After six decades of chronicling the life and challenges of India’s Parsi community, Parsiana, one of the country’s oldest minority magazines, will cease publication in October.
A legacy since 1964
Founded in 1964 by Pestonji Warden, a Parsi doctor and entrepreneur, the magazine began as a modest monthly focused on essays and medical writings. In 1973, Jehangir Patel bought the publication for one rupee and transformed it into a fortnightly journalistic enterprise featuring reported stories, sharp commentary, and illustrations that often tackled sensitive community issues with honesty and humor.
Parsiana became known for breaking taboos: from reporting on the high divorce rate among Parsis in its early days, to introducing interfaith matrimonial ads in 1987, which sparked controversy but reflected the magazine’s willingness to challenge convention.
Chronicler of a dwindling community
For decades, Parsiana connected Zoroastrians across India and abroad, offering readers coverage of social and religious events, profiles of institutions, and discussions on the community’s most pressing challenges — including declining population and debates over traditions such as the Towers of Silence.
Tributes have poured in since the closure announcement. Readers from Mumbai to Washington called the magazine “a companion and bridge” that kept the global Parsi community informed while tackling contentious issues with realism.
The final chapter
Patel, now 80, leads a 15-member team, many of whom have been with the magazine for decades. With dwindling subscriptions, financial challenges, and no successor to carry the legacy forward, the team has decided to bring the publication to a close.
“There’s a sense of tiredness mixed with the sadness,” Patel said, noting that there will be no celebrations on the final day — perhaps just a quiet office lunch.
“It’s a sad occasion,” he added. “I don’t think we’ll feel like celebrating.”
