When things become old, we replace them with something new… a blitzkrieg of advertisements catch our eye, tempting and luring us to buy the new and dispose the old. We then boast about new purchases… “My triple door fridge,” or “our ultra-modern music-system.” Alas, soon, markets get inundated with newer, better and more advanced versions […]
Be it Eve or Indira or Elizabeth… or then Joan of Arc or Jhansi ki Rani or Malala or those magnificent Parsi women of Variav… these were all strong women. A woman, is as Maggie Lindemann puts it: “I’m more than just a picture, I’m a daughter and a sister; Sometimes it’s hard for me […]
“Twas lights, bright lights all the way, With festivities mixed in the path like mad.” The year was 1950. The day – 26th January. There were celebrations rife everywhere. The Constituent Assembly of India became the Parliament of India, under the transitional provisions of the new constitution, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad became the first President […]
Answer, Shall I Have It? Answer, shall I have it? In the play, ‘Merchant of Venice’, Shylock asks this question in the Venetian court whether the court will allow him to have the pound of flesh nearest to the heart of Antonio the Merchant, as per the bond. The “flesh” nearest to the community’s […]
Come December, ’tis the most beautiful month of the year, Come December, Christmas time is here! Come December, ’tis time for peace and goodwill everywhere, Come December, ’tis festive, fun time, food and good times to share! Unlike today, about half a century ago, as students, we would receive long winter vacation time of about […]
Noshir’s Finest Hour Never in the history of nearly 350 years of its existence, has the Bombay Parsi Punchayet been beleaguered to such an extent that our concerned trustee Noshir Dadrawalla had to take recourse to the Gandhian way of protest! It must have been the last straw for this veteran campaigner. A hunger strike! […]
I had finished my breakfast an hour ago and was already getting the elevenses hunger! With nothing to do, I played some music – the Colonel Boogie March from the movie, ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. I had seen it at Mumbai’s quaint, old-world Excelsior theatre, with its spacious garden and a rustic garden […]
Aaderji Writer steps out of his house. Remember him? Adarji the Angrej, an absolute anglophile, more British than the Brits! He notices Sherry, the colony’s adorable arm-candy and ‘Miss Parsi Colony – 2012’ approaching him. Adjusting his behesti papa’s Tootal tie, he tries buttoning up his tweed jacket that was de rigueur, way back when […]
A friend of mine was posted in the USA for three years. Rather than keep the house locked up, he had leased it out on Leave and License basis with a view that it would be in lived in and thus, kept clean. Upon his return, on taking back the possession of his spacious flat, […]
We live in a topsy-turvy world, in topsy-turvy times! As Tennyson said, “Old order changeth yielding place to new, And God fulfills himself in many ways, lest one good custom should corrupt the world.” In keeping with the times, the word ‘Nature’ seems a better fit than ‘God’. Man has tried to play God and […]
Parsi times is now ten, Hic! I’ll drink to that! She’s growing fine, Hic! I’ll drink to that!! Always truthfully presenting news, full of balanced views with lots of humerous features – I’ll drink to that, Hic! “Darabsha! You’ve toasted to everyone. Last time, you really let yourself go at our ‘PT’s Anniversary Party’! Now […]