We have received the below from our regular reader and good friend Pesho Kotwal. He received this as a forward. Pesho...
Culture Articles
Navroze Around The World
For most people across the world, March 20th signifies little more than early morning rush hours, household chores and...
No Fire Temple, but Lakhnawi warmth
The Parsi community is one of the smallest 'communities from outside' in Lucknow. There are just 71 Parsis in town! "We started trickling into the city and found Lucknow welcoming us with open arms....
Periodicals of protest
Over the decades, Parsi journalism has managed to fiercely guard its democratic character By Manoj R Nair for Mumbai Mirror The terms, 'cosmopolitan newspapers' or 'community press' may not figure...
NYT: Zoroastrianism Slide Show
Turn on the sound and listen to this very interesting slide show on Zoroastrianism. This appeared on the NYTimes website, as an interactive accompaniment to the article Zoroastrians Keep the Faith,...
Parsis remember their dear departed 10 days prior…
Parsis remember their dear departed 10 days prior to New Year, community observes Muktad ceremony at city agiaries The Parsi New Year is nine days away. But much before the celebrations begin, it is...
Muktaad
Ruby Lilaowala remembers Muktaad, in the Afternoon D.C. Muktaad are the ten days preceding the Parsi new year which are devoted to intense prayers and elaborate rituals for the departed souls...
Parsi orthodontist who writes Urdu poetry!
Dr. Navroze S. Kotwal is a qualified orthodontist but his true passion lies in writing Urdu ghazals. Which is rather unusual, we don't know many Parsees ... Dr. Navroze S. Kotwal is a qualified...
Bachi Karkaria : Navroze Mubarak everyone!
An article by Bachi karkaria....at her hilarious best .. Parsi to Past-si ... By Bachi Karkaria Soli Solicitor shuddered at the Census sentence, knowing there was no reprieve. Nusli had an asli...
Pilgrimage to Iran – 2006
By Noshir H. Dadrawala The month of May 2006 marked my eleventh visit in the last one decade to Iran - the Spiritual Motherland of Zoroastrians all over the world. It was also one of my most...
Avesta and the TV Guide
They lie on the table side by side The Khordeh Avesta and the TV Guide. One is well worn and cherished with pride. Not the Avesta, but the TV Guide. One is used daily to help folks decide. No, not...
Let vultures live for our death: Parsis
A motley crowd of Parsis and nature-lovers listened with rapt attention as Dr RD Jakati, Chief Wildlife Warden of Haryana, spoke at length on his pet subject, vulture conservation. The topic, of...
Split in the Parsi Parivar
WHEN Anju Dawar, a Parsi lawyer based in Ahmedabad married a colleague, she was expelled from the community. ''At best her husband will convert but will this not dilute the very essence of the...
Why are so many Parsis unmarried?
Minoo Shroff, chairman of Bombay Parsi Panchayat, feels most Parsis are very fussy about their choice of life partner One third of Parsis do not marry, according to a yet-to-be published study...
The Yellow Badge of Denial
The bizarre, humiliating, and enduring nature of the dress regulations imposed upon the Zoroastrian community of central Iran (Yezd) were captured in this eyewitness account by Napier Malcolm, (Five...
Anglicisation Of The Parsis
by Polly Noshir Chenoy My mother's contention is: "British gayan ne' opre vadhare British thai gayan" (We have become more British after the British have left). This, she attributes mostly to the...
The secret of embroidering a Parsi ‘gara’
The secret of embroidering a Parsi 'gara' is now being taught to those willing to learn, as a part of a five-day workshop at Khareghat Colony Parsi gara embroidery, which is a specialty of the Parsi...
Celebrating old age by making a difference in society
"Problems of the aged are not confined to the elderly but also impact the younger generation," A.M. Sethna, president of Parzor Foundation that deals with issues of the Parsi community, told IANS....
Navroze recognised in NYC
Jamshedi Navroze, the spring festival celebrated the world over by Zoroastrians, Iranians, Afghanis, and other cultures of Asia, is also an officially proclaimed day in New York City. In 2003 Mayor...
Chaiye Hame Zarthosti – The Parsi Anthem
Gujarati: English Translation: Chhaiye humay Zarthosti Re Mazdayasni nek Kul jehan sathe dosti- Rakhiye nibhavye tek. Mootthi bhar aa tolo Saoo no sangar. Re bol bala bolo Oh, saoo nur ne nar....
Indian Cattle Drug Is Killing Vultures
Wednesday, March 29, 2006; 6:20 PM BOMBAY, India -- Conservationists said Wednesday that they expect Indian authorities soon to ban a cattle drug blamed for killing more than 90 percent of the...
Going to UDVADA on Behram Roj
Going to Udvada on Behram Roj is a custom that a lot of Parsis followd. I personally know of a coupleof people who go religiously (pun intended) every single Behraom Roj. The following is an...
Learn culture the Parsi way
We want to educate the youngsters of the Parsi community about their religion and culture... The Russian Cultural Centre at Peddar Road is currently showing an exhibition on the Zoroastrian...
Iranian-Americans mark a doubly festive holiday
New year coincides with birthday of Persianfounder of Zoroastrianreligion. An overflow crowd packed the California Zoroastrian Center in Westminster on Saturday to celebrate the Iranian new year and...
Yesterday was Navroze, the 2,500 year-old festival of…
Yesterday was Navroze, the 2,500 year-old festival of the vernal equinox that a wide swathe of Asia celebrates. The two gentle communities from Iran who are part of us naturally celebrated it:...
Parsis pray, party & say Navroz
CITY’S PARSI community celebrated Janshedi Navroz at Parsi Anjuman Mirbai Marg on Tuesday. Jamshedi Navroz is a Spring festival which falls on March 21 stated to be the start of springs and also the...
Navroze: Noruz: Nowroj: What’s in a name ??
On the occassion of Jamshedi Navroze, the Persian New Year, I received a very interesting email from a friend, Tamina Davar. She writes about Navroze and what it means. And raises some very...
Small yet big
The Parsi community in the city will soon usher in its New Year by celebrating Jamshedi Navroz. JAMSHEDI Navroz is knocking at the doors of Parsis in the city, and with it, the community will...
Noruz in Iran
Noruz, a festival marking start of the new Iranian year, is celebrated in Iran. Passage of time has not reduced importance of the traditional festival and it is being observed by people more...
159th Salgreh of Karani Agiary
A report on the anniversary of the Cusrow Baug Agiary filed by Marzban Jamshedji Giara on the TZML email group Seth Nasserwanji .Hirji Karani Agiary located in sylvan surroundings of Cusrow (Khush...
Kiss seals a union in an ancient faith
By Linda Morris November 29, 2005 THE bride wore a delicate sari made of white Indian silk, the groom the ceremonial dress of the dagli or overcoat, also in white. As per the rites of their ancient...
A fine Balance: Theater
London's Tamasha theatre will unveil its long anticipated adaptation of the Rohinton Mistry novel A Fine Balance in January next year. The highly acclaimed novel, which was published in 1995 and...
Our own ‘ Sheikh Speare’
Indian Express - New Delhi,India ... Khusro Kabrazi, who founded the Parsee Nataka Mandali in 1853, presented Rustom and Sohrab at the Grant Road Theatre (the only theatre in Mumbai those days) on ...
Bavarian Rhapsody
Zubin Mehta will enthrall audiences in New Delhi and Chennai next monthNitya Rao New Delhi, November 2: Classical music connoisseurs in the Capital are in for a special treat this winter. The word...
The Parsis of Navsari
Architectonics has an excellent set of pictures on Navsari. Go to the Flickr Set here
Here a Gandhi, there a Gandhi
Mid-Day Mumbai - Bombay,India ... The business of baniya (also known as vaniya) or traders. You have Bohri Gandhees and Parsi Ghandys and then there are those abroad who spell it as Ghandi. ...
A slice of Lahore in Kolkata
Kolkata Newsline - New Delhi,India ... poet, Nabaneeta Dev Sen. The bookstore will also invite eminent Parsi citizens, many of whom have roots in Lahore. Once the book ...
Little princesses conquer Persia
The Times Online UK "...After what had seemed an eternity, we arrived at the ancient city of Yazd. Exotic with domes and strange towers, plus a fully functioning Zoroastrian fire temple, it looked...
First Iranians who introduced the art of Poetry
Persian Journal - Iran ...are the oldest part of the text, containing the Gathas (poems and songs), the only remaining direct testimony of the religion taught by Zoroaster. ...
Many Facets of Iran
The Tribune - Chandigarh,India ... Iranians don't really hate America, they love hamburgers, which are available at every corner, and flush them down with Parsi Cola while scrutinising the ...
Tour de Force: Astad Deboo
Indian Express - New Delhi,India ... journeyman. At his Parsi Colony residence in Mumbai, the 59-year-old says he's still full of beans when exciting projects come his way. ..
Excuse me, Batliwalla house is falling down
Televisionpoint.com - India ... had the collective talents of Mahabanoo Mody- Kotwal, Delnaaz Paul, Sanjeev Vatsa and the debutante Bakhtiyar Irani, who are the idiosyncratic Parsi family who ...
Pasargadae Will Never Drown
Recently we posted about The Islamic Republic of Iran having embarked on the finalizing stages of a dam construction in south of Iran that would have ultimately drowned the archeological sites of...
Exhibition: The World of Ancient Persia.
CHN.com the 80-odd works that are the centrepiece of the museum’s next show, opening on Friday, called Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia.
The genius of Sam Tata
Mid-Day.com An unabashed admirer of the Parsi community, I am often bedazzled by the exploits — in many cases, unknown and unheralded — of sons of that faith, who have brought name and glory to...
Calcutta Crumbling
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta,India ... dilapidation. pThe oldest Zoroastrian fire temple was erected by the Banajis, one of the oldest Parsi families of the city. But ...
Save Persepolis
The Islamic Republic of Iran has embarked on the finalizing stages of a dam construction in south of Iran that will ultimately drown the archeological sites of Pasargad and Persepolice, the ancient...
Film On Gujarat Riots To Screen At Pusan Festival
Bollyvista - Canada "Parzania" is the breathtaking untold story of a Parsi family trapped in the communal violence in Gujarat, where their 10 year old son comes up missing. ...
Ahmedabad textile workshop revives lost glory of Parsi embroidery
web123india.com ...one-week long workshop, with an aim to revive the lost glory of classic Parsi embroidery "Gara"...
Interfaith Calendar
Tennessean.com .....Sept. 17 — Feast of Mithra — Zoroastrian — Festival focusing on god Mithra as the angel of light. From ancient times in Iran it has been a time of gratitude for life and...
Online Zoroastrian Calendar
Online access to the Zoroastrian Calendar courtesy TheLalis
Profile: DELNAZ PAUL
Express India ....recalls Delnaz Paul. You might find that difficult to believe when you realise that she is currently in the comic, Batliwala House No.43....