The Parsi community has been instrumental in the development of our nation, starting right from the contributions of Dadabhai Naoroji and Homi Jehangir Bhabha to Cyrus Poonawalla. They are a minority in India but have inhabited the country for a long time. The Parsis (translates to “Persians") are descendants of Persian Zoroastrians, who fled to India to escape Muslim persecution in the nation. They are primarily located in Mumbai, particularly to the north of Bombay and some other states like Bengaluru as well. The community’s population is gradually declining now as there are very few families left. Delhi Parsi Anjuman Vice President, Ava Khullar recently had a chat with News18 and talked about the history of the community and the issues they face.
The first issue that she pointed out was that after the Parsis migrated to India in the ninth century, no historical record was maintained of their community. So their number or prime occupation at that time is still unknown. All that is known is that they settled in and around Gujarat and were excellent craftsmen.
According to Ava Khullar, gender biases have never existed in Parsi culture, unlike Muslim and Hindu societies, where boys are valued highly. Girls and boys have always had equal access to opportunity in the Parsi community. Society benefited from this action. “Our society at the time was incredibly entrepreneurial and hardworking, seizing every chance it could. The British established English-language schools when they arrived. The Parsi society benefited the most from this. The unique aspect was that in early Parsi-populated areas like Surat and Bombay, Parsi girls sought out in significant numbers to pursue education alongside boys," she said.
Ava Khullar also said that the British used to prefer negotiating with the Parsis for business and trade, as the Parsis were a more taboo-free community. “We became mediators. We could live together with everyone. The British gave many work opportunities to the Parsi community. Gradually we became prosperous,” she said.
The Brits taking control of Bombay brought about a significant transformation. Approximately three and a half centuries ago, the Portuguese king gave Bombay Island to King Charles II of England as dowry. Once Parsis began to arrive, business activity in Bombay gradually rose and began to surpass that of Calcutta (now Kolkata).
Ava Khullar says that the size of the Parsi community is receding due to the decreased family sizes. She said her parents had 7 children; but now, it is difficult to come across a Parsi family with more than one child.
“The proportion of single Parsis is around 30%. The average number of marriages is the lowest in the world here. How can a society grow when there are no children born? This is why our community is going extinct," she said.
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