Background
Parsis are one of the many communities of India, now spread all over the world. Little is known about them, and this was one of the main reasons I chose the project. In NID itself, I have faced many questions and misconceptions about ‘who i am’. Some think Parsis are from North India. (untrue) Others have a vague idea that we came from Persia that is now the Middle East, and therefore presume we are Muslims. (untrue again) Thanks to the Hindi film industry, Parsis are seen as mad, joking, hot-tempered people who are extremely possessive about their cars. While some of this is true, there is much more to this miniscule community. Some perceive us as an exotic dying species and look upon us as one would look upon the dodo bird, or a tiger, some rarely seen species.
Parsis themselves are ignorant about their roots, history and culture. Especially the present young generation, and numerous parsis who have gone abroad have lost their sense of identity and community. Parsis and others, I feel, need to be informed about who they really are.
About the Project
The idea for the project stemmed from a basic need within myself – who am i. In terms of community. There are numerous books on Parsis, which documents their history, demographics and culture very well. But most of these are too lengthy for the average person to read. My project is to create a book (this format if NOT final as of now) which will provide information on the Parsis in a highly visual manner, with minimum use of text. Each page will have an illustration on some aspect of Parsi life. One page may perhaps be a diagrammatic representation of how the ‘kusti’ (scared thread) is woven. Another may show the Towers Of Silence. Perhaps another could show a certain demographic aspect in a visually rich manner. Numerous aspects of Parsi life, which even many Parsis do not know.
I feel it is important not just to document this information, but to provide it to the public in an intersting way. So that the way of life, the art and crafts, and the essence of the community is not lost forever. Being a Parsi myself, I fear for the survivial of the community. That the world’s oldest religion, which influenced numerous others should die out in front of our own eyes is a tragedy, especially if Parsis themselves, especially younger ones, do not make any effort to preserve what is theirs. Many cultures have been lost this way through time. But i feel we should do what we can to make sure everything is not lost forever.
Project by:
Armeen Kapadia
2nd year PG Graphic Design
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India | 2007
www.the-amu.com
http://designscene.wordpress.com
Guide:
Shilpa Das
National Institute of Design, Ahemdabad, India | 2007
That’s a very sweeping generalisation painted with a broad brush.
I am not trying to discourage you, but have you looked at Sooni Taraporewala’s book ? It consists of photographs and paints a wonderful picture of Parsis.
This is the beginning of the project, yes there are some sweeping statements perhaps, as I am expressing a lot of thoughts, both positive and negative on our community.
Some of these are my opinions, based on my experiences, and may not be ‘factual’. This project is not intended to be a photographic journey of the community, but is an attempt to preserve knowledge about the community, and things we use.
How many young parsis know the signicance of 9 parts of the sudreh, for example. How many young Parsis are still wearing it in a city like Mumbai?
I am looking at recording aspects of Parsi way of living graphically. I would be glad to share the work of the project as I create these visuals.