Wisdom on website

Dr Homi B. Dhalla, who founded the World Zarathushti Cultural Foundation (WZCF) in 1998 for the preservation of Zarathushti literature, has launched a new website (homidhalla.com) to showcase the wealth of our vast literature, as per an e-mail from him received by Parsiana. "Though the Prophet spread his message in the distant past, his legacy lives on,” Dhalla states. "The moral vision, which he has bequeathed, is timeless. His message as taught in the Gathas brought forth ideas that not only changed the stream of human thought but influenced the most important concepts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This spirit of the Gathas has also been echoed in the Avestan and Pahlavi literature,” he continues.

Zoroastrian images grace Dhalla’s website

A crucial part of this literature is "wisdom literature.” Thoughts from Zoroastrian literature are being posted regularly on the website so that the "inspiring message of the Gathas as well as other maxims and admonitions from later literature” are brought to the common man, the write-up informs. The website, which is attractively designed with Zoroastrian images, acknowledges the sources of the quotes. Among these are Andarj-i-Aoshnar-i-Danak by Bamanji N. Dhabar; Moral Extracts from Zoroastrian Books by Jivanji J. Modi; Jamshed C. Tarapore’s Pahlavi Andarz-Namak containing Chitak Andarz-i-Poryotkaeshan and five other Andarz Texts; Irach J. Taraporewala’s The Religion of Zarathushtra; Chitak Handarz-i-Poryotkeshan – A Pahlavi Text by Maneck F. Kanga; as well as The Wisdom of the Sasanian Sages (Denkard VI) by Shaul Shaked.

The "About us” section of the website lists the education and cultural activities initiated by WZCF for the benefit of the Parsi community. These include conservation of the Bahrot Caves where the holy Iranshah was placed for 12 years, conducting archeological excavations at Sanjan, encouraging Avestan calligraphy, teaching monajats (devotional songs) to Parsi students, preservation and dissemination of our literature by setting up libraries in Bangalore, Baroda and Poona, preserving the ancient art of kusti weaving by teaching it to about 45 students at the Bai Avabai Petit Girls’ High School in Bombay, teaching the Gujarati language to students and preserving our rare manuscripts and books on CD-ROMs.