‘Everyone knows who Parsis are, but how many know about their culture?’

The Parsi community which gave India many of its firstsmdash first cotton mill in the country the first Indianowned newspaper airline and bank to name a fewmdashis now gearing up for another first The Tata Institute of Social Sciences TISS and Parzor a UNESCO project for preservation of ParsiZoroastrian culture have launched a firstofitskind academic course on the communityrsquos heritageFor a group that accounts for a mere 00637 of Indiarsquos population the ethnoreligious minority has pioneered many of the countryrsquos advancements a fact that President Droupadi Murmu highlighted last week as she greeted the community on the occasion of Navroze on August 15 Despite their many contributions as nation builders not many outside the community know about their traditions and culture The hope is that this will change with the TISSParzor courseThe ruins of Persepolis the ceremonial capital of the Achaemeniansmdash the earliest Zoroastriansmdashin ancient Iran is a symbol of how the community has lived through multiple destructions but rebuilt itself each timeKerman Daruwalla academic coordinator for the programme tells midday ldquoNothing like this is being done anywhere in India There are some Western universities that may teach a module on Zoroastrianism but those focus on the historical aspect or the language There is no comprehensive course on the culture especially in the Indian contextmdashafter Zoroastrians from Iran came to Indiamdashor viewed from a contemporary lens That is the focus of this courserdquoA programme like this has been long overdue he says but a host of factors have come together to make it possible now ldquoPerhaps earlier there was apathy for structured academic study of the subject For example the Tata story is studied in business and citybuilding courses but not as part of the Parsi communityrsquos legacy Now the timing is right Not only is there a revival of interest in the communityrsquos heritage but itrsquos become easier to conduct online courses This has allowed us to rope in experts in several domains no matter where in the world This would not have been possible in an offline programmerdquo adds Daruwalla who will be teaching the Persian and Parsi Gujarati Literature moduleA playbill for an adaptation of Shakespearersquos Merchant of Venice staged in Mumbai in 1916 by famous Parsi actorwriter Jal Khambata Pics CourtesyParzorWho should apply for the programme Parzor director Dr Shernaz Cama who will teach the introductory Foundation Course for the TISSParzor programme says ldquoItrsquos meant for anyone who is interested in the Parsi culture and heritage And thatrsquos not just from a historical perspectivemdashthe course is about understanding world culture in order to understand the future in a way itrsquos like the past introducing the futurerdquoShe thinks theirs is a story of inspiration Prof Almut HIntze and Dr Kerman Daruwalla will teach a course on Avestan the Zoroastrian scriptural language seen in this book the Khordeh Avesta or Little AvestaldquoThe Parsis are few in number but have spread across the world from India and New Zealand to the depths of Canada This is an ancient diasporic community that has lived through multiple migrations seen multiple destructions but rebuilt itself each timerdquo says Cama highlighting it as a trait to emulate at a time when so many are being displaced in the world Itrsquos also a story of resilience The Zoroastrians of Pars in Persia came to the Western coast of India as refugees after the conquest of Persia by Islam ldquoWe have seen empires come and go and managed to surviverdquo Dr Cama says ldquoParadoxically though now that we have seen prosperity when we are no longer being persecuted and we have a position of respect we are dying out demographically In the course we also look at the Parsi paradigm as a precursor of the predicaments of progress Developed countries that have seen progress are also facing the same demographic decline be it China Japan or European countriesrdquoThe modules will also explore cultural economic and scientific advancements brought to the nation and the world by Parsis Homi Bhabha considered the father of Indiarsquos nuclear programme was Zoroastrian As is Cyrus Poonawala founder of the Serum Institute of India the worldrsquos largest vaccine manufacturer which made headlines during the Coronavirus pandemicShernaz Cama Kerman Daruwala and SakshildquoParsi thespians are recognised today as pioneers of the performing arts and films not just in India but across South Asia Famous Parsi actorwriter Jal Khambata staged reproductions of Shakespearersquos plays in the 1900s Parsi performers would perform in Gujarati Marathi Hindu and Urdu and eventually began performing across Singapore Malaysia and other countries in different languages as wellrdquo says Dr Cama who has devoted her life to recording and preserving Parsi heritage that is slowly fading from memory She brings a lifetime of lived experience field work and academic research to the TISSParzor Centre for Cultural amp Heritage Studies and hopes to pass on the gathered knowledge to the next generation of academicsStanding at the ready are students such as Sakshi who has enrolled for the programme The 22yearold who is pursuing a Masters degree in English Literature from Gargi College University of Delhi and dreams of a career in academics studying multiculturalism Her particular area of interest is how culture interacts with changing times she saysldquoIn this course I hope to study a plethora of subjectsmdashParsi architecture literature archaeology and theatre The professors are all personalities who have worked their entire life to preserve the culture and uplift it They will all bring their lived experiences to the class and what they teach will be beyond anything I can learn from a bookrdquo she says adding that since itrsquos an online course she can pursue it simultaneously with her MA in DelhildquoIf you are someone who wants to learn more about the Parsi community and its legacy this is a good course Everyone knows who the Parsis are but very few are aware of their culture Irsquom sure that while the whole nation celebrated Independence Day not many were even aware that August 15 was Navroze or Parsi new year In a country like this where Parsis have given so much more of us should know about themrdquo Sakshi concludesRs 60kCost of full certificate programmeRs 7500Cost of each electiveWho is teachingProfessor Almut Hintzemdashthe only professor of Zoroastrianism in the world at the Shahpoorji Pallonji Centre at the School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of Londonmdashalong with Kerman Daruwalla academic coordinator for the programme will teach the elective on Avestan the Zoroastrian scriptural languageDr Shernaz Cama who was invited by UNESCO to initiate a project to preserve and promote Parsi Zoroastrian heritage in 1999 will conduct the introductory Foundation Course as well as teach the elective on Material Culture Arts Crafts and ArchitectureDr Kurush Dalal will teach the History Archaeology and Heritage courseDr Sarah Stewart professor emeritus at SOAS who has worked extensively on Iranian and Parsi oral traditions will lead the Oral Tradition Ecology and Rituals classMaster classes will be held offline by renowned puppeteer Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Dadi Pudumjee designer Ashdeen Lilaowala best known for popularising Parsi Gara embroidery at his atelier art historianauthorphilanthropist Dr Pheroza Godrej and authorresearcher Firoza Punthakey Mistree who is spearheading a revival of interest in Zoroastrian studiesAlso ReadDiaspora dreams of Parsi delicacies