The government has sponsored schemes for assisted reproduction so that Parsis increase in number. Article by Vinaya Deshpande | The Sunday Guardian Twelve hundred years ago, we fled to India for our survival in the face of external threat on our identity and culture. Today, again, we are fighting for our existence, as we face… Continue reading Parsis battle threat of extinction
Category: Issues
Why Are India’s Parsi People Going Extinct?
There are less than 60,000 Parsis in India today. That fact itself is so alarming that it demands measures to help the community from fading away. Despite their low numbers, their contribution in the field of education, architecture, literature, business, entertainment & food is impactful. The Government’s scheme called Jiyo Parsi is one such scheme… Continue reading Why Are India’s Parsi People Going Extinct?
How India makes Parsi babies
The Parsis of India are a unique community, but their numbers are declining fast. In an effort to change this, the government is spending $1.5m to encourage them to have more children. Persis Aspi Kamakhan still cannot believe her luck. She clucks and coos at her baby daughter, Hufriya, as she tries to dress her… Continue reading How India makes Parsi babies
Spotlight’s on khandias, the Parsi ‘untouchables’
Sam Vesuna was 19 when he became a pallbearer at the Parsi Towers of Silence at Malabar Hill. Today, bodies laid to rest in the roofless towers putrefy below solar panels, but at that time, hungry birds of prey still slouched along their stone walls. Article by Nergish Sunavala | Times of India “When I… Continue reading Spotlight’s on khandias, the Parsi ‘untouchables’
Clarification with regard to consequences of the Settlement of 17th February 2015 in the Ban on Priests Case
On 27th April 2015, the Hon’ble Supreme Court approved the Settlement arrived at in February 2015 between Messrs. Kanga and Khusrokhan and the BPP Trustees. The following is the factual position on the above subject. This clarification is being issued in order to remove all doubts and misunderstandings on the subject both for the benefit… Continue reading Clarification with regard to consequences of the Settlement of 17th February 2015 in the Ban on Priests Case
Oh Khodai: Parsis in Ahmedabad
A bawa wearing a white bandhgala coat with cylindrical black hat driving a gorgeous vintage car overloaded with a garadraped wife and squabbling kids: that’s how films in the early ’80s portrayed the Parsi Zoroastrian community. Cut to 2015, and the picture is quite the opposite. As per data received from the Parsi Panchayat in… Continue reading Oh Khodai: Parsis in Ahmedabad
Parsis: Keeping the Flame Alive
The world’s longest continually-burning flame, found in Udvada, a town in Gujarat, is the most important pilgrimage site for the Parsis of India. Parsis have lived in the country for 1,200 years after fleeing Muslim persecution, but now their future is in doubt. The traditionalist, older Parsis believe in the purity of the race and… Continue reading Parsis: Keeping the Flame Alive
