My growing-up years were inextricably linked to the Banaji agiary — physically, too, because our rambling 120-year-old...
News Articles
Dinshaw Avari: Karachi Was the Dubai of the 1970s
Karachi’s history does not reside merely in its buildings, its roads, or the long curve of its shoreline. It lives in...
Pune Parsee panchayat in Rent War
Tenants of a Lullanagar society are accusing the Poona Parsee Panchayat of charging rent exceeding original terms. PPP refutes charges saying they charge according to the income of the tenant and...
Noshir Gowadia gets 32 yrs for selling US secrets
Indian-American Noshir Gowadia, a former B-2 stealth bomber engineer, was on Monday sentenced by a US court to 32 years in jail for selling American military secrets to China. Gowadia, 66, has spent...
15th North American Zarathushti Congress Houston: A Report
Houston: It was a spectacle of light, colour and movement that unfolded onstage as the fifty actors walked through their steps and captivated an engrossed audience in the huge ball room of the...
Afshin Irani: How a Young Irani Girl Stumped Obama
Afsheen Irani, a Mumbai college student, asked the one question everyone wanted to ask the most powerful man in the world. 'Why is Pakistan so important an ally to America so far as America has...
Tuition class teacher held for sexually abusing students in Mumbai
Eight students of the class eight and nine have approached the Shivaji Park police station against their coaching class owner, Feroze Katrak, 49, who had reportedly sexually abused them. By Manish K...
Dr. K B Grant Passes Away
Dr K B Grant, founder and chairman of the Grant Medical Foundation that runs Ruby Hall Clinic in the city, passed away here on Monday. He was 91. Credited as being the man who brought in some of the...
Planning Commission says No to boosting Parsi numbers
The government's plan to boost the dwindling population of Parsi community received a severe jolt with the Planning Commission rejecting a scheme proposed by the minority affairs ministry to improve...
Have they been barred from entering the temple?
A notice at a fire temple prohibiting inter-married Parsi-Zoroastrian women from bringing their children has them wondering whether their religious rights are at stake All fire temples in the city...
Parsi children return to roots
Religion is best understood by children when it is not preached pedantically. A testimony to this was Zochild Day organized by the Zoroastrian Children's Foundation (ZCF) at Shanmukhananda hall in...
From Nargol to Udvada: A Walk on the Beach
The following is a write-up by Homiar Hathiram and Farhad Choksi; good friends and regular readers of Parsi Khabar. They walked all the way from Nargol to Udvada following the coastline. Here is...
Falling Indian minority hopes romance can stop decline
India's ancient minority Parsi community are pinning their hopes on modern methods such as speed-dating, social networking and IVF to stop their numbers vanishing, finds the BBC. By Sanjoy Majumder...
Parsi special kids to have residential facility in Mumbai
Here’s good news for all Parsi parents with special kids. The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP), the biggest Parsi trust in the city, plans to setup a special residential facility for the kids. By...
Commander Firdosh Mogal Dies While Saving Indian Navy Colleague
Mumbai, Aug 31 (IBNS): An Indian Navy commander died in the sea off Mumbai on Monday while trying to rescue his colleague who was swept away by the sea. The incident happened when one of four...
A Wish List for 1380 Yz
The following is an article by Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram on Frashogard.com On 16th June, 632 AD, Yazdegard, son of Shaharyar ascended the throne of Iran as the 29th King of the Sassanian dynasty. As...
A Date With Parsis
The new saviours of a 3,500 year-old faith are hip and tech-savvy. Parsi-Zoroastrian youngsters are using Facebook, speed dating, and paintball competitions to meet, make merry and perhaps marry. By...
They’ve got the ZYNG thing
Nearly 2,000 young Zoroastrians from India and abroad have got together to tell the nay-sayers and the no-hopers, inside and outside the community that they can overcome. By Priyal Dave / Afternoon...
Russi Mody: ‘What an outsider would do at Tatas’
Once touted as a contender to head the Tata group before Ratan Tata took charge, Russi Mody feels that someone from the family alone should spearhead the USD 71 billion conglomerate and any outsider...
Noshir Gowadia Convicted for Selling US Military Secrets to China
A former B-2 bomber engineer who marketed and sold his stealth expertise to China is facing life in a federal prison following his conviction for bartering U.S. military secrets. By Associated...
My successor will not be anti-Parsi or pro-Parsi: Ratan Tata
Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata today said that his successor would neither be pro-Parsi nor anti-Parsi but should be the right person. "The Tata Group is an Indian group and we should not be...
Zoroastrians – Keep The Faith: Different Drummers
Rohinton Rivetna, Tenaz Jamsetjee and Shazad Mehta of Chicago were recently interview on TV for the program Different Drummers. This was featured on CBS TV a couple of weeks ago.
Ratan Tata: The Successor Search Is On
Ratan Tata appears serious about keeping his date with retirement. Tata Sons, the promoter of the $71 billion Tata Group, has formally set the ball rolling to find a successor to its present...
Parsis felicitate new Chief Justice of India
Addressing a large gathering of the Parsi community on Saturday, newly appointed Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Sarosh Kapadia admitted to being a workaholic and a deeply spiritual person. By...
Cama Baug Agiary Varasyaji Pass Away
Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram informs us about the passing away of the holy Varasyaji, and a fascinating primer on the importance of Varsyaji in Zoroastrian religion and culture. It is my sad duty to...
CJI Kapadia calls upon Parsis abroad to help in nation building
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sarosh Kapadia has urged members of the Parsi community settled abroad to return to India and contribute to national development. "I always believed that it is better to...
This Parsi divorce court convenes only twice a year
Indian courts abound with pending cases, but there is a court which does not seem to have much in hand. Article by Hetal Vyas / DNA India Therefore, it sits only twice a year. It’s a divorce court...
Fun, learning & bonding at Parsi youth meet
Over 250 youths participated in various events held at the 18th all-India Zoroastrian youth meet on Friday and Saturday. There were interaction-based games and orientation sessions. Author :...
Sarosh Homi Kapadia Appointed Chief Justice of India
Supreme Court Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia has been appointed the new chief justice of India. Kapadia will assume charge May 12. Kapadia takes over from Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, India's first Dalit...
Murree: Story of a Rawalpindi brewery that survived amid alcohol restrictions in Pakistan
Rawalpindi, recognised the world over for its army generals and fundamentalist mosques, is also home to Murree Brewery which has operated in the conservative Pakistani city since 1860. Published by...
Percy Batliwalla Heads Bank of America in Singapore
Received via email from Maneck Bhujwala According to India-West News of April 23, 2010, “A Parsi Zarathushti, Percy Batliwalla in May will join Bank of America Merrill Lynch as head, Asia Pacific,...
Parsi genome project to probe mysteries of longevity, cancer
More than 4,200 Parsis have so far given their blood samples for a genome project that aims at a comprehensive study of Zoroastrian individuals to explore the genetic basis of their longevity and...
The last Bhuj Parsi passes away
Roadaben Sorabji Botwala spent her whole life in Bhuj Bhuj, the district headquarters of Kutch, which once boasted of a large population of Parsis is sad at the death last weekend of the last...
Affidavit opposes Parsi woman’s plea
Two high priests of Parsi community have filed an affidavit before Gujarat high court, stating that there is no tradition where a girl marrying in another community can enjoy Parsi rights. The...
Marzban Shroff and the “Ghati” Controversey
Tolerance level has gone down, High Court rues The tolerance level of the people has gone down, the Bombay High Court today remarked while dealing with a petition filed by an author who is facing...
A Navjote Ceremony with full security
Two children of a Parsi woman and her Catholic husband were initiated into the Zoroastrian community on Friday under police security as the Parsi community had objected to the Navjyot Ceremony....
The Private Papers of Sir Dinshaw Wacha
Below is a request by Dinyar Patel, a PhD candidate at Harvard University. Dinyar Patel writes... I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at Harvard University and the grand-nephew of...
Protest Against Jame Jamshed
The below is a copy of the letter to the Editor of Jame Jamshed. This letter is written by good friend Ervad Marzban J Hathiram, who is the head priest of the Behram Baug Agiary and the editor of...
Parsi lady seeks cop cover for Navjot of kids
Wants protection for the initiation ceremony of her children born of a Catholic father after threats from disapproving community elders By Manoj Nair / Mumbai Mirror A Parsi woman and her...
Shelter over their heads, Surat Parsi couples enjoy parenthood
It may be pleasing news for the members of the Parsi community that many of the newly-wed young Parsi women are in the family way in Surat, which has a population of 3,500 of the total 90,000 Parsis...
Valsad’s Parsi Woman Seeks Court Help to Worship
A Parsi woman married to a non-Parsi has sought the Gujarat High Court's intervention to avail the fundamental right to worship and to access the religious places of Parsis she was denied by her...
ZYNG Creates Platform for Youth Interaction
Although a modest Rs 1 crore was allocated in the Union budget to impede dwindling population of minority communities, city's Parsis believe self-help is the best help. The community, under the...
Navroze Recognition by United Nations
The UN has acknowledged the festival of Navroze as a Heritage of Humanity. The below is an email forwarde by Mickie Sorabjee. Dear All, You will be happy to know that finally, after some years of...
Parsis storm Zoroastrian College to stop conversion of a Russian
Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairman alleged the institute’s head Meher Master-Moos was indulging in ‘wrongful’ conversion, which is reserved for only sons of priests By Manoj R Nair and Ram Parmar /...
Parvin Jungalwala Escapes 17-year Confinement
For 17 years, Parvin Jungalwala, 40, a Parsi widow, allegedly spent her life in home confinement. However, she decided to end her torture and the reason for this his is her daughter's well-being,...
Anu Aga of Thermax India Awarded the Padma Shri
Anu Aga, the ex-Chairman of Thermax India has been awarded the Padma Shri. Her name featured on the list of awardees announced by the Government on the occasion of Republic Day 2010. Here is a short...
Ervad K. N. Dastoor appointed Vada Dasturji of Navsari Atash Behram
From Ervad Marzban Hathiram I am happy to inform readers that the Bhagarsath Anjuman has elected Ervad Kaikhushroo Navroze Dastoor (more popularly known as K. N. Dastoor, or KND) as the 17th Dastur...
Dasturji Meherjirana: An Obituary
Parsi Khabar joins all the Parsis in expressing condolences on the passing away of Dasturji Meherjirana. Ervad Marzban Hathiram has written a wonderful obituary. It is my solemn duty to inform...
Jam-e-Jamshed: Return to the fold
With a new editor taking over Jam-e-Jamshed, the recently acquired reformist views of the 177-year-old Parsi weekly may be toned down By Manoj R Nair / Mumbai Mirror On Sunday, readers of...
Can Zoroastrians save their faith?
By Deena Guzder / The Washington Post Many of us recently finished celebrating Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah; however, few of us have heard of the religion that deeply influenced those traditions of...
Dadar Parsi Colony to stay ‘ exclusive’
Residents of the landmark Dadar Parsi Colony, the largest Zoroastrian enclave in the world, have won a six-year-long legal battle to allow only members of this tiny community to live in this...
Sir JJ’s heir held for fake voter ID
Malabar Hill police are investigating how Byram Jeejeebhoy, who holds a US citizenship, obtained an Indian voter identity card By Abhijit Sathe & Manoj R Nair / Mumbai Mirror Byram Jeejeebhoy,...