105-605: The Wadia family is a Parsi family from Surat , India, currently based in Mumbai, India . The family rose to wealth in the mid-1700s as shipbuilders serving the British East India Company as the latter established its sway over India. During the declining years of the British Raj , Neville Wadia , scion of the main branch of the family, married Dina Jinnah , the only child of Muhammad Ali Jinnah ,
210-689: A baronetcy . Dina's mother, Rattanbai, was the daughter of the second baronet. The Petit family disowned Dina's mother, Rattanbai, when she married Jinnah, who was twenty-four years older than her. Dina's parents were mismatched in age, religion, habits, temperament and views. These differences led them to separate shortly after Dina's birth, and Ruttie began living in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai along with her infant daughter, Dina. After Ruttie's death in 1929, Jinnah's sister, Fatima Jinnah , moved in with Jinnah to help raise Dina, who
315-567: A beleaguered band of religious refugees escaping the new rule post the Muslim conquests in order to preserve their ancient faith." However, while Parsi settlements definitely arose along the western coast of the Indian subcontinent following the Arab conquest of Iran, it is not possible to state with certainty that these migrations occurred as a result of religious persecution against Zoroastrians. If
420-529: A bouquet through his driver, Abdul Hai, to the newly married couple. Their relationship was a matter of legal conjecture as Pakistani laws allow for a person to be disinherited for violating Islamic rules (in this case by a Muslim woman marrying a non-Muslim), and hence no claim of hers was entertained on the Pakistani properties of Jinnah. The Wadias lived in Bombay and had two children, a boy named Nusli and
525-572: A daughter Diana and a son Nusli Wadia , before they divorced; the divorce had to take place in England because the law in India did not permit divorce at all at that time. Though Dina and Neville divorced in 1943, she remained a prominent member of the Wadia family. The fracas between Neville and his son Nusli is a part of industry folklore in India. In 1971 Neville decided to sell Bombay Dyeing because of
630-647: A fortune under the Dutch and Portuguese, was appointed the first broker to the East India Company (acquiring the name "Seth" in the process), and in the following years "he and his Parsi associates widened the occupational and financial horizons of the larger Parsi community". Thus, by the mid-18th century, the brokerage houses of the Bombay Presidency were almost all in Parsi hands. As James Forbes,
735-454: A girl named Diana. The marriage did not last long, however, and she separated from Wadia in 1943; the couple never formally divorced because divorce was illegal in India at the time. Following the marriage, the father-daughter relationship became extremely formal, and he addressed her formally as 'Mrs. Wadia'. This, too, is contentious as Dina rebuffed this information calling it a rumour. In an interview with Hamid Mir , she said: "My father
840-414: A joy to her doting father." In November 1932, Jinnah read H. C. Armstrong's biography of Kemal Atatürk , Grey Wolf , and seemed to have found his own reflection in the story of Turkey's great modernist leader. It was all he talked about for a while at home, even to Dina, who consequently nicknamed him "Grey Wolf." Dina's relationship with her father became strained when she expressed her desire to marry
945-458: A non-Zoroastrian is suitable for copying Avestan language texts – but they provide a discerning insight into the fears and anxieties of the early modern Zoroastrians. Thus, the question of the ink is symptomatic of the fear of assimilation and the loss of identity, a theme that dominates the questions posed and continues to be an issue into the 21st century. So also the question of conversion of Juddin s (non-Zoroastrians) to Zoroastrianism, to which
1050-523: A problem for the priesthood until the 20th century). For another, it did away with the boundaries along occupational lines, a factor that would endear the Parsis to the 18th- and 19th-century colonial authorities who had little patience for the unpredictable complications of the Hindu caste system (such as when a clerk from one caste would not deal with a clerk from another). Following the commercial treaty in
1155-473: A remission of the jizya for their co-religionists in 1882. Dina Jinnah Dina Wadia ( née Jinnah ; 15 August 1919 – 2 November 2017) was the only child and daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah , the founding father of Pakistan , and Rattanbai Petit . Wadia belonged to some of the most prominent families of the Indian subcontinent, notably, the Jinnah family through her father and
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#17327867602411260-530: A river of fire ordeal for burning of their dross and together they receive a post resurrection paradise. The Zoroastrian holy book, called the Avesta , was written in the Avestan language , which is closely related to Vedic Sanskrit . The Qissa-i Sanjan is a tale of the journey of the Parsis to India from Iran. It says they fled for reasons of religious freedom and they were allowed to settle in India thanks to
1365-547: A ship as its logo, honoring their family legacy. The Wadia family owns a textile company called Bombay Dyeing which was founded by Nowrosjee Wadia who became a big texitle businessman. Nowrosjee married Bai Jerbai who became a big philanthropist. She built five residential colonies, known as baugs, for Parsis who were unable to afford houses. These five baug s honoring her husband and three sons are: Cusrow Baug , Ness Baug, Rustom Baug, Jer Baug and Nowroze Baug; with total 1545 houses in them. After Nowrosjee died, Bombay Dyeing
1470-614: A small agricultural community. The term Pārsi , which in the Persian language is a demonym meaning "inhabitant of Pārs " and hence "ethnic Persian", is not attested in Indian Zoroastrian texts until the 17th century. Until that time, such texts consistently use the Persian-origin terms Zartoshti "Zoroastrian" or Vehdin "[of] the good religion". The 12th-century Sixteen Shlokas , a Sanskrit text in praise of
1575-457: A small remnant of one of the mightiest nations of the ancient world, who, flying from persecution into India, were for many ages lost in obscurity and poverty, till at length they met a just government under which they speedily rose to be one of the most popular mercantile bodies in Asia". One of these was an enterprising agent named Rustom Maneck . In 1702, Maneck, who had probably already amassed
1680-575: A well-defined community. The exact date of the Parsi migration is unknown. According to tradition, the Parsis initially settled at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf but finding themselves still persecuted they set sail for India, arriving in the 8th century. The migration may, in fact, have taken place as late as the 10th century, or in both. They settled first at Diu in Kathiawar but soon moved to South Gujarāt, where they remained for about 800 years as
1785-611: A writ petition before the Bombay High Court , claiming that Jinnah House could not be classified as "evacuee property", as her father had died without leaving behind a will and demanded that the house be handed over to her. In March 2004, Wadia visited Lahore , Pakistan, to watch a cricket match between Pakistan and India . She considered "cricket diplomacy" to be an enthralling dimension that illustrated an entirely new phase in relations between India and Pakistan. But she and her son Nusli chose not to share their thoughts with
1890-481: Is a matter of conjecture. All estimates are based on the Qissa , which is vague or contradictory with respect to some elapsed periods. Consequently, three possible dates – 716, 765, and 936 – have been proposed as the year of landing, and the disagreement has been the cause of "many an intense battle ... amongst Parsis". Since dates are not specifically mentioned in Parsi texts prior to the 18th century, any date of arrival
1995-554: Is not more than a legend, it still remains without doubt an extremely informative document for Parsee historiography." The Sanjan Zoroastrians were certainly not the first Zoroastrians on the subcontinent. Sindh touching Balochistan , the easternmost periphery of the Iranian world, too had once been under coastal administration of the Sasanian Empire (226-651), which consequently maintained outposts there. Even following
2100-492: Is not, a Parsi is a matter of great contention within the Zoroastrian community in India. It is generally accepted that a Parsi is a person who: In this sense, Parsi is an ethno-religious designator, whose definition is of contention among its members, similar to the identity question among Jews . Some members of the community additionally contend that a child must have a Parsi father to be eligible for introduction into
2205-419: Is perforce a matter of speculation. The importance of the Qissa lies in any case not so much in its reconstruction of events than in its depiction of the Parsis – in the way they have come to view themselves – and in their relationship to the dominant culture. As such, the text plays a crucial role in shaping Parsi identity. But, "even if one comes to the conclusion that the chronicle based on verbal transmission
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#17327867602412310-421: Is unusual: as of 2001, the ratio of males to females was 1000 males to 1050 females (up from 1024 in 1991), due primarily to the high median age of the population (elderly women are more common than elderly men). As of 2001 the national average in India was 1000 males to 933 females. Parsis have a high literacy rate ; as of 2001, the literacy rate is 99.1%, the highest of any Indian community (the national average
2415-476: The (r)atheshtarih (nobility, soldiers, and civil servants), vastaryoshih (farmers and herdsmen), hutokshih (artisans and labourers) – were folded into an all-comprehensive class today known as the behdini ("followers of daena ", for which "good religion" is one translation). This change would have far reaching consequences. For one, it opened the gene pool to some extent since until that time inter-class marriages were exceedingly rare (this would continue to be
2520-565: The Aga Khan , and to the Lohana caste, Lohana Hindus who had converted to Islam centuries earlier. Dina's father, Jinnah, was the leader of the Pakistan movement and the founder of Pakistan. After achieving the partition of India on a religious basis and secured the creation of Pakistan as the homeland of British India 's Muslims, Jinnah became the first Governor General of Pakistan . He
2625-536: The British Raj , the British schools in India provided the new Parsi youth with the means not only to learn to read and write but also to be educated in the greater sense of the term and become familiar with the quirks of the British establishment. These capabilities were enormously useful to Parsis since they allowed them to "represent themselves as being like the British," which they did "more diligently and effectively than perhaps any other South Asian community". While
2730-468: The Chinvat bridge to grant passage to Paradise, Hammistagan (A limbo area) or Hell by the bridge remaining wide for a righteous soul and turning narrow as a sword for the wicked.. A personified form of the soul that represents the person's deeds takes the adjudged to their destination and they will abide there until the final apocalypse. After the final battle between good and evil, every soul's walk through
2835-491: The Indian Constitution void the patrilineal restrictions expressed in the third clause. The second clause was contested and overturned in 1948. On appeal in 1950, the 1948 ruling was upheld and the entire 1909 definition was deemed an obiter dictum – a collateral opinion and not legally binding (re-affirmed in 1966). ) According to the 2011 Census of India , there are 57,264 Parsis in India. According to
2940-513: The Indian subcontinent . They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, when Zoroastrians were persecuted by the early Muslims . Representing the eldest of the Indian subcontinent's two Zoroastrian communities, the Parsi people are culturally, linguistically, and socially distinct from
3045-512: The Iranis , whose Zoroastrian ancestors migrated to British-ruled India from Qajar-era Iran . The word Parsi is derived from the Persian language , and literally translates to Persian ( پارسی , Pārsi ). According to the 16th-century Parsi epic Qissa-i Sanjan , the immigration of Zoroastrian Persians to the Indian subcontinent from Greater Iran continued between the 8th century and
3150-665: The Kanheri Caves near Mumbai suggest that at least until the early 11th century, Middle Persian was still the literary language of the hereditary Zoroastrian priesthood. Nonetheless, aside from the Qissa and the Kanheri inscriptions, there is little evidence of the Parsis until the 12th and 13th century, when "masterly" Sanskrit translations and transcriptions of the Avesta and its commentaries began to be prepared. From these translations Dhalla infers that "religious studies were prosecuted with great zeal at this period" and that
3255-471: The National Commission for Minorities , there are a "variety of causes that are responsible for this steady decline in the population of the community", the most significant of which were childlessness and migration. If Demographic trends project that by 2020 the Parsis will number only 23,000. The Parsis will then cease to be called a community and will be labeled a ' tribe '. One-fifth of
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3360-682: The United States , were written in 1812 on board a Wadia-built British Royal Navy ship, HMS Minden by Francis Scott Key . By the 1840s, the family was one of the leading forces in the Indian shipbuilding industry. At that time they had built over a hundred warships for Britain , and had trading networks around the world. The prominent women of the Wadia family, including Motlibai Maneckji Wadia, Jerbai Nusserwanji Wadia, and Lady Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir, were known for their philanthropy in providing financial support to Zoroastrian temples, establishing schools and hospitals, and supporting
3465-543: The Wadia family through her marriage to Neville Wadia in 1938. Dina was born in London , shortly after midnight, on 15 August 1919, to Muhammad Ali Jinnah , and his second wife, Rattanbai Petit (whose name was legally amended to "Maryam Jinnah" after her conversion to Islam and marriage, though she did not use her new name). As Stanley Wolpert 's Jinnah of Pakistan records: "Oddly enough, precisely twenty-eight years to
3570-722: The mausoleum 's antiquities room. In one picture, she is standing with her father and Fatima Jinnah. The other is a painting of her mother. In the third, her father is dictating a letter, showing his political persona. Dina also went to the tomb of Madar-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah to pay respects to her aunt, to the Flagstaff House Pakistan to hoist the flag of Pakistan, and to her father's house Wazir Mansion . Dina died from pneumonia at her home in Madison Avenue in New York City on 2 November 2017, at
3675-527: The world's largest Zoroastrian population . Notably, no substantial differences exist between Parsi and Irani religious principles, convictions, and customs. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , Parsi, also spelled Parsee, member of a group of followers in India of the Persian prophet Zoroaster . The Parsis, whose name means "Persians", are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by
3780-468: The "Fire of Victory" (Middle Persian: Atash Bahram ) at Sanjan and its subsequent move to Navsari . According to Dhalla, the next several centuries were "full of hardships" ( sic ) before Zoroastrianism "gained a real foothold in India and secured for its adherents some means of livelihood in this new country of their adoption". Two centuries after their landing, the Parsis began to settle in other parts of Gujarat, which led to "difficulties in defining
3885-530: The "traditional" 8th century date (as deduced from the Qissa ) is considered valid, it must be assumed "that the migration began while Zoroastrianism was still the predominant religion in Iran and economic factors predominated the initial decision to migrate." This would have been particularly the case if – as the Qissa suggests – the first Parsis originally came from the north-east (i.e. Central Asia) and had previously been dependent on Silk Road trade. Even so, in
3990-673: The 10th century. The earliest of these migrants settled among the Hindus of present-day Gujarat after being granted refuge by Jadi Rana , the king of Sanjan . Zoroastrianism had served as Iran's state religion since at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire . However, the conquest of the Sasanian Empire by the Rashidun Caliphate marked the beginning of the Islamisation of Iran , which prompted much of
4095-494: The 17th century, Henry Lord, a chaplain with the English East India Company , noted that the Parsis came to India seeking " liberty of conscience " but simultaneously arrived as "merchantmen bound for the shores of India, in course of trade and merchandise." The Qissa has little to say about the events that followed the establishment of Sanjan, and restricts itself to a brief note on the establishment of
4200-482: The 1930s, Parsis discussed the idea of buying land in Iran to create a Parsi colony. Sir Hormusji C. Adenwala proposed raising funds in Bombay for this purpose, with support from the Iranian government and Reza Shah. Some Parsis had already resettled in Iran earlier since the time of Maneckji Hataria . The Iran League Quarterly provided information on legal and economic aspects of land purchase. Land near Bandar-e Shapur
4305-595: The Collector of Broach (now Bharuch ), would note in his Oriental Memoirs (1770): "many of the principal merchants and owners of ships at Bombay and Surat are Parsees." "Active, robust, prudent and persevering, they now form a very valuable part of the Company's subjects on the western shores of Hindustan where they are highly esteemed". In the 18th century, Parsis with their skills in ship building and trade greatly benefited with trade between India and China. The trade
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4410-671: The Hindu caste system, they felt that their own safety lay in encircling their fold by rigid caste barriers". Even so, at some point (possibly shortly after their arrival in India), the Zoroastrians – perhaps determining that the social stratification that they had brought with them was unsustainable in the small community – did away with all but the hereditary priesthood (called the asronih in Sassanid Iran). The remaining estates –
4515-481: The Indian subcontinent, "Parsi" was used by the Indians to refer to anyone from Greater Iran, irrespective of whether they were actually ethnic Persian people. In any case, the term "Parsi" itself is "not necessarily an indication of their Iranian or 'Persian' origin, but rather as indicator – manifest as several properties – of ethnic identity". Moreover, if heredity were the only factor in a determination of ethnicity,
4620-756: The Iranians, the harbours of Gujarat lay on the maritime routes that complemented the overland Silk Road and there were extensive trade relations between the two regions. The contact between Iranians and Indians was already well established even prior to the Common Era , and both the Puranas and the Mahabharata use the term Parasikas to refer to the peoples west of the Indus River . "Parsi legends regarding their ancestors' migration to India depict
4725-670: The Muslims. They live chiefly in Mumbai and in a few towns and villages mostly to the south of Mumbai, but also a few minorities nearby in Karachi (Pakistan) and Chennai . There is a sizeable Parsee population in Pune as well in Bangalore . A few Parsee families also reside in Kolkata and Hyderabad . Although they are not, strictly speaking, a caste , since they are not Hindus, they form
4830-566: The Pahlavi dynasty in Iran, the relationship between Zoroastrianism and Iranian national identity was blurred. This was exemplified by Reza Shah's adoption of Zoroastrian calendar names and placement of the Fravahar symbol on prominent government buildings. Additionally, he maintained a close relationship with the Zoroastrian parliamentary representative, Keikhosrow Shahrokh , who was entrusted by him with important governmental tasks. Reza Shah
4935-637: The Parsi Benevolent Fund with the aim of improving, through education, the condition of the impoverished Parsis still living in Surat and its environs. In 1849 the Parsis established their first school (co-educational, which was a novelty at the time, but would soon be split into separate schools for boys and girls) and the education movement quickened. The number of Parsi schools multiplied, but other schools and colleges were also freely attended. Accompanied by better education and social cohesiveness,
5040-428: The Parsi community in India. You Parsis are as much the children of this soil as any other Iranis, and so you are as much entitled to have your proper share in its development as any other nationals. We estimate Our Empire's resources to be even greater than those of America, and in tapping them you can take your proper part. We do not want you to come all bag and baggage; just wait a little and watch. If you find
5145-490: The Parsi-born Neville Wadia , who was the son of Sir Ness Wadia and Evelyne Clara Powell. Jinnah tried to dissuade her but failed. M. C. Chagla , who was Jinnah's assistant at the time, recalls: "Jinnah, in his usual imperious manner, told her that there were millions of Muslim boys in India, and she could have chosen anyone. Reminding her father that his wife had also been a non-Muslim and a Parsi as well,
5250-473: The Parsis have integrated themselves into Indian society while simultaneously maintaining or developing their own distinct customs and traditions (and thus ethnic identity). This in turn has given the Parsi community a rather peculiar standing: they are mostly Indians in terms of national affiliation, language and history, but not typically Indian in terms of consanguinity or ethnicity, cultural, behavioural and religious practices. The definition of who is, and
5355-556: The Parsis would count as Parthians according to the Qissa-i Sanjan . The term "Parseeism" or "Parsiism", is attributed to Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron , who in the 1750s, when the word "Zoroastrianism" had yet to be coined, made the first detailed report of the Parsis and of Zoroastrianism, therein mistakenly assuming that the Parsis were the only remaining followers of the religion. In addition to above,
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#17327867602415460-608: The Parsis, is the earliest attested use of the term as an identifier for Indian Zoroastrians. The first reference to the Parsis in a European language is from 1322, when a French monk, Jordanus , briefly refers to their presence in Thane and Bharuch . Subsequently, the term appears in the journals of many European travelers, first French and Portuguese, later English, all of whom used a Europeanized version of an apparently local language term. For example, Portuguese physician Garcia de Orta observed in 1563 that "there are merchants ... in
5565-611: The United Kingdom (such as British-Indian actress Nina Wadia ) and the United States (such as Maneck Sorabji Wadia, Indian-American management consultant). The family may be mentioned in books and/or movies. One example of a book is Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor which is based in New Delhi and the family is mentioned. Parsi The Parsis or Parsees ( / ˈ p ɑːr s i / ) are a Zoroastrian community in
5670-471: The Wadia shipbuilding dynasty in 1736, when he obtained a contract from the British East India Company for building docks and ships in Bombay (present-day Mumbai ). Although the Wadias would eventually come to be considered a Bombay family, many of them remained in Surat, where one branch of the family established a ship breaking yard (where ships are dismantled) that remains one of the largest of its kind in
5775-594: The Zoroastrian-majority population to either convert to Islam or flee, though a number of Iranian figures stayed in active revolt against the Rashidun army and the later Islamic caliphates for almost 200 years after the collapse of the Sasanian Empire. Nevertheless, Zoroastrianism continued to decline, and most Iranians had become Muslims by the 10th century, shifting the concentration of
5880-536: The arts in the 1800s. More recently, Neville Wadia continued the philanthropic tradition of his family by continuing to establish hospitals and schools. The Wadia family has endowed Nowrosjee Wadia College in Pune. Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia's great-grandsons, JBH Wadia and Homi Wadia founded Wadia Movietone in 1933, which had its studios at Lovji Castle (Lovejee Castle) in Chembur , Mumbai, India . The company has
5985-535: The colonial authorities often saw the other Indians "as passive, ignorant, irrational, outwardly submissive but inwardly guileful", the Parsis were seen to have the traits that the authorities tended to ascribe to themselves. Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo (1638) saw them as "diligent", "conscientious", and "skillful" in their mercantile pursuits. Similar observations would be made by James Mackintosh , Recorder of Bombay from 1804 to 1811, who noted that "the Parsees are
6090-477: The command of Middle Persian and Sanskrit among the clerics "was of a superior order". From the 13th century to the late 16th century, the Zoroastrian priests of Gujarat sent (in all) twenty-two requests for religious guidance to their co-religionists in Iran, presumably because they considered the Iranian Zoroastrians "better informed on religious matters than themselves, and must have preserved
6195-527: The community's sense of distinctiveness grew, and in 1854 Dinshaw Maneckji Petit founded the Persian Zoroastrian Amelioration Fund with the aim of improving conditions for his less fortunate co-religionists in Iran. The fund succeeded in convincing a number of Iranian Zoroastrians to emigrate to India (where they are known today as Iranis) and the efforts of its emissary Maneckji Limji Hataria were instrumental in obtaining
6300-414: The day and hour before the birth of Jinnah's other offspring, Pakistan." Her premature arrival was unexpected — her parents were at the theatre but "were obliged to leave their box hurriedly." She was reported to be "a dark-eyed beauty, lithe and winsome, with a smile like her mother's." Dina's paternal family were upstart merchants of high social status. Dina's paternal grandfather, Jinnahbhai Poonja ,
6405-524: The decrease in population is attributed to migration. There are sizeable Parsi communities in the United Kingdom , Australia , Canada , and the United States . A slower birthrate than deathrate accounts for the rest: as of 2001, Parsis over the age of 60 make up for 31% of the community. Only 4.7% of the Parsi community are under 6 years of age, which translates to 7 births per year per 1000 individuals. Concerns have been raised in recent years over
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#17327867602416510-403: The deep harbour on the east coast of the islands to be ideal for setting up their first port in the sub-continent, and in 1687 they transferred their headquarters from Surat to the fledgling settlement. The Parsis followed and soon began to occupy posts of trust in connection with government and public works. Where literacy had previously been the exclusive domain of the priesthood, in the era of
6615-796: The early 17th century between Mughal emperor Jahangir and James I of England, the East India Company obtained the exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. Many Parsis, who until then had been living in farming communities throughout Gujarat, moved to the English-run settlements to take the new jobs offered. In 1668 the English East India Company leased the Seven Islands of Bombay from Charles II of England . The company found
6720-456: The faith, but this assertion is considered by most to be a violation of the Zoroastrian tenets of gender equality and may be a remnant of an old legal definition of the term Parsi. An oft-quoted legal definition of Parsi is based on a 1909 ruling (since nullified) that not only stipulated that a person could not become a Parsi by converting to the Zoroastrian faith but also noted: the Parsi community consists of: a) Parsis who are descended from
6825-411: The financial problems it was having and also had plans to move abroad. Nusli however stopped him as he had his own plans to run the company and did not want to leave India . He later took over as chairman of Bombay Dyeing in 1977, when Neville finally accepted that he was beaten and stepped aside. Nusli is now the chairman of the Wadia Group . Members of the family have also settled outside of Mumbai in
6930-406: The first group of immigrants originated from Greater Khorasan . This historical region of Central Asia is in part in northeastern Iran, where it constitutes modern Khorasan Province , part of western/northern Afghanistan , and in part in three Central-Asian republics namely Tajikistan , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan . According to the Qissa , the immigrants were granted permission to stay by
7035-403: The first, and this time having religious implements with them (the alat ). In addition to these Khorasani s or Kohistani s "mountain folk", as the two initial groups are said to have been initially called, at least one other group is said to have come overland from Sari, Iran . Although the Sanjan group are believed to have been the first permanent settlers, the precise date of their arrival
7140-402: The founder of Pakistan . Despite being the only descendants of the founder of Pakistan, the family chose to stick to their mills and factories in India rather than emigrate to the new country. They prospered abundantly under Nehru - Gandhi dispensation and today, they run the Wadia Group of companies, one of the larger industrial conglomerates in India. Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia advanced
7245-411: The goodwill of a local prince. However, the Parsi community had to abide by three rules: they had to speak the local language, follow local marriage customs, and not carry any weapons. After showing the many similarities between their faith and local beliefs, the early community was granted a plot of land on which to build a fire temple . Over the centuries since the first Zoroastrians arrived in India,
7350-426: The infrastructure that was necessary for the Parsis to set themselves up in Bombay and in doing so "established Bombay as the primary centre of Parsi habitation and work in the 1720s". Following the political and economic isolation of Surat in the 1720s and 1730s that resulted from troubles between the (remnant) Mughal authorities and the increasingly dominant Marathas , a number of Parsi families from Surat migrated to
7455-407: The kingdom of Cambaia ... known as Esparcis. We Portuguese call them Jews, but they are not so. They are Gentios ." In an early 20th-century legal ruling (see self-perceptions , below), Justices Davar and Beaman asserted (1909:540) that "Parsi" was also a term used in Iran to refer to Zoroastrians . notes that in much the same way as the word "Hindu" was used by Iranians to refer to anyone from
7560-491: The limits of priestly jurisdiction". These problems were resolved by 1290 through the division of Gujarat into five panthak s (districts), each under the jurisdiction of one priestly family and their descendants. (Continuing disputes regarding jurisdiction over the Atash Bahram led to the fire being moved to Udvada in 1742, where today jurisdiction is shared in rotation among the five panthak families.) Inscriptions at
7665-467: The local newspapers in Bombay. The children are just recovering from their whooping cough, it will take another month yet. I am taking them to Juhu on Thursday for a month or so. Are you coming back here? If so, I hope you will drive out to Juhu and spend the day if you like. Anyway, I have a phone so I will ring you up and drive in to see you if you don’t feel like coming out. Take care of yourself Papa darling. Lots of love & kisses, Dina." Dina Wadia
7770-429: The local ruler, Jadi Rana , on the condition that they adopt the local language ( Gujarati ) and that their women adopt local dress (the sari ). The refugees accepted the conditions and founded the settlement of Sanjan , which is said to have been named after the city of their origin ( Sanjan , near Merv , modern Turkmenistan). This first group was followed by a second group from Greater Khorasan within five years of
7875-477: The loss of Sindh , the Iranians continued to play a major role in the trade links between the east and west. The 9th-century Arab historiographer Al-Masudi briefly notes Zoroastrians with fire temples in al-Hind and in al-Sindh. There is evidence of individual Parsis residing in Sindh in the tenth and twelfth centuries, but the current modern community is thought to date from British arrival in Sindh. Moreover, for
7980-578: The modernization of Iran, particularly in the 20th century. They served as a reminder of Iran's ancient heritage, which was crucial to Iranians. The Parsis also demonstrated to Iranians that it was possible to be both modern and culturally authentic, and that the revival of Zoroastrianism could be a way of modernizing Iranian culture while retaining its original identity. Both Reza Shah and Muhammad Reza Shah played an active role in encouraging Parsis to invest in Iran and contribute to its economic development by inviting them to return to their homeland. During
8085-483: The new city. While in 1700 "fewer than a handful of individuals appear as merchants in any records; by mid-century, Parsis engaged in commerce constituted one of important commercial groups in Bombay". Maneck's generosity is incidentally also the first documented instance of Parsi philanthropy. In 1689, Anglican chaplain John Ovington reported that in Surat the family "assist the poor and are ready to provide for
8190-418: The old-time tradition more faithfully than they themselves did". These transmissions and their replies – assiduously preserved by the community as the rivayat s ( epistles ) – span the years 1478–1766 and deal with both religious and social subjects. From a superficial 21st century point of view, some of these ithoter ("questions") are remarkably trivial – for instance, Rivayat 376: whether ink prepared by
8295-419: The original Persian emigrants and who are born of both Zoroastrian parents and who profess the Zoroastrian religion; b) Iranis [here meaning Iranians , not the other group of Indian Zoroastrians] professing the Zoroastrian religion; c) the children of Parsi fathers by alien mothers who have been duly and properly admitted into the religion. This definition was overturned several times. The equality principles of
8400-578: The property, or at least lease it to its government as a tribute to its founder in order to convert it into their Consulate. Though P. V. Narasimha Rao , India's foreign minister in 1980, agreed in principle to lease Jinnah House as the residence of the Pakistani Consulate-General, the plan was never realised. Indian government sources subsequently said that the claim by Jinnah's heirs will be treated "sympathetically" and have no intention of handing it to Pakistan. In 2007, Dina filed
8505-509: The proposition beneficial both to yourselves and to this land, then do come and We shall greet you with open arms, as We might. Our dear brothers and sisters. Iran is a vast country pregnant with many advantages and fresh fields waiting for development. We suggest that the Parsis, who are still the sons of Iran, though separated from her, should look upon this country of to-day as their own, and differentiate it from its immediate past, and strive to derive benefit from her developments. In
8610-514: The public on what was certainly a highly emotional encounter. Wadia had not traveled to Pakistan since her father's funeral in September 1948. Wadia, Nusli and her grandsons Ness Wadia and Jehangir Wadia also visited the mausoleum of her father to pay homage. In the visitors' book, Wadia wrote: "This has been very sad and wonderful for me. May his dream for Pakistan come true." Reports said that she asked for copies of three pictures she saw in
8715-402: The rapidly declining population of the Parsi community in India. Parsis have also been migrating to the traditional homeland of Iran and while the number of Parsis who have returned to Iran is small compared to the overall Zoroastrian community in Iran, their presence has helped to strengthen the ties between the Iranian and Indian Zoroastrian communities. The Parsis played a significant role in
8820-575: The recognized instrument for regulating the affairs of the community. Nonetheless, by 1838 the Panchayat was under attack for impropriety and nepotism. In 1855 the Bombay Times noted that the Panchayat was utterly without the moral or legal authority to enforce its statutes (the Bundobusts or codes of conduct) and the council soon ceased to be considered representative of the community. In
8925-594: The religion's followers away from the Iranian plateau for the first time in recorded history. The Gujarati -speaking Parsi community accounts for the oldest sustained presence of Zoroastrianism in India , and is legally differentiated from the Dari -speaking Irani community on the basis of the era of their migration to the country. Despite this legal distinction, the terms "Parsi" and "Zoroastrian" are commonly utilised interchangeably to denote both communities, which make up
9030-507: The reply (R237, R238) was: acceptable, even meritorious. Nonetheless, "the precarious condition in which they lived for a considerable period made it impracticable for them to keep up their former proselytizing zeal. The instinctive fear of disintegration and absorption in the vast multitudes among whom they lived created in them a spirit of exclusiveness and a strong desire to preserve the racial characteristics and distinctive features of their community. Living in an atmosphere surcharged with
9135-414: The same time as the role of the Panchayat was declining, a number of other institutions arose that would replace the Panchayat's role in contributing to the sense of social cohesiveness that the community desperately sought. By the mid-19th century, the Parsis were keenly aware that their numbers were declining and saw education as a possible solution to the problem. In 1842 Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy established
9240-460: The sense of the trust it is today) to assist newly arriving Parsis in religious, social, legal and financial matters. Using their vast resources, the Maneck Seth family gave their time, energy and not inconsiderable financial resources to the Parsi community, with the result that by the mid-18th century, the Panchayat was the accepted means for Parsis to cope with the exigencies of urban life and
9345-511: The sustenance and comfort of such as want it. Their universal kindness, either employing such as are ready and able to work, or bestowing a seasonable bounteous charity to such as are infirm and miserable, leave no man destitute of relief, nor suffer a beggar in all their tribe". In 1728 Rustom's eldest son Naoroz (later Naorojee) founded the Bombay Parsi Panchayet (in the sense of an instrument for self-governance and not in
9450-436: The term "Parsi" (Persian) existed even before they moved to India: In ancient Persia, Zoroaster taught that good ( Ohrmazd ) and evil ( Angra Mainyu ) were opposite forces and the battle between them is more or less evenly matched. A person should always be vigilant to align with forces of light. According to the asha or the righteousness and druj or the wickedness, the person has chosen in his life they will be judged at
9555-561: The wake of a July 1856 ruling by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that it had no jurisdiction over the Parsis in matters of marriage and divorce, the Panchayat was reduced to little more than a Government-recognized "Parsi Matrimonial Court". Although the Panchayat would eventually be reestablished as the administrator of community property, it ultimately ceased to be an instrument for self-governance. At about
9660-401: The world. The Wadia family has three main branches, each dealing in a particular industry: textiles, shipping, and jewelry. They have been active in a host of other smaller businesses, including film-making, biscuits and bakery products, tea and rubber plantations, fashion magazines and aviation. The poem whose words would become the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner , the national anthem of
9765-476: The young lady replied: 'Father, there were millions of Muslim girls in India. Why did you not marry one of them?' And he replied that, 'She became a Muslim(indicating that she had converted)'." Chagla recounted in his autobiography Roses in December that when Dina married Neville, her father said to her that she was not his daughter anymore. This story, however, is contentious as some say that Jinnah had sent
9870-511: Was 78.5%). 97.1% of Parsis reside in urban areas (the national average is 27.8%). Parsis mother tongue is Gujarati . In the Greater Mumbai area, where the density of Parsis is highest, about 13% of Parsi females and about 24% of Parsi males do not marry. According to the Qissa-i Sanjan , the only existing account of the early years of Zoroastrian refugees in India composed at least six centuries after their tentative date of arrival,
9975-461: Was a merchant who hailed from Gondal in Kathiawar , Gujarat , and had moved to Karachi in the mid-1870s. He had made money, but only a few of his many children managed to complete school. Nevertheless, he had been able to send one of his more academically promising sons, Muhammad Ali, to England for higher education. The family belonged to the Ismaili sect of Shia Muslims who are followers of
10080-545: Was also sympathetic to Indian Zoroastrians (Parsis) and actively encouraged their return to Iran to invest and help develop the country's economy. In 1932, he invited Dinshah Irani , a Parsi leader and founder of the Iranian Zoroastrian Anjoman and the Iran League in India, to visit Iran as part of a Parsi delegation. Irani was awarded honors by Reza Shah and entrusted with a message to take back to
10185-581: Was bestowed with the title Quaid-i-Azam or "Great Leader." Dina's maternal family, the Petit family were rich, titled, well-educated and highly Westernized. They belonged to the Parsi community and followed the Zoroastrian faith. Dina's great-grandfather, Dinshaw Maneckji Petit , founded the first cotton mill in India. This and many other contributions to industry, trade and philanthropy had earned him
10290-584: Was involved in litigation regarding her father's house in Bombay, informally called the Jinnah House , claiming that Hindu Law was applicable to Jinnah as he was a Khoja Shia . The house, which was built in 1936, had been classified as evacuee property after partition in 1947. In 1948, it was subsequently leased to the British Deputy High Commission which occupied it until 1982. Pakistan had since 1979 requested that India sell
10395-521: Was mainly in timber, silk, cotton and opium. For example Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy acquired most of his wealth through trade in cotton and opium Gradually certain families "acquired wealth and prominence (Sorabji, Modi, Cama, Wadia, Jeejeebhoy, Readymoney, Dadyseth, Petit, Patel, Mehta, Allbless, Tata, etc.), many of which would be noted for their participation in the public life of the city, and for their various educational, industrial, and charitable enterprises." ). Through his largesse, Maneck helped establish
10500-441: Was married to married to Robert Byng, 7th Earl of Strafford. Neville inherited the conglomerate when Sir Ness Wadia died in 1952. Neville was married to Dina Jinnah from 1938 to 1943. Dina was the only child of Muhammad Ali Jinnah , the founder of Pakistan . Her mother, Rattanbai Petit , was the sister of Dinshaw Maneckji Petit , who was married to Sylla Tata , the sister of JRD Tata . Neville and Dina had two children together,
10605-502: Was no more formal, and they had reunited as a family. The diary also revealed that Dina had visited Pakistan twice, once on her father's death, and then again for the 2004 India-Pakistan cricket match. She had been in regular touch with her aunt, Fatima. On 28 April 1947, In one of her letters to her father, Dina had said: "My darling Papa, First of all I must congratulate you — you got Pakistan …. how hard you have worked for it…I do hope you are keeping well — I get lots of news of you from
10710-426: Was not a demonstrative man, but he was an affectionate father. My last meeting with him took place in Bombay in 1946. When I was about to depart, my father hugged Nusli (who was two years old then). The grey cap (Jinnah was wearing) caught Nusli’s fancy, and in a moment, my father put it on Nusli’s head, saying, 'Keep it my boy.'" After Dina's death, her personal diary revealed that her relationship with her father
10815-453: Was passed down to his son, Ness Wadia (later "Sir Ness" after he received a knighthood for services to the British Raj ). Sir Ness became a prominent textile industrialist and played an important role during the late 19th century in turning the city of Bombay into one of the world's largest cotton trading centers. Sir Ness married an Englishwoman, Eveylne Clara Powell, and they became the parents of Clara Eveylne Wadia and Neville Wadia . Clara
10920-624: Was suggested as particularly valuable due to government plans for the port. Similar plans were considered for other Parsi colonies in Iran, including Yazd and Kerman. Textile manufacturing was seen as a potential area for Parsi investment, leading to the establishment of the Khorsovi Textile Mill in Mashhad (based on joint Parsi and Iranian ownership agreements). There was also discussion of combining industrial and agricultural ventures in such colonies. The gender ratio among Parsis
11025-418: Was then 10 years old. Jinnah raised his daughter as a Muslim . According to Jinnah's chauffeur, Bradbury, Jinnah asked Fatima, "to teach her niece, Dina, about Islam and The Holy Qur'an ." During Jinnah's time in London , during 1930–33, Wolpert commented, "Dina was [Jinnah's] sole comfort, but Dina was away at school most of the time and home only for brief times, yet still the pampered daughter could be
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