Alpaiwala Museum: Shining the spotlight on India's dwindling Parsi community
Some of these include cuneiform bricks, terracotta pots, coins and other objects sourced from places like Babylon, Mesopotamia, Susa and Iran and are dated to 4000-5000 BCE.These are places where Zoroastrian Iranian kings once ruled, like the Achaemenian, Parthian and Sasanian dynasties. There are also artefacts from Yazd, a city in central Iran which was once a barren desert and the place where many Zoroastrians settled after fleeing other regions of Iran after the Arab invasion in 7th Century BCE.One of the notable artefacts on display is a replica of a clay cylinder of Cyrus the Great, a Persian king who was the founder of the Achaemenid empire.Fatakia says the clay cylinder - also known as the "Edict of Cyrus" or the "Cyrus Cylinder" - is one of the most important discoveries of the ancient world. Inscribed in cuneiform script, it outlines the rights granted by Cyrus to his subjects in Babylon. Widely seen as the first human rights charter, a replica is also displayed at the United Nations.Then there are maps that trace the migration routes of thousands of Iranian Zoroastrians who fled their home country fearing persecution and travelled to India in the 8th to10th centuries, and again in the 19th century. The collection also features furniture, manuscripts, paintings, and portraits of prominent Parsis - among them Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, founder of the iconic Tata Group, which owns brands like Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley tea. Another striking section showcases artefacts collected by Parsis who grew wealthy in the early 19th century trading tea, silk, cotton - and notably, opium - with China. The exhibits include traditional Parsi sarees influenced by designs from China, France, and other regions shaped by these global trade ties.
Two of the museum's most compelling exhibits are replicas of a Tower of Silence and a Parsi fire temple. The Tower of Silence, or dakhma, is where Parsis leave their dead to be returned to nature - neither buried nor cremated. "The replica shows exactly what happens to the body once it's placed there," says Fatakia, noting that entry to actual towers is restricted to a select few.The life-size replica of the fire temple is equally fascinating, offering a rare glimpse into a sacred space typically off-limits to non-Parsis. Modelled on a prominent Mumbai temple, it features sacred motifs inspired by ancient Persian architecture in Iran.
The Alpaiwala Museum, originally founded in 1952 in what was then Bombay, is one of the city's older institutions. Recently renovated, it now features modern displays with well-captioned exhibits in glass cases. Every visitor is offered a guided tour."It's a small museum but it is packed with history," Fatakia says."And it's a great place for not just the residents of Mumbai or India to learn more about the Parsi community but for people from all over the world."
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Black chicken and green rice: Cynthia Shanmugalingam's recipes for a Sri Lankan summer barbecue
In the 1990s, my cousin Sri Anna was a senior Sri Lankan policeman. Surprisingly for us, visiting from England, that meant he got a driver, a gun, a nice pad to live in and a team of sensational cooks to dish up various delicacies from wherever he was stationed. In the south, his favourite was black pork curry, and at my restaurant Rambutan we now make a marinade from similar spices for pineapple, beef and, my preference, chicken, before we grill it over coals. To lift it a little, the bird is finished with a quick fragrant oil of tempered spices and parsley (similar to the peppery island herb we call vallarai). You can eat it with or without the cool, green coconut rice and tomato sambol, which is my attempt to recreate a very tasty lunch I had at one of my favourite Colombo spots, Taste of Asia. Fragrant with spices, cooked in coconut milk and with a grassy, fresh taste from the greens, this rice is very quick and easy, and perfect with the citrussy, tomato sambol that you find all over the island. Prep 10 minCook 40 minServes 4 For the rice50g spinach, washed15g fresh coriander, washed2½cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled2 garlic cloves, peeled250g white rice 25g salted butter 3 green cardamom pods, gently crushed5 black peppercorns150ml coconut milk 2 tsp salt For the sambol1 large ripe tomato, cut into 10-12 wedges½ large red onion, peeled and finely sliced1-2 green finger chillies, finely sliced, or to taste2 limes 1 tsp salt, to taste1 tbsp coconut oil, or neutral oil Put the spinach, coriander, ginger and garlic in a small blender or food processor, and blitz to a smooth paste – you want all the fibres to break down, so you may need to add a splash of water to help things along. Put the rice in a fine-meshed strainer and rinse under cold running water for about a minute, until the water runs mostly clear (this helps remove any surface starch, so the grains will be fluffy and separate when cooked). Leave the rice to drain. Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan on a medium heat, then add the cardamom and black peppercorns and cook on a low heat for a minute or two – the spices should turn fragrant and start to sizzle slightly, but the butter should not be browned. Stir the washed rice and blended greens into the butter, then pour in the coconut milk, salt and 300ml water, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a low simmer, cover and cook for 17-20 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed all the liquid; stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and leave covered to keep warm while you make the sambol. In a bowl, combine the tomato, red onion and green chilli. Season with lime juice, salt and oil, then taste and add more salt if need be. Mix well, making sure to break up the onion slices. To assemble the dish, spread the rice over a large platter. Spoon some sambol over some of the rice, put the rest in a bowl to the side and serve. Prep 15 minMarinade 2 hr+Cook 1 hr 15 minServes 4 For the black spice mix1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 tsp black peppercorns 1 stick cinnamon 1 tsp cardamom seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp cloves seeds 2 tsp chilli powder For the chicken1 large whole chicken (about 1½-2kg)4 tbsp black spice mix (see above and method)1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled 1 handful curry leaves, fresh, ideally120ml cider vinegar1 tbsp salt 3 large red onions, peeled and cut into wedges3 sticks lemongrass For the temper100ml coconut oil, or neutral cooking oil½ tbsp mustard seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds ¼ tsp fennel seeds 4-5 fresh curry leaves ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped1 shallot, peeled and finely diced2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced 2 tsp cider vinegar Salt, to taste Roast all the whole spices for the spice mix (ie, everything bar the chilli powder) in a dry frying pan on a low to medium heat, stirring often, for five minutes, until they smell fragrant. Take off the heat, leave to cool, then tip into a spice grinder or mortar and blitz or grind to a fine powder. Put the powder back in the dry pan and toast on a high heat, stirring constantly, for a minute or two, until it turns dark brown and almost black in colour; this will turn them nutty and almost smoky. Take off the heat, leave to cool completely, then stir in the chilli powder. Store in a clean sealed jar and use within two months. Turn the chicken breast side down, use kitchen scissors to cut all the way along each side of the backbone, then lift it out and discard (or save for stock). Flip the bird over so it's now breast side up, then press down with the palm of your hand to flatten and spatchcock it. For the marinade, mix four tablespoons of the black spice mix in a roasting tray with the peeled garlic, curry leaves, vinegar, salt and red onions. Rub this mixture all over the bird, making sure you get it into all the crevices and under the skin, then cover and put in the fridge to marinade for two hours or overnight. Take the chicken out of the fridge at least half an hour before you want to cook it. Lightly bash the lemongrass stalks, so they smell fragrant. To barbecue the bird, lay it skin side down over medium-heat coals, put the lemongrass on top, then cover with foil. After 20 minutes, uncover and grill for 20 minutes more, until the skin crisps up and the chicken is cooked through yet juicy – if you have a probe, it should have an internal temperature of 70C. Alternatively, cover and roast in an 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 oven for about 40 minutes, again topped with the lemongrass, until the juices run clear. Put the chicken to one side to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the quick tempered oil. Put the oil in a small pan on a medium heat and, once it's hot, add the mustard seeds and cook for 20 seconds, until they start to pop a little (be careful not to burn them, though). Turn down the heat, add the cumin and fennel seeds, and cook for 30 or so seconds, until fragrant. Tip into a bowl, stir in the curry leaves and leave to cool to warm. Stir the parsley, shallot, garlic and vinegar into the cooled temper, then season to taste. Carve the chicken, arrange on a platter, dress with the parsley temper and serve. Cynthia Shanmugalingam is chef/owner of Rambutan, London SE1
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Keeladi: The ancient site that has become a political flashpoint in India
The Keeladi village in India's southern Tamil Nadu state has unearthed archeological finds that have sparked a political and historical coconut groves, a series of 15ft (4.5m) deep trenches reveal ancient artefacts buried in layers of soil - fragments of terracotta pots, and traces of long-lost brick from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology estimate the artefacts to be 2,000 to 2,500 years old, with the oldest dating back to around 580 BCE. They say these findings challenge and reshape existing narratives about early civilisation in the Indian politicians, historians, and epigraphists weighing in, Keeladi has moved beyond archaeology, becoming a symbol of state pride and identity amid competing historical history enthusiasts say it remains one of modern India's most compelling and accessible discoveries - offering a rare opportunity to deepen our understanding of a shared a village 12km (7 miles) from Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river, was one of 100 sites shortlisted for excavation by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishnan in 2013. He selected a 100-acre site there because of its proximity to ancient Madurai and the earlier discovery of red-and-black pottery ware by a schoolteacher in 1975. Since 2014, 10 excavation rounds at Keeladi have uncovered over 15,000 artefacts - burial urns, coins, beads, terracotta pipes and more - from just four of the 100 marked acres. Many are now displayed in a nearby Kumar, leading the state archaeology team at Keeladi, says the key finds are elaborate brick structures and water systems - evidence of a 2,500-year-old urban settlement."This was a literate, urban society where people had separate spaces for habitation, burial practices and industrial work," Mr Kumar says, noting it's the first large, well-defined ancient urban settlement found in southern the Indus Valley Civilisation's discovery in the early 1900s, most efforts to trace civilisation's origins in the subcontinent have focused on northern and central the Keeladi finds have sparked excitement across Tamil Nadu and Daniel, a teacher from neighbouring Kerala, said the discoveries made him feel proud about his heritage."It gives people from the south [of India] something to feel proud about, that our civilisation is just as ancient and important as the one in the north [of India]," he says. The politics surrounding Keeladi reflects a deep-rooted north-south divide - underscoring how understanding the present requires grappling with the first major civilisation - the Indus Valley - emerged in the north and central regions between 3300 and 1300 BCE. After its decline, a second urban phase, the Vedic period, rose in the Gangetic plains, lasting until the 6th Century phase saw major cities, powerful kingdoms and the rise of Vedic culture - a foundation for Hinduism. As a result, urbanisation in ancient India is often viewed as a northern phenomenon, with a dominant narrative that the northern Aryans "civilised" the Dravidian is especially evident in the mainstream understanding of the spread of literacy. It is believed that the Ashokan Brahmi script - found on Mauryan king Ashoka's rock edicts in northern and central India, dating back to the 3rd Century BCE - is the predecessor of most scripts in South and Southeast like Iravatham Mahadevan and Y Subbarayalu have long held the view that the Tamil Brahmi script - the Tamil language spoken in Tamil Nadu and written in the Brahmi script - was an offshoot of the Ashokan Brahmi now, archaeologists from the Tamil Nadu state department say that the excavations at Keeladi are challenging this narrative."We have found graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 6th Century BCE, which shows that it is older than the Ashokan Brahmi script. We believe that both scripts developed independently and, perhaps, emerged from the Indus Valley script," Mr Kumar says. Epigraphist S Rajavelu, former professor of marine archaeology at the Tamil University, agrees with Mr Kumar and says other excavation sites in the state too have unearthed graffiti in the Tamil Brahmi script dating back to the 5th and 4th Century some experts say that more research and evidence are needed to conclusively prove the antiquity of the Tamil Brahmi claim by the state department of archaeology that has ruffled feathers is that the graffiti found on artefacts in Keeladi is similar to that found in the Indus Valley sites."People from the Indus Valley may have migrated to the south, leading to a period of urbanisation taking place in Keeladi at the same time it was taking place in the Gangetic plains," Mr Kumar says, adding that further excavations are needed to fully grasp the settlement's Ajit Kumar, a professor of archaeology at Nalanda University in Bihar, says that this wouldn't have been possible."Considering the rudimentary state of travel back then, people from the Indus Valley would not have been able to migrate to the south in such large numbers to set up civilisation," he says. He believes the finds in Keeladi can be likened to a small "settlement". While archaeologists debate the findings, politicians are already drawing links between Keeladi and the Indus Valley - some even claim the two existed at the same time or that the Indus Valley was part of an early southern Indian, or Dravidian, controversy over ASI archaeologist Mr Ramakrishnan's transfer - who led the Keeladi excavations - has intensified the site's political 2017, after two excavation rounds, the ASI transferred Mr Ramakrishnan, citing protocol. The Tamil Nadu government accused the federal agency of deliberately hindering the digs to undermine Tamil ASI's request in 2023 for Mr Ramakrishnan to revise his Keeladi report - citing a lack of scientific rigour - has intensified the controversy. He refused, insisting his findings followed standard archaeological June, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called the federal government's refusal to publish Mr Ramakrishnan's report an "onslaught on Tamil culture and pride". State minister Thangam Thennarasu accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led federal government of deliberately suppressing information to erase Tamilian Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has now clarified that Mr Ramakrishnan's report has not been rejected by the ASI but is "under review," with expert feedback yet to be finalised. Back at the the Keeladi museum, children explore exhibits during a school visit while construction continues outside to create an open-air museum at the excavation Sowmiya Ashok, author of an upcoming book on Keeladi, recalls the thrill of her first visit."Uncovering history is a journey to better understand our shared past. Through small clues - like carnelian beads from the northwest or Roman copper coins - Keeladi reveals that our ancestors were far more connected than we realise," she says. "The divisions we see today are shaped more by the present than by history."
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
South Korea air crash: Inside the final minutes of Jeju Air flight
July 27 (Reuters) - South Korea is investigating the crash of a Jeju Air ( opens new tab Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737-800 jet on December 29 at Muan International Airport that killed 179 people, in the deadliest air disaster on the country's soil. The following are the final minutes of Flight 7C2216 gathered from a preliminary investigation report in January, South Korea's transport ministry and fire authorities, and a July 19 update from investigators seen by Reuters. All times are Korea Standard Time (GMT+9). 8:54:43 a.m. - Jeju Air 7C2216 contacts Muan airport air traffic control as it makes the final approach and is given clearance to land on runway 01, which is orientated at 10 degrees north-east. 8:57:50 a.m. - Air traffic control gives "caution - bird activity" advisory. 8:58:11 a.m. - Jeju Air pilots are heard talking about spotting a flock of birds under the aircraft. 8:58:26 a.m. - The aircraft aborts the landing attempt and then strikes birds while starting to circle back for another landing attempt known as a go-around. Both engines continued to operate with vibrations. The right engine also experienced a surge, emitting large flames and thick black smoke. 8:58:45 a.m. - Pilots stop the left engine while performing emergency procedures. The July 19 update said the evidence for this came from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), flight data recorder (FDR) and inspection of the engines. 8:58:50 a.m. - The aircraft's FDR and CVR stop recording. At the moment both "black boxes" stop recording, the aircraft is flying at the speed of 161 knots (298 kph or 185 mph) at an altitude of 498 ft (152 m). 8:58:56 a.m. - Flight 7C2216 pilot makes emergency Mayday declaration related to a bird strike during the go-around. 9:00 a.m. - During the go-around, Flight 7C2216 requests clearance to land on runway 19, which is by approach from the opposite end of the airport's single runway. 9:01 a.m. - Air traffic control authorises landing on runway 19. 9:02 a.m. - Flight 7C2216 makes contact with runway at about the 1,200 m (3,937 ft) point of the 2,800 m (9,186 ft) runway. Landing gear was not lowered and the plane lands on its belly. 9:02:34 a.m. - Air traffic control alerts "crash bell" at airport fire rescue unit. 9:02:55 a.m. - Airport fire rescue unit completes deploying fire rescue equipment. 9:02:57 a.m. - Flight 7C2216 crashes into embankment after over-shooting the runway. 9:10 a.m. - The Transport Ministry receives an accident report from airport authorities. 9:23 a.m. - One male rescued and transported to a temporary medical facility. 9:38 a.m. - Muan airport is closed. 9:50 a.m. - Rescue completed of a second person from inside tail section of the plane.
