Archive

"It is an exciting opportunity to study a heritage of humanity in all its aspects… (It will) provide lectures by the best cultural experts in the field as well as proactive practitioners such as (puppeteer) Dadi Pudumjee, (couturier) Ashdeen Lilaowala and we hope even (thespian) Boman Irani… It’s the chance to get to understand a community which has never really been studied in such depth,” stated Parzor director Dr Shernaz Cama. She was communicating with Parsiana on August 7, 2024 about the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)-Parzor online certificate course in Parsi-Zoroastrian Cultural and Heritage Studies to begin on September 16. Classes will commence with an Introductory Week; the Foundation Course will follow a week later. 

  Dr Shernaz Cama (l); Prof Shankar Das

"TISS handles administration, guidance for course creation and the online platform. Parzor has invited the faculty. The conveners are responsible for their respective courses… Parzor handles overall academic development with all the rules of TISS being followed. It’s a University Grants Commission approved program…It was passed by TISS’s academic council as well as their governing board,” Cama informed us. There is no age limit for participants. While structured to be completed in 10 weeks, students may take up to two years, completing it at their own pace, as per guidelines in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 

TISS and Parzor have had a close relationship for over 20 years. Parzor worked on Parsi demographic studies with their sociologists that resulted in the seminal four-volume set The Parsis of India: Continuing at the Crossroads edited by Profs Armaity Desai and Shalini Bharat, stated Cama (see "Where we are headed,” Parsiana, May 21, 2017). "It is perhaps for this reason that TISS — its directors and pro vice chancellor (Prof Shankar Das) — has supported (the current) project even though it has taken years to fructify. We are very happy because it’s an ideal location for the Parzor course to develop into a full program.”  

Communicating with Parsiana on August 7, Das reiterated that the NEP highlights the need to revitalize and promote indigenous languages. "TISS plays a pivotal role in this by offering courses, conducting research and developing resources for the study and preservation of indigenous languages. Understanding (Zoroastrianism’s) doctrines, practices and historical impact enriches the study of ancient civilizations and their interconnectedness… Concepts such as heaven, hell, the final judgment and the dualism of good and evil trace their roots back to Zoroastrian teachings.” The pro vice chancellor stated that studying these ideas can offer new insights into contemporary philosophical debates, cultural diversity and ethical frameworks. "By integrating Zoroastrian studies into our university curricula and research agendas we could provide a more comprehensive, diverse and enriched educational experience.”

As states Prof Almut Hintze, Zartoshty Brothers professor of Zoroastrianism at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, on the Parzor website, the course will take a "truly interdisciplinary approach… The program will not only contribute to the study, teaching and learning of Parsi Zoroastrian traditions but also raise awareness on the importance of Zoroastrian heritage.” 

The TISS website lists the course objectives: Make the Parsi Zoroastrian perspective known to a generation which has not been exposed to this culture; encourage the study of tangible and intangible forms of a heritage; enable students to develop a unique understanding of cultures and communities; explain the core customs and rituals that form the heart of Zoroastrianism; encourage the study of Central Asian cultures as a sister cultural sphere; provide access to a digital resource platform of rare Zoroastrian texts and artefacts, among others.

The 20-credit certificate program priced at Rs 60,000 offers multiple courses from different tracks, each worth two credits. Students are expected to complete a compulsory foundation course on philosophy, history and culture taught by Cama and Hintze. Elective modules convened by experts in their respective fields include language and tradition (Dr Sarah Stewart and Hintze); Parsi literature (Prof Coomi Vevaina and Dr Kerman Daruwalla); historical perspectives (Drs Kurush Dalal and Firdaus Gandavia); contemporary studies (Dr Meher Mistry and Prof Siva Raju); material culture (Prof Kavas Kapadia and Dr Abhimanyu Acharya). A research paper/dissertation is required at the end of the course. Students have the flexibility to enroll for the entire course or choose specific modules depending on their interest, states the program structure that Cama sent to Parsiana. The course will offer live master classes and some physical classes when people like Hintze are visiting Bombay, she explained.  

Daruwalla, who will teach the module on Parsi Gujarati and Persian Literature, told Parsiana on August 12 that he has been involved with the program as an academic coordinator since 2021 when the initial draft was presented to the TISS academic board, followed by the fundraising exercise for the initiative, and putting together the faculty. "My course will introduce the class to the different languages of the Zoroastrian community, from Old Persian and the Sanskrit and Old Gujarati in ritual manuscripts, through Middle Persian/ Pahlavi, on to New Persian and Gujarati…The course will bring in guest faculty who are subject experts. Being an introductory course, it will not delve into the grammar or language structure; however, interested participants will have the option to take up an advance level version in later semesters…We are able to offer generous grants to eligible participants who register for the complete certificate program,” he stated.

As Das stated to Parsiana, "The study and practice (of Zoroastrian teachings) present unique philosophical perspectives on ethics, morality and the duality of existence.”