Ahmedabad’s Parsis

In conformity with the present demographic trend, the number of Parsi families in Ahmedabad has come down to 620 from 646 in 2001. There are a total of 1,739 Parsis living in Gujarat’s premier metropolis, of which the largest component, 271 are in the 51-60 age group. The total number of those under 20 years is 301, while there are 61 Parsis aged over 80 years.

This information is contained in The Ahmedabad Parsi Directory 2006, forwarded to Parsiana by Firoze H. Davar, joint honorary secretary of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat which compiled and published it. With the advent of mobile phones and e-mail, the earlier edition, brought out in 2001, had become obsolete, and hence this commendable effort by Rashid S. Medora and his team.

The Directory provides some interesting historical information. The first Parsi Zarathushti to have come to Ahmedabad was Adil Aspandiar Kothavala who is believed to have accompanied Gen Godard from Surat and entered the walled city with him on February 13, 1780 through the Khan Jahan Darwaja (gate). The next Parsi to come to Ahmedabad was Pestonji Faramji Vakil in 1814, followed by Man­cherji Sorabji Karanja­wala in 1818. Interestingly, all three came from Surat. The first Parsi Panchayat in Ahmedabad was presided over by Karanjawala, perhaps from 1863 and the first two women to be appointed to its managing committee were Bai Dinbai Sorabji Lalkaka and Dr (Ms) Goolbanu Dhanjibhai Medora.