In the aftermath of the just concluded 29th Olympics in Beijing China, we received an email forward title "What Would...
Month: August 2008 Articles
Upcoming BPP Elections
The elections for the trusteeship of the Bombay Parsi Panchayat is scheduled for the month of October. Recently we had...
BBC to film Parsi Wedding
The BBC is filming a program called Around the World in 80 Faiths and will be filming the India segment in October 08. In particular they are looking to film a traditional Parsi Wedding in Mumbai...
Rahul visits Firoz Gandhi’s grave in Allahbad
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who is in Allahabad to address a public meeting, Thursday paid a visit to the grave of his grandfather, Firoz Jehangir Gandhi, in the Mumfordganj...
Last-minute drug ban could save India’s almost-extinct vultures
99.9% of India's vultures have died out over the last 20 years, the victims of unintentional poisoning. It took years to find out why India's three vulture species -- the long-billed, slender-billed...
Parsis in Ajmer welcome New Year
The article below was published in the Times of India. The original article is not on their website now but here is a Google Cache copy of the same. It is celebration time for the Parsi community as...
Celebrations of the Baroda Parsis
The following is a communique from Dinkoo Mistry of Vadodra (Baroda). We would love to carry such news and pictures of various Parsi celebrations in cities around the world. If you are a reader and...
Significance of Sudreh and Kusti
Sudra is a special shirt of nine seams worn just next to the skin made of cotton and white in colour and prepared from one whole piece of...
Ratan Tata’s words of inspiration
Ratan Naval Tata has been called many things. Quiet. Reticent. Humble. A businessman par excellence. Tenacious. And a tiger, when pushed to the wall. As we all witnessed when it looked like the...
Shernaaz Engineer on the BPP Elections
The below is an article circulated on a newsgroup. It makes interesting reading with the BPP elections in the near future, as the subject matter. With a heavy heart and a poignant pen, SHERNAAZ...
Iranian foundation to restore Pasargadae’s Islamic additions
The Parseh and Pasargadae Research Foundation plans to restore the structures added to Pasargadae during the different Islamic eras. The structures include a mosque dating back to the 12th century...
Fire temples burn bright
47 Parsi fire temples have finally made it to the heritage list. Labonita Ghosh looks at the struggle that led to this and some of the more unique agiaries that will find protection from rapacious...
Parsi Meter: Down Down Down
We came across this article via the Delhi Parsis website. Image courtesy DP. The text is from the author's blog. by Mayank Austen Soofi for the Hindustan Times. The city's Parsi population is...
Film Personalities on Parsi New Year
Perizad Kolah Marshall: Pateti is the last day of the year for the Parsi community and generally falls in the last days of August as per the English calendar. Bawas don’t need an excuse for...
Sacred Space: Parsi New Year
On Ahura Mazda Ahura means the Lord Creator, and Mazda means Supremely Wise. This was the name by which Zarathushtra addressed his God. He proclaimed that there is only one God, who is the singular...
The First Dastur Meherji Rana
The below is an article from a newslist. This is a chapter written by Noshir H. Dadrewala. Earlier we errenously mentioned that the author was not known. We apologize for the error. The first Dastur...
Converting Ambedkar: The Chance that Parsis Missed
By Farrukh Dhondy Being part of a minority has its advantages. I have been part of several. The minority status one achieves as, say, a record-breaking runner is different from that which one is...
Boman Irani: I am proud to be a Zoroastrian
Q.I am very proud to be a Zoroastrian... A.Besides playing a Parsi in few of my films, I have played a Parsi in the play I am not Bajirao . I presume it is probably my best work to date. About the...
It’s time for Sev and Dahi
By Mahafreed Irani at DNA After 10 days of praying for the departed, the Parsis are all set to welcome their New Year on Tuesday. Celebration time for Parsis has traditional as well as modern...
Navroze Mubarak! Time for hugs and cheers
Parsis from all over the country throng Udwada in Gujarat to celebrate new year at the oldest fire temple in the country, reports Mahafreed Irani Known for their stylish get-ups and hairdos, the...
Satara Agiary: The tale of a fire temple and two families
The agiary may not attract many devotees, but those that come are full of faith SATARA: Situated in the heart of the district town of Satara, some 300 km from Mumbai, stands a grand old Parsi fire...
Public Messages on Parsi New Year 2008
On the occassion of Navroze (New Year) here is a compilation of congratulatory message from various dignitaries. BBC Day in Pictures President of India The President of India, Smt. Pratibha...
A Cry for Independence: What Independence are we celebrating?
The article below is a guest article by a regular reader and guest author Anosh Doctor. We encourage readers of Parsi Khabar to send in editorials, views, thoughts and critiques that they would like...
Saal Mubarak: Happy New Year 2008
Mehernaaz, Shirrin and I wish you all our readers and supporters a very very Happy New Year. May this year bring you more happiness, prosperity, and good health. Today also marks the 4th anniversary...
Iran Profound
The Iran Letters – Part III: A Survey of 'Iran Profound' byBarin Kayaoglu Beyond the constant squabbling between Tehran and the outside world, there lies another Iran. A product of millennia, “Iran...
Iran: A Call to the Emperor
Recently we linked to a National Geographic article on Persia. Here is a further analysis of the same by regular Parsi Khabar reader Zubin Wadia National Geographic (awesome photos) ran a story on...
Bye bye to the baklava
The food here was legendary with more than a hundred dabbas going out every day. But the authentic Parsi flavour, and ‘no-nonsense’ Parsi ladies have gone missing from the Ratan Tata Institute,...
Freed Giant Emerges from Chaos
In an article about India's 61st Independance Day, there is mention of Ratan Tata. This has been bolstered by “reverse colonisation” as Indian entrepreneurs and businessmen began...
Parsi Cola
A reader sent us a tip about Parsi Cola, a soft drink that is famous in Iran and other parts of the Middle East. [image copyright] It even merits its own Wikipedia entry Here is another picture of...
ZOCHILD Day 2008
The 6th ZOCHILDAY is scheduled for Sunday, 30th November, 2008. Events have been planned at Shanmukhananda Hall and at Cama Baug, Khetwadi. If interested in participating, forms for registration...
Mumbai Parsi Panchayat election heats up
With the new challengers unveiling their panel, the war for elections to the Bombay Parsi Panchayat is already heating up. For a community which believes in maja ni life this crowd of Parsis was...
Parsis set to exercise their franchise for BPP polls
The Parsi community is all set to witness a change this October, as its members will exercise their franchise for the first time in 350 years since the Bombay Parsi Panchayat was established. From...
Parsi punchayat gears up for polls
Otherwise known to be a genteel people, the Parsi community is likely to witness mud-slinging, name-calling and character assassination over the next two months as the 350-year-old Bombay Parsi...
Roshan Peiris: Challenge-loving scribe who quizzed world leaders
She was in the twilight of her professional life as a journalist when she joined The Sunday Times, in the early ’90s, but even at that stage of her career she was a formidable force, and soon earned...
Parsi Swimmer Rehan Poncha At the Beijing Olympics
Swimmer Rehan Poncha of Bangalore was among the last Indian athletes to qualify for this edition of the Olympics, so naturally it’s a reason to celebrate for the 22-year-old. However, Poncha who was...
Ratan Tata to be awarded with Doctor of Science
President Pratibha Patil will confer Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) on top industrialist Ratan Tata at the 46th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology here tomorrow. Patil,...
Parsee at the forefront of Vegan cuisine in USA
Parsis are as far from veganism as can be. We are complete meat eaters and there are no restrictions on what we cannot eat. Therefore it is with interest that I come across this snippet about a...
Friendship Day celebrations turns unpleasant for Jimmy Mistry
The Friendship Day celebrations hosted by the Parsi community on Sunday turned sour for the organisers with residents objecting and the police fining the revellers for flagging off a car rally from...
The Harbour That Gave the Name ‘Bombay’ to Mumbai
Mumbai harbour has been the gateway to the world for commerce and travel since the British took control of the island city from the Portuguese in 1660s. However, the group of seven islands acquired...
Heritage status: Parsis pen support for BMC’s plan
The development plan department of the BMC has received nearly 3,000 letters from Zoroastrians all over the world in support of an official proposal to list the 47 fire temples in the city under the...
Southern California Mourns Manecksahaw’s passing
A condolence meeting was held at the Woodland banquet hall to celebrate the life of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw. Organized by Zarir Bhandara the meeting brought together a large cross section of...
Sat with the Dead
All Zera, 85, had in the world was her 65-year-old nephew, Homi Kaku. The latter, who was suffering from diabetes and gangrene, died on Saturday night. With no relative to inform about his death,...