KARACHI, Feb 25 (IPS/IFEJ) – “The thought of my carcass being pecked at by vultures isn’t at all pleasant,” said Bapsi Sidhwa, a leading Pakistani diasporic writer now living in the United States. She was referring to the ancient Parsi funerary rite of ‘sky burial’. “There are many Parsis like me in Pakistan and in… Continue reading Warnings From Vanishing Vultures
Category: Issues
Controversial Renovations at Iranshah in Udvada
We have received a note from Geve Eruch Narielwalla regarding the recent renovations at the Iranshah Atashbehram in Udvada. Geve has put up a website about the same issue The most sacred Zoroastrian Iranshah Fire Temple building, “makaan,” has ornamental additions made, in very poor imitation, inaccurate, with synthetic materials, of Zoroastrian symbols. This is… Continue reading Controversial Renovations at Iranshah in Udvada
Inside the young Parsi mind
Cosmopolitan or confused? Liberal or conservative? For almost every term that can describe the Parsi youth, the opposite also holds true. To understand the mindset of the young Parsi, Lata Narayan, associate professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, carried out a pan-India study over four years. It was commissioned by the Parzor Foundation,… Continue reading Inside the young Parsi mind
Parsis reduced to tears for homes
As if the 25-year wait for a house was not enough, allegations that she and many like her lied to get a house became too much for a 55-year-old Parsi woman at the charity commissioner’s office on Wednesday, and she broke down. She, along with at least 30 other people from the community, have consistently… Continue reading Parsis reduced to tears for homes
Vulture Conservation Project in Surat
The following text and pictures were forwarded to Parsi Khabar by Goldi Gandhi BCSG Surat chapter and Nature Club Surat have taken up a project of Vulture Conservation. Many activities are carried out for the said project and we have often noticed some positive response for the same. Many a times we find people… Continue reading Vulture Conservation Project in Surat
The Last of the Zoroastrians
Postcard from Yazd By Deena Guzder Tuesday, Dec. 09, 2008 Far removed from Tehran’s bustling tin-roofed teashops and Isfahan’s verdant pomegranate gardens, the deserts known as Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut meet at the city of Yazd, once the heart of the Persian Empire. Walking across the wind-whipped plains of the forgotten city, a young… Continue reading The Last of the Zoroastrians
Bombay Parsi Punchayat fails to release list of homes
After promising the charity commissioner twice that they would present a list of people they examined since assuming office on October 23, 2008, the Bombay Parsi Punchayet failed to release the list even on Thursday. “We have not come with any list. On the contrary, we are not party to it and want an extension,”… Continue reading Bombay Parsi Punchayat fails to release list of homes
For some Parsis, the wait just got longer
Several Parsi families that were allotted flats by former trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) this year have now been put on the waiting list again. On Friday, they were present at the Charity Commissioner’s office to put forward their case in the presence of the commissioner and BPP trustee Rustom Tirandaz. “I was… Continue reading For some Parsis, the wait just got longer
Parsi Panchayat to make elderly a priority
Senior citizens belonging to the Parsi community have a reason to smile. The newly-elected Parsi Panchayat members have promised to put issues related to the elderly in their community to the top of their agenda. “Nearly a third of the Parsi population in Mumbai is aged and lonely. Housing is a huge problem for such… Continue reading Parsi Panchayat to make elderly a priority
