The Parsi community is a small, tightly-knit community, one of those that are held to be responsible for the growth and development of the city of Bombay. Their business savvy, keen interest in politics, and philosophy of doing good led to prosperous businesses and people who changed the face of the city we know today.

A promise made hundreds of years earlier to Jada Rana means that the Parsis do not try to spread their faith. Increased education and dwindling numbers plague the community which is often spoken of as ‘endangered’.
 

As a part of our photography class by visiting faculty Natasha Desai, we set out on a photo walk guided by Navroz Siganporia (aka Sigi), a long-time resident of the Dadar Parsi Colony. The colony was set up in the 1920s as part of a campaign to clean up the city which was recovering from the bubonic plague. At the Dadar Athornan Institute, we got a rare look at a replica of the holy fire–central to all Zoroastrian faith rituals. Dastur Ramiyar Karanjia and his students demonstrated how it is lit while talking to us about the social history of the community. Then we ended the morning with a delicious traditional breakfast of akuri (eggs scrambled soft and flecked with chilli, coriander and tomato) and brun,(a crisp loaf with a fluffy interior) and took pictures of this interesting locale.