Some might see the towering billboards that rise out of a centuries-old Bombay funeral ground as a message from beyond the grave. But the signs — which exhort motorists to “Rev up your night life” by buying a popular car — have bitterly divided the city’s Parsi community since they were erected last week, with… Continue reading Funeral billboards raise cash, ire in India
Category: Heritage
Bringing up the mediums: Parsi Mobeds
Parents make the heartbreaking decision to send their children to residential schools for various material reasons. It’s seldom for a cause. But last year, parents of 30 Parsi children decided that the cause of serving the community was worthy enough. So they packed them off, some of them only about six years old, to the… Continue reading Bringing up the mediums: Parsi Mobeds
Tehmulji Parsi Lying-In Hospital May be Demolished
Parsi maternity home on the block Tucked away in a quiet lane off D N Road is one of the city’s oldest infirmaries–the charmingly named Dr Tehmulji’s Parsi Lying-in hospital. Built more than a century ago in 1895, the heritage building near New Excelsior cinema is up for sale. For generations, Parsi women have delivered… Continue reading Tehmulji Parsi Lying-In Hospital May be Demolished
Zoroastrianism dying out in modern times
Many young boys being trained as priests will instead follow other careers Like most 12-year-old boys, Rayan Dastoor watches movies, goes to school and surfs the Internet for the latest tunes by Linkin Park. But Rayan also spends five hours a day in prayer sessions and religious studies. His homework includes memorizing sacred scriptures in… Continue reading Zoroastrianism dying out in modern times
Discovering the Zoroastrian Temple of Yazd
The historic city of Yazd in central Iran is home to a Zoroastrian temple built nearly 1,500 ago. The holy fire which the Zoroastrians hold sacred is ritualistically preserved in the temple. Its flames have been kept alive for years, the worshippers fastidious in their care to keep the fire burning. The main building of… Continue reading Discovering the Zoroastrian Temple of Yazd
The Islamization of Europe
Excerpt from a longer article here Mary Boyce, Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies at the University of London, has confirmed the external validity of Bat Ye’or’s analytical approach in her description of how jihad and dhimmitude (without the latter being specifically identified as such) transformed Zoroastrian society in an analogous manner. Boyce has written definitive… Continue reading The Islamization of Europe
Persepolis Today
Two videos showing Persepolis today and a glimpse of the grandeur of what it was in its day.