Iranian embassy extends greetings to Parsi community on Navroz

The Iranian embassy in India today extended greetings to the Parsi community. The Parsi – or Zoroastrian community – had migrated in good numbers to India from Persia in the eighth century fearing persecution. The community celebrated its traditional New Year called Navroz yesterday.

The community is 25,000-strong in Iran. The Iran Embassy in India today posted on X saying it extends heartfelt greetings for the Parsi New Year and added, “We reaffirm the enduring Zoroastrian ideals: reverence for nature, the sanctity of life, the ultimate victory of good over evil, ethical integrity, and the equality of all beings.”

The post of the embassy said the Zoroastrian ideals have timeless values that have deeply influenced governance, arts, urban development, agriculture, trade, education, and civilised life.

“May the threefold principles of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds guide us toward creating a world that is more joyful, tolerant, and environmentally harmonious,” the post said.

The greetings from Iran are the second outreach that have come months after Mobed Mehraban Pouladi, a high-ranking Zoroastrian priest from Iran and President of the Council of Iranian Mobeds, visited India for the first time in five centuries. The priest was in India in December last year for a 10-day visit.

The Zoroastrian community in India hosted Pouladi during his tour, which included Mumbai and the south Gujarat towns of Udvada and Navsari, home to ancient Zoroastrian fire temples. Pouladi was here to observe how the Parsis perform their rituals and ceremonies. He aimed to foster ‘collaboration’ between Indian and Iranian Zoroastrians through joint initiatives and meetings between Indian and Iranian priests on an international platform.

Separately, in March last year, Mumbai University, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, launched an ‘Avesta Pahlavi’ study centre to preserve and study Parsi-Zoroastrian heritage. With a Rs 12 crore grant, the centre aims to document the Parsi community’s contributions to India’s development, analyse linguistic features, and deepen understanding of Avesta-Pahlavi’s role in cultural diversity.

India’s engagement with Iran also extends to language and education. Persian, or Farsi, was recently added to the list of India’s nine classical languages under the National Education Policy, reflecting the shared civilisational ties between the two nations that date back over 4,000 years.

India’s Zoroastrian community has left an indelible mark on the nation. Prominent Parsi families like the Tatas, Godrejs, Wadias, Mistrys, and Poonawalas have contributed significantly to India’s industrial, social, and cultural development.