Category: Books

The histories of the novels ‘My Friend, The Barrister’ and ‘Pootli, A Story of Life in Bombay’ The library of the University of Mumbai, housed in an 1870s edifice flanked by the Rajabai Tower, is perhaps the grandest repository of literary treasures in the city. Shelved under its lofty vaulted wooden ceiling are the last… Continue reading How the first English novels by Parsis were written in the backdrop of the plague and politics

The Zoroastrian Book of Creation Edited and translated by Domenico Agostini, Samuel Thrope, Preface by Shaul Shaked, and Afterword by Guy Stroumsa First complete English translation of the Bundahisn in nearly a century Includes commentary on each chapter The Bundahisn, meaning primal or foundational creation, is the central Zoroastrian account of creation, cosmology, and eschatology.… Continue reading The Bundahisn

Dinyar Patel’s biography of the politician shines a light on his multifaceted career, especially his campaign to be elected to the British parliament Dadabhai Naoroji reached Bombay (now Mumbai) from London on the afternoon of 3 December 1893. An estimated half a million people thronged the streets to welcome him. Over a year ago, in… Continue reading Dadabhai Naoroji: A new life for the grand old man of India

The Parsi Community of India and the Making of Modern Iran By Afshin Marashi Connecting oft-disparate fields, this book explores the Zoroastrian diaspora living in India and its role in using antiquity to bolster twentieth-century Iranian nationalism. In the aftermath of the seventh-century Islamic conquest of Iran, Zoroastrians departed for India. Known as the Parsis,… Continue reading Exile and the Nation: Afshin Marashi

Tanaz Bhathena is an author based in Mississauga, ON, Canada. She previously published two books for teenagers, including the critically acclaimed A Girl Like That, which was named a Best Book of the Year by various outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen magazine and The Times of India. She writes in to share an… Continue reading Tanaz Bhathena: Hunted By The Sky

A member of the British House of Commons at a time when Indians in India couldn’t vote, he argued that the empire was impoverishing his homeland. By Tunku Varadarajan | Wall Street Journal When the British government announced in 2014 that it would install a statue of Mohandas Gandhi in London’s Parliament Square, there were… Continue reading “Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism” Review: Portrait of an Independent Mind

Rustomji Cowasji Banaji, who brought his family by sea in 1838, played a major role in the making of the modern city Article By Prochy N. Mehta | The Telegraph This is the story of “intrepid men who had left settled homes in the west to journey to Calcutta to start a new life” two… Continue reading Rustomji Cowasji Banaji: A friend of Dwarkanath Tagore, this Parsi Babu loved Calcutta