One million hits and more

"When we started the blog (www.zoroastrians.net) in 2007, we had no idea that we would reach a million hits with a community as small as ours,” stated its creator Yazdi Tantra in an email received by Parsiana. The blog’s blurb reads: "Parsis, Iranis, Zarathushtis all under one roof” which sums up its purpose as a "resource base for young Zoroastrians who always complained that they do not have enough material on religion, culture and social practices.” Much of the information was "spread all over,” hence the need to make it available at one site.
"Over a period of time, the idea grew… young and old, Zoroastrians and non-Zoroastrians from all over the world have been accessing the site for a reliable gateway to valuable Zoroastrian resources available online. We have had visitors from all over the world. India and USA top the list but surprisingly we have visitors from over 200 countries, including one from Vatican City! A PhD student from Belgium used the site for his research on how Zoroastrians apply their religion for business and a Japanese professor of Inter-Cultural Studies, from Tenri University used it as a launching pad for studies of Zoroastrian corporations, and landed up with submitting a paper (in Japanese!) on the success of Tata Consultancy Services as a Zoroastrian business corporation, mentions Tantra.

"Our main focus was to do positive stuff which was non-controversial. We included food, education, matrimony, religion, rituals, navjotes and weddings, interesting galleries, news, and some fun stuff too! We probably have the most comprehensive collection of scholarships (both from the community and from others) in one place. Nostalgic Gujarati songs, monajats and some fun songs… Parsi recipes and tele-classes on religion are worth dying for!” Tantra explains, while thanking the viewers for their comments. "Bouquets and brickbats are always encouraged and welcomed” and the site looks forward to "exploring new areas of delivery, especially through the smart phone mobile route on a multiplicity of channels and platforms.”
While pledging to further this labor of love in order to "leave behind a legacy for future generations to admire and cherish” Tantra offers a brief look at sister sites which could be useful. Among these are:
www.TheParsiDirectory.com: The largest free listing of Parsis and Iranis with more than 78,000 entries from all over the world, which can be searched by name/ location/ profession.
www.TheParsiInstitutions.com: The largest listing of Parsi institutions. Easily searchable citywise, it has lists of agiaries, atash behrams, anjumans, associations, clubs, dharamshalas, sanatoria, hospitals, dispensaries, hostels, etc.
www.TheParsiFamily.com: A unique initiative to connect each and every Zoroastrian through a single, online family tree. The site also offers many value added features and benefits in every field of activity from business to matrimonial matches to access to several Parsi publications. The site is multi-lingual and comments can be posted in both English and Gujarati. There is a free SMS service for uthamnas all over India (just give a missed call to 022-61816369). Currently they send more than 3,500 SMSs per day. There is also a free android app for Zoroastrian news from across the world, with over 1,800 downloads to date.
www.TheMissingParsi.com: A one-of-a kind resource, open to all who are looking for Parsis/ Iranis across the world. More than 50% cases referred have been solved, uniting friends and family across the globe.