Iranians in India - the Model Minority

[Rajaraja Chola]

This is not a political thread about Iranians - Arabs or Shia - Sunni. This is not a political thread about anything. So please do not bring politics here. Thanks Arian for prodding me to start the thread.

in 10th century AD, some Iranians from the province of Khorasan reached the Gujarat coast of India to escape the political turmoil in Iran. They were given refuge by the local King Jadi Rana on certain conditions. These people came to be known as Parsi and they prospered in trade over the millenia. They maintained their own religious and cultural practices at the same time adopting the Indian way of living, including language and dressing. They do not marry outside their community to maintain their identity in a huge country like India. However genetic studies have shown that they have absorbed Indian women in their community in the past.

In the last three centuries, they were joined by Iranians fleeing the rule of Qajars, who came to be known simply as ''Irani''. They form a smaller group who are culturally distinct although of the same ethno-religious background.

Quoted from Wikipedia



Today Parsis in India number only about 60,000 due to falling birth rates and move to western countries. But their small numbers only highlight their achievements. There is a Parsi monument of achievement in every corner of Mumbai - the financial capital of India. They are the most prosperous minority in India and are the pride of this nation.

Parsis have held some very important posts in India and have been instrumental in making todays India.

some important Parsis

Dadabhai Nauroji - founding member of Indian National Congress

Jamshedji Tata - father of Indian Industry. Founder of Tata group which is still Parsi run and the largest industrial group in India and the most reputed and well known with revenue of 83 Billion USD in 2010-11.

Homi Jehangir Bhabha - father of Indias nuclear programme

Sam Manekshaw - Former Indian Army chief and the Second Indian Field Marshal. India's greatest war hero - led the Indian Army in the 1971 Bangladesh war.

Aspy Engineer - Former Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force

Fali Homi Major - Former Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force

Jal Cursetji - Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy

Ardeshir and Pirojshah Godrej - co founders of the Godrej group - one of the most prestigeous Industrial families in India (revenue of 3.3 Billion USD in 2011)

Zubin Mehta - musician; Musical Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, former director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Bavarian State Opera and presently (--2011)the Israel Philharmonic.

Bhikaji Cama - political activist, co-creator of the Indian nationalist flag

S H Kapadia - current Chief Justice of India

Sam Piroj Bharucha - Former Chief Justice of India

Pallonji Mistry - Industrial Tycoon and now (after marrying an Irish passport holder) the Richest man in Ireland with personal wealth of 9.7 Billion USD.

Soli Sorabjee - Former Attorney General of India

Freddie Mercury - (Farroakh Bulsara) - probably the most famous of them all - rock icon and lead singer for Queen

An incomplete list of famous Parsees and Iranis (with some overlap) can be found here

List of Parsis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Irani (India) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Parsi Cuisine

Parsi cuisine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Parsis are very prominent in Law, Audit and Accounting. Medicine and Industry in Mumbai and its impossible to name them all. Suffice it to say they are part of the very fabric that made Mumbai a great city and today's modern India. Given their very small numbers their achievements are stupendous, only accentuated by their charity work and humble nature.

Finally this thread is dedicated to my two best Parsi buddies from Mumbai - P and F.

This list should also include Ratan Tata, as he saved the Tata industries from collapse and turned it into one of the biggest corporations in the world..
Cyrus Mistry is also a good businessman...

 

[Roybot]

The only anti islam comment was made by Surenas who is Iranian himself/herself and was politely requested by the OP to not make this an anti islam thread.

Surenas may I request you to keep any Anti Arab or anti Islam kind of posts out of here. Because it will derail the thread and will definitely go against the spirit of the thread.

You will see in the OP I've not mentioned religious issues even when they are part of history.

Thanks.

Other than that how on earth is this thread even remotely anti Islam Enough of this victim mentality, no the whole world is not out there to get muslims. Its gonna be ok!

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

If you care to look back
Anti Islamic posts weren't started by Indians but by some Iranian himself

Please stop replying to them . Their main aim was to derail this thread using some pretext . Carry on with the thread

 

[notsuperstitious]

Parsi fire temple at Sanjan, Gujarat

New Year Celebrations at Agyari - Mumbai

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

Aryan B have well managed to convince himself to derail this thread !!
I am glad indian members havent replied to that troll !
Pls continue the discussions on parsis !!

 

[neutral_person]

Parsis getting married

As you can tell, the Parsis themselves seem to be very Indian-ized. They are the most hard working and diligent community. India should feel so lucky to have them, if we had more Parsis in our nation, we would be doing better as they are definitely the most well off community

Jennifer Dinshaw Kotwal

 

[Roybot]

Parsi Fire Temple in Chennai

The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : Fire temple completes century

Parsi Fire Temple, Hyderabad

Maeckji Seth Agiary, Mumbai

 

[Roybot]

Udvada Agiary, Daman

 

[angeldust]

One commonly known fact about Parsis is their obsession with their machines, be they cars or bikes. It may not be an exagerration to say that they give them more attention than their wives, though having known some lovely girls in my time, I cannot imagine why. They will tinker with them (the machines, not the wives), shampoo them, oil them, polish them, polish them some more, then lovingly cover them under custom made covers.

Let anyone touch their machines and these usually chilled mild mannered bawajis will go ballistic. No wonder Parsi owned vehicles command amaing resale values, no matter how old the vehicle. I am really interested in knowing whether the native Iranians are also so psychotic or is this an environo-genetic aberration limited to those in India? I think only the mallus come close to such burning passion.

 

[Roybot]

 

[Roybot]

Sanjan Stambh, Gujarat

Sanjan Stambh is a memorial column at Sanjan in Gujarat. It commemorates the arrival of Zoroastrians there six centuries ago—a group of shipwrecked migrants who had fled Muslim persecution after the downfall of the Persian Empire and were welcomed to India by Hindu king Jadi Rana.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

^^^ Thanks for the fantastic pictures

 

[livingdead]

One commonly known fact about Parsis is their obsession with their machines, be they cars or bikes. It may not be an exagerration to say that they give them more attention than their wives, though having known some lovely girls in my time, I cannot imagine why. They will tinker with them (the machines, not the wives), shampoo them, oil them, polish them, polish them some more, then lovingly cover them under custom made covers.

Let anyone touch their machines and these usually chilled mild mannered bawajis will go ballistic. No wonder Parsi owned vehicles command amaing resale values, no matter how old the vehicle. I am really interested in knowing whether the native Iranians are also so psychotic or is this an environo-genetic aberration limited to those in India? I think only the mallus come close to such burning passion.

Yeah 'Nari Contractor' in dhamal.
I thought its a stereotype, but yeah you see ads of parsi owned cars specifically mentioned (similar to ladies or doctor owned cars)

 

[angeldust]

Parsi religious ceremonies

 

[takeiteasy]

There were Parsis in Kozhikode(Calicut) and now no one is there!. their temple is still there.
The Hindu : Entertainment Thiruvananthapuram / Places of Worship : Kozhikode's Parsi legacy

same with jews both Cochini and paradesi(sephardic) jews left for Israel.

I think Parsis,Sikhs,Sindhis(those came from Pakistan) are the most successful minority communities in India.