Navi Mumbai — a dream that rose from the shores of the Arabian Sea and took the form of a modern, thriving...
arZan Articles
The story behind the centuries-old Parsi Gara embroidery
Part art, part archive, Parsi Gara embroidery is having a moment, thanks to the artisans keeping its legacy alive, one...
BPP Candidate: Danesh Nejadkay
My Dear Fellow Zoroastrians, I consider it my good fortune to have been born a Zoroastrian, and to be part of our small but wonderful community. However I am deeply saddened about the several issues...
Are you ready to vote for the BPP Elections
To be eligible to vote you need to make sure that you are registered with the BPP. They have a nifty website BPPVoterList.org You can search for your name by various criteria. Make sure your name...
A House in a Baug
by Manoj R Nair - Mumbai Mirror - 02 Sept, 2008. Bombay Parsi Punchayet will allot more than 70 flats of the trust to members of the Parsi-Zorastrian community who are on the wait-list for houses...
BPP Candidate: Noshir Dadrawala
Below is a brief resume and introduction to Noshir Dadrawala. • Appointed by the Planning Commission, Government of India, as a member of Expert Group on Voluntary Organizations in India .. • CEO of...
BPP Candidate: Arnavaz Jal Mistry
Nearly 22 years ago Arnavaz took her first step to serve the poor by working in the Parsi Ward of J.J. Hospital. The ward was an abandoned, desolate out-house with just 20 beds for accommodation. It...
Jennifer Kotwal to Star in a new movie
She will soon be seen in Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekkh Mudh Mudh Ke with Himesh Reshammaiya but despite picking up offers from Bollywood, Jennifer Kotwal says she will never turn her back on Kannada and...
BPP Candidate: Ervad Tehmasp Rustomji Mogul
Honourable Members and Voters of my Pars! Zoroastrian Community, I would like to introduce myself to my dear community members. 1. My name is ERVARD TEHMASP RUSTOMJI MOGUL, professing and preaching...
BPP Candidate: Viraf Kapadia
Personal Statement and Manifesto of Viraf Kapadia Marry Parsi and get benefit from a flat as a gift from Bombay Parsi Punchayet. it Free food for needy on daily basis Repairing, Restoring The...
BPP Candidate: Dinshaw Mehta
WHY I AM SEEKING RE-ELECTION A Personal Statement from Dinshaw Mehta Dear Voter, I have completed seven years as a trustee and am seeking re-election for another term. I sincerely believe that I...
BPP Candidate: Phiroze Amroliwalla
A Message from Phiroze Amroliwalla, candidate for trusteeship of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat. TRUSTEESHIP IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE AN OFFICE OF PROFIT OR PLEASURE BUT IN FACT AN OPPPORTUNITY TO...
Enthronement of Pak Iranshah Saheb at Udvada
This is an email forward received from Behram P. Dhabbar on a newslist. Our forefathers had come to India and settled here with the prime objective of keeping the fire of our religion burning...
What Would India’s Olympics Opening Ceremony Be Like
In the aftermath of the just concluded 29th Olympics in Beijing China, we received an email forward title "What Would India's Olympics Opening Ceremony Be Like" Author: Porus Homi Havewala. On the...
Upcoming BPP Elections
The elections for the trusteeship of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat is scheduled for the month of October. Recently we had written to all you readers inviting suggestions about how you would like Parsi...
BBC to film Parsi Wedding
The BBC is filming a program called Around the World in 80 Faiths and will be filming the India segment in October 08. In particular they are looking to film a traditional Parsi Wedding in Mumbai...
Rahul visits Firoz Gandhi’s grave in Allahbad
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who is in Allahabad to address a public meeting, Thursday paid a visit to the grave of his grandfather, Firoz Jehangir Gandhi, in the Mumfordganj...
Last-minute drug ban could save India’s almost-extinct vultures
99.9% of India's vultures have died out over the last 20 years, the victims of unintentional poisoning. It took years to find out why India's three vulture species -- the long-billed, slender-billed...
Parsis in Ajmer welcome New Year
The article below was published in the Times of India. The original article is not on their website now but here is a Google Cache copy of the same. It is celebration time for the Parsi community as...
Celebrations of the Baroda Parsis
The following is a communique from Dinkoo Mistry of Vadodra (Baroda). We would love to carry such news and pictures of various Parsi celebrations in cities around the world. If you are a reader and...
Significance of Sudreh and Kusti
Sudra is a special shirt of nine seams worn just next to the skin made of cotton and white in colour and prepared from one whole piece of...
Ratan Tata’s words of inspiration
Ratan Naval Tata has been called many things. Quiet. Reticent. Humble. A businessman par excellence. Tenacious. And a tiger, when pushed to the wall. As we all witnessed when it looked like the...
Shernaaz Engineer on the BPP Elections
The below is an article circulated on a newsgroup. It makes interesting reading with the BPP elections in the near future, as the subject matter. With a heavy heart and a poignant pen, SHERNAAZ...
Iranian foundation to restore Pasargadae’s Islamic additions
The Parseh and Pasargadae Research Foundation plans to restore the structures added to Pasargadae during the different Islamic eras. The structures include a mosque dating back to the 12th century...
Fire temples burn bright
47 Parsi fire temples have finally made it to the heritage list. Labonita Ghosh looks at the struggle that led to this and some of the more unique agiaries that will find protection from rapacious...
Parsi Meter: Down Down Down
We came across this article via the Delhi Parsis website. Image courtesy DP. The text is from the author's blog. by Mayank Austen Soofi for the Hindustan Times. The city's Parsi population is...
Film Personalities on Parsi New Year
Perizad Kolah Marshall: Pateti is the last day of the year for the Parsi community and generally falls in the last days of August as per the English calendar. Bawas don’t need an excuse for...
Sacred Space: Parsi New Year
On Ahura Mazda Ahura means the Lord Creator, and Mazda means Supremely Wise. This was the name by which Zarathushtra addressed his God. He proclaimed that there is only one God, who is the singular...
The First Dastur Meherji Rana
The below is an article from a newslist. This is a chapter written by Noshir H. Dadrewala. Earlier we errenously mentioned that the author was not known. We apologize for the error. The first Dastur...
Converting Ambedkar: The Chance that Parsis Missed
By Farrukh Dhondy Being part of a minority has its advantages. I have been part of several. The minority status one achieves as, say, a record-breaking runner is different from that which one is...
Boman Irani: I am proud to be a Zoroastrian
Q.I am very proud to be a Zoroastrian... A.Besides playing a Parsi in few of my films, I have played a Parsi in the play I am not Bajirao . I presume it is probably my best work to date. About the...
It’s time for Sev and Dahi
By Mahafreed Irani at DNA After 10 days of praying for the departed, the Parsis are all set to welcome their New Year on Tuesday. Celebration time for Parsis has traditional as well as modern...
Navroze Mubarak! Time for hugs and cheers
Parsis from all over the country throng Udwada in Gujarat to celebrate new year at the oldest fire temple in the country, reports Mahafreed Irani Known for their stylish get-ups and hairdos, the...
Satara Agiary: The tale of a fire temple and two families
The agiary may not attract many devotees, but those that come are full of faith SATARA: Situated in the heart of the district town of Satara, some 300 km from Mumbai, stands a grand old Parsi fire...
Public Messages on Parsi New Year 2008
On the occassion of Navroze (New Year) here is a compilation of congratulatory message from various dignitaries. BBC Day in Pictures President of India The President of India, Smt. Pratibha...
A Cry for Independence: What Independence are we celebrating?
The article below is a guest article by a regular reader and guest author Anosh Doctor. We encourage readers of Parsi Khabar to send in editorials, views, thoughts and critiques that they would like...
Saal Mubarak: Happy New Year 2008
Mehernaaz, Shirrin and I wish you all our readers and supporters a very very Happy New Year. May this year bring you more happiness, prosperity, and good health. Today also marks the 4th anniversary...
Iran Profound
The Iran Letters – Part III: A Survey of 'Iran Profound' byBarin Kayaoglu Beyond the constant squabbling between Tehran and the outside world, there lies another Iran. A product of millennia, “Iran...
Iran: A Call to the Emperor
Recently we linked to a National Geographic article on Persia. Here is a further analysis of the same by regular Parsi Khabar reader Zubin Wadia National Geographic (awesome photos) ran a story on...
Bye bye to the baklava
The food here was legendary with more than a hundred dabbas going out every day. But the authentic Parsi flavour, and ‘no-nonsense’ Parsi ladies have gone missing from the Ratan Tata Institute,...
Freed Giant Emerges from Chaos
In an article about India's 61st Independance Day, there is mention of Ratan Tata. This has been bolstered by “reverse colonisation” as Indian entrepreneurs and businessmen began...
Parsi Cola
A reader sent us a tip about Parsi Cola, a soft drink that is famous in Iran and other parts of the Middle East. [image copyright] It even merits its own Wikipedia entry Here is another picture of...
ZOCHILD Day 2008
The 6th ZOCHILDAY is scheduled for Sunday, 30th November, 2008. Events have been planned at Shanmukhananda Hall and at Cama Baug, Khetwadi. If interested in participating, forms for registration...
Mumbai Parsi Panchayat election heats up
With the new challengers unveiling their panel, the war for elections to the Bombay Parsi Panchayat is already heating up. For a community which believes in maja ni life this crowd of Parsis was...
Parsis set to exercise their franchise for BPP polls
The Parsi community is all set to witness a change this October, as its members will exercise their franchise for the first time in 350 years since the Bombay Parsi Panchayat was established. From...
Ratan Tata to be awarded with Doctor of Science
President Pratibha Patil will confer Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) on top industrialist Ratan Tata at the 46th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology here tomorrow. Patil,...
Parsee at the forefront of Vegan cuisine in USA
Parsis are as far from veganism as can be. We are complete meat eaters and there are no restrictions on what we cannot eat. Therefore it is with interest that I come across this snippet about a...
Friendship Day celebrations turns unpleasant for Jimmy Mistry
The Friendship Day celebrations hosted by the Parsi community on Sunday turned sour for the organisers with residents objecting and the police fining the revellers for flagging off a car rally from...
The Harbour That Gave the Name ‘Bombay’ to Mumbai
Mumbai harbour has been the gateway to the world for commerce and travel since the British took control of the island city from the Portuguese in 1660s. However, the group of seven islands acquired...
Heritage status: Parsis pen support for BMC’s plan
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...
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,...
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...