It is nearing 1 a.m. in Bombay’s oldest fire temple, the Banaji Limji Agiary, tucked away in a narrow, nondescript lane in the Fort area. The fifth and last gah, the Ushahin, is heralded by the priest entering the sanctum sanctorum to tend the holy fire that has been burning bright for over 314 years. The priest strikes the gong nine times to shatter the silence as the six devotees present stand still, heads bowed in reverence. They are here at this unearthly hour to witness the completion of the ultimate Zoroastrian ritual — the nirangdin — being performed in......