19th All Parsi Monsoon Games
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Mother Teresa of Surat – Nergish Hadvaid
Friends I would love to share the story of a lady who has inspired me in a way to lead a better life, a more satisfied life. She has helped me to see a life with a completely different perspective. I have tried to use the best skills of my writing to capture her magnificent life in a very short autobiography.
As a part of my contribution and love towards this amazing lady, I have attached a Free PDF here: Mother Teresa of Surat
But if you plan on Purchasing the book, the money will be sent to the lady. If she accepts then it will be notified to you or it will be donated to anyone who is in need. That is my assurance! The Book will be uploaded on Amazon and there will be an update in 24 hours. I will keep you posted about the changes. If you plan on purchasing the book, do let me know. That way I will be able to give you the details, where your money has been given. Till then have a great read ahead… Thank you all for your support.
https://observerzzz.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/mother-teresa-of-surat/
Lesson 6X – Happy New Year
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wish you and your dear ones a very Happy Shenshahi New Year!
As we wish Happy New Year to each other, I would like to share its implication as explained by Dastoorji Minochehr-Homji.
Today marks the beginning of the Shenshahi New Year 1385 Y.Z. The Shenshahi calendar uses the Y.Z. suffix (Yazdegerdi era) for its year numbering system.
Y.Z. is the number of years since the coronation in 631 A.D. of the Persian Emperor Yezdegerd III, the last monarch of the Sassanian dynasty.
Let us resolve to begin the New Year with an emphasis to learn and understand the teachings of our religion. Let us make a sincere effort to put its teachings into practice in our day to day life. Let us lead a true Zarathushti life!
Following are some of the Internet resources:
An App for Android Devices
* PARSI CALENDAR
Sunrise / Sunset Times for Proper Geh Recitation:
•http://www.sunrisesunset.com
General Sites for Calendar:
•http://www.avesta.org/#zinfo
•http://www3.sympatico.ca/zoroastrian
•http://persiandna.com/calendar.htm
Sites that help convert between calendars:
With best wishes for an enlightened community,
Kayomarsh P. Mehta
Stunning Portraits of the Dwindling Parsi Community – Kurush Umrigar
There are many reasons behind the dropping numbers. Parsis, unlike other communities, don’t put such a great emphasis on marriage. Many Parsis remain bachelors and spinsters till they die. If they do marry, a lot of them decide to marry late—in their 30s and even 40s, when conceiving children becomes difficult. Additionally, their duality is well known. Outwardly, they are incredibly westernised and modern. Internally, they wrestle with many demons, the most vicious of which is a mania for blood purity—inter-caste marriages are heavily frowned upon. Moreover, it lays bare the community’s skewed gender rules, as a woman who marries outside is no longer considered a Parsi, and neither are her children. The same does not apply if the man is Parsi—his kids may still be initiated into the Zoroastrian faith.
Meanwhile, the community’s contribution towards the development of India is immeasurable. From industry to the arts and philanthropy to economics, the legacy of the Parsis may very well outlive the community at this rate—the birth to death ratio stands somewhere around 1:3.
When I spoke to Umrigar about his project, he told me that he feels as though he is racing against time to document and photograph old Parsis. “You never know how much longer they’re going to be around,” he says. At the end, he hopes to turn this project into a coffee table book.
Umrigar is currently photographing faces all over India and hopes to take this project international. He is always looking for interesting faces to photograph. If you think you can help, scroll down the bottom of the article for details.
I. Amy Kolah | 100-years-old
She died earlier this year. She worked at Tata, where she headed the Department of Commercial Art
II. Khorshed Bharucha | 86-years-old
A die-hard cricket fan, she still follows every match and is up-to-date with all cricket news
III. Mr. Wadia | 94-years-old
A former Parsi taxi driver in Mumbai, he drove a taxi for nearly 40 years until he retired
IV. Zubin Mehta | 80-years-old
World-renowned conductor
Words: Neville Bhandara
[You can follow him on Instagram. Additionally, you can email him at kurushumrigar@gmail.com or even call him on +919920099519 if you’d like to help him continue his project.]
http://homegrown.co.in/stunning-portraits-of-the-disappearing-parsi-community-by-kurush-umrigar/