Followers of one of the world’s oldest religions have been celebrating their holiest day of the year, with a nervous eye on their dwindling numbers.

A Special cover was released on Zoroastrian Atash Behram during Valsad philatelic exhibition on 19th December 2015 .Sspo Mr. Macwan, Valsad released  the special cover

By M.Gulrez

http://philamirror.info/2015/12/20/valpex-2015special-cover-released-on-zoroastrian-atash-behram/

With Telangana setting up a 15-member Zoroastrian jury to aid the settlement of marriage and divorce, the Parsis in the State can decide on such matters within the community. Telangana becomes the second State after Maharashtra to set up the Zoroastrian jury.

Of the 15 members now selected from within the community, just five, acceptable to both the parties, will chair the jury. Also, the husband and wife who want a divorce will get to recommend two jury members each to suit their comfort. The fifth member of the jury will remain ‘neutral’ in the matter.

The Parsi community in the twin cities is small with just 1200-1400 members.While an average of six marriages happen each year in the community, at least one divorce takes place within a span of a year-and-a-half. In the matter of divorces in the State, the Parsi jury will send its advisory decision to the city civil court, the judge of which will later pass his/her judgement.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/telangana-is-second-state-to-set-up-zoroastrian-jury/article8027128.ece

The second day of the first ever Iranshah Udvada Utsav started with two fun filled participatory activities. The Heritage Walks and The Treasure Hunt had droves of people walking or running through the small lanes of Udvada and give the town the kind of buzz and foot activities seen only once or twice a year during the Iranshah Salgrehs.

Groups of attendees were escorted by architects well versed in Udvada’s history and shown around the various different historical and heritage landmarks.

The treasure hunt had 38 teams of 5 people each race around the town taking selfies at landmarks, checking off items off their list of to-do’s and hunting for quirky clues and souvenirs. Teams comprised of people of all ages and the hustle bustle it created was very infectious.

The Iranshah itself was abuzz with devotees filing to worship in a steady stream all day.

The formal lectures and events in the main Gymkhana grounds started in the morning. A series of lectures and audio visual presentations were interspersed with some entertainment breaks.

Notable among the speakers were BPP Trustee and community leader Noshir Dadrewala who spoke about Ancient Iran. His mastery and command of the topic and the lucid presentation brought alive some of the glories of the “MadreVatan” as we refer to Iran today. It made my resolve to visit Iran so much more stronger in the near future.

Brigadier Behram Panthaki and Zenobia Panthaki spoke about the book they co-authored on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.

Aapro own Ganesha says…..aka Bejan Daruwalla took to the stage and in his customary manner enthralled the crowd. He also predicted that 2017 is the year when the world will see peace return. Let’s hope for all our sake that his prediction is right.

Firoz Andhyarujina whom I had the chance to hear for the very first time spoke exceedingly well on the role of the Zoroastrian Youth in modern times. Hopefully we will see a recording of his talk online soon.

Dr. Shernaz Cama and the Jiyo Parsi team spoke about the program and presented a video showing the work done by their campaign. More power to them and Babies to our community.

Former Maharashtra Attorney-General Darius Khambata spoke about Zoroastrians and Zoroastrianism today. In his excellent oratory he laid out his case and asked the leaders, priests and community in general to re-think the whole concept of keeping our Agiaries out of bounds to women who marry outside the faith. Darius’ talk was similar to the one he delivered two years ago at the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress in Mumbai in 2013.

And towards the end of his talk one witnessed the only instance of boorish and uncouth behavior from the crowd. Godafrid Aresh who was sitting in the VIP enclosure got up and started shouting at Darius as he finished his talk and made his way off the stage. Mahyar Dastoor the MC requested her to take her seat but she kept on at it shouting and making a scene. She was further egged on by a section of the crowd that booed the speaker and cheered her.

Having a different opinion from the speaker is one thing. However to actually get up and disrupt proceedings is extreme. It took a lot of restraint from the other suave Mahyar Dastoor to ignore her. However the Vada Dasturji had to finally step in and ask her to take her seat. It was the only time one saw Vada Dasturji ruffled up. And rightly so. There is a time and a place and a forum and a method to vent your disagreement. One may not necessarily agree with everything that Darius said, but everyone has a right to their opinion. This disruption of events in front of local and national media was unfortunate and does not show the community in good light.

Stand up comic Neville Bharucha followed this incident and helped cool down the air.

The evening entertainment that day started with the felicitation and welcome of aapro Boman Irani. The amazing actor enthralled the crowd with his presence, and spoke of his immense pride in being a Parsi and a Zarathushti.

The evening entertainment was packed with skits by young children …the Farohars of New Delhi. The girls of Avabai Petit Girls High School sang monajats and the MEJMT Trust performed a fantastic theatrical experience called Tapo Re Iranshah.

A live band brought the evening to an end with Boman Irani jumping in and belting out a couple of songs and strumming the guitar.

The day ended with a sit down dinner.

Image courtesy Parsi Times via Facebook

The third and final day began on Sunday December 27th with a sense of expectation and euphoria to welcome Ratan Tata, Arun Jaitley and Cyrus Poonawalla.

Decked out in Daglis and Gara Sarees thousands of folks filled up the Gymkhana grounds and waited patiently for all the dignitaries to arrive.

Finally the three of the made a quick entry. The level of applause reserved for Ratan Tata was ear deafening.

Boman Irani introduced all the three dignitaries before each one of them addressed the crowd. Finance Minister Jaitley spoke of his connections to Parsis from childhood and urged more Parsi businesses and entrepreneurship to happen besides increasing the population.

Ratan Tata spoke about the pride he had in being Parsi and Zarathushti and was totally humbled by the love and admiration the community gave him.

Cyrus Poonawalla spoke of the love and religious fervour his late wife Villoo had for the Iranshah and in who’s memory he had sponsored this Utsav.

All the three dignitaries were also felicitated by the local officials of the town, district and state.

After Jaitley left, other Parsi organizations presented mementos to Ratan Tata and Cyrus Poonawalla. However the organizers were caught totally unawares by the enthusiasm of those who wanted to felicitate the two and the media personalities who were fighting over each other to capture the imagery. That last part showed a certain lack experience on the part of the organizers. Vada Dasturji was seen on stage valiantly requesting some sense of order to no effect.

FEZANA and ZTFE delegates with Ratan Tata

Some final overall thoughts.

The first ever IUU 2015 was successful overall. And it was great to see Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor announce the next one shall be held from December 23–25 2017. Mark your calendars.

The program had a good balance however the sessions were too long. They needed some breaks in the middle.

Evening entertainment on both days was very long. Of course this is a good problem of plenty. But maybe cutting down the choreographed dance items to just one or two would make the entertainment evenings more cohesive.

The capability of the caterer to serve meals with efficiency needs to be revisited. There was lack of manpower in serving such large numbers of people and the organizers should look into streamlining this in the future.

What’s with the fascination of kitsch Persepolis imagery as the backdrop to every big Zoroastrian event in India ? The 10th WZC in 2013 saw it, and the same thing was repeated here. Taking random imagery and pasting it as the backdrop and side wings, shows a lack of creative set design. Let’s have some better artwork that’s more pertinent to the nearly 14 centuries of stay in India and not hark back to the ruins of Persia at all times.

The location of the stalls and vendors was totally wrong. They should have been positioned such that people walking into and out of the auditorium would see them. Tucking them at the very end of the grounds, made it look as an afterthought and the interaction with the crowd was not as effective as it should have been.

Audio visuals are very powerful. However their actual content is very difficult to get right. While the Sands of Time video was great, the other one with a voice over of an English accented girl and video imagery showing white anglo-saxon people does not do any god, even if you stick a Zarathushtra image at the end of it to make it legitimately “Zoroastrian”

The volunteers who did yoemen service over three days need a standing ovation. Scouts, Rovers and Guides from the 32nd West Bombay Pioneer Scouts and the 16th East Bombay Scout Group and their Guide Company volunteered their time from 7 in the morning to 2 AM everyday controlling crowds, dealing with boorish devotees at the Iranshah and disgruntled participants who would vent their frustrations on the volunteers. Thank you and more power to each of these volunteers.

The next Utsav should also include more of imparting religious knowledge. Specifically to focussed age groups. This is after all the Iranshah.

All in all, those who attended will always remember the first IUU. The Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor, his wife Havovi, Homai Engineer, Dinshaw Tamboly and others did a fantastic job of pulling off such a mega event. This experience of an event at this scale will be stepping stones to even more better and greater success in the years to come. And may the Pak Iranshah continue to burn bright as the beacon of Zarathushti religion for millenia to come.

I would like to end with one profound statement that Boman Irani said in his thank you speech on the evening of the second day when he was felicitated. That for me was the singular take away from this event and something that will always remain in my mind. He said and I paraphrase from memory…. We Parsis should stop saying how great we were and are. It is only when others tell us the same, that it becomes even more meaningful and powerful. That my fellow Zarathushtis should be what we all collectively strive for in 2016.

By arZan on Dec 29, 2015 12:17 am

The post Day 02 and 03: Iranshah Udvada Utsav appeared on Parsi Khabar.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India has announced to set up Rs 100 crore fund under the Adar Poonawalla Clean City Movement (APCCM) in partnering with Pune Municipal Corporation and Noble Exchange Environment Solutions. It will focus on supporting the Pune Municipal Corporation with infrastructure and management of solid waste, specially focusing on organic waste management.

“This is first-of-its-kind public private partnership (PPP) towards scientific waste management in association with the Pune Municipal Corporation and NobleExchange. Other than the regular CSR activities, we rae raising Rs 100 separately for this initiative. Under this, we aim to cover cleaning of 300 km of roads running across municipal limits of the city. We want to encourage citizens to drive this movement through active participation and appeal to them to segregate the waste at source into dry and wet waste and dispose only using waste bins.”

This movement will cover the city’s network of roads in phases over the next three years. With a fleet of specially designed trucks and thousands of litter bins, this wet waste will be responsibly removed and processed in a processing plant by Noble Exchange Environment Solutions which is a technology and operations partner in this movement.

In the first phase, the APCCM will be rolled out in the three wards of the city. The movement would then be rolled out to cover other wards of the city in a phased pattern. At current estimates, over 1,700 tonnes of waste is generated in the city of Pune of which 52-55 per cent is wet waste in nature. This wet waste removal is expected to result in 542 tonnes of carbon emission saved. Under this, advanced mobile food waste processing vans that will enable processing of organic food waste at the ward. Activation programmes will be run in association with PMC at schools, mohalla committees, residential societies and market places.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/adar-poonawalla-sets-up-rs-100-cr-fund-to-aid-waste-removal-116010700704_1.html

Udvada is an obscure hamlet in India’s western Gujarat state which houses the holiest fire of India’s Parsi community.

Legend has it that it was consecrated some 12 centuries ago on the nearby Sanjan beach, landing point of a boatload of refugees who had fled the Arab conquest of Persia to save their 3,000-year-old Zoroastrian faith, and that it has remained unquenched ever since.

The first-ever Udvada Utsav (festival) held over the Christmas weekend drew 4,000 believers.

Yet, what became the “burning issue” was not the ancient fire but the solution proffered to tackle the existential crisis once again faced by this distinctive – and distinguished – community.

Their numbers are down to a critical 61,000, and diminishing by the day; another 40,000 are scattered across the world with an even greater struggle to hang on to their distinctive identity.

In his speech, eminent lawyer Darius Khambata said Zoroastrianism, being a universal religion, should be opened to anyone seeking to join.

This is a red rag, and not only to the bullish. Most Parsis fiercely believe that it is their exclusive right.

Fresh blood needed

Parsi numbers have declined by 12% every census decade – India’s population increases by 21%. They are projected to plummet to 23,000 in the near future, reducing this sophisticated, urbane community to a “tribe”.

An infusion of fresh blood is desperately needed.

Even literally because cousin marriages are common, and so are the diseases of inbreeding. Yet, with a combination of racial pride and fear, community leaders have obdurately resisted any intrusion.

“No conversions” was among the conditions laid down by the ruler of Gujarat who had given asylum to a group of Zoroastrians who fled religious persecution in Iran, and arrived on India’s west coast.

‘Refresh the gene pool’

A 1908 judgement in the Bombay High Court reiterated that “Parsi” is an ethnic entity restricted to the descendants of those Persian refugees, though logic may look askance at such racial purity maintained over a millennium.

The judges had added that the child of a mixed marriage could be included in this definition only when the father is Parsi. (One is born Parsi, but becomes Zoroastrian after the initiating “navjot” ceremony).

Scholars, liberals – and intermarried women – have protested such discrimination, and nullifying it would improve the numbers and refresh the gene pool.

But the argument has always been battened down, not just by the orthodoxy but the larger paranoia.

“Reform” is a dirty, even treacherous, word for reasons more self-serving than sacred.

Parsis fear that their envied communal legacy will be appropriated by “half castes”. Intermarriage accounts for 38%, and is growing.

After centuries of rural facelessness, the Parsis flowered under British rule.

Their philanthropy came to be as fabled as their fortunes, many made from the opium “trade” with China.

Apart from spacious community housing, wealthy families endowed scholarships, hospitals and fire temples.

Image copyrightAFP

All these benefactions have become factors in the insistence on exclusivity since their trust deeds allow only Parsi-Zoroastrians to access them.

In 2012, the nodal Bombay Parsi Panchayat, which controls the vast trust funds, stated that a “poor Parsi eligible for subsidised housing is someone earning less than 90,000 rupees ($1,351; £916) a month”; the urban Indian poverty line is 870 rupees ($13; £9).

Exemplary minority

But the community has also been a victim of its wealth. Lavish charities doused the belly fire of the young, especially boys. Girls are uniformly well educated and scorn “unsuitable” grooms. Migration further queered the pitch.

One in every 10 women and one in every five men remains unmarried by age 50. Fertility rates have fallen below viable levels; only one in nine wholly Parsi families has a child under age 10.

In 2013, there were 735 deaths and only 174 births, a 13.43% drop from 2012. Even couples who can, don’t have children.

In his speech at Udvada Utsav, popular actor Boman Irani joked about leaders urging him to help change this situation. “What am I to do? Barge into honeymooning couples’ bedrooms and order productive action?”

Image copyrightAFP

Catch 22

Even India, loathe to lose such an exemplary minority, has pitched in.

“Jiyo ( keep living) Parsi” is a nationally-funded project begun in 2013 to encourage more births, including subsidised IVF treatments and grants. But it could be too little, too late.

Vada Dasturji Khurshed Dastoor, one of the two hereditary high priests of Udvada, has a refreshingly pragmatic approach.

“How can you say ‘xyz is not allowed by our scriptures’ when such situations didn’t exist in those times. When parents ask my opinion on their daughter’s decision to marry a non-Parsi, I only say, ‘Is he a good man? Will she be happy?'”

Image copyrightGetty Images

It’s Catch 22 for a proud community which has always punched above its weight.

Admitting the children of all mixed marriages would substantially improve the statistics, but will dilute, even destroy, a very distinctive ethnic identity.

In his provocative speech, Mr Khambata said, “You can’t endeavour to save our ethnicity at the cost of our religion.” Drastic choice, it seems.

But it had already been made by the Parsis’ forefathers who had abandoned their age-old Persian identity and charted a bold, new course to preserve their ancient, enlightened Zoroastrian faith.

Bachi Karkaria is a Mumbai-based senior journalist

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-352193310

Dear friends and followers – Early Bird Registration officially opens for the 15th Zoroastrian Games, this Monday, Jan. 25. We invite you to learn more about one of the most popular Zoroastrian events around the world by reading more in the news release below, visiting http://www.zgames2016.com and by ‘Like’ our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zgamesChicago2016
Z Games 2016 is brought to you by volunteer organizers from the Zoroastrian Association of Chicago, working in conjunction with the Zoroastrian Sports Committee and FEZANA.
Through sport, we are one! Contact us today to see how you can attend or support our event.

http://www.prlog.org/12526842-15th-zoroastrian-games-announces-early-bird-registration-to-open-jan-25-2016.html

Kahaan, 9, and Kabir, 7, add their mite to a 3,000-year-old faith

My grandsons had their Navjote ceremony last Saturday, initiating them into Zoroastrianism. Getting two little boys to sit still and memorise a set of prayers in an ancient language difficult to pronounce let alone understand seemed uphill, but they did it in two months. The significance of the Navjote had been dinned into them, and the elaborate secular preparations must have helped make them take the learning seriously. But surely race memory played its part? Those ancient chants and challenging diphthongs deeply embedded in their DNA stirred to fluent life on their little tongues. They got so comfortable towards the end that they were rapping out the prayers.

The Navjote itself was a pre-sunset ceremony amidst the benign trees of a lovely little fire temple serenely holding its own against the besieging concrete. Kahaan and Kabir, were given the ritual bath. Looking uncharacteristically angelic in their satin pyjamas and velvet slippers and topis, they stepped on to the orchid-bedecked stage. They recited the prayers flawlessly – and, to our relief, reverentially. Priests ceremonially invested them with the white mull shirt of purity, the sadra, and wound the sacred kusti thrice round their waists girding them for the battle for good thoughts, words and deeds, our two little boys entered the 3,000-year-old faith of their forebears. It was emotional overload.

Their father beamed. Their mother was overcome. And i looked upon her with gratitude. Akshata isn’t Parsi, but she’d done everything to prepare her sons to enter a faith that doesn’t accept her. Thankful as I was that Kahaan and Kabir can be Parsi-Zoroastrians because their Dad is, I thought of the intermarried Parsi women whose children are barred from our fold. They would add the desperately sought numbers; meaningful ones for it’s the mother who teaches the nuances of cultural identity.

Now this discrimination could end, but perversely. The high priests recently stated that all intermarriage is disallowed, and none of such offspring are acceptable. In claiming to save Zoroastrianism, the ultra orthodox cannot be allowed cavalierly to kill an enlightened religion – one which tells us to ‘make your own choices using your beautiful God-given mind’.

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/erratica/k1-and-k2-climb-a-peak/

• Bachi Karkaria

http://www.governancenow.com/news/regular-story/parsis-need-reservations-in-educational-institutes-chairman-bombay-parsi-punchayet#sthash.fbJgfUOa.dpuf

AS PART OF THE 60TH COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (CSW)
NEW YORK, January 13, 2016 – FEZANA will be participating at the 60th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Conference to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.

Tanya Bharda, Ayesha Dumasia, Homi Gandhi, Farhad Malegam, Nurelle Mehta, Adina Mistry, Behram Pastakia, Delna Weil and Shekufeh Zonji from FEZANA will be representing the Zoroastrians at the UN. The group will be presenting a panel discussion titled, “The Role of Women in Culture, Government Activity and the Economic Market in sustainable development.”

The rights and capabilities of half the world’s population (women) cannot be ignored considering global gender inequality which leads to the lack of women in decision-making positions. The workshop will discuss solutions to these problems to ensure a sustainable future not only for women but people worldwide. The workshop will also cover the role of governments in reforming the system from within and creating an environment within which inclusive and sustainable growth is experienced for women as well as the nation state.

The panel discussion details are:

Date: Monday, March 14th, 2016

Time: 10:30 AM

Location: CUNY Graduate Centre, Room 2, 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY

https://fezana.org/zoroastrian-delegation-to-deliver-panel-discussion-at-un-headquarters-2/

The small, ancient religion of Zoroastrianism is being revived in northern Iraq. Followers say locals should join because it’s a truly Kurdish belief. Others say the revival is a reaction to extremist Islam.
One of the smallest and oldest religions in the world is experiencing a revival in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The religion has deep Kurdish roots – it was founded by Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, who was born in the Kurdish part of Iran and the religion’s sacred book, the Avesta, was written in an ancient language from which the Kurdish language derives. However this century it is estimated that there are only around 190,000 believers in the world – as Islam became the dominant religion in the region during the 7th century, Zoroastrianism more or less disappeared.
Until – quite possibly – now. For the first time in over a thousand years, locals in a rural part of Sulaymaniyah province conducted an ancient ceremony on May 1, whereby followers put on a special belt that signifies they are ready to serve the religion and observe its tenets. It would be akin to a baptism in the Christian faith.
The newly pledged Zoroastrians have said that they will organise similar ceremonies elsewhere in Iraqi Kurdistan and they have also asked permission to build up to 12 temples inside the region, which has its own borders, military and Parliament. Zoroastrians are also visiting government departments in Iraqi Kurdistan and they have asked that Zoroastrianism be acknowledged as a religion officially. They even have their own anthem and many locals are attending Zoroastrian events and responding to Zoroastrian organisations and pages on social media.
Although as yet there are no official numbers as to how many Kurdish locals are actually turning to this religion, there is certainly a lot of discussion about it. And those who are already Zoroastrians believe that as soon as locals learn more about the religion, their numbers will increase. They also seem to selling the idea of Zoroastrianism by saying that it is somehow “more Kurdish” then other religions – certainly an attractive idea in an area where many locals care more about their ethnic identity than religious divisions.
As one believer, Dara Aziz, said: “I really hope our temples will open soon so that we can return to our authentic religion”.
“This religion will restore the real culture and religion of the Kurdish people,” says Luqman al-Haj Karim, a senior representative of Zoroastrianism and head of the Zoroastrian organisation, Zand, who believes that his belief system is more “Kurdish” than most. “The revival is a part of a cultural revolution, that gives people new ways to explore peace of mind, harmony and love,” he insists.
In fact, Zoroastrians believe that the forces of good and evil are continually struggling in the world – this is why many locals also suspect that this religious revival has more to do with the security crisis caused by the extremist group known as the Islamic State, as well as deepening sectarian and ethnic divides in Iraq, than any needs expressed by locals for something to believe in.

Click Here for more

Indian-origin British entrepreneur Lord Karan Bilimoria has been appointed as the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the prestigious Cambridge Judge Business School.

Bilimoria, 54, Founder and Chairman of the Cobra Beer, is a cross-bench (independent) Peer in the House of Lords.

He was born in Hyderabad and educated at the Osmania University. He moved to London, qualified as a chartered accountant and graduated in law from the University of Cambridge. He is also a graduate of the Presidents’ Leadership Programme at Harvard Business School.

Since founding Cobra Beer in 1989, Bilimoria has taken a number of positions in business and industry, including serving as Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director of Booker Group.

In Parliament, Bilimoria serves as the founding Chair of the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group and a Vice Chair of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group. He is the first Zoroastrian Parsi to sit in the House of Lords.

Cambridge Judge Business School is the business school of the University of Cambridge. Established in 1954 as Management Studies in the Engineering Department and in 1990 as Judge Institute for Management Studies, the School is a provider of management education and is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top business schools.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/pio-entrepreneur-named-chairman-of-cambridge-school-s-board-116020300951_1.html

What one word comes to mind when you think Crochet, Charity and Achievement? Zoroastrian.

I’ve grown up with an immensely talented Bapaiji who created beautiful things throughout her life and which was her livelihood. And as is tradition, she imparted the knowledge of her arts to my mum Behroz Sam Wadia and me as a schoolgirl. So creating is in my blood and my mum’s (my Mamaiji was very creative too). For the both of us and more so my mother, any phase when we’re not crocheting, doing some cross stitch project, making a toran or just doing anything creative with our hands is a phase of restlessness and discomfort. My mum often complains, kantalo aavech, jiv ghabraich … su banau? And goes quickly from one project to another. So this movement was like manna from heaven. We started whole heartedly, sometimes getting frustrated when the elusive 40 inches just didn’t happen inspite of what seemed like endless crocheting. But we made our 2 blankets each and felt like we’d achieved something fabulous. Of course the Guiness World Record was a huge draw. I mean, to achieve something so prestigious by doing something wonderfully simple that we love to do … no brainer that. And as a tribute to my Bapaiji, I wore a ‘kor’ embroidered by her to the final event so in that small way she could be a part of this achievement.

Gover Allamurad Khushnami from Dadar Parsi Colony is 73 years old and runs a general store. Her long standing hobby is to sit at the store in the evenings and crochet caps and sweaters. Her eyesight is failing but her fingers are deft and practiced and she not only completed her 2 blankets but also took away her daughter Mahnaz Shapur Faroodi’s blanket to complete. She just didn’t want to stop and regrets the fact that she found out about the movement too late to contribute more. Mahnaz, who has been teaching since 21 years at the DPYA School, most definitely inherited the love of crochet from her mother and makes quite a few things herself whilst juggling the very demanding life of a school teacher and an LIC Agent. Crocheting her 2 blankets was pure joy for her and her mother and they’re eager for and open to any such future projects.

Click Here for the full story from Parsi Khabar

Darius C Modi, son of Er. Cyrus and Binaifar Modi and grandson of Er. Phiroze and Khorshed Modi and Late Er. Erach and Late Roshan Modi, completed his Martab on Roj Daepmeher, Mah Amardad, 1385 YZ (31st December 2015). The ceremony was performed at the Vacha Gandhy Agiari in Mumbai under Ervad Adil Bhesania.

Darius had also done his Navar at the Vacha Gandhy Agiari on Roj Amardad, Mah Avan, 1383 YZ (22nd March 2014). His Navar was done under Ervad Aspandiar Dadachanji and Ervad Khushroo Kanga.

Panthaky Saheb Aspandiar Dadachanji, all the Mobed Sahebs and staff at the Agiari extended full support.

He had learned his prayers, both for the Navar and Martab, under the guidance of Ervad Nariman Bamji in Mumbai.

He is currently studying in Class 8 at St. Xaviers’ Collegiate School in Kolkata.

Dear Well Wishers of the Community:

Fifty prominent Indo-Canadians were recognized in Ottawa recently for promoting and fostering India-Canada relations.

Dolly Dastoor a dear friend and the current editor of the FEZANA Journal, and past President of FEZANA was one of the 50 prominent Indo Canadians on “The A-List”. She and others were recently honoured at a glittering function in Ottawa.

Click Here for the full detailed story in Parsi Khabar

A SOAS Centenary Exhibition: The Everlasting Flame, Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination

Closed: Mondays

Content

Everlasting Flame, Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination takes the visitor on a journey from the earliest days of the religion to its emergence as the foremost religion of imperial Iran culminating with the empire of the Sasanians. From the shores of Iran to the west coast of India the maritime journey of Zoroastrians is followed to their settlement in India, where they came to be known as the Parsis, and examines their growth as an immigrant community under British colonial rule and the later expansion of the modern diaspora.
Through a collection of over 300 objects, visitors will be introduced to a fascinating and diverse collection of artefacts, texts, paintings and textiles. These are displayed alongside spectacular installations that include a walk-in fire temple and a ten-metre glass etching based on the British Museum’s cast of the western staircase from the palace of Darius at Persepolis.
Ten stories within the overall historical narrative explore the ways in which Zoroastrianism has been imagined through the art, iconography and literature of non-Zoroastrians down the ages. Artefacts, coins and silverware introduce the ancient and imperial periods of Iranian Zoroastrian history.

Further information on exhibition content: 2013 Exhibition Website

Exhibition

• Hosted by the National Museum, New Delhi
• Sponsored by The Ministry for Minority Affairs (MOMA), Government of India
• Designed by Colin Morris Associates (CMA)

Curated by Sarah Stewart, Shernaz Cama, Ursula Sims-Williams, Firoza Punthakey Mistree, Almut Hintze, Pheroza Godrej

The exhibition forms part of the Everlasting Flame Programme of events organized by UNESCO Parzor. Patron: Lord Karan Bilimoria

Origin

Everlasting Flame, Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination was originally produced at SOAS and shown at the Brunei Gallery from October 2013 – December 2013 under the Patronage of Maestro Zubin Mehta and leadership of Director and Principal of SOAS, Professor Paul Webley. It was made possible through the generous sponsorship and provision of core funding by the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE).

Sponsors:

• Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE),  Aequa Foundation
• Dr Cyrus Poonawalla principal sponsor (India), TATA Enterprises
• Mr Farrokh Kavarana, Mr Vahid Alaghband, Mr Zarir Cama
• California Zoroastrian Center, The Farhangi Foundation, Dr Abtin Sassanfar
• Iran Heritage Foundation, British Institute of Persian Studies
• Soudavar Memorial Foundation, Mr Pallonji Mistry
• The Bombay Parsi Punchayet, Erach Roshan Sadri Foundation
• Ms Vika Irani, Mr Vahid Kooros

The detection – announced only on Thursday – confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.

Scientists glimpse Einstein’s gravitational waves

Professor Mavalvala worked with researchers at the US-based underground detectors Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Laboratory to build sophisticated  sensors to detect gravitational ripples created from the collision of two black holes some 1.3 billion years ago and had been hurtling through space to reach Earth on September 14, 2015.

Dr Mavalvala, 47, was born to a Parsi family in Karachi where she did her primary schooling.

She attended the Convent of Jesus and Mary before going to the US as a teenager where she graduated with a BA in physics and astronomy from the Wellesley College in 1990.

During her graduation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) she started working on gravitational waves – which would lead her to one of the biggest discoveries of the century.  But the tale was not so simple.

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“I started graduate school working in cosmic microwave background, which is another area of astrophysics,” she told the Kavli Foundation in 2010 after receiving the coveted McArthur Fellowship.

“The group I was working in was moving to another university, and so I was kind of shopping around and bumped into Rai Weiss.”

Weiss and Robert Forward had in the early 1970s proposed designs based on which LIGO was formed.

Since meeting Weiss in 1991, Dr Mavalvala went deeper into research on gravitational waves. By the time she received her PhD in 1997, she was already working on building LIGO.

She focused on instrument development for LIGO during her post-doctoral work at California Institute of Technology (CalTech) before joining LIGO as a staff scientist in 2000. She also joined MIT’s physics department as an assistant professor in 2002, rising to become the department’s associate head in February 2015.

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In essence, her work on gravitational waves has spanned for over 20 years leading up to the discovery.

“The big picture mission drives you. When you work in the lab, [it’s like] you bang your head against the wall for weeks at a time, working on a state-of-the-art circuit, for example,” Mavalvala told MIT’s site in 2014. “Yet this is what enables scientific discovery, when the smaller to bigger pieces of experiments succeed, when the whole thing does what it is supposed to, and then you hope nature gives you the event you’ve been waiting for.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2016.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1046004/scientific-breakthrough-pakistan-born-scientist-played-part-in-discovery/