Category Archives: Arts & Culture

Ancient India & Iran Trust Activities

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Leilah Vevaina, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Of Worldly Deeds and Sacred Souls: The Trust and Parsi Muktad Ceremonies

Friday 26 April 5:30pm
Refreshments from 5pm
All welcome

Atash Kadeh of Zoroastrian Association of California (ZAC) during Muktads, Photo by Leilah Vevaina

Charitable giving is one of the pillars of Zoroastrianism, where the acquisition of wealth is righteous if earned honestly and shared liberally. Conducting charity is practised at all class levels of the Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian) community in Mumbai, and is incorporated into several ritual practices such as the annual muktad remembrances for the dead. It is at these rituals wherein the souls of deceased kin (fravašis) are called down by name for feasting and convening with their living families on earth, that future charitable intentions are often announced. While the muktad rituals reconvene the living and the dead annually, the charitable trust is the formal legal mechanism, which mirrors this cosmological cycle of giving in the realm of the worldly, perpetually. Not simply analysing the trust as an econo-legal mechanism, this paper will investigate the trust as part of ritual practice.Leilah Vevaina is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University in Hong Kong. Her research lies in the intersection of urban property and religious life within the legal regimes of contemporary India. Her book entitled Trust Matters: Parsi Endowments in Mumbai and the Horoscope of a City (Duke University Press, 2023) focuses on religious endowments and the trust as a mechanism of property management in the city.In addition to her focus on Zoroastrian global philanthropic networks, Leilah is researching Zoroastrian death rituals and their legal and funerary infrastructures for a new book on necrofinance and death and diaspora. Her forthcoming project seeks to research the connection between gambling and charity in history and contemporary Hong Kong.Leilah  is also the founding Director of the South Asia from Asia Initiative at the Chinese University which aims to bring together research and teaching on South Asia in Hong Kong in collaboration with other departments and university partners.

Michael Shenkar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem/University of Oxford

A Scene of Fire Worship from the Late Umayyad Palace at Sanjar-Shah and the Sogdian Cult in the 8th Century

Friday 3 May, 5:30pm
Refreshments from 5pm
All welcome

A fragment of wall painting with heads of Sogdian priests, Sanjar-Shah. Drawing by Maria Gervais.Recent excavations at the Sogdian site of Sanjar-Shah near Panjikent (northern Tajikistan) have uncovered remains of a monumental palace built during the 740s under the last Umayyad governor of Khurāsān, Naṣr b. Sayyār (738–748). The palace was decorated with figurative wall paintings and architectural elements made of carved wood. It was destroyed in the third quarter of the 8th century, perhaps during the al-Muqanna‘ uprising.The Sanjar-Shah paintings are of the highest artistic quality and are new, outstanding monuments of Sogdian art. This talk will present fragments of figurative wall paintings from the Main Throne Hall of the Palace found during the last two seasons. They depict a procession of characters wearing Sogdian priestly garments, directed towards a large, stationary fire altar. This is the first time that representation of priests is found in Sogdian wall paintings. The talk will also discuss the implications of this find for our understanding of the Sogdian cult in the 8th century.Michael Shenkar is Associate Professor of Pre-Islamic Iranian studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His specialisation is the study of civilisations and cultures of the pre-Islamic Iranian world through their material remains and visual representations. His research interests encompass the archaeology, art and religions of pre-Islamic Iran and Central Asia, including Zoroastrianism (with a particular focus on religious iconography), the culture of the Eurasian nomads, the Sogdian civilisation and the ‘Silk Roads’. He is a co-director of the excavations of the Sogdian site of Sanjar-Shah in northern Tajikistan.This year, Michael is a Visiting Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Oxford and a Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre.

James White, University of Oxford

Editing Early Modern Persian Poetry from Iran and India: Global Perspectives and Local Identities

Friday 7 June, 5:30pm
Refreshments from 5pm
All welcome

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During the early modern era, Iran and India remained closely linked through politics, trade, and migration. These globalising tendencies also led to the formation of literary communities which spanned the two realms. With the rise of colonialism and modern nationalisms, the legacy of these transnational literary communities was largely forgotten, and much of the rich corpus of poetry that they produced remains unedited and in manuscript.  This talk will consider some of the practical problems involved in locating manuscripts of seventeenth-century poets’ collected works and in editing their contents, and discuss how we can ‘reconstitute’ the social world which produced them.

James White is an Early Career Fellow at the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford. His research focuses on multilingualism and the social uses of poetry in the Middle East and South Asia during the medieval and early modern eras.

TISS – Parzor Certificate Programme

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Programme Proposal for the Parzor-TISS Certificate in Parsi Zoroastrian Culture & Heritage Studies

Background

The Parsi-Zoroastrian community, its history, assimilation in India and multicultural heritage
makes for a highly significant area of contemporary socio-politico-cultural study and
discourse. The story of the community’s resilience and cultural survival is a case-study in
tradition and continuity, adaptation and assimilation, multiculturalism and philanthropy; not
one of refugee victimhood and oblivion, but of agency and ownership, with the idea of giving
back to the society. Today, with refugees travelling across the globe, the Parsi Zoroastrian
paradigm is an example of integration while maintaining a distinct cultural identity. This
unique identity of the community is a confluence of its Iranian and Indian background, with
European and even Chinese influence. The cultural wisdom and entrepreneurial zeal of the
community is evident in varied spheres from ecological best practices to the pivotal role in
shaping contemporary cities like Mumbai. However, a systematic academic study of the Parsi-
Zoroastrian community and its imprint on society has not been attempted heretofore in India
or outside, nor have formal Cultural Studies been instituted in the field.
Parzor and TISS have collaborated and signed an MOU in August 2022 with the goal to offer
the first systematic programme of study on Parsi Zoroastrian Culture and Heritage within an
academic institution.

TISS-Parzor Academic Programme

The academic programme on Parsi Zoroastrian Culture & Heritage aims to advance the
understanding of the community and diverse perspectives through academic frameworks
provided by history, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, economics and philosophy.
The courses will be taught by a combination of resident faculty members and guest lecturers
from institutes across the globe, who are subject experts in the field of Zoroastrian Studies.
The programme will also tap into young researchers and professionals in emerging and
specialized fields, guided by those who have spent a lifetime in protecting this heritage. This
Programme will add value to the study of the Humanities, and appeal to young students across
disciplines, who wish to explore new ideas while earning credits for the coursework towards
their diploma or degree. The programme will highlight how an ancient culture has remained
relevant through modern ideas, and discuss pertinent issues such as Environment, Pollution,
Demographics, Migration, Diasporas, Global Cultures, Continuity and Change.

Certificate Programme Structure, Duration and Fees

The Academic Programme is being launched with an Online Certificate Course of 20 credits
with a duration of around nine months. The structure of the first iteration of the Certificate is
shown in Annexure A. There is one Compulsory Core Course on Philosophy, History & Culture
and a choice from ten Elective Courses across five different tracks, viz. Languages, Literature,
History, Art & Culture, and Contemporary Studies of Parsi-Zoroastrianism. A student would be
required to undertake a Research Project / Dissertation or Field Study for successful
completion. Annexure B provides a tentative academic calendar with the programme starting
during the last week of August 2024, and being completed in May 2025. Each course is
proposed to run for a 10-week duration with a total class time for 3 hours each week.
The per student fee for the complete TISS-Parzor Certificate is proposed to be ₹ 50,000 + GST.
It is proposed that prospective students may be allowed to opt for individual courses (modular
option) if they do not wish to enrol for the complete Certificate programme. The fee for
enrolling for an individual 2-credit Course is proposed to be ₹ 7,000 + GST. Participants
successfully completing the course requirements will obtain a completion certificate.
Participants enrolling only for individual Elective Courses will need to demonstrate sufficient
background knowledge, failing which they will be required to complete the Foundation Course
as a pre-requisite. International students will be charged a mark-up to the above fees based
on existing TISS guidelines as shared by the TISS Office of International Affairs.

Learning Outcomes

The main aims (learning outcomes) of the Academic Programme are to:
 Encourage the study and preservation of tangible and intangible forms of a heritage of
humanity in need of preservation.
 Enable students to develop a unique understanding of cultures and communities through
the core and elective courses.
 Make the Parsi Zoroastrian perspective known to a generation which has not been
exposed to this culture.
 Encourage the study of Central Asian cultures as a sister cultural sphere with India.
 Explain the core customs and rituals that form the heart of Zoroastrianism vis-a-vis the
current ecological scenario.
 Provide a consolidated digital resource platform offering online access to rare Zoroastrian
texts from the world over.
 Showcase crafts and customs in traditional and AV formats from Parzor Foundation’s
archives to understand symbols and a continuity of culture, and enable further research
on this cultural heritage.

Annexure A – Course structure

Course structure for Online Certificate on Parsi Zoroastrian Culture & Heritage
Courses eligible for transfer to equivalent International Credits
Each course is worth 2 credits. A student is required to complete a total of 20 credits to fulfil the
requirements of the Certificate.
Compulsory Foundation Course: Philosophy, History, Culture
Dr. Shernaz Cama, Prof. Almut Hintze and other guest faculty
Elective Track Elective Courses
Language & Tradition
1. Oral Tradition, Ecology and Rituals
Dr. Sarah Stewart and other guest faculty
2. Avestan language
Prof. Almut Hintze and other guest faculty
Parsi Literature
3. Parsi Literature in English
 Prof. Coomi Vevaina and other guest faculty
4. Persian & Parsi Gujarati Literature
Dr. Kerman Daruwalla and other guest faculty
Historical Perspectives
5. History, Archaeology and Heritage
Dr. Kurush Dalal and other guest faculty
6. Print History & Journalism
Dr. Firdaus Gandavia and other guest faculty
Contemporary Studies
7. Parsis and Modern India
Dr. Meher Mistry and other guest faculty
8. Zoroastrian Demographics
Prof. Siva Raju and other guest faculty
Art, Architecture &
9. Material Culture: Arts, Crafts & Architecture
Material Culture Prof. Kavas Kapadia and other guest faculty
10. Parsi Theatre & Performing Arts
Dr. Abhimanyu Acharya and other guest faculty

Annexure B – Academic calendar

Tentative timetable for Certificate Programme
SEMESER-1
week no. date core course elec-1 elec-3 elec-5 elec-7 hours/wk
1 26-Aug-24 3 3
2 2-Sep-24 3 3
3 9-Sep-24 3 3
4 16-Sep-24 3 3
5 23-Sep-24 3 3 6
6 30-Sep-24 3 3 6
7 7-Oct-24 3 3 3 9
8 14-Oct-24 3 3 3 3 12
9 21-Oct-24 3 3 3 3 3 15
10 28-Oct-24 3 3 3 3 3 15
11 4-Nov-24 3 3 3 3 12
12 11-Nov-24 3 3 3 3 12
13 18-Nov-24 3 3 3 3 12
14 25-Nov-24 3 3 3 3 12
15 2-Dec-24 3 3 3 9
16 9-Dec-24 3 3 3 9
17 16-Dec-24 3 3 6
18 23-Dec-24 3 3
 Course hours total 30 30 30 30 30
SEMESER-2
week no. date elec-9 elec-2 elec-4 elec-6 elec-8 elec-10 hours/wk
1 6-Jan-25 3 3 3 9
2 13-Jan-25 3 3 3 9
3 20-Jan-25 3 3 3 9
4 27-Jan-25 3 3 3 9
5 3-Feb-25 3 3 3 9
6 10-Feb-25 3 3 3 9
7 17-Feb-25 3 3 3 9
8 24-Feb-25 3 3 3 9
9 3-Mar-25 3 3 3 9
10 10-Mar-25 3 3 3 9
11 17-Mar-25 3 3 3 9
12 24-Mar-25 3 3 3 9
13 31-Mar-25 3 3 3 9
14 7-Apr-25 3 3 3 9
15 14-Apr-25 3 3 3 9
16 21-Apr-25 3 3 3 9
17 28-Apr-25 3 3 3 9
18 5-May-25 3 3 3 9
19 12-May-25 3 3 3 9
20 19-May-25 3 3 3 9
 Course hours total 30 30 30 30 30 30

Navroz – A Global Celebration

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Dear Friends,
After months of working and networking across the world, Parzor is delighted to announce the Parzor Google Arts & Culture Online Exhibition – ‘ Navroz – A Global Celebration’, a series of 6 exhibits dedicated to the celebration of Navroz across the world.
We thank you all for contributing and your wholehearted support for this cultural event. Enjoy all Six Exhibitions and learn how 300 million people still welcome The Vernal Equinox and The UN International Celebration of Spring.
5. Navroz Across Central Asia & Europe – https://artsandculture.google.com/story/KAVRA7uaKLEU8A
6. Navroz in Asia and Australia – https://artsandculture.google.com/story/egXhKAsSKEe5_A
If you do share it on Social Media, feel free to tag Parzor @parzorfoundation and our partners Google Arts & Culture @googleartsculture
Warm regards and Navroz Mubarak,
Shernaz Cama
Parzor

 

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/YQUBLvB5z3DKvQ

 

Navroze and Google Arts and Culture

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Dear Friends,
We at Parzor have been given the privilege of presenting Navroze to the world in 2024 through the Google Arts and Culture Exhibition which will be online across the world. The new Google format allows for video in short clips, encourages personal remembrance and records and is cross cultural.
It therefore wishes to record the diaspora and their celebrations of this festival. Please note that the last date for Parzor to collect material and format it is the 18th of February. I beg pardon for this short notice, but this is an honour to our communities, which we should try to live up to as best we can. Any little note on the celebration by your Association/ country giving special modes of enjoying this period, including preparation of special food, will be welcome.
Please send all material to my gmail address at: shernazcama@gmail.com. Also include captions for photographs etc. Kindly note that Farsi and other languages can be included and will be simultaneously translated by Google in this exhibition.
Please find attached earlier Google Cultural Institute, GCI Exhibition links:-

Parsi Zoroastrians: From Persia to Akbar’s Court – https://goo.gl/pMb058 

Ava Link – https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/exhibit/YwLyZKjjMblqJA

Breaking New Ground: Prof. D.N.Wadia–https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/RQKSorHWtx43JQ

Thanks and regards,

Dr. Shernaz Cama
Parzor

“Becoming Farah” by Farah Rustom

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Dear Friends,

Many of you in India will have personally met and known Farah Rustom in Mumbai and followed her unique personal story.  Farah has just released a book, titled “Becoming Farah”.  I encourage you to buy and read it.  It is available on Amazon in the paperback and/or kindle version. Thank you.

Amazon introductory text: “Farah’s cutting-edge gender reassignment surgery in 1976 created a sensation, as she was already well known as a pioneering lecturer on Western Classical Music Appreciation and a freelance journalist.  This is her astonishing, frank and unique story, honestly and movingly describing her many passions, experiences and travels around India. A moving portrayal of life in Bombay until the Eighties, belonging to a very special and distinct community little known outside of India, namely the Parsis, originally from Persia. It is a portrait of a wonderful and very special city in a joyfully creative and fascinating era, now sadly gone forever, although as every person who grew up in Bombay will attest, once the city becomes a part of you, it is there forever.”

 

More than a designer, I see myself as a keeper of stories – Ashdeen Lilaowala

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‘More than a designer, I see myself as a keeper of stories,’ says Ashdeen Lilaowala on completing a decade

Ashdeen’s latest collection is called ‘The Birth of Venus’

A piece from the collectoion 'The Birth of Venus'

A piece from the collectoion ‘The Birth of Venus’

Designer Ashdeen Lilaowala recently celebrated a milestone of 10 years as a Parsi Gara revivalist. We talk to Ashdeen about his journey in the fashion industry, his tribute to his decade’s work in the form of a picture exhibition called Threads: A Decade Of Ashdeen, his latest collection, the future of fashion in India and more…

Tell us more about ‘Threads: A Decade Of Ashdeen’.
More than a designer, I see myself as a keeper of stories. To celebrate the important milestone of completing 10 years, I wanted to do it in my own distinct style. That’s how the idea of Threads: A Decade Of Ashdeen came about. I wanted it to be a celebration of the intricate web of relationships that have defined my work, mirroring the intricate Parsi Gara embroidery tradition which is at the heart of this brand. It’s also an ode to my team of skilled craftspeople without whom we couldn’t have completed this milestone successfully.

 

 

How do you think this industry has evolved over the past 10 years?
I have always maintained that I am a textile designer, researcher and storyteller. As a result of that, I have been at the periphery of the fashion industry and that positioning has helped me always march to the beat of my own drum, as cliched as that sounds. We’ve been blessed to receive patronage from people not just from the community but across the country and the world. The industry has become quite saturated but there’s surprisingly still space for people who are doing different things and doing them differently.

Tell us more about your latest collection, The Birth of Venus. What’s the story behind the name and how does it translate to the pieces?
Our latest collection was named after the classic painting The Birth of Venus by Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli. One interpretation is that it casts the central figure Venus as the parallel to the earliest woman ‘Eve.’ It’s our nod to Zoroastrian cosmogony as well, according to which Mashya and Mashyana were the first man and woman to have walked the earth. In a similar vein, we’re going back to the Gara’s origins and examining it against a blank canvas. We’ve revisited original embroidery designs from the Parsi Gara lexicon. It’s a sari collection featuring lush floral tapestries and borders. All hand-embroidered in rich colour palettes our clients have always loved — emerald greens, muted greys, blacks, mango yellows and other gorgeous shades that are perfect for the festive and wedding season.

What made you stay connected with your work and the age-old but exquisite Parsi-style embroidery?
I enjoy the challenge of pushing the Parsi Gara tradition in new directions while making sure we stick to the basic framework. This has taken years of research into how the Gara has evolved over the years with the myriad geographical and cultural influences it has imbibed. I find it thrilling to be part of the next frontier of the Gara incorporating new nuances every season, telling new stories and sparking new conversations.

Are you planning to expand your label’s demography? 
We’re already quite fortunate that younger people are increasingly interested in the brand. To get younger generations of sari wearers and textile enthusiasts interested in the craft, our brand has been experimenting with newer colour palettes, lighter fabric and motifs adapted to suit contemporary tastes. In addition, we have also opened out the embroidery applications placing them on lehengas, blouses, jackets, scarves and accessories to enhance the wearability factor. We also do this through styling explored through campaign imagery, shoots and collaborations with style makers and influencers.

Why and how did you enter the world of fashion?
As mentioned earlier, I see myself as a textile designer staying only in the periphery of the Indian fashion industry. Sure, overlaps exist and I enjoy them immensely. We even showcased at some seasons of Lakme Fashion Week. But I love staying true to my path and pushing the boundaries of the Parsi gara craft. I graduated in textile design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. After graduating, I travelled across India, China and Iran with the UNESCO Parzor Foundation documenting the Gara. I got a chance to interact with people’s personal collections in these geographies. The exercise has helped me understand the core essence of the Gara and as much as I innovate with the craft, I don’t waver from its core essence.

Mail: surbhi@newindianexpress.com
X: surbhi02shah

Surbhi Shah  |   Published :   |  01st November 2023 05:36 PM

https://www.indulgexpress.com/fashion/designers/2023/nov/01/more-than-a-designer-i-see-myself-as-a-keeper-of-stories-ashdeen-lilaowala-on-completing-a-decade-a-54703.html

Zubin’s Paintings

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All these beautiful paintings are creation of our Mobed Saheb Er. Zubin Vaid . He is a full time practising Mobed at  Andheri Patel Agiyari.
Painting has been Er Zubin’s hobby & passion.
These paintings are for sale .
Let us take a step forward in supporting Er Zubin Vaid .
Those interested can connect with him on +91 9967359057

 

Click on each photo to view the full image

Authentic hand embroidery Parsi gara sarees – Exhibition in Mumbai

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Vintage, yet exquisitely classy, our collection of Authentic hand embroidery Parsi gara sarees will always make you stand out and feel like royalty.
Having maintained the Authenticity of the art, we at ZS designs are delighted to showcase our collection of exquisite hand embroidered Parsi gara sarees, lehengas, indo-western outfits, gowns, frames and more at the Maitreiyi 2023.
HOTEL SEA PRINCESS,  JUHU, MUMBAI 400 049.
On 20th-21st OCTOBER 2023 from 10 am to 8 pm
Come visit our stall and fall in love with the beauty a skilled artisan can create using just a small sewing needle and pure silk threads.
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