How Mumbai’s first music club transformed Hindustani classical from an imperial privilege into a cultural movement...
Blog Articles
Rhode Island School of Design Exhibition traces the Parsi gara’s passage across oceans, trade, and time
This exhibition traces the Parsi gara’s passage across oceans, trade, and time Ashdeen Lilaowala and Bhasha...
SOAS awarded £5million gift to create world-leading Institute of Zoroastrian Studies
SOAS University of London has secured a £5 million donation to create the world-leading SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies. The donation will enable the creation of the SOAS...
Cdr Kavina: India loses 1971 war hero; declassified CIA files reveal impact of his Operation Trident
Cdr Kavina passed away in Australia last week, Indian Navy attended funeral Article by Manu Pubby | The Print The Karachi harbour attack by a group of three small missile boats of the Indian Navy —...
The Persian Table: Kadimi New Year Food Orders from Bawi Bride Kitchen
Our dear friend Perzen Patel a.k.a Bawi Bride informs us… Irani Zoroastrians in India will next week be celebrating the Kadmi New Year. Since all Zoroastrian celebrations involve indulging in good...
Neomi Rao, the Scholar Who Will Help Lead Trump’s Regulatory Overhaul
When George Mason University changed the name of its law school last year to honor Antonin Scalia, the late conservative Supreme Court justice, the tribute rankled many liberal faculty members and...
A history lesson for the Tatas as they consider buying out Air India
In the early 1970s, the government of Singapore, led by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, had a great idea. In order to attract investment into the little island nation, it thought of starting an...
Rohinton Mistry turns 65: How has he struck a fine balance in his long journey as a writer?
Just three novels and one collection of short stories, and yet the reclusive Indian-Canadian writer’s fame is assured. Rohinton Mistry holds his Booker Prize shortlisted novel “Family...
101 babies in 3 years – Jiyo Parsi
Studies conducted by the National Commission for Minorities, and other joint studies conducted by Parzor and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, have identified several reasons for the decline in the...
Ashdeen: Embroidering Surreal Parsi Dreamscapes
Few things are as beautiful or have such a convoluted history as Parsi Gara – the gorgeous embroidery which came to India by way of Persia and China through the Parsi traders dealing in opium in...
Nergis Mavalvala honoured with Carnegie Great Immigrants award
Pakistani-American Nergis Mavalvala is among 38 immigrants being honored this year with the ‘Great Immigrants’ award by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Article in Express Tribune The ‘Great...
Roda Mehta to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Award 2017
The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that the recipient of this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is Roda Mehta. The award is the highest honour given to an...
Meet Frazan Kotwal, the Indian Parsi priest who is now a renowned Opera singer
Frazan Adil Kotwal, touted as India’s youngest Opera singer, has been circling the globe exhibiting his singing prowess at various at international platforms for years now. Growing up the only...
Waiting for Jonathan Koshy Now on Amazon Kindle
Author Murzban F. Shroff informs us of the recent launch of the e-book version of his novel, Waiting for Jonathan Koshy, on Amazon Kindle. The book has a five-star rating on Amazon, was a finalist...
Remembering Dadabhai Naoroji on 100th Anniversary of his Death
Today June 30, 2017 marks the 100th death anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji, the Grand Old Man of India, and one of the most influential leaders India knew. Dinyar Patel, Co-Chair of FEZANA’s...
Prof. Kaikhosrov Irani passes away
Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) announces with great sorrow that our beloved Prof. Kaikhosrov Irani (KD and Keku to his associates and close friends) passed away on June 29, 2017...
Top surgeon dies 2 days after fire
Senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Kekoo Kavarana (76), who was battling severe smoke inhalation injuries, breathed his last at Breach Candy Hospital–a place where he operated and gave a new lease...
Jiyo Parsi Idea Contest
ENRICH A MEMORY AND GET RICH YOURSELF Jiyo Parsi commemorates the 100th death anniversary of Dadabhai Naoroji by inviting our Zoroastrian Indian viewers to participate in an Idea Contest on our...
50 Cups Of Coffee: Khushnuma Daruwala On Her New Book
Of Coffee & Bad Dates: Khushnuma Daruwala On Her New Book When Khushnuma Daruwala learnt that her friend had been on over 50 dates via matrimonial sites, she was shocked. From stalkers to men...
Adil Jussawalla on poetry, mortality, and his recent prolific output after years of absence
Adil Jussawalla is one of the most recognisable voices in Indian Poetry in English — and as a former journalist, editor and translator, he has worn many hats. Through the independent small press...
Garda Legacy in the Toronto Police Department
The newest police dog has the skills to sniff out firearms and illicit drugs, much like many of her four-legged colleagues, but also has the additional gift of helping to heal members of the Service...
Piroj Wadia: So Long, Farewell, It’s Hard To Say Goodbye!
The last time I spoke to Piroj was two days before Nina Goel, her friend called me from Piroj’s mobile phone to inform me of her hospitalization and to tell me that Piroj would not be able to send...
How I travelled 185+ countries | Meher Heroyce Moos
Our dearest friend Meher Heroyce Moos was recently a TEDx speaker in Ahmedabad, India. Watch Meher Heroyce Moos discuss about the 3 C’s and many other things that distinguished this...
Yeh Ballet
Our dear friend Sooni Taraporevala informs us of Yeh Ballet, a lovely virtual reality short film she recently completed. Sooni writes… Yeh ballet kya cheez hai? What is this thing called ballet Amir...
Zoroastrians Flock to Sacred Temple for Annual Pilgrimage
Each year from June 14–18, thousands of Zoroastrians from Iran, India and other countries flock to an ancient fire temple at Pir-e Sabz or Chak Chak village in central Iran. Article on Iran Front...
Return To Roots 2017 Trip Applications Open
Parsi Khabar has been associated with the Zoroastrian Return To Roots Program since its inception in 2013. Over the last three trips over 45 Zoroastrian youth from all over the world have had an...
A cause(way) that linked Mumbai’s islands
While the government struggled to collect funds to construct a causeway for better connectivity in the island city, one Parsi family took it upon itself to construct the Mahim Causeway. Before 1845,...
New Jandakot Western Australia MP Yaz Mubarakai Speaks About his Election
Yaz Mubarakai… “I am proud of my Indian heritage and each day I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to build a life with my family here in Western Australia, and now even more so in...
DNA proves Parsis link to Iran
Hyderabad: They have just proved the correctness of a popular myth — ‘Like Sugar in Milk, about Parsis. The Centre of Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) scientists, along with researchers from...
Mickey Mehta’s brand of spirituality in Istanbul
Turkish Tourism gets a dose of Indian spirituality Global leading holistic health guru, Dr. Mickey Mehta in collaboration with Crystal Concepts DMC, conducted a workshop on benefits of yoga, basic...
Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s annual deficit sliced in nearly half
At the time of its implementation this February, it could have been argued that the Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s (BPP’s) decision to hike the service charge for its colonies and baugs was...
Amchi Farida Master Abroad !
A typical Bandra girl with a disciplined upbringing under the strict eye of Roman Catholic nuns, Farida Master moved to the pensioner’s paradise of Pune in the eighties to start the iconic Citadel...
AGITATION AGAINST BPP’s INCREASE OF Rs. 750 IN MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGES
After the meeting of the office bearers & Committee Members of the Associations of all BPP Baugs, its activists and residents with the Board of Trustees of BPP on 25th April 2017 regarding the...
Ashdeen Brings Creations to New York and Los Angeles
In his debut trunk show in United States, Ashdeen Lilaowala brings his collection to New York and Los Angeles this June. Good friend of Parsi Khabar and a brilliant textile designer and...
Preserving Parsi Traditions
In the highly competitive food and beverage business environment of Delhi–National Capital Region, the restaurant brand SodaBottleOpenerWala is just another name where customers expect a fine dining...
Karan Bilimoria: The First Parsi in Britain’s House of Lords
Even though he is one of the youngest members in the Britain’s House of Lords, yet India-born Karan Bilimoria stands out among his peers. This young Indian Lord wears many hats. His credentials as...
Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor Appointed as Member of National Minorities Commission of India
Parsi Khabar is happy to announce that Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor of the Iranshah Atashbehram in Udvada has been appointed as the Zoroastrian representative on the National Minorities Commission...
Intermarry and be damned 2 Parsi women challenge bias
India’s Parsis are so respected because they alone have never been involved in communal skirmishes. Ironic then that our own ugly wars are hurtling us to our doom. The most divisive issue is...
Parsi Dairy Farm: Mumbai’s Gold Standard in Milk & Milk-Based Products
I was at a modern food superstore in Bandra, Mumbai’s swish suburb, the other day. I walked past rows of imported gourmet cheeses, pastas and meats when I suddenly spotted a group of blue coloured...
The little-known history of how Zoroastrian merchants helped create the old Silk Route
China’s designs to build a massive network of land and sea links connecting four continents have revived popular interest in the old Silk Route, whose success was in small part owed to Zoroastrian...
In Conversation With Darius Chinoy, Director-JETRO and Actor, Screenwriter/Director
Darius Chinoy works as a Director with Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) , New Delhi and manages the ‘Invest Japan’ program and communications for CHief Director General and agency in India...
A Year’s Membership To J N Petit Library in Fort Mumbai Only Costs INR 1,000
Eminent Parsi historian and our dear friend Marzban Giara informs us that the J. N. Petit Library Fort was started in 1895 and not 1856 (as stated in the article below) in memory of Jamsetjee...
Vada Dasturji Khurshed K Dastoor & Lord Karan F Bilimoria on board INS Tarkash launch HMS Trincomalee Bicentenary
Vada Dasturji Khurshed K Dastoor, High Priest of Iranshah Atash Behram, Udvada, ZTFE patron Lord Karan F Bilimoria CBE DL and ZTFE President Malcolm M Deboo led the the ZTFE delegation on board the...
Parsis can soon knock on temple doors for counselling
A Parsi priest could soon be your counsellor, too. On May 13, the first of a series of workshops begins in Mumbai to help priests take up community roles that go beyond the religious. They will be...
Amar Akbar Akoori: Play at the NCPA
Amar Akbar Akoori is a hilarious Gujarati play meant not just for the Parsi community, but to be enjoyed by anyone who speaks Gujarati. The story revolves around three boys – a Gujarati, a...
In Hot Blood By Bachi Karkaria: A Book Review
Sticky Towels and a Newspaper with an Agenda: Bachi Karkaria’s New Book Brings Alive the Nanavati Murder Case Madness Bachi Karkaria’s new book on the infamous Nanavati murder case of 1959 should be...
Left, Right, and a little bit of the Centre
Community politics and mud-slinging has hit the Parsis’ representation in the National Commission for Minorities ONCE again, in the battle between the conservative Right and liberal Left, the...
Sandunes To Open For Bonobo In Manchester This July
To anyone who’s been keeping an eye on her career, it’s evident that Mumbai-based electronic musician Sandunes (Sanaya Ardeshir) has been waist-deep in a career surge of sorts. The Mumbai-based...
The Parsi Caregivers of Kolkatta
I have a dreaded fear that I am sharing in the open. When I grow old, I may become feeble. When I become old, my children may be far from me. When I grow old, I may become lonely. In perhaps no...
173-year-old agiary adds to Pune Camp’s pluralism
From the exterior, the Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Agiary looks anything but 173 years old or remotely as ostentatious as the life of the person this agiary or fire temple is named after. Article by...
Le Bon Magot Exciting New Specialty Food Brand Wins 5 SOFI Awards
Naomi Mobed is the person behind the award-winning speciality food startup Le Bon Magot. As the business proudly states “Le Bon Magot is the culmination of one family’s culinary journey.” Le Bon...
Zerbanoo Gifford & Farida Master Embark on USA Book Tour
FEZANA informs us about the upcoming book tour by Zerbanoo Gifford and Farida Master in the United States. They will be starting in Los Angeles, and making their way through Houston, Chicago,...