Dr. Cashmera Bhaya’s, ‘A Sociological Survey of Rural Parsis in South-Gujarat: A Microscopic Study – With Compiled Data on the Parsis’, comprises meticulous researched delving into the lives of the Parsi community in rural South Gujarat and other facets of the Indian and global Parsis. This research compiles comprehensive and diverse Parsi data into one book, aiding students and engaging lay readers beyond traditional academic inquiry.

The 642-page book includes the Bhaya Report presented in 1988 to WZO with data on Parsi families of rural South-Gujarat living in abject poverty, her thesis on the Parsis of Choriyasi Taluka in the 1990’s, the dynamics of their declining population and on the basis of this Report, how the WZOT was formed in Bombay in 1991 under the Chairmanship of Dinshaw Tamboly to implement the Gujarat Farmer’s Rehabilitation programme which is an ongoing project to date.

The book opens with an overview of Parsi history, community contributions, and life-cycle rituals. It highlights key moments like the 1989 presentation of Madam Bhikaji Cama’s portrait in Parliament, the Shri Dadabhai Naoroji Prize, and the Dr. Cashmera P. Bhaya Gold Medal. It also features demographic data from Indian Censuses (1881–2011) and global Zoroastrian surveys spanning FEZANA (2012) to Pakistan’s Zoroastrians in 2023.

The survey is accessible in major libraries including the K R Cama Library, the F D Alpaiwalla Museum Library, the First Dastoor Meherjirana Library, Parzor Archives, the WZO in London and ZAGNY.

[Courtesy: Yezdi Motiwalla]