Nowruz
Nowruz was originally a Zoroastrian festival. Today, almost all Iranians are Muslims. Yet, they all celebrate Nowruz with great pomp and many see themselves as cultural inheritors of ancient Persia. How is it that Indian origin Muslims do not celebrate ancient Indian festivals like Holi, Sankranti, Ugadi etc. What explains this stark difference in attitude?
This attitude is not confined just to festivals. Most Iranian Muslims carry Persian names. Some names like Khurshid, Jamshid, Mehrdad etc are the names of Zoroastrian divinities. On the contrary, one would be hard-pressed to find Indian Muslims with Sanskrit names. Persians also celebrate their Pre-Islamic heroes like Rustam. The Persian epic Shahnameh which glorifies these pre-Islamic heroes is the biggest bestseller in Islamic world after Qur’an. By contrast, how many Indian origin Muslims celebrate Bhima or Arjuna?
Persepolis, the ancient Zoroastrian capital of Persia, is beautifully maintained by today’s Islamic Government of Iran. Contrast this with how Pakistan maintains Sharada temple in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The difference could not have been more apparent.