Presented by FIRES (FEZANA Information Research Education System)

                www.fires-fezana.org       

Pioneering Parsis of Calcutta by Prochy N Mehta, New Delhi, India, Niyogi Books, 2020. (available on www.amazon.com)

 This book owes its origin to the author’s passionate desire to learn more about her Parsi heritage. Her initial curiosity turned into a voyage of discovery, which changed her perception of the community, and she felt an intense pride in the Parsi stalwarts of yesteryear. Mehta’s meticulous research reaped rich dividends as she slowly dusted off the cobwebs of history that revealed the pioneering Parsis’ arduous journey to Calcutta, their forward-thinking, their broad-minded approach, their willingness to give and to improve the lives of all around them. These extraordinary Parsi men and women played a prominent role in society by taking upon themselves the responsibility of helping one and all regardless of class, caste, creed, or color. Their ability in business and faith in the future was matchless. These early Parsis were not afraid of taking on the establishment and fought publicly to resolve disputes where the orthodox members were unwilling to give the reformist their way. This book is a treasure trove of facts about the rich Parsi heritage of Kolkata. The nuggets of information and history documented in this book is an effort to preserve the knowledge gained from painstaking research. Prochy Mehta’s work is a labor of love that reveals the past and makes it an open book for the community in Calcutta.

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FEZANA Information, Research and Education System (FIRES) is a centralized collection of books, manuscripts, literature, magazines, and scholarly research materials in print and electronic form, primarily pertaining to Zarathushti faith, culture, and history.

FIRES was established in 2010, and is housed and managed by the Zoroastrian Association of Houston (ZAH) Library. It is accessible by all FEZANA Associations and individuals.