Remy Wadia, the protagonist of The Museum of Failures, is identified as a Parsi man very early on in the book. Parsi culture, which is inextricably tied to religion and biological lineage, informs the plot in significant ways.

The Parsi community refers to Zoroastrians who migrated from Persia to India during the advent of Islam in their home region, in a bid to avoid conversion and persecution. While the exact date of migration is unclear, it is estimated to be during the eighth century. Zoroastrianism, which was the dominant religion in Persia (modern-day Iran), is one of the oldest religions in the world, pre-dating and influencing other major religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The religion was born of the teachings of the prophet Zarathushtra, or Zoroaster; however, the migrant community in India came to be termed “Parsi” after their Persian roots.

The Parsis arrived first in the western state of Gujarat, but many eventually moved southward to the city of Bombay (present-day Mumbai), especially during the British rule of India. The Parsi community flourished commercially, and by the 19th century, they had developed into an exceptionally wealthy community.