On the occassion of Navroze (New Year) here is a compilation of congratulatory message from various dignitaries.

BBC Day in Pictures

President of India

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil in her message on the occasion of the Parsi New Year, which is being celebrated tomorrow, has said: -

“On the occasion of Navroz, I convey my greetings and good wishes to all the people of our country and especially my Parsee brothers and sisters.

May this festival heralding the New Year bring happiness and prosperity to all and strengthen our commitment to harmony and universal brotherhood."

 

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The article below is a guest article by a regular reader and guest author Anosh Doctor.

We encourage readers of Parsi Khabar to send in editorials, views, thoughts and critiques that they would like to see published here. If you would like to send in an article please contact us via the tab at the top of this page.

A Message to My Countrymen

by Anosh Doctor

Good morning India…….!

On this 15^th day of August, 2008, I wish to share a few of my thoughts with my fellow Indians. Today, we claim to have proudly completed 61 years of Independence and often, we state; “I am proud to be an Indian”. But, today, I ask, “How far have we gone to respect our freedom.” Are we abusing our freedom?”

“Is it enough to feel proud over what renowned Indians did earlier?” I think what’s more important is how we repay, which is infact shameful enough. Look around you. Life’s a mess. There are so many people with hope in their eyes and fire in their belly, but no food and clothing, and are only left with a tear in their eyes. Still they try to smile through it and pray hard and even harder each day for help. But, who is to answer their prayers. Do we hear their cries? We are all ignorant, aren’t we? Is this the way we salute our freedom? We, often, forget that it is not us, personally who deserve this independence, but the nation as a whole. Then, why do we leave out the materialistically weak?

We are all equal, whether we accept it or not. So, let us learn to stay that way, to live together. It’s important to make everyone feel wanted. Looking down upon the poor and downtrodden, or looking up to rich, is not what was meant to be, because believe it or not, we were born with nothing and will die with nothing. There’s no secret element to being special. All you need to do is believe yourself and others around you to be special. Make everyone feel special, coz that’s a true Indian.

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Mehernaaz, Shirrin and I wish you all our readers and supporters a very very Happy New Year.

May this year bring you more happiness, prosperity, and good health.

Today also marks the 4th anniversary of Parsi Khabar. We started this site on August 19, 2005 and after three eventful years we are nearly 850 posts strong. We also have over 500 comments from all you readers.

We hope and wish that in the coming year we will grow in strength and readership as we continue our labour of love to bring you news, views and articles that concern us Parsis the world over.

The Iran Letters – Part III: A Survey of ‘Iran Profound’

byBarin Kayaoglu

Beyond the constant squabbling between Tehran and the outside world, there lies another Iran. A product of millennia, “Iran Profound”[1] houses magnificent Zoroastrian fire temples and towers of silence; brilliant badgirs and qanats (wind towers and underground aqueducts, respectively, that have provided cool air and fresh water to Iranians since ancient times); architecturally breathtaking mosques; equally beautiful churches; humbling hospitality in homes and streets; fine craftsmanship of artisans; superb Iranian cuisine (not easy to find in Tehran; too many fast food joints); and peaceful public gardens.

Unfortunately, that picture of the Middle Eastern country hardly gets any coverage in the media, Western or Iranian. Too many observers are so stuck with the nuclear program and the high price of oil and natural gas that it seems Iran has nothing else worth talking about.

That is why I will discuss “Iran Profound,” a term I have devised, to explain Iran’s ability to sustain its cultural uniqueness in the face of time.

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Recently we linked to a National Geographic article on Persia.

Here is a further analysis of the same by regular Parsi Khabar reader Zubin Wadia

National Geographic (awesome photos) ran a story on Iran and focused on the country’s legacy, people & culture. The Iranian people are fiercely independent thinkers, and place a serious premium on honor. Reading this cover story triggered a lot of thought into where Iran is today and how it can move forward by looking deeper into its past and not just acknowledging it.

There is no question that humanity advanced significantly when the Persian empire was at its zenith. Before the Magna Carta, there was the Cyrus Cylinder, the world’s first charter of human rights.

Continue reading further at Zubin’s blog.

The food here was legendary with more than a hundred dabbas going out every day. But the authentic Parsi flavour, and ‘no-nonsense’ Parsi ladies have gone missing from the Ratan Tata Institute, finds Derineh Cooper

Join the queue winding down Hughes Road on August 19 to buy the Parsi-Pateti goodies when the Sir Rattan Tata Industrial Institute (RTI) opens its doors at 9 am.
Through the huge glass panes see Banoo Adarian with Nellie Patel, Hutoxi Deolaliwala, Rati Patva, Maneck Pitha, Bakhtavar and Parvin Irani all togged up in starched white aprons and scarf eagerly serving their creations from behind the glass counters laden with sinful cream cakes, stacked over shelves of heady liquor chocolates sedately resting in brown paper cups alongside the humble dal pori, patrel, and killer packed lunches.

“The cakes just fly off the shelf almost as soon as we open on papeti/navroz,” said Zubin Rupa, the new pastry chef for RTI while working on the Rs1 lakh chocolate order received for this Navruz.

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In an article about India’s 61st Independance Day, there is mention of Ratan Tata.

This has been bolstered by “reverse colonisation” as Indian entrepreneurs and businessmen began acquiring landmark western conglomerates, outbidding their more established rivals from developed economies.

In March, Rattan Tata, who heads the US$29 billion (Dh106.43bn) Tata Group, is one such “Indian sahib” who acquired the UK’s sporty Jaguar and rugged Land Rover brands for over $2.3bn.
The 71-year old Parsee, who had earlier bought Tetley’s, a top English tea brand, and Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker, now owns a car brand that has been the favoured carriage of successive British prime ministers and monarchs. India also clinched a major deal with the United States that would allow it to import nuclear fuel and technology from the west, without signing on to a nuclear-non proliferation treaty.

But the fruits of India’s achievements have not trickled down to the vast majority of India’s 1.2bn people, more than 900 million of whom live on less than $3 a day.

Read entire article here.

A reader sent us a tip about Parsi Cola, a soft drink that is famous in Iran and other parts of the Middle East.

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It even merits its own Wikipedia entry

Here is another picture of the cola in a plastic bottle. The photographer actually thought it was a typo

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The 6th ZOCHILDAY is scheduled for Sunday, 30th November, 2008.

Events have been planned at Shanmukhananda Hall and at Cama Baug, Khetwadi.

If interested in participating, forms for registration will be available from the following ;-

1. S.S.C.  Schools : Mrs. Silloo Commissariat - 23075591
2. I.C.S.E. Schools : Mrs. Perin Bagli - 23517909/23510446
3. Baugs : Mrs. Yasmin / Mr. Urvax Dhanda - 9820343322 / 9820343311
4. Suburbs : Mrs. Hutoxi Aibara, Andheri - 26700583/9821227009 and Mr. Kobad Kerawalla, Mahim - 9869324666

Please enrol in large numbers as soon as possible for this mega event full of fun and learning.