JOURNAL OF IRANIAN ASSOCIATION – QUESTIONS ON SOME HISTORICAL DATES
JOURNAL OF THE IRANIAN ASSOSSIATION VOL. II JANUARY 1914.
CONTENTS
THE TRADITIONAL DATES OF PARSI HISTORY by PROFESSOR S. H. HODIWALA M. A. (pg309 TO 325)
Objects of the Iranian Assossiation.
1) To maintain the purity of the Zoroastrian religion and remove the excrescences that have gathered around it
2) To expose and counteract the effects of such teachings of Theosophists and others as tend
a) To corrupt the religion of Zarathustra by adding elements foreign to it, and
b) To bring about the degeneration of a progressive and virile community like the Parsis, and make them a body of superstitious and unpractical visionaries
3) To promote measures for the welfare and advancement of the community.
MEMBERS OF THE MANAGING COMMITTEE
President Mr H. J Bhabha
Vice President Mr J A Dalal
Mr L N Banaji
MEMBERS
Mr D F Gimi Mr Ardeshir Servai
Mr Padamji B Desai Mr N N Katrak
Mr M F Anklesaria Mr D M Madan
Mr P A Engineer N N Kanga
Mr Jamshedji Nadirshaw
The original paper written by the historian Hodiwala on the traditional dates of Parsi history were published in this journal in 1914.
He explains that our knowledge of our ancient history is based on a poem Qissa I Sanjan written in 1599. There is much confusion regarding dates as there is no recorded history but a surmise is made depending on the events mentioned in the poem and matching it with the historical facts available. Thus he writes “the same event (the arrival of the Parsis at Sanjan) occurred in 716, 839 and 905 AD.”
” I believe these dates to be speculative dates, calculated dates, ex post facto results of calculations made upon the basis of a few generally accepted postulates, but combined diversely by different persons with conjectures, emendations and probable estimates of their own……..our ignorance of early Parsi history in this country is to-day almost as dense as it was fifty or a hundred years ago.”
He explains in detail in the original article in the Journal of the Iranian Assossiation which is attached.
Searching the where abouts of DF Gimi….an army veteran …..he ws in army till 1968 – 69. Tentative. Want to get in touch vid his descendants ….