Most Indians, who are aware of the existence of the Parsi community, think of Parsis as jovial food, wine and music-loving, sometimes crazy, mostly honest people who try to live their lives by practising good thoughts, good words and good deeds.
The history of Parsis lies in Persia (modern Iran) around 3500 years ago. They prayed similar to the Vedic culture of India - the sun, the wind, rivers and trees were worshipped through different names until a young priest called Zarathustra or Zoroaster came up with a new concept of dualism. He said that there was a positive force that was responsible for the creation and a negative force behind all destruction.
Zoroastrianism became fashionable and spread across the empire without needing priests and missionaries to convert people. Zoroastrian fire temples were mushrooming around the planet in unexpected places like Brazil and Russia. This is being done by people who have embraced the religion on their own accord. Despite being Zoroastrian they will not be Parsis as that title is reserved only for the original Iranians and their successors.
All three Abrahamic faiths- Judaism, Christianity and Islam have their roots in Zoroaster's ideas. He was the first one to come up with the monotheistic god and the anti-god, much like God and Satan or Allah and Shaitan. He also came up with the concept of heaven and hell and a day of judgment. Zoroaster asked his priests, called ‘Magi’, to use four elements in their prayers.
Water, fire, flowers and thread are common in both Hindu and Zoroastrian rituals. The way a Brahman wears a sacred thread around his chest is somewhat similar to the way a Parsi ties the sacred thread around his waist. Parsi prayers have words like ‘Lakshmi’ and ‘Vidya’ in them, and they denote well-being and wisdom just like Vedic prayers. Their temples are called fire temples not because they worship fire but because they use fire as an expression to symbolize divine energy just like an ‘Agni Puja’.
When the Parsis came to India, they were refugees running away from the violence of the Muslim invaders in Persia. The word Parsi is derived from a language which was spoken in Persia and Iran, ‘faarsi’.
Legend has it that when Parsis reached the soils of Gujarat the king Jadhav Rana asked them why should he allow them to stick around here.
The high Parsi priest asked for a glass of milk and some sugar, and he took a teaspoon of the sugar and dissolved it in the milk and said, “Just like the milk is sweetened without displacing it, we will do just that to your motherland!”
Ever since, Parsis have done just that whether it is Sam Manekshaw, First Field Marshall or JRD Tata, all Parsis have is tons of love and gratitude for India. There are several Parsi families that you must have heard of because they’ve been very instrumental in India’s economic journey: the Tatas, the Godrejes, the Wadias, the Poonawallas and the super-rich but low profile Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry family.
These families along with other families’ charitable trusts have been responsible for opening many hospitals, schools, educational institutes and orphanages around India. Any guided tour of south Bombay will tell you that a lot of old Bombay’s buildings were built by the Parsi community; Jehangir Art Gallery, Horniman circle, the Taj hotel and Crawford market which today is known as Manish market.
The first riots were started by the Parsis, and it had all got to do with dogs and hence was called ‘The Dog Riot’. Amongst Parsis, it is believed that all Parsis will go to heaven, but when they die their soul has to go to a waiting area where they have to wait for their companion, a dog. The dog will guide the soul to heaven.
Hence, there is an important bond between dog and soul of the Parsis which can't be broken but in 1832, a magistrate of British descent came up with an edict saying “all stray dogs in Mumbai must be killed”. Following this, the Parsis took to the street with knives, swords, spoons, plates and basically whatever they could find and they fought the police.
That is how the first ever recorded riot 1832, the dog riot was started by Parsis.
The second riot to break out in Bombay again involved the Parsis but this time against the Muslim community. Both communities were trying very hard to carve a niche for themselves, and things took a turn for the worse when religious sentiments were hurt on both sides. The Parsis were a few centuries ahead of Charlie Hebdo, and they drew an image of Prophet Muhammad in a bad light the Muslims retaliated by attacking a fire temple while it was being used by families. The Parsis retaliated with violence, and ultimately the British had to step in and break a piece.
It was around then that the British wanted to do business with the Chinese for the top two commodities of that time-opium and silk. They wanted some tough men who could deal with the likes of pirates and drug dealers, and that is how the Parsis came in favour with the British. Ultimately they became rich enough to buy their ships and send their children to English schools. Knowledge of English, language and etiquette was a rare thing for that time, and it sealed the fate of the Parsis as a prosperous lot in India.
The Parsi connection with China is visible even today in their beautiful sarees called ‘Garas’. The finest Garas were hand-embroidered hundreds of years ago by Chinese artisans, and the work on these is so exquisite that an original can sell easily for over a couple of lakhs. The crème de la crème of Garas l will even have the signature of the artisan who made it.
This was all that you should’ve known about this community that has amalgamated so beautifully and intricately in Indian culture.
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