Who is a Parsi?
You might say a Parsi is a Zoroastrian, but it’s not that straightforward. It gets more complicated when we see it from the historical perspective, that is, how they rediscovered their Persian connect in the 19th century, giving rise to a debate between the orthodox and the reformist groups.
In her book Who is a Parsi, Prochy Mehta takes us on journey to understand this question and answer with a broader sense of history. The book documents, through letters, articles in the newspapers, and transcripts from court cases, the views of those brave men, Dadabhoy Navroji, Ratan D. Tata, Ratan J. Tata, Sir Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, Sir Jehangir Cawasjee Jehangir, Rustumji Byramji Jeejeebhoy, Homi J Bhabha, K R Cama, and many others who had the courage to stand up and fight for what they believed in, that Parsi and Zoroastrian meant the same thing.
In our recent podcast episode, the author read out excerpts from her book. Here’s the full podcast. Enjoy!
According to Prochy Mehta, Parsi and Zoroastrian are a tautology, and thus can be used interchangeably. She raises a valid question in support of this argument. Given that Iranians are identified as Zoroastrians and accepted as Parsis by their possession of the sacred Sudreh and Kusti and knowledge of prayers and not by their ancestry, why, then, Parsis in India don’t have a similar system of identification?
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