MUMBAI, India (RNS) With steadily declining numbers, some of India’s Zoroastrians are looking to reduce the strain of becoming a priest in order to encourage more young men to devote themselves to the rituals that sustain the world’s first monotheistic religion.
The Indian government wants to facilitate Parsi matchmaking with online dating. But some Parsis say the demographic problem is rooted in traditional definitions of Parsi identity that exclude women.
An Indian government initiative to preserve the minority Parsi community in Mumbai is showing signs of success. To reverse a shrinking birth rate, the project pays couples to have children. Murali Krishnan reports.