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| Editor | Jehangir R. Patel |
|---|---|
| Frequency | semi-monthly |
| Founder | Dr Pestonji Warden |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Country | India |
| Based in | Bombay |
| Language | English |
| Website | parsiana.com |
Parsiana is a semi-monthly magazine written in English and published in Bombay for the Zoroastrian community. [1] As of 2019, it was in its 55th year of publication. [1]
Parsiana was founded in Bombay in November 1964 by Pestonji Warden. The magazine covered articles about Zoroastrian religion, its history, customs and traditions, with the tagline "A new medium for old wisdom." The magazine became embroiled in community politics especially when Warden argued with the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) over the printing of the month at the Godrej Printing Press run by the apex Bombay trust. For some time, it was cyclostyled.[1]
In 1973, Warden sold the publication to the journalist Jehangir Patel. In 1983, ownership of the publication was transferred to Parsiana Publications Private Limited.
Parsiana was the first publication in India to use the prefix Ms when referring to women instead of Miss and Mrs, despite opposition from some readers. It has since dropped both Mr and Ms.[ citation needed ]
Beginning in 1987, Parsiana published information surrounding community births, marriages, and deaths in the Zoroastrian community in Bombay; as well as sporadic data received from outstation sources. In 1988, it published data on interfaith marriages in Bombay which proved highly controversial. There was a public outcry as a taboo had been broken.[ citation needed ]
The ParsianaBook Of Iranian Names was first published by Parsiana in 1978. The names were compiled by the late Avesta and Pahlavi scholar Ervad Jamshed Katrak.
In 2005, Parsiana published Judgments, a compilation of judgements delivered in legal cases on the Zoroastrian community.
Parsiana started a website in 2002 which carried extracts from the magazine. Beginning in December 2012, the entire contents of Parsiana issues have been published online.
The Parsis or Parsees are a Zoroastrian ethno-religious community in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persians who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab conquest of Iran in the 7th century, when Zoroastrians were persecuted by the early Muslims. Representing the eldest of the Indian subcontinent's two Zoroastrian communities, the Parsi people are culturally, linguistically, and socially distinct from the Iranis, whose Zoroastrian ancestors migrated to British-ruled India from Qajar-era Iran. The word Parsi is derived from the Persian language, and literally translates to Persian.
Adherents of Zoroastrianism use three distinct versions of traditional calendars for liturgical purposes. Those all derive from medieval Iranian calendars and ultimately are based on the Babylonian calendar as used in the Achaemenid empire. Qadimi ("ancient") is a traditional reckoning introduced in 1006. Shahanshahi ("imperial") is a calendar reconstructed from the 10th century text Denkard. Fasli is a term for a 1906 adaptation of the 11th century Jalali calendar following a proposal by Kharshedji Rustomji Cama made in the 1860s.
Rattanbai Jinnah or Maryam Jinnah (legally)(néePetit; 20 February 1900 – 20 February 1929), also known as Ruttie Petit, was the wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, an important figure in the creation of Pakistan and the country's founder.
Jadi Rana was an Indian ruler of Sanjan, Valsad in present-day Gujarat as per the Qissa-i Sanjan, an epic poem completed in 1599, which is an account of the flight of some of the Zoroastrians who were subject to religious persecution following the fall of the Sassanid Empire, and of their early years in India, where they found refuge. A 20th-century translation of the Qissa transliterates the name as Jádi Rana.
Sooni Taraporevala is an Indian screenwriter, photographer, and filmmaker who is the screenwriter of Mississippi Masala, The Namesake and Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay!, all directed by Mira Nair. She also adapted Rohinton Mistry's novel Such A Long Journey and wrote the films Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, her directorial debut Little Zizou, and Yeh Ballet, a Netflix original film that she wrote and directed.
Bhikhaji Rustom Cama or simply as, Madam Cama, was one of the prominent figures in the Indian independence movement.
The Story of Sanjan is an account of the early years of Zoroastrian settlers on the Indian subcontinent that was originally written in 1599 CE by Parsi priest, Bahman Kaikobad. In the absence of alternatives, the text is generally accepted to be the only narrative of the events described therein, and many members of the Parsi community perceive the epic poem to be an accurate account of their ancestors.
Fardunjee Marzaban or Fardoonjee Marazban was, among other things, a printer and a newspaper editor. He established the first vernacular printing press in Bombay, India. He also started India’s oldest running periodical called the Bombay Samachar, which was printed primarily in Gujarati. He pioneered vernacular journalism in India, as also the production of Gujarati types.
Ilm-e-Khshnoom is a school of Zoroastrian thought, practiced by a very small minority of the Indian Zoroastrians (Parsis/Iranis), based on a mystic and esoteric, rather than literal, interpretation of religious texts.
The Desatir or Dasātīr, also known as Dasatir-i-Asmani, is a Zoroastrian mystic text written in an invented language. Although purporting to be of ancient origin, it is now generally regarded as a literary forgery, most probably authored in the 16th or 17th century by Azar Kayvan, the leader of the Zoroastrian Illuminationist sect. Its Neoplatonic ideas have been strongly influenced by the 12th-century philosopher Suhravardi, and have only a tenuous connection to mainstream Zoroastrianism.
A mobed, mowbed, or mobad is a Zoroastrian cleric of a particular rank. Unlike a herbad (ervad), a mobed is qualified to serve as celebrant priest at the Yasna ceremony and other higher liturgical ceremonies. A mobed is also qualified to train other priests.
Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, also abbreviated M. N. Dhalla, was a Pakistani Zoroastrian priest and religious scholar.
The Parsiscricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament. The team was founded by members of the Zoroastrian community in Bombay. It is affiliated to Mumbai Cricket Association.
Shirin Framroze Darasha headed the J.B. Petit High School For Girls as the School Principal for over three decades, from 1973 – 2007. A renowned Indian educator, playwright and feminist, she challenged many stereotypes and traditions in Indian society. She had strong views on the importance of "joy" during childhood. She was not in favour of the excessive work-load and homework fetish that continued to dominate the Indian educational scene. She took issue with the prevalent view that girls were at a disadvantage apropos of mathematics and sciences. Darasha maintained that in a nurturing environment where they were not set up to fail in comparison with boys, girls would flourish and blossom. Her creative use of drama in education was an extension of her enduring interest in the stage – as playwright, producer and director. Over the years, Darasha established herself as a distinct and passionate figure in the field of female education in India.
Zoroastrianism, an Iranian religion, has been present in India for thousands of years. Though it split into a separate branch, it shares a common origin with Hinduism and other Indian religions, having been derived from the Indo-Iranian religion. Though it was once the majority and official religion of the Iranian nation, Zoroastrianism eventually shifted to the Indian subcontinent during the reign of the Chalukyas of Vatapi Badami in light of the Muslim conquest of Iran, which saw the Rashidun Caliphate annex the Sasanian Empire by 651 CE. Owing to the persecution of Zoroastrians in the post-Sasanian period, a large wave of Iranian migrants fled to India, where they became known as the Parsi people, who now represent India's oldest Zoroastrian community. Later waves of Zoroastrian immigration to India took place over the following centuries, with a spike in the number of these refugees occurring during the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam and again during the reign of the Qajar dynasty, whose persecution of Zoroastrians prompted many to flee to British India, where they became known as the Irani people. Though Zoroastrian, the Parsis and the Iranis are culturally, linguistically, and socially distinct from each other due to their inception in separate periods of migration.
The Media in Gujarati language started with publication of Bombay Samachar in 1822. Initially the newspapers published business news and they were owned by Parsi people based in Bombay. Later Gujarati newspapers started published from other parts of Gujarat. Several periodicals devoted to social reforms were published in the second half of the 19th century. After arrival of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian independence movement peaked and it resulted in proliferation of Gujarati media. Following independence, the media was chiefly focused on political news. After bifurcation of Bombay state, the area of service changed. Later there was an increase in readership due to growth of literacy and the media houses expanded its readership by publishing more editions. Later these media houses ventured into digital media also. The radio and television media expanded after 1990.
The Fire Temple of Yazd, also known as Yazd Atash Behram, is a Zoroastrian fire temple in Yazd, Yazd province, Iran. It enshrines the Atash Bahram, meaning “Victorious Fire”, dated to 470 AD. It is one of the nine Atash Bahrams, the only one of the highest-grade fires in Iran, where Zoroastrians have practiced their religion since 400 BC; the other eight Atash Bahrams are in India. According to Aga Rustam Noshiravan Belivani, of Sharifabad, the Anjuman-i Nasiri opened the Yazd Atash Behram in the 1960s to non-Zoroastrian visitors.
Gulfam, born Jahangir Nasharvanji Patel alias Pestonji, was a Gujarati humour writer and journalist from Bombay, India.
The Bombay Dog Riots, also known as the 1832 Bombay Riots, were a series of protest actions that devolved into rioting in the city of Mumbai, India. The riots were sparked by an attempt by the British government to exterminate the city's stray dogs, controversial for Parsis due to dogs being considered sacred in the Zoroastrian religion. The event was the first instance of rioting in the modern history of Mumbai.
The Parsi–Muslim riots occurred in 1851 in Bombay, and were reprised in 1874 in parts of Gujarat. These marked the beginning of a period of tension in the two communities. The first riot took place over the blurred depiction of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and his appearance in a public print by a Parsi newspaper, Chitra Gyan Darpan, in October 1851. A second riot place in May 1857,over a Parsi named Bejonji Sheriaiji Bharucha was accused of disrespecting a mosque by some Muslims. A third riot took place on 13 February 1874, over an article on the life of Muhammad in a book entitled Famous Prophets and Communities.
