27 Jan / Parsis: The Zoroastrians of India | A Photographic Journey 1980-2004 by Sooni Taraporevala [in AsianWeek]
From the screenwriter of such award-winning films as Mississippi Masala and Salaam Bombay! comes a stunning portrait of a rapidly shrinking community, the Parsis who number just 100,000 today. Followers of Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions, which adheres to the teachings of Zarathustra who taught the simple creed of “Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds,” today’s Parsis reside mostly in Bombay. “In numbers Parsis are beneath contempt, but in contribution, beyond compare,” Mahatma Ghandi reportedly said. The book is a stunning compilation of every day lives – of hopes, joys, and struggles – realized in one beautiful, lovingly annotated collection of lingering photographs.
Review: “New and Notable Books,” AsianWeek, January 27, 2005
Tidbit: Sooni Taraporevala was one of our favorite guests ever for SALTAF 2008 [South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival] when we had the second-ever-in-the-whole-world screening of her debut feature film, Little Zizou. She arrived with her fabulous producer Dinaz Stafford, and one of her film’s stars, the highly regarded Bollywood regular Boman Irani. And did we have a great time or what?!!
Readers: Adult
Published: 2004