Bombay’s old Irani cafes are dying a slow death, and the only people doing anything about it are in London Irani cafes — of which Mumbai has less than 20 original examples left — have recently been the subject of various books, websites and documentaries such as "Inheritance of Loss," all attempting to paint the… Continue reading Dishoom: An Irani Cafe in London
Category: Bombay
The Story of the Taj Mahal Hotel
The Taj Mahal Hotel was founded, according to legend, after Jamsetji Tata was refused entrance into a European-owned hotel which displayed a sign forbidding entry to dogs and Indians. He vowed to build a luxury hotel that would be open to Indians and where Indians could entertain and be entertained without being insulted. There is,… Continue reading The Story of the Taj Mahal Hotel
A Longer Wait for BPP Flats
It appears that the wait for Parsi families to move into Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) flats just got a little longer. Justice (retd) B N Srikrishna, who was appointed to verify the eligibility of members of the Parsi-Irani community last year, has resigned. By Shibu Thomas / Times News Service The former judge of the… Continue reading A Longer Wait for BPP Flats
Dalal Estate Mumbai: Transformation
One of the oldest and largest residential complexes in south Mumbai is all set for a makeover. By Nauzar Bharucha / TNN Dalal Estate, the more than seven-decade-old landmark residential enclave along the Mumbai Central bridge, will be demolished later this year to make way for a 64-storey skyscraper, TOI has learnt. The project is… Continue reading Dalal Estate Mumbai: Transformation
By The Way: Mumbai Restaurant With A Cause
Sitting in this quaint restaurant, just gullies away from the furious churn of the Arabian sea, watching the rain steam up the glass double doors that open up to a leafy Grant Road lane, it’s hard not to fall in love with the monsoons again. By Mahithi Pillay / DNA The quiet clatter of cutlery,… Continue reading By The Way: Mumbai Restaurant With A Cause
Unused Urinal At Cross Maidan Behind Bhikha Behram Well Raises A Stink
Residents want the toilet block – locked in a dispute since 1996 as Parsis fear it would contaminate water in their sacred well, located at Bhikha Behram – demolished By Manoj Nair / Mumbai Mirror With a section of the Cross Maidan showcasing a new, green look, Oval residents want the urinal near Bhikha Behram… Continue reading Unused Urinal At Cross Maidan Behind Bhikha Behram Well Raises A Stink
Bombay Panjrapole
If you aren’t looking for it, you’d probably miss it. Tucked somewhere in the by-lanes of the crowded Bhuleshwar bazaar is the Bombay Panjrapole, a 176-year-old infirmary that primarily looks after 350 cows and other stray animals like donkeys, hens, birds, dogs, goats, parrots and ducks. By Humaira Ansari / DNA The shelter, painted bright… Continue reading Bombay Panjrapole
Britannia restaurant: Flying food and other Parsi tales
Boman Kohinoor and his son/chef Romin tell CNNGo the long history of Britannia & Co. and share the sacred sali meat recipe from one of Mumbai’s best loved restaurants Article by Aarthi Gunnupuri / CNNGo In 1923, like a few other Zoroastrian immigrants from Iran, Rashid Kohinoor decided to get into the restaurant business in… Continue reading Britannia restaurant: Flying food and other Parsi tales
A Crisis for the Faithful
The Parsi bodies are piling up in India. Parsis are modern adherents of the ancient Zoroastrian faith that emerged in the 6th century B.C. in Persia, predating Christianity and Islam. According to many scholars, Zoroastrianism influenced these religions and Judaism with its fundamental concept of a dualistic world of light versus darkness, with a good… Continue reading A Crisis for the Faithful