Belated 'Navroz' (New Year) greetings to all Parsi friends!
Their number is rapidly coming down. They don't exist in most of the cities of India. They are now mainly confined in Mumbai, Surat, Pune and in some other parts. In my home-town Kolkata, their number was around one lakh at the time of the beginning of 20th Century. As on date, the number is only 433.They don't demand anything from the Government. They don't seek reservation in jobs or studies. They don't seek monetary assistance for their aged, they don't seek protection for their religious places. They always work for India-willingly, without seeking anything in return. Despite being a microscopic minority, the people of this community held various prestigious positions in every field, solely due to their own callibre. They have enriched India by their hard work, honesty and intelligence.
On last Thursday, they celebrated their New Year, 'Navroz'. We didn't congratulate them-actually we forgot. But they did send 'dhansag' to their neighbours and friends on this occasion.
Let us salute this great minority community of India, the Parsis. Let us wish them belatedly on the occasion of Parsi New Year, 'Navroz'.
