The image of Dadabhai Naoroji, the first ever Asian MP to enter the House of Commons in 1892, may soon be printed on British currency notes, if the recommendation of an influential Labour Party think-tank is accepted. Naoroji was elected for the Liberal Party from Central Finsbury in London on July 1892. A Parsi, he… Continue reading Dadabhai Naoroji on British currency notes
News and Updates
Gender, Race, and Spectatorship in Early Indian Cinema
These are the choice of men to play women’s parts, and the use of European or ‘white’ actresses posing as Indian. Both these masquerades can be located in prior theatrical traditions of western India, especially the Parsi theatre. The spectatorial pleasures that such performances divulged will be illustrated through a series of slides from the… Continue reading Gender, Race, and Spectatorship in Early Indian Cinema
Old pacemakers win hearts
Most families at the rally had cars that had been in the family for years, like AR Dadachanji, a Parsi priest, who took his family for a spin in their 1939 Morris-8. “It’s from the same year that I was born,” he smiled. He added that he had been participating in the rally for the… Continue reading Old pacemakers win hearts
Kurshetji murder puts spotlight on Parsis
The Adi Kurshetji murder case of May 2003, which culminated in the conviction of the accused on Friday, has exposed the soft underbelly of the Parsi community. With an increasing number of aging Parsis living a lonely existence in sprawling apartments, they have become easy targets for such attacks. In the recent years, nearly a… Continue reading Kurshetji murder puts spotlight on Parsis
The Truth About Secret Societies
Parsi (Persian Zoroastrianism) influence is also seen in the Kusti ritual where each day they would tie a sacred cord around their waist. The fact that the Templars were accused of holding a ritual with a sacred cord closely resembling the practice of the Zoroastrian Kusti, indicates a tradition of knowledge going back through thousands… Continue reading The Truth About Secret Societies
“Farsi” or “Persian” ?
“Farsi” or “Persian”?: Persian (Iranian) people in the English-speaking countries are the only community who use two different terms to refer to their language, “Farsi” and “Persian.” This behavior has caused some confusion among the Westerners as to the appropriateness of these terms. “Farsi” (an Arabic adaptation of the word “Parsi”), is the indigenous name… Continue reading “Farsi” or “Persian” ?
Love, death and adjectives in Mumbai
Two for one, three for two: no noun without an adjective, never a single adjective where two or more will do. Silence is “utter”, hatred “raw and naked”, puddles “brown, murky and stagnant”. The quirkiest of all appendages in this novel is the heroine’s nose: not only “long, straight” but also “impervious”. That misplaced “v”… Continue reading Love, death and adjectives in Mumbai
The Space Between Us;
A new novel by Thrity Umrigar; WHEN was it that you last thought of your household help as human? More importantly in a crunch who would you trust — the help or your own family? Sera Dubash, a Parsi housewife, is bound to her home and hearth and her only daughter Dinaz and her son-in-law… Continue reading The Space Between Us;
Originality is my forte
He is 34 and says that originality is his forte. Homi Adajania’s debut feature film, Being Cyrus (English), hits theatres soon. “The story was rejected by publishers but I thought of making a film out of it,” says Homi. This is not his first brush with film. He assisted Mahesh Mathai in Bhopal Express. Being… Continue reading Originality is my forte
