Mumbai-based senior solicitor Berjis Desai has been appointed as a member of the National Commission for Minorities....
Blog Articles
A few in Parsi Community Protest ZYNG Calendar & Seeks BPP Accountability
Editor’s note: The article published in the Free Press Journal refers to a letter signed by a handful of people on an...
Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate For Change
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY -MARCH 8, 2019 The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 is “ Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.” The theme focuses on innovative ways in advancing gender...
Hosi Mehta Shares Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds!
Our dear friend Hosi Mehta, Co-Chair of the FEZANA Welfare and Critical Assistance Committee, Chicago resident, business owner, and all around good guy, shares his life story. Mehta describes...
5 Ways Parsi Cuisine Evolved In India
From Malvani and Gujarati to English, find these influences in Parsi food The Parsis of India are people from the Zoroastrian community that migrated from Persia (now Iran) in the 7th century and...
Dinaz Vervatwala : A tale of grit and determination
Ever wondered what it takes to make it big in life? A bit of inspiration, zeal to not drift, the magic potion of immense hard work and of course some incredible courage. Meet Jamshedpur-born Dinaz...
A Book Reading of “Zenobia Mistri – A Teacher Par Excellence” by Shireen Isal
Lately I’ve been very caught up with the idea of immortality. Not the Jack Sparrow and Fountain of Youth kind of course, but the kind that makes someone unforgettable to more than their immediate...
Short cut to fiction: In Conversation with Murzban F Shroff
City writer Murzban F Shroff in his third book, crafts a collection of stories that can be read in five minutes It is difficult to imagine how the world can change in a minute. But on November 8,...
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, a Swadeshi who tried to make India a manufacturing hub
On Jamsetji’s 180th birth anniversary, ThePrint’s Remya Nair remembers the industrialist who set up India’s most well-reputed business empire. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was the founder of the entity...
Down memory lane with Shelley Subawala’s magic from Grandma’s kitchen
Nostalgia is a definitive by-product of grandmothers’ cooking, triggering memories of food made with love, intuition and authority. It pales the experience of swift and perfunctory ease of “ordering...
Meherangan Celebrated with a Great Gusto by the ZAC Community
On Thursday, 28th February in the evening the Zoroastrian Association of California celebrated the Meherangan festival, sponsored by Hootoxi and Ervad Dr. Ardaeviraf Minocherhomji, and well attended...
Baby Zarathushtra Swag from Crispy Doodles
Delzin Choksey the gifted artist behind Crispy Doodles, brings us new artwork just in time for Jamshedi Navroze. Delzin writes… Get your favorite Baby Zarathustra swag just in time for Jamshedi...
Kainaz Jussawalla Wins Shiksha Award
Kainaz Jussawalla from Bandra, an author blogger, journalist, travel vlogger and International flight attendant won the Shiksha award, at the 14 th International Press Community Awards. Her...
Zia Mandviwalla: Kiwi-Indian woman finds spotlight in Netflix series Chef’s Table
A Kiwi-Indian woman and noted short filmmaker Zia Mandviwalla has become the first ever New Zealander to direct an episode of popular Netflix series Chef’s Table. Chef’s Table, a popular Netflix...
Healing Through Sharing
At the invitation of the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ervad Zarrir Bhandara represented the Zoroastrian faith accompanied by Xerxes Commissariat representing the FEZANA on...
Empowering Mobeds Offsite Training Seminar in Sanjan
The first ever off site Mobed Training seminar was organized by the Empowering Mobeds team last weekend in Sanjan, Gujarat, India Young Binaifer is in a deep dilemma- her first heartbreak has left...
XYZ VESSEL-A-THON
The amazing folks at XYZ have a fantastic new initiative and if you are local in Mumbai, please do get involved. Our dear friend and XYZ Founder Hoshaang Gotla write Dear members of the community,...
Behramji Merwanji Malabari: A Parsi in London
Historians have written not just pages, but books on his life; he is a wellknown figure in the Parsi historical hall of fame; it should be a polite yawn by now to read the writings of social...
Noel Tata joins Tata Trusts board
Tata Trusts, which controls India’s largest conglomerate, the Tata Group, has inducted chairman Ratan Tata’s half-brother Noel Tata on the board. The appointment is seen as paving the...
Zarathushti Women’s Herstories: An Oral History Project
The ZXX study was created as a tribute to Zarthusti women and as a way to celebrate their lives. Our aim was to interview Zarthusti women about their lives in order to gain insight and contribute to...
Ronnie Screwvala’s production house RSVP donates 1 crore to Welfare fund for Army widows on Army Day
Ronnie Screwvala’s production house RSVP has kick-started 2019 with a big hit Uri: The Surgical Strike grossing over Rs 46.24 crores over four days of its release. Touted to be the first content...
Fake Emails Implicating Parsi Khabar
Dear readers of Parsi Khabar Over the past few months, a series of anonymous emails and Whastapp messages have been floating around that claim to be from Parsi Khabar and make reference to me...
145-year-old Parsi agiyari in Rajkot battered by encroachments
The only agiyari (fire temple), holy place of worship for Zoroastrians or Parsis in Rajkot, has been battered by encroachments from nearby residents, causing irreparable damage to the 145-year-old...
Ervad Zal Darius Mody Ordained as Navar
Ervad Zal Darius Mody was recently ordained as a Navar on December 20, 2018, Roj Khordad, Mah Amardad, in memory of his grand uncle Ervad Sorab Hormusji Mody. Zal was taught his Navar prayers...
Parsi community gets partial relief; metro station to shift away from fire temple
In a partial relief for the Parsi community, the Metro Rail Authority on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it will shift the Kalbadevi Metro III station 20 metres away from the nearest boundary...
Dr. Bomsi Wadia: The only Indian to have participated in London to Sydney Marathon rallies
50 years after the first London to Sydney Marathon took place, Dr. Bomsi Wadia says, “It was one of the most memorable adventures of my life. I loved it so much, that I even took part in the...
Cyrus Meher-Homji awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Cyrus Meher-Homji, General Manager, Classics and Jazz, Universal Music Australia is among those awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) today as part of the Australia Day 2019 Honours...
Dinyar Contractor Awarded 2019 Padma Shri Award
The brilliant theater legend Dinyar Contractor has been awarded the Padma Shri Award by the Goverment of India in 2019. The awards announced on the eve of the Republic Day are a testament to...
A Tribute to the Feriyas
Feriyas is a colloquialism from Feriwalla, Gujarati for someone who takes a ‘Fero’, a round of some place. During the struggle for Indian Independence, people used to have Prabhat Feri,...
WZCC kicks off funding initiative for young Parsi entrepreneurs
Parsis offer interest-free loans, flexi pay options to its young entrepreneurs A year ago, Parsi community came together to encourage young entrepreneurs and new start-ups and founded a programme to...
Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor Clarifies Incorrect News Coverage Re: ‘Parsi Priest’s Suggestion To Sell Agiary Is Opposed’
A news item up has been published in Hindustan Times of 16th January, 2019, under the heading, ‘Parsi Priest’s Suggestion To Sell Agiary Is Opposed.’ As is the practice, certain misguided elements,...
Tracing the journey of a Parsi who brought French Revolution in Bombay
A new book revisits the untold, illustrious life of a renowned academician, Zenobia Mistri, who steered a French revolution in Bombay When the late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India...
Ailing Zubin Mehta to skip farewell U.S. tour with Israel Philharmonic
Conductor Zubin Mehta will not join the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra on a U.S. tour that was to be his last here as orchestra leader, a step attributed to Mehta’s health by tour organizers who...
The incredible history of the traditional Parsi Gara sari
The timeless elegance of a traditional Parsi Gara is undeniable. Embroidered to life with photorealistic precision, the Gara sari is a unique member in the exhaustive variety of crafts found in the...
From Persia with love: How an Empress transformed Iran with art
From Persia with love: How an Empress transformed Iran with art Dubbed “the Jackie Kennedy of the Middle East”, Farah Pahlavi built a world-class collection of modern art before she and her husband...
Ervad Freyaan K. Vimadalal of Houston ordained as Navar
Parsi Khabar is happy to announce that the son of our dear friends Khushroo and Parynaz Vimadalal was ordained as a Navar this past week. Ervad Freyaan K. Vimadalal was born in New Jersey USA and...
Tower of Silence out of bound for drones, aviation ministry to mark it as prohibited area
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has ruled against flying drones around Tower of Silence in Malabar Hills, where the Parsi community carries out last rites for their departed. The MoCA has also...
Majority of Bombay Parsi punchayet trustees want chairman out
Four of seven Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees have voted to file a no confidence motion against chairman Yazdi Desai for allegations ranging from protecting a non-Parsi trespasser to promoting...
Experimental Treatment Helps Maryland Woman Beat Lymphoma
Our dear friend Dr. Pashna Munshi is part of the team that is working on this experimental treatment for Lymphoman. A Maryland woman who suffered a lengthy battle with stage-three non-Hodgkin...
Mumbai’s Parsi Dairy milks modern retail, with nostalgia and social media
Once an iconic Mumbai landmark and cafe, the 102-year-old brand is reinventing itself Article by Amritha Pillay | Business Standard Parsi Dairy Farm, set up by Nariman Ardeshir in 1916 is redolent...
A Parsi art historian rediscovers his heritage on a trip across Iran
What do you mean you’re from New Zealand?” a shopkeeper in Mozaafarieh named Omid exclaimed. We were in the carpet quarter of Tabriz’s Grand Bazaar, and I had just told him that I was a Kiwi Parsi....
Feroze Gandhi’s grave lies forgotten
Feroze Gandhi may be the patriarch of the Congress’s first family, but the party as well as his family members seem to have neglected his cemetery in Allahabad, now rechristened as Prayagraj....
Cillie’s – A sweet token from the Parsis of Karachi
The Parsi community in Karachi has always been a minority, but one that has left an inimitable legacy. Late Jehangir Framroze Punthakey, in his book, The Karachi Zoroastrian Calendar, called the...
Stanley Insler Passes Away
Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology Stanley Insler GRD ’63 passed away on Jan. 5 at the age of 82. Insler was a distinguished historical linguist who studied Indo-European...
Maneckji Bhumgara: The Indian bowler who took American cricket by storm in the 1900s
Southern California discovered cricket in the late 19th century, two centuries after the sport reached American shores, but the region lost little time in taking to the game with enthusiasm. The...
Ashdeen Lilaowala: The ‘gara’ goes mod
Traditional Parsi embroidery finds contemporary expression with fresh motifs and colours while retaining its multicultural roots in the hands of textile designer Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala Ashdeen Z....
What Connects Vivekananda and Jamsetji Tata? A Sea Voyage That Changed India!
“Rooted in the past, full of pride in India’s prestige, Vivekananda was yet modern in his approach to life’s problems, and was a kind of bridge between the past of India and her present.” –...
‘Vacationing’ to reconnect with India’s Zoroastrian culture
Farzad Irani, a physical therapist born and raised in New York, tucked into a plate of mutton dhansak and egg chutney pattice, happily reacquainting himself with Parsi cuisine as part of a 15-day...
Zoroastrian Return To Roots Kicks Off 5th Trip to India
The 5th edition of the Zoroastrian Return To Roots Program began in Mumbai, India today on December 19, 2018. 22 Zarathushti youth from USA, Canada, Pakistan, New Zealand and India gathered in...
Jiyo Parsi Kicks Off Brilliant ‘Care’ Campaign
‘Jiyo Parsi’ – the Government of India’s undertaking which supports our community’s efforts in arresting the declining Parsi population and aid in its increase – kicked off its latest Campaign...
Aryenish Birdie: People in the Movies Aren’t Parsi Like Me, Except in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Flaws aside, the Freddie Mercury biopic was “deeply personal” for writer and activist Aryenish Birdie because it was the first time she ever saw her ethnic identity in pop culture....
Support Ava Irani’s Kickstarter Campaign
Ava Irani is an 8th grader living in the Bay Area, where she also volunteers to teach Sunday School at the Zoroastrian Association of Northern California. Ava has started a Kickstarter campaign...