With forgiveness and restraint, Divya Cowasji has reimagined her family history in enigmatic storytelling photographs...
Blog Articles
Sri Lanka’s Parsi community and the enduring story of Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is one of the smallest religions in the world in terms of adherents. In Sri Lanka, the faithful number...
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 solo...
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 not the best...
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 Bohri...
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 Indian...
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,...
Keeping alive memory of ‘Mother of the Indian Revolution’ for decades
According to several accounts written by Parsis, the All India Women’s Conference wanted to pay homage to Cama during her birth centenary, and keep her memory alive in post-Independent India Named...
Astad Deboo To Perform in New York
The legendary Indian contemporary dancer and choreographer Astad Deboo returns to New York for two performances this month. Astad Deboo | Eternal Embrace May 25, 2017 - May 26, 2017 La Mama Theatre|...
How the Nanavati murder became India’s most sensational and glamorous trial
It's in poor taste to describe a murder trial as glamorous. And yet, no case in India commanded this much public attention and involved as many high-profile characters—before social media and 24X7...
Dadar Parsi Colony Agiary Well Runs Dry After 89 Years
For the first time in 89 years, the well of the Rustom Faramna Agiary in Dadar Parsi Colony has run dry. Now, the chairman of the agiary has pinned his hopes on the upcoming monsoon or else...
In Houston FEZANA Bestows Lifetime Achievement Award to Ervad Dr. Jehan Bagli
At a glittering 30th Anniversary Gala in Houston, FEZANA bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ervad Dr. Jehan Bagli. The Gala was hosted by the Zoroastrian Association of Houston at its...
Obituary: Maneck Dalal
Maneck Dalal, the man responsible for expanding Air India into an international operation, began his career with the airline looking after celebrity passengers. In the late 1940s, when the Hollywood...
Jiyo Mobed Workshop
Dear Friends, For many years we have been discussing the importance of giving respect to our Priests and enabling them to become Pastors to the Parsi community, as are the Catholic Priests as well...
Neomi Rao Picked to be Regulatory Czar in Trump White House.
Neomi Rao who has been picked to become the “regulatory czar” in the Trump White House, is the second Zoroastrian Parsi to head an office in the current US Administration. Readers of Parsi Khabar...
Book on Parsis traces their demographic decline
Four-volume compendium highlights issues plaguing community A four-volume compendium that traces the demographic decline of the Parsi community in India was released recently at the Max Mueller...
Mumbai’s oldest, architectural landmark Banaji Limji Agiary completes 308 years
The city's heritage Fort district is globally famous for its majestic colonial buildings. But few know that it also has seven ancient Zoroastrian Parsi Fire Temples in this enclave. The oldest fire...
Untold story of Bank of Bombay
The hitherto untold story of Bank of Bombay, one of the forebears of the State Bank of India, has been finally chronicled through rare documents and photographs at a newly opened heritage gallery at...
Supreme Court of India to examine Parsi woman’s right of religious identity
The Supreme Court today agreed to examine a contentious issue whether a Parsi woman can be deprived of her religious identity, acquired by the virtue of her birth, after marrying a man of different...
Kozikhode: Parsi culture still has its fire glowing
On April 18 which is observed as World Heritage Day, among the several monuments with a story to tell in Kozhikode is its only Parsi temple in Kerala. The local people are not well aware of this...
Not many takers for the Mobedyar scehem in Mumbai
Last week’s column on the ordainment of two deacons in Mumbai’s Catholic Church attracted a lot of interest among Parsi-Zoroastrians. Unlike members of the clergy, who need to be celibate, deacons...
A book on the Singapore Parsi community launched
Labour of love started by late wife comes to life as book on local Parsi community launched After his wife Suna died in 2015, retired pilot Mr Rustom Kanga knew what he had to do. He and his two...
The British, Portuguese and French influence on Parsi cuisine in India
Despite their dwindling population, the Parsis strive to preserve the legacy of their rich, robust and wholesome cuisine by even using social media to popularise it among food lovers around the...
Discover The Chinese Roots Of This Traditional Parsi Embroidery
Chinese Roots And Silk Routes “People tend to forget that it is not just a craft, but also a visual identifier of the Zoroastrian community and its achievements,” says Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala of...