Among Parsis, Khandias are a group of people spoken about only in hushed tones. It is their job to bathe and carry the deceased of the community to the Towers of Silence for vultures, and then tend to the mortal remains, pushing them ritually into a deep pit at the centre of the circular ‘tower’… Continue reading Khandias: The Keepers of Doongerwadi
Month: July 2015
How India makes Parsi babies
The Parsis of India are a unique community, but their numbers are declining fast. In an effort to change this, the government is spending $1.5m to encourage them to have more children. Persis Aspi Kamakhan still cannot believe her luck. She clucks and coos at her baby daughter, Hufriya, as she tries to dress her… Continue reading How India makes Parsi babies
Udvada gets Rs 20 Crore boost
Gujarat’s tourism ministry has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the development of Udvada, home to the Iranshah Atash Behram, the highest order fire temple for Parsis. Article By Jyoti Shelar | Mumbai Mirror The first instalment of Rs 10 crore has already been released, and the second instalment will be released in the next financial… Continue reading Udvada gets Rs 20 Crore boost
Prime Minister Modi and Ratan Tata set to grace International Udvada Utsav in December 2015
Parsis from across the country and globe will participate in the first ever ‘Iranshah Udvada Utsav’, beginning December 25 in Udvada, Navasari. The Iranshah Udvada Utsav is jointly organised by the recently formed Foundation for Development of Udvada (FDU) and the Udvada Samast Anjuman (USA), which have eminent Parsi leaders its members. Dastoor Khurshed, the… Continue reading Prime Minister Modi and Ratan Tata set to grace International Udvada Utsav in December 2015
Ervad Dr. Parvez Bajan Earns Doctorate In Ancient Avesta Pahlavi Script
Rustom House in Grant Road is home to an elderly priest who is a veritable storehouse of Iranian history . Ervad Parvez Bajan has six cupboards for books on Irani and Persian culture and just one for his personal effects. He can pick out unerringly the volume in the vast cache which contains a particular… Continue reading Ervad Dr. Parvez Bajan Earns Doctorate In Ancient Avesta Pahlavi Script
Open Parsi dokhmas to kin, says protesting workers’ union
The Mumbai Mazdoor Sabha, representing the Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s (BPP) 220 Class IV workers, has asked the trust to allow relatives of the deceased into the roofless towers where dead bodies are placed so community members can see the deplorable conditions in which the pallbearers are forced to work. Article by Nergish Sunavala | Times… Continue reading Open Parsi dokhmas to kin, says protesting workers’ union
Parsis volunteer to turn corpse-bearers
BPP Trustee Scopes Out Substitutes If Khandias Strike About 25 Parsis, normally employed as plumbers, engineers and businessmen, will don crisp white uniforms and work as pallbearers or khandias if a recent agitation by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s (BPP) Class IV workers escalates into a strike. Even BPP trustee Yazdi Desai has volunteered to carry… Continue reading Parsis volunteer to turn corpse-bearers
