On his hometown, Pune, religion as wilful human delusion, and the different strands that inspired his new novel,...
Blog Articles
Meherwan Irani’s Marghi Na Farcha Named “Most Flavorful” in Food & Wine’s Fried Chicken Taste Test
Chef Meherwan Irani's Parsi-style fried chicken, Marghi Na Farcha, was singled out as the "most flavorful" entry in a...
Chenai Anjuman Dar-e-Meher in Secunderabad will complete 100 years
Khan Bahadur Edulji Sohrabji Chenai Anjuman Dar-e-Meher in Secunderabad will complete 100 years on July 14Ervad Aspi Patel, the head priest of the temple, is seated in the verandah. An air of...
How the first English novels by Parsis were written in the backdrop of the plague and politics
The histories of the novels ‘My Friend, The Barrister’ and ‘Pootli, A Story of Life in Bombay’ The library of the University of Mumbai, housed in an 1870s edifice flanked by the Rajabai Tower, is...
The IranShah Initiative – Donation With Vision 2020 (Part 1 of 2)
“There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, no human rights, and no justice outside of the common imagination of human beings,” says Yuval Noah Harari in his book Sapiens. Harari...
The Grand Old Man of India who became Britain’s first Asian MP
How was an Indian elected to the British Parliament in 1892? What relevance could this historical event have for us today?Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917) is an unfamiliar name these days.Yet, aside...
80-plus Irani brothers with a zest for life die of Covid-19 in Mumbai
Everyone who has known of the Ferzandi brothers — Darius, 85 and Plumarz, 81 succumbing to the deadly coronavirus within weeks of each other last month, have been aching with memories of the two...
The Story of Jamsetji Tata’s Forgotten Farm and How It Revived the Mysore Silk Industry
In 1868, a 29-year-old man from a small town in Gujarat started a trading firm in Bombay with ₹ 21,000. The man was Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata and the occasion marked the beginning of what would grow...
Proposed shifting of Parsi Gates lead to a lot of shouting
Proposed shifting of Parsi Gates lead to a lot of shoutingDissent cleaves community after meet to move Parsi Gates at Marine Drive; social media the battlegroundThe Parsi Gates at Marine...
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw: A Video Interview
Parzor is delighted to see a new audience appreciate the great opportunity we had to record Sam’s world and life through his own words and those of his colleagues and contemporaries. The Field...
One of India’s richest minority groups enjoys some of Mumbai’s best rents.
"Imagine a world within a world." That is how Hormuz Bana describes the centuries-old community where he lives in Mumbai -- and which is in danger of vanishing. Article by Rhea Mogul | CNN Located...
Freddie Mercury & Queen to appear on postage stamps
No, not that one – the rock band Queen are to feature on a series of UK postage stamps over the summer.They become only the third band to be honoured by Royal Mail, following the Beatles in 2007 and...
Looking for My Ancient Religion in Uzbekistan
Still, I was in search of something more, something concrete, something materialArticle by Meher Mirza | Catapult.CoLast October, I walked on the trail of emperors.Like most ogle-eyed tourists, I...
The FEZANA Talks Commence Today
The FEZANA Talks is a new initiative started by FEZANA. In the first series we invite the youth of the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress 2019 to celebrate the first anniversary of the Congress...
Haringey Lib Dems lead calls for First Indian MP to be commemorated in Muswell Hill
Haringey should honour Sir Dadabhai Naoroji MP, generally considered to be the first Indian and non-white person elected to the House of Commons, according to opposition Lib Dem councillors.Article...
The Bundahisn
The Zoroastrian Book of CreationEdited and translated by Domenico Agostini, Samuel Thrope, Preface by Shaul Shaked, and Afterword by Guy StroumsaFirst complete English translation of the Bundahisn...
Jayhaan: Mobed by Day & DJ by Night
Jehan Bhesania, better known by his stage name ‘Jayhaan’ is a priest by day and a DJ by night. His budding career in music has already spearheaded the entry of Jersey Club in India which was...
1971 war hero Sqn. Ldr. Parvez Jamasji passes away
He awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war Sqn Ldr Parvez Jamasji (retd), who was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, has died,...
Zoroastrianism Rises in North America
The faith is shrinking in Iran and India but growing in the U.S. and Canada.Most elementary-school boys spend their free time playing videogames or hanging out with friends. Zerkxis Bhandara’s...
Glimpses of Kekoo Gandhy’s Mumbai
Kekee Manzil - The House of Art chronicles a micro-history of the city anchored in a century-old family home Filmmakers Behroze Gandhy and Dilesh Korya’s documentary, Kekee Manzil - The House of Art...
Sad News: Passing Away Of BPP Trustee Zarir Bhathena
Zarir Bhathena, a sitting Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Panchayet passed away on June 24, 2020 after a prolonged illness and hospitalization. Garothman Behest to the Ruvan of Zarir and the condolences...
P. D. Patel: My Fifty Years in Burma
Mitra Sharafi, a legal historian writes in… I am very excited to say that P. D. Patel's My Fifty Years in Burma (Rangoon, 1954) is now up on my website. This remarkable out-of-print memoir tells the...
Celebrating the Life of Jamshid Jam
The Zoroastrian Society of Ontario via its newsletter informs us of the passing away of Jamshed Jam. Jamshed was a legendary figure in the Zarathushti community in Toronto. ZSO writes.... The...
Sir Shapoorji Burjorji Bharucha
A tribute on his death centenary by Marzban Jamshedji Giara He was a self made and large hearted man, financier and business magnate. He was born at Bharuch on 30th April 1845 of poor parents. He...
CONGRATULATIONS – ARZAN SAM WADIA – PRESIDENT FEZANA – 2020
CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS BaNaMeh Ahura Mazda With TunDorosti And MunDorosti To All My Dear Global Zarathushti Leaders And Community Members: With immense joy, I would like to invite you all...
Individual vs Communal voice: 8WZYC
A quarterly series of articles, reporting on the volunteers of the 2023 8th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress (8WZYC) to be held in London. This series of articles aims to provide an insight into the...
Story of Jamshedpur: Romance and Valour
Envisioned by a Parsi, planned by an American, named by a British Viceroy, landscaped by a German Botanist, the story of Jamshedpur is full of romance and valour.Once Sakchi, a village in the...
Magaj Nu Lockdown ft. Shri Yazdi Karanjia
Our dearest friend and legendary Parsi theater artist Yazdi Karanjia has started a series of short skits during the COVID-19 lockdown. You can see all of them on the Youtube channel: Bawaji Ni...
Lord Karan Bilimoria Elected President of Confederation of British Industry
Lord (Karan) Bilimoria CBE has been elected as the new CBI President at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held earlier today (Tuesday 16 June 2020). John Allan CBE, the outgoing CBI President,...
Aviva Damania: Suicide, a preventable cause of death
Mental illness is real, hard, disabling and needs addressal and treatment.Many employed people may not get the time and the resources to get the help they need.Written by Aviva Parvez Damania |...
Pestonji Na Parakram: A Parsi Gujarati Natak by ZAGNY
Over the last two weekends the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) presented the world ONLINE premiere of Pestonji Na Parakram, a hugely succesful Parsi Natak. The Natak had...
Leadership in Times of Adversity: Adil Malia
The WZCC Toronto Chapter held a very thought provoking webinar on Saturday, June 13th, 2020. Led by Chapter Chair, Cyrus Patel & Secretary, Arashasp Shroff, the topic of discussion was...
BPP: The Positive COVID-19 Experiences
Within a week of the first lockdown, I came across an appeal by the BPP (Bombay Parsee Punchayet). They were looking for volunteers to assist old and needy Parsees. Volunteers to deliver food,...
Rustom Cooper Becomes Oldest Living Middlesex First Class Cricketer
RUSTOM ‘RUSSI’ SORABJI COOPER BECOMES MIDDLESEX’S OLDEST LIVING FIRST-CLASS CRICKETERRustom Cooper, born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, on 15th December 1922, today became Middlesex’s oldest...
Avesthagen Releases The First Complete Zoroastrian-Parsi Mitochondria Reference Genome
Avesthagen releases “The First complete Zoroastrian-Parsi Mitochondria Reference Genome: Implications of mitochondrial signatures in an endogamous, non-smoking population” – The study unravels...
Iranshah Atashbehram Will Open post COVID-19 Lockdown
We are happy to hear from our dear Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor…..Dear Humdins,Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that...
The Art Of Being Persian
It is sunset and I am standing on the top of one of the Towers of Silence — a massive rock citadel where the Zoroastrians once laid out their dead for the vultures, to avoid contaminating the air...
Survey on esoteric Zoroastrianism
Mariano Errichiello is a PhD candidate at the Department of History, Religions and Philosophies of SOAS (School of African and Oriental Studies), University of London. He is currently researching...
The irrepressible charm of Bapsi Nariman
With the passing at 89 on Tuesday of Bapsi Nariman, née Contractor, wife of eminent jurist Fali Nariman and a fiercely independent lady in her own right, I have lost a mother figure and my daughters...
My stand on Tata legacy hotspots is vindicated: Cyrus Mistry to SC
In his affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Mistry gave details on businesses which, he claimed, had failed due to wrong business calls made by Mistry's predecessor, Ratan Tata.Cyrus Mistry, former...
Dadabhai Naoroji: A new life for the grand old man of India
Dinyar Patel’s biography of the politician shines a light on his multifaceted career, especially his campaign to be elected to the British parliamentDadabhai Naoroji reached Bombay (now Mumbai) from...
The story of Vividh Vaani
How a Gujarati cookbook came to symbolise love and gratitude during the bubonic plague in Bombay As I joined the cricket fans milling out of the Brabourne Stadium on a crisp Mumbai...
Menstruation and Zoroastrian Doctrine
A complex issue of womanhood The entire 16th pargarad/chapter of the Vendidad is dedicated to the matter of menstruation, and later Pahlavi texts comment on this subject...
Silvern Journey: The Story of the Afarganyu of the Sukkur Agiary
Recently we had carried an article about the erstwhile Sukkur Agiary in Pakistan. Our dear friend Nerina Rustomji sent us an article she had authored more than two decades ago. This was published on...
A Video Time Capsule for the Iranshah
The Iranshah Initiative is a youth-driven initiative and they are launching their newest project. Zarathushthi youth from the world over are invited to submit a 1 minute video clip answering some of...
Coronavirus Vaccine Types Explained In Simple Terms
One of the many unknowns about SARS-CoV-2 is how we might become immune to it. When you get infected with viruses, your immune system fights back by producing proteins called antibodies. These stick...
Perzen Patel Starts a Kiwi Foodcast Podcast Series
Our dear friend and amazing chef, entrepreneur and mom Perzen Patel a.k.a The Bawi Bride starts a new podcast series titled "Kiwi Foodcast With Perzen Patel" Perzen informs us.... We are finally up...
Bapsi Nariman: In memory of Fali’s better half
Fali was her universe and she was his. They were a couple where the whole was larger than the sum total of its parts. I think it was on the occasion of Fali’s ‘50 years at the Bar’ that Ashok Desai...
The world’s first Freddie Mercury museum is on an African island
Freddie Mercury Museum ZanzibarStone Town, Zanzibar (CNN) — Down a small, narrow alley in the historic Stone Town neighborhood of Zanzibar, an old building beckons to visitors. Faded photographs are...
Byram N. Jeejeebhoy, land baron and developer, dies
Byram N. Jeejeebhoy, one of Mumbai’s largest private landlords and descendant of the 19th century philanthropists Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy and Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, passed away at his Worli residence in...
Exile and the Nation: Afshin Marashi
The Parsi Community of India and the Making of Modern Iran By Afshin Marashi Connecting oft-disparate fields, this book explores the Zoroastrian diaspora living in India and its role in using...
ROI of Leadership Development – Adil Malia
Our dear friend Dr. Adil Malia writesI think this is one of the best 'heart to heart' chats I had till date on 'People, Talent, Leadership & Transformation'. I believe that we should let...