Parsi body defends ‘right’ to keep people out of fire temple

The bench was hearing a PIL which alleged that persons belonging to other races and religions were being discriminated against as they were being denied entry into the fire temple.

Article by Pritam Pal Singh | Indian Express

The Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) told the Delhi High Court that “no persons have right in law to demand entry or use of facilities” of DPA, including the Parsi fire temple near Delhi Gate.

The DPA said this in an affidavit filed before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon. The bench was hearing a PIL which alleged that persons belonging to other races and religions were being discriminated against as they were being denied entry into the fire temple.

Calling it “not maintainable”, the DPA, in its reply, said the petition is “nothing but an illegal and unconstitutional attempt to enter the place of worship of another religion”.

“The relief sought in the petition would violate the fundamental right of privacy enjoyed under the Constitution of India by Zoroastrians and by the DPA and its members,” it added.

Besides DPA, the bench had also sought response of the Centre, the Delhi government and Delhi Police on the petition filed by Sanjjiiv Kkumaar, who has alleged that the fire temple was “practising a system of apartheid, untouchability and communalism by not allowing Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, etc to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the fire temple”.

As per Kkumaar’s plea, he came to know of the temple’s policy when he was denied entry there. He claimed that there is a notice outside the temple, which states that only Zoroastrians will be admitted.

“It is only meant to uphold and maintain the rules and laws that govern the protection and integrity of the sacred fires and the pledge taken by the first band of refugees from ancient Persia not to adopt conversion in India,” it said.

It further said that Zoroastrian men are barred entry if they are suffering from bodily injury. “The exclusion of Zoroastrian women during menstruation for the purpose of protecting the consecrated fire is a core essential and unalterable…,” the reply said, reiterating that “Zoroastrianism does not believe in gender discrimination and places both men and women on equal footing”.

The DPA is managed by a board of trustees, elected by DPA members. The fire temple is managed by them.

Entry of menstruating women, non-Parsis inside Fire Temple not permissible, Delhi Parsi Anjuman tells Delhi HC

The Delhi Parsi Anjuman has told the Delhi High Court that the entry of menstruating women of any religion including Zoroastrianism, or non-Parsis inside a Fire Temple is not legally or constitutionally permissible.

Article by Aditi Singh | Bar And Bench

The averment was made by the Delhi Parsi Anjuman (DPA) in its reply to a petition to enable any Indian, specifically women of any religion (whether menstruating or not), to pray at the Sanctum Sanctorum of Fire Temple in DPA.

The DPA has claimed that the petition is misconceived and in ignorance of the essential beliefs, core tenets of Zoroastrianism, its structure and its legal status.

Dismissing apprehensions of gender bias, DPA has contended that Zoroastrian men who are bleeding or emitting discharge from any body part, also cannot enter the Fire Temple.

“Even Zoroastrian men are excluded from entering Fire Temple if they are suffering from a bodily injury and bleeding. The exclusion of Zoroastrian women during their period of menstruation for the purpose of protecting the consecrated fire is a core, essential and unalterable part/tenant of Zoroastrianism.“, it is stated,

Such prohibition is neither arbitrary nor absolute, DPA adds, as it is only for the duration of the menstrual cycle or discharge.

As far as entry into the sanctum sanctorum of a Fire Temple is concerned, DPA has informed that entry is restricted to an ordained priest. Parsi men are also not permitted to go beyond a certain demarcated area in the Fire Temple.

The Petition filed through petitioner in person, advocate Sanjjiiv Kkumar sought a declaration that the prohibition on non-Parsi men and women, to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum of holy Fire Temple at Delhi Parsi Anjuman, is illegal and unconstitutional.

DPA has argued that the exclusion of non-Zoroastrians from entry into a Fire Temple, in the practice of the Zoroastrian religion, is constitutionally protected under Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India.

The present petition strikes at the very foundation of Zoroastrian faith professed by Parsis residing in India, the response by DPA states.

The Court has been informed that the DPA is established and maintained under a Declaration of Trust dated September 16, 1959, and is privately funded and endowed. The beneficiaries of DPA are exclusively and specifically, Parsi Zoroastrians. No other person has a legal or constitutional right in law to demand entry or use of the facilities of DPA including the fire temple, DPA has contended.

Since the Petitioner is not a Zoroastrian, his petition is “nothing but an illegal and unconstitutional attempt to enter the place of worship of another religion.”, it is submitted.

“The Petitioner is seeking, that too as a matter of right, to enter the DPA Fire Temple ..under the unconstitutional premise that a person of any religion or belief has the right to enter the religious places of worship of another religion, including those privately funded and established with defined and specific beneficiaries. This premise strikes at the root of Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India.”

Refuting claims of apartheid, untouchability or violation of Fundamental Rights under Articles 14,15,17,19 or 21, the DPA has submitted,

“Barring entry of non-Zoroastrians in Zoroastrian places of worship is not based on factors like caste, colour or race nor is it discriminatory. It is only meant to uphold and maintain the rules and laws that govern the protection and integrity of the sacred fires and the pledge taken by the first band of refugees from ancient Persia not to adopt conversion in India.”

DPA has also addressed the issue of women not being ordained as priests in Parsi religion. It informed that several religious rituals and ceremonies are required for a Zoroastrian to become a priest, which require residence in a Fire temple for an extended period during which the person cannot be bleeding or emitting any discharge.

Thus, priesthood initiations are not allowed for women because they would not be able to uphold and follow the laws and rules governing the protection of sacred fire due to menstruation.

DPA has also challenged the maintainability of the writ petition under Article 226 since DPA is endowed by private funds with specific beneficiaries i.e. exclusively Parsi Zoroastrians, and does not qualify as State. It has also raised issues of misjoinder of parties and causes of action.

Since it is legally a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, DPA has also sought to differentiate itself from the Sabarimala  Temple case.

The Reply was filed through Karanjawala & Co.

The matter would be next heard on August 26.

Empowering Mobeds invites all Mobed sahebs and their wives to an Open-house discussion on a much needed topic that needs attention – ‘Expectations To Enroll Your Son In Full Time Mobedi’. This will be followed by a parent-child session conducted by a mental health panel comprising Dr. Kersi Chavda, Hvovi Bhagwagar and Tanya Vasunia.

Date: Saturday April 20, 2019

Time: 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

Venue: Dadar Madressa hall

Dress Code: Dagli Paghri or smart casuals.

For Registrations, contact:

Kashmira Kakalia: +91 98215 59961 /

Niloofer Broacha:  +91 75063 72651.

Kindly note: You are requested to pre-register to help cater for lunch

Empowering Mobeds is a noble initiative spearheaded by the Athornan Mandal and the WZO Trust Funds Mobeds Welfare Scheme.

Chef Anahita N Dhondy was selected in the ‘Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019’ list for her contribution towards food sustainability and for popularising the Parsi cuisine.

Chef Anahita N Dhondy was at a vegetable market in Hyderabad picking up fresh veggies for her restaurant when the news reached her. She was selected in the ‘Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019’ list for her contribution towards food sustainability and for popularising the Parsi cuisine.

Article by Smitha Verma | INDIA TODAY

“It was overwhelming. The congratulatory messages poured in and I was touched by the warmth. I never thought that my work would be recognised at the national level,” says the 28-year-old, who runs SodaBottleOpenerWala, a chain of Parsi restaurants in the country.

Chef Dhondy promotes Indian millets, which are nutritious and inexpensive homegrown grains, in dishes in the restaurant and in her recipes on social media.

“I am grateful that people are recognising sustainability in this sector,” says Dhondy. She has represented India and SodaBottleOpenerWala at the EAT Forum 2018 and the Chefs Manifesto in Stockholm and London in 2018.

These days she is busy conducting workshops in schools to promote Zero Waste and Clean Plate campaigns which is also in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

“I am teaching youngsters how to reuse food and work towards zero waste of food materials. We have to respect our farmers and environment,” she says.

The Symphony Orchestra of India’s SOI Music Academy celebrated the graduation ceremony of five of their academy students last Saturday (April 13th 2019).  Among these was 15 year old Leah Divecha, who started learning the Violin at the tender age of six and was enrolled in the pilot project of the NCPA Western Classical Music Program when she was eight years old.

The SOI Academy Orchestra performed at the Tata Theatre with solo performances by each of the graduating students.  Leah is the only Parsi to be a part of this group and has worked with dedication and hard work over the last nine years to earn her place amidst some of the best musical talent our country’s youth have to offer.  Here’s what Leah has to say about her life and music.

Check out Leah’s video below.

Pervin Taleyarkhan has received an award from the American Bar Association’s Section of Intellectual Property Law. She received the honor in “Recognition for Outstanding Leadership Contribution” on April 10 during the section’s annual spring conference. The event took place in Arlington, Virginia.

Taleyarkhan is Legal Counsel for Whirlpool Corporation in Benton Harbor, Michigan. She serves on the Board of Editors for the ABA Journal, and is a Young Lawyer Fellow for the Section on Intellectual Property Law. She also serves as an assistant issue editor for Landslide, the publication for the ABA’s Section of Intellectual Property Law. She was editor-in-chief of the Indiana Health Law Review while a student at Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law.

Karaka, Dosabhoy Framji [Dosoo] (1911–1974), journalist and writer, was born on 14 April 1911 in Bombay, British India, into a middle-class Parsi family, the eldest of three children of Framji Jehangir Karaka, imperial customs official, and his wife, Homai (d. 1952). He grew up in a house on Malabar Hill called The Cloisters, in a fashionable quarter of Bombay. His great-grandfather, Dosabhai Framji Karaka, was the author of the History of the Parsis published in Britain by Macmillan in 1884. After two years at the Jesuit college in Bombay, when the family moved to Karachi he attended the Dayaram Jethmal Sind College there, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in English literature. In 1930 he entered Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating with a second in jurisprudence in 1933. At the same time, in October 1930, he was admitted to Gray’s Inn and was called to the bar in 1938. Two events which proved decisive in shaping his life and intellectual development occurred when he was still young. The first was when as a child in Bombay he witnessed mill workers shouting ‘Mahatma Gandhi ke jai’ and learned about the independence movement under Gandhi’s leadership. The second was his time at the University of Oxford and his eight years in Britain.

Article by Rozina Visram Oxford DNB

Oxford in the 1930s was changing: there was growing student radicalism. Caught up in undergraduate politics, Karaka became active in several clubs and societies. He was president of the University Liberal Club and the Oxford Majlis. At a time of an upsurge in the freedom struggle many prominent Indian figures addressed the Majlis and there were heated debates on Indian independence. Although ‘essentially an Indian club’ (The Pulse of Oxford, 35) it exercised a considerable influence on some of his contemporaries such as Michael Foot. Considered ‘the chief star in our Union constellation’ (Lincoln College Record, 2003/4, 21), Karaka was active in the Oxford Union. He was secretary during the notorious ‘king and country’ debate, and the furore over the outcome meant that Karaka had to re-record the minutes, torn out by some angry undergraduates from the minute book. It was in this charged atmosphere that Karaka wrote his first book, The Pulse of Oxford (1933). In 1934, having worked his way through the society’s ranks, he became president of the Oxford Union, succeeding Foot. As he was the first Indian to hold that office his election made headlines in the national press. While still at Oxford he was commissioned by Michael Joseph to write a book on India, which he entitled I was Born Dark. But the publishers, thinking this would suggest African authorship, changed it to I Go West (1938). His first piece of journalism, ‘Colour Bar’, commissioned by the Daily Herald, was published in 1934.

In 1938, by now a firm believer in the democratic way of life and a ‘budding crusader for the equality of man’ (Then came Hazrat Ali, 103), Karaka returned to Bombay. In December he joined the Bombay Chronicle, one of the leading dailies and a newspaper in the front line of the independence struggle. Under the pseudonym DIM (from Dominus illuminatio mea, the Oxford University motto) Karaka wrote a racy daily half-column as well as a serious feature, ‘I cover the town’. As a reporter for a nationalist paper he met many luminaries of the Indian National Congress. During his nine years with the Bombay Chronicle he wrote a series of eloquent, well-researched pieces. Among his more notable articles was his graphic eyewitness report on the 1943 Bengal famine countering the version of events given to parliament by Leo Amery, the secretary of state for India.

April 1942 saw Karaka in Chungking on his first major assignment as the Bombay Chronicle‘s war correspondent. His daily broadcasts to India, permitted by the Ministry of Information, were aimed at raising awareness of Chinese resistance to Japan. His book Chungking Diary (1942) was a lively account of his experiences, including interviews with Chou en Lai and Madam Chiang Kai-Shek. Next he was on the China–Burma border witnessing the long-drawn-out run-up to the battles of Kohima and Imphal. His monograph With the Fourteenth Army (1944) narrated a human story of courage and endurance in this frontier war. In December 1944, wishing to gain a bigger picture of the war, he transferred to the western front to cover the allied forces’ final push into Germany. With his usual knack for securing interviews he gained an exclusive interview with Amery, which was reported in twenty-seven Indian newspapers on their front pages. Karaka summarized Amery as ‘a cunning little river fish’ (BL OIOC L/I/1/1423), skilful at manoeuvring interviews and difficult to pin down. Karaka was one of the first journalists to enter Bergen Belsen concentration camp. But his eyewitness account, one of the major stories of the war, remained unpublished as the proprietor of the Bombay Chronicle chose not to print it.

The event that was to haunt Karaka, which he witnessed and reported at the request of Brigadier B. S. Chimni, was the partition of the Punjab. His graphic description of the harrowing scenes of slaughter and the helplessness of the refugees lifted the curtain on what he called ‘virtually a war of extermination’ (Freedom must not Stink, 4). He saw no justification in whitewashing Indian shortcomings. He was to return again and again to the images, drawing comparisons between the Punjab and the stench of Belsen in several publications including his autobiography, Then came Hazrat Ali (1972).

After nine years with the Bombay Chronicle Karaka edited a weekly, The March, and in 1949 founded his own weekly, The Current. He remained steadfast to his liberal ideals of a democratic way of life and journalistic ethics. Increasingly disenchanted with Nehru—witness the title Nehru, the Lotus Eater from Kashmir (1953)—and the Congress style of government, he became fiercely critical of its policies, accusing Congress of ‘virtually creating a dictatorship’ (Betrayal in India, 82). In 1971, during the emergency, he was briefly imprisoned on grounds of national security. The Current was a financial struggle and affected his health.

A well-regarded and politically committed journalist, Karaka also wrote works of fiction. At Oxford he was renowned for his wit and sherry parties. A cultured man, he spoke French fluently. He was also fond of betting on horses and playing cards for high stakes. He married in 1952 and lived latterly in Bombay, where he died of cardiac failure in 1974.

Dr. Khursheed Wadia, an Associate Professor at the University of Warwick in the U.K. was the winner of the prestigious W. J. M. Mackenzie Book Prize for her book Muslim Women and Power: Political and Civic Engagement in West European Socities.

The Mackenzie Prize is awarded annually to the best book published in political science.

This book provides an account of Muslim women’s political and civic engagement in Britain and France. It examines their interaction with civil society and state institutions to provide an understanding of their development as political actors.

The authors argue that Muslim women’s participation is expressed at the intersections of the groups and society to which they belong. In Britain and France, their political attitudes and behaviour are influenced by their national/ethnic origins, religion and specific features of British and French societies. Thus three main spheres of action are identified: the ethnic group, religious group and majority society. Unequal, gendered power relations characterise the interconnection(s) between these spheres of action.

Muslim women are positioned within these complex relations and find obstacles and/or facilitators governing their capacity to act politically. The authors suggest that Muslim women’s interest in politics, knowledge of it and participation in both institutional and informal politics is higher than expected. This book will appeal to students and scholars of politics, sociology, gender studies and social anthropology, and will also be of use to policy makers and practitioners in the field of gender and ethno-religious/ethno-cultural policy.

About Dr. Khursheed Wadia

Khursheed Wadia joined the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations (CRER), at Warwick, in 2003 and is now Associate Professor in the Centre for Lifelong Learning. Khursheed is also a member of the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, at Warwick. Outside the University, Khursheed is an Overseas Research Associate at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, an Associate Fellow of the Centre Migrations et Citoyennetés of the Institut Français des Relations Internationales, Paris and an external Research Associate at the Centre for Critical Inquiry into Society and Culture, Aston University in Birmingham.

Research interests

Khursheed’s research interests and specialisms lie at the intersection of politics, gender and ethnicity in Europe with a focus on Britain and France. Her research covers two inter-related areas of study: gender, ethnicity and politics (political participation and policy) in Britain and France; migration and ethnic relations in Britain and France. She has extended her work on political participation and policy to examine why and how young people engage with political and civic institutions and processes and how this engagement is shaped by the past and inter-generational relationships. This research was undertaken as part of a large-scale, comparative European study (see below).

She is author (with Gill Allwood, Nottingham Trent University) of Women and Politics in France: 1958-2000 (Routledge, 2000), Gender and Policy in France (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), Refugee Women in Britain and France (Manchester University Press, 2010) and of various short works. Khursheed is also co-author with Danièle Joly (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris) of Muslim Women and Power: Political and Civic Engagement in West European Societies (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) which has been translated into French and published by the Presses de L’Université Laval.

She has also been the Warwick (CRER) coordinator and Co-Investigator of various EU Commission-funded projects: i) Refugee Women: Reception, Integration and Voluntary Return Regimes in Europe – RefWom (author of country studies on UK, Ireland and Greece); ii) Minority Formation and Cultural Diversity in European Nation-states – MinFor (author of UK study); iii) Traumatised Refugees in Europe – TraRef (author of country studies on the UK and France respectively); iv) Integration Indicators and Generational Change – IntGen (author with Catherine Anders of country study on the UK). Furthermore, she co-investigated a study funded by UK Government Office-East on ‘The Crime and Community Safety Needs of Asylum Seekers and the Communities Resident in Peterborough’.

Current and recent research projects
Khursheed is currently PI on a project funded by the British Academy: Forced Marriage Policy in France: A Study of Inclusivity and Gender Transformation (September 2017 – August 2019).

Recent research projects have included a four-year study, funded under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7), on how young people’s social and political participation is shaped by the shadows of totalitarianism and populism in Europe. The MYPLACE (Memory, Youth, Political Legacy And Civic Engagement) project was coordinated by Prof. Hilary Pilkington, University of Manchester and undertaken in collaboration with 14 other higher education insitutions in Europe. It ran from April 2011 to November 2015.

Khursheed was also PI (with Gabriella Lazaridis, University of Leicester) on an ESRC-funded seminar series titled ‘Whose Security? Migration-(In)Security Dilemmas 10 Years after 9/11’ and Co-I (with Danièle Joly) on a 4-year study funded by the ESRC on ‘Women from Muslim Communities and Politics in Britain and France’.

World-renowned Pakistani artist, peace activist and social crusader Jimmy Engineer has been selected for Habib Jalib Peace Award for 2019 in appreciation and recognition of his meritorious services in the field of art and social work.

Habib Jalib Peace Award Committee, according to an announcement, will present the Peace Award to Jimmy Engineer at a function to be held at Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi on April 30, 2019 to mark observance of 26th death anniversary of popular revolutionary poet Habib Jalib.

Habib Jalib Peace Award so far has been given to 12 prominent personalities from different fields in recognition and appreciation of their services in respective fields starting from 2007 till 2018. The recipients of Habib Jalib Peace Award so far include Mr Sobhogayan Chandani, Aitzaz Ahsan, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Prof Dr Adeebul Hassan Rizvi, Dr Ruth Pfau, Justice (r) Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim, Meraj Muhammad Khan, Abdul Hameed Chhapra, Justice (r) Rana Bhagwandas, Dr Abdul Hai Baloch, Abid Hasan Minto and Comrade Jam Saqi.

In December 2018, Jinnah Society had conferred the Jinnah Award comprised of gold medal on Jimmy Engineer and SOS Children’s Village Founder President Mrs Souriya Anwar in recognition of their services to Pakistan in their respective fields.

Custom-made garments, whether couture or everyday outfits, are a significant part of our dressmaking heritage. Verve scouts around for Mumbai-based tailors and boutiques that specialise in the art of bespoke clothing and make it a seamless experience

Gulshan Kolah

When I first visit her house I am surprised by the scale of her enterprise. I had assumed that since she works out of her living space, she would have a small set-up. Gulshan Kolah invites me into a long, rectangular room that has three sewing machines, an approximately three-foot-long hollow charpoy with a half-embroidered white fabric stretched over it, and a cutting table along the window. “For the past 15 years, I have had this team of tailors working for me,” she informs us.

Text by Rushmika Banerjee. Photographs by Shweta Desai

Kolah is a well-known dressmaker in the Parsi community and the go-to person for bridal saris. She creates them in a variety of fabrics — chiffon, georgette, lace — along with the blouses, petticoats and the sudreh (a religious undergarment) as well as paghris for the groom. The paghri is the headgear worn by Zoroastrian men at the time of their wedding and other social events. It looks like a pillbox hat with no brim and fabric draped over the crown. “I learnt the art of paghri-making for my own wedding. My husband wanted one since he didn’t want to wear a pheta, which resembles a bowler hat. This was in 1983, and we had planned to get married the next year. I learned how to make the paghri from the last of the paghri-makers who was almost 90 years old. He was known as Nariman Paghri Wala and was about to shut shop at that time. He was too old to teach, but I requested him to let me observe and learn how to make a paghri. I used to go there when he was working and eventually, with a lot of practice, I made the first one for my husband. Then my friends asked me about it at the wedding and that’s when I started my business of making paghris,” recalls 60-year-old Kolah.

Kolah would make outfits for her family and friends when she was a teenager. Later, she started making the paghri and then moved on to embroidered saris for weddings and social gatherings. Since weddings in India are seasonal, the number of orders varies over the year. Kolah plans her time efficiently — during the wedding season they work on custom orders and during the off-season, she creates saris for her in-house collection. She keeps them ready in case a client is looking for something on an urgent basis.

Today, the most exciting part of her job is meeting the bride. “We show her our line of ready-made bridal saris first. Sometimes she chooses from the collection and then we make a petticoat, a blouse and a sudreh to match. Since this undergarment is visible, we make a specific one for each sari. This is the easy part. Often people come with an idea and then we make three to four swatches. Once the embroidery design is finalised, we choose the fabric and the blouse design. We also have to make sure that the design is not too skimpy as the bride will be wearing it in a religious place. This process takes a minimum of three months because we do around two to three trials. If it’s something intricate then it takes longer. Sometimes we’ll make a small envelope clutch to match the sari.”

The second time that I go over, I see her workshop in action. Four karigars are sitting on four sides of the charpoy and patiently embroidering sequins onto the white fabric. A tailor on the sewing machine is stitching a white beaded blouse and another is working on a dusty pink one. The beads are aligned perfectly on the bust seams and the blouse has a soft inner lining. The pink blouse has tone-on-tone embroidered flowers and sheer sleeves. Kolah also pulls out a white lehnga (which she had designed for her daughter) and two saris, one salmon pink and the other, mint green. “Clients come to me not only for wedding wear but other events too such as Navjotes, anniversaries and birthdays. The Navjote ceremony is a ritual through which an individual is inducted into the Zoroastrian religion. We make pretty dresses for young girls for this.”

Parsi gara embroidery is one of the finest and Kolah rarely takes it on. “It works out to be very expensive and there are not a lot of karigars who can do that kind of stitch. We undertake it only if the client is ready to give us time and willing to spend whatever it costs. We have clients who ask us to make a kurta or a blouse and we take around six months to create the piece. We have only one or two karigars who can do that,” she says, with regret. Kolah showed us one of the original gara embroidered saris that she has in her collection. It is beautiful; black with white floral embroidery around the edge. “If you look at the work closely, the threads here are so closely stitched together that you can’t tell the difference between an authentic gara and an imitation done on machine. There are so many replicas available in the market that the craft has lost its value. Sadly, however, everything is not genuine gara work,” explains Kolah. She also shows us a cherry red pre-stitched sari — the pleats in the front and on the shoulder are sewn together to make draping it easier. “A pre-stitched sari is what a bride wants these days. She doesn’t want to deal with the fuss of adjusting the drape every few seconds,” concludes Kolah. She might not refer to herself as a business woman, but her attention to detail definitely makes her an informed dressmaker.

When independent India was laying the groundwork for its first elections in 1952, clueless to the rest of the world, workers at a factory in Mumbai’s Vikhroli were making history.

They were manufacturing the first-ever ballot boxes to be used in the general elections.

At Plant 1 of the Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd, these workers burned the midnight oil to produce nearly 12.83 lakh ballot boxes within four months.

Here’s the lesser-known story.

The first election was a result of the continuous efforts of then Chief Election Commissioner, also a mathematician Sukumar Sen, and his team. You can read all about this civil servant who set up India’s extraordinary electoral system here.

The real unsung heroes though were the faceless workers at Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd who supplied the 12.83 lakh steel ballot boxes.

The Election Commission drew pictorial symbols for political parties, so voters didn’t have to read the names out. This ensured that even those who were not literate could cast their vote without needing someone to help them.

They also set the system of marking voters with indelible ink to prevent second voting.

Sources of mass media like radio and films were used to propagate voting and educate the masses about the electoral process and its importance. Officials rushed from door to door, tracked eligible voters, prepared massive rolls, held mock elections and taught the people how to vote.

The biggest question though was who would manufacture the lakhs of ballot boxes because several things had to be kept in mind even while manufacturing and procuring these.

Apart from being sturdy and cost-effective, the manufacturers had to ensure that the boxes were tamper-proof.

The time was ticking and the design had to be finalised.

Besides, external locks were very expensive.

At this time, the skilled shop-floor worker at Godrej, Nathalal Panchal, came to the rescue. After 50 designs and prototypes, one ballot box was deemed technically acceptable and economically viable.

Panchal had finally designed a ballot box that ticked all the criteria.

“It could only be opened by breaking a pre-impressed insignia and manipulating the locking lever through the aperture covered by the insignia,” Vrunda Pathare, chief archivist at Godrej told The Hindu Business Line.

The design made its way to Plant 1, to the tireless team of then plant manager K R Thanewalla. Slogging in three shifts, the workers manufactured 15,000 ballot boxes a day, even clocking their best at 22,000 boxes per day!

Godrej’s official website mentions Late K R Thanewalla once saying, “We would be at the plant from quarter to seven onwards and rarely left before midnight.”

They did this without affecting the production of any of their other products like safes, cupboards, cabinets or locks.

Thanewala added how Plant 1 had only started its operations in May 1951.

“Pirojsha Godrej (the owner) would come to the factory at 3 o’clock every afternoon asking us how it was going. And he got orders from other companies who had not somehow or the other managed to make them (ballot boxes). The mechanism was tested. Every box had to be checked. Click when it closes and click it should open. Once it was closed, without putting your finger inside and pulling the string, you cannot unlock it,” he told The Times of India.

Vrunda adds, “The workers at the factory were putting in extra hours every day to ensure that the ballot boxes were readied in time.”

Even at a time where raw materials like steel were in short supply, more than 82,000 tonnes of steel were used in manufacturing these boxes.

As shocking as it is, the production cost of one ‘olive green’ ballot box was a meagre Rs 5.

Speaking to The Times of India, an official from the archives division at Godrej added that the original order was for 12.24 lakh ballot boxes, but the company ended up producing 12.83 lakh.

“It’s probably because orders were given to other companies as well and those who did not finish them in time passed the order on to Godrej in the end.”

Once this order was ready, the boxes were chugged to more than 23 states in India, from Vikhroli Railway Station in loaded commercial and passenger train wagons, under the moniker of ‘election specials’.

Thanewala adds how the boxes were moved, “…We had to walk to the station and back. And…I did a lot of night shifts. At night we [used to] light mashaals (torches) and with the mashaal, I used to walk from the railway tracks up to Vikhroli station. It was great fun.”

Godrej-made ballot boxes were used in the elections from the 1950s until the 1960s.

We may have moved to the tech-savvy EVMs now, but those who voted in the days of yore continue to trust the old-fashioned olive green paper ballots boxes a lot more.

To know more about India’s first elections, here’s a story that narrates it in rare photographs.

Tucked away in the bylanes of Fort, Mumbai stands the quaint old Banaji Limjee Agiary.

Article by Ervad Sheherazad R. Pavri

One of the many fire temples to celebrate it’s Salgreh (birthday) today, this fire is that special one to me . 311 years old , Mumbai’s oldest fire temple and my favourite for many reasons. In times where we hear complaints about deserted fire temples, this one puts up a great show but one of simplicity. No fancy garlands or big chalk decorations draw the laiety here. And yes, no free food either.

For the little kid coming to learn his Navjote prayers, the goats prancing around make him want to come back. The busy lawyer comes in the afternoon for a peaceful retreat, away from the cacaphonic walls of the nearby court. The investment firm owner drops by late evening for some respite from the numbers.

All the characters mentioned above are real ones( at least to the best of my observation skills!)

For me , my happy place is having that solo conversation with the Holy Atash Padshah late at night after having performed the boi ceremony when called upon occasionally. It awakens the fire in me and makes me want to reach out to people and help them in every way possible. As I sit and introspect the trajectory of my life in deep gratitude, a smile lights up my face as all of my life’s success truly wouldn’t be possible without His divine guidance!

Thank you Banaji Limjee Agiary for being that Oasis of peace in a crazy , cacaphonic world. The divine pull of yours , especially with the performance of the higher liturgical (Pav Mahal) ceremonies is truly magical. May your bright flame burn for all eternity and show our community the path ahead!

Our dear friend Feritta is featured in an interview on Broad Tube Music Channel

Feritta grew up in a family where education and family duty came first but her passion has always been creating in one form or another.

While most of today’s stars have parents pushing them into the limelight it was quite the opposite for this shy, Indian girl growing up in Australia and trying to find her way between two very different cultures.

While in primary school Feritta was encouraged by her teachers to sing in the school’s choir programs and at 11 she was awarded a scholarship to study the clarinet, which she did for two years but gave it up when she began high school which was a tough place for a girl who didn’t quite fit in.

The isolation gave Feritta a lot of time to think and music became a natural outlet, allowing her to escape to a place where she could express her emotions.

Whenever she has some spare time she was scribbling lyrics and fantasizing about the life of a being a successful performing artist – so much that she stated in her year 12 graduation yearbook that her dream was “to be a successful recording artist.”

While completing a double degree, Feritta returned to music and began vocal training under the guidance of local music teacher Lucy D’Olimpio.

D’Olimpio was an instrumental force, pushing her to come out of her shell and explore her musical talent.

She then went on to perform in a few local bands but Feritta quickly discovered how fickle the music industry can be and after a few false starts and pressure to quit, Feritta began working with UK writers Dean Hopkins and Brian Highet.

Together, their tracks “Be What U Wanna Be” was a song finalist in a national competition and their other track “Boyfriend” went to straight to #1 on the Australian mp3.com.au music charts.

Soon after this Feritta was presented the opportunity to not just sing but to write and produce alongside Hopkins and together, their first collaboration, “Don’t Tell Me That You’re Sorry” jumped to #2 on the mp3.com.au charts and remained in the R&B top 20 for over a year!

Together, Hopkins and Feritta, along with talented engineer and producer James Hewgill, created her debut album, ‘A Journey Begins’.  The album enjoyed immense success on the independent scene.   Several of her tracks from the album jumped into the Top 10, with several number-one hits in the USA Broadjam.com Top Ten Charts.

Her most recent success has been with… Who’s Got Talent Italy finalist Stef Talia with their smash hit “Set Myself Free” that peaked at #4 on the prestigious European Independent Charts and she is currently in the process of writing several new tracks with exciting new producers from Australia, London, and the USA.

Feritta’s talents have been recognized consistently as Best Female Solo Artist Australia in the International Music Aid Awards twice, receiving two West Australian based WAMi nominations, The Recognition for Excellence Award for her musical contributions to the Zoroastrian community – these are just a few of her accolades.

She has opened for international artists and sold out shows alongside Bollywood superstars Sonu Niggam and triple platinum award-winning artist Pankaj Udhas, International producer and popular UK DJ and actor Bally Sagoo and also recorded with famous trance producer Ronski Speed.

Apart from her musical accomplishments, her entrepreneurial skills have seen her launch not one but two websites, Goddess by Feritta, an e-commerce site committed to holistic yet luxury home and beauty products and her award-winning food blog aptly titled Eat In Style by Feritta.  Feritta is also committed to sharing her other passions for health, beauty and food on her YouTube Channels, Goddess by Feritta and Eat In Style by Feritta and of course her music too.

There seems to be no stopping for this multi-talented artist, foodie, blogger, businesswoman, and entrepreneur.

Tell us how you write a song from the start to finish. 

It really depends; I think most artists would say true creativity is organic.

Sometimes I can be walking my dog and I will be hit with a great idea, other times I can hear a piece of music and it speaks to me and I want to write to it.

Other times I can be reading or watching something and an idea just resonates.

Writing music is like riding a wave, you just have to go with the flow.

A producer I used to work with used to tell me “Don’t force it, give it time”, I think that is great advice.

Elaborate on the gain and loss of being a musician.

It depends on your personal circumstances, for me I faced a lot of resistance to wanting to pursue music.

It can be very challenging and lonely in a way when people can’t relate to your dreams and many people will think you are wasting your life on an unrealistic dream but that is because they don’t understand how freeing the creative process can be and how much joy it can bring.

While illegal downloading has made it hard for artists to earn through digital sales, the internet itself has opened up avenues through YouTube and other streaming services; where people from all over the world now have access to anyone, anywhere and that is a really cool thing.

Tell us how you connect people with your music.

I just want to be authentic and be who I am and share a part of myself through music.  In an age where there is so much fakery, being authentic is the best way to connect with others.

Tell us your greatest song to date.

All my songs are fabulous!  My most recent track ‘Set Myself Free’ is probably the track I am most proud of to date.  I wrote that song when I needed to tell myself a new story.  I was going through some hard times and felt that I needed to remind myself of who I was and what I am capable of.

Set Myself Free is all about empowering yourself and owning your truth.  It’s a really catchy track (produced by Who’s Got Talent Italy finalist Stef Talia) but it also is a message to trust yourself no matter what.

Tell us what you hate most about the music business.

I think it is sad that today’s music isn’t about music at all, it is all about creating this “usually fake” image of what one thinks an artist should be so staying true to your message and purpose can be hard because someone will say, this isn’t commercial enough or you don’t have the right look or whatever it might be –  the music industry today is not necessarily about creating meaningful music, they are more interested in creating a “5 minute hit” and for some strange reason music seems to be more about shock value and less about music.

I think the integrity of the lyrics and the messages being played on the radio today could be a lot better.  When you think back to the greatest artists of all time, Elvis Presley, The Bee Gees, Dean Martin, Michael Jackson, Nat King Cole or Tina Turner to name just a few – they all delivered great music without selling their musical integrity – it would be great to see the music industry come back to music with meaning and not just music to meet sales targets.

Discuss how you monitor your digital distribution and streaming.

I have my music set up through TuneCore, they take care of all that for me.

State the obstacles that a new artist can face as a starter.

Artists have to find a balance between learning from constructive feedback and being true to their musical integrity.

Today we live in an instant gratification kind of world and real music isn’t created like that, it has been cultivated and felt on an emotional level – all the truly greatest songs are.

Give yourself time and don’t believe the hype about overnight success, it is very rare.

Music is subjective so keep learning and growing from other talented artists but don’t give up because you get knocked down a few, heck, maybe a hundred or even a thousand times.

Yes, some people are truly lucky but for most, you have to remember they worked hard to get there so it is really about the journey, not the destination.

As soon as it becomes work, you have lost your way – so enjoy and don’t force the process.

Tell us how you would tutor a new artist in the music business.

I would tell them to immediately set up their social media accounts and again, this stems from today’s culture being one of instant gratification.

My manager is always telling me to create new content but I am so busy and have a million things to do every day but you know what, he is totally right.  Also, be genuine and comfortable with who you are.

There are certain people in the industry who may try to make you feel insecure about your looks, or encourage you to do things against your moral values, belittle your talent but remember that their opinion of you isn’t your opinion of yourself, it is how they try to control you – don’t buy into it – you really need to be mentally strong to cope because not everyone out there is a nice person.

Explain how you record songs.

I do basic vocal demos on my Pro Tools system at home but I usually go to a professional studio if a track is going to be recorded for a release.

It’s also nice to go and record in a studio because I really value the input from the engineer, a good one will never just let you lay down crap vocals and charge you money, he will suggest a better way to sing a line, or tell you if you are pitchy, or sing a certain line a certain way and their knowledge and guidance can really help sculpt a great vocal.

Tell us your opinion on adding effects to vocals.

I think adding effects to vocals can be amazing when used properly…the overall sound of a track can be greatly enhanced with the right vocal effects.

Tell us if you would consider singing about politics or injustice rather than love stories. 

I think the biggest injustice in the world today is that we do not take the time to nurture ourselves.

We live in a world where we care much more about what the outer world thinks of us which I think is such a sad and meaningless way to live.  That is why I wrote Set Myself Free.

We all do it, to please our family, friends – even people we don’t even know.

As I have matured, I have realized that my value is not the result of what others think of me if I am striving to be my best.

Yes, of course, I will still write about love, it is the most beautiful emotion in the world but love can be expressed in many different ways – through hope, empowerment, and inner-strength.

I think if there was more encouraging music in the world, the world would be in a much better state.

Discuss how you distribute your music

Tunecore is my main channel for music distribution and of course, YouTube is also a great vehicle for getting music out to your audience!

Tell us more about your hit single.

For me, ‘Set Myself Free’ was a form of therapy and healing.  I grew up with a lot of negative energy and negative self-talk which I carried into my adulthood and I became very sick and was diagnosed with a very serious condition.

At first, I thought “why me” but then I began reading a lot about the mind-body connection and I realized I had become the result of my own negative feelings and that the only person who was holding my happiness and healing back was me.

So my lyrics might be taken literally but are actually metaphorical, like in the chorus when I sing “I’ll put on my crown, before me you’ll bow” – the “crown” is all about taking charge, being a leader, and creating a new ideal of oneself – owning who you are while “before me you’ll bow” is about surrendering your fears and realizing that once you let go of your fears nothing can stop you.

Music has an incredible power to put you into a good or bad emotional space very quickly so I want to create music that makes people feel and live their best life because I truly understand how important it is.

Delna Shroff, who comes from a family of engineers, was stubborn about the fact that she did not want to be one. She started her journey in advertising five years ago. ‘Dil mein always kuch-kuch hota hai,’ she says, as her eyes reflect her love for advertising. This embarked her transition into the creative world and since then, she has worked with brands like Rotimatic, IDBI Federal Life Insurance, Future Group’s Ezone.

Whether it’s banner copies or full-fledged campaigns, she thinks, being passionately Parsi guarantees that her writing always comes from the heart. She stepped into this mad universe by interning with L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and now she is the Creative Supervisor of Copy at the agency.

Speaking about her favourite campaign, she said, “Axis Active Fitness Band will always be close to my heart, despite delving into the one topic that’s farthest from it – fitness.”

Just before sunset, five elderly men leave their homes in the Cyrus Minwalla Colony, the oldest settlement of Karachi’s Parsis, and sit themselves down on cement benches placed alongside a pavement.

None of them get into a conversation: two of them read the day’s newspapers, two others seem lost in thought, and the fifth stares at the structure on the opposite side of the boulevard, at the Tower of Silence, where Zoroastrians keep their dead for decomposition.

Article by  Arshad Yousafzai | The News Pakistan

The group’s silence reflects the state of their colony, located in the East, between the Defence Housing Authority Phase 1 and Mehmoodabad. Built by Cyrus F Minwalla, then vice-president of the Karachi Cantonment Board, the colony used to be a bustling neighbourhood, but now it resembles an abandoned town.

It doesn’t look or sound like other localities of multi-generational communities where everyone knows everyone, and where they all share their joys, sorrows and burdens with one another.

The pervasive silence in the Cyrus Minwalla Colony is due to a majority of its residents migrating abroad. Those who have chosen to stay behind are mostly in their 60’s or 70’s.

A steady decline

In his 2005 book, titled ‘The Zoroastrian Diaspora: Religion and Migration’, John R Hinnells notes that in the decades leading up to Partition, there had been a steady increase in Sindh’s Parsi population, giving Karachi the fourth largest Parsi population in western India after Bombay, Surat and Navsari.

“After Partition the numbers initially increased further — in 1951 there were 5,018; but they began to decline in 1961 (4,685) until 1995, when there were 2,824 Parsis in Pakistan, 2,647 in Karachi.”

The Karachi Zarthosti Banu Mandal (KZBM), a community welfare organisation, states in its 2015 report that they had conducted the first complete survey of Pakistan’s Zoroastrians in 1995.

Supervised by Toxy Cowasjee, sister-in-law of columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee, they found that 2,831 Parsis lived across the country: 2,647 in Karachi, 94 in Lahore, 45 in Quetta, 30 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, eight in Multan, and seven in Peshawar and other cities.

In its 2012 paper titled ‘The Zarathushti World — a Demographic Picture’, the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (Fezana) notes that Pakistan’s Zoroastrian population was 2,121 in 2004 and it declined by 21 per cent to 1,675 in 2012. Fezana also states that the percentage of non-Zoroastrian spouses increased from 2.4 per cent in 2004 to 2.6 per cent in 2012.

The 2015 edition of the A & T Directory, which carries details of all Pakistani Parsis, notes that the community’s population had reduced to 1,416 in the country: 1,359 in Karachi, 32 in Lahore, 16 in Rawalpindi, seven in Quetta and two in Multan.

Regarding the latest count of Pakistan’s Parsis, academic Dr Framji Minwalla told The News that the community has been reduced to 1,092, living in only Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

The reasons

“Just like the youth in every other community, people have left for higher education and better job opportunities and an overall higher standard of living,” Dilaira Dubash, a Parsi community member and former journalist who has also settled abroad, wrote in an email exchange with The News.

“Most progressive communities reach a stage when population control becomes their worst enemy. For Zoroastrians, it may ultimately lead to extinction. India launched the Jiyo Parsi campaign to curb the population decline and whether that’s a good move or a bad one, the point is they have taken note and they are doing something about it. In Pakistan, we wake up once a year to highlight the issue and then sleep over it.”

She said Zoroastrians can’t be confined to any state. “We have been wandering ever since we were forced to flee Persia. For Pakistan, saving its Zoroastrian population is a lost cause now. If an awareness program would have been initiated two decades ago, maybe there would have been some hope.”

Dr Minwalla said that in the next two decades there will be no Parsi anywhere in Pakistan, as almost the entire younger generation of the community has gone abroad with no plans to return.

“One can hardly find a young Parsi, particularly between the ages of 18 and 27, in Karachi. Moreover, the Karachi Parsi Anjuman Trust Fund helps couples under the age of 40 to emigrate from the country.”

He pointed out that the purist marriage law of Parsis is also one of the reasons behind the community’s declining population. He said that if a Parsi woman marries a non-Zoroastrian, she’ll be forced to leave the community and face other restrictions.

“For example, she won’t be permitted to participate in worship or social ceremonies. But if a Parsi man marries out of the community, his children will be accepted as Parsis but his wife won’t be allowed to participate in any religious or social activity.”

Writer Akhtar Balouch said that no one can become a Parsi, because it’s an ethnic identity. “A person can accept Zoroastrianism, but they will never be a bona fide Parsi.”

In the media

Despite being one of the smallest ethnic and religious communities in the country, Parsis organise many social gatherings and religious festivals, of which the most significant is Nowruz, the start of the Persian New Year.

Most of these events don’t get covered by the mainstream media. But for the past many years the KZBM has been publishing a monthly newsletter, titled ‘What’s On’, which covers these occasions as well as publishes profiles of notable Parsis from across the globe to highlight their achievements.

“Most of our events are community focused and small-scale and slip under the media radar which is running after bigger stories to cover,” said Dilaira. “Apart from that, the only time the media thinks about Zoroastrians is when it’s Navroze and you have to do a mandatory story to fill the pages.”

Contributions

Balouch said that the first elected mayor of Karachi, namely Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta, was a Parsi and is known as the founder of modern Karachi. “The community has established a number of hospitals, educational institutes, hotels and architectural relics that still add exclusiveness to Karachi’s historical landscape.”

They include the Mama Parsi schools, the NED (Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw) Engineering College, the DJ (Dayaram Jethmal) Science College, the BVS (Bai Virbaiji Soparivala) Parsi High School, the Dow Medical College, the Karachi Parsi Institute, the Goolbanoo & Dr Burjor Anklesaria Nursing Home, and the Metropole, Beach Luxury and Avari hotels.

Had the members of Pakistan’s Parsi community started leaving the country earlier, Karachi would have been deprived of its premier medical college, its most important engineering university, some of its remarkable schools and many of its major hotels and other landmarks.

One can’t help but wonder if we as a nation have failed our fellow Pakistanis, if we have played a role in their gradual departure, if we have been ungrateful for their myriad contributions to this country. Whatever the case may be, the Parsi community’s continued exit is a great loss for all of us.

Our dear friend and first time novelist Nawaz Merchant who writes under the pseudonym Nev Merch informs us…

At the Edgar Awards last week, my historical novel ‘The Rajabai Tower Mystery’ won the Mystery Writers of America’s prize for Best First Crime Novel. It will be published by Minotaur, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.Writing as Nev March, I’m simply thrilled at this exciting development.

The Rajabai Tower Mystery introduces Captain Jim Agnihotri, an Anglo-Indian soldier turned detective who is hired to investigate the 1891 deaths of two Parsee women who fell from the famous clock tower in broad daylight. Based on real events, this adventure-mystery traverses Colonial India, from Victorian Bombay to the wilderness of the Frontier Province, uncovering terrible truths hidden in plain sight.

Although solving the mystery is a challenge when no one seems to have any motive to harm the Framjis, Jim has another problem–he’s intrigued by Diana, his employer’s sister, who flouts the rules of both her Parsee upbringing and elite society.
India is an unsettled mélange of territorial loyalties in the 1890s. When Jim grasps the end of the thread and begins to pull, he has no idea of the political turmoil he’s unraveling. Someone close seems to forestall his every move. Things get worse when, disguised as a Pathan, he’s stranded in Pathan-held countryside. Can Jim learn why the two women were killed, disrupt the plans of powerful enemies and confront the threat that still hovers over the Framjis? The Rajabai Tower Mystery (soon to be published by St Martin’s Press) will make your pulse race as you find out.

About Nawaz Merchant

Born in Mumbai India, Nev March is a writer of mystery and historical fiction, historical romance and essays. Writing since the age of eleven, Nev has previously published stories in children’s magazines, and won Writers Digest and Maryland Writers Association contests for historical fiction. 

With four completed manuscripts, Nev returned to writing full time in 2015, completed the first draft of The Rajabai Tower Mystery in four months, spent the next year editing and revising, and is working on a sequel, a mystery set in 1890s Boston, which features the same beloved characters.

As an immigrant, Nev has an affinity for diverse characters facing issues with universal appeal. Her books combine the excitement of mystery and adventure novels with the emotional journey of personal adversity, building characters that readers can identify with. She has written for, and twice been guest editor of the FEZANA Journal, a community publication, and is an active member of the Hunterdon County Library Write group. Nev lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.

Website: www.nevmarch.com

Music runs in the family of Cyrus Oshidar, the man who made MTV and VH1 cool. His daughter Shayaan is topping the dance charts and planning her Indian invasion

Article by Asatha Atray Banan | Mid Day

Growing up, I was exposed to a lot of African music, thanks to my dad. I think it’s because of that, that I have got some rhythm in my body, and can dance as well,” says singer-songwriter Shayaan Oshidar. Her dad is Cyrus Oshidar, who once headed the creative and content departments at MTV and VH1, and garnered the youth’s attention by giving them shows such as the now iconic Roadies.

Oshidar, who currently runs 101 India, which deals in digital content, laughs, “I don’t know when she got into EDM. I am old school that way and like African music, jazz, opera… so that’s what I used to play at home.” But, as the 24-year-old, says, “Mom [Simeen] was into Indian classical, and made me listen to loads of Hindi music. She used to explain the lyrics to me. That’s where the drive to do Hinglish music comes from. And, of course, I was a teenager, so I loved boy bands, and that’s where my pop leanings come from. So, my aesthetic is a mix of many genres.”

Shayaan, who speaks to us from London, just as she is waking up in the middle of the day, after being awake all night in the studio recording a cover of the Zara Larsson song, Ruin My Life, is clear about exploring the two facets of her career. The first is songwriting for other artistes, which she does with her writing partner Ryan Bickley, as part of the outfit Hicari. They have already written songs for artistes such as Justin Caruso, and recently wrote a song for popular Dutch DJs Nicky Romero and W&W, called Ups and Downs. One of their dance numbers, was in the top 20 billboard dance hits in America. “I met Ryan at uni, and we had a band, and when that ended, we just kept writing,” says Shayaan. “The good thing about songwriting is that it can be done for anyone from anywhere. So, we will keep doing that.”

But, when she is back in India in May, she wants to focus on her own projects. In a country that doesn’t really have a music industry that supports songwriting the way it’s done in either the US or the UK, that could be a smart move. “I have told her it’s going to take some time to make money,” says Cyrus. “She is stuck between two cultures – she should write songs when she is not in India, and over here, I think performing would be a better option.” When we watch Shayaan’s cover videos on her Instagram account, we are won over by her sweet voice and pleasant, sweet disposition.

“I really want to explore the Hinglish scene, and collaborate with some Hindi writers, and create pop music because that’s my true aesthetic.” When we ask Cyrus, who has first-hand experience of the music industry, working behind the scene for so long at MTV, what he thinks will work for his daughter, he says, “She looks nice, sings well, and is actually talented. I think what will work is if she is herself. She needs to stand out and create a space for herself.”

For Shayaan, the space she wants to create musically, also has to be one that she uses to give out a message. Growing up in Sobo, and attending school at JB Petit, she says she faced a lot of bullying. “All-girls schools are savage. I was bullied for being fat and called chubby. I felt very insecure. And so, I want to take a stand, and say that beauty is subjective, and there is no perfect ideal for what beauty is. There shouldn’t be. It’s a big issue in India,” says the young lady, who says even haters on Instagram have made her realise that this negativity is just not necessary. “Even the covers that I am recording these days and putting out on my social media, are about issues I believe in. I want my music to be used in such a way that women can come together.”

Our dear friend Perzen Patel a.k.a Bawi Bride writes in…

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone tells you they are Parsi? Is it Dhansak? Well, no one would blame you!
Over the past few decades this simple preparation of spices, lentils and vegetables cooked with meat has come to be a strong part of the Parsi identity. Dhansak is as much a part of the bawa identity as is good thoughts, words and deeds!

But there is more to Parsi food (and us Parsis) than Dhansak, our Irani cafes and our Lagan nu Patru. And to showcase this to the world, Perzen Patel (also known as the Bawi Bride) has recently launched what could just be the world’s first Parsi podcast.

In true Parsi fashion, this new podcast is all about food and is called #NotJustDhansak. In this series of 12 episodes Perzen talks to friends, fellow bawas and Parsi entrepreneurs about all things Bhonu. Be it a little bit of history with the likes of food historian Kurush Dalal  or a dash of bawa madness with Cyrus Broacha, theres a lot of food talk in this new show.
And the one thing you’re sure to learn is that there’s more to Parsi food than Dhansak, a mission that Perzen has been on for more than 5 years now with her award winning Parsi food website, Bawi Bride where she has shared more than 150 unique Parsi food recipes and stories!

In addition to her Parsi food website Perzen has also been running her catering company,  Bawi Bride Kitchen since 2015 and has served up more than 5000 liters of Dhansak? But, now that this bride (can she be called that after six years of marriage) is moving back to New Zealand, this felt like the perfect time to launch Not Just Dhansak where she could share all her learnings and stories around Parsi food with the community and beyond.
Not Just Dhansak launched on April 30th and there will be new episodes launching every Tuesday.

Tune into the podcast via your favourite podcast app like Spotify, Saavn or Apple Podcasts or you can head to the link below to listen to it online: https://ivmpodcasts.com/not-just-dhansak
For Parsi recipes and Parsi food stories you can also check out www.bawibride.com

On his fourth trip to China, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy was captured by the French. It was the middle of the Napoleonic Wars and hostilities between the British and the French had carried over to the Indian Ocean. Jejeebhoy was on a British ship called the Brunswick when, off the coast of Point de Galle in present-day Sri Lanka, it came face to face with two French frigates. The Brunswick was a trade ship and didn’t have much of a crew. They didn’t stand a chance. The passengers, mostly merchants like Jejeebhoy, were taken hostage to South Africa. They were released there but had no way to get home. It took Jejeebhoy four months to make it back. But when he did, his life had changed forever. He had made friends with the Brunswick’s young doctor, William Jardine. This chance meeting turned, as historian Jesse S. Palsetia writes in his book Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy of Bombay, into a friendship “that would change both men’s lives and influence the course of history.”

Article By Thomas Manuel, www.thehindu.com

When Jejeebhoy met him, Jardine’s time as a doctor of the East India Company was almost at an end. He had plans to set up a trading house in Canton, now known as Guangzhou. That trading house still exists, as a conglomerate with a market capitalisation of more than $40 billion. Jardine’s firm would become so enormously successful because it was soon going to corner the market on one particular commodity, one that was much more profitable than cotton, and one whose demand was exploding because the British had got millions of Chinese hopelessly addicted to it: opium.

Opium wasn’t just another trade good for the British Empire. It was the necessary corollary to another commodity: tea. The British were importing tens of millions of pounds of tea from China every year. There seemed to be no end to the demand and everyone involved was making huge profits. There was just one problem. They didn’t have the cold hard cash or rather, cold hard silver to pay for it.

With all of the Empire’s physical currency disappearing into China, the British were running a huge trade deficit. They needed something that the Chinese wanted as much as they wanted tea. Opium was the answer. And it was essential to keeping the Empire’s entire economy afloat.

Shipped from Bombay

The opium came from the East India Company’s nearby colony, India. It was grown in Malwa and shipped from Bombay. At its height, almost one-third of the entire trade was going to one firm, Jardine’s trading house in Canton. And the man who enabled this trade from India was becoming stunningly wealthy.

By the time he was 40, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy had allegedly made more than ₹2 crore — in the 1820s. He was already one of the richest men in the entire country, but he had his eye on even greater prizes.

The life of Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy makes for an excellent story. It neatly divides into two acts. In the first act, Jejeebhoy lives a life of adventure and daring. In the second act, he becomes an elder statesman, a civic figure working for the benefit of the community. This is no accident. Jejeebhoy’s ambitions were sophisticated and manifold. They would’ve been far out of reach for anybody who wasn’t willing to reinvent themselves. Even in his earliest days, there are signs that Jejeebhoy was conscious of his persona, taking steps to change details of his life to better fit his desired narrative.

For example, he repeatedly claimed to have been born in Bombay but a number of historians believe that he was actually born in Navsari in Gujarat. He also changed his name from Jamshed to Jamsetjee, allegedly so that he would seem more like a member of the mercantile Gujarati community. Undoubtedly, the capital and networks of the broader Parsi community were essential to his success, but in this way at least he was a self-made man.

His early life was marked by tragedy: he lost both his parents before the age of 16. His family was from a Parsi priestly community but his father worked as a weaver. After they died, Jejeebhoy moved to Bombay and began working for his maternal uncle, buying and selling empty liquor bottles. He earned the nickname ‘Batliwalla’ or bottle-seller and seemed to revel in it, often signing letters with the moniker as if it actually was his last name.

At 20, he married his maternal uncle’s daughter, Avabai, who was around 10 years old at the time. And through his family, he began to trade, making five trips to China. None of these trips directly made him rich, but they did make him vital connections across South and East Asia, including, of course, William Jardine.

Vital connections

Jamsetjee began his trading firm, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy & Co, with three other partners, each from a different community. There was Motichund Amichund, who was Jain and had close ties to the opium producers in Malwa. There was Mohammed Ali Rogay, a Konkani Muslim, who was a ‘Nakhuda’ or ship-owner/ captain. They were joined by the Goan Catholic Rogério de Faria, who had connections with the Portuguese authorities that controlled the port at Daman. Initially, the existence of Daman was a thorn in the side of the British who tried to restrict the export of opium through Bombay alone. They eventually gave up and settled for taxing the produce at its source.

The second act of Jejeebhoy’s life can be seen as both a continuation of his earlier life and a sharp break from it. When his son Cursetjee was old enough, Jejeebhoy began to step back from the business to focus on civic life. While opium was seen as just another item of trade within these mercantile circles, it is possible that Jejeebhoy wanted to distance himself publicly from the drug trade. Opium prices were freely published in newspapers and it was clear that none of the merchants felt any sympathy for the Chinese when the First Opium War broke out. Jejeebhoy and the others seemed to be primarily interested in compensation for destroyed stocks and for regular trade to resume. But in his burgeoning career as a public figure, he might have been worried about the potential damage to his reputation.

Various historians have noted that between European merchants and their Indian counterparts there was a sense of shared community and mutual respect. But that was definitely not the case between the citizenry and the government in the Bombay Presidency. The Parsis, meanwhile, had repeatedly expressed their loyalty to the British and were rapidly becoming the most Anglophile of all Indian communities. For them and the other elite of Bombay, charity and public works were a way of building a common moral and ethical ground with the British — a way of proving their shared humanity. Simultaneously, the British were looking to ensure that the local elites saw a common interest in continued British rule.

At the forefront of this push to use philanthropy to forge bonds with the rulers was Jejeebhoy. His donations were prolific. By 1855, his commercial empire was mostly complete and he had devoted himself entirely to philanthropy and public life. In his biography, historian J.R.P. Mody calculates that Jejeebhoy would have donated £2,450,00 over the course of his life. In current terms, that would be around £10 million or ₹100 crore.

This astronomical charity left its mark on Bombay and Pune. He paid two-thirds of the entire cost of the Pune waterworks, with the remainder coming from the government. His wife, Avabai, single-handedly paid for the entire construction of the Mahim causeway that connects the island of Mahim to Bandra and ensured that the government wouldn’t charge citizens a toll.

He founded the Sir JJ School of Art, where John Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling, would be dean in the 1860s. Probably the most notable of all his contributions was the founding of JJ Hospital, to which he eventually donated both land and a large sum of money.

Caste and class lines

The hospital had been entirely Jejeebhoy’s idea and when he wrote to the British government, they responded to the idea enthusiastically. But the process became extremely drawn out when sharp differences emerged in ideas of how the hospital should function. Jejeebhoy wanted it designed around class and caste lines, but the government refused. Finally, when the hospital was built, some concessions were made, like a separate kitchen for Brahmins.

With his philanthropy, Jejeebhoy’s reputation among the British was growing. In 1834, he became one of the first Indians appointed as Justice of the Peace, which was a position in the Court of Petty Sessions, the de facto municipal authority. In 1842, he became the first Indian to be knighted, officially receiving a Sir prepended to his name.

But Jejeebhoy wasn’t done. In secret, he began a campaign to receive a hereditary title. As Palsetia writes, it was the first “organized programme of publicity on behalf of a colonial subject”. Thomas Williamson Ramsay, former revenue commissioner of Bombay, wrote a glowing account of his numerous good deeds and with the help of many well-wishers, this account was widely distributed among the Lords of England, even reaching the hands of Prince Albert himself. In 1856, a profile of Jejeebhoy was published in The Illustrated London News. The campaign was eventually successful.

In 1857, Queen Victoria named him the first Baronet of Bombay. But it took four years for him to finally obtain the title because the British government remained unsure of Parsi inheritance law and whether it would complicate the inheritance process. To secure the baronetcy, Jejeebhoy had to place a property (officially referred to as Mazagaon Castle) and a sum of ₹25 lakh in trust.

Baronetcies galore

Now that Jejeebhoy had blazed the trail, the British eventually opened up the honours system to colonial subjects. They used the gesture to portray a united and homogeneous global empire. Between 1890 and 1911, seven baronetcies were granted to citizens of the Bombay Presidency and 63 Parsis were knighted by 1946. Despite being such a small community, various Parsis would endow more than 400 educational and medical institutions over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

It’s apparent that Jejeebhoy’s philanthropy, institution-building and public works improved countless lives. But at the same time, the sheer wealth that he and other members of his class accumulated allowed them to negotiate colonialism and even benefit from it in a way that was impossible for most ordinary citizens. In the 160 years since Jejeebhoy’s death in April 1859, we still wrestle with his complicated legacy.

The writer is an award-winning playwright and freelance journalist based in Chennai. Twitter: @notrueindian

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On the first episode of our Parsi food show, Not Just Dhansak, our host Perzen Patel, popularly known as the Bawi Bride, is in conversation with archaeologist and food historian, Kurush Dalal.

When he is not digging and teaching, Kurush runs a boutique catering company, Katy’s Kitchen. They reminisce about their childhood food memories and discuss the food that graces Parsi kitchens (hint: not Dhansak). Kurush talks about his mother Katy Dalal and how Parsi food has adapted to local culture over centuries. Together they trace the evolution of Parsi food that was distributed from gymkhanas earlier to its widespread distribution from new start-ups today.

What is Parsi food really? Did the Parsis eat Dhansak in Persia too? To know the answers, tune into the first episode of our new podcast.

Follow Kurush Dalal on Instagram @kurushdalal

Check out Kurush Dalal’s blog ‘Eats, Feeds and Digs’ here: (http://eatsfeedsanddigs.blogspot.com/)

Follow the Bawi Bride, Perzen Patel, on Instagram @perzenpatel

Check out Bawi Bride’s blog for Parsi food recipes: (https://www.instagram.com/perzenpatel/?hl=en)

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The little culinary revolution that Mumbai’s tiny Iranian diaspora began a 100 years ago is now quickly dwindling

“Agar teer e aalambejombad be jay. Na barradragi, gar nakhwaahadkhodaay (Even if the world shoots all its arrows at you, not even a vein will be pierced if God protects you),” gushes 97-year-old Aqa Boman Kohinoor, digging into mouth-melting baklava at his legendary heritage restaurant, Britannia & Co, established in 1923, the year of his birth.

Article by Krishnaraj Iyengar | The Tribune

The Mumbai restaurant, personally acknowledged by Queen Elizabeth for its hallmark culinary excellence, is a rendezvous with Iran’s ancient culture. The old-style décor, Aqa’s passion for classical Persian poetry and authentic delicacies from his motherland, Iran, make Britannia & Co a little world of its own. “Faith has kept me going. My love for people and for life is my mantra of longevity,” he smiles, excusing himself to personally take orders from a young German couple on the neighbouring table.

At the galla, his son Afshin Kohinoor, third-generation owner and Iranian chef, instructs his children Diana and Daanesh in rugged Yezdi Persian. The youngsters obediently follow, handling accounts on a brand new computer. “Both my parents speak to us in Persian. Though we speak English more commonly, Persian is our zabaan-e-maadari (mother tongue). We haven’t forgotten it,” says Diana, a young management graduate.

She and her brother zealously assist their father in preserving the culinary legacy and Persian language which many of India’s young Iranians have forgotten.

In the early 1900s, many members of Islamic Iran’s Zoroastrian minority immigrated to India to seek a better life. They came to be known as Zarthushti Iranis. Having shared a historic friendship with Iran, India was a haven for these entrepreneurs who established a unique restaurant culture in Mumbai. “The Irani Hotel, as it is commonly called, was a place where one could enjoy a hot, filling snack and also buy items of daily use, like toothbrushes, bread and toys for the kids,” reminisces MF Mahabat, a senior member of the Iranian community and a former restaurateur.

Ideal Railway Restaurant, set up by his late father, Aqa Faridoon Hormazdiyaar Mahabat, once stood tall outside a suburban railway station in western Mumbai. Today, it’s a bustling McDonald’s outlet. Just a handful of these relics remain as India’s endearing Iranian gems.

The old world charm of a typical Irani hotel has been subject of fascination: checkered table cloth, round wooden chairs and tables, sepia images of a colonial ‘Bombay’ and the famous notice — “No chit-chat, no talking loudly, no arguing with the waiter, no sitting for long time…” etched in bold letters behind the counter!

Having created a unique cuisine with Parsi, Muslim and British influences, the famous bun-maska (oven-fresh buttered buns), akuri (Parsi-Zoroastrian minced egg), mawa cake (muffins) and, of course, the famed chai have been among the Mumbaikars’ favourite snacks for generations. Britannia, on the other hand, pioneered original Persian cuisine with their exotic zereshk polo rice and baaghlavaa or Persian baklava. It also offers the finest traditional Parsi cuisine with dhansaak, fish paatra and custard, an irresistible Parsi version of crème brulee.

Icons like the 115-year-old Kyani & Co in Mumbai’s Dhobi Talao area, where legends like Raj Kapoor often grabbed a bite before a shoot, have been preserved by veterans like grand old Aflatoon Shokri who passed away in 2013. His son Farokh Shokri today steers his forefathers’ legacy ahead. While in his day, the scholarly Aflatoon’s vibrancy retained the eatery’s regal Iranian touch, today his fond memories resound in every corner. I remember my late grandfather sharing nostalgic memories of dating his first love at Kyani back in the 1940s. It is there that he proposed marriage for an instant yes. “I owe it to the chai that probably made your grandma say yes before giving it too much thought,” he would joke!

Iranian restaurants like Yazdani Bakery and Sassanian & Co still tug along even as historic outlets like The Way Side Inn with its celebrated colonial and Parsi cuisine shut down more than two decades ago to the dismay of its patrons. The owner, Parvez Patel, suffered losses, his children having showed no interest in continuing the legacy. Many millennial Iranians too prefer to settle abroad for brighter career prospects rather than shout orders to waiters from over an old Irani counter.

Few are as lucky as the Kohinoors to have a dynamic fourth generation of hardworking torchbearers who are in no mood to quit. “My kids are learning the ropes to preserve what their great grandfather created, the culinary excellence, the old world feel and the Persian mehmaannavaazi we have inherited,” Afshin Kohinoor says.