Ahmedabad: Rasna Group, in association with Rasna Foundation and the Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust, the CSR arms of...
Blog Articles
Uran tehsildar puts on hold transfer of Bhiwandiwala trust land to BJP MLA
The Uran tehsildar has put on hold the change of ownership of land from the name of Khan Bahadur Hormasji Maneckji...
American Desis: In conversation with Freya Motafram
The Indian Subcontinent is dominated by three religions: Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. But just there are thousands of dialects, there are also many different religions. This week we bring to...
Arzan Khambatta Creates Memorial to Indian Naval Ship Vikrant
“THE LEGEND” A sculpture dedicated to the Mighty VIKRANT made from the original parts of the Legend itself. Inaugurated by Vice Admiral SPS Cheema, PVSM, AVSM , NM, ADC, Flag Officer...
Three Parsis Awarded Padma Awards in 2016
Construction tycoon Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, Architect Hafeez Contractor and founder of Gharda Chemicals, Dr. Keki Hormusji Gharda are the three Parsis who have been announced as awardees of the...
Meher Mistry In Lead Role in Disney’s ‘Beauty And The Beast’
Meher Mistry: Destiny’s child Dadar girl Meher Mistry on how she turned princess for the lead role in Disney’s ‘Beauty And The Beast’ When Meher Mistry walks in for a chat at a cosy café in Mumbai’s...
7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress to be held in 2019 in United States
The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, in a recent website update informs: FEZANA wishes a Happy NewYear 2016 to all Zarathustis globally in North America and around the world....
Fali Vakeel: ‘The last of the Mad Men’ bids adieu to Advertising
Mullen Lowe Lintas group vice chairman Fali Vakeel calls it a day with a lot to cherish “A lot has changed, hasn’t it?” we asked Fali Vakeel, as we settled into our bar stools at the Bombay...
Rishad Daroowala: Helicopter Photography
Sitting inside helicopters, sea planes, and even commercial airliners with his camera at the ready, Travel and Lifestyle Photographer Rishad Daroowala has captured some truly stunning aerial views...
Zarathushti Wedding Ceremony in Australia shows love must overcome fear
Cronulla couple Rutty Talati and Tristan Harley were married according to the rites of the Zoroastrian religion, one of the world’s rarest faiths.The multi-cultural aspects of the marriage included...
Aapro App to be Launched Soon
Mumbai-based model-actor plans to launch a dating and social connectivity app in association with a Pune tech firm exclusively for single Parsis to mingle; reformists ask why not for all...
6th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress: Highlights
The recently concluded 6th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress was held in Auckland New Zealand in the last week of December 2015 and over New Year’s Day 2016. Below is a short video highlight...
Sleepless in Udvada: Er. Marzban J. Hathiram
Good friend of Parsi Khabar and esteemed Ervad Marzban J. Hathiram pens an editorial on the recent Iranshah Udvada Utsav So the great Udvada Utsav has ended. The statues have been lifted...
Nostalgia
There are certain incidents and memories that are forever imprinted in your mind’s eye. It just needs a trigger to awaken those memories and then you remember as though that incident took place just...
Mexican Drug Lord El Chapo and the Zarathushti Connection
What in the world would be the connection between the dreaded Mexican drug lord El Chapo Guzman and Zoroastrians ?? On the face of it, none. But that’s not really the truth. Now that the...
Draame-Bawaas | Parsi Theatre Competition
Witness the finals of the Draame-Bawaas one-act play competition, in which four finalist teams, rigorously mentored by veteran artistes, perform a quartet of sparkling productions. The competition...
The Second Coming
Draame-Bawaas, a competition of one-act plays, aims to give a new lease of life to Parsi theatre. FOR me, theatre is religion,” says Sam Kerawalla, 84, one of Parsi theatre’s greats. Trained as an...
Section of Parsis Cry Sin As More Opt For Cremation
Cremation among Parsis see rise Article by Ashutosh Shukla | DNA India The information by weekly magazine, Parsianna, stated that the number “Parsi/Irani deaths recorded at the new Prayer Hall...
Seven Parsi high priests condemn conversion and interfaith marriages
MUMBAI: In an open letter to the community, seven Parsi high priests have condemned both conversion and interfaith marriages. While acknowledging that several issues plague the community—not the...
Bachi Karkaria: Why Is India’s Wealthy Parsi Community Vanishing ?
Udvada is an obscure hamlet in India’s western Gujarat state which houses the holiest fire of India’s Parsi community. Legend has it that it was consecrated some 12 centuries ago on the...
Vada Dasturjis Voice: “No Conversion or Mixed Marriages”
Below is a letter signed by all the Vada Dasturjis in the aftermath of the Iranshah Udvada Utsav 2015 Preserve identity and maintain religious practices, say Vada Dasturjis in one voice, as they...
Darius Khambata Clarifies Stand on the IUU 2015 Talk
Darius Khambata was one of the speakers on Day 02 of the recently concluded Iranshah Udvada Utsav 2015. His talk raised a lot of controversey over what was said/heard/implied…..or...
Pianist Neville Bharucha Wins 24th Ennio Porrino Competition
Phiroze Bharda of the Bangalore Parsi Anjuman informs…. I am delighted to inform all the members of our community that Neville Z.Bharucha has won the 24th Ennio Porrino International Piano...
‘Bawaji ni Paltan’ guarded Holy Fire for centuries
Parsis from across the country and globe gathered to celebrate Iranshah Udvada Utsav and offer prayers in the holy town of Udvada, but few know that the holy fire was once protected by the guards of...
Rohinton Mistry Awarded the Order of Canada
Those also receiving the honour — author Rohinton Mistry, U of T president Meric Gertler and philantrophist Helen Vari — will be presented with insignia later this year. Some 69 Canadians are to be...
Let’s Agree to Disagree with Darius: Noshir Dadrawala
If I were to adapt Mark Antony’s speech in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones”, in contest to the recently...
A flame endangered
India’s smallest community is getting even smaller; and the Parsis are worried. “If 3000 people are sitting in this pandal, then 20 more such pandals can accommodate all the Parsis living on...
Telangana is second State to set up Zoroastrian jury
With Telangana setting up a 15-member Zoroastrian jury to aid the settlement of marriage and divorce, the Parsis in the State can decide on such matters within the community. Telangana becomes the...
Zoroastrianism is a universal faith and welcomes all, says former advocate-general
Parsi priests often approach actor Boman Irani and ask him to do something about the community’s dwindling numbers. “Uh su karu? (What should I do?),” he asks perplexed. “I...
Day 02 and 03: Iranshah Udvada Utsav
The second day of the first ever Iranshah Udvada Utsav started with two fun filled participatory activities. The Heritage Walks and The Treasure Hunt had droves of people walking or running through...
Musician Homi Mullan Passes Away
Musician Homi Mullan passed away yesterday. He was an integral part of some of the greatest Hindi movie music scores of the last few decades. You can read an article about Homi we carried in 2014...
Parsi family from Syracuse NY plays familiar role
Coming all the way from NY, family puts up play in Gujarati at Udvada festival. Her dazzling pink dress and scurrying in and out of the greenroom is an eye-catcher. But there are clearly no jitters....
More business leaders needed from Parsi community: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the country was trying to out pace others to emerge as the fastest growing economy amidst adversarial global conditions, but needs more business...
Day 01: Iranshah Udvada Utsav
December 25th 2015 will forever be remembered as the first day of a long cherished festival in Udvada to celebrate the hallowed stature of this the “Vatican” of the Zoroastrian faith....
Visiting the Iranshah during the Utsav: Be a True Zarathushti
Dear Fellow Zoroastrians, A large number of us are packing our bags to attend the first Iranshah Udwada Utsav.. Still others aren’t interested or are deterred due to the expected numbers that will...
Only debate can drive people forward: Lord Meghnad Desai at WZCC 2015 AGM
Referring to the recent impasse in Parliament where the Congress and its allies have stalled Parliamentary proceedings, British Labour politician and globally-respected economist Lord Meghnad Desai...
Why the world’s Parsis are heading to Udvada
Keeper of the sacred flame since 1742, Udvada will host the country’s first ever Parsi festival Article by Bachi Karkaria | Times Of India Udvada is a nondescript hamlet in Gujarat of 5,897 people....
Special Philatelic First Day Cover on the Iranshah Atashbehram Released
A Special cover was released on Zoroastrian Atash Behram during Valsad philatelic exhibition on 19th December 2015 .Sspo Mr. Macwan, Valsad released the special cover .
Gujarat High Court Justice J. B. Pardiwala Removes Remarks
Justice Pardiwala removes reservation related remarks from his order Even as the 58 Rajya Sabha members demanded impeachment of Gujarat High Court Judge Justice J B Pardiwala for his recent alleged...
Cyrus Mistry Wins Sahitya Akademi Award
Novelist Cyrus Mistry and poet Ramdarash Mishra were among the winners of Sahitya Akademi award announced here on Thursday. Six books of short stories, six of poetry, four novels, two books each of...
Bapsi Sidhwa: Past In Perspective
Bapsi Sidhwa was born in Karachi in 1938 to Parsi parents and moved to Lahore soon after. She witnessed the bloody partition of India and has been a prolific writer. Sidhwa has won many awards for...
Neville Shroff Talks About Parsi Contributions On Hong Kong TV
Neville Shroff, one of the trustees of The Incorporated Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao was recently on Hong Kong’s prestigious TVB in a segment about Parsis and their...
Xerxes Bodhanwala Wins Times Food Award 2016
Xerxes Bodhanwala is the chef-owner of Red Fork a successful restaurant in Bangalore. At a young age he has achieved many laurels and this month added the Times Food Award 2016 for the “Best...
Zerbanoo Gifford and Farida Master at the Ripon Club
Over 100 people filed up the 3rd floor of the Ripon Club on Wednesday December 16, 2015 for a book reading event organised by the Jame Jamshed newspaper. An Uncensored Life: Zerbanoo Gifford...
Scouter Pervez S Irani Awarded the Silver Star by President of India
Scouter Pervez Shapur Irani was awarded Scouting’s second highest award the Silver Star, by the President of India at a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on December...
Parsi beloved community of India
Man, I love Parsis. And director and photographer Sooni bawaji, the term of respect for an older Taraporevala in her charming lm Little Zizou. Bombay, the city I was born and raised in, was built on...
Ancestral Affairs by Keki N Daruwalla: First Read
There has been no news from Zarine for over ten days. I am worried. Resentments have been building up from her side. Resentments, in any case, are not hard to work on. I had put Rohinton, our son,...
Bone Marrow Match Drive for Kamron Sohrabian
Meher Amalsad, friend of Parsi Khabar informs us… Kamron Sohrabian, a senior in high school is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. He is a resident of Orange County, California. His...
Princeton’s Great Persian Book of Kings: Book Review
Imagine a 948-page book so large that, open, it stretches 3 feet across. Imagine further that as you read of heroism and intrigue, romance and war, bloody battles and festive celebrations, every so...
Woman with ties to Gainesville starring in movie about Mother Teresa
Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal is major character in ‘The Letters’ When Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal was a little girl, she loved being on stage. Article by Kristen Oliver Gainesville Times But she set...
Zubin Mehta Conducts First Delhi Concert of Australian Orchestra
Music maestro Zubin Mehta on Friday led the Australian World Orchestra to a scintillating evening of rousing Western classical music in New Delhi with the highlight being the powerful voice of...
Parsi Punchayat allowed to allot flats
The Bombay Parsi Punchayat (BPP) on Thursday won a major reprieve when the charity commissioner lifted its stay on allotment of flats to deserving community members. “Over 200 flats will be...