"a look at contemporary parsi life" - another subcontinent forums

"a look at contemporary parsi life", photographs by sue darlow

arnab	Dec 21 2004, 12:22 PM Post #1
bandwidth glutton Group: founding members Posts: 14726 Joined: 21-July 04 From: northfield, minnesota Member No.: 1	another subcontinent is proud to present our second feature: "a look at contemporary parsi life: photographs by sue darlow". this feature is now live on our home site. we invite your thoughts and feedback on it here. sue will participate in the discussion as well. -------------------- yeh sab kya ho raha hai, beta duryodhan? arnab@anothersubcontinent.com

anil	Dec 21 2004, 02:58 PM Post #2
member Group: bandwidth eaters Posts: 3289 Joined: 4-August 04 From: Homeless, Stateless - Bosnia/Kosovo Member No.: 58	Sue: First reaction - Oh my Goodness - Jimmy B - A favourite of my Grandpa and Uncles - Small world

Rumali Roti	Dec 21 2004, 05:29 PM Post #3
member Group: bandwidth eaters Posts: 4172 Joined: 27-July 04 Member No.: 19	Sue, I know that the Parsi population is shrinking -- can you say something about the growth rate? In this selection of photographs, older people far outnumber young. In Gallery 5, frame 1, you've tagged the Buhariwala residence as "tradidional style." What makes it traditionally Parsi? Is it the style of the home (eaves above, tiled floors etc) or the way ithe house is furnished? Do you ask people (I mean people you don't know) before you photograph them? Most of these photos (maybe all!) look like they were not staged or composed. I love the spontaneous nature of your work! This post has been edited by roshna: Dec 21 2004, 05:31 PM

samir	Dec 21 2004, 05:32 PM Post #4
member Group: maha contributors Posts: 723 Joined: 27-July 04 Member No.: 20	Sue, beautiful photographs. Will look forward to more pics on this gallery (how about some pics around a dinner table :-) and involving sports [cricket?]) as well as more galleries from you. Thanks, Samir

Jai Malhar	Dec 21 2004, 09:51 PM Post #5
member Group: bandwidth eaters Posts: 1944 Joined: 5-September 04 Member No.: 117	Very evocative pictures.

RanbirKaleka	Dec 21 2004, 09:54 PM Post #6
member Group: regular contributors Posts: 30 Joined: 16-November 04 Member No.: 183	Dear Sue Darlow, Enjoyed the photographs.....more later. will visit the show again and will write before too long. Best wishes, Ranbir

seajay	Dec 22 2004, 12:09 AM Post #7
bandwidth eater Group: moderators Posts: 2254 Joined: 22-July 04 Member No.: 7	Stunning! Again! There are so many wonderful images in this collection, but for the moment I just want to gush over one of them -- that of Farzana of Perth reclining on the couch during her visit to India. This is beautifully composed, capturing the specific moment while evoking nostalgia for others the viewer may have experienced. What blew me away in particular was the color -- that balance of cool (walls, clothing) and warm (woman, couch) is just amazing! Very painterly without sacrificing its journalistic purpose. Hazaar huzzahs, cj -------------------- have you no sense plenty of it he answered but at times we get tired of using it

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 01:25 AM

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QUOTE (roshna @ Dec 21 2004, 05:29 PM)

I know that the Parsi population is shrinking -- can you say something about the growth rate? In this selection of photographs, older people far outnumber young.

Hi Roshna

I was just about to type out a serious reply to your query when this appeared in my mailbox -

Soli Solicitor shuddered at the Census sentence, knowing there was
no reprieve. Nusli had an asli aneurysm at the prospect of the
makers of Bombay dying out. Jimmy Gymkhanawalla went into a
paroxysm of population push up.

Home-for-the-Aged Homi's thoughts strayed far from his hernia.
Kawas clutched on to his Kawasaki bike, trying not to fall off the
seat and the map. But it was of no use.

The writing on the wall was as clear as a fire-temple bell. The
latest Census had confirmed the continuous demographic decline of
the Parsis; now they were down to a critical 69,601. How soon would
the world say Ta-ta to the grand old community?

For a long time already, Mumbai's Dadar Parsi Colony had looked like
a museum-piece, preserving what had disappeared elsewhere in Mumbai -
low-slung houses, leafy lanes, table manners, and the increasingly
rare species of Homo sapienwalla.

But now a pall of gloom enveloped the enclave like an old shawl
swathing Ivory Ava's shoulders. In deference to the
decline, `Benaifer Boobs' raised her notorious neckline, and `Jabri
Jer' lowered her shrill haranguing of Docile Dinsu, the dhobhi and
the neighbour's Doberman.

As they huddled over their lunch of crisp-fried bumla, the Parsis in
baugs and colonies trembled at the prospect of being out for a
Bombay duck themselves. What would apro Nari, Polly and Rusi say!

As they dipped their RTI bhakras into their afternoon mint tea,
Bachelor Bomi and Spinster Spenta rued the fact that they were among
the large segment that startled sociologists and Shata-bens alike.

The `Never Marrieds' had created the uniquely Parsi phenomenon of
most of their flats being occupied by adults who weren't spouses.
Brother-sister, mother-daughter, and uncle-nephew lived under one
roof, bound by blood, RBI bonds and bickering.

Spenta, 68, said, "I sacrificed marriage because I had to look after
Pappa." Bomi, 70, said, "I couldn't get married because Mamma,
bless her departed soul, wouldn't give me a divorce."

Kekoo Kaka, 83, ambled in humming the Parsi song, `Bachelor Boy'.
That jolly gentleman, with a gleam in his eye and glaucoma, was
determined to uphold the community's philosophy of `Eat, drink and
be merry, for tomorrow we die out'.

No, Sir, they wouldn't just wither away: they would go out in a
burst of farce and murghi na farcha. Kekoo Kaka decided right then
that on the New Year's Eve at the Willingdon Club, he would not sing
something as depressing as `Auld Lang Syne-off'.

Instead, he pulled out his father's gold-nibbed Mont Blank, and
composed an adaptation of a more cheerful song of the season.

To `Rudolph's jaunty tune, he would belt out:

"Rustom, the hook-nosed Parsi,
Had a very distinct nose.
And if you ever saw it,
You might even think it growed.

All of the other Indians
Used to laugh and call him names.
They never let poor Rustom
Join in any desi games.

Then one stormy Census eve,
Banthia came to say,
"Rustom with your numbers, plight
I will spell your doom tonight."

So all the other Parsis jumped
up and down with glee
They said to long-nosed Rustom,
"We'll pass into his-to-ry!"

[Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA - September 12, 2004

Sue

Ammini	Dec 22 2004, 01:38 AM Post #9
member Group: bandwidth eaters Posts: 1300 Joined: 14-September 04 From: Texas Member No.: 127	Sue: Beautiful pictures - all spontaneous, not posed. Will visit your show again. Ammini -------------------- www.peppertrail.com

shanta	Dec 22 2004, 02:14 AM Post #10
bandwidth eater Group: moderators Posts: 2130 Joined: 12-November 04 Member No.: 179	Sue, Beautiful pictures! Very spontaneous! Looking forward to more of your collections. Quick question re. the history of Parsis in India - did the Parsi names(first and last) ever get influenced by the local language/s? Eg: one of my father's friend's last name was Daruwalla - does it really mean what it means in Hindi? If so, what was the reason for the change? I find something new I'd not noticed earlier everytime I go thru the gallery of pictures! shanta

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 03:09 AM

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QUOTE (anil @ Dec 21 2004, 02:58 PM)

Sue: First reaction - Oh my Goodness - Jimmy B - A favourite of my Grandpa and Uncles - Small world

Hi Anil

In what connection did your folks know Jimmy? He was a well known character in certain circles. He had a fiery temper with humans, but managed to bring the best out in animals. He always addressed them (the animals) as "sweetheart" and such like, and I remember some dogs he had for training looking at him with complete adoration.

As kids we were in awe of him and his unpredictable temper, but in his last years I had some very enlightening conversations with him. He was soft as kitcheree inside.

Sue

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 03:30 AM

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QUOTE (roshna @ Dec 21 2004, 05:29 PM)

I know that the Parsi population is shrinking -- can you say something about the growth rate? In this selection of photographs, older people far outnumber young.

Hello again Roshna

I will try to answer your question more seriously this time!

The Census of 2001 reported that there were 69,601 Parsis in India, while at their peak in 1941, the Census recorded 114, 890.

Here's another fact - in Mumbai in 2002, there were 300 births, but 558 deaths.

Here's another personal figure - my mother was one of six children. If all six had married and had six kids each, there would have been thirty six in the next generation, but in fact there are only a paltry five children, and two of them are not even qualified to be Zoroastrians as their fathers are not Parsi!

Sue

arnab	Dec 22 2004, 03:31 AM Post #13
bandwidth glutton Group: founding members Posts: 14726 Joined: 21-July 04 From: northfield, minnesota Member No.: 1	sue, i've been looking at these photographs for some time now but i am still stunned each time i see them--not even the painful process of web-design and image-optimization has dulled my regard for them! i wanted to ask you a question on a subject some of the others have touched on: the question of posing/spontaneity. as you know some of my favorite shots here are the "painterly" ones (as seajay referred to them). i am wondering about the degree of serendipity involved--some of them are so perfectly composed (the three boys in front of the school, the doctor with the phone) that they almost seem posed. can you talk a little about the process of taking these pictures? thanks, arnab -------------------- yeh sab kya ho raha hai, beta duryodhan? arnab@anothersubcontinent.com

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 03:51 AM

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QUOTE (roshna @ Dec 21 2004, 05:29 PM)

In Gallery 5, frame 1, you've tagged the Buhariwala residence as "tradidional style." What makes it traditionally Parsi? Is it the style of the home (eaves above, tiled floors etc) or the way ithe house is furnished?

Hello again

I mean to say, there is a traditional style of architecture in Navsari iteslf, like all old towns in Gujarat, but this interior has some traditional Parsi touches as well. You may not see all of them in the photo, but here are some examples -

The planter's chair in the left foreground is very common in Paris homes - it has extending armrests. The old style pendulum clock. The portraits of the ancestors no doubt even non- Parsis have, but perhaps not in such profusion!

This house is obviously similar in general layout to other non-Parsi homes in the town of Navsari - they adjoin each other along the street, are one room width across and quite deep through to the back, on two or three levels. The tile work on the floor and in the furniture can be found in other Navsari homes.

If you look at the fifth photo in the same gallery, you will see another house furnished in typical Paris style, this time in Jhansi. The well made heavy wooden furniture is too big and cumbersome to even fit in most modern homes!

Sue

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 04:14 AM

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QUOTE (roshna @ Dec 21 2004, 05:29 PM)

Do you ask people (I mean people you don't know) before you photograph them?

Most of these photos (maybe all!) look like they were not staged or composed. I love the spontaneous nature of your work!

Well, obviously for the photos taken in people's homes I had to ask their permission to enter if they weren't family or close friends!

Depending on the circumstances, I like to spend enough time inside so as to get past the completely awkward stage, to allow people to relax enough to get on with the usual things they would be doing. And it being India, one is pressed to have tea and namkeen and what have you, so you have to break the ice a bit with chit chat and telling them about what you are trying to achieve. And who your MummyDaddy are!

With the public functions, I ask the hosts' permission to take photos, and then just carry on, without asking individuals beforehand. Mostly they are expecting to be photographed as there is usually an official photographer. I have people coming up to me to ask why I am taking photos. It is neither practical to ask loads of people at a funtion, nor do you get interesting pictures, as people tend to 'line up' when asked about it.

I once had a gentleman tell me he didn't want his photo taken. I asked him why, and he replied, that it may get published in a newspaper, and then the day after it will probably be used to wrap fish bones in and chucked into the rubbish and he didn't fancy that happening to his representation!

But he was serious in his reasoning.

Of course, some photos are loosely staged. The young boys at the madressa wanted to be photographed as much as possible. Although I did so throughout one of their classes, they wanted more! So as they were standing near to the board I asked them to stand either side of it so we could read the thought for the day.

Sometimes it is not a matter of staging, so much as asking a person to 'hold' what they were doing anyway, or carry on doing it for a few seconds or mintues longer, just to make sure I get a usable shot.

In the street, I don't ask, as I wish to get life as it flows. Unless it is a close up, intimate portrait, and you have to step into someone's personal space.

Sue

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 04:17 AM

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QUOTE (samir @ Dec 21 2004, 05:32 PM)

Sue, beautiful photographs. Will look forward to more pics on this gallery (how about some pics around a dinner table :-) and involving sports [cricket?]) as well as more galleries from you.

Thanks,
Samir

Thanks Samir!

Unfortunately I have NOOOOOO interest in cricket.....

Sue

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 04:34 AM

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QUOTE (shanta @ Dec 22 2004, 02:14 AM)

Sue,

Beautiful pictures! Very spontaneous! Looking forward to more of your collections.

Quick question re. the history of Parsis in India - did the Parsi names(first and last) ever get influenced by the local language/s? Eg: one of my father's friend's last name was Daruwalla - does it really mean what it means in Hindi? If so, what was the reason for the change?

I find something new I'd not noticed earlier everytime I go thru the gallery of pictures!

shanta

Thanks for your comments Shanta.

About the names, I speak without authority, but here goes, if there is anyone who can correct me, go ahead!

First names are generally Persian, like Rustom, Darius, Cyrus, Shirin, Meher, Zenobia etc.

When I was looking up the meaning of names in anticipation of the birth of my daughter, I noticed that many of the meanings were along the lines of 'owner of fine horses' or 'owner of a fine yellow camel' etc.

There are also a fair few Jennifers, Natashas and what have you.

Surnames are

1) Place names, like Bharucha, Neemuchwala, Ichaporia, Billimoria etc

2) Professions/businesses, like Contracter, Kapadia, Doctor, Readymoney

I guess someone dealing in liquor would be Daruwalla! The Parsis have no taboos about alcohol.

3) Priestly families - Dastur

4) British names. Someone told me that employees of the British might have adopted their employer's names, like, that one who works for Boyce, or Marshall, or whatever. It is speculation, as I don't know the answer myself, having asked around a fair bit.

Sue

I did once know a Rusty (Rustom) Screwalla...

This post has been edited by Sue Darlow: Dec 22 2004, 05:07 AM

Sue Darlow

Dec 22 2004, 04:38 AM

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QUOTE (arnab @ Dec 22 2004, 03:31 AM)

sue,

i've been looking at these photographs for some time now but i am still stunned each time i see them--not even the painful process of web-design and image-optimization has dulled my regard for them! i wanted to ask you a question on a subject some of the others have touched on: the question of posing/spontaneity. as you know some of my favorite shots here are the "painterly" ones (as seajay referred to them). i am wondering about the degree of serendipity involved--some of them are so perfectly composed (the three boys in front of the school, the doctor with the phone) that they almost seem posed. can you talk a little about the process of taking these pictures?

thanks,

arnab

Thanks Arnab, and thanks too for inviting me to have an exhibition here.

I hope I answered your question earlier, in response to someone else's post?

Sue

This post has been edited by Sue Darlow: Dec 22 2004, 05:06 AM

Lippy	Dec 22 2004, 04:52 AM Post #19
member Group: loiterers Posts: 6 Joined: 27-September 04 Member No.: 134	This is a wonderful exhibit. I feel privileged to be able to see it in the intimate setting of my very own computer! The photographs are sensitive relative to the subjects, but without a sacrifice to artistic integrity, a fine and difficult accomplishment.

Amy Laly	Dec 22 2004, 06:09 AM Post #20
member Group: loiterers Posts: 10 Joined: 12-August 04 Member No.: 86	Sue, Love your gallery of Parsee rogues. Beautiful pictures. One day the Parsees will rule the world, my favorite mother of all myths. Keep up the good work dikra In admiration Amy Laly

ashima0	Dec 22 2004, 06:52 AM Post #21
member Group: maha contributors Posts: 268 Joined: 8-August 04 Member No.: 71	Sublime! The quality of the light is utterly amazing - it seems to capture so precisely that mood of passing and melancholy even when the subject is otherwise festive like the navjote pictures. And kudos to whoever did the excellent web production - no side effects from the image optimization:) By the way when is this coming to a non-virtual gallery near us? Thanks for sharing this!

shanta

Dec 22 2004, 06:50 PM

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QUOTE (Sue Darlow @ Dec 21 2004, 03:04 PM)

2)� Professions/businesses, like Contracter, Kapadia, Doctor, Readymoney�

� I guess someone dealing in liquor would be Daruwalla!� The Parsis have no taboos about alcohol.

Thanks, Sue! The Daruwalla I mentioned had a few Tata vehicle dealerships, guess his ancestor/s had a liquor business.

What business or profession does Kapadia mean?

BTW, since Parsi community in India is very small, are they related to each other? Our community is also small(Saraswats) and the saying is that we're all related to each other the way each flower in a garland is related to the other(imagine two farthest flowers) - when two people get together they will somehow find that some of their far far relatives are related either in their generation or previous few generations!!

Happy Holidays!

This post has been edited by shanta: Dec 22 2004, 06:51 PM

Rumali Roti

Dec 22 2004, 07:10 PM

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QUOTE

What business or profession does Kapadia mean?

Shanta,

'Kaapad' is cloth. So cloth merchants, mill owners etc came to be known as 'Kaapadia,' which is anglicised as 'Kapaadia.' Like 'Mehta,' and 'Gandhi,' this name is common to Parsi- and Hindu Gujeratis.

There are many illustrative Parsi surnames: 'Ghaswala,' 'Lakdawala,' 'Kanchwala,' 'Ginwala.' A Parsi writer (Rohinton Mistry?) mentioned a 'Soda-Bottle-Opener-wala' in one of his books!

But the 'wala' suffix isn't confined to Parsis. For example, there are Hindu-Gujerati 'Mariwalas' and Muslim 'Zumkhawalas.'

This post has been edited by roshna: Dec 22 2004, 07:17 PM

Jai Malhar	Dec 22 2004, 09:21 PM Post #24
member Group: bandwidth eaters Posts: 1944 Joined: 5-September 04 Member No.: 117	To add to the list, Batliwala among Parsees, Jariwala among Gujjus, Bilaspurwala among Bohris. The association of place (Bilaspur) is also common among Ghats and Konks with the suffix 'kar' replacing (I think Gujju) 'wala'.

ajit	Dec 22 2004, 09:58 PM Post #25
bandwidth eater Group: founding members Posts: 4926 Joined: 21-July 04 Member No.: 2	Interesting that this 'walla' name-suffix is only popular among people and ethnicities from Gujrat i.e. Parsis, Bohris and Gujjus. It is also common in Punjab but used in (only in ?) place names such as Jalianwala, Gujranwala etc.

ajit	Dec 22 2004, 09:59 PM Post #26
bandwidth eater Group: founding members Posts: 4926 Joined: 21-July 04 Member No.: 2	Sue, could you comment on picture 3 in gallery 1 ? Was it one of the spontaneous ones ? The picture of the sweeping staircase in the Asiatic library brought back so many bittersweet memories.

Sue Darlow

Dec 23 2004, 03:05 AM

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QUOTE (ajit @ Dec 22 2004, 09:59 PM)

Sue, could you comment on picture 3 in gallery 1 ? Was it one of the spontaneous ones ?

Hi Ajit

This is the beach at Udvada, where the sand is quite dark. There has been a lot of erosion in recent years, due I believe to people coming down and taking away lorry loads of sand for use as building material. So the retaining wall/breaker has been erected (you can see the pile of rocks at right) but unfortunately it doesn't take long for the sea to break it down and deposit the rocks all long the beach even much further down!

Udvada is a pilgrimage centre, and many Parsis come down to visit once a year or more often. It is doable as a day trip from Mumbai. It really only consists of a main road with nice old style Parsi houses along it and a few small side roads, and beach front bungalows. It is really falling into decline, there are mostly only old people living there, or those families connected to the priests who serve at the temple. Many houses are abandoned and dilapidated. Some people retain houses there for use as weekend/holiday retreats. A few small modern blocks of flats have sprung up, completely out of keeping with the rest of the architecture of the place. There are a few small hotels, which are mainly busy at weekends. Udvada is a dead end, geographically. It's not on the way to anywhere. There are just a few small shops, not much else.

The main reason for its existence is the Iranshah Atash Berhram. Here's an interesting piece about the history of what is now regarded as the holiest of fire temples in India.

http://www.parsicommunity.com/Religion/FireTemples.htm

I don't personally know the people in the photograph.

Spontaneous? Yes, completely!

Sue

Sue Darlow

Dec 23 2004, 03:10 AM

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QUOTE

The picture of the sweeping staircase in the Asiatic library brought back so many bittersweet memories.

Now we all want to know, what memories?

Sue

arnab	Dec 23 2004, 03:17 AM Post #29
bandwidth glutton Group: founding members Posts: 14726 Joined: 21-July 04 From: northfield, minnesota Member No.: 1	ajit likes to sprinkle the forums with tantalizing references to his chequered past in bombay... that photograph is one of my favorites as well. the colors are amazing (again your ability to capture light is really something) as is the composition. the serendipity of this shot is also remarkable and speaks to your instincts as a photographer: the three static statues in the "corners" of the room are balanced perfectly by the human figure in motion in the middle. admit it: you made the man walk up and down the stairs 500 times till you got it just right! -------------------- yeh sab kya ho raha hai, beta duryodhan? arnab@anothersubcontinent.com

ajit	Dec 23 2004, 04:26 AM Post #30
bandwidth eater Group: founding members Posts: 4926 Joined: 21-July 04 Member No.: 2	Sue, this picture appealed to me specifically for its symbolism. The young man is looking out to the sea (at distant shores ? to the future ?) and the woman looking inwards (to houses ? at history ?). One would have to think hard to stage such dense meaning into a picture if one tried. The Asiatic was a place I spent much time as a student at Bombay University. Poring over old journals/periodical, plotting mayhem within the university, clandestine meetings with objects of affection. Its dusty placid portals bring to mind the weight of history - both personal and of wider concerns. What can I say ? jinsay hum chhooT gaye ab woh jahaa'n kaisay hai'n ? Woh makee'n kaisay hai'n ? Sheeshay kay makaa'n kaisay hai'n ? Ai sabah, tu to udharsay hi guzarti hongi Us gali may meray pairo'n kay nishaa'n kaisay hai'n ?

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