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Mumbai’s Parsi cafe culture

May 10, 2013, 10:02 pm
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Mumbai’s grand old Parsi cafes are a symbol of the city’s diverse cuisine and culture, but on a foodie tour of the city our writer finds out they are a dying breed – Rosie Birkett – The Guardian

Radio Cafe, Mumbai. Click to enlarge and see roof detail. Photograph: Ming Tang-Evans

 

Opened in the 19th-century by Parsi settlers – Zoroastrians from Iran – these cafes, with their magnificently faded, time-capsule dining rooms and speciality dishes, are a gloriously eccentric part of the fabric of Mumbai. They are also democratic and inclusive places, where people of all backgrounds, classes and sexes meet, so you may find a Sikh next to a Hindu or Zoroastrian or a group of young female students dining alone.

They are also a dying breed. In 1950 there were about 550 of them, many of which grew from humble tea stalls; now only 15 to 20 are still open.

Click Here for the full report

 

 

 

 


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Myth & legends of Shahnameh

May 11, 2013, 9:08 pm
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Here is a new  version on the myth & legends of  Shahnameh, rewritten and retold with  original illustrations redrawn to “ bring that ancient culture into our new homes” …..make  it more appealing to the young people  from the old  country.

The URL below is of the interview of the producers talking of why & what  they did with the original works to give it a 21st century perspective. Interesting you may find it, but please be pre-warned  it is a long but never-the-less an engrossing interview.

Rusi Sorabji.

http://asiasociety.org/video/arts/shahnameh-digital-age-complete


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Interesting claim …that the Jewish God is Ahura Mazda…himself

May 19, 2013, 6:56 am
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Interesting claim …that the Jewish God is Ahura Mazda…himself.


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Iranian artifacts on display at Tehran exhibit

May 26, 2013, 7:15 am
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Photos: Iranian artifacts recovered in foreign auctions on display at Tehran exhibit

Report by Tehran Times; photos by Amin Allahyari, Mehr News Agency

A collection of ancient Iranian artifacts, which had been recovered in foreign auctions, was showcased on Thursday in an exhibition at the National Museum of Iran. The collection comprises 50 Achaemenid tablets, bronze artifacts from the Lorestan regions, and some stone relics from the Jiroft civilization.

 

Click here for the photographs

 

Courtesy : K F Keravala


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Polson vs Amul butter: a battle that travelled all the way to Patna

May 31, 2013, 10:17 am
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A dynamic young Parsi named Pestonji Edulji Dalal, aged 13 in 1888, started a small shop in Bombay to roast and grind coffee. According to Ruth Heredia’s ‘The Amul India Story’, Dalal’s nickname was Polly, which he adapted into the British sounding Polson’s as brand name.

Polson’s coffee soon got regular customers among the British and by 1910 Pestonji was well established and looking for new opportunities. So when a customer in the Supply Corps told him of the problems the army had in getting its supply of butter, Pestonji found his mission in life. He set up a dairy in Kaira, Gujarat and used his army and railways contacts to ensure that Polson’s was so widely supplied that it became synonymous with butter.

By 1930 Polson’s had opened the most advanced dairy plant in India and dominated the butter business. But as Heredia’s book points out, it was his ruthless dominance that caused Polson’s downfall, since it provoked a Gandhian called Tribhuvandas Patel to organise a co-operative in Kaira in 1946. The cooperative idea was also supported by Vallabh Bhai Patel, the Congress stalwart. This cooperative eventually turned into Amul. But that’s another story!

Click Here for the full story


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The Last Parsis: Tales of Survival and Extinction

June 1, 2013, 2:04 am
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Takht-e Soleyman

June 8, 2013, 7:11 am
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Takht-e Soleyman, the Zoroastrian Fire Temple (Azargoshnasb)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wVkE74TNeo

Taxte Soleymān, is an archaeological site in West Azarbaijan, Iran. It lies midway between Urmia and Hamadan, very near the present-day town of Takab, and 400 km (250 mi) west of Tehran.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s537tUxAmf0

takht soleyman largest fire temple with silk road of kitaro

takhte soleyman(Solomon throne),the largest fire temple ,anahita temple a place for holding eternal fire, located at the top of a volcano at the west part of Iran.
mixed with silk road of kitaro a music which is reminiscence of my childhood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLTtnVVVIMA

 

Here is another enlightening documentary  on Takht-e-Suleiman .. .

This presentation in English  is worthy of a look, and I am sure non-Farsee speaking Zarathushtis will very much appreciate it. It is very much different

than the other one.

Rusi Sorabji.


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The Forgotten Empire of the Achaemenids

June 11, 2013, 1:51 am
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A brief history of the rise, accomplishments and fall of the Achaemenid empire

Courtesy : Rusi Sorabji


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Lie and Dualism among Achaemenians

June 11, 2013, 8:04 pm
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LIE AND DUALISM

Pallan Ichaporia, Ph.D.
Mainz University

The question whether dualism formed a tenet in the creed of the Achaemenians has been much discussed ; and, owing to the lack of emphasis of dualistic traits in the Inscriptions, the claim has been made that the earlier Achaemenian monarchs, for this very reason, could not have been Zoroastrians, and that they did not believe in dualism. I have already presented this matter elsewhere have given the usual reason why there was no special call to mention Ahriman in these edicts. But whatever may be said on the subject, as I there stated, we have the principle of Evil plainly recognized in Drauga Falsehood, Lie. In the Achaemenian Inscriptions this noun is asmuch a personification of a Satanic being as is Druj in the Gathas Furthermore, the verb duruj ‘to lie’ occurs 34 times in the inscriptions with all the evil atmosphere of the English to bedevil or raise hell. It is the stock word which Darius employs when he speaks of the rebellions against his divine sovereignty, for he is Ormazd’s king. Full of feeling he says : the army afterward became hostile, the Lie afterward became rife in the land, both in Persia, and in Media, and in the other lands (pasava kara arika abava pasava drauga dahyauva vasiy abava uta Parsaiyuta Madaiy uta aniyauva dahyusuva — Behishtun. i. 33-35). Or again he says : these lands which became confederate, it was the Lie that made them confederate, so that they lied unto the people(dahyava irna tya hamwiya abava draugadis hamiwiya aku-naus tya imaiy karam adurujiyasa, — Behishtun. 4. 33-35).

In the same spirit it is prescribed that ‘ the man who is a liar (martiya hya draujana, Beh. 4. 38, 68) shall be severely punished,and there is deep fervor in the hope of Darius that what he has written in his inscription may not be regarded as falsified (duruxtam, Beh. 4. 49). The king lays especial stress on the fact that divine aid was granted him inasmuch as he was ‘ not hostile, not a liar, not a crooked-dealer’ (yata naiy arika aham naiy draujana aham naiy zurakara aham, Beh. 4. 63-64).

Other evil forces are recognized in another prayer of Darius to Ormazd : May Auramazda protect this land from an (invading) horde, from Drought, from the Lie ; may no enemy come to this land, nor an (invading) horde, nor Drought, nor the Lie {imam dahyaum Auramazda patuv hada hainayd hada dusiyara hada drauga aniya [or abiy] imam dahyaum ma djamiya ma haina ma dusiyaram ma, drauga


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FEZANA Journal – Summer 2013

July 4, 2013, 5:38 am
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Farman-e-Koroush -  The Cylinder of Cyrus the Great
 
    An archeological  icon  from Babylon, the Cylinder of Cyrus the Great, currently on loan from the British Musuem on a five city tour of the United States, lifts up the freedom of peoples to practice their beliefs without hindrance or obstruction. To commemorate this museum tour, which was curated in collaboration with the Sackler and Freer Galleries of the Smithsonian institutions in Washington D.C., the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, has brought out  a special issue of its quarterly FEZANA Journal.
   What lessons can we learn form  this proclamation of freedom from antiquity, as we seek to find harmony in our modern day, multi-cultural, multi-lingual  and multi-ethnic world which mirrors the history and times of the Achemenid Empire ?
FEZANA Journal – Summer 2013 - (released 4 July 2013)

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A PARSI PICTORIALIST – Complex images and stylized models

July 14, 2013, 6:19 am
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In the closing years of the 19th century, the Parsi photographic aficionado, Shapoor Bhedwar, had acquired a significant reputation on both sides of the Atlantic. This was reflected in the exposure given to his work in The Photographic Times of 1894. In its issue of March 23, as a part of its continuing series on “Distinguished photographers of to-day”, the magazine carried a four-page spread on Bhedwar together with a selection of his photographs. His rather interesting career was sketched in detail, the author’s admiration palpable as he traced Shapoor’s life as a cricketer (he had played in England as part of a Parsi Eleven), playwright and maker of musical toy boxes. By the 1880s, photography had acquired more than a dilettante status in his life; in 1889, Bhedwar did a stint at London’s Polytechnic School of Photography, was soon exhibiting publicly and claimed prizes at various exhibitions and shows.On returning to India, he won a gold medal at the Photographic Society of India’s 1892 exhibition held in Calcutta. Unlike Raja Deen Dayal and other Indian photographers who followed the tradition of European studio photography rather assiduously, Bhedwar’s atelier was more experimental, clearly influenced by pictorialism which questioned the view that the photograph was nothing more than a simple record of reality. He excelled in combining religious motifs with the secular, creating rather complex images with stylized models in elaborate garbs. In “The Voice of Silence”, a blind fakir instructs his pupil, a beautiful young maiden who looks up at him in adoration. It transpires that she is his daughter, a link with the secular world. The fakir reappears in the Renunciation series that again used elaborate stage sets as backdrop as well as over-gesticulated poses for the subjects of Bhedwar’s somewhat contrived frames.

 Clic Here for the full story


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FEZANA – Summer special issue

July 20, 2013, 11:47 pm
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Dear friends

The special issue of the FEZANA JOURNAL in recognition of the exhibition “The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning – The Legacy of Cyrus the Great: Iran and Beyond” is out !

The FEZANA JOURNAL, the official publication of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) has produced this visual delight of memorable images and scholarly articles of our Zoroastrian heritage which we are sharing with you. The 2600 year old Cyrus Cylinder is presently touring North America thanks to the combined efforts of the British Museum, the Iran Heritage Foundation, and Iran Heritage Foundation (America).

This little known cylinder, which had resided since 1879 in the British Museum, was the proclamation of the Achaemenian King Cyrus the Great at the time of his conquest of Babylon. The Achaemenians were followers of the Zoroastrian religion and it is a matter of pride and joy to FEZANA that this cylinder has brought recognition to the small but vibrant Zoroastrian community of North America. During the sojourn of the cylinder at the various museums, Washington D.C, Houston, New York, to date, FEZANA organized special commemorative public events which were well attended. These will now be followed by the exhibits in San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Print copies of this special color edition will be mailed to all our subscribers and for the first time we are offering an electronic copy to reach a wider audience.

The summer issue of the FEZANA Journal on the visit of the Cyrus Cylinder to USA is in the mail but we have also placed it on line as a pdf version on the Fezana Home page www.fezana.org Do visit he site and read our other publications as well.

I am also attaching a link . Please feel free to share it with your friends
The information in the Journal may be useful to you when the Cylinder visits Mumbai during the World Congress

Your comments will be welcomed.

Dolly Dastoor

Editor in chief, FEZANA JOURNAL

FEZANA_Journal_2013_Summer FINAL


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Lost Worlds – Persepolis

July 24, 2013, 12:43 pm
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One of the impressive locations of the ancient world, Persepolis was burnt and destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 BC and lay forgotten for over 2000 years. This film travels to Iran to bring Persepolis back to life and investigate the complexities of the Persian empire that was responsible for creating this city.


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Cyrus the Great was no Zoroastrian

July 24, 2013, 2:52 pm
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Cyrus the Great was no Zoroastrian.

Dr. Pallan Ichaporia, Mainz University.

 

Cyrus the Great does not make mention of Ahura Mazda in any of his inscriptions. In fact many of his inscriptions betray a sense of plurality that is not found in the texts of later kings of the Achaemenid dynasty. A very famous inscription of his illustrates this. This is the Cyrus Cylinder, found in  Babylon, which contains a decree justifying his rule in the city of Babylon. In it he relates how Marduk, the local god of Babylon and chief god of Babylonia, appointed him to be king over Babylon. Later in the text he commands that temples be rebuilt and the various local cults be started up again. He then asks that these gods bless him. This text has a parallel in Ezra 1:1—4 in the Hebrew Bible. The portion of the text reads: “May all the gods whom I settled in their sacred centers ask daily of Bel that my days may be long, and may they intercede for my welfare. May they say to Marduk, my lord, As for Cyrus, the king who reveres you, . . .’” 1

 

This inscription betrays in Cyrus a plurality which the later Achaemenid kings rejected. In this inscription he invokes Marduk and Bel, a title for Marduk, to bless him, and mentions a number of other gods. Mary Boyce, once again trying to fit this text into her interpretation of the Achaemenid kings’ religion has observed, “Doctrinally, it is impossible to reconcile his acknowledgment of alien great gods with his own acceptance of Ahura Mazda as the one true God.” for supposing for a later Zarathustra, because there is no textual evidence for his existence or his religion until after the reign of Cyrus the Great, in the mid sixth century b.c.e. Cyrus does not seem to be a worshiper of Ahura Mazda, at least not exclusively, nor does he seem to be an adherent of the teachings of Zarathustra.

Click Here to read the full article

 

 


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The History of Zoroastrians after Arab Invasion

August 2, 2013, 8:25 am
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The History of Zoroastrians after Arab Invasion; Alien in Their Homeland | CAIS ©

 By: Dr. Daryoush Jahanian

Presented at the North American Zoroastrian Congress in San Francisco 1996 and the World Zoroastrian congress in Houston 2000-2001

http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/History/Post-Sasanian/zoroastrians_after_arab_invasion.htm

Abstract: This is only a fraction of what actually happened to the Zoroastrians after the Arab invasion. The purpose of the presentation is not to generate hard feeling toward any people. Because no generation is responsible for the actions of past generations, although almost always they are unfairly blamed for. However, denial of historical facts is not an option either. The real goal in addition to presentation of an untold history is to make our community aware of their past history and the suffering and indignities that their ancestors received to preserve their religion, culture and identity. Once it is realized that nothing that we have inherited is to be taken as granted, our responsibility toward the young generation, the generation of the 21st century is better realized.

Due to continuous persecution, discrimination and massacre the population of Zoroastrians of Iran from an estimated five million at the turn of the fifteenth century dwindled to only seven thousand at the middle of the nineteenth century. At this time the French ambassador to Iran wrote “only a miracle can save them from total extinction”. By the support of their Parsi brethren and their own faith, the Zoroastrian community in Iran revived and their fate turned around. Today they are well educated and enjoy the respect and trust of the general population for their reputation of “scrupulous honesty”.

The history of Zoroastrians of Iran after the Arab conquest can be summarized in three words: oppression, misery and massacre.

Click Here for the full article

 


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Cyrus Cylinder heads to West Coast

August 10, 2013, 3:52 pm
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The Cyrus Cylinder is now viewed by more than 250,000 visitors in the US eastern areas, and is traveling to the West Coast.
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View in your browser.
IHF America

Cyrus Cylinder:
250,000 DC/Houston/NYC Visitors
Heading to the West Coast

Photo - opening of the Cyrus Cylinder exhibition in New York (load images to see the pictures).
Dr John Curtis (British Museum) at the opening of the exhibition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

The display of the exhibition “Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia” in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is now concluded, and the exhibition is traveling to the west coast. This touring exhibition, which is organized by the British Museum in partnership with the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF America), has been on display since March of this year and has been viewed by a whopping 250,000 visitors in three major cities so far. For photos of the exhibition and events in each city, please click on the images below. The British Museum and the Iran Heritage Foundation received acknowledgement letters from president George Bush Sr. for the Houston display and Mayor Bloomberg for the New York display.

Here is a recap of some of the key articles and content about the the tour, and the significance of the Cyrus Cylinder itself:

You can find more articles, complete archive of the videos, and the most recent coverage on the official website of the tour (cyruscylinder2013.com) and on the tour’s facebook page.

The exhibition will now be on display at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (Aug 9 – Sep 22, see below for details), followed by the Paul J. Getty Museum, the Getty Villa, in Los Angeles (Oct 2 – Dec 2).
Photos from the New York display of the exhibition, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
Photo - Cyrus Cylinder at the Metropolitan Museum NYC (load images to see the pictures).
Photos from the Houston display of the exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts:
Photo - The Cyrus Cylinder exhibition at the MFA Houston (load images to see the pictures).
Photos from the DC display of the exhibition, Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery:
Photo - Cyrus Cylinder exhibition - Launch of the U.S. tour in DC (load images to see the pictures).
The Special issue of the FEZANA Journal, which was published in celebration of the Cyrus Cylinder Tour of the U.S., includes a series of articles from foundations, scholars, journalists, etc focused on Cyrus and the Cyrus Cylinder. The issue is an invaluable resource to anybody who is interested in the subject:
I AM CYRUS: Fezana Journal Special Cyrus Cylinder Issue (load images to see the pictures).

Next Stop: San Francisco

The exhibition will be on display at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco starting August 9th. The San Francisco display of the exhibition is generously sponsored by Tina and Hamid Moghadam, and Bita Daryabari and Dr. Reza Malek in collaboration with the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans.

The exhibition will be open to the public during the museum’s regular hours (details). Access to the exhibition is included in the price of the general admission ticket.

On August 9th, The exhibition will open with a press preview event, followed by a panel discussion “The Cyrus Cylinder: Uses, Misuses, and Contemporary Iran“ with some of the well known scholars and figures in the field (tickets), moderated by the director of the Asian Art Museum.

On August 10th (7:00pm) the San Francisco Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Loris Tjeknavorian’s “Cyrus the Great Symphonic Suite” at the Nob Hill Masonic Center (tickets). This is the world premiere of the suite which will be conducted by the composer himself and ispresented by PAAIA.

The museum has an array of events, including member-only exhibition tours, during the six-week display of  The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning. For a list of museum events around the Cyrus Cylinder exhibition, please click here.
Cyrus Cylinder exhibition at the Asian Art Museum San Francisco (load images to see the pictures).
For more information about the US tour of the Cyrus Cylinder and/or IHF America, please see the following resources:
Copyright © IHF America, All rights reserved. IHF America is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose core mission is promoting and preserving Persian culture, history, languages, and art.

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Recreating Pasargadae

August 12, 2013, 6:11 pm
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Poster2Click on the image for a better view

The First Digital Reconstruction

of the Grandeur of Cyrus the Great’s Paradise City

at Pasargadae

on Saturday, 12 October 2013 at 5 pm

at Oriental Institute, Breasted Hall, 1155 E, 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637

DVD of the film and Companion Book on Sale


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Replica of Cyrus’ Cylinder at De Anza College. Cupertino Califirnia

August 14, 2013, 10:26 pm
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Sharing the First Charter of Human Rights

Dear friends,

You are cordially invited to join us in celebrating the new permanent home of the replica of Cyrus’ Cylinder at De Anza College. All are welcome and admission is free. It would be wonderful to see you at the ribbon cutting ceremony, which will take place on August 21, 2013 at 11am in the De Anza library. Lunch can be purchased at the award winning De Anza cafeteria. The address is 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, 95014. It is best to park in parking lot C.

 


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Zoroastrian tombs found in Xinjiang

August 16, 2013, 9:56 am
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Archaeologists with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences say they have excavated an ancient cluster of rare Zoroastrian tombs on the Pamirs Plateau, in west China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The tombs were found in Xinjiang’s Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, a region neighboringAfghanistan and Pakistan, at an altitude of 3,050 meters.

Carbon dating indicates the tombs were constructed 2,500 years ago during the Spring and Autumn Period.

They were arranged on a platform, with lines of black and white stones stretching alongside like sun rays.

“The ray-like stone strings like sunshine and the black-and-white arrangement symbolize light and dark, good and evil. They are basic elements in Zoroastrian theory. They are clearly symbolic of Zoroastrianism,” said Wu Xinhua, head of the archaeology team.

Click Here for the full story


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Parsi Story: No Atrophy of Goodness.

August 23, 2013, 2:56 am
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Navroz – The Parsi festival was celebrated on 18th Aug’2013. The fire and its spirit has never been more sacred and relevant to anyone but the Parsis. Parsis one of the most innocuous, full-of-life ethnic communities is on its path to be forgotten by this world. They are one of those world’s Diasporas, who perhaps seem to be fast on the extinction track. This peaceful, lover-of-mankind community on its Atrophy path is a serious concern for humanity and a question on how much does the world care about quotidian peace.

 

Parsis come from ‘Pars’, an ancient province in Persia, now in South Iran. Greeks called this as Persepolis – a splendid royal ancient Iranian Empire. This Homeland Parsis left 1200 years ago to save their religion and the teachings of their spiritual lord Zoroaster. Thus they call themselves Zoroastrians. In 633 AD, Persian Monarchy being overthrown, places of worship, literature and culture were destroyed.. Religious persecutions and forcible conversions began leading to Persian Exodus towardsIndia, realizing India’s large-hearted acceptance and Tolerance. Parsis first landed in Diu in 766 AD and then in Sanjan in 785 AD on the shores of Gujarat. Jadi Rana, then Emperor gave them refuge and protection. Later they shifted to the coastal regions of Bombay and Surat. An Interesting story about this goes :  More

 


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