Opinion Articles

The Parsi Zoroastrian population is declining at 18 per cent each decade. Recent efforts to increase the Parsi...

They fled to India back in the eighth century after more than 100 years of religious persecution following the Arab...

If you want to be an Irish citizen, you must be the sugar in the milk

The Parsis are a small but successful minority group who emigrated to India centuries ago. Today, they are associated with success in business and culture — for example, the Tata family and Farrokh Bulsara, aka Freddie Mercury.

They left their home in Persia as they were unwilling to give up their Zoroastrian faith for their nation’s new one, Islam. When they arrived in India, King Jadhav Rana, who welcomed guests, did not want them to stay. He explained that his kingdom was full and sent them a glass of milk full to the brim to demonstrate his dilemma.

Article by Leo Varadkar | The Times Ireland

Our friend Dr. Sousan Abadian, Executive Director, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington shares her thoughts on the Magi’s Reminder The days following Christmas invite a deeper remembering....

This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated September 27, 2004 The wooden steps leading to the maternity hospital are dusty and rickety. A century-old stone building that...

I don’t think I’m alone in having an ambivalent attitude toward religion. My ambivalence is captured perfectly in an International Baccalaureate examination question titled: “Is organized religion a...

The telephone rang early in the morning. At the other end was a very old school days friend who was in a Karachi hospital. “I have a high fever and the doctors say its Covid”. A few hours later he...

He was a liberal in the constitutional sense of the word, defending the fundamental rights of citizens against an overbearing state. Fali Nariman (1929-2024). Photo: X/@RahulGandhi Article by...

“Aapro Fali”, the Parsi Community’s Pride and the Constitutional Authority With a Twinkle in His Eye Fali Nariman always had time for good causes, even for reporters looking for...

Our dear friend and contributor Havovi Govadia gives us something to think about… Some old photographs landed in my WA messages. My Sister-in-law wrote that she couldn’t recognize some faces so...

In a leafy neighborhood of central Mumbai, classic “Parsi-style” bungalows with their deep porches and balconies adorn the streets, a historic Parsi school has been recently renovated and at the...

Our dear friend and award-winning author Nawaz Merchant writes… Until 1968 black families were systematically discriminated against in housing (a process called redlining), which led to economic and...

The slogan of “Zan Zendegi Azadi” meaning women, life and freedom is being raised aloud by protestors in Islamic Republic of Iran, after Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian Kurd was pronounced dead...

On March 18th, 1861, more than 160 years ago, Dadabhai Naoroji delivered a speech in Liverpool, England. The speech makes fascinating reading of what was the current status of the Parsi community....

Ms. Guzdar is a senior at Stanford University. She was an intern this summer at the Department of Defense and is interning at the Leadership Council for Women in National Security. I was an intern...

Until recently, my professional identity was tied to my role as a litigation partner at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC. I was one of a handful of women of color to have that title, and...

Dr. Farokh E. Udwadia is a legend in the medical field worldwide. He is also a proud Parsi Zarathushti and was invited as the Keynote speaker at the Iranshah Udvada Utsav 2017 In two frank and...

My faith is Zoroastrianism, the oldest monotheistic religion in the world, originating in ancient Persia. The Persian prophet and religious reformer Zarthushta [Zoroaster] is regarded as its...

Parag Sayta writes a commentary on the Parsis of Bombay on the Brown Pundits blog I just finished reading Michael Axworthy’s Iran: Empire of the Mind, one of Razib Khan’s recommended reads on Iran....

“I have to drink cow pee?!” Nine-year-old me glared up incredulously at my older brother, Tyler, who snickered, and with a devilish teenage grin, nodded his head — the answer was, unfortunately,...

India’s vaccine diplomacy drive which has become the toast of the town in many a world capital, has much to thank the Parsis –  a tiny community which migrated from ancient Persia to...

Neville Medhora in conversation with Noah Kagan shares some simple ways to be a little happier every day. Noah Kagan writes…. A lot of entrepreneurs work hard. A lot of entrepreneurs make money. Few...

My grandfather had never been a tall man, and now he looked absurdly small, no bigger than a child. Swaddled in off-white sheets like a newborn, with just his head and the soles of his feet visible,...

The ambitious project opens the scriptures of seven faiths to anyone who wishes to learn Article by James Christie | Broadview Once upon a time, a mere six centuries or so before the birth of Jesus...

How dare you ask me to write on this topic, Editorji? It’s a contradiction in terms, and only an oxy-moron would think that such a species with common traits exists. Our most common feature is that...

The below account is from a very dear friend (...like family..) who I have known for a decade. We met at the Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY) and have over the years volunteered...

The Shedde family has a special relationship with Mrs Ewing, that started at the raddiwalla. We lived in a modest chawl in Santa Cruz during my childhood, and moved to a three-bedroom apartment when...

A long time dear reader of ours, who wishes to remain anonymous has written this very pertinent open letter to Bill Gates. An open letter to: ‘Bill Gates’ A ‘Prophet’ in our Times. – In both sense...

In a cheeky comment on Mumbai’s ageing Parsis, a story goes somewhat like this: “If you visit Mumbai’s Parsi General Hospital and require hospitalisation, you are first asked your age. If you are...

Penned by lawyer, former journalist and columnist for Parsiana, a popular international Zoroastrian community magazine, Berjis Desai, The Bawaji: Chronicles of a Vanishing Community was released by...

This forum, Gospels of giving , is dedicated to discussing wealth and why it is given. One of my central research questions concerns how wealth is given. What tools or techniques do the wealthy use...

It is scarcely deniable that the Zoroastrian faith is in the throes of a long-term population decline, an observation this is not merely confined to the 11% decline estimated by a comprehensive...

Maya Joshi shares with us something she wrote for a writing contest. The piece is called “Do You Speak My Language”. Maya writes… The Language We Pray In My grandmother closes her eyes in the dawn...

The following is an op-ed by Munchi N. Cama, past Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet. Manchi writes… I have read a recent mail comparing the B.D.Petit Parsee General Hospital in Bombay with The...

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY -MARCH 8, 2019 The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 is “ Think equal, build smart, innovate for change.” The theme focuses on innovative ways in advancing gender...

Khushbu Solanki, a Rutgers Law graduate makes a compelling arguement for a Dokhma in Texas. Khushbu writes… Traditional Zoroastrian funerals require stone structures called Dakhmas — “Towers of...

Cyrus has spent the past 20 years helping people and business be more efficient. Through his work at Google, he has developed​ a simple process for optimizing all the areas of our personal lives –...

From times immemorial, humankind, in its brief history on planet Earth, has caused and experienced for itself unimaginable horrors and carnage. Violence is commonly used to settle disputes or to...

Long before Rafael the hotheaded, red eye mask wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle entertained children onscreen, there was Rafael the esteemed painter who’d won over a cultured crowd of art...

This is the text of a talk given by Berjis Desai at the recently concluded 11th World Zoroastrian Congress in Perth Australia. Berjis is an eminent legal counsel, journalist and columnist residing...

By granting asylum to Zoroastrians fleeing persecution a thousand years ago, a local Gujarati ruler inadvertently helped create modern India and benefited the entire world. The conventional view of...

On the occasion of International Women’s Day we feature an Op-Ed by our very dear friend and mentor Dolly Dastoor March 8 proclaimed by United Nations in 1977 as International Women’s day On this...

Our dear friend and whiz adman Rayomand J. Patell wrote the following on a social media post today. We are the warriors of the Light. Our Fire Temples try to gently remind us of this. When Europe...

It is a welcome decision of the Indian government to fund new fertility clinics to help save its dwindling Parsi population which is now under threat of extinction. The Parsis should be grateful...

‘Name?’ I say my name, in full. ‘Date of birth?’ I say my date of birth, in full. ‘Religion?’ ‘Half Parsi, half Muslim,’ I say. In full. Article by Shaista Tayabali |Sister-hood She looks up at me....