The Parsi community in Lucknow has made an appeal to the state government to allocate funds for the maintenance of Hormazd Bagh, a building located in the Parsi aramgah (cemetery), which is in a debilitated state. The community has also asked an MP to provide recurrent funds for maintenance of old graves in the aramgah.

Despite the minuscule number of Parsis settled in Lucknow, their contributions to the city’s development have been colossal. Numbering up to 200 at a much earlier time, the number of Parsis residing in Lucknow add up to around 45 now. The diminishing numbers pose a challenge for the community to acquire the required funding for the maintenance of Hormazd Bagh.

As per news reports, Zarine Viccajee – President of the Lucknow Parsi Anjuman, expressed the need for the MP to get the building renovated. “A fund of a few lakhs would serve the purpose. We also want a recurrent fund for the maintenance of old graves in the aramgah (cemetery) as the graves get a grass cover during monsoon and reaching them gets difficult,” she added. The Parsi settlement in Lucknow dates back to the times of King Mohammad Ali Shah (1837-42).