Dawn at Your Doorstep
The rooster wakes up the sun each day, brings in light, dispels darkness, and asks humans to shed laziness and get to work. He protects his brood, fights till death if challenged to a duel and generally minds his business with a lot of self-esteem and pride. For this very reason, in ancient Persia it was a protective symbol associated with light and struggle against harm, evils and evil spirits. The crowing of a rooster signified a visit of angels, represented sun and light and symbolized, above all, hope in its purest form.
Indian handicrafts, with a rich legacy of over 2000 years, became the canvas for interpreting the rooster through various art forms. Brilliant artists, many of them award winners, stepped forward to paint this canvas with their own unique interpretations of Parodarsh. And now you are a part of this canvas too!
Come join us on our journey of spreading the message of light, starting from your very own home.
Going back to Zoroastrian Roots
The idea of giving a shape to Parodarsh, a beacon of hope and optimism took shape after I quit my thirty year association with the media industry. I got a chance to re-visit my Zoroastrian roots and the journey revealed many things that Prophet Zoroaster revered. Among them was Parodarsh, (rooster in Persian) whom he called a wonderful creation of our Wise Lord, Ahura Mazda.
WHY Parodarsh ?
The rooster wakes up the sun each day, brings in the light, dispels darkness and asks humans to shed laziness and get to work. He protects his brood, fights till death if challenged to a duel and generally minds his business with a lot of self-esteem and pride. For these very reasons, in ancient Persia it was a protective symbol associated with light and struggle against harm, evils and evil spirits. The crowing of a rooster signified a visit of angels, represented sun and light and symbolised, above all, hope in its purest form. What an amazing bird to bring in all the positivity of the world right into your house! Truly, dawn at your doorstep.
The idea that resonated
In all my official visits here and abroad I had been instinctively coming back with roosters in various art forms. It all added up in an instant. I was going to push this ancient wisdom of Zoroastrian texts through Indian handicrafts. The Indian handicrafts, with a rich legacy of over 2000 years became the canvas and the brilliant artists, many of them award winners, stepped forward to paint this canvas with their own unique interpretations of Parodarsh.
And now you are a part of this canvas too!
Tinaz Rohilla
Founder & Curator, Parodarsh
Parodarsh for the really inquisitive
The proud, prodigious and ever-watchful rooster has been a symbol of light, nurturance, alertness and fertility in cultures all over the world. But its place was truly cemented some 5000 years ago in the world’s first organized religious order of Zoroastrianism. The reflection of the rooster image in ancient Iran (Persia) has been based upon the written sources of this period, especially the Avesta. The ancient Persians truly valued and cherished this bird. Fact is that the rooster has been deeply embedded within various religious belief and worship systems across the world since antiquity.
The ancient Persians saw an awe inspiring mix of humanity and spirituality in the rooster. They saw the rooster as a benign spirit that crowed at dawn to herald the cosmic struggle between darkness and light.
But the positive vibes associated with a rooster did not remain limited to Persia. What is so incredibly beautiful about this magnificent bird is the universality of acceptance around the rooster, cutting across continents, religions and cultures. In almost every civilization, we find a rooster symbolizing luck, good fortune, fidelity, protection, intensity, vigilance, enthusiasm, light and resurrection. It stands for discipline, masculinity, bravery, honesty, prudence, pride, strength, positivity, and above all, unbridled enthusiasm for life each day. As a spirit bird, it teaches mankind to use its voice for good. All over the world, roosters are seen as natural allies of confidence, candour, and bravery. They remind you to accomplish your goals because there is no better time to do that than now in the present.
Here is some rooster mythology from around the world which will bring this charismatic bird closer to you.
- In ancient Babylon the rooster was considered the bird form of the True Shepherd of Anu and was considered the ordained herald of the gods. Nergal, a deity whose name meant “dunghill cock” or fighting cock, was worshipped by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, and Persians.
- The Greeks had a huge bond with the rooster. According to Pausanias, ‘the rooster is sacred to the Sun and heralds his rising.”. The Greek word for a rooster was Alector which translated into ‘a sleepless guardian.’ The ancient Greek city of Pergamum established a cockfighting amphitheater to teach valour to future generations of soldiers.
- For the Romans, the rooster was a fortune teller, especially during wartime. Roosters accompanied Roman armies, and their behaviour was carefully observed before battle; a good appetite meant victory was likely!
- Matthew 23:37 contains a passage in which Jesus likens his care for the people of Jerusalem to a hen caring for her brood. The rooster plays a small but crucial role in the Gospels in helping to fulfil the prophecy that Peter would deny Jesus “before the cock crows.” In the ninth century, Pope Nicholas I decreed that a figure of a rooster should be placed atop every church as a reminder of the incident, which is why many churches still have cockerel-shaped weather vanes.
- In Scandinavian myths, the rooster with his “golden comb” guarded the rainbow- bridge leading from the human world to the abode of the gods.
- For Eastern Slavs, the rooster was ‘twin’ of its owner. They moved into a new house only after their rooster had spent a night there happily. According to the Slavs, the cockscomb protects people from nightmares as the rooster is vigilant and all-seeing. The image of a rooster on the walls protected the house from possible fires.
- In Germany, Slovakia and Bulgaria the rooster is seen as the embodiment of the spirit of bread. The rooster is a popular motive for ritual and wedding ritual towels. During wedding ceremonies of Southern Slavs, Hungarians and other nations the groom often carries a living rooster or his image during the wedding ceremony. In fortune-telling, the rooster usually represents the future groom.
- China ofcourse took the rooster admiration to a new level through its traditional healing system of Feng Shui. In this belief system, a Rooster epitomizes five main qualities: dignity, nobility, courage, reliability and generosity. The rooster with the golden feathers is the tenth symbolic animal of the 12 earthly branches relating to Yang, the male force in the universe.
- In Buddhism, the rooster symbolizes non-material desires and is one of the three animals (along with a pig and a snake), which accompanies man in the circle of birth and death
But, we have just about scratched the surface. Search and you will find hundreds of other amazing bits of information about Parodarsh! And when you do find them, share them with us. We will love to host your discoveries and thoughts here!
PRO- ARTISAN AND SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE
What does it really mean to be truly pro-artisan and socially sustainable? How do you show your respect for the artisan? In a million ways, but for us, it all starts with what matters most to the artisan - money. At Parodarsh, we decided to walk the distance by asking the artist to decide the price for his work and refusing to negotiate after that. It is his word that matters and it is our trust in his word that empowers him. It is indeed humbling to share that each amazing Indian artisan/ artist we have worked with has quoted a rate which was more than what she/he was getting from other sites ,and yet, was truthful to the market. And, that is what it takes to be truly and really pro-artisan and socially sustainable.
Our Artists
