Religion and real estate make a lethal alloy, and its the one piercing the heart of the Parsi community. Its latest manifestation was the resignation on Tuesday of four out of six trustees of the Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP). This unprecedented pull-out created a constitutional crisis in the 350-year-old institution, one that has become de… Continue reading Fortune’s fallout: Parsis are victims of their own wealth
Category: Issues
To House or Not to House ???
Open land in Mumbai’s Parsi fire temples are the latest targets for re-development. How is the community reacting? It may be all quiet at Kappawalla Agiary, in Mumbai’s Tardeo, but all’s certainly not well. The Parsi fire temple (agiary) is currently the object of contention in a tug-of-war between its trustees and the community. A… Continue reading To House or Not to House ???
Where have all the John Crows gone?
An item in my local morning paper this week grabbed my interest because it graphically evoked something I noticed in the island a few years back. The news story was about the rapid dying off of the eight species of vultures found in India. According to the report, as many as 95 per cent of… Continue reading Where have all the John Crows gone?
Let vultures live for our death: Parsis
A motley crowd of Parsis and nature-lovers listened with rapt attention as Dr RD Jakati, Chief Wildlife Warden of Haryana, spoke at length on his pet subject, vulture conservation. The topic, of course, was close to the heart of the city’s Parsi community. The “garbage man” of the skies has not been sighted in Mumbai… Continue reading Let vultures live for our death: Parsis
Split in the Parsi Parivar
WHEN Anju Dawar, a Parsi lawyer based in Ahmedabad married a colleague, she was expelled from the community. ”At best her husband will convert but will this not dilute the very essence of the religion?” asks her father, R Dawar. Air hostess Feroza who married a pilot in Mumbai too was expelled from the community… Continue reading Split in the Parsi Parivar
‘Builders want temple land’
The World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthoshtis (Wapiz) on Friday warned that fire temple lands in the city were under threat from unscrupulous developers and said one of its main objectives would be to protect such properties. On the eve of Wapiz’s first anniversary on May 28, founder trustee Yazdi Desai said for the past… Continue reading ‘Builders want temple land’
Whats the Fuss About: Da Vinci Code
It’s the Da Vinci showdown As protests against The Da Vinci Code gather momentum, Mumbai comes out strongly in favour of freedom of expression I was invited by the Censor Board to watch The Da Vinci Code. The film drags on and, to me, is not very special. The book was much better. It was… Continue reading Whats the Fuss About: Da Vinci Code
Why are so many Parsis unmarried?
Minoo Shroff, chairman of Bombay Parsi Panchayat, feels most Parsis are very fussy about their choice of life partner One third of Parsis do not marry, according to a yet-to-be published study initiated by the Bombay Parsi Panchayat (BPP) in coordination with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Some of the reasons for not marrying… Continue reading Why are so many Parsis unmarried?
Shrinking flocks of vultures spoil ancient culture’s funeral rituals
Destruction of birds by a cattle drug presents the Parsis of India with a dilemma MUMBAI — Smack in the middle of the thicket of ultramodern high-rises that make up Malabar Hill, one of Mumbai’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, followers of an ancient religion are fighting to preserve funeral rites that go back thousands of years.… Continue reading Shrinking flocks of vultures spoil ancient culture’s funeral rituals
