Fun Foods From Udwada!!
Udwada is a sleepy town in Gujarat and one of the most sacred places in the world for any Parsi- Irani Zoroastrian. It is the home of our beloved Iran Shah, which houses the holy fire which the Zoroastrians brought with them when they escaped Iran centuries ago. Trips to Udwada are more of religious pilgrimages and people usually do day trips or stay the night. It’s a small town with barely anything to do and for most city slickers a day is probably all they can tolerate.
I spent two days in this holy town and it was spent doing three things. Praying, meeting the local priests and their families who lived there and EATING! Which to any Parsi Zorastrian is an integral part of the religious experience. The people of Udwada are humble and so adorable they remind me of Parsi’s from another world. A world so far away from what I’m exposed to in the city and it was just wonderful to interact with them. My tales about the locals is best kept for another post but apart from that a LOT of time was spent eating. Our breakfast was a typical Parsi meal though I have to be honest I was expecting chunks of chicken or pork along with toast and jam. Sounds ridiculous I know but the more unusual it sounds the more likely some Parsi on the planet somewhere has eaten it!
Click Here for the full story on Roxanne Bamboat’s Blog
Dear Yazdi,and all my Zoroastrian brotheren , Reading all these wonderful post of our individual experiences , our accolades, achievements and appreciations fills me with pure joy and happiness …. I wish to share my own desires with you all . I have lived my whole life in India the most beautiful land of all and yet the ugliest because of our corrupt leaders have totally failed us …… This is the country that gave us refuge some 8 centuries ago and we must always be grateful to it”s wonderful kind hearted and hospitable people. The rest is history they say !!! I say most of us kept our promise of that time of non conversion and not converting , who would have imagined at that time what the Parsis would have done for the India …… . As my friend advocate Soli Sorabjee says , “We are like the salt !” However, we should not gloat in our glory as many of us have forgotten the very tenants of our religion,….. “Good thoughts, good words and good deeds”. Look at the very president of the Mumbai Parsi Panchayat (leader of the largest Parsi anjuman world wide) orders to ransack a lovely garden patch and cut off so many beautiful trees at the Godrej baug, ( housing colony in Mumbai for Parsis only run by the Anjuman) that residents have painstakingly nurtured for the last 18 – 20 years that too with Anjuman permission only because some tenants, maybe related to him or have influence with him , tell him some silly reason . He orders to do so even though it is illegal to cut trees !!! . I mean what good deeds! My son Darius, is disgusted with Paris because of this behaviour, (I hope the president reads this ). No personal offence meant, but I have heard and read in magazines that the other trustees cannot put across their views , because he is so dogmatic. One trustee has even resigned since he just could not toe the line, I mean what good thoughts. We are racist,” pella badha kara jeva” I mean who the hell do we think we are, the epitome of beauty and fairness, What good words ?? Forgive me God, for my bad thoughts of my fellow brotheren but some one has to show the way !! I just deviated from the main subject that I wanted to write !! …. Two of my best friends in the world and I are in the final process of starting a trust with the single minded aim of helping those humans that really cannot help them selves even their family has deserted them and they have to die on the road, such humans , children, who are poor, born without hands and legs, handicapped or their parents have died or alive and discarded them for what ever reason . I have decided that this is the very purpose of my life and I will do service to mankind and to Ahura Mazda in true Zoroastrian spirit.
I first thought Anti corruption would be the purpose of my life , but my family would not have it and would not even hear of it , they imagine I would be killed in 6 months for sure, so I made looking after those humans that could not help them selves the very “purpose of my life “.
But God is so great and helps me. I have a true story and want to make a movie, which if made well, I imagine will win the Oscars, hope, reduce if not stop the corruption of my motherland India, (which I love with all my heart and soul) make Parsis proud, and make the people of the world enjoy and think…. I pray India becomes the numero uno country of the world ( never mind if my husband and and I wanted to run off to the USA way back in 1983 ) Maybe many of you who have left India, will want to come back to India !! Soni Tarapore are you listening ? Or shall I go to Deepa Metha ?? I know it will definitely be banned in India to start with ,so I am looking to make it with an international movie producer … I am coming to New York , Boston , Toronto , maybe even California and London this spring / summer …… Any takers ??? Please call me on +919880433711 if you can help my endevours in any way ! or e mail me at dianabharucha@gmail.com with suggestions or brickbats !!
With my salutations to all our Parsi , Zoroastrian unsung heros ” chaiye hame zarthosti ! ” Diana Bharucha From Bangalore settled in Coonoor , Nilgiris, India , since 06.03.2013
On Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 8:51 PM, Parsis, Iranis, Zarathushtis – ALL Under