Navsari Tales: Bittersweet Fables from an Ancient Parsi Town

Navsari Tales is a poignant, picturesque throwback to a time when the Parsi presence in Navsari was vibrant. With empathy and wit, Berjis Desai takes readers on a nostalgic trip into the homes and hearts of a close-knit community, weaving together a mosaic of true stories.

A microcosm of all things Parsi, this fast-paced book offers an insider’s view of life in Navsari during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—full of esoteric rituals, strange relationships, and richly layered traditions. From cousin marriages to forbidden love, exorcisms to eccentric remedies, heartbreak to hilarity, these tales irreverently span the sacred and the profane, the mundane and the magical.

With incandescent prose and an irreverent eye, Navsari Tales captures the spirit of a lost world—equal parts uproarious laughter and moist eyes. Like the ubiquitous batasa biscuit dunked in chai, this collection invites immersion. Sip, savour, and soak it all in.