1 month ago
MUMBAI: Rich and glorious
Parsi-Zoroastrian culture
should be studied from a scientific point of view, said Union Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday. Irani was at
Mumbai University
as the chief guest for the groundbreaking ceremony of the building that will house the
Avesta-Pahlavi Study Centre
.
The university has signed an MoU with the Union Ministry of
Minority Affairs
to set up the center.
The center will function under the university’s School of Languages, highlighting the importance of studying and researching areas like Zoroastrian scriptures, classical literature, community, Zoroastrian culture, and spirituality.
The university has received financial support of about 12 crores from the Union Ministry, which will fund the creation of a language lab, multimedia studio, and ancillary infrastructure. Irani highlighted the importance of the revival of languishing languages, especially those related to notified minority communities. She also emphasized that young Parsis need to be trained in ethnic skills and may be financially assisted by the ministry and encouraged to take up entrepreneurship.
The objective of the center is to preserve and protect the Avesta-Pahlavi legacy, study Parsi- Zoroastrian culture, explore the Parsi community’s contribution to India’s development, document linguistic features for posterity, and understand Avesta- Pahlavi’s contribution to India’s cultural diversity. The university plans to offer master’s and Ph.D. in Avesta-Pahlavi Studies along with certificate and diploma courses. The mission of the center will be to promote diverse Indian cultures at the global level and to encourage international collaborations.
Ravindra Kulkarni, Vice-Chancellor of MU, highlighted the importance of studying and preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Parsi community and Zoroastrian Culture. He emphasized the need to promote Indian culture at the global level and to encourage academic research in this field to align with the Education Policy.
Avesta-Pahlavi has been studied since 1888 at the university, but the center has been established to increase the scope. The initiative marks a significant step forward in the university’s commitment to promote cultural diversity and the heritage of Indian languages and culture.
