As the city prepares for the 9th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2027, a new generation is shaping the...
Blog Articles
Zarathustra in Goa: A painting by Angelo da Fonseca
A newly revealed 1964 painting by Angelo da Fonseca reworks Parsi iconography with daring tenderness In an unexpected...
Remembering the Parsi community of Amritsar
The Parsi community, known for its entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities, has been a significant part of the history of Amritsar. The city, known for its open heart and the ability to...
Parties, Parsis and Politics in Pakistan
Bomb blasts, the trial of General Musharraf, socialite parties and beer from a Parsi-run brewery are some of the things Indian journalist Meena Menon experienced during her stint in Islamabad. Her...
Remembering Behram Palkhivala (1926-2018)
Behram Palkhivala, the younger brother of Nani Palkhivala, passed away last Friday (27th July). Not many lawyers know of the enormous role he played in the writing of Kanga and Palkhivala’s “Law and...
Spenses: In The Age Of Colas, This Parsi Family Survives In Biz Of Fizz
When the Parsis first landed in India sometime in the 7th century to escape persecution in Iran, they promised King Jadhav Rana that they would sweeten the Indian community as sugar sweetens milk....
Famous ballet teacher Tushna Dallas dies at 76
She is survived by her husband Feroze and daughters Khushcheher and Mahzeebar. The funeral took place on Monday. Article by Pooja Pillai | Indian Express Renowned ballet teacher Tushna Dallas, who...
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla nominated for Nobel Prize
Founder of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla has been nominated from India for the prestigious Nobel Prize, said Dr Parvez Grant, Managing...
Parsee General Hospital transfer deal triggers row
MUMBAI: The 106-year-old Parsi General Hospital’s plan to allow Medanta Group of Hospitals to use a portion of its 10-acre Breach Candy property worth an estimated Rs2,000 crore is snowballing into...
University of Leiden Seeks PhD candidate in Iranian Studies-History of Religions
PhD candidate in Iranian Studies/History of Religions (2 positions of 1.0 FTE) University of Leiden – Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion Qualification type:...
Dr Cyrus F. Hirjibehedin Awarded RMS Medal for Scanning Probe Microscopy
We are thrilled to share the news that our very dear friend Dr. Cyrus Farokh Hirjibehedin is a 2018 Royal Microscopical Society Medal recipient RMS Medal Series 2018 Winners Announced After a...
New book traces history of Sikhs, Parsis, Bohra Muslims who made Shanghai home
New Book traces the history of Indians in Shanghai. The number of Indians living in Shanghai was possibly at its peak in 1936, at around 3,000. They were a mix of burly Sikh policemen and busy...
Intelligent Conservatism Can Improve Parsi Survival Prospects
This is the text of a talk given by Berjis Desai at the recently concluded 11th World Zoroastrian Congress in Perth Australia. Berjis is an eminent legal counsel, journalist and columnist residing...
How Queen Front Man Freddie Mercury’s Zoroastrian Faith Shaped His Music
Unless you have been living in a cave, you know the rock band, Queen. For the last forty years, their music has been played at sports stadiums, movies, radio stations, and personal music players....
Introduction to Movement Therapy By Dilshad Patel
We are happy to bring you an exclusive Introduction to Movement Therapy by our good friend Dilshad Patel To become the best possible version of ourselves; we must develop a grounded understanding of...
Karachi’s Parsi community hopes for change through elections
Present today only in hundreds, the Parsi community of Pakistan, especially in Karachi, yearn for positive change and an inclusive atmosphere for all minorities. This hope stems from the upcoming...
Vada Dasturji Dr. Firoz Kotwal Explains Muktad Rituals and Prayers
The eminent Vada Dasturji, Dasturji Dr Firoze Kotwal enthralled the packed hall at the Empowering Powering Mobeds program on July 22, 2018 with his talk on the highly technical aspects of the...
Legendary maestro Zubin Mehta looks back on six decades of conducting
Even at 82 years old, famed maestro Zubin Mehta conducts with the same vigor and passion that have brought him worldwide fame. Last year, Mehta announced his plans to step down as music director of...
Bombay House: Iconic Tata headquarters to reopen after a year of renovations
After nearly a year of delicate refurbishment and some touches of modernity, Tata Group’s iconic headquarters near Flora Fountain, the Bombay House, will reopen on July 29, the 114th birth...
Professor John Hinnells : Obituary
Determined expert on Zoroastrianism who founded degree courses on world religion and zipped across the world on crutches As a child sick with tuberculosis of the bone, John Hinnells spent the best...
Lahore’s Cooper Agiary Celebrating 125 Years
Parsi Khabar is happy to learn that the beautiful Cooper Agiary in Lahore will be celebrating its 125th Salgreh this month. Below is a message from our dear friend Perin Boga. Cherished Friends and...
Parsi Zoroastrian Guards of the Holy Fire
To take care of Parsi fire temples across the country and fight for the preservation of their sanctity if need be, solicitor Berjis Desai has floated the idea of forming a body whose primary...
Dr. Irach J S Taraporewala – Zoroastrian Scholar
The below is a profile of the legendary scholar Dr. Irach J S Taraporewala penned by his grandson and namesake Irach Taraporewala. This appeared on the Zoroastrian Heritage page on Facebook When the...
Yezdi 250 CL II in Udvada
We help a charming, old Yezdi 250 CL II retrace its roots in Udvada, the holy land of the Parsis in India. Article by Ruman Devmane Autocar India To many, Udvada is no more than just a sleepy beach...
Now Available in United States: Zarathushtra and the Origins of Zoroastrianism
We are happy to announce that the beautiful coffee table book edited by our dear friend Meher Bhesania of Dubai UAE. “Zarathushtra and the Origins of Zoroastrianism” is now available and shipping...
Dr. Jamshed Bharucha to Lead SRM University in Amravati Andhra Pradesh India
In the heart of one of the world’s leading economies, a major transformation is underway. A recent redrawing of state boundaries has named Amaravati the new capital city of the Indian state of...
Mudras In Motion: The Unpindownable Mastery of Astad Deboo
Four decades ago, after a world-wide tour of the West and East that helped him expand his conceptual horizons, a young Astad Deboo returned to his native India—and went down south to train in...
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw: Remembering India’s Finest Soldier
On the tenth anniversary of his passing away (27 June), a few reminiscences of the iconic Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, with whom I share my alma mater. I was but four years of age when I first set...
Lesson from India to Make America Great Again
By granting asylum to Zoroastrians fleeing persecution a thousand years ago, a local Gujarati ruler inadvertently helped create modern India and benefited the entire world. The conventional view of...
Pashan Dadyburjor’s futuristic concept to keep Parsi culture, history alive
“I was a little worried and baffled when my mother made an unusual request (rather demand) one day. When I asked her what it was, she said marry a Parsi only. Now I get where that comes from, given...
Missing Sam
Field Marshal Manekshaw was loving, gracious, playful and charismatic Many of us have a day that no matter how hard we try, it leaves us sad and feeling blue. For me it’s June 27. It’s the day that...
Manuscript: Ashem Vohu
This manuscript comes not from India or Iran, the lands associated today with the Zoroastrian religion, but from Dunhuang in Central China, and is written in Sogdian, a medieval Iranian language. It...
The Zoroastrian Flame: An Interview with Khojeste Mistree
Khojeste Mistree talks about one of the world’s oldest surviving religions and what we can learn from it in the present day Zoroastrianism has an unbroken tradition going back 3,500 years. It is...
Pakistan Prime Minister inaugurates Jamsheed Marker Hall in foreign ministry
Jamsheed Marker Conference Hall opened at Foreign Ministry PM Mulk calls Jamsheed Marker a legend, an outstanding diplomat and a role model for his successors ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk...
SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute for Zoroastrian Studies Launch Event
On Wednesday 27th June, 2018, the SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute for Zoroastrian Studies was officially opened. To mark this joyous occasion, a launch event was held in the Brunei Suite of the...
Ervard Xerxes V Dastur Elected as Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Panchayet
Parsi Khabar is happy to announce that our dear friend Ervard Xerxes V Dastur has won a very tight election for the lone seat of the Bombay Parsi Panchayet. In a hotly contested election that...
Astad Deboo wins Lifetime Legend Award for his pioneering work in contemporary dance
We are happy to announce that our dear friend and legendary contemporary dancer Astad Deboo shall be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award today in Chennai. If music be the sounds between silence,...
Jamsheed Marker | Obituary
Naval officer under the Raj who became a cricket commentator and respected diplomat in Pakistan JAMSHEED MARKER, who has died aged 95, commanded a minesweeper in the Royal Indian Navy during the...
Metro Tunnel Hearing Now scheduled for July 17 2018
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) today approached the Bombay High Court seeking an urgent hearing on a plea filed by the Parsi community in the city opposing the alignment of the Mumbai...
In BPP Election Several Parsis fear takeover of punchayet by chief and wife
BPP chairman’s wife is contesting for trustee’s post, raising prospects of husband-wife pair in control of the community’s largest trust. Ever since the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Trust adopted the...
Marker’s Memory
Distinguished diplomat Jamsheed Marker was truly one of a kind There is no better description for Jamsheed Marker than the foreword penned by historian Stanley Wolpert for the former diplomat’s...
Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the 71st Zoroastrian East Bombay Guide Group
As a part of its Silver Jubilee celebrations, the 71st East Bombay Zoroastrian Bharat Guide Group of the Young Zoroastrian Society (YZS) staged the concert, ‘God’s World – Light the Passion, Share...
Iran’s ancient engineering marvel
What on Earth are those? I thought to myself shortly before landing in the Iranian city of Esfahan one summer. From the aeroplane window, I could see what looked like a cross between freakishly...
Ambassador Jamsheed Marker Passes Away
We are extremely saddened to hear about the passing away of Ambassador Jamsheed Kekobad Ardeshir Marker today June 21, 2018. He was one of the most illustrious Zarathushtis of the 20th Century and...
Noshir Dadrawala’s Contribution At International Center for Non-Profit Law
Noshir Dadrawala is known to most on our community as an eloquent speaker and a prodigious writer on religious and community related issues, or as a trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet. Article...
Enthronement Ceremony of the Auspicious Dadgah at Della Towers in Mumbai
We are happy to share the official images and write up of the new Dadgah at Della Towers. The dadgah project was spearheaded by our dear friend, mentor and acclaimed designer Jimmy Mistry. Date:...
Rustom Ghadiali: Zoroastrian priest a firm supporter of inter-faith harmony
Our dear friend, mentor and one of Singapore’s leading Parsi Rustom Ghadiali was featured in a Straits Times article earlier this month One of the most memorable questions Mr Rustom Ghadiali...
BPP Trustee Elections: Anahita Desai
Candidate Profile Anahita Desai The past few weeks have witnessed a couple of Manifestos coming from candidates standing for BPP Trusteeship. These Manifestos clearly expose the candidates’ limited...
Parsis oppose toilet block near Dadyseth Atashbehram
UPDATE: The contents of the article are not current. Senior journalist Nauzer Bharucha, in a facebook post had informed that he had spoken to the authorities and this proposal has been scrapped. Vow...
Bombay High Court to decide Bombay Parsi Punchayet election venue
One of the venues for election may be changed; some members suspect ulterior motives With just a little over a fortnight before the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) election takes place, mid-day has...
Coffee days champagne nights and other secrets by Kainaz Jussawalla
Author Kainaz Jussawalla informs us…. ‘We all have deep dark secrets …..’’ That is the crux of my first novel published by Crossword book stores in June 2017 It was...
Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor: “Was misled about tunnels by Metro officials”
Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada, who until last year was in favour of Metro III, says high priests were misinformed about alignment and demands for the proposed tunnels to be realigned...