Category: Opinion

“The sun is sink­ing in the West, Din­ner dishes go down in the sink — Sauvignon Blanc is undoubtedly best — It’s time for a writer to drink! Orange skies — a radi­ant sun­set Which calm the emo­tions to see — Those ones I saw and won’t for­get Look­ing at skies — just her and… Continue reading Straits of God? Of a ‘Parsi peg’ & whisky brand called ‘Hor­muz’!

The Parsi Zoroastrian population is declining at 18 per cent each decade. Recent efforts to increase the Parsi population, including the National Commission for Minorities hosting a high-level national seminar last month, have missed a key reason for the consistent decline: an unjust law that leaves Parsi women destitute. Article by Nawaz Merchant Between 2016… Continue reading Want to fix the Parsi birth rate? Protect the women: Nawaz Merchant

They fled to India back in the eighth century after more than 100 years of religious persecution following the Arab invasion of Iran and assimilated completely into India With Iran so much in the news, I find even my peripheral connection to the country evokes interest. Iran is the land of my distant ancestry, Parsis… Continue reading Despite shared roots, for Parsis, India — not Iran — is home

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. Long after the Winter Solstice, after the Hanukkah lights, and after the Christmas star, the work of light continues—not as celebration alone, but as choice, practice, and shared… Continue reading The Magi’s Reminder: The Work of Light Continues

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 once reverberated with the cries of newborn babies is now deserted. The only sign of life is an old nurse who hobbles across the… Continue reading Why the Parsi community is fading away| From the India Today archives