Farhad Bhesania, 31, a Godrej Baug resident, has never regretted the decision he took nearly 17 years ago. Belonging to a family of Parsi priests, Bhesania chose a different path for himself. By Ashutosh Shukla / DNA “If I had stepped into my family’s footsteps, I would have lived in guilt,” said Bhesania who works… Continue reading Parsis hear chants of holy change
Category: Atashbehram & Agiary
Godrej Baug Agary Celebrates 10 years
More than 2,000 Parsis flocked to celebrate the anniversary of the city’s youngest fire temple last week. The Shapurji Fakirji Jokhi Agiary in Godrej Baug, Malabar Hill, completed 10 years on December 18. The priest performed prayer ceremonies in the afternoon. Youth leaders also spoke to the people about uniting as a community. The celebrations… Continue reading Godrej Baug Agary Celebrates 10 years
Religious Education and the Future of Young Mobeds in North America and Beyond
In early summer 2009, Jim Engineer, one of the founders of NextGenNow got in touch with me to see if I would like to write an article for the Fall 2009 FEZANA Journal. NextGenNow as an organisation were guest-editing. The above-titled article is one of the two articles I wrote for this edition. My earliest… Continue reading Religious Education and the Future of Young Mobeds in North America and Beyond
Religious Adultery and Parsis
Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram, a good old friend, editor of Frashogard.com and the Panthaki at the Jogeshwari Daremehr has written a hard hitting post on religious adultery. Marzban writes My apologies for not updating the blog for the last few weeks since I was tied up in the Muktad preparations and prayers in our Daremeher… Continue reading Religious Adultery and Parsis
Parsis seek apology from Arjun Rampal over ‘hurtful’ remark
Arjun Rampal should apologise to the Parsis. This is the demand from sections of the Parsi community who are scandalised with the actor for stating in a recent interview to a men’s magazine that he had visited a Parsi fire-temple or agiary. "I must be one of the few people who has gone into the… Continue reading Parsis seek apology from Arjun Rampal over ‘hurtful’ remark
Pune’s Sorabji Ratanji Patel Agiary: Temple of subdued grandeur
Demure and unassuming, Sardar Sorabji Patel Agiary in Nana Peth is quite like the Iranian and Parsi Zoroastrians who worship at this fire temple. And, although the community is arguably among the richest, the temple itself wears an austere look. The agiary (Gujarati word for house of fire’) was originally built in 1824 by Seth… Continue reading Pune’s Sorabji Ratanji Patel Agiary: Temple of subdued grandeur
High Court says no to plan for redevelopment of Kappawala Agiary
In a major victory for the Parsi community in the city, the Bombay high court recently dismissed an application seeking to commercially exploit a portion of the Kappawala Agiary (fire temple) at Tardeo. Justice Nishita Mhatre upheld the order of the charity commissioner, which had denied permission to the Seth Shapurji Sorabji Kappawal Charitable Trust… Continue reading High Court says no to plan for redevelopment of Kappawala Agiary