Our annual pilgrimage to the Navsari and Udvada atash behrams made us pensive. Although it was not one of the "big days” of the Parsi calendar, there was no sitting space at Iranshah. Occupancy at the hotels and the recently spruced up sanatorium is high. Sales of mawa cakes at the local Irani Bakery are… Continue reading Udvada and Navsari Atashbehrams: A Report by Berjis Desai
Month: June 2014
Khada Parsi stands tall again, but do his values still hold?
It may have taken close to a decade to accomplish it, but the BMC needs to be complimented for restoring the Khada Parsi statue at Byculla: at the very least, the BMC cannot be accused of being entirely insensitive to history, legacy and conservation. AYAZ MEMON, Hindustan Times If there is still a bone to… Continue reading Khada Parsi stands tall again, but do his values still hold?
What would you prefer: a museum or a thriving art centre?
In the news entirely for the wrong reasons is the Bhabha bungalow. (A little aside here: is anyone or anything ever in the news for the right reason?). The newspapers are full of it, and TV channels are running discussions about it. Yet, if we were in a logical world, there would be no fuss,… Continue reading What would you prefer: a museum or a thriving art centre?
Mumbai Samachar: Going strong at 192
On July 1, Mumbai Samachar, the city’s second most circulated Gujarati paper, will reaffirm its position as the oldest surviving newspaper in Asia. When copies of the Mumbai Samachar (MS) hit the stands on July 1, the newspaper will be making history rather than just recording it. At 192 years and running, it will reaffirm… Continue reading Mumbai Samachar: Going strong at 192
After restoration, Khada Parsi stands tall
After over two years of tedious restoration work, the iconic 150-year-old “Khada Parsi” statue, a Grade I heritage monument in Mumbai, was unveiled on Friday in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackarey. The 40-feet tall, cast-iron monument has a statue of Seth Cursetjee Manockjee (1763-1845), a nineteenth century Parsi businessman-education reformer, perched atop… Continue reading After restoration, Khada Parsi stands tall
Parsis to meet Heptullah in July over reservations
The trustees of the Bombay Parsee Punchayet (BPP) will meet minority affairs minister Najma Heptullah in the first week of July to discuss reservations for the community in medical and engineering colleges and jobs in the government sector. By JYOTI SHELAR | Mumbai Mirror Heptullah recently expressed concern over the dwindling population of Parsis. BPP… Continue reading Parsis to meet Heptullah in July over reservations
Hafeez Contractor: The Slumdog Millionaire Architect
The offices of Hafeez Contractor, India’s most commercially successful architect, are on Bank Street, just around the corner from the Mumbai Stock Exchange. By Daniel Brook | New York Times The prestige of the address, however, is undermined by the beleaguered state of the Raj-era building. In the reception area, a flat-screen displaying a loop… Continue reading Hafeez Contractor: The Slumdog Millionaire Architect
