Zoroastrian Singles and Love Story bring you a Zoroastrian Match Making Retreat in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA from November 16-19, 2024. We have made it affordable for all to attend.

If you are interested in carpooling from Toronto to Michigan, please contact Afreed Mistry (afreed.mistry@gmail.com or 416-302-9754).

There are limited spots available for the retreat due to venue limitations so please sign up early!

For more details and application click on the image below:

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share and fill out our ZSO Resource Guide, we have received an overwhelming 40 responses, and wanted to ensure no one was missed!

Our youth at ZSO have aimed to build this resource guide that can be easily accessed by all community members, supporting both local businesses and individuals seeking professional expertise.

We are also gathering information on individuals willing to accommodate newcomers in their homes or those with leads on available accommodations. This effort is part of our broader goal to support each other, find employment opportunities, and ensure everyone has a place to stay.

To participate in this project, please fill out the forms below. You are welcome to fill out either one of these forms or both if you wish. Your positive response to this initiative is greatly appreciated.

If you own a business or are a business professional please fill out this form:

Businesses / Professionals Form

If you are able to host a Zoroastrian for a week or more - please fill out this form:

Accommodation Form

After we have compiled our list, we will soon be sharing this in our resource guide with the community via email, newsletter and physical copies. We look forward to your support and feedback.

Important Information:

• Your information will be included in a resource guide, and by filling out the form, you consent to publicly displaying your information

• If you have any questions about this project, please email us at youth@zso.org or call Nasha Makujina at (647) 231-2240

• You can opt out of this program at any time by emailing youth@zso.org and stating your wish to no longer participate

Thank you for your participation and support.

Warm regards,

Newcomers Project
Fravash Chothia, Kaizad Damania, Nasha Makujina, Arish Sanjana and Zane Tengra

FEZANA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Applications are invited by the FEZANA Scholarship Program for the 2024-25 competition cycle  for the following

• ENDOWED AND FEZANA ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS

• Endowed and FEZANA Scholarships for the Creative Arts

• RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP

•  FEZANA Community Service Award

All academic scholarships are open to Zarathushti applicants who have obtained admission for attendance at institutions of higher learning (accredited degree-granting colleges or universities) in the USA or Canada. Students from overseas must have studied in the US or Canada for at least two semesters before applying. Creative arts scholarships are available to any Zarathushti applicant who is pursuing a program in the creative arts (performing arts, fine arts, culinary arts, etc.).

AWARD CRITERIA—Graduate applicants will be rated on Scholastic Achievement, Extracurricular Activities, and Community Service. Undergraduate applicants will be rated on Scholastic Achievement, Financial Need, Extracurricular Activities, and Community Service.

Scholarships will be awarded in September 2024.  Closing Date  for receiving application July 31, 2024.

For applications visit   https://fezana.org/scholarships/online-application/

The Zoroastrian Entrepreneurship Development Foundation (ZEDF) graduate scholarships . Please visit https://zedf.org/ to learn more.

Apply For FEZANA SCHOLARSHIPS

Attention high school graduates, the application process for the Annual ZSO Academic and Community Service Excellence Award for High School Students Scholarship is now open for 2024. 

The deadline for receiving completed applications this year is Monday, July 22, 2024. All pertinent details are in the application form.

Good luck to all the applicants.

2024 ZSO Scholarship Application

The ZSO Youth comittee are working on compiling a comprehensive list of Zoroastrian owned businesses and professionals within our community. We aim to create a resource guide that can be easily accessed by all community members, supporting both local businesses and individuals seeking professional expertise.

We are also gathering information on individuals willing to accommodate newcomers in their homes or those with leads on available accommodations. This effort is part of our broader goal to support each other, find employment opportunities, and ensure everyone has a place to stay.

To participate in this project, please fill out the forms below. You are welcome to fill out either one of these forms or both if you wish. Your positive response to this initiative is greatly appreciated.

If you own a business or are a business professional please fill out this form:

Businesses / Professionals Form

If you are able to host a Zoroastrian for a week or more, please fill out this form:

Accommodation Form

After we have compiled our list, we will be sharing this in our resource guide with the community via email, newsletter and physical copies. We look forward to your support and feedback.

Important Information:

• Your information will be included in a resource guide, and by filling out the form, you consent to publicly displaying your information.

• If you have any questions about this project, please email us at youth@zso.org or call Nasha Makujina at (647) 231-2240

• You can opt out of this program at any time by emailing youth@zso.org and stating your wish to no longer participate.

Thank you for your participation and support.

Warm regards,

Newcomers Project Committee
Fravash Chothia, Kaizad Damania, Nasha Makujina, Arish Sanjana & Zane Tengra

2^nd Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize

Applications Invited

Announcement: 2^nd Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize.

We are thrilled to announce the call for submission for the 2^nd Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize, a prestigious award named in honor of the renowned Pakistani- American novelist, Bapsi Sidhwa. This biennial award promotes fiction by Zoroastrian authors and honors the legacy of Bapsi Sidhwa, the first recognized Zoroastrian author from Pakistan.

Eligibility:

• The Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize will be granted to writers of fiction, accepting novels and collections of short stories.
• Open to Zoroastrian authors aged 18 years and above.
• Each submission must be the original work of a single author.
  Co-authored books, edited books, anthologies and self-published books are not eligible.
• Submissions should be in English and must be first editions.
• Works must be published between January 2022 and April 2024.

Submission Period:

• Submissions should include a completed Application Form.
• A hard copy and a digital copy is required. The digital copy will be sent electronically to the judges. The hard copy will be added to the FIRES library collection.
• The submission deadline is June 1, 2024 for the 2024 award.

Submission Process:

• Fill out the online application form below.
• Hard copies must be sent or delivered to FIRES/ZAH at 526 Woodbend Lane, Houston, Texas 77079.
• Digital copy should be sent to info@fires-fezna.org
• For any questions, contact aban@coatingindustries.com

Prize:

• The winner of the 2nd Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize will receive US$ 2000, a trophy, and the opportunity to showcase their work at the 18th North American Zoroastrian Congress in Houston, Texas, in December 2024.
• Finalists and winner will be announced at the FEZANA Awards ceremony at the 18th North American Congress. The winner is encouraged to attend or delegate a representative to accept the prize.

Selection and Adjudication:

• A panel of judges will select finalists and choose the winner.
• The organizer and judges are not responsible for plagiarism issues among finalists.
• In case of insufficient entries, the prize will not be assigned.
• The decision of the finalists and winner is final.

Background and history:

• The Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize is established by the Library Committee of the Zoroastrian Association of Houston (ZAH), home of the FEZANA Information Research and Education System (FIRES).
• FIRES is a centralized collection of materials related to Zarathushti faith, culture and history.
• The Prize honors and promotes the work of Zoroastrian writers in line with Bapsi Sidhwa’s legacy.
• Named after the first recognized Zoroastrian writer from Pakistan, Bapsi Sidhwa, the Prize aims to recognize literary works biennially.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and celebrating the rich tapestry of Zoroastrian literature in honor of Bapsi Sidhwa.

Apply Now

FEZANA Information, Research and Education System (FIRES) is a centralized collection of books, manuscripts, literature, magazines, and scholarly research materials in print and electronic form, primarily pertaining to Zarathushti faith, culture, and history.

FIRES was established in 2010, and is housed and managed by the Zoroastrian Association of Houston (ZAH) Library. It is accessible by all FEZANA Associations and individuals.

Register Here

Scholarships 2024
Deadline 30th April 2024

Applications for the Shapoorji Pallonji Scholarship are now open for MA and MPhil/PhD students. Students approaching Zoroastrianism from a variety of different disciplinary backgrounds, such as historical, linguistic, or study of religions, are all invited to apply.

The deadline for applications is April 30th, 2024. Find more information and details on eligible programs, follow this link: Shapoorji Pallonji scholarships | SOAS

For enquiries, please email scholarships@soas.ac.uk and you can sign up to our mailing list to see all opportunities the Institute has to offer.

Hear from last year's scholars

Arish Dastur

"As I approach the end of the third year of my PhD, I offer my most sincere gratitude to the Shapoorji Pallonji Scholarships for helping enable this wonderful journey. My PhD thesis Imagination and Meaning in the Zoroastrian Yašts is progressing very well. The third year of my PhD has been rich and productive, and a majority of the writing that shall be shaped into my final thesis has been completed. I shall use the fourth year of my PhD to finesse and finalise my thesis, and I am on schedule to submit it for examination on 15 July 2024."

 Shiruy Billimoria

"I was grew up in Bombay (Mumbai), to a working-class Parsi Zoroastrian family where the tenets of our religion – Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds, were deeply embedded into my personality due to the rigorous efforts of my parents, and later on my teachers. It is no exaggeration to state that I simply would not have been able to attend SOAS if it was not for the Shapoorji Pallonji Scholarship - without the scholarship there would be no MA for me. It gave me the opportunity that I had been working towards for a very long time to fully focus on my studies during the entirety of the year."

Visit our website to find out more about the Institute.

SOAS, University of London
Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square
London WC1H 0XG
Tel: +44 (0)207 074 5146
Email: SSPIZS@soas.ac.uk

Atash nu Parab Celebration

(Day Dedicated to Holy Fire)

Saturday, April 20^th, 2024, at 10:00 AM Eastern Time

Join us at https://www.namcmobeds.org/

Get ready to ignite your spirit and join us for a special YouTube premiere celebration on Saturday, April 20th, at 10 AM EST. 

We will be celebrating Atash nu Parab (the Day of Holy Fire) with the recital of Atash Niyaesh and Tandarosti. 

The prayer text and translation will be displayed side by side for all of us to understand the meaning of our prayers. 

The prayers are recited in sync by Ervad. Mehbad Dastur and his son Ervad. Xersis Dastur from the Mehraban Guiv Darbe Mehr, Zoroastrian Society of Ontario (ZSO) in Toronto, Canada. 

This will be followed by the NAMC IZS audio podcast on "Adar Yazad" by Brigadier Ervad. Behram Panthaki.

We invite people of all faiths to unite and celebrate with us.

Please mark your calendars and prepare to be inspired as we commemorate this special occasion.

Join us as we light up the environment with joy, harmony, and the spirit of unity.

North American Mobeds Council

https://www.namcmobeds.org/