Why Mumbai's Dadar Parsi Colony, a Zoroastrian enclave, and my birth home, is special

Dear friends,

It’s only as you grow older and go through the trials and tribulations of life do you realize what truly is special—those experiences of gold that subliminally wrap around your being like the whorls on a tree trunk, stamping you forever. My inner whorls were largely shaped growing up in the unique Zoroastrian community of Dadar Parsi Colony in central Mumbai, a leafy wide-road enclave primarily consisting of Zoroastrian residents. I was of course, born Hindu, but Parsi colony—originally meant mainly for Zoroastrians—saw people of other faiths like my grandfather settle in as well in the early 1900s.

Quiet, expansive, and leafy roads with mature trees such as this one that cuts through Dadar Parsi Colony, are a rarity in congested Mumbai, home to around 23 million residents.

A little known queenly tidbit!

Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, the British band Queen’s lead singer-songwriter and a Zoroastrian by birth, also spent his childhood in Mumbai’s Dadar Parsi Colony, at his relatives’ home located around three lanes from where I lived.

Freddie Mercury with his parents Jer (mom) and Homi (dad) Bulsara. They visited Jer Bulsara’s brother Jehangir's home, in the building called Gemfrina (center), in Dadar Parsi Colony. Jer passed away in 2016 and it is said that Freddie used to visit the Rustom Farmana agiary or fire temple located a few feet away from the home.

Of faith and acceptance

One couldn’t help imbibe an appreciation for diversity growing up in Dadar Parsi Colony. After all, we had both a 93-year-old agiary or a fire temple for Zoroastrians and a 400-year old Hindu temple within walking distance of each other.

My school (get ready for a mouthful!) the J.B. Vachha High School for Parsi Girls and the Cowasjee Jehangir Infant and Primary School that turns 100 this year, was founded by Parsis, but we enjoyed learning from (strict!) devout Catholics, Hindus, and Parsis teachers, and it was common for us girls to recite verses from the Zoroastrian Avesta in mark of honor for the deceased, no matter what our faith. In fact, I learned verses from the Avesta 30 years prior to learning my first verse of the Bhagavad Gita 10,000 miles from my birth home, in Washington, DC.

It didn’t matter, since we never wore our religion on our sleeve. It just was, and still is, no questions asked. Everyone prayed to their respective gods and to each other’s gods, and that was just fine.

Zoroastrian priests perform the Navjote ceremony where the child gets to wear a Sudreh, the lose fitting sacred blouse, and Kusti or the threads that you tie around the waist. The ceremony initiates the child as a true follower of the deity, Ahura Mazda. Picture courtesy: Parsi-times.com

The Khordeh Avesta is what the Zoroastrians use for daily worship. The first two pictures show the book written in the Indian Gujarati script. The third image is a 17th century edition of the Khordeh Avesta written in the original Avestan language and lies in the British Library in London

Born out of plague, and thanks to Mancherji Joshi

Dadar Parsi Colony has its origins in the 1896 Bubonic plague of Mumbai. It was birthed as a safe low-lying marshland community to combat the spread of the disease, caused by poor standards of living and inadequate sewage systems. The British set up a Bombay Improvement Trust to manage the area where the disease was rampant—near the cotton mills where the working class lived, and away from the elite neighborhood of what is now South Mumbai, where the British lived.

At the time, an enterprising civil engineer from modern day Karachi, Pakistan, named Mr. Mancherji Joshi, sold the British colonial authorities into his vision of setting aside 103 plots of land for a community uniquely focused on Zoroastrians, in Dadar, away from the congestion of South Mumbai. He presented a blueprint of his vision for the neighborhood, including an agiary or a fire temple, a school, a seminary or a Parsi madrasa, and a wedding hall, all of which came to fruition. It is believed that Mancherji Joshi planned every last detail of his Dadar Parsi Colony, including the type of flowers and trees to be planted. Thanks to his efforts and advocacy, Joshi was granted a 999-year lease on the plots, and voilà, came into being, Dadar Parsi Colony.

A bust of the enterprising Mr. Mancherji Joshi greets visitors even today at the entrance of Dadar Parsi Colony. Mr. Joshi’s relatives still live in the community, with his great grand daughter-in-law, Kayomi Murzban Engineer, dedicatedly archiving the history of Dadar Parsi Colony and creating its first Instagram handle (@mancherjijoshiparsicolonydadar)

The Rustom Faramna agiary is the main fire temple of Dadar Parsi Colony. Rustom Faramna was a poor Zoroastrian youth from Mumbai who struck it rich both as a theater actor and the cook of the Maharajah of Jaipur. Heirless, Dadar Parsi Colony founder Mancherji Joshi got him to donate his riches toward building this agiary.

So, who are the Zoroastrians?

The Zoroastrians are a small ethno-religious group that fled to India from Persia or current day Iran 1,300 years back to avoid religious persecution after the Arab conquest of the Persian empire. The word Parsi, derived from the Persian language, is local speak for people of Zoroastrian faith in India. Legend has it that the Zoroastrians landed in the port of Sanjan, around 200 kilometers from Mumbai on the Western coast of India.

When the Zoroastrians requested asylum, the local king, Jadi Rana, showed them a bowl of milk filled to the brim to signify that his kingdom was already full and could not accept refugees. In response, a Zoroastrian priest added a pinch of sugar to the milk, indicating that they would not proselytize, but assimilate into the culture just like sugar dissolving in the milk, making the society’s fabric sweeter.

As sweet as sugar: An illustration of Zoroastrians promising the local king that they’d blend in as seamlessly as sugar in a bowl of milk if they were accepted into India from Persia.

Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religion that follows the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster and worships the God Ahura Mazda. Zoroastrians worship fire at an agiary or a fire temple and each fire temple contains an altar with a flame that burns continuously and is never extinguished.

In the first picture is Lord Zoroaster or Zarathrusta adorned with festive decorations, and also seen in the last picture on the wall. Featured here is the home of my childhood bestie, Hoofrish. The transom, the old window panes, and a slim iron-grilled balcony overlooking stunning greenery is a common sight in Zoroastrian homes in Dadar Parsi Colony.

A curiously ancient and modern feel

Strolling through Dadar Parsi Colony feels like leafing through pages of ancient history. Only here will you find rare Persian-inspired street names like Jam-e-Jamshed—the legendary magical goblet of king Jamshed in which he saw whatever he wished, and also incidentally the name of a weekly newspaper founded in 1832 and still in publication. You’ll walk along Firdausi Road, named after the namesake Persian poet. The heritage architecture of DPC’s original buildings is stunning and often boasts of the winged figure of Asho Farohar or Asho Faravahar, a bearded man standing on a pair of wings with one hand reaching forward on the outside front, signifying good thoughts, good words and good deeds, a key teaching of Zoroastrianism.

Jame-e-Jamshed may be the second oldest newspaper in Asia published first on March 12, 1832, but the content is modern in spirit, reflective of the community, calling upon young Parsi boys to get trained in the tips of dating!

Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. The symbol of Asho Faravahar grace the face of many Parsi buildings in remembrance of this key teaching of Zoroastrianism.

A relatively new architectural marvel to arrive in DPC—albeit inspired by the old Achaemenian style of architecture—is the impressive 21-storied building called Della Tower designed by social entrepreneur, Jimmy Mistry. Aptly nicknamed, “Persepolis of Parsi Colony”, its design is inspired by Persian architecture with stunning Avestan prayers and massive reliefs of Prophet Zarathustra adorning the building. At night, sophisticated floodlights shroud it in the mystery of antiquity, just like the Parthenon standing in all its glory on the Athenian Acropolis.

This relief to the right of the Della Tower shows Lord Zoroaster and the verses from the prayer Ahuna Vairya known also after its opening words “yatha ahu vairyo”, inscribed below. This was one of the most common prayer we recited at our elementary, middle, and high school.

A stone’s throw away from my home, the Dadar Arthonan Institute, founded in 1919, is the only training school in the world for Zoroastrian priests.

Mr. Ramiyar Karanjia, the head priest at the Arthonan Institute, aptly captures the spirit of DPC:

 “The Dadar Parsi Colony is a place that has maintained a balance in the changing world—it is an open colony, it has maintained its community richness as well as maintained a cosmopolitan outlook.”

Of quirky Zoroastrian names—Readymoney!

It’s no secret that Zoroastrians are known for their quirky last names, inspired by their family’s trade (wallah). Like Sodabottleopenerwallah, or a family in the business of bottles. Or, daruwallah or the dealer of daru or liquor. Engineer and doctor are also two common Parsi last names, and Mr. Engineer and Mrs. Doctor were my French and Philosophy teachers respectively, and clearly, they did not follow the professions of their ancestors!

Arguably one of the most interesting names, Readymoney, is the nickname given to Mr. Cawasji Jehangir (yes, of my elementary school’s fame), one of the most successful opium traders in the 1600s under the British East India Company. Mr. Cawasji was the go-to person for the British in case money was required for any public project, hence earning him the sobriquet, Readymoney.

Ironically, there is no ready money to refurbish the Readymoney building in Dadar Parsi Colony. In a dilapidated condition today, locals are waiting for it to collapse.

Here’s another Readymoney building in the historic “Fort” area of South Mumbai, also a business district where Cowasji Jehangir most likely had offices.

Why care about Dadar Parsi Colony?

DPC ain’t no tempest, but it is indeed the stuff that dreams are made on, especially in today’s world which aspires toward the ideals of diversity and inclusion. To me, the most precious gift inherited from growing up in this wonderful community, is its inherent principle of inclusion that came as a given.

It’s a natural, I guess, when a Zoroastrian from Pakistan builds a community inspired by a Persian religion in Hindu-dominated India. The mishmash of civilizations and religions that went into the making of the fabric of Dadar Parsi Colony come to life in its birth story and breathe through its residents.

The plurality of thought and acceptance are what distinguish Dadar Parsi Colony as a modern community with the soul of yesteryears. 

Then of course, I am biased. What are your first impressions of Dadar Parsi Colony? Did anything surprise you about it? I hope you feel as much love for DPC as I do, and share this post (very) liberally, so more people know about this wonderful community as well as Zoroastrians, now a dwindling community of only around 40,000 people worldwide.

Meaningfully yours,
Anu Prabhala

PS: In case you are in Mumbai, and feel the urge to walk through Dadar Parsi Colony, Kaevan does an amazing job giving a tour of DPC via Khaki tours. Check it out!