To Hong Kong and back again: Parsi charity and building Bombay

Parsis (Indian Zoroastrians), a micro-minority are well-known in Bombay-Mumbai for their philanthropic giving. The community in the city, through its ties to shipbuilding, and the tea trade, has had a sustained relationship with Hong Kong.

This paper wishes to show how these nineteenth century trade profits were invested in urban real estate in colonial Bombay and recent years have seen a resurgence of funds transferred from Parsi charitable trusts in Hong Kong back to Mumbai, as giving connects the two cities together.

About the speaker

Leilah Vevaina is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Chinese University in Hong Kong. She received her PhD in Social Anthropology from the New School for Social Research in 2015. She has an MA in Anthropology from The New School (2007) as well as an MA in Social Thought from New York University (2005). Her research lies in the intersection of urban property and religious life within the legal regimes of contemporary India. She has conducted fieldwork in Mumbai, India and Hong Kong, with specific focus on the Indian Zoroastrian, or Parsi, community. Her book entitled, Trust Matters: Parsi Endowments in Mumbai and the Horoscope of a City (2023, Duke University Press) focuses on religious endowments and the trust as a mechanism of property management in the city.

In addition to her focus on Zoroastrian global philanthropic networks, Leilah is researching Zoroastrian death rituals and their legal and funerary infrastructures for a new book on necrofinance and death and diaspora. Her forthcoming project seeks to research the connection between gambling and charity in history and contemporary of Hong Kong.

Leilah Vevaina is also the founding Director of the South Asia from Asia Initiative at Chinese University which aims to bring together research and teaching on South Asia in Hong Kong in collaboration with other departments and university partners.

Booking

This event is free to attend and no registration is required. To book a place, please register via Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The lecture will be followed by a reception. 

Organiser

• SOAS Shapoorji Pallonji Institute of Zoroastrian Studies (SSPIZS)