Beheram has...
Proposed industrial zone near Udvada fire temple angers Parsis
A land transaction in a tiny Gujarat village has caused concern among the Parsi-Irani community in Mumbai as well as the diaspora worldwide. About 200 km from the city is located Udvada, the...
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Approached to Resolve Udvada Land Issue
Parsis to approach Modi to save their first settlement Community fears non-agricultural status of holy land in Udvada may herald industrialisation The threat of industrialisation of Udvada,...
Now, Parsis take conservatism debate to Facebook
“You, Parsis, have a great responsibility to carry your faith to the next generation safely. But it’s hard to stick by these rules...Most young people would get frustrated by them and some may even...
Spurred by faith, Parsi man walks from Mumbai to Udvada
Jehangir Randeria, a childhood friend and neighbor at the Moholla at Wadia Street, Tardeo recently walked from Tardeo, Mumbai to Udvada to spur his faith. The article below was published in the...
Theobroma opens in Bandra
As patisserie Theobroma opens its second outlet we talk to owner Kainaz Messman about the toils and joys (not to mention kilos of cocoa) involved in satisfying Mumbai's sweet tooth. By Alisha Patel...
Mumbai Parsis step in defence of banned priests
The Bombay high court has admitted an appeal, filed by eminent Parsis, challenging a ban on two Zoroastrian priests from praying at the Towers of Silence because they have been conducting initiation...