List of Parsis
This is a list of notable Parsis. The Parsis constitute one of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent, the other being Irani.
Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara) was probably the best-known Parsi throughout the world.
In science and industry
- Aban Pestonjee: Sri Lankan entrepreneur
- Adi Bulsara (born 1952): physicist
- Adi Kanga (1923-2013): Indian Civil engineer, planned city of Navi Mumbai and Vashi bridge
- Ardaseer Cursetjee (1808-1877) of the Wadia shipbuilding family: first Indian elected Fellow of the Royal Society
- Ardeshir Darabshaw Shroff (1899–1965): Indian economist; delegate at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference; co-author of the Bombay Plan; founder-director of the Investment Corporation of India; first Indian chairman of the Bank of India
- Ardeshir Godrej (1868–1936): Indian inventor; co-founder (with his brother Piroj) of the Godrej industrial empire
- Avabai Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy (b. c. 1793) Lady: continued her husband Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy philanthropic work; builder of Mahim Causeway, connects two islands of Bombay and Salsette (north Bombay)
- Byram Dinshawji Avari (born 1942): Pakistan hotelier; founder and chairman of the Avari Group of companies
- Zubin Damania (born 1973), physician, comedian, internet personality, musician, and founder of Turntable Health
- Byramjee Jeejeebhoy (1822-1890) Esq., CSI: Indian philanthropist and founder of B.J. Medical College, Pune
- Cowasjee Jehangir, Sir (1879–1962): Indian civil engineer; master constructor of Bombay
- Cowasji Shavaksha Dinshaw (Adenwalla) (1827–1900): Indian entrepreneur
- Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney Sir, (1812–1878): 1st Baronet, philanthropist, including various academic buildings of the Bombay University
- Cyrus Chothia (1942–2019): molecular biologist
- Cyrus Pallonji Mistry (born 1968): former chairman of Tata Group; Irish citizen businessman
- Cyrus Poonawalla (born 1945): Indian Industrialist, pharmacologist; co-founder of the Serum Institute of India
- Dhunjibhoy Bomanji, Sir (1862 – 1937): Indian Shipping Magnate, philanthropist
- Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, Sir (1823–1901): founded the first textile factories in India
- Dorabji Tata, Sir (1859–1932): Indian industrialist and philanthropist, Sir Dorab Tata Trust
- Fardunjee Marzban (1787–1847): publisher, founded the first vernacular newspaper on the Indian subcontinent Bombay Samachar
- Feroze Gandhi (1912 - 1960) publisher of The National Herald and The Navjivan newspapers and husband of Indira Gandhi Prime Minister of India.
- Framji Cowasji Banaji, Esq (1767 - 12 February 1851): merchant, philanthropist, lease holder of Powai
- Homi Jehangir Bhabha (1909–1966): nuclear scientist; first chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission.
- Homi Maneck Mehta, Sir (1871–1948): industrialist in textiles, insurance, banking, chemicals & sugar. Represented India at League of Nations, Chairman of Bombay War Gift Fund and President of Victory Thanksgiving Fund.
- Homi Nusserwanji Sethna (1923–2010): Padma Vibhushan awardee, chemical engineer; guided the development of India's first nuclear explosive device.
- Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody (1838–1911): financier and industrialist in Hong Kong. He contributed the then great sum of $150,000 to help establish the University of Hong Kong.
- Sir Temulji Bhicaji Nariman (1848-1940): Parsi obstetrician. Co-founded one of Bombay's first Lying-in hospitals in 1887 and was knighted in 1914 for his work during the plague epidemic in India at the turn of the 19th century.
- Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (J. R. D.) Tata (1904–1993): industrialist; founder of Air India, India's first commercial airline
- Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, Sir (1783–1859): opened sea trade with China; philanthropist, J J Hospital,
- Jamsetji Tata (1839–1904): industrialist; founder of the Tata Group of companies, titled a "One-Man Planning Commission" by Jawaharlal Nehru
- Jehangir Ghandy, Sir (1896–1972): built Tata Steel at Jamshedpur
- Jehangir Hormusjee Ruttonjee (1880–1960): industrialist; founded Hong Kong's first brewery; established the first anti-tuberculosis sanatorium in the Andajat
- John Abraham A well known Actor in Bollywood who acted in many films
- Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia (1702–1774): shipwright and naval architect; builder of the first dry-dock in Asia
- Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw (18??–1924?): industrialist and philanthropist; NED Engineering College.
- Nariman Mehta: organic chemist and inventor of bupropion, the most commonly used antidepressant drug
- Nergis Mavalvala: astrophysicist and professor at MIT
- Neville Wadia: businessman and son-in-law of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- Nusli Wadia: chairman of the Wadia Group
- Ness Wadia (born 1972): joint-managing director of Bombay Dyeing
- Noshir Gowadia: aircraft engineer and convicted spy
- Nowroji Saklatwala: Chairman of Tata group of companies from 1932 until death by heart attack in 1938
- Pallonji Mistry (born 1929): construction tycoon
- Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej (1882–1972): entrepreneur; co-founder (with his brother Ardeshir) of the Godrej industrial empire
- Ratan Tata (born 1937): chairman emeritus of Tata Sons; former chairman of the Tata Group of companies; member of the central board of the Reserve Bank of India
- Russi Mody (born 1918): former Chairman and Managing Director of Tata Steel Limited; son of Sir Homi Mody and brother of Piloo Mody
- Rustom Jal Vakil: cardiologist
- Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata: a noted chairperson of Tata Group and Tata Sons; father of J. R. D. Tata
- Sir Sorabji Nusserwanji Pochkhanawala (1881-1937): banker, co-founder of the Central Bank of India
- Shiraz Minwalla (born 1973): theoretical physicist, String theorist
- Spenta R. Wadia (b. 1950): theoretical physicist.
- Ratan Tata (1871–1918), Sir: younger son of Jamsetji Tata; industrialist and philanthropist; Sir Ratan Tata Trust
- Villoo Morawala-Patell, MD of Avesthagen: Officer of the National Order of Merit holder
In academia
- Kaikhosrov D. Irani (1922-2017): former protégé of Albert Einstein; emeritus professor of Philosophy of Science at the City College of New York.
- Homi K. Bhabha (born 1949): cultural-studies theorist; Professor, Harvard University.
- Jamshed Bharucha (born 1956): President, Cooper Union. Formerly, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Dartmouth College (first Indian American to serve as the dean of a school at an Ivy League institution).
- Mahzarin Banaji (b. 1956): Professor of Psychology, Harvard University.
- Noshir Contractor (born 1959): Award-winning Professor of Behavioral Sciences, Communication and Management at Northwestern University.
- Ness Shroff[1] Ohio Eminent Scholar and Chaired Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computer Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University
- Rusi Taleyarkhan: Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University
- Rohinton Kamakaka: Professor of Molecular Cell Developmental biology at University of California, Santa Cruz
- Dinshaw Patel:[2] Professor and Abby Rockefeller Mauze Chair of Experimental Therapeutics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, member of the prestigious United States National Academy of Sciences
- Thrity Umrigar (born 1961): Armitage Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University
- N. H. Wadia (1925-2016): Prominent neurologist; Director of Neurology at Grant Medical College and Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals for 25 years
- Vistasp Karbhari: President, University of Texas at Arlington
Military
- Lieutenant General FN Billimoria (1933=2005): Former Indian Army officer and head of Wellington Cantonment, father of Indo-British entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria, Lord Bilimoria
- Admiral Jal Cursetji (1919–1991): Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy
- Air Marshal Aspy Engineer (1912–2002): Former Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force
- Air Marshal Minoo Merwan Engineer (1921–1997): Former Indian Air Force AOC-in-Chief of Eastern and Western Air Commands
- Vice Admiral Rustom K. S. Ghandhi (1924–2014): Indian Navy Commander-in-Chief, Western Naval Command and former Aide-de-camp to Governor-General of India Lord Louis Mountbatten
- Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara (1877-1941): First Indian Deputy Commissioner of the Mumbai Police
- Lieutenant General Adi M. Sethna (d. 2006): Former Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Indian Army
- J. P. B. Jeejeebhoy (1891-1950), first Indian pilot in the Royal Flying Corps
- Lieutenant Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore (1923-1965):, Indian Army officer and commanding officer of the Poona Horse, winner of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest award for gallantry
- Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major (born 1947): Former Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force
- Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (1914–2008): Former Indian Chief of Army Staff and the first Indian with the rank of Field Marshal
- Major General Cyrus Addie Pithawalla (b. 1957): Recipient of the Ashoka Chakra
In entertainment, religion, sports
- Aban Marker Kabraji (born 1953): Pakistani ecologist, Asian regional director of IUCN
- Amyra Dastur (born 1993): model, film actress, television presenter
- Aneela Mirza, or Anila Mirza (born 8 October 1974) is a Danish singer who has found success as a member of the pop group Toy-Box and as a solo artist under the name of Aneela.
- Ardeshir Cowasjee (1926–2012): investigative journalist and newspaper columnist.
- Aruna Irani was born on 18 August 1946 in Mumbai, India to a family of Parsi descent and has been a famous Bollywood actress and dancer.
- Bapsi Sidhwa (born 1938): author and screenwriter; vocal proponent of women's rights
- Behram "Busybee" Contractor (1930–2001): journalist and columnist.
- Behramji Malabari (1853–1912): poet, publicist, author, and social reformer.
- Bejan Daruwalla (born 1931): astrologer.
- Burjor Khurshedji Karanjia (1919–2012): Indian film journalist and editor, chairman NFDC
- Cyrus Broacha (born 1971): MTV India VJ and stand-up comedian.
- Cyrus Poncha (born 1976): Asian Squash Federation Junior Coach of the Year 2003–04.
- Deena M. Mistri (1924–2011): author and educationalist; recipient of Pakistan's "Pride of Performance" medal.
- Diana Eduljee (born 1956): first captain of the Indian women’s Cricket team – from 1978 till 1993
- Diana Penty (born 1985): Actress and model.
- Dinyar Contractor: Parsi stage actor, Comedian and Bollywood actor
- Dolly Nazir: wife of Rashid Byramji. competed 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
- Erick Avari (born 1952): Hollywood actor.
- Farokh Engineer (born 1938): cricketer.
- Farrukh Dhondy (born 1944): novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, journalist.
- Firdaus Kanga (born 1960): author, actor and screenwriter.
- Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara, 1946–1991): rock icon and lead singer for Queen.
- Gary Lawyer: singer
- Godrej Sidhwa (born 1925): theologian and historian.
- Goshpi Avari (born 19??): first Pakistani woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Games.
- Homai Vyarawalla (1913–2012): India's first woman photojournalist, Padma Vibhushan.
- Homi Adajania (born 1972): Film Director, Writer and Scuba Diving Instructor
- Jim Sarbh (born 1987): Actor on film, stage and television.
- Jivanji Jamshedji Modi Sir: Zoroastrian scholar, Ph.D from Heidelberg, Germany, recognition and awards, for scholarship, from Sweden, France, and Hungary.
- Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892–1988): composer, music critic, pianist, and writer.
- Kaizad Gustad (born 1968): film director.
- Karl Umrigar (1960-1979): Indian jockey
- Keki Daruwalla (born 1937): poet and writer
- Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla (1875–1956): high priest and religious scholar.
- Mehli Mehta (1908–2002): musician; founder of the Bombay Philharmonic and Bombay String Orchestras.
- Mehr Jesia Indian model
- Nariman "Nari" Contractor (born 1934): cricketer; coach at the CCI Academy.
- Nauheed Cyrusi (born 1982): model, film actress, television presenter
- Nazneen Contractor (born 1982): film actress
- Nina Wadia (born 1968): British-Indian comedian and television actress, currently and most notably from EastEnders.
- Perizaad Zorabian (born 1973): model, film actress
- Persis Khambatta (1950–1998): actress and model. Miss India in 1965.
- Phiroz Mehta (1902-1994): writer on religious topics and philosopher.
- Pahlan Ratanji "Polly" Umrigar (1926–2006): cricketer.
- Rachel Viccaji Pakistani singer and musician.
- Rashid Byramji Horse trainer
- Rohinton Mistry (born 1952): novelist, short story author, screenplay writer.
- Rustom Khurshedji Karanjia (1912–2008): journalist & editor, founder of India's first tabloid, Blitz.
- Sanaya Pithawalla: Actress, TV personality.
- Sam Dastor (born 1941): television actor and director.
- Shapur Kharegat (1932–2000): journalist, editor and director of The Economist (Asia).
- Shiamak Davar: Bollywood choreographer
- Sohrab Modi (1897–1984): stage and film actor, director and producer.
- Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957): screenwriter, author and photographer.
- Tara Sutaria (born 1995) : Actress.
- Varun Toorkey (born 1990): television and film actor.
- Viraf Phiroz Patel (born 1980): The Grasim Mr. India 2005, model turned actor
- Zarin Mehta (born 1938): musician; executive director of the New York Philharmonic since 2000
- Zarnak Sidhwa (born 1972): Pakistani Chef with a TV show on Masala TV.
- Zerbanoo Gifford (born 1950): human rights campaigner
- Zoe Viccaji (b. 1983): Pakistani singer and musician
- Zubin Mehta (born 1936): musician; Musical Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, former director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Bavarian State Opera.
- Zubin Surkari (born 1980): Canadian international cricketer.
- Zubin Varla (born 1970): stage actor.
Politicians, activists and bureaucrats
- B. P. Wadia (1881–1958), Indian theosophist and labour activist. Pioneered the creation of workers unions in India.
- Cowasji Jehangir (Readymoney) (1812–1878): J.P.; introduced income tax in India; first baronet of Bombay.
- Frene Ginwala (born 1932): member of the ANC and aided Nelson Mandela in abolishing apartheid in South Africa. Later served for 7 years as Speaker Of the House of Parliament in South Africa
- Jamshed Nusserwanjee Mehta (1886–1952): former Mayor of Karachi for 12 consecutive years.
- Jamsheed Marker (born 1922): Pakistani diplomat, ambassador to more countries than any other person; recipient of Hilal-i Imtiaz.
- Justice Dorab Patel (1924–1997): former Chief Justice of Sindh High Court, former Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan and human rights campaigner.
- K. N. Choksy (1933-2015): Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka
- Mancherjee Bhownagree (1851–1933): politician, second Asian to be elected to the House of Commons (Conservative).
- Minocher Bhandara (1937?–2008): Pakistani parliamentarian and owner of Muree Brewery.
- Minoo Masani (1905–1998): author, parliamentarian and a member of the Constituent Assembly.
- Piloo Mody (1926–1983): architect, parliamentarian, one of the founder-members of the Swatantra Party.
- Rustam S. Sidhwa (1927–1997): judge on the Supreme Court of Pakistan as well as one of the original eleven judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
- Sanjay Gandhi (1946-1980): the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroz Gandhi, who followed his father's Parsi religion throughout his life. Even his wife current MP Maneka Gandhi had published a book of Parsi's Children name on his memory.
- Shapurji Saklatvala (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Parsis&action=edit§ion=51874–1936): socialist, workers' welfare activist, third Asian to be elected to the House of Commons (Communist, Labour).
- Zerbanoo Gifford (born 1950): author and founder of the ASHA Centre made political history being elected as the first non-white woman for the Liberal Party in 1982.
Indian Independence Movement
- Bhikaiji Cama (1861–1936): political activist, co-creator of the Indian nationalist flag.
- Dadabhai Naoroji (1825–1917): economist, political activist, first Asian to be elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (Liberal), first to publicly demand independence for India.
- Feroze Gandhi (1912–1960): journalist and politician; Indian MP under his father-in-law Jawaharlal Nehru; husband of Indira Gandhi, father of Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi, and grandfather of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi.
- Khurshed Framji Nariman (18??–19??): social activist, Mayor of Bombay. Member of the Indian National Congress.
- Pherozeshah Mehta, Sir (1845–1915): political activist, co-founder and a President of the Indian National Congress, founder of the Bombay Municipal Corporation
Law
- Fali Sam Nariman (born 1929): jurist, recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
- Nanabhoy ("Nani") Palkhivala (1920–2002): prominent jurist and economist.
- S. H. Kapadia (1947-2016): 38th Chief Justice of India.
- Sam Piroj Bharucha (born 1937): Chief Justice of India.
- Soli Jehangir Sorabjee (born 1930): former Attorney-General of India.
- Hormasji Maneckji Seervai (1906-1996): eminent Indian jurist.
- T. R. Andhyarujina (1933-2017): senior advocate.
- Cornelia Sorabji (1866-1954): first female graduate of Bombay University, first female to read law at Oxford University and first woman to practice law in India and Britain.
- Rohinton Fali Nariman (b. 1956): Judge, Supreme Court of India; Delhi University; Harvard University
- Shiavax Jal Vazifdar (b. 1956): Chief Justice, Punjab and Haryana High Court
- Neomi Rao (b. 1973): American lawyer, academic, and government official who currently serves as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
Others
- Bhicaji Balsara (1872-1962): first Indian to become a naturalized US Citizen
- Bukhtyar Rustomji (1899–1936): Mumbai-born Lancaster doctor executed for murdering his wife and a maid.
- Dossabhoy Muncherji Raja (1873–1947): first Indian to be appointed appraiser of precious stones to British Indian customs. Awarded the title of Khan Sahib.
- Lady Frainy Dhunjibhoy Bomanji (14 September 1893 - 1986): Lady Harrogate, philanthropist, Honorary Freemanship of the Borough in 1984
- Jimmy Bharucha (d. 2005): Sri Lankan broadcaster
- Keiki R. Mehta: ophthalmologist and Padma Shri awardee
- Rattanbai Petit (1900–1929): second wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- Goshpi Avari: Asian Games gold-medalist and Pride of Performance honorary
- Jehangir Hormasji Kothari (1857–1934): philanthropist and world traveller.
In arts
- Hormazd Narielwalla (born 1979)
- Jehangir Sabavala (1922–2011): painter
- Karl Keki Singporewala (born 1983): architect & sculptor
- Shirin Darasha (1938–2012): playwright
Fictional characters
- Unnamed "Parsee" (colloquial British spelling of Parsi) in "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin", a chapter in Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories.
See also
References
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.