Navroze: How the West Asia conflict has made Mumbai's Parsis change festivities

Navroze the Persian New Year is celebrated by the Parsi and Zoroastrian communities and Iranis It is a celebration of the spring equinox and expressing gratitude towards nature Traditions include offering prayers at the fire temple visiting family and setting the HaftSin table laid with fruits dry fruits and sweetsThis year key products that are sourced from Iran are off the shelves while some like dry fruits have become dearer Confectionery including Gaz Iranian nougat Baklava and Soan Halwa have run out of stock because of the unrest in the Middle East and adjacent regionsBibi Fatehmeh with pieces of Gaz at Cafe Colony amp Stores in DadarDadarrsquos Cafe Colony amp Stores has always stocked boxes of Gaz for Navroz This year at the 92yearold cafe yoursquoll only find a jar filled with pieces of Gaz Owner Bibi Fatehmeh says ldquoIrsquom not selling them by the box I have unpacked what I had in stock and am selling it by the piece so more people can have it We have to adapt to the timesrdquoMarket researchMukesh Gala at Royal Foods at Crawford Market PICS COURTESYPHORUM PANDYAAt Crawford Market Mukesh Gala aka lsquoRoyal Taklarsquo owns Royal Foods for the past 26 years ldquoWe introduced Gaz 25 years ago This is the first year it is unavailable Irani anjeer Pista Halwa and Plain Halwa are available but Soan Halwa is out of stock The cost for Irani Mamra almonds has shot up from R2800 to R3400 per kg Wersquoll have to see what happens in the coming monthsrdquo he saysIrani anjeerZereshk berries used on Berry Pulao are procured from Iran in small packets of dried and compressed bricks Most cafe owners including Kyani amp Co say they have enough stock to last the year On condition of anonymity a shopkeeper in Crawford Market said that Zereshk berries are usually carried by people who visit Iran and sold here ldquoYou need to know which shop to visitrdquo he revealsSugarfree and vegan sweets made from chikoosCommenting on market patterns Pratik Pawar of A1 Dry Fruits at Crawford Market says since the pandemic business is hit by 40 per cent ldquoWersquove been running this store for 23 years now Now people source as per their needs Khari Baoli Old Delhi and Crawford Market have the best producerdquoKitayun Rustom and Kurush DalalGo localKitayun Rustom resident of Ness Baug is swapping with alternative locallysourced produce ldquoWe are chikoo farmers in Dahanu We make sugarfree and vegan chikoo mithai including a fudge and millet ladoo One can innovate and create different products from locally available ingredientsrdquo Rustom explainsldquoNature gives us fruits so we place these on our Navroze Haft sin table to express our gratitude At such a crucial time in world history we should create a fusion of cultures and also move to sustainable lifestyles India is abundant in peanuts currants raisins dates pomegranates and desiccated coconuts that can be incorporated Noghl is a traditional and famous Persian sweet and can be replaced with Nokuldana prasad found in India The purpose is to celebrate the bounty of naturerdquoAdjust and adaptArchaeologist and food historian Kurush Dalal says dry fruits donrsquot come a few days before the festival so the current demand is met ldquoWhat will happen in the next two to three months is to be seen We do have alternatives of California almonds and pistachios Saffron is an important product from Iran and this shortfall will have repercussionsrdquo he says adding that Iranian apple exports to India are a major component of Indiarsquos fruit imports often accounting for around 23 per cent of its total apple importsldquoThese apples mainly from regions like Urmia and West Azerbaijan are preferred for their competitive pricing bright colour and highquality typically arriving via Bandar Abbas to ports like Nhava Sheva The regional tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan is also likely to disrupt produce coming in from Afghanistan ldquoSupply of Kandhari apricots and a variety of badams will be disruptedrdquo informs DalalWhen we reach out to Britannia amp Co thirdgeneration owner Afshin Kohinoor answers the call ldquoI have enough Zereshk berries in stock but no Gaz I have three boxes of Baklava left jaldi lai ja nahi toh khatam thai jase Come buy them soon or they will be overrdquo he shares underlining the sign of our timesBerry bountyZereshk berries used for Berry pulaoZereshk berries called barberries from Iran are used in Berry Pulao At one point they were so scarce in India that they were like rationed saffronTable of traditionThe Haftsin table has seven symbolic items for Navroze to celebrate spring Each of the seven items begin with the letter S in Persian Sabzeh wheat barley Samanu sweet pudding Senjed dryfruit Seeb apples Seer garlic Somagh sumac berries Serkeh vinegar