5 reasons we love Parsis

1. They make the best food

If you've ever had the privilege of eating Parsi food, you know it's tough to top the perfect "Dhansak", the sweet and savoury "Berry Pulao" or the most mouth-watering "Lagan Nu Custard".

Their fare is a class apart, and it's usually served in quaint, inconspicuous little restaurants, identifiable because of their distinct red and white, chequered table-cloths.

2. Their old-world homes

Walking through South Mumbai would be a very different experience without the Parsi colonies and residential buildings in pastel blue and washed out white.

While Parsian architecture is fairly ornate, their old homes transport you back to simpler times with their white lace curtains and their glass candy jars.

And the aforementioned table cloths seem to be an ubiquitous feature.

3. Their new-world thought

The Zoroastrian faith does not discriminate between men and women and there is no preferential treatment to the male child. Proof of this are the many successful Parsi women who are running the show in large family businesses or after branching out on their own. And their style is their own, unshackled by a "code", an authorotative "culture" or a plethora of rules.

4. The stories behind their surnames (and the surnames themselves) 

Since Parsis were fortunate enough to descend on to the planet sans the caste system, their surnames are a result of their professions and urban streets (and so were their identities). Mr Daruwala was just that, a man in the hooch trade, Mr Batliwala would then, by extension, be your next comrade in that transaction. There's also Mr Colabawala, Mr Motorwala and Mr Chandiwala. Do the maths.

5. Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman

Freely causing "annoyance" to politicians online by making fun of their buffalos and not going to jail for it? You have our Parsi brethren to thank for that. Justice Rohinton F Nariman (yes, son of another national treasure Fali) was the judge who delivered the order in the recent 66A judgment that struck down the unconstitutional section of the IT Act because it curtailed our freedom of speech and expression. Nariman, who is incidentally an ordained priest from Bandra Agiary, is known for his short and precise judgments, a rarity in the Indian justice system.