The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Thursday greeted the Parsi community on their new year and hoped Navroz would usher in prosperity to all Parsis and the nation.
In his message, the Prime Minster said Navroz is the most important part of the Gahambar celebration of nature and the seasons, a festival dedicated to renewal and righteousness, the Prime Minister's office said.
Alluding to the importance of Prophet Zarathushtra’s teachings of human values and respect for the environment, Dr Manmohan hoped that the Navroz will usher in happiness and prosperity to all Parsis and to the nation.
A small community, which exists mostly in Mumbai and Gujarat, the Parsis, who arrived in India from Persia (Iran on Thursday) more than a thousand years ago, form 0.2 per cent of the country's population.