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A Compendium of Zoroastrian Life & Culture

Cama, Shernaz (ed.). 2016. Threads of continuity: Zoroastrian life & culture. New Delhi: Parzor Foundation.
Threads of Continuity Focuses on the philosophy and cultur of the ancient Zoroastrian faith from its origins i Central Asia, tracing a geographical and chronological continum till the present. This philosophy became a part of the lived heritage of the Zoroastrian community — both in India and Iran.
Of dpecial interest are the cross-cultural influences of the comunity in India. To highlight these, Gujarat and the Deccan will be examined in detail for the first time.
A part of this compendium also studies the contribution of the community to the making of modern India. The programme envisaged, attempts to explain the Zoroastrian philodophy of a sacred thread linking all creation.
 Table of Contents:

THREASD OF CONTINUITY: ZOROASTRIAN LIFE AND CULTURE
Shemaz Cama

  • Zarathushtra and Zoroastrianism
  • Persian Myth and History
  • Zoroastrianism and the West: Classical to the Neo-Ciassical Period
  • Languages and Texts
  • Zoroastrianism: A Living Heritage
  • The Story of the Parsis in lndia
  • Bombay
  • Parsis of the Deccan
  • Women: Keepers of the Zoroastrian Tradition
  • Threads of Continuity: Art and Culture

COMPENDIUM

  • Burzine Waghmor: “lridiscent Iran: Persian Palimpsest, Mazdean Mosaic”
  • Daryoosh Akbarzadeh: “The Collapse of the Sasanian Empire: Zoroastrianism and Specific Toponyms”
  • Shahin Bekhradnia: “Zoroastrian Ufe in Yazd, Iran”
  • Vanshiko Singh: “Interview with Mobed Mehraban Firouzgary”
  • Keki Daruwalla: “Of Zarathushtra”
  • Kianoosh Rezania: “Circumambulation of the Fire in Contemporary Zoroastrianism and its Variants in Shiite Iran”
  • KE Eduljee: “The Shahnameh of Ferdowsi Tusi”
  • Mojgan Jahanoro: “The Zarthushti Bridal Shawl”
  • Shemaz Cama: “Parsi Embroidery:An lntercultural Amalgam”
  • Anton Zykov: “Zoroastrian Funeral Practices: Transition in Conduct”
  • Firoze M Kotwal with assistonce from Daniel Sheffield: “A Treasury of Zoroastrian Manuscripts: The First Dastoor Meherjirana Library, Navsari”
  • Peshoton Dastur Hormozdyor Mirza: “The Holy lranshah Atash Behram in Udvada: A Religious ldentity of Parsi and Irani Zoroastrians”
  • Romiyar P Karanjia: “My Years at the Dadar Athornan Institute: Dadar Madressa”
  • Kritika Mudgaf: “Surat & the Parsis”
  • Kavas Kapadia & Shernaz Cama: “A Zoroastrian View on Conservation of Natural Elements: The Tankas of Bharuch”
  • Katy Rustom: “Dahanu Days”
  • Farzan Mazda: “Walking Through the Bahrot Caves”
  • Lote Khorshed Adi Sethna: “Madame Bhikaiji Rustom Cama: A Builder of Modern lndia”
  • Dinyar Patel: “Dadabhai Naoroji: lntroduction and Excerpts”
  • Marzban Jamshedji Giara: “Statues Come Alive: Parsis in the Making of Bombay”
  • Bakhtiar K Dadabhoy: “The House ofTata: Homage to Values”
  • Vanshika Singh: “Laws of the Medes and the Persians: An Interview with the Narimans”
  • Yezdyar S Kaoosji: “Three Among Many: Forgotten Pioneers”
  • MGK Menon: “An Extraordinary Indian”
  • Shernaz Cama: “Field Sam Manekshaw, MC: A Photographie Assemblage”
  • Debapnya Das: “Parsis and Philanthropy: Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital”
  • Yezdyar S Kaoosji: “Kaoosji Dadabhai Talukhdar of Hyderabad: A Compilation”
  • Jehangir Patel: “The Medium and the Message: Community Publications Serve the Cause of Nation-Building”
  • Rashna Nieholsan: “Parsi Theatre: A Historical Perspective”
  • Meher Marfatia: “Encore to an Era: Parsi Theatre of the Last One Hundred Years”
  • Jehangir Cama: “Parsis in Western Classical Music”
  • Firdaus Gandevia: “Art An Interview of Gieve Patel”
  • Sam Bolsara & Lara Bolsara: “Be Responsible, Don’t Use A Condom Tonight!”
  • Bachi Karkaria: “Bawdy Bornsie & Hilarious Hilla: Laughing All the Way to Extinction”
  • Shemaz Cama & Vanshika Singh: “Khatta Meetha: A Descriptive Account of Parsi Food”
  • Vanshika Singh: “B. Merwan and the Fallibility of Knowing”
  • Meher Marker Noshirwani with Toxy Cowasjee: “The Parsi Community of Pakistan: Glimpses from Karachi & Quetta”
  • Jamsheed K Choksy: “Zoroastrians of Sri Lanka: Persistence and Adaptation”
  • Maleolm Deboo: “Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe: The Oldest Asian Religious Organisation in the Western World 1861-2016”
  • Dolly Dastoor: “We are Tomorrow’s Past: Reflections from the North American Diaspora”
  • Villie & Kersi Meher-Homji: “On Top Down Under: The Zoroastrians of Australia”
  • Pheroza Daruwalla: “Down Under Diaspora: Sydney, New South Wales,Australia”
  • Arzan Sam Wadia: “The Internet as an Armature for Zarathushti Dialogue in the Global Diaspora”
  • Meher Bhesania: “Dubai, My City”
  • Pardis Gheibi: “The Return to Roots Programme from an lranian Perspective”
  • Anushae Parakh: “A Return to our Roots: Perspective from Pakistan”
The Compendium is now available from The Parsiana Book Store, Mumbai/India (info@parsiana.com)
About the Editor:
Shernaz Cama is an Associate Prfssor of English at Lady Shri Ram College University of Delhi and the director of the UNESCO Parzor Project for the Preservation and Promotion of Parsi Zoroastrian Culture and Heritage.