SUMMER READS

July 2025 FIRES quarterly newsletter.

Check out These New Books

Check us out at www.fires-fezana.org and click on library catalog.

An “Ode to Fraternity” explores the potential for unity and understanding among diverse religious and spiritual traditions, suggesting that shared human experiences and truths can bridge divides. The book, written by Rohinton Fali Nariman, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India, examines how people from various faiths can learn from each other to create a more inclusive and peaceful world.

The Moment of the Banyan :  Armin Wandrewala 

“The Moment of the Banyan” by Armin Wandrewala is a fictional novel that chronicles the journey of a multi-generational Parsee Zoroastrian family from 1895 onwards. The book explores their lives, loves, and traditions, weaving in stories of their way of life in various locations, including Gujarat, Bombay, and abroad. It also delves into Zoroastrian culture, rituals, cuisine, and language, offering insights into their religious and cultural heritage.

Living with ADI : Zarin Virji 

Adi Krishnan is different! He is a bright student, who loves to read, and remembers everything down to the smallest details―yet he has no friends. His unusual view of things makes his classmates and teachers regard him as a weirdo.

Will the bullying ever end? Will people accept him as he is? Will he gain the respect of others, especially his dad? Award-winning author Zarin Virji creates the extraordinary journey of an ordinary boy, narrated by him, his family, classmates and a teacher. And how, despite the challenges, living with Adi is, in fact, unexpected, delightful and funny.

Inspirational Biographies of Indian Industrialist Icons in Comic book form for younger readers

After years of careful planning and dedicated community effort, the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) Library officially reopened its doors in January 2025 with a vibrant Grand Opening celebration. The event, attended by over 80 members, featured distinguished speakers from the University of Toronto—Dr. Bahman Moradian, Professor Enrico Raffaelli, and Professor Miguel Ángel Andrés-Toledo—and marked a significant milestone in the library’s growth and community presence.

The transformation began in January 2024, led by a dedicated renovation and woodworking committee. With funding from the C-Gaming team under Shiamak Katrak, and expert construction by Yohann Gazdar, the project brought the vision to life. Thanks to the extended volunteer team, the space now features new shelving, comfortable seating, and upgraded lighting. Out of the collection of nearly 1,000 books, approximately 65% have now been catalogued and shelved. The growing collection hopes to include fiction by Zoroastrian authors and a new section on traditional recipes, expanding beyond its original focus on history and philosophy.

The Library Committee has since become involved with cultural programming. In March, children’s author Sahar Golshan delighted families at the ZSO Norooz celebration. May 2025 brought the first-ever “Poetry & Chai” evening, co-hosted with the Youth Committee, which welcomed over 60 participants of all ages and languages for a rich evening of verse and community bonding.

The Library Committee—led by Armaity Homavazir, Mandana Jam-Moderai, and Donna Ferdowsi—and ZSO executive liaison Mandana Moavenat has also prioritized youth involvement. A successful student-led initiative from 2022–2023 saw students contributing to shelving, cataloguing, and book reviews. Our vision is to relaunch the High School Volunteer Program and collaborate with the Lecture Subcommittee on a Fall Speaker Series that highlights rare texts from the collection.

In the future, we look forward to collaborating with FIRES to bring our catalogue online with other Zoroastrian Centres and their collections. Currently, we have kept it closed as we continue to organize the document and add more titles. Our desire is that the preservation of our texts generates a renewed interest in our rich history and languages and we become an important learning centre in North America.

Let our library be a centre of learning and discovery for future generations! 

At the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago (ZAMC), more than a dozen high school students from the Zoroastrian Educational and Leadership Development Alliance (ZELDA) have undertaken a meaningful and ambitious initiative: organizing and digitally cataloging the center’s library in partnership with the FEZANA Information Research and Education System (FIRES).

Led by ZAMC Library Project Interns Aliza Dubash, Katy Daruwala, and myself, this student-led effort is driven by our shared commitment to preserving and promoting the rich heritage of our 3,000-year-old faith. ZAMC holds a distinguished place in North American Zoroastrian history as the first association on the continent to build a center from the ground up. It was also the birthplace of FEZANA, from its early conceptualization to the drafting of its constitution and inaugural AGM.

Today, the ZAMC library houses nearly 500 books, spanning ancient scriptures to contemporary academic studies. These texts serve as a testament to our religious tradition and continue to draw interest from scholars, historians, and community members.

Under the mentorship of FIRES Co-Chairs Aban Rustomji and Sharmeen Mehri, along with our dedicated guide Persis Driver, we have been trained in the Dewey Decimal System and are learning how to thoughtfully classify and catalog each book. Mrs. Rustomji has not only taught us the technicalities of cataloging but has also instilled the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

The work itself is meticulous and deeply rewarding. From handling fragile, timeworn pages to uncovering hidden stories within texts that trace Zoroastrianism’s global influence, every moment connects us more deeply with our roots. Each book is carefully assessed, labeled, entered into a digital database, and prepared for circulation with a newly developed check-in/check-out system.

This initiative, though time-intensive, will result in a fully organized and accessible repository of Zoroastrian knowledge for our community. It exemplifies FIRES’ broader mission to empower local centers to preserve and share their educational resources. As ZELDA youth, we are honored to contribute to this legacy—not only for our present generation but for those who follow.

FIRES was established in 2010, and is housed and managed by the Zoroastrian Association of Houston (ZAH) Library. It is accessible by all FEZANA Associations and individuals.