1. Iranians in India Although they call themselves Persian (Parsi), the Iranis of India have adopted the culture and language of the place they initially settled in, Gujarat. Boman Irani. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! A well known Bollywood actor who plays slapstick comedy, here Boman Irani sings We Are The World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QjOulAWQY0 Here he is in an ad, depicting a middle class Indian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXj7tl0--7g
Hmm, invert? You know what has to be done, remembering that indians are technically asians, this isn't a new topic and obviously should be in the gay asian thread. Just because he isn't good looking doesn't mean he isn't gay. SAM is lucky we don't do infractions anymore and she'll only have to wear a warning.
How long has this community been there? Does it predate the rise of Islam or are they Muslims? Or have they converted to the native cultures of their new homeland over the years?
There are both mostly Zoroastrians, who have immigrated before Islam as well as after Islam. The ones who came before are known as the Parsis they are slightly distinct from the ones who came after, who are known as the Iranis. The latter group is identified by their cafes.
2. The Maharashtrians Also known as Dandakaranya (the place of punishment) Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! in medieval history, Maharashtra was the home of evil demons and deadly creatures in the Ramayana. As a part of Emperor Asokas Magadha Empire, we reached a semblance of civility. A short spell of Islamic rule was followed by the rise of the Marathas, which if you know that most Maharashtrians are the happy go lucky type who would rather have a song and dance and some wine than pick up a sword and go slashing people, was a unique event owing entirely to the charisma of the dynamic Shivaji, who in typical Indian fashion is still worshipped as The Man. Then came the West and Bombay was given away as dowry by the Portuguese to King Charles when he married Catherine de Braganza. This was followed by Maharastra becoming a part of the Bombay Presidency, a province under the (dis)Honorable East India Company. Maharashtrians are sturdy agriculturists though some have accused us of guile. The local culture is dominated by colour, confetti, songs, dances, superstition and a laid back attitude that will not be hurried. The dances include lavni tamasha and koli dances As you can see from this video, the typical maharashtrian sari is draped slightly differently, so it is almost like a pair of very loose trousers. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! The Kolis or the fishermen of Maharashtra are slightly apart from the agriculturists and have a more flamboyant image, especially the ones from Goa, who sing in Konkani, rather than Marathi (Goa is a small territory to the south of the state of Maharashtra) A glimpse of rural life in Maharashtra from the famous classic Jait re Jait starring the evergreen Smita Patil (sorry about the old video/audio quality) Besides Shivaji, who is already well known, another icon of The Maharashtrian is Pu La Deshpande (as he would be called in Marathi). Sadly he is not translated into English, but is to my knowledge, one of the best writers and stand up comedians of the Marathi language. For those who can understand him, here is a glimpse of his awesomeness.
The ones who came first would have been more closely descended from the original Persians. The second wave would surely include many people whose families had intermarried with (or at least been raped by) Arabs. And Ottomans, depending on how recently they left.
They are less obsessed with maintaining their racial purity than the first group, at least. The Parsis prefer to marry consanguineously and are dying out as a race (too many genetic problems, low birth rate, etc). Current generation is more adventurous (one is married into my family, for instance)
