Hundreds of vultures once circled above a sacred area in one of India’s poshest suburbs, waiting to feed on the remains of followers of an ancient religion that does not allow its dead to be buried or burned. Older members of the small-but-prominent Zoroastrian Parsi community of Mumbai say it usually took only half an… Continue reading Endangered vultures put Parsis in a fix
News and Updates
The secret of embroidering a Parsi ‘gara’
The secret of embroidering a Parsi ‘gara’ is now being taught to those willing to learn, as a part of a five-day workshop at Khareghat Colony Parsi gara embroidery, which is a specialty of the Parsi community has long been appreciated by the fashion industry all over the country. History suggests that this beautiful silk… Continue reading The secret of embroidering a Parsi ‘gara’
Iranshah in 1909
This is a photograph of the Iranshah Atashbehram in Udwada, shot in 1909. The photograph is part of the National Geographic archives and was taken by William Thomas Fee. Image source here More info on Parsis from the same source can be found here
Its TATA every where
Its TATA every where !!! ‘TATA’ in your life!!! What makes you lick your fingertips, but of course TATA SALT. What makes your costumes neat and clean? TATA SHUDH. Who gives a foundation to your dreams? TATA FINANCE.
In The Song of Kahunsha
In The Song of Kahunsha (Doubleday Canada, $29.95), the second novel from North Vancouver’s Anosh Irani, paradise is a place of no sadness. Or so believes his protagonist, 10-year-old Chamdi, an orphan who winds up on the streets of Bombay just as Hindu-Muslim violence is tearing the city apart. This paradise–Kahunsha–will be a place of… Continue reading In The Song of Kahunsha
First Trip to India
We saw schools and hospitals established by the Parsis (Persians who follow the Zoroastrian faith and who migrated to India over a thousand years ago.) community. Continue reading here
From the fringes: Votes without a voice
Parsis…..Numbering about 650 in the city, the Parsis are determined to have a say in the polls. ”Yes, I vote from Burrabazar constituency. Most of our people vote. Why shouldn’t we? We are Indians after all,” says a member of the community at the Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran on Ezra Street. Cyrus Madan, another Parsi,… Continue reading From the fringes: Votes without a voice
Vultures That Vanish
Spare a thought for the scrawny vultures — those once-familiar birds of prey that used to circle lazily high in the air, scanning for anything to scavenge. In my youth, they even perched on tall palm trees in suburban Mumbai, peering disdainfully at the goings-on below. People may be forgiven for wondering why anyone should… Continue reading Vultures That Vanish
Flights of fancy
Parvez Damania’s biggest passion is riding to school! He became a poster boy of the Indian aviation industry with Damania Airlines and he’s still in the thick of things as executive director of Kingfisher Airlines. But Parvez Damania insists his greatest flights of fancy take place on terra firma – on a Harley Davidson. “You… Continue reading Flights of fancy
