Parsis are often ridiculed for their poor knowledge of Hindi. Parsi characters in films and television serials are shown speaking the language with a funny accent. A family based in Poona has broken this stereotype with two generations of Hindi scholars.
Behram Irani is a Rashtrabhasha Hindi Pandit, the highest grade in Hindi, having secured the first rank in the Rashtrabhasha Pandit exam in 1959 and Rashtrabhasha Anuvad (translation) Pandit in 1960. He has successfully completed a correspondence course in Urdu from the Jamia Millia Islamia institute in 1983. Sanskrit was his second language in the 10th standard which helped him to improve his proficiency in Hindi. For about 30 years, he has been the most respected and trusted Hindi tutor in Poona.
(From l) Kaizad, Behram and Rustom Irani: proficient in Hindi
Behram’s elder son Rustom is a Hindi Pandit who has also been teaching Physical Education in Poona’s S. M. Choksey High School for the last 25 years. Kaizad, the younger son has attained the grade of Hindi Praveen, the second highest level in Hindi after Pandit. A freelance writer and poet in English, Hindi and Gujarati, his Hindi poems are published regularly in Aaj ka Anand, the esteemed Hindi newspaper published from Poona and Bombay,
Such proficiency in Hindi is commendable, and the trio has been imparting their knowledge to others. They hope to achieve greater recognition for the Zoroastrian community in the national language of the country.