PARSI IDENTITY: MYTH AND COLLECTIVE MEMORIES

This article discusses the politics of identity and narratives of the Parsi minority community in India, who are Indian Zoroastrians on the brink of extinction. The mapping of the mythical construction of the Parsis by the Parsis themselves is contrasted with representations by popular culture. The main concern is that when there are no more Parsis left in South Asia to participate in this dialogue regarding the manufacture of identity, unchallenged stereotypes will persist, to the disadvantage of the community. Specifically, the character of the mad Parsi (yeda) in Hindi cinema will remain predominant in popular imagination, while narratives of great Parsi entrepreneurs will be absorbed into general narratives of the nation, and collective memory will privilege the queer, the fool, the drug dealer or the anti-Christ.