Western classical music maestro Zubin Mehta will perform with over 100 musicians of the Australian World Orchestra (AWO) in Chennai in October this year. This programme has been made possible in part thanks to funding support announced by the Australian Government.

The Australian Minister for the Arts George Brandis QC announced that the government will provide $2,50,000 (AUD) in funding to support the AWO’s tour to three Indian cities – Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi, said a press release here from the Australian Consulate General, Chennai.

The AWO’s musicians have performed in leading world orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Arriving in Mumbai, then coming to Chennai and going to Delhi. The final details are being worked out.

Mr. Mehta has previously conducted the AWO for concerts in Sydney and Melbourne and was so impressed with them that he decided to invite the orchestra to perform in India.

Australian Consul-General to South India Sean Kelly said: “I am delighted that we can help bring the Australian World Orchestra and Maestro Zubin Mehta to Chennai this year.”

As part of the tour, orchestra will also deliver an education program to young Indian musicians and perform Haydn’s Toy Symphony in a series of concerts for underprivileged children, with the involvement of a number of Australian and Indian cricketers.

Australian High Commissioner to India, Patrick Suckling, said the concert tour would be a rare opportunity for Indian audiences to experience the finest talents in Western classical music from India and Australia.

“This is a wonderful example of the growing cultural engagement between Australia and India, which is a critical foundation of the relationship between our two countries,” Mr. Suckling said.

The press release also said that cultural engagement has been a key priority for both the Australian and India Governments and during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia in November 2014, Mr. Modi and Prime Minister Tony Abbott witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Arts and Culture.

Mr. Modi also announced a Festival of Indian Culture in Australia in 2015/16 to showcase the dynamism and diversity of contemporary Indian culture. Further information on the AWO can be found on their website www.australianworldorchestra.com.au

The post Zubin Mehta to perform with over 100 musicians in Chennai appeared on Parsi Khabar.

If the last decade saw the IT revolution in India, this one is well on its way to witnessing the startup revolution. The Indian startup ecosystem has never been more vibrant and abuzz with opportunities and expectations. Today, not only has starting up become an integral part of our culture, but new age entrepreneurs have also excelled in the art of scaling up and establishing their businesses internationally.

Article by Kirti Punya | YourStory

The Mogul of Indian industries, Ratan Tata, embodies an inspiration to most of us. As one of the most respected Indian entrepreneurs, it is encouraging to see him actively supporting and engaging with upcoming startups and their founders. After taking his companies through the process of scaling up and succeeding multiple times, he has now turned to startups to inspire them, coach and mentor the founders to build large-scale businesses from India.

We had the opportunity to meet the gentleman at a Kalaari Capital event hosted yesterday in Bengaluru. A fireside chat with Ratan Tata conducted by Vani Kola, Managing Director, Kalaari Capital, was one of the highlights of the event. He has officially joined as an advisor to Kalaari team & their portfolio companies.

As he needs no introduction, Vani welcomed him on stage with a personal story. She shared, “I will begin with a confession. I grew up in a middle class household. I used to get Rs 30 as monthly allowance. I remember vividly, when I was 15 years old, I went to the nearby bookstore and picked up a biography of JRD Tata. The book documented the act of building a company, memoirs about his personal charisma, his magnetism and also his sacrifices to build an institution. My personal drive to become an entrepreneur, and later on a venture capitalist, came from these personal stories I read.”

Here are the excerpts from the Fireside Chat. We are sure we all can learn a lot from him:

Vani Kola: This question has been asked many a times and is important and intriguing in today’s environment too. Can leadership be acquired or is it an innate trait? How should entrepreneurs think about leadership?

Ratan Tata:. A sense of leadership occurs at very different times. It is usually unplanned. We all have aspirations hidden in ourselves; it is at unplanned moments that these emerge. Leadership is a lot about how you deal with crisis. How you act on what you think is right when the easier option to take is something else. It is an extremely subjective issue as well.

Rather than trying to define what constitutes leadership, it would be easier to say that you are a leader when you are committed to doing the right thing over the easy or best-for-you thing, and of doing this irrespective of how hard it is.

Do it not just for yourself, but for the community, for your customers, for your employees. I think these are the right components that make a leader.

Unfortunately, in some parts of world this is a minority view.

VK: You have stood up and have been a true leader on many occasions. We have seen you take some bold and unexpected decisions where you needed to take them. How can entrepreneurs do so, how have you done it?

RT: There is no formula for it but I will pick up an example. Leadership, also entrepreneurship, comes from and runs all the way down to your soul. When terrorists attacked the Taj Hotel, we had more than 300 guests staying at the hotel, people were eating at the restaurant, sitting in the lobby and working. Terrorists opened fire in a moment and started killing innocent people. In that moment, there was no manual that told the staff what to do. The staff turned off the lights, closed the doors, made people lie on the floor and helped as many as possible escape from danger or death. They lost their lives but saved many.

Harvard has written cases about what made the hotel staff do that and risk their own lives. It wasn’t taught, there was no planning, there wasn’t a simulated action to guide them but they turned out to be the real heroes, the real leaders of the evening. Leadership is something that can’t be replicated as is. It comes from within. When crisis takes place, a true leader knows what to do.   

VK: But how do you cultivate this sense of leadership in people?

RT: If most employees have a pride in belonging to their enterprise, if they feel the environment they work in is fair and just, this sense of belonging drives leadership. And it is the job of the CEO to drive this. How you deal with employees, how you treat your customers, how well connected are you, matters a lot. No ESOP, shares, incentives can bring this sense of belonging that you – as a CEO and as a leader – can.

VK: Today, the success of young companies depends on being a market leader – from being the best in execution, to gaining the market share, to keeping their team together etc. In the process of doing all this, what should they be mindful of?

RT: Today, we see young, bright and capable entrepreneurs who risk not being a part of a big company and hope to set up something that they believe in and that will make a difference. Through hard work, ingenuity and faith, they are trying to be the best in the market.

Young entrepreneurs will make a difference in the Indian ecosystem. Days of seeking protection in the market, through legislation, through other means shouldn’t be seen as the way forward.Don’t take any shortcuts, whatsoever.

VK: There are times when everything feels euphoric and then there are times when nothing looks bright. Some young companies led by young entrepreneurs have not seen markets in bad shape and the challenges that come with it. You have seen a lot of both sides, is there a way to prepare for times of crisis?

RT: I am sure you have seen the scars of downturns. Venture capitalists take risks while putting in the capital in a young company and sometimes it doesn’t turn out as expected. When things go wrong, people will tell you things like ‘how could you be so stupid’ or ‘I always told you so.’ There isn’t one right way that you can follow, there isn’t a roadmap.

When things go wrong just deal with it openly, transparently and honestly.

Have your stakeholders’ trust. If you don’t try to cover up, most often your stakeholders will understand. They are also human beings like you, they understand your problems. They will protect you in hard times.

VK: For entrepreneurs, everything is personal and we would like to know how do you overcome personal adversity?

RT: Entrepreneurs have to have a sense of commitment to what they are trying to do. They take risks; their personal net worth, their time of life, everything is at stake to make their vision a reality.

When you have a vision and you are working to leave a mark on your community, do something for your customers, you can look forward to the satisfaction of seeing your business grow through all adversities. People who have a similar faith in the vision as the entrepreneur does, will be willing to share the risk with them.

VK : You have also created a great pipeline of talent, you have looked at nooks and corners of India to find great talent and to cultivate and nurture it. This talent has not only created an impact inside the TATA group but has gone ahead to create a much larger impact in India. What are your recipes for developing talent?

RT: Apart from the conventional forms of nurturing talent that are given, I would add just one point to identify talent in the current landscape.

I have made time for young entrepreneurs to drop by my office and meet me. My colleagues thought, and some still think, I am wasting my time, but I know these entrepreneurs are unique.

When you give a little time, help them with whatever you can, it is very gratifying to see this person become a successful entrepreneur in some years. You need to make time to mentor people, to help them genuinely with whatever you can.

One should not make entrepreneurs feel that they can’t do something in a particular area because the big corporations are there but should make them feel a part of the industry. Innovation is very important. In my early career, I went to work with many ideas everyday and I got the answer, ‘Shut up! You are very young, we have been doing it for 35 years.’ Startups have this advantage here, all the ideas are welcome as nobody has got any experience.

VK: When entrepreneurs go to their boards, we tell them to focus. And some of them come back to us saying they want to diversify. If Tata can do it, why not us? What’s your take – diversification or focus?

RT: Diversification vs focus is a cultural issue. Conglomerates, with their diverse set of businesses, were the thing in the 60s in the US. And then in a decade or two they went back to their core businesses because of many factors. On the other hand, in India, Korea and Japan, conglomerates have succeeded with their set of diverse businesses. There is nothing wrong in diversification if you can manage well. There is nothing wrong in running a focused business either if you wish to. It is your commitment to it that matters.

Audience Q and A

Shripal Gandhi, Swipe Telecom

Q: What has been driving you all these years? Who is your role model when it comes to dealing with difficult situations?

RT: I would like to repeat here that there is no single or right way to deal with situations. As head of an urban enterprise, it is completely up to you how long you’d like to stay with it in times of difficulties. Should you let go, cut your losses, learn your lessons and move one, I don’t know. You can be attached to it emotionally, driven by a feeling that it had to be the one and you had to make it successful but sometimes you will still need to move on. Or you stay through the situation and see how the tides turn, you can stick with it and make it work may be. It is one thing that every leader faces.

It is also the most difficult thing for any leader to decide – whether to let go or to stick.

Harsh Jain, Dream11

Q: Can you think of some quintessential qualities of entrepreneurs from other countries or cultures that you think we, Indian entrepreneurs, can imbibe to be better?

RT: There is nothing as Indian entrepreneurs that we have or that we do which is less effective. But we are still a country with a desire for protection around us. We face competition in the market, we face obstacles from certain enterprises, and some bigger enterprises want to keep themselves protected from competition. If and when you are in such a situation, don’t turn to protection. Fight aggressively, honestly and with transparency in the market.

Win or lose based on your capability, not on the basis of any subjective means or your power in a certain circle.

It is important to recognize that in other countries Indian entrepreneurs don’t face obstacles doing business just because they are from India. The environment of doing business is exceedingly important, everyone should have a fair chance to succeed.

Mukesh Bansal, Myntra

Q: What kind of culture does the Tata group have? Could you share its genesis and also how you protected, nurtured and spread it across all the businesses under the Tata umbrella?

RT: Culture is always introduced at the top. The tone of the company and the culture is given by the CEO and it travels down to all. It is the responsibility of a leader to have a culture he is proud of. How many enterprises today can hold a hand to their heart and say we are proud of the culture we have built. Culture is not about how you are making profits, but how you do business day to day. We can vouch for transparency. If an enterprise sees a leader close his eyes and take a shortcut that is not a culture one should be proud of. Culture is self imposed. Let the environment test you all the time but you should be prepared to do the right thing. That is a culture one should be proud of.

Richa Kar, Zivame

Q: What can be done so that entrepreneurship becomes more mainstream in India?

RT: The growth and development of enterprise and entrepreneur is directly related to the probability of profitability and the attractiveness of the enterprise in a free market situation.

Entrepreneurs create enterprises because they are attracted to create something that they believe in. In India, we need to create an environment that enables and supports people to risk their time, spend an important and sizeable amount of their lives to build the business they believe in. There is definitely a financing ability needed to provide funds to promising companies. There should be no fear of failure. Failure should mean lessons learnt and not demolishment of an entrepreneur’s reputation. We need a free environment for businesses to grow. Many leaders in large corporations want to work at a small enterprise.

The happiest time for a leader is not when you are alone at the top. But when you are around people whom you know by first names and can share your ideas with.

I am personally very excited to mentor startups. When I risk my capital, spend some of my time and the person succeeds, I also feel the satisfaction that comes from the small role I play in it. This opportunity was not available to me earlier because of the enterprises I was involved in running, I didn’t have the time, but now I have the time.

It is the responsibility of leaders in large corporations to mentor new entrepreneurs. Corporations shouldn’t see talking to entrepreneurs as a waste of time. You never know these young dynamic entrepreneurs might be eating their breakfasts few years down the line. And these new entrepreneurs that we are talking about should also talk to aspiring entrepreneurs to give advice on how they started, what should be done, what worked, about their mistakes.

Sunil Palrecha, Germin8

Q: India has been strong on services; what would be your guidance for IT product companies from India that want to go global?

RT: I would like to change the context from going global to going international because going global for us has mostly meant being all across the world market and I think your question is more about entering an international market.

When you look at going international, you must believe you can address that international market efficiently. You should think to go international because you have done it in your home market, you have got the market here, you have the experience and the learnings of this market and you want to capture newer grounds now. If you want to go international just for the sake of it, just by growing by acquisitions and it is not driven by strategy, it is the wrong thing to do.

Girish Ramdas, Magzter

Q: How is your digital life? Are you digitally wired? What kind of gadgets/technology do you use?

RT: If we were here 10 years ago, I would happily say that I am digitally wired. But with the advances in the digital products and apps, I find myself unable to keep up. I use a smartphone, I have an iPad but I still struggle to type with two fingers on the touch screen.

I crave for some technology where there is a good voice to text conversion. I wish I could read from a screen like I am holding a paper in hand. I use a cell phone, but only five per cent of its capability.

Even if I decide to know it better, by the time I know it better there is a new product in the market. Digital life attracts me immensely but I am not really digitally wired.

Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital

Q: What do you dream of about the future of India?

RT: I have a dream of India where everyone has equal opportunity.

What hurts me is that it is still important who your father is, what is your surname and how much power you have. If the person next to you is equally capable but doesn’t have the father, the surname, the power, it should not matter.

India needs to transform itself in a way when any Indian who has the ability and who is making an effort to succeed, environment should support that success trajectory and not be envious of that.

The post Ratan Tata: I have a dream of an India where everyone has equal opportunity appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla, Chairman and Managing Director, Serum Institute Of India, who pioneered the development of affordable life-saving vaccines and is counted  among the largest vaccine manufacturers worldwide was named the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014.

Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a key architect of India’s self-reliance in space and technology, who also oversaw the breakthrough Mangalyaan mission to Mars last year, was honored with the EY Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo from 3-7 June, 2015.

Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla
Serum Institute Of India

Dr. Poonawalla is the Chairman & Managing Director of Serum Institute of India which was founded by him in 1966 with a noble purpose of manufacturing serums and vaccines at the time when life-saving serums and vaccines were in short supply in India and were being imported at high prices. It’s a testament of his vision, grit and innovative approach that Serum Institute is today the world’s largest manufacturer of all vaccines put together in number of doses manufactured and supplied to protect children globally.

A visionary with great foresight, Dr. Poonawalla manifested his dream of “Health for all with affordable vaccines” with the creation a company that is today rewriting the script for how Biotechnology companies in India do business. An astute businessman and a determined leader, he is credited for the remarkable success of Serum Institute of India, which has transformed from a Company started with a capital of Rs. 5 laKhs as a small-scale Industry into one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world, with over 1.1 billion doses of high quality serums and vaccines that are used in over 140 countries. Dr.Poonawalla’s Serum Institute, was one of the first offering low cost preventive and curative vaccines (priced at approximately 50% less than the multinational companies – notably several vaccines such as Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Polio vaccines etc. etc. which are available at the lowest price in the world.

Referred to as one of the seven vaccine heroes by Bill Gates, Dr. Poonawalla has been honoured with numerous accolades including “Padma Shree” in 2005, “The Sabin Humanitarian Award 2005”, “The Sabin Corporate Philanthropy Award” in June 2005 in USA , “U.S. Award for Excellence in the Inter-American Public Health” in 2010, the “EY Entrepreneur Of The Year – Business Transformation Award” in 2012 and “Lifetime achievement” award at the Vaccine World Summit India in 2014.

Dr. Poonawalla has not only been a champion for low-cost, high-quality vaccines for the masses, but is also a strong advocate for human rights, upliftment of the ailing, poor and needy, in leprosy, a votary for public health reforms and free immunization for the under-privileged.

One of the other great passions of Dr. Poonawalla is horse racing and breeding. He is an icon in the thoroughbred horseracing and breeding world, besides being elected as Chairman of RWITC and the Turf Authorities of India. His most significant achievement was when, as a member of the Executive Council of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities in Paris (i.e. the world Governing council of the sport], he received the Life-time Achievement Award in Paris on 5th October, 2009.

The post Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014: Dr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Ultra orthodox in the community are debating if scriptures allow renting of a non-Parsi womb.

Article by Jyoti Shelar | Mumbai Mirror

Parsis are considering the option of surrogacy under the government funded Jiyo Parsi scheme to boost the community’s dwindling population. While a high priest who was consulted on the idea has given a conditional nod stating that the egg and the sperm has to be of the Parsi couple, the ultra orthodox in the community are debating over the rightness of renting a womb.

Under the Jiyo Parsi scheme, central government has offered funding of Rs 10 crores for a span of four years for Parsi couples to undergo infertility treatment like Invitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Artificial Insemination (AI). If all goes well, the scheme will soon fund surrogacy costs of up to Rs 5 lakh per couple. “The matter is under examination by the law ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research. I would not like to comment further on this,” said Dr Shernaz Cama, director of Parzor, a project to preserve Parsi Zoroastrian heritage that implements the ‘Jiyo Parsi’ scheme on behalf of the centre. Last week, Cama and Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairman Dinshaw Mehta met Arvind Mayaram, secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs to discuss the practicalities of funding surrogacy under the scheme. “To start with, a law officer was called to clarify if surrogacy is legal. It turns out that there are no laws to govern surrogacy yet but it is not illegal in the country. We are just waiting for the law officer to give us in writing that there is no law against surrogacy,” said Mehta adding that the minister has said that surrogacy procedure will be funded for up to Rs 5 lakhs and the extra expenditure will have to be borne by the couple or they can approach some trusts for help.

According to Mehta, high priest Khurshed Dastur was consulted and he had given a nod too. “Surrogacy is fairly new and we don’t have any religious texts on this topic. I don’t see any problem as far as the sperm and the egg belongs to the Parsi couple seeking help for having children,” Dastur told Mumbai Mirror adding that the matter was discussed briefly. “There are several factors that come along with surrogacy and they should be discussed at length,” he added.

A community member who did not wish to be named said that there are several people who will not be comfortable with the idea of renting a womb of a non-Parsi. “The best way to implement this would be to have a mandate that everything should be Parsi. The egg, the sperm and the womb too,” said the member adding that several poor Parsi women in rural parts of Gujarat would be monetarily benefited by such an initiative.

A priest from Mumbai, Ervad Marzban Hathiram, who is known for his orthodox views, is completely against the idea of surrogacy. “Our religious scriptures talk about development of foetus in the mother’s womb and it talks about the process of nurturing the foetus by the mother. Is it not against the religion if the foetus is in somebody else’s womb?” said Hathiram adding that the nourishment to the foetus is derived from the mother and thus the womb matters a lot. Hathiram said that act of procreation is a holy act and it shouldn’t be brought down to petri dishes and rented wombs. “I would be against this even if the egg, sperm and the womb is of a Parsi,” he added.

IVF expert Dr Anahita Pundole who is attached to Jiyo Parsi said that a surrogate is simply a carrier for the baby. “If approved, surrogacy is a good idea,” she said.

The post Parsis consider surrogacy to boost population appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Two priests were banned from fire temples after they were found to have performed ceremonies for Parsis who chose to be cremated and children of non-Parsi fathers

The Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s (BPP) three-year bitter court battle against two “renegade” priests may soon come to an end.

Article by Jyoti Shelar Mumbai Mirror

A recent mediation held by former Supreme Court judge Sujata Manohar is said to have gone well and the ban on the two might soon to be lifted.

The BPP has so far spent over Rs 3 crore of the community fund on this litigation.

The issue dates back to 2009, when BPP banned Framroze Mirza and Khushroo Madon from performing any rituals in Doongerwadi and two other BPP-controlled fire temples, after they were found to have performed religious ceremonies for Parsis who chose to be cremated and navjote ceremonies for children of nonParsi fathers. Eminent Parsis Jamsheed Kanga and Homi Khushrokhan had challenged the ban on behalf of the two priests.

A community member who did not wish to be named confirmed that the SC-directed mediation was held at the BPP office on Tuesday.

“It has been decided that the banned priests can now enter the Doongerwadi premises to do rituals. They will, however, have to give an affidavit stating that they will not carry out conversions,” said the member, adding that another meeting has been scheduled for next Tuesday, wherein both parties will submit their agreements and the mediation will be closed.

While High Court quashed the ban in 2011, BPP challenged the decision in Supreme Court, which appointed a mediator to settle the dispute amicably.

One mediation attempt failed last year after most of the seven BPP trustees opted against it.

Later, the SC suggested the name of ex-CJI Sarosh Kapadia for mediation but he turned down the offer.

BPP chairman Dinshaw Mehra, meanwhile, refused to comment on the matter saying it was confidential. Community members, however, are hopeful to hear positive development in the process as the litigation has cost a huge amount of loss to the BPP.

“These funds could have been utilised for the betterment of the community. It is better to stop this expensive battle and end it now,” said a member.

The post Parsi Priests’ Court Battle with BPP Likely To End Amicably appeared on Parsi Khabar.

One of the hottest acts to emerge over the last couple of years, Sandunes needs no introduction to lovers of electronic, garage and dub step. The young Mumbai based music producer, composer and synth player draws her influences from the London underground with a unique South Asian feel. Not to mention her training as a pianist and keyboard player and early influences in jazz and blues.

Article on Mumbai Boss

Mumbai girl Sanaya Ardeshir aka Sandunes played to a packed house in ‘Atmasphere’ at the recently concluded Sula Fest 2015 hosted by Sula Vineyards. In a rapid Q&A, she talks about performing at Sula, upcoming projects, new inspirations and why Pune beats Mumbai on the gig circuit.

What was it like performing at Sula Fest 2015?
Great! Sunny, warm, and full to the brim with bubbly people!

You’re musical influences are varied – from Jazz and Blues to London electronic sounds – any new inspirations, musically or otherwise?
Yes, been greatly inspired by some South American bands, some Australian electronic acts and some local talent too.

You’re a Mumbai girl – do the city and its sounds inspire you?
The city keeps providing food for thought and subsequently fodder for my creativity – it’s always challenging and yet there are always opportunities. I do think Mumbai is FAR too noisy though!

You’ve performed at quite a few venues and festivals across India. Which city audience / gig would you rate as your best?
Pune is a great city for gigs – I always have a great time playing at High Spirits there.

What’s next in terms of your musical journey? Any Bollywood collaborations?
Lots of new stuff on the cards… Gigs early this summer in the USA and then some more travel. Collaborations are ongoing and new material coming out soon too.

How supportive has your family been of your career choice?
Super supportive. My family is full of music lovers and musicians.

.:

I believe travel is your second big love. A must-visit destination for you is?
Cape town, South Africa.

What’s your advice to all the young girls out there who want to do something different?
Do it! Be courageous and take steps towards building the life for yourself that you imagine.

Sanaya on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQ7S0Kgd_6sVwPez3NxRpw

Sandunes on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandunesmusic

Sandunes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandunesmusic

Another article about Sanaya here.

The post Sanaya Ardeshir: Syncing With Sound Designer Sandunes appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Though matrimonial ads have changed substantially, the emphasis on looks, caste and income persist, mirroring the complexities and paradoxical nature of Indian society, says Roshni Nair as she tracks listings down the ages

Here is an excerpt from a longer article on DNA India

Inside stories
Vasai-based Parsi matchmaker Katy Marfatia’s skills have tied 25 proverbial knots in 12 years. Which isn’t bad for her community, she laughs. Even then, changing preferences have her worried. “Girls today don’t want to marry anyone with the surname Daruwala, Batliwala, Toddywala — basically anyone who’s a ‘Wala’. Then there are Parsis in Vasai, Thane and Dahanu whom people from South Bombay don’t want to marry because they don’t want to move north. I shifted from Dadar to Vasai 27 years ago, after marriage. That doesn’t happen now. What to do, tell me?” she asks exasperatedly.

Departure from tradition is a concern for Mahim’s Marazban Maney, who’s set up 11 couples in 22 years. And unlike most matchmakers in the community, the 46-year-old relies heavily on numerology and horoscopes. “If you were Parsi, I’d have matched you with a suitable boy because of your date of birth. Your mangal is very strong, and you ask a thousand questions,” he says.

One may not be Parsi, but it is nice knowing there’s marital room for someone who questions everything.

Maney’s ‘old school’ matchmaking gives insights about long-forgotten Parsi customs. Such as an ancient dowry system where husbands paid wives’ families. “Back in Persia, the boy would pay 30 percent of his income every month to the girl’s parents for life. The belief was that since you’re taking something most valuable (a daughter) from them, you should pay them. Parsis in Iran still follow it, but we don’t. Of the 11 couples I set up here, only two follow this system,” he says.

The post Knot so classified appeared on Parsi Khabar.

In an article Mitra Sharafi who is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School; discusses how even as falling law school enrollment leads to a merger, among Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans there is growing engagement with the field.

Her research brings about a fascinating story about Parsis and their involvement in the legal system in India.

Mitra writes

My own research alerts me to this new minority involvement with law. In British India, a small but affluent minority known as Parsis was unusually engaged with the legal system. As followers of the Zoroastrian religion, this tiny population migrated to western India after the seventh-century conquest of Persia by Arab Muslims. Minorities have often tried to avoid interaction with state legal systems. But Parsis jumped in, becoming users of colonial law and masters of its mechanics. From the mid-19th century until the mid-20th, they changed the law that governed their community by co-opting the system.

In the same way that post-9/11 conditions have awoken Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans today, the blanket application of English law triggered a legal mobilization among Parsis. In the 1850s, a handful of Parsis worked in the colonial courts of western India. Figures like interpreter Nowrozjee Furdoonjee and lawyer Manockjee Cursetjee brought home the legal know-how acquired in their day jobs. They led the campaign for legislation that de-Anglicized the rules for Parsi life. They started a new legal culture that grew stronger and broader over the next five generations. They created a movement.

This new culture came at a price. Parsi communities ripped each other apart in lawsuits that sometimes stretched across the globe on appeal. Yet collective benefits also emerged from these individuals’ pain. Parsis had an outsized presence among lawyers and judges in Mumbai, the dazzling commercial metropolis of late colonial India. When Parsis sued one another, then, Parsi lawyers and judges were often involved. These legal professionals were shaping the legal narrative about their own community.

You could say that South Asian and Middle Eastern Americans today share little with Parsis in history. The British regarded the Parsi community as a model minority — the opposite, you could say, of the demonized portrayal of Muslim Americans today. As a group, Parsis were never associated with acts of violence like 9/11, for instance. But they did operate in the context of full-blown British imperial racism.

There is also a glass ceiling, many say, that blocks advancement into the zone of American law and politics that really counts. The first elite Parsi lawyers also encountered race-based barriers to entry in the beginning. But the more heads that hit the glass ceiling, the more likely it is to crack. Parsi legal culture was decades in the making. This was a marathon, not a sprint, and the group’s focus and perseverance paid off.

Turning to law can reinforce, not erode, minority rights and control. The ongoing crisis in U.S. law schools threatens to unravel the old assumption that legal careers bring status and income. For Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans, though, there are bigger, longer-term reasons to go into law. As lawyers and eventually judges, these new legal professionals have the skills to safeguard their members’ equal rights in the courts. As community organizers and ultimately legislators, they are helping to shape statutes. Unknowingly, perhaps, they are replicating the Parsi model.

Mitra Sharafi is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is the author of “Law and Identity in Colonial South Asia: Parsi Legal Culture, 1772-1947” (Cambridge University Press, 2014).

The post The changing face of the legal profession appeared on Parsi Khabar.

The Parsi Punchayet and two prominent Parsis Jamshed Kanga and Homi Khusrokhan reached a settlement on February 19 to put an end to a legal dispute that had been on since 2009 over the ban of two “renegade” Parsi priests. “The settlement has been arrived in larger public interests of the community and puts an end to very long drawn out litigation,” said a joint statement.

Kanga and Khusrokhan had petitioned the Bombay high court after the Punchayet in June 2009 banned two priests –Framroz Mirza and Khushroo Madon from performing any rites at the Tower of Silence in Doongerwadi and at two fire temples, one in Fort and the other at Malabar Hill for performing allegedly “irrelegious” ceremonies. In March 2011 the Bombay high court however, quashed the ban in an order that came as a huge setback to the Mumbai Parsi Punchayet. The HC held that the Trust has no powers to ban any ordained Parsi Zoroastrian priest from performing religious rites and ceremonies at the Tower of Silence and Agiaries.

The issue before the then HC bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Anoop Mohta was interpretation of the 127-year-old Trust Deed. The HC, stayed its direction against the 2009 ban for four weeks on a request made by the Punchayet and the battle was taken to the Supreme Court in appeal by the Punchayet where it has since been pending. The SC eventually appointed its retired judge Justice Sujata Manohar as mediator in November 2014. Earlier the foundation for a settlement was laid by Sriram Panchu, senior counsel, who was initially appointed as a mediator by the SC.

The joint statement said “all viewpoints within the community” were kept in mind while reaching the settlement in a “spirit of give and take.”

“The terms of the settlement remain under the umbrella of confidentiality, till they are accepted by the SC,” said the statement signed by Dinshaw Mehta, Punchayet chairperson, Kanga and Khusrokhan. If the matter however reverts to the SC for a resolution, nothing would survive of the mediated settlement.

The post Parsi Punchayet calls truce on priests issue appeared on Parsi Khabar.

The post Cyrus My Nasty Neighbor: Parody Song appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Scouter Khurshed Dadiba Hathiram was awarded India’s highest Scouting honour, The Silver Elephant by the President of India. At a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 16, 2015; Scouter Hathiram was conferred the award for his service to the Scouting movement in India. The President of India is the Chief Patron of the Bharat Scouts and Guides, the apex body of Scouting in India.

Everyone who has known Scouter Hathiram would have wondered what took the Bharat Scouts and Guides so long to confer the award. Scouter Hathiram at 92 years of age is still active in scouting and can be seen often at the East Bombay Camporees and other district level competitions.

In 2013 I had the distinction of guest-editing the Spring issue of the FEZANA Journal. It was a special on Scouting and Guiding and the Parsi Connection. While researching for articles, I had the distinct honour of speaking with Scouter Hathiram over telephone. However my connection to him; in a very peripheral way goes a few decades before that.

As a Boy Scout he was my examiner for the Plumber badge. And it took a few visits to his home in Bandra, opposite Avabai Petit School; to pass that badge. He was a thorough and tough as nails examiner. Funnily as I told my dad, also a former scout; that I would be going to Scouter Hathiram for the exam; he exclaimed that he as a Boy Scout in the early 1960’s had also gone to Scouter Hathiram for the Pathfinder Badge. This is but a small illustration of Scouter Hathiram’s longevity of service to the movement.

We congratulate Scouter Hathiram and wish him many years of continued happiness from the Scouting movement.

The post Scouter Khurshed D. Hathiram Awarded the Silver Elephant appeared on Parsi Khabar.

After we linked to the article you will read below, we received emails from Karishma Patel, who is one of the subjects of the article below; and Homi D. Gandhi; Vice-President FEZANA. Their emails both touch upon the same issue of misrepresentation by the author.

We hope that the original author of the article will make corrections.

Dwindling numbers add to the pressure young members of this religion feel to marry inside the community.

by Ellen Brait NY City Lens

Karishma Patel, 32, knows that if she marries outside of her religion, her aunts and uncles in India may not show up.

Patel is an MBA student at Columbia University and while her parents push her to excel in academia, she feels a different kind of pressure from relatives in India. “If I married a non, I don’t know if they would come to my wedding,” she said. “I hope they would.”

When Patel says “a non,” she means a non-Zoroastrian. She is an active member of the small Zoroastrian community in New York City, a member of a religion that was founded approximately 3,500 years ago and is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world. It may be in an ancient religion, but its members are dwindling—by 11% between 2004 and 2012, according to the 2012 demographics study published by the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America.

The study also found that while there was an increase in numbers in North America, there were indications of future decline because of assimilation. The report’s authors stated that they expect the decrease “to be exacerbated in succeeding generations, unless we take pro-active measures now.” More than 25% of children from intermarriages choose not to follow the Zoroastrian faith, a cause for major concern, with a 36% increase in intermarriages between 2009 and 2011.

As such, young Zoroastrians are facing dual pressures: finding an acceptable spouse in order to sustain the religion and preserve their culture.

“I think it’s really hard to find someone that you connect with and whose lifestyle is similar to the lifestyle you want to live,” Patel said. “So to add another layer of complexity onto that just makes it harder. Like, why would you do that?”

Zoroastrians believe in “manashni, gavashni, kunashni,” also known as good thoughts, good words, good deeds. They worship one god named Ahura Mazda and they believe that water and fire are agents of ritual purity. There are pockets of Zoroastrians scattered throughout Persia, India, Europe, and North America.

The reason their numbers have been dwindling for years is because of their strict conversion laws. Some Zoroastrians do not believe that outsiders should be able to convert into the religion and others think that the children of only one Zoroastrian parent are not truly part of the religion. In general, reformist Zoroastrians accept converts to the religion and traditionalists do not. Some traditionalists, however, accept spouses and the offspring of mixed marriages. Yet there is no overarching power like a pope in Zoroastrianism, so councils and high priests have local authority. Because of this, conversion policies are varied, especially in North America.

Farah Minwalla, 25, a young Zoroastrian from Astoria, says she, too, has felt pressured by her parents to marry within the religion—because of both the religion’s decline in numbers, but also to preserve the culture. “They’ve always been pretty hands off,” she said. “But I know for a fact that they would strongly prefer me to marry within the faith.”

Both Minwalla and Patel explained that while they have felt pressure to marry within the community, ultimately they plan to marry whomever they please. Patel emphasized, however, the importance of whomever she ends up with having similar values to that of her faith. Most of the Zoroastrians she knows who were born here, she said, “did end up marrying other Zoroastrians.

“So I guess it’s not as common to not care,” Patel added.

Various actions have been taken to stop the religion’s decline in numbers. The Indian government, in fact, sponsored a campaign aimed at pushing one group of young Zoroastrians (Parsis) to get married and have multiple children as quickly as possible. A collection of advertisements showed real couples and captions like, “Be responsible. Don’t use a condom tonight.”

“The ads made everyone take note of the problem, through satire, and humor, they created a buzz and focused attention on the different reasons Parsi’s were declining,” said Dr. Shernaz Cama, a member of the executive team behind the campaign. “We have got a good response now from the general Parsi population….Some may be annoyed, but they are all finally aware.”

The campaign addressed Zoroastrian concerns not just in India, but all over the globe. But many felt it only served to add to the pressure young Zoroastrians already feel. “I just think those campaigns create too much pressure for people,” Patel said. “There’s already too much pressure around. Everyone knows that the religion is dying.”

It’s tough to meet an age-appropriate Zoroastrian because of the religion’s low numbers. There are 14,306 total in the U.S., according to the 2012 report. But even this number is unreliable, said Homi D. Gandhi, the vice president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America. With no accurate current census and no money to pay for one, he said, Zoroastrians cannot be sure how low their numbers have dipped.

Minwalla said she grew up in Las Vegas and explained that hers was the only Zoroastrian family in the area. Because of this, she did not meet other members of the religion until she attended a youth conference with her parents when she was 16. And while she acknowledged that such conferences can be helpful for that reason, she does not believe that dating should be their main objective.

“We all just want to raise the numbers of our community, but it’s the way we’re going about it that’s the problem. And I can’t sit here and give a better reason or a better methodology as to how we are going to do this,” she said. “I don’t think anybody knows. That’s why there are these terrible ideas going around.”

Young Zoroastrians in North America also find the question of marriage within the community coming up at their annual youth conferences. A Zoroastrian World Youth Congress happens every four years and a North American Zoroastrian Youth Congress occurs every two years. Later in the year, from Dec. 28 to Jan. 2, the World Youth Congress will be held in New Zealand. Officials have already received 80 registrations, and expect at least 300. The last World Youth Congress had about 500 attendees.

The conferences are advertised as a means to bring together young Zoroastrians between the ages of 15 and 35 to socialize and learn about their heritage. Tinaz Karbhari, the chair of the sixth annual World Zoroastrian Youth Congress, believes the conference will provide attendees with a chance to network on both a professional and social level.

But many members of the community believe the congresses have an unwritten motive: to have young Zoroastrians meet, date, and marry. “I think a lot of people share this same sentiment that these things are kind of just a place to find a man if you’re 40 and you haven’t done so,” Minwalla said. “I feel that they really are kind of pushing guys and girls to hook up and get married.”

“I would love to date a Zoroastrian,” she continued. “But I’m not going to have it done in a setting that is pre-meditated on just doing that. I think that’s just not authentic.”

Yet Minwalla also worries about marrying outside the community. Children from such mixed marriages can be denied entrance to their places of worship, called fire temples. “I have not had to deal with discrimination on that level, being that both of my parents are Zoroastrian,” Minwalla said. “But I have had friends who are half and half and they get called mean things, and I think it’s unnecessary.”

The post Must a Zoroastrian Date only Zoroastrians? appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Lace curtains, antique cabinets, wooden chairs, glass ceiling lanterns and family photographs stud the little room, as Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da plays over the speakers. The space is a replica of her own home, from the geometric tiles to the creamy yellow walls, smiles chef-owner Kainaz Contractor, who has tied up with Café Lota’s Rahul Dua for this charming 18-seater Parsi restaurant named after her father.

by Aparna Jain, livemint.com
February 27th 2015

The good stuff

Every dish is authentic. Both vegetarians and non-vegetarians will be spoilt for choice and, for egg lovers, this is heaven. All masalas are hand-pounded and roasted by Contractor’s aunt in Nagpur.

We started off with all the three varieties of perfectly fried pattice, Kheema, Soya and French Beans Na Pattice (Rs.295 each): two golden semolina-crumbed cutlets to a plate, with egg wash and a perfectly centred stuffing. The French beans pattice spilled precisely chopped beans when cut open. All the pattice options are hearty, so just order any one and share.

Next came Eeda Cheese Na Cutlets (Rs.225), six beautifully crisp egg-and-cheese balls, stuffed with chopped boiled egg and Amul cheese. Despite being deep fried, the cutlets were not greasy. Ask for the divine spring onion chutney to go with it.

The Paatra Ni Machi (Rs.295) uses tilapia fish in a delicately flavoured green chutney. It was steamed to just the right level of flakiness and the chutney was not overpowering. The Chicken Vindaloo (Rs.295) is made with sambhar masala—not the south Indian sambar powder, but the Parsi one, pronounced sum-bhaar, which, in the Contractor family, blends garlic, chilli and spices in oil—and sugarcane vinegar (barrel-matured) from EF Kolah in Navsari, Gujarat; it is milder than the toddy vinegar used in Goan vindaloo. It was divine. We also tried the Murghi Na Farcha (Rs.295), six pieces of beaten chicken breasts, marinated, crumbed in semolina and deep fried. It tasted very Western, almost like a schnitzel.

For our mains, we tried Jardaloo Marghi Ma Salli (Rs.395), a delicious, tomato-based, sweet-and-sour chicken dish with apricots. The Kaaju Ni Murghi (Rs.395) was somewhat reminiscent of a Punjabi cashewnut curry chicken, but not as heavy. My vegetarian companion had a Tarkari Ni Kari (Rs.325), a piquant gravy with diced vegetables. All of us, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, were blown away by the Bheeda Par Eedu (Rs.200), crisp fried lady’s fingers topped with a steamed egg. When cut through, the egg yolk ran beautifully over the bhindi, the creamy and the crisp textures playing off each other on the tastebuds. As accompaniment, we had wonderfully soft Malai Na Paratha (Rs.80).

The quirky menu

For a light yet flavourful option, there’s the Dhan Dar Patio (Rs.395), a yellow dal with a tomato chutney and rice with fried onion, or the satisfying Mutton Dhan Sak (Rs.495), which comes with a cucumber salad and rice. It goes easy on the tomato, which is how Contractor says her family makes it. Or order the zesty Gajar Meva Nu Achaar (Rs.80), a chutney with apricots, raisins and carrot, and just have a few bites of that with the paratha.

A must try is the Caramel Custard (Rs.225). I love one that doesn’t smell or taste overtly eggy (a contradiction, since it is an egg custard) and this passed the test. The thin caramelized syrup was burnt to a rich flavour.

Overall, the food is flavourful and wholesome, like great home food with the right professional touch. All you need after this meal is a long nap.

The not-so-good

Rustom’s completely ignores the old property mantra of “location, location, location”. Situated smack in the middle of a crowded and narrow road with no parking—unless you go post 8pm—it adds to the angst by not taking reservations.

So far as the food is concerned, the Kanda Papeta Par Eedu (Rs.200), turmeric potatoes topped with a steamed egg, was over-moist and fell flat on flavour. I liked the concept of Parsi Chai (Rs.100), water steeped in lemongrass and mint and brewed with tea leaves, but we could taste neither herb, possibly because the tea was overbrewed.

Rustom’s Ginger Fizz (Rs.120), a neon-green fizzy drink that arrived in a hurricane glass, tasted weird, less gingery and more minty. The Pallonji’s Sodas (Rs.60) adds the authentic Parsi touch but, unfortunately, tasted somewhat ghastly. The Raspberry is sugary sweet and the Lemon is, well, unlemony.

Talk plastic

A meal for three cost us Rs.2,600.

Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu, open 12.30-3pm and 7.30-11pm (Mondays closed), 94 A/B, Adhchini, Aurobindo Marg (9910060502).

The post Rustom’s Parsi Bhonu in New Delhi appeared on Parsi Khabar.

‘Wealth came to him in full measure, but he remained to the last what he was in nature, a simple modest gentleman, seeking neither title nor place, and loving with love that knew no bounds the land that gave him birth.’

– Sir Lawrence Jenkins (chief justice of Bombay High Court, 1905)

Those who know about him would wholeheartedly agree that these words precisely summarize what Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata embodied as a person. A great industrialist and philanthropist, he left his mark on India’s industrial history as well as on the soil of Nagpur by establishing the Empress Mills on January 1, 1877, the same day Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. He also went on to establish the first girls school of the city in the form of JN Tata Parsi Girls’ High School. Tuesday marks the 175th birth anniversary of JN Tata.

“It was in Nagpur with these mills that the foundation of Tata empire, which is now a pride for the entire country, was laid. At its peak, it provided direct employment to 9,000 people, and indirect employment to another 20,000. The city’s economy revolved around the mills,” said businessman Edul Bhagwagar. He said that it was at these mills that the Tatas also extended several provisions to their employees that were never heard of before.

Labour laws didn’t exist then. However, moved by the condition of the mill workers, JN Tata was the first to provide medical aid, free schooling for kids, eight-hour work shifts and many other provisions. The first block of Nagpur University, opposite Maharaj Bagh, which is now the administrative block, was also built from funds provided by the mill authorities.

“Even when the general belief was that girls do not need an education, JN Tata believed that they especially need to be educated. This is the reason he started this school, since the mill workers, who came from Navsari in Gujarat were unable to get their daughters admitted to schools here. It started with less than ten students and has more than 2,000 students today,” said principal of JN Tata Parsi Girls’ High School Meena Devnani. Despite the name of the school, it has been open to boys till class IV for several years. Also, it is open to girls from all communities.

The post J. N. Tata: A man who made a lot of wealth, and a lot more goodwill appeared on Parsi Khabar.

A 78-year-old retired principal secretary to a former Chief Justice of the Bombay high court was murdered at his residence at Tata Blocks, Bandra (West), early on Sunday. His wife was bound, blindfolded and threatened by the killers before they made off with valuables worth Rs 8.09 lakh. The accused, both in their early twenties, were arrested by the Bandra police the same day. One of them used to work at the couple’s residence.

Darius Kapadia lived with his wife Lily at Bai Jeevanbai Tata Building No 1. Their 50-year-old daughter, who is single, lives separately in Bandra. The police said Lily spent most of her time at her daughter’s flat; Darius used to be at home by himself. The couple had seven helps; four autorickshaw drivers would frequent their society to ferry Lily to her daughter’s place.

Around 12.30am on Sunday, Lily returned home from her daughter’s place. An auto driver, who was to ferry her back in the morning, was asleep in his vehicle outside. Lily asked him to help her into the flat with her bags. “When she knocked on the door, there was no response. So, Lily let herself in with a pair of spare keys. She asked the auto driver if he could spot her husband anywhere. The driver peered into Darius’s room and said he was lying down,” said a police officer.

After the driver left, Lily decided to check on her husband. She was shocked to find him battling for life, his throat slit. “The accused, Jay Navrang (21) and Kamlesh Jadhav (20), had been hiding in the kitchen. They pounced on Lily and tied her to a chair with a dupatta, before blindfolding her. As Navrang was known to the couple—he had worked as their help in the past before being sacked—he did not appear directly in front of Lily,” said the officer. The accused demanded cupboard keys from Lily, who asked them to look under the bed. Not finding them there, the men hit Lily. After she told them the keys were in her bag, the accused made off with Rs 7.5 lakh in cash, two tolas of gold and a cellphone.

READ ALSO: ‘Parsi colony in Bandra lacks proper security’

Lily freed herself and went over to a neighbour’s place for help. The police were called. Darius was later pronounced dead by doctors. “We questioned all helps and auto drivers who frequented the couple’s house. Navrang’s father was one of the drivers and was trusted deeply. Navrang knew Darius was alone at home during the day. He roped in a friend (Jadhav) and they visited Darius with beer on Sunday night. Their plan was to tie him up and flee with valuables. But when Darius resisted, the two slit his throat with a blade. They couldn’t find any valuables and stayed back till Lily returned home,” an officer said.

Navrang was picked up when the police learnt that he had been to Bandra on Sunday. He and Jadhav are residents of Parel. They have been booked on murder charges.

The post Elderly Parsi killed by ex-help in Bandra appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Just as the matriarch of the Tamil household in Chennai dots her porch with a kolam at the crack of dawn every day, women of the Parsi community pretty up theirs with what they call a ‘chalk’.

“It’s just like the kolam, except we have readymade tins with holes designed in them so all we need to do is fill them with rice flour and tap them on the ground,” said Tehnaz Bahadurji, a Parsi resident of Chennai, who spoke on the history, culture and practices of her community at Alliance Francaise on Tuesday. Her lecture, which was organised by the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), traced how the Parsis migrated to India, how they trickled into Chennai and finally, how they live and, most important, dine.

While the first wave of Parsis settled in Gujarat centuries ago, the first Parsi to come to Chennai was Heerjibhai Kharas, who came here in the 1800s, said Bahadurji, who added that the government gave the community land in 1814, on which a Fire Temple was built more than a century later. The Parsi Fire Temple celebrated its centenary in the city in 2010.

Bahadurji then went on to list the famous Parsis past and present in Chennai – the most prominent among them being social activist and philanthropist Mary Clubwallah Jadhav (who died in 1975), who received the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan from the government.
“The Parsis and Iranis were also involved in the cinema industry in Chennai. We built four theatres – the Elphinstone Theatre, the New Elphinstone Theatre, Wellington Theatre, and the Casino Theatre (which still stands on Anna Salai),” said Bahadurji.

When she got to the culture of the Parsi community, which has now dwindled to just 60,000 people in India, Bahadurji spoke of how several traditions were on the verge of dying out. The tradition of the ‘thoran’ for instance, which was used to decorate the doors of Parsi homes.

When she spoke of the ‘gaara’, the Parsi saree, Bahadurji talked of how in the old days women wore their sarees over their heads with only one ear exposed. “That’s the reason why you will find that Parsi jewellery sets in the old days came with only one earring. The jewelers probably figured they did not have to bother making two since the women always had one ear covered,” she said.

The post Tehnaz Bahadurji: What’s it Like to be a Parsi ? appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Anahita Dhondy is a Chef Manager at the very famous SodaBottleOpenerWala. Being a Parsi herself, she brings in the trademark flavours of Parsi food at two restaurants of SodaBottleOpenerWala in Delhi(Khan Market) and Gurgaon (Cyberhub).

She speaks to OFFDHOOK on how challenging it is to be a female Chef  and what does International Women’s Day means to her?

Coming from the Parsi culture, is it easy or difficult to do the justice with the cuisine? And how SodaBottleOpenerWala maintains the authenticity of the cuisine? 

Being a Parsi, it isn’t difficult for me to cook and teach the cuisine I’ve grown up eating. There are however many hurdles that have come in the way as it’s a completely new cuisine for the general public to accept and enjoy. To maintain the authenticity of the cuisine, I have to personally check on all the dishes in the morning, and tasting is the only way to assure that. When we just opened our doors, I used to check every single thing myself, now my chefs have understood the cuisine, so they do the checking and I overlook.

There are not many female Chefs so what all challenges you face?

Well, this is a male dominated industry, and it isn’t easy for a female to get in or adjust. The beginning of your career in the food industry is pure labour, right from the first day till you own a restaurant. It’s not your regular 9-5 shift, it’s tough, its physical labour, long hours, crass language, so most females don’t wish to enter the industry knowing all this. The one’s who actually get into it, do have a tough time in the beginning, dealing with all the above, but it gets better as your skills advance and you climb the hierarchy.

That’s why you don’t see many females in the industry.

It is often debated that why there are so few women among the top Chefs. What do you think?

By the time a woman reaches a position where she handles enough responsibility, which takes a few years in her carrier, it’s time for her to get married and have children (in the Indian patriarchal society), which only allows her to quit her job and continue with family duties. Thus you don’t see too many women among the top chefs.

What motivated you to come in this profession? 

I come from a family of creative people, my dad’s into advertising and marketing, and my mum is a home-baker and has been catering Parsi food from home for the past 25 years, much before anyone used to sell it in Delhi. My palette was exposed to the most different kinds of cuisines cooked at home, and travels, in India and abroad. By the time I was 10, I started helping my mum ice cakes, cook along with her, and that’s how I kept building my passion. Ever since then, there’s been no turning back. From the best tiffin in school, now it’s something the entire city is enjoying.

How it feels to be a youngest female chef in Delhi right now?

Firstly, I had no idea I was the youngest chef in Delhi. When I started as the Chef Manager at age 23, it does definitely feel young, but I took up all my responsibilities as a challenge. It was extremely difficult in the beginning, to handle a kitchen, the cooking etc, but every single day was a learning for me. What I was teaching my staff was there, but what they were teaching me was even greater! I always keep it to that, there’s so much to learn out there, from managing a staff of 14 in a kitchen to now handling two kitchens, it’s a great leap for me, and something that I am proud of. I obviously want to continue growing, and learning every single day!

What is your Idea of celebrating International women’s day? How much power do you think it gives to you and all other women around the world?

I don’t have any particular agenda on celebrating women’s day except doing what I best enjoy doing. Cooking, and as it’s a Sunday I will be working on that day. But I would love to spend it with all my girlfriends, with the women of my family, and toast to all our success, on how we manage things at home and the work front!

The International women’s day theme for 2015 is “Make it Happen” which basically fights for greater equality and celebrates women’s achievements all over the world. So, I guess from India, we’ll do our bit, we’ll fight to be at power with our male co-workers, and also celebrate all the other women who so beautifully handle work and their families. It indeed is an achievement in itself, and it needs to be applauded. Giving or naming a day doesn’t give you any power, it’s what you make of it from within that will give you the power to change or do something, and this change is gradual, so keeping at it will only “make it happen”.

Yes, I am handling two restaurants currently, the flagship one in Gurgaon, and the one we opened 5 months back at Khan Market. I juggle between the two, some days at the Gurgaon branch some days at the Khan Market one. Also constantly coordinating with both the kitchen teams, on recipes, new dishes, any complaints etc. It’s interesting, at the same time super challenging, the travelling is hectic, but all in all just needs enough planning, but a great feeling indeed!

What message would you like to give to budding female chefs?  

I would like to tell them to be passionate! It is what will take them forward; it is what will help them grow. And obviously the most important thing is to not give up! It’s a tough road, less travelled, with many many bumps, but keep going, learn to fight it out in this big bad world, otherwise you’ll get left behind, and so will your dream to become the best chef! So don’t stop believing!! Give it all you’ve got, and keep going on.

The post Anahita Dhondy: Chef at SodaBottleOpenerWala in New Delhi appeared on Parsi Khabar.

The 2015 Zoroastrian Return To Roots kicked off today in New Delhi, India. This is the second tour after the widely acclaimed first one in December 2013.

The program organized under the aegis of UNESCO PARZOR bring Zarthushti youth from all over the global diaspora to an immersive exoerience of the Zoroastrian culture, history, tradition and way of life in India.

Besides New Delhi, the 14 participants will also visit Mumbai, Pune, Sanjan, Nargol, Daman, Udvada, Navsari, Bharuch and Surat over the 13 day tour which ends on Jamshedi Navroze in Mumbai.

The participants come from United States, Canada, Pakistan and India.

The first day’s program included the orientation at the Delhi Parsi Anjuman and the viewing of the Qissa E Parsi Documentary and a question/answer session with the directors. This was followed by a Boi ceremony at the Dar-E-Mehr led by Ervad Cyrus Bagli. This was followed by a wonderful catered lunch by the legendary Dhun Bagli of the Mengusi Dharamsala fame.

Later in the afternoon, the participants had a chance to visit the Delhi Aramgah (Parsi Cemetry) and then spend the evening at the Sethna Farm, on the outskirts of Delhi.

Follow the regular live updates of their travel on the #RTR2015 Facebook page.

The post The 2015 Zoroastrian Return To Roots Tour Kicks Off appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Isphanyar Bhandara Demands 5% Job Quota In Private Sector

The post Pakistan’s Parsi Parliamentarian fights for minority rights appeared on Parsi Khabar.

I remember celebrating Navroze since I was in Mama Parsi Girls’ Secondary School. All the Zarthosti children and teachers would put up the Navroze table on the eve of the New Year. Every girl would be assigned to bring a single item and then together we would help each other set it up on the table. I vividly recall the fragrance of fresh red roses in the room and a bowl of gold fish, a picture of Prophet Zoroaster and a copy of the Khordeh Avesta (Holy book) placed on the table.

Article by Khursheed Gamwalla | The Tribune

Navroze was never an exclusive celebration for Zoroastrians. Non-Zoroastrian students would also be part of the festivities and came along to observe the decorated table. Each student would then be ushered into the room by four girls bearing a tiny container filled with vermilion to apply tili to the forehead, a rosewater sprinkler, a mirror and a basket filled with sweets, chanting “Avo ji” (please come in). This would continue throughout the course of the day.

Now that I’ve graduated from school, however, as a teenager I look forward to the celebrating Navroze at home with my family and later with friends. On the eve of the festival we attend a dance party and dinner that is organised by community members. It is a way for everyone to get together and celebrate Navroze as a single unit. In the mornings, my mother prepares a breakfast of traditional vermicelli and ravo (semolina and milk pudding) which sets the pleasant tone for the rest of the day. After breakfast, we put garlands on the frames of the deceased and light a diya in the house. The rest of the morning is spent tapping our feet to rhythm of Gujrati classics played by older women in the neighbourhood. At lunch we fill our stomachs with dhandaar patio and mutton pulao and later shower and wear clean clothes to visit the temple and pray for a prosperous year. Finally we visit our grandparents who shower us with affection and ‘navrozi’ (money).

Khursheed Gamwalla is an aspiring textile designer who is currently studying at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.

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