Kindling hope for a large number of Parsi women who marry outside their religion, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging a decision by its religious council banning their entry into Fire Temple or the Tower of Silence to participate in the funeral ceremonies of their parents and relatives. Article by Harish… Continue reading Parsi sisters move SC seeking freedom to enter religious places
Category: Issues
Must a Zoroastrian Date only Zoroastrians?
After we linked to the article you will read below, we received emails from Karishma Patel, who is one of the subjects of the article below; and Homi D. Gandhi; Vice-President FEZANA. Their emails both touch upon the same issue of misrepresentation by the author. We hope that the original author of the article will… Continue reading Must a Zoroastrian Date only Zoroastrians?
Knot so classified
Though matrimonial ads have changed substantially, the emphasis on looks, caste and income persist, mirroring the complexities and paradoxical nature of Indian society, says Roshni Nair as she tracks listings down the ages Here is an excerpt from a longer article on DNA India Inside stories Vasai-based Parsi matchmaker Katy Marfatia’s skills have tied 25… Continue reading Knot so classified
Parsi Priests’ Court Battle with BPP Likely To End Amicably
Two priests were banned from fire temples after they were found to have performed ceremonies for Parsis who chose to be cremated and children of non-Parsi fathers The Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s (BPP) three-year bitter court battle against two “renegade” priests may soon come to an end. Article by Jyoti Shelar Mumbai Mirror A recent mediation… Continue reading Parsi Priests’ Court Battle with BPP Likely To End Amicably
Parsis consider surrogacy to boost population
Ultra orthodox in the community are debating if scriptures allow renting of a non-Parsi womb. Article by Jyoti Shelar | Mumbai Mirror Parsis are considering the option of surrogacy under the government funded Jiyo Parsi scheme to boost the community’s dwindling population. While a high priest who was consulted on the idea has given a… Continue reading Parsis consider surrogacy to boost population
A Death Rite At Peril
There are roughly 500 Parsis in Kolkata. But sadly, even this small community finds it difficult to maintain their age-old death ritual owing to a drop in the number of vultures and other problems. Anusua Banerjee reports. Article by Anusua Banerjee | New Kerala Some may consider this a morbid thought, but the rites and… Continue reading A Death Rite At Peril
Death in the city: How a lack of vultures threatens Mumbai’s ‘Towers of Silence’
In exclusive Malabar Hill, the city’s dwindling Parsi community continues with the Zoroastrian tradition of disposing of dead bodies by exposing them to scavenger birds. How much longer can this 3,000-year-old tradition survive? The Towers of Silence in the Indian city of Bombay, now known as Mumbai, around 1890. The first tower was consecrated… Continue reading Death in the city: How a lack of vultures threatens Mumbai’s ‘Towers of Silence’
Can Higher Salaries Save Parsi Priesthood?
Ardeshir Nariman, 15, is fast approaching graduation. Like many boys his age in Mumbai—educated and upwardly mobile, his curiosity heavily seasoned with ambition—he’ll continue to college to study science when he finishes school this spring. Unlike most of the other boys, he will also be ordained a priest. Nariman’s education was supplemented by intense religious… Continue reading Can Higher Salaries Save Parsi Priesthood?
Aging Parsis Turn to Community Charity
The Parsi ward at Mumbai’s JJ Hospital seems a particularly sunny convalescent home. Its full-length gothic windows and yellow-beige walls light 45 beds, which most patients cannot leave. The tiny piles of possessions beside beds hold journals, faded photographs and knitting needles. Article by Rosalie Murphy | Pulitzer Center Nergis Sidhwa, like most patients, came… Continue reading Aging Parsis Turn to Community Charity
