The university has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Minority Affairs to start this special...
Heritage Articles
A forgotten link of Govadia heritage
Going back to the roots: an emotion in motionA forgotten link of Govadia heritageArticle by Adil J. GovadiaOur large...
Mumbai Metro 3 affects iconic J. N. Petit Library
Percy Wadia, a staff member of the library told the Free Press Journal that they have around 3, 000 members as the regular visitors to the library before the Metro work began. Jamshetjee...
Sanjan: Digging Deep into History
On a dark and stormy night, a ship full of Zoroastrian refugees from Persia was lashed by the wind, rain and waves off the west coast of India. The refugees in the ship, fearful for their lives,...
170 years old and standing tall: Secunderabad Agiary was built by two banker brothers
Come August 17 and the Parsi community in the city will gather at the 170-year-old Fire Temple in Secunderabad to celebrate New Year. The majestic structure standing tall on MG Road was built in...
Tracing a Parsi trail through Gujarat
For Zoroastrian heritage, the shadows may be lengthening, but at least the flame continues to flicker.Article by Meher Mirza CN TravellerAn old Parsi house in Navsari. Photo: Dinodia...
The last of the Parsees: The only family in Balasore, Orissa tells their tale
Balasore, August 25 (LocalWire): The eastern state of Odisha is known for its culture, age-old traditions, temples and its indigenous people. People of all religions have called the state home...
Two decades from now, Pakistan will have no Parsis
Just before sunset, five elderly men leave their homes in the Cyrus Minwalla Colony, the oldest settlement of Karachi’s Parsis, and sit themselves down on cement benches placed alongside a...
A Tribute to the Feriyas
Feriyas is a colloquialism from Feriwalla, Gujarati for someone who takes a 'Fero', a round of some place. During the struggle for Indian Independence, people used to have Prabhat Feri, a small...
Zoroastrians and Jains added to UK’s war memorial service
Representatives of the Jain and Zoroastrian will now join 15 other faiths, including Hinduism, Sikhism, at Britain's annual war memorial service to make it more reflective of modern Britain, Faith...
Honouring the First Benefactor of HKU: Sir Hormusjee N Mody
Every year on October 12, the local Zoroastrian community commemorates the birthday of Sir Hormusjee Mody and his generosity to the University by having a priest place a garland of flowers around...
Dadar Parsi Colony: A Photo Tour
My first encounter with Dadar was back in 2004 when I used to travel from Churchgate to Dadar during the evening rush hour. Most of my journey would go in planning my exit strategy from the crowded...
4 Parsi women on their most precious heirloom jewellery and the stories they
A piece of jewellery is more than just an accessory; it is a record of a time, a mood, of lives and loves. And heirloom jewellery, handed lovingly down, is a veritable archive of a family’s history....
Dadar Parsi Colony: Who To Know In Mumbai’s Only Unwalled Baug
Strange things are afoot in Dadar Parsi Colony. This summer, for the first time in 89 years, the well at the Rustomji Faramna Agiary on Dinshaw Master Road ran dry. Then the BMC tried to separate...
DNA proves Parsis link to Iran
Hyderabad: They have just proved the correctness of a popular myth — ‘Like Sugar in Milk, about Parsis. The Centre of Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) scientists, along with researchers from...
Preserving Parsi Traditions
In the highly competitive food and beverage business environment of Delhi–National Capital Region, the restaurant brand SodaBottleOpenerWala is just another name where customers expect a fine dining...
A Year’s Membership To J N Petit Library in Fort Mumbai Only Costs INR 1,000
Eminent Parsi historian and our dear friend Marzban Giara informs us that the J. N. Petit Library Fort was started in 1895 and not 1856 (as stated in the article below) in memory of Jamsetjee...
Kozikhode: Parsi culture still has its fire glowing
On April 18 which is observed as World Heritage Day, among the several monuments with a story to tell in Kozhikode is its only Parsi temple in Kerala. The local people are not well aware of this...
The obscure religion that shaped the West
Talk of ‘us’ and ‘them’ has long dominated Iran-related politics in the West. At the same time, Christianity has frequently been used to define the identity and values of the US and Europe, as well...
How a Mumbai cemetery tour turned into a debate on religion and menstrual rules
On December 11, professors from Wilson College and the principal of a Zoroastrian religious school led a group of 25 people, including a few foreign travellers, on a one-hour tour of Doongerwadi,...
132-year-old Ripon Club plans partial sell-off to cut rising losses
Although the 132-year-old Ripon Club has endured the vicissitudes of time and fortune, a part of the good old Parsi bastion may suffer partial eclipse. A controversial proposal to surrender or sell...
A Walk In Karachi’s Katrak Colony
Parsi influence on Karachi’s architecture is immense. Parsi businessmen and philanthropists commissioned some of the most remarkable structures in Karachi especially at the turn of last century....
Freddie Mercury’s House Awarded English Heritage Blue Plaque
On the occasion of the 70th birth anniversary of Freddie Mercury (Fred Bulsara), his home was awarded the English Heritage Blue Plaque. Per a news release forwarded via email by Malcolm Deboo,...
Tanka Water Harvesting System of the Parsi Community
Dr. Shernaz Cama informs us… We at Parzor have been working on Ecology since the beginning of our UNESCO Parzor Project . Zoroastrianism has been called ' the world's first ecological religion' and...
Quetta Parsis: The Untold Story
In the heart of the city, surrounded by beautiful mountains, Quetta’s Parsi Colony is picture-perfect. The lush green trees sway in the breeze. There is a rare feeling of trust: instead of the...
Cozy Building And the story of an iconic Indian Family Photograph
Indian writer and photographer Sooni Taraporevala, best known as the screenwriter of The Namesake and Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay, took a picture of her family in a Mumbai balcony 31 years ago....
Mr. Alpaiwalla’s Legacy: India’s Parsi Museum
Housed in a quiet corner of the Kharegat Parsi Colony, the Alpaiwalla Museum of Mumbai opens its doors willingly to all curious visitors. And there can be no better guide than Ms. Nivedita Mehta,...
Once upon a Hill Road
An arterial road in Bandra is as deep-steeped in general lore as it is in personal memory for someone who grew up on this street I am the Resurrection and the Life’ affirms the inscription on the...
BH Wadia Clock Tower in Mumbai Vandalized
How safe is Mumbai's heritage from wrecking? How safe is Mumbai’s heritage from wrecking? A theft at Fort’s century-old BH Wadia clock tower throws up uncomfortable questions Mumbai isn’t free from...
Nostalgia
There are certain incidents and memories that are forever imprinted in your mind’s eye. It just needs a trigger to awaken those memories and then you remember as though that incident took place just...
Banajee Agiary in Calcutta is now an Electrical Market
The huge Rustomjee Cowasjee Banajee Agiary (Agiary – is a fire temple in which Parsi Zoroastrians pray) at 26 Ezra Street in Central Kolkata has been turned into an electrical market of sorts, but...
Keka the Quintessential Ogre
He was the quintessential ogre. To my 6-year-old eyes there did not exist a more ferocious giant than Keka. When I first saw the Bollywood movie ‘Sholay’ and Gabbar boasting about his notoriety and...
Birds and Bees: Growing Up
The girl gang consisting of tweens was growing up fast. Every evening and earlier on holidays, we would meet, talk, play, cycle around, exchange school news and happily pass our time together. In...
Concert Between M and N
I woke up at 8 that day since it was a Saturday and a school holiday. As was my habit, I headed straight for the balcony, ignoring my Mum’s pleas to first brush my teeth and finish my morning...
Crime steals Parsi heritage town Udvada’s thunder
Could flagrant and repeated armed robberies in the Parsi Mecca of Udvada, a sea town 177 kms from Mumbai mar the glint of Modi’s 20-crore development boost, including December’s grand Iranshah...
Heroes forgotten: Searching for the Dinshaws of Karachi
This is the story of a Parsi father and his son; their services for the city of Karachi long forgotten by the non-Parsi community of the city or the country. The father was Edulji Dinshaw, and the...
Neighbors
I had gone to stay with my daughter in one of the Mumbai suburbs. I casually inquired about her neighbors. I had not seen her visiting any of her neighbors or any neighbors coming over to visit us....
Gulbai
Married at an early age, she came to live with her husband in Bombay from Surat. She was a worthy partner. She bore him 6 children, brought them up, married and settled them. Gulbai was now the...
Childhood Visits to Nargol
Sleep had eluded me the night before due to sheer excitement, but a light tap and I was wide awake. The summer vacation had begun. Today, we were going to Nargol, my Mum’s native village. This was a...
Parsi-Iranian way of life and a journey to the roots
While lamenting the lack of interest on Zoroastrian religion, the mother-in-law mentioned that there are opportunities to learn the Avesta language and Zoroastrian scriptures. Article by Natasha...
New Delhi To Host First Ever Large Scale Festival on Parsi Culture in 2016
A mega festival, with exhibits being brought from world over, is being proposed by Minority Affairs Ministry for March next year Article by Sobhana K Nair | Bangalore Mirror New Delhi: In March next...
Dying Iranian language gets boost
BORI, in collaboration with London University, to hold 10-day course in Avestan, an ancient language now fading into oblivion. In an attempt to resurrect the ancient Iranian language Avestan,...
Parsigutta A cluster of basthis in Hyderabad
Parsigutta is one of the popular suburban areas in the city. It comes under Boudhanagar Municipal Division. Parsigutta is surrounded by Ram Nagar, Padma Rao Nagar, Musheerabad, Warasiguda and...
In Udvada: The Maha Kumbh of the Parsis
The anniversary of the Atash Behram, the most sacred fire, at the sleepy town of Udvada, is when the community opens up to all comers, and with free delicious food for everyone. Article by Madhulika...
Six Parsi Aunties You’ll Want For Company !
Brownpaperbag knocks on doors from Cusrow to Behram Baug to scout six Parsi ladies with hobbies and businesses that you should know about. 30.04.2015 Ranging from suspicious and wary to chatty and...
Longing and Loss at Dadar Parsi Colony
The heritage precinct is both, a tree spangled island and the last bastion of a threatened community. To its residents, the BMC's move to fill its streets with hawkers has become a metaphor of loss....
Bordi: In Search of Serenity
‘Chikoos’, ‘aamras’, Parsi food and empty beaches—Bordi offers a restful break from the city rush When you’re driving in Mumbai, you never get to speed, or even feel the wind in your hair. Road...
Death and Legal History on Sunday Afternoons
Cemeteries as Historical Evidence In Law and Identity in Colonial South Asia, Mitra Sharafi argues that rather than trying to maintain collective autonomy and integrity by avoiding interaction with...
Emperor Akbar’s Parsi counsel: The First Dastur Meherji Rana
Established in 1874, the first Dastoor Meherjirana Library in Navsari is named after the first Parsi high priest of India. The most priceless manuscript at the library is a framed original document...
Navroz in New Delhi: Shernaz Italia
While a dwindling community struggles to survive, filmmaker Shernaz Italia documents the little-known lives of the Delhi Parsis who moved to the capital at the turn of the 19th century “Aavoji,...
Jamsetji Tata’s residence wins UNESCO honour
“A good conservation job is like a root canal,“ says architect Vikas Dilawari.“It does not happen quickly and requires many sittings.“Recently , one such root canal took Dilawari 10 years. His hair...
Heritage enclave cracks open its door to redevelopment
At the entrance to Parsi Colony in Dadar, two new towers signal the changes creeping into this low-rise, historic neighbourhood. Article by Nergish Sunavala | Times of India One is Parsi builder...