Opinion Articles

Parsis in Mumbai fight existential decline in aspirants to priesthood

In a leafy neighborhood of central Mumbai, classic “Parsi-style” bungalows with their deep porches and balconies adorn the streets, a historic Parsi school has been recently renovated and at the Dadar Athornan Institute, 14 students dressed in...
Zan Zendegi Azadi: A Zoroastrian legacy

Zan Zendegi Azadi: A Zoroastrian legacy

The slogan of “Zan Zendegi Azadi” meaning women, life and freedom is being raised aloud by protestors in Islamic Republic of Iran, after Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian Kurd was pronounced dead...

The Parsis of Of Bombay: A Commentary

The Parsis of Of Bombay: A Commentary

Parag Sayta writes a commentary on the Parsis of Bombay on the Brown Pundits blogI just finished reading Michael Axworthy’s Iran: Empire of the Mind, one of Razib Khan’s recommended reads on Iran....

India’s Vaccine Diplomacy and the Parsis

India’s Vaccine Diplomacy and the Parsis

India’s vaccine diplomacy drive which has become the toast of the town in many a world capital, has much to thank the Parsis -  a tiny community which migrated from ancient Persia to India’s...

The last of the Zoroastrians

The last of the Zoroastrians

My grandfather had never been a tall man, and now he looked absurdly small, no bigger than a child. Swaddled in off-white sheets like a newborn, with just his head and the soles of his feet visible,...

How COVID Impacted Our Family

How COVID Impacted Our Family

The below account is from a very dear friend (...like family..) who I have known for a decade. We met at the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) and have over the years volunteered...

An Open Letter to Bill Gates

An Open Letter to Bill Gates

A long time dear reader of ours, who wishes to remain anonymous has written this very pertinent open letter to Bill Gates. An open letter to: ‘Bill Gates’ A ‘Prophet’ in our Times. – In both sense...

Giving, time, and a wish

Giving, time, and a wish

This forum, Gospels of giving, is dedicated to discussing wealth and why it is given. One of my central research questions concerns how wealth is given. What tools or techniques do the wealthy use...

Zoroastrianism in Kurdistan: An Overview

Zoroastrianism in Kurdistan: An Overview

It is scarcely deniable that the Zoroastrian faith is in the throes of a long-term population decline, an observation this is not merely confined to the 11% decline estimated by a comprehensive...

The Language We Pray In: Maya Joshi

The Language We Pray In: Maya Joshi

Maya Joshi shares with us something she wrote for a writing contest. The piece is called “Do You Speak My Language”. Maya writes… The Language We Pray In My grandmother closes her eyes in the dawn...

Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate For Change

Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate For Change

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY -MARCH 8, 2019 The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 is “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.” The theme focuses on innovative ways in advancing gender...

Lesson from India to Make America Great Again

Lesson from India to Make America Great Again

By granting asylum to Zoroastrians fleeing persecution a thousand years ago, a local Gujarati ruler inadvertently helped create modern India and benefited the entire world. The conventional view of...

We are the warriors of the Light

We are the warriors of the Light

Our dear friend and whiz adman Rayomand J. Patell wrote the following on a social media post today. We are the warriors of the Light. Our Fire Temples try to gently remind us of this. When Europe...

Half Parsi. Half Muslim. Full woman.

Half Parsi. Half Muslim. Full woman.

‘Name?’I say my name, in full.‘Date of birth?’I say my date of birth, in full.‘Religion?’‘Half Parsi, half Muslim,’ I say. In full.Article by Shaista Tayabali |Sister-hoodShe looks up at me. I am...

Who is a Zoroastrian?

Who is a Zoroastrian?

The court is showing that it is all too eager to meddle in the affairs of religions. Article written by Dinsha Mistree | Indian Express While many voice concern over Narendra Modi and the Hindu...

Honour or Undermine: Your Choice

Honour or Undermine: Your Choice

When I read ‘This is how USA treats Indian Military Veterans’ by Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi in the May 2017 issue of "Fauji India", I could not help but write about the experiences of my husband and I over...

Jame Response on the Recent Happenings

The below is an Op-Ed piece sent to us by Shernaz Engineer, Editor Jam-e-Jamshed Shernaz writes… Four BPP trustees proposed a “ban” on the Jam-e-Jamshed on June 28, 2016, to which several pages of...

Open Letter to the Editor of Jame Jamshed

Below is a reader submitted open letter to the Editor of Jame Jamshed. Dear Ms Shernaz Engineer, I am a reader and well-wisher of Jame Jamshed our grand 184 year old newspaper. The 5 pages dedicated...