At age 13, he was adopted by Sir Ratan Tata, marking the beginning of a journey that intertwined his destiny with the...
Individuals Articles
Raian Karanjawala on his friends Ratan Tata, Arun Jaitley, and Rupert Murdoch
His relationship with these luminaries deepened over decades, as Karanjawala was by their side through good times and...
K B Grant: Pune’s ‘Young’ Medical Architect
Pune's 'Young' Medical Architect Despite braving many odds, Dr KB Grant, Founder and Managing Trustee of Pune's Ruby Hall Clinic never dithered from his purpose of providing the latest medical...
The King of Cobra is in town
HYDERABAD: It's not exactly the return of the prodigal, because Karan Billimoria has been coming home to Hyderabad every year from London, the city that he has made his own for the past two decades....
Avesthagen launches AVESTAGENOME
Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt. Ltd., (Avesthagen) a leading biotechnology company today announced the launch of the AVESTAGENOME TM project, a unique project to build a complete genetic,...
Ardeshir Cowasjee – The Grand Old Man of Karachi
Ardeshir Cowasjee is a renowned newspaper columnist in Pakistan, whose weekly columns appear in the nation's oldest English language daily Dawn. A man of very few words (as the reader will...
Parsis to import, breed vultures
The Parsi tradition of cremation by keeping the bodies in the Tower of Silence to be devoured by vultures was under threat as birds of prey had gone almost extinct in Mumbai. The Bombay Parsi...
JRD Tata: Man of steely values
Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata is an easy man to write about. With his iconic status and corporate accolades, JRD the businessman could have overshadowed JRD the man and yet the book 'Forever Jeh'...
The TATA Group
The Tata family has a tiny stake in Tata Sons, the holding company which owns the controlling stake in all the companies under the banner. Ratan Tata himself is said to own about one per cent stake...
Sanaya Ichhaporia: Promising Athlete
Not many athletes can boast of bagging 30 gold medals in their first year of running. But 13-year-old Sanaya Ichhaporia has not only done that but she even goes on to tell all about the 50 others...
Sustainable solutions for plastic problems
Karan Billimoria and Earthsoul’s replacement products for plastics claim to consume less fossil fuels and emit low greenhouse gases. At a time when the issue of global warming is attracting the...
Steeled to succeed: Ratan Tata
Steeled to succeed With his aggressive bidding for Corus, the low-profile Ratan Tata has catapulted Tata steel to the fifth-largest steel manufacturing unit in the world. It seems for this trained...
The Nation’s Consciencevala
Eminent jurist, outspoken critic, Nani A. Palkhivala devoted his life to upholding the Indian Constitution By T.R. Andhyarujina "God's gift to India" is what C. Rajagopalachari called this...
JRD Tata and The Infosys Story
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel....
Independent, but serious contenders
From unlikely parties like the AIADMK to the various rebels and activist-independents contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the top brass of every major political party is scanning the...
Being Boman Irani
From playing the eccentric Dr Asthana in Munnabhai MBBS to the boisterous Lucky Singh in Lago Raho Munnabhai, Boman Irani has played characters everyone can relate to. In a chat with CNN-IBN’s...
From Parsi Priests to Profits: The TATA Story
Like his devout Zoroastrian ancestors, Ratan Tata avoids conspicuous consumption. Yet he has guided his company through India's economic boom to revenues of more than £10bn a year and his takeover...
Air Marshal Fali Homi Major is New IAF Chief
The Government today appointed Air Marshal Fali Homi Major, PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC, presently Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command, as the next Chief of the Air Staff with effect...
The Israel Philaharmonic and Zubin Mehta
The NYTimes carries a piece on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Israel Philaharmonic. Zubin Mehta, the legendary Parsi Conductor is the Director for Life at the IPO. The current music...
Wing Cdr Hoshang K Patel
I came across a wonderful interview with Wing Commander (Retd) Hoshang K Patel. He talks about life in the Air Force and over Burma. Here is an excerpt. Image copyrights bharat-rakshak.comWg Cdr...
Indian of the Year: Ratan Tata
Think India, think Tata. The visionary business house that grew up with independent India, driving down new highways, providing the nation its morning cup of tea and adding that vital pinch of salt...
Astad Deboo Awarded Padma Shri
The phone hasn't stopped ringing at the Antia residence in Parsee Colony for a couple of days. Not that anybody minds. After all, one of their kin, noted choreographer Astad Deboo, has just been...
Cdr Kurush F Morris United States Navy
CDR Kurush F. Morris Commanding Officer USS TAYLOR (FFG 50) Commander Morris was born in Mumbai, India and migrated to the U.S. at the age of 5 with his parents. Upon graduating from high school in...
Courage Under Fire: A Tribute to Nani Palkhiwala
This is an edited version of Teesta Setalvad’s acceptance speech on being conferred the Nani A Palkhivala award, 2006 Nani Palkhivala has been described alternately as a passionate democrat, a...
Safe in Poonawalla’s hands
Dara Bhesania: Life at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse
It’s not just the members, horses, trainers and jockeys who make things happen at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. There are many others who play vital roles in their own capacity. Sadly, limelight...
Parsi Judge in Body Building Gym Ad
One can't say for sure if Justice B J Shethna really packed some power in the punches he allegedly rained on his colleague, Justice P B Majmudar, in Ahmedabad on January 11. But, if he really did,...
The shy architect: Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata has transformed India's biggest company, and done it alone CASTING about for someone to run a big family firm when a successful tyrant is due to retire is usually a troublesome business....
Dan David: Prizes in 3 time dimensions
Zubin Mehta was awarded the The Dan David Prize for the Present Time Dimension, which this year was dedicated to Contemporary Music. Zubin Mehta, who is one of the world's leading conductors, was...
Lover of Life, Singer of Songs: The Very Best of Freddie Mercury
Album: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs: The Very Best of Freddie Mercury Solo (Hollywood) Why we care: Queen's late, great rock god (who would have been 60 this year) didn't have a prolific career...
Karate champs
Sisters Zinatra and Mahzarine Bonesetter make their parents proud by clinching seven medals at the recently held 8th All Gujarat Shotaokan Karate Championships Tennis and badminton move aside. The...
A Parsi Wedding
A good friend of Parsi Khabar and problogger Manish Vij of Ultrabrown fame was invited for a Parsi Wedding. He has some great observations and wonderful snaps. Check them here Incidentally, the...
Zubin Mehta Felicitated at Kennedy Center
Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman has declared that Zubin Mehta's "profound artistry and devotion to music make him a world treasure." No doubt that's why he'll be celebrated as one of...
Parsi from “Penang”writes back
A couple of weeks ago we posted an article by Ruby Lilaowala about her trip to Malaysia. She mentioned that there wre only two Parsi families in Malaysia. A reader Zarir Cama wrote back to us on...
75-yr-old Katy Gundevia donates kidney to auto driver
"What better way to leave one's footprints behind than to donate one's organs." This was not a plea coming from a group of doctors encouraging people to pledge their organs for ailing patients, but...
India’s Tiger : Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata turned a sleepy firm into a global power by targeting the low end of the market It's not that Ratan Tata finds the rich uninteresting--after all he's one of them. No, it's more the case...
Polly Umrigar: Child at Heart
Madhav Mantri sat at his Hindu Colony dwelling, protective collar around his neck and all last evening, hurting at the passing away of Polly Umrigar. The former India skipper looked up to Mantri,...
Polly Umrigar Passes Away
The legendary cricketer, sterling statesman to the game, and an amazing personality, Pahlan (Polly) Umrigar passed away today. This was reported in the 10 pm. CNN-IBN news channel. Polly kaka was...
NRI Karan Billimoria felicitated
Describing him as a "role model" for the Indian community, London-based India International Foundation has felicitated Karan Billimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, for becoming the first Parsi and...
Zubin, Freddie, Ratan: The Parsi conquests
When Ratan Tata made that big Diwali-eve announcement to pitch for India's biggest overseas acquisition yet, he sent a unique cultural message with a trait so typical of his Parsi community. He...
Hall of Fame: Farokh Engineer
Name the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman who was explosive with the bat, superbly efficient and athletic behind the stumps, started off as a goalkeeper, and was famous for his hair, sex-appeal, and...
TATA: An Indian Company Wants to Be Everywhere
The NYT writes about the recent bid by Tata Steel to acquire Corus of UK. This would propel Tata's to #6 in list of the largest steel manufacturers in the world, from their current position below...
Boman Irani’s mission in Don
I'm here to investigate actor Boman Irani's latest role -- as supercop and Deputy Commissioner of Police -- in director Farhan Akhtar's remake of the 1978 Bollywood thriller and superhit, Don. DCP...
Nilufer Bharucha focuses on women in Indian fiction, cinema
Fans of Indian cinema and literature will want to catch upcoming presentations by visiting professor Dr. Nilufer Bharucha at the University College of the Fraser Valley. Bharucha, the head of the...
Perizaad Zorabian all set to marry Boman Irani
How did you know?"was Perizaad Zorabian's reaction when we congratulated her on the news of her wedding. December 7 will see the actress tying the knot with beau Boman Irani - not the funnyman from...
Kennedy Center to Honour Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is among the five stalwarts from the arts and entertainment field who will be honoured by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this year. Apart from Mehta, the others are...
Dr. Homi Dastur, Eminent Neurosurgeon Turns 80
Dina Mehta, the power-house Indian blogger writes to inform that My dad, Dr. Homi Dastur, is 80 today ... and you'd never know it if you met him. He's a neurosurgeon and still operates at Jaslok...
Dinyar Vania At the NY City Opera
Dinyar Vania, a Parsi tenor performs at the NY City Opera on October 14, 2006 and again the following Tuesday. As per the announcement "Dinyar Vania is making his lead tenor role debut with N.Y....
Tata: the Indian industrial giant with a core of steel
Tata Steel was set up in the teeth of racist scorn and the incredulity of many servants of the Raj Both groups are headed by Indians and both are hungry to take over non-Indian steel companies. But...
Dasturji Jamasp Asa achieves fifty years of service
Tuesday was an important day for Mumbai's Parsi community. The high priest of the community, Vada Dastur Saheb Khaikhusroo Dastur Minocher Pamasp Asa, of the 109-year-old Anjumana Atash Behram at...
Capturing golden moments
Meet Armaity Bamanbehram, the first Parsi lady to have completed 25 years as a videographer Armaity Bamanbehram is no stranger in the world of videography. And is quite a renowned name among the...
A Parsee passionate about sidecar bikes!
Standing in one corner of Jer Baug, Byculla, the BSA B31 350cc motorbike with sidecar waits for the rains to end. It is only then, that its owner Neville Choksi will lift the covers from this...