Rescue Mission

Firoza Mistree, Author, A Zoroastrian TapestryHow does a fire temple look from the inside? Where did the inspiration for Zarathushtra’s...

NAJU DAVER,
Gara maker
Before Daver came on the scene, painstakingly embroidered Parsi saris or garas—very often considered family heirlooms—were being sold for a pittance or cut up to make cushion covers and curtains. Introduced by Parsi traders who travelled to China in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, garas were specially prepared by Chinese embroiderers. ‘‘Parsi women didn’t realise that they were destroying a part of our culture,’’ says Daver, who has gradually moved to using washable, user-friendly materials for her garas that, just like in the old days, feature Chinese tableaus, geometric motifs and floral patterns. ‘‘Today, it’s not

just the Parsis who are aware of the significance of garas. I’ve got a sizeable non-Parsi clientele too,’’ says Daver.

DR SHERNAZ CAMA,
Head, Parzor Project
With dollops of aid from UNESCO, the Parzor project, headed by Dr Shernaz Cama, has one task on its mind—to preserve Zoroastrian culture and heritage. ‘‘Linguistics, arts, culture, history, we are looking at preserving and documenting each and every aspect of the Parsi way of life,’’ says Cama. Parzor currently runs modules in a number of fields such as Parsi embroidery and language. But Cama says she needs more financial assistance. ‘‘There is a lot of work to be done. We may be running out of time.’’

HOMI ADAJANIA,
Director, Being Cyrus
The movie is not essentially about Parsis, says Adajania. ‘‘It’s more about a look at human nature and relationships. My characters might be Parsi, but the theme is universal.’’ The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. Says Anaita Shroff Adajania, costume designer and stylist for the movie, ‘‘Parsis have this unique way of conducting themselves, through their clothes, manners and attitude. We have tried to recreate the same in Being Cyrus.’’ The movie will be released by the end of the year.

Firoza Mistree,
Author, A Zoroastrian Tapestry
How does a fire temple look from the inside? Where did the inspiration for Zarathushtra’s images come from? What would it be like to flip through centuries of Zoroastrian history? A Zoroastrian Tapestry—Art, Religion and Culture, edited by Pheroza Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree, the world’s largest visual encyclopaedia on Zoroastrianism, has the answers.

‘‘Book stores usually have hundreds of books on Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, but absolutely none on Zoroastrianism. We have sought to rectify that,’’ says Mistree, who released the 762-page, 1,200-picture tome in 2002. A reprint is in the offing.