Many Indians, even those with Parsi friends, are often surprised to hear that we once lived in villages. Perhaps we are perceived as urban sophisticates with no roots. It's an understandable perception. Though we are veterans of the city, even the most refined, worldly-wise, cosmopolitan Parsi has ancestors who were once farmers, weavers or small-time traders in Gujarat.
Miss Dastoor reads the Mumbai Samachar | Udvada | Gujarat | 1984
Mr Kolah at his famous shop known for its pickles, vinegars, and chutneys | Navsari | 1982
Swinging in Udvada | Gujarat | 1997
Resting goat | Udvada | 1980
Oil lamps at Iranshah Atash Bahram | Udvada | 1980
Priests at a wedding | Navsari | 1982
JFK admirer in Udvada | 1998
Iranshah Atash Bahram | Udvada | 1986
Morning shadows | Udvada | 1986
Cleaning fish for breakfast | Udvada } 1986
Hotel Majestic | Udvada | 2007
Owner's portrait in Hotel Majestic | Udvada | 2007
Wooden bull and Zarathustra in Hotel Majestic | Udvada | 2007
All photographs © Sooni Taraporevala from her exhibition THROUGH A LENS, BY A MIRROR: THE PARSIS (1977 -2013) at the National Gallery of Modern Art, (NGMA) New Delhi in 2013.—
