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 tendernessIn an unexpected...
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 nearby...
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 NOT....by those...
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 Planet...
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 can't go on people's...
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. Born out of an...
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 Chef...
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 8th...
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 chances...
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 aside her...
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 freed...
Tehmtan Dumasia’s Dhansak Gets A New Address
Tehmtan Dumasia and wife Shernaz have been feeding their famous Dhansak and other Parsi fare to members of the Ripon Club for the past eight years. This will be their last month at the 131-year-old...
Meet Ami Shroff, India’s bartending champ
"Being a bartender meant that I would be working at a bar or pub and performing in front of drunk people, at late hours. "Playing with tools and ingredients is risky as you might get hurt or make a...
An Uncensored Life: Zerbanoo Gifford
The official launch of this book is planned during the Times Litfest in Mumbai on December 4th, 2015 ‘An Uncensored Life’ by seasoned editor Farida Master, is a compelling biography of the human...
Acclaimed Immigrants: India’s Parsi Through Textiles
Mass migrations are in the news today, but populations have been relocating all through human history. When Muslims invaded Iran over 1200 years ago, most followers of the Zoroastrian religion...
A Nirangdin in Navsari at the Vadi Dar-E-Mehr
A sacred nirangdin ceremony was held at the historic 874 years old Vadi Daremeher, Navsari on Roz Aspandarmad Mah Tir Yezdezerdi 1385 Friday midnight of 20th November 2015. The ceremony which lasted...
Dishes and Digs: Kurush Dalal
Archaeologist and chef extraordinaire Kurush Dalal on why we should be biting again into the food of our ancestors Son of archaeologist and Parsi cookery legend Katy Dalal, Kurush Dalal, 46,...
Saving the Zoroastrians: An Australian Perspective
Here is a clip from SBS Australia aired in May 2013 “Have you ever heard of Zoroastrianism? If not, that's because there aren't many Zoroastrians left. Jeannette Francis talks to a family facing the...
A half-breed in Bombay: Suhasini Haidar
How do you preserve the purity of lineage and yet propagate the line of an ever-dwindling community? This is the question that Parsis continue to debate fiercely Article by Suhasini Haider | The...
Iranshah Udvada Utsav: Tolerance, People-To-People Contact To Be Highlighted
Udvada's Iranshah Fire Temple has a special bond with Prime Minister Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has drawn criticism for rising intolerance in India, but tolerance of India is expected to be...
PM Modi Addresses Singapore and Begins with Parsi Story
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a state visit to Singapore on November 24, 2015 addressed the Indian community there. He begins the speech with the Qissa-I-Sanjan story about Sugar In The...
Zarin Malva: Montessori Teacher Extraordinaire
Here are some things that, in all probability, you have been doing completely wrong all your life. Thinking that your child is averse to what is around them; considering them a ball of fluff that is...
Dinshaw Kaiki Tamboly Honoured at Navroz Baug
Dinshaw Kaiki Tamboly needs no introduction to the Parsis of India and to the Zoroastrian diaspora worldwide. An amazing visionary, thought and action leader and champion of the poor, Dinshawji and...
Zia Mody: Powerhouse counsel
It is five in the evening on a hot humid day in Mumbai. The fresh coat of polish on the long wooden table that runs along the length of this empty boardroom is quite distinct. I can catch glimpses...
Laudato Si: Insight of Spenta Armaity
FEZANA recently put out a research paper titled “Laudato Si: Insight of Spenta Armaity”. The entire document can be accessed on FEZANA’s website. Below is a short primer. FEZANA informs The...
How Big Is The Tata Empire ?
A beautifully researched documentary clip on the business house of the TATA’s.
Cheers to Lal Chimney
It’s a privilege I haven’t had. Of living in a baug, that quaint yet quintessential bastion of Parsidom, the housing hub whose clusters across town are home to over half the 40,000 members of my...
Zarin Daruwala Named StanChart India CEO
Standard Chartered Plc named Zarin Daruwala, a senior banker at India's ICICI Bank, as new chief executive of its India operations on Tuesday as the British bank looks to halt rising losses on loans...