List of Parsis
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
s with a Wikipedia article. The Parsis constitute one of the two Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
communities of the Indian subcontinent.
In science and industry
- Cowasji Shavaksha Dinshaw (Adenwalla)Cowasji Dinshaw AdenwallaCowasji Shavaksha Dinshaw was a Parsi trader who emigrated from Surat/Bombay to Aden around 1855, and went on to develop that town into a thriving port city...
(1827–1900): entrepreneur; founder of the modern port of AdenAdenAden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a... - Byram Dinshawji AvariByram Dinshawji AvariByram Dinshawji Avari is a prominent Pakistani businessman and twice Asian Games gold medalist. He is based in Karachi, Sindh.-Family:Avari is married to Gosphi and has two sons including, Xerxes.-Business Concerns:...
(19??- ): PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i hotelier, founder and chairman of the Avari Group of companies. - Homi Jehangir BhabhaHomi J. BhabhaHomi Jehangir Bhabha, FRS was an Indian nuclear physicist and the chief architect of the Indian atomic energy program...
(1909–1966): nuclear scientist; first chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission. - Adi BulsaraAdi BulsaraArdeshir "Adi" Ratan Bulsara is a scientist in the area nonlinear dynamics. He studied under the Nobel Prize winner Ilya Prigogine...
(1952-): Physicist - Keki DadisethKeki DadisethKeki Dadiseth is a corporate director, retired Unilever business executive, and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.He grew up in Pune, India...
(1946- ): Home and Personal Care Director, Unilever plc - Nadirshaw Edulji DinshawNadirshaw Edulji DinshawNadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw was the eldest son of the Karachi landowner and philanthropist Seth Edulji Dinshaw. He lived in Karachi, Sind, British India . When his studies were complete, he entered the family business in land and factories...
(18??-1924?): industrialist and philanthropist; NED Engineering CollegeNED University of Engineering and TechnologyThe Nadirshaw Eduljee Dinshaw University of Engineering and Technology is a public university in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded in 1922 as an engineering college, making it the oldest school in Pakistan for educating graduate engineers....
, - Ardeshir GodrejArdeshir GodrejArdeshir Burjorji Sorabji Godrej was an Indian businessman, who co-founded the Godrej Brothers Company, the precursor of the Godrej Group of companies.-Early years:...
(1868–1936): inventor; co-founder (with his brother Piroj) of the Godrej industrial empire - Pirojsha GodrejPirojsha GodrejPirojsha Godrej was an Indian businessman who laid the foundations for what is today the Godrej Industries Group. He was the son of Burjorji Godrej and a member of the Parsi community....
(1882–1972): entrepreneur; co-founder (with his brother Ardeshir) of the Godrej industrial empire - Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, Sir (1783–1859): opened sea trade with China; philanthropist
- Cowasjee Jehangir, Sir (1879–1962): civil engineer; master constructor of Bombay
- Fardunjee MarzbanFardunjee MarzbanFardunjee Marzaban or Fardoonjee Marazban was, among other things, a printer and a newspaper editor. He established the first vernacular printing press in Mumbai. He also started India’s oldest running periodical called the Bombay Samachar, which was printed primarily in Gujarati...
(1787–1847): publisher, founded the first vernacular newspaper on the Indian subcontinent Bombay SamacharBombay SamacharThe Mumbai Samachar is the oldest continuously published newspaper in India. It is published in Gujarati and is one of the most trusted newspapers of Mumbai-History:... - Pallonji MistryPallonji MistryPallonji Shapoorji Mistry is an Irish-Parsi construction tycoon. According to Forbes, his wealth is estimated to be US$8.8 billion as of 2011. He is the richest person of Parsi descent followed by Adi Godrej at US$7.3 Billion . With his 18.5% stake in Tata Sons, he is the single largest...
(1929- ): construction tycoon - Hormusjee Naorojee Mody, SirHormusjee Naorojee ModySir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody was a successful Parsi businessman in Hong Kong.-Biography:He was born in Bombay and moved to Hong Kong around 1860...
(1838–1911): financier and industrialist in Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... - Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, SirDinshaw Maneckji PetitSir Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, 1st Baronet , Parsi entrepreneur and founder of the first textile mills in India. He was also the grandfather of Rattanbai Petit Jinnah, who later became the wife of the founder of Pakistan, Mr...
(1823–1901): founded the first textile factories in India
- Jehangir Hormusjee RuttonjeeJehangir Hormusjee RuttonjeeJehangir Hormujee Ruttonjee was a Parsee in Hong Kong. He is famous for founding the Ruttonjee Sanatoriums and helped in the establishment of the Hong Kong Anti-Tuberculosis Association.-Biography:...
(1880–1960): industrialist; founded Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
's first brewery; established the first anti-tuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
sanatorium in the far-east - Homi Nusserwanji SethnaHomi SethnaHomi Nusserwanji Sethna , PhD, was an Indian nuclear scientist and a chemical engineer, who remained the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India during Indian first nuclear test, codename Smiling Buddha in Pokhran Test Range in 1974...
(1924-2010): Padma VibhushanPadma VibhushanThe Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
awardee, chemical engineer; guided the development of India's first nuclear explosive device. - Ardeshir Darabshaw ShroffArdeshir Darabshaw ShroffArdeshir Darabshaw Shroff was an eminent industrialist, banker and economist of India. In 1944, Shroff served as a non-official delegate at the United Nations "Bretton Woods Conference" on post-war monetary and financial systems...
(1899–1965): economist; delegate at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference; co-author of the Bombay PlanBombay PlanThe Bombay Plan is the name commonly given to a World War II-era set of proposals for the development of the post-independence economy of India. The plan, published in 1944/1945 by eight leading Indian industrialists, proposed state intervention in the economic development of the nation after...
; founder-director of the Investment Corporation of India; first Indian chairman of the Bank of IndiaBank of IndiaBank of India is a state-owned commercial bank with headquarters in Mumbai. Government-owned since nationalization in 1969, It is India's 4th largest bank, after State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda. It has 3415 branches, including 29 branches outside India... - Dorabji Tata, SirDorabji TataSir Dorabji Tata , was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist, and a key figure in the history and development of the Tata industrial empire...
(1859–1932): industrialist and philanthropist - Jamsetji Nusserwanji TataJamsetji TataJamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and industrialist, prominent for his pioneering work in Indian industry. He was born to a Parsi family in Navsari, Gujarat, India....
(1839–1904): industrialist; founder of the Tata group of companies, titled a "One-Man Planning Commission" by NehruJawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the... - Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (J. R. D.) TataJ. R. D. TataJehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was a pioneer aviator and important businessman of India. He was awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1992 and the Legion of Honour from the French government in 1954.-Early life and education:J. R. D...
(1904–1993): industrialist; founder of India's first commercial airline: Air IndiaAir IndiaAir India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman... - Ratan Naval TataRatan TataRatan Naval Tata is the present chairman of Tata Sons and therefore, Tata Group. Also, he is one among the few in the world...
(1937- ): Chairman of the Tata Group of companies; member of the central board of the Reserve Bank of IndiaReserve Bank of IndiaThe Reserve Bank of India is the central banking institution of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of... - Lovji Nusserwanjee WadiaLovji Nusserwanjee WadiaLovji Nusserwanjee Wadia was a Parsi from Surat, India and was a member of the Wadia family of shipwrights and naval architects.Known for his high standards of workmanship, Lovji Wadia secured contracts with the British East India Company to build ships and docks in Bombay in 1736...
(1702–1774): shipwright and naval architect; builder of the first dry-dock in Asia - Ness WadiaNess WadiaNess Wadia is an Indian businessman belonging to the Wadia family. He is currently the Managing Director of the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, a company which has holdings in most of the Wadia Group subsidiaries, including an indirect majority stake in Britannia Industries...
(1970-): joint-Managing Director of Bombay DyeingBombay DyeingBombay Dyeing is the flagship company of the Wadia Group, engaged mainly into the business of Textiles...
. - Jamshyd D. F. Lam (1942- ) : Retd. Senior Vice President, Indian Hotels Company Limited
In academia
- Mahzarin BanajiMahzarin BanajiMahzarin Rustum Banaji was born and raised in India, in the town of Secunderabad, where she attended St. Ann's High School. Her B.A. is from and her M.A. in Psychology from Osmania University in Hyderabad. In 1986, Banaji received a Ph.D. from Ohio State University, and was an NIH postdoctoral...
: Professor of Psychology, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... - Jamshed BharuchaJamshed BharuchaJamshed Bharucha is President of Cooper Union. Prior to this, he was Provost and Senior Vice President of Tufts University and Professor in the Departments of Psychology, Music and in the Medical School's Department of Neuroscience...
(1956- ): President, Cooper UnionCooper UnionThe Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
. Formerly, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(first Indian AmericanIndian AmericanIndian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
to serve as the dean of a school at an Ivy LeagueIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
institution). - Homi K. BhabhaHomi K. BhabhaHomi K. Bhabha is the Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature and Language, and the Director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University. He is one of the most important figures in contemporary post-colonial studies, and has coined a number of the field's neologisms and...
(1949- ): cultural-studies theorist; Professor, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. - Rusi TaleyarkhanRusi TaleyarkhanRusi P. Taleyarkhan is a faculty member in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University since 2003. Prior to that, he was on staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee...
: Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue UniversityPurdue UniversityPurdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
.
In entertainment, religion, sports and astrology
- Aruna IraniAruna IraniAruna Irani is an Indian actress. An accomplished actress and dancer of her time, Aruna Irani has acted in about 300 movies, with many memorable acting performances to her credit...
: Bollywood actress. - Boman IraniBoman IraniBoman Irani is an Indian film and theatre actor and photographer. Irani began his acting career in theatre and moved to film in 2000 at the age of 44 with a role in Josh...
: Bollywood actor - Homi AdajaniaHomi AdajaniaHomi Adajania is an Indian film director. His directorial debut Being Cyrus was an off-beat English-Language psychological drama film. Touted as one of the brilliant emerging directors coming from India, Homi Adajania was also the co-author of Being Cyrus, which was his debut as a director. He has...
(1972- ): Film Director, Writer and SCUBA Diving Instructor (CMAS Three Star) - Erick AvariErick AvariErick Avari is an Indian American television, film and theater actor known for his roles in various science-fiction serial productions.-Early life:...
(1952- ): Hollywood actor. - Ardeshir IraniArdeshir IraniKhan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani ; popularly known as Ardeshir Irani, was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema. He was renowned for making films in Hindi, Telugu, English, German, Indonesian, Persian,...
- Filmmaker - Cyrus BroachaCyrus BroachaCyrus Broacha is a TV anchor, Theatre Personality, Political Satirist, columnist and author. He is also a stand-up comedian and prankster, best known for his show Bakra on MTV and his show The Week that Wasn't on CNN-IBN.-Early years:...
(1971- ): MTV India VJ and stand-up comedian. - Behram "Busybee" ContractorBehram ContractorBehram Contractor , also known as Busybee, was a figure in Indian journalism.He worked at the Free Press Journal, Times of India , and Midday before founding his own newspaper The Afternoon Despatch and Courier in 1985...
(1930–2001): journalist and columnist. - Nariman "Nari" ContractorNari ContractorNariman Jamshedji "Nari" Contractor is a former cricket player. He was left-handed opening batsman whose international career was ended abruptly by a serious injury....
(1934- ): cricketer; coach at the CCICricket Club of IndiaCricket Club of India is located on Dinsha Wacha Road, near Churchgate in Mumbai, India. It is one of the oldest and most well known cricket clubs in India...
Academy. - Ardeshir CowasjeeArdeshir CowasjeeArdeshir Cowasjee is a renowned newspaper columnist from Karachi, Sindh in Pakistan. His columns regularly appear in the country's oldest English newspaper Dawn. Recently a new blog has been started with the view of accumulating the bulk of ardeshir's articles...
(1926- ): investigative journalist and newspaper columnist. - Nauheed CyrusiNauheed CyrusiNauheed Cyrusi is an Indian model of ethnic Parsi of Iranian descent, VJ and actress. She was born on 19 October 1982.- Early life :She studied in J.B...
(1982- ): model, film actress, television presenter - Bejan DaruwallaBejan DaruwallaBejan Daruwalla is a popular Indian astrology columnist. He has also served as a professor of English in Ahmedabad. Despite being of Parsi heritage, he is known to be an ardent follower of Shri Ganesh...
(1931- ): astrologer. - Keki Daruwalla (1937- ), poet and writer
- Sam DastorSam DastorSam Dastor is an actor best known for his appearances in British television series.He is perhaps best remembered for playing Cassius Chaerea in the 1976 BBC adaptation of I, Claudius...
(1941- ): television actor and director. - Maneckji Nusserwanji DhallaManeckji Nusserwanji DhallaManeckji Nusserwanji Dhalla , also abbreviated M. N. Dhalla, was a Zoroastrian priest and religious scholar....
(1875–1956): high priest and religious scholar. - Farrukh DhondyFarrukh DhondyFarrukh Dhondy is a British writer, playwright and activist of Indian Parsi descent.-Education:Dhondy obtained a BSc degree from University of Poona in India before winning a scholarship to Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1964 where he read Natural Sciences before switching to English...
(1944- ): novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, journalist. - Diana Eduljee (1956 - ): first captain of the Indian women’s Cricket team – from 1978 till 1993
- Farokh EngineerFarokh EngineerFarokh Maneksha Engineer is a former Indian cricketer of Parsi background who played 46 Tests for India and played first-class cricket for Mumbai in India and Lancashire in England. Engineer's active international career started in 1961 and continued to 1975, and he was India's first-choice...
(1938- ): cricketer. - Karishmeh FelfeliKarishmeh FelfeliKarishmeh Felfeli is a radio broadcaster, pianist, vocalist and creator of , a critically acclaimed classical music and arts radio program for Dublin City FM...
: musician, radio personality, founder-director of the Glenn Gould Project. - Zerbanoo GiffordZerbanoo GiffordZerbanoo Gifford is a Human Rights campaigner, author, and founding director of the ASHA Foundation. Zerbanoo is married to the international human rights lawyer Richard Gifford and lives in England...
(1950- ): human rights campaigner - Kaizad GustadKaizad GustadKaizad Gustad is an Indian film director and writer. He is best known for his 1998 comedy Bombay Boys and debut novel Of No Fixed Address....
(1968- ): film director. - Boman IraniBoman IraniBoman Irani is an Indian film and theatre actor and photographer. Irani began his acting career in theatre and moved to film in 2000 at the age of 44 with a role in Josh...
(1962-) : Indian film and theatre actor, host of the 2007 IIFA awards - Aban Marker KabrajiAban Marker Kabraji-Work:As Asia Regional Director of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Ms. Kabraji provides strategic leadership for IUCN’s work in the 23 countries of the region. In Asia, IUCN has some 350 staff with offices in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indo¬nesia, Lao PDR, Nepal,...
(1953-) : Pakistani ecologist, Asian regional director of IUCN - Firdaus KangaFirdaus KangaFirdaus Kanga is a writer and actor who lives in London. He has written a novel, Trying to Grow a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a travel book Heaven on Wheels about his experiences in the United Kingdom...
(1960- ): author, actor and screenwriter. - Rustom Khurshedji KaranjiaRussi KaranjiaRustom Khurshedji Karanjia was an Indian journalist and editor. He typically signed his reports as "R. K...
(1912–2008): Journalist & editor, founder of India's first tabloid, Blitz. - Persis KhambattaPersis KhambattaPersis Khambatta was an Indian model, actress and author. She was best known for her role as Lieutenant Ilia in the 1979 feature film Star Trek: The Motion Picture.-Early Life:...
(1950–1998): actress and model. Miss IndiaMiss IndiaMiss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India, one of the most recognized contests to produce international beauty queens in the 90s, which annually selects three winners to compete globally. It is organized by Femina, a women's magazine published by Bennett, Coleman & Co...
in 1965. - Firdaus KharasFirdaus KharasFirdaus Kharas is a Canadian director and producer of animation, film and television media.Kharas worked as a bureaucrat with the United Nations and as assistant deputy chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, before becoming involved with media...
(1955–): animation, television and film producer and director. - Mehr JesiaMehr Jesia-Personal life:Mehr was born into a Parsi family on 30 November 1969. She has always shown great interest in sports, and was known to enjoy swimming, badminton, and other sports before she became a model....
Indian model - Shapur KharegatShapur KharegatShapur Sorab Kharegat was an Anglo-Indian journalist, editor and former Asia Director of The EconomistKharegat was born in Bombay, at "Palm Land", the home of his maternal great-grandfather, the ship chandler magnat Kavasjee Dadabhoy Dubash , to Col. Dr. Sorabjee Merwanjee Kharegat *1900...
(1932–2000): Journalist, editor and director of The Economist (Asia). - Behramji MalabariBehramji MalabariBehramji Merwanji Malabari was an Indian poet, publicist, author, and social reformer best known for his ardent advocacy for the protection of the rights of women.- Early life :...
(1853–1912): poet, publicist, author, and social reformer. - Meher BabaMeher BabaMeher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
(Merwan Sheriar Irani, 1894-1969)Indian Mystic - Eruch JessawalaEruch JessawalaEruch Byramshaw Jessawala , born in Bombay, India, was a close disciple of the silent Indian master Meher Baba, and one of his mandali. Jessawala was also the primary interpreter of Meher Baba's , and later his unique sign language.- Early life :Jessawala was born in Bombay to Zoroastrian parents,...
, Meher Baba's interpreter - Mehli MehtaMehli Mehta-Early life:Mehta was born in Bombay, British India to a Parsi family. His involvement in music stemmed from his birth. As a young violinist his main musical influence and inspiration was Jascha Heifetz. A pioneering figure in the Indian musical world, he founded the Bombay Symphony Orchestra in...
(1908–2002): musician; founder of the Bombay Philharmonic and Bombay String Orchestras. - Zarin Mehta (1938- ): musician; executive director of the New York Philharmonic since 2000
- Zubin MehtaZubin MehtaZubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
(1936- ): musician; Musical Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, former director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Bavarian State Opera. - Freddie MercuryFreddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
(Farrokh Bulsara, 1946–1991): rock icon and lead singer for QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. - Deena M. MistriDeena M. MistriDeena M. Mistri was an educationalist from Pakistan.-Early life and family: Mrs. Mistri was a member of the Zoroastrian Community. Born in Hyderabad Sind on 21st May, 1925 to Dhunmai & Seth Pestonjee Jamshedji Soparivala.She was married to Minoo Mistri, an architect, for 57 years. They had two...
(19??- ): author and educationalist; recipient of Pakistan's "Pride of Performance" medal. - Rohinton MistryRohinton MistryRohinton Mistry is an Indian-born Canadian writer in English. Residing in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, Mistry is of Indian origin, originally from Mumbai, Zoroastrian and belongs to the Parsi community. Mistry is a Neustadt International Prize for Literature laureate .-Biography:Rohinton Mistry was...
(1952- ): novelist, short story author, screenplay writer. - Sohrab ModiSohrab ModiSohrab Modi was an Indian Parsi stage and film actor, director and producer. His films include Khoon Ka Khoon , a version of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Sikandar, Pukar, Prithvi Vallabh, Jhansi ki Rani, Mirza Ghalib, and Nausherwan-e-dil . His films always carried a message of strong commitment to...
(1897–1984): stage and film actor, director and producer. - Ray PanthakiRay PanthakiRay Panthaki is a British-born actor, film producer and writer.Born in London, Panthaki is best known for the roles he played on BBC soap opera EastEnders as Ronny Ferreira and as 'Hassan B' the nemesis to Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G in Ali G Indahouse...
(1979- ): actor and film producer - Cyrus PonchaCyrus PonchaCyrus Poncha is currently the Indian squash coach. Born in 1976 in Bombay, he is based in Chennai, and coaches at the ICL-TNSRA Academy. Today, India is among the emerging countries in squash especially on the world junior circuit...
(1976- ): Asian Squash Federation Junior Coach of the Year 2003-4. - Bapsi SidhwaBapsi SidhwaBapsi Sidhwa is an author of Pakistani origin who writes in English. She is perhaps best known for her collaborative work with filmmaker Deepa Mehta: Sidhwa wrote both the 1991 novel Ice Candy Man which is the basis for Mehta's 1998 film Earth as well as the 2006 novel Water: A Novel which is...
(1938- ): author and screenwriter; vocal proponent of women's rights - Godrej SidhwaGodrej SidhwaErvad Godrej Sidhwa was born in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1925, and studied Avesta, Pahalvi, Persian & Pazend languages, plus Ancient Iranian literature at M.F. Cama Athornan Institute, Andheri, Mumbai, for 6 years. He got initiated into the Zoroastrian priesthood by going through the Navar and...
(1925- ): theologian, historian and high priest. - Kaikhosru Shapurji SorabjiKaikhosru Shapurji SorabjiKaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji was an English composer, music critic, pianist, and writer.-Biography:...
(1892–1988): composer, music critic, pianist, and writer. - Sooni TaraporevalaSooni TaraporevalaSooni Taraporevala is an internationally acclaimed screenwriter and photographer, currently based in India. She is best known as the screenwriter of Mississippi Masala, The Namesake and Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay , all directed by Mira Nair.She directed her first feature film, based on a...
(1957- ): screenwriter, author and photographer. - Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" UmrigarPolly UmrigarPahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigar was an Indian cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Bombay, and Test cricket in the Indian cricket team, mainly as a middle-order batsman but also bowling occasional medium pace and off spin. He captained the Indian team in eight Test matches from 1955 to...
(1926–2006): cricketer. - Zubin VarlaZubin VarlaZubin Varla is a British actor and singer. He played the role of Judas in the 1996 West End revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, alongside Steve Balsamo , Joanna Ampil , and David Burt...
(19??- ): stage actor. - Nina WadiaNina Wadia-Television and film:Wadia first came to prominence in BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, playing characters such as Mrs "I can make it at home for nothing!" and one half of The Competitive Mothers...
(1968- ): British-Indian comedienne and television actress, currently and most notably from EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. - Perizaad ZorabianPerizaad ZorabianPerizaad Zorabian is an Indian actress. Her film debut was with Nagesh Kukunoor's Bollywood Calling and she gained international recognition for her role as Jenny in Subhash Ghai's Joggers' Park .-Early life:...
(1973- ): model, film actress
Politicians, activists and bureaucrats
- Minocher BhandaraMinocher BhandaraMinocher Bhandara , popularly known as Minoo, was a Pakistani businessman and former minority representative and member of the National Assembly of Pakistan . He belonged to the small Zoroastrian community.-Family:...
(1937?-2008): Pakistani parliamentarian and owner of Muree Brewery. - Mancherjee BhownagreeMancherjee BhownagreeSir Mancherjee Merwanjee Bhownagree, KCIE, was a British Conservative Party politician of Indian Parsi heritage...
(1851–1933): politician, second Asian to be elected to the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
(Conservative). - Jamsheed MarkerJamsheed MarkerJamsheed Kaikobad Ardeshir Marker, HI, is a veteran Pakistani diplomat. Reportedly, he is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having been ambassador to more countries than any other person...
(1922- ): Pakistani diplomat, ambassador to more countries than any other person; recipient of Hilal-i Imtiaz. - Minoo Masani (1905–1998): author, parliamentarian and a member of the Constituent Assembly.
- Frene GinwalaFrene GinwalaFrene Noshir Ginwala is a South African journalist and politician who was the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa from 1994 to 2004.Frene Ginwala is an Indian South African from the Parsi-Indian community of western India...
(1932- ): Is a member of the ANC and aided Nelson Mandela in abolishing apartheid in South Africa. Later served for 7 years as Speaker Of the House of Parliament in South Africa - Jamshed Nusserwanjee MehtaJamshed Nusserwanjee MehtaJamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta was the first elected Mayor of Karachi and remembered as the "Maker of Modern Karachi". He was also a notable figure in the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association.-Public life:...
(1886–1952): former Mayor of Karachi for 12 consecutive years. - Justice Dorab PatelDorab PatelChief Justice Dorab Framrose Patel , was a Pakistan jurist, and lawmaker who served as a former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Chief Justice of Sindh High Court...
(1924–1997): Former Chief Justice of Sindh High Court, former Justice of Supreme Court of PakistanSupreme Court of PakistanThe Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...
and human rights campaigner. - Cowasji Jehangir (Readymoney)Cowasji Jehangir ReadymoneySir Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney, CSI , was a Parsi community leader, philanthropist and industrialist of Bombay, India .Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney came from a wealthy Parsi family. His grandfather and two great-uncles had moved in the early 18th century from Navsari, near Surat, to Bombay and had...
(1812–1878): J.P.Justice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
; introduced income tax in India; first baronetBaronetA baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
of Bombay. - Shapurji SaklatvalaShapurji SaklatvalaShapurji Saklatvala was a British politician of Indian Parsi heritage. He was the third Indian Member of Parliament in the Parliament of the United Kingdom after fellow Parsis Dadabhai Naoroji and Mancherjee Bhownagree....
(1874–1936): socialist, workers' welfare activist, third Asian to be elected to the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
(Communist, Labour). - B. P. Wadia (1881-1958), Indian theosophist and labour activist. Pioneered the creation of workers unions in India.
Indian Independence Movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
- Bhikaiji CamaBhikaiji CamaBhikaiji Rustom CamaBhikhai- is the name as it appears in the biographies. Another common form is Bhikai- , as it appears on the postage stamp. The name is also frequently misspelled 'Bhikha-' , which is a male name...
(1861–1936): political activist, co-creator of the Indian nationalist flag. - Feroze GandhiFeroze GandhiFeroze Jehangir Gandhi was an Indian politician and journalist, and publisher of the The National Herald and The Navjivan newspapers from Lucknow....
(1912–1960): journalist and politician; Indian MPMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
under Jawaharlal Nehru; father of Rajiv GandhiRajiv GandhiRajiv Ratna Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India . He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.Rajiv Gandhi was the elder son of Indira...
and grandfather of Rahul GandhiRahul GandhiRahul Gandhi is an Indian politician and member of the parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency. His political party is the Indian National Congress.-Early life and career:...
. - Pherozeshah Mehta, SirPherozeshah MehtaSir Pherozeshah Mehta, KCIE was an Parsi Indian political leader, activist, and a leading lawyer, who was knighted by then British Government in India for his service to the law...
(1845–1915): political activist, co-founder and first President of the Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, founder of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. - Dadabhai NaorojiDadabhai NaorojiDadabhai Naoroji , known as the Grand Old Man of India, was a Parsi intellectual, educator, cotton trader, and an early Indian political leader. His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the draining of India's wealth into Britain...
(1825–1917): economist, political activist, first Asian to be elected to the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
(Liberal), first to publicly demand independence from Great Britain. - Khurshed Framji NarimanKhurshed NarimanKhurshed Framji Nariman, also known as Veer Nariman, was one of the second generation of Parsi stalwarts in the Indian National Congress. He came into the public eye in 1928 as an independent and courageous politician for his sensational process against the British engineer involved in the Bombay...
(18??-19??): social activist, Mayor of Bombay. Member of the Indian National CongressIndian National CongressThe Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
.
Law
- Sam Piroj BharuchaSam Piroj BharuchaSam Piroj Bharucha was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India from November 2001 until his retirement in 2002.He began his legal career as an advocate of the Bombay High Court in 1960, and was appointed an Additional Judge in 1977. His judgeship was made permanent in 1978, and in 1991 he...
(1937- ): Chief Justice of India. - S. H. KapadiaS. H. KapadiaSarosh Homi Kapadia is the thirty-eighth and current Chief Justice of India.-Early life:...
- Current Chief Justice of IndiaChief Justice of IndiaThe Chief Justice of India is the highest-ranking judge in the Supreme Court of India, and thus holds the highest judicial position in India. As well as presiding in the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice also head its administrative functions....
. - Fali Sam NarimanFali Sam NarimanFali Sam Nariman is a distinguished Indian Constitutional jurist, and senior advocate to the Supreme Court of India since 1971 and has remained the President of the Bar Association of India since 1991. Nariman is an internationally recognized authority on international arbitration...
(1929-): jurist, recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. - Nanabhoy ("Nani") PalkhivalaNanabhoy PalkhivalaNanabhoy "Nani" Ardeshir Palkhivala was an Indian jurist and economist.- Early years :Nani Palkhivala was born in 1920 in Bombay to blue collar, middle-class Parsi parents...
(1920–2002): prominent jurist and economist. - Soli Jehangir SorabjeeSoli SorabjeeSoli Jehangir Sorabjee is an Indian jurist.-Biography:Soli Sorabjee was born on March 9, 1930 in Bombay, and after an education at Government Law College, Bombay, was admitted to the bar in 1953...
(1930- ): former Attorney-General of India.
Army
- Fali Homi MajorFali Homi MajorAir Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major served as the eighteenth Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force taking office on April 1, 2007, and becoming the first helicopter pilot in the service to be promoted to the office of Chief...
(1947-): Former Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. - Sam ManekshawSam ManekshawField Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, MC "Sam Bahadur" was a Field Marshal of the Indian Army. His distinguished military career spanned four decades and five wars...
(1914–2008): Former Indian Army chief and the Second Indian Field MarshalField MarshalField Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
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Others
- Rattanbai PetitRattanbai PetitMaryam Jinnah , was the second wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah - an important figure in the Indian Independence Movement and later founder of Pakistan....
(1900-1929): second wife of Muhammad Ali JinnahMuhammad Ali JinnahMuhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum .... - Dossabhoy Muncherji RajaDossabhoy Muncherji RajaDossabhoy Muncherji Raja was the first native Indian to be appointed 'Principal Appraiser' of precious stones for the customs office of the Bombay Presidency, which was then a province of British India....
(1873–1947): first Indian to be appointed appraiser of precious stones to British Indian customs. Awarded the title of Khan SahibKhan SahibKhan Sahib - a compound of khan and sahib - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim, Parsi and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire...
. - Bukhtyar RustomjiBuck RuxtonDr Buck Ruxton , also known as Buktyar Rustomji Ratanji Hakim, was a Parsi doctor and murderer, involved in one of the United Kingdom's most publicised murder cases of the 1930s, which gripped the nation at the time...
(1899–1936), MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
-born Lancaster doctor executed for murdering his wife and a maid