The Parsi theatre: its origins and development: I

29 Pages·2001·10 MB·English

by  Gupt, Somnath

The Parsi Theatre:
Its Origins and Development (1)
SOMNATH GUPT
Translatedfrom Ih~ Hindi. abridged,and edited by
KATHRYNHANSEN
T~"SLATOR'S INTRODUCTION
Beginning in 1853,the Parsitheatre rapidly developed into amobile.company-basedentertainment
thatreachedallcornersofcolonialandprincelyIndiaaswellasSouth-eastAsia.Itaroseatapproximately
thesame timeasthe modem Bengaliand Marathitheatres, and likethememployedlocallanguages:
Gujarati,Urdu,and Hindi.ThesetheatressharedtheuseoftheEuropean-styleprosceniumwithrichly
paintedscenesandIrickeffects.LiketheEnglishstageoftheperiod.theydependedonspectacleand
melodramatocreateaudienceappeal.Simultaneously,theseemergingtheatresusheredintheconventions
andtechniquesofrealism,andtheymarkthetransitionfrom stylizedopen-airpresentations toanew
urbandrama Althoughdisplacedbythecinemainthe I930s,theParsitheatrecontinues10besignificant
foritslong-termimpactonSouth andSouth-eastAsiantheatricalstylesand onthe popularcinema.
At present, the Parsi theatre is a source of fascination to theatre practitioners, scholars ofart
history and the cinema,and studentsofmediaand popular culture alike. Atthe National School of
Drama,Delhi,veteranperformerslikethelateMasterFida Husainha..ebeentappedtoreconstructthe
artoftheParsitheatrefortoday'saudiences.Cinemascholars likewiseare investigatingtherecordto
discovertherelationshipbetweenthetheatricallegacyandthegenresofpopularIndianfilm.Othersare
fascinated bythesongsassociatedwiththeParsitheatreandareattemptingtopreservethemarchivally
beforeitistoolate.Eventhe Persis,oncedisinclinedtoclaimwhatwasforthemalow-browartefact.
havedemonstratedmorethan aflickerofinterest inthischapteroftheirpastaccomplishments'.
Indeed, the Parsi theatre is a vital link. in India's cultural history, but one that has often been
dismissed andmisunderstood.Inthiscontextthere isagreatneed forreliable information inEnglish
that would shed light on the history and practice of this important theatrical fonn. Early in the
twentieth century,contemporary observerslikeYusufAli (1917),Saksena(1924),and Yajnik(1933)
providedimportantdocumentation,whichisstillofvalue.Scholarlyresearchonthesubject.however,
isscantprior tothe recent explorationsofHansen(1992, 1998),Kapur(1995),and WiIlmer(1999).
Alloftheseinvestigatorsare heavilyindebtedtoacommonsource. Thatsourceisa Hindibookthat
appeared in 1981, Somnath Gupt's Parsi Thiyetar, published by Lokbharati Prakashan, Allahabad.
Simplystated,Gupt'sbookisthebestsinglereferencefortheearlyperiodof'Parsitheatrehistory.Its
coverage stans with the antecedent phaseof English theatre in Bombay and extends through the
beginningofthetwentieth century',
Two things make Gupt's book stand out among the lesser works on the subject. First, Gupt
I See the articles by Gopal Shastri, 'The Contribution made by the Persis to Gujarati Theatre', and
Sltaratchandra Vishnu Gokhale, 'Indian MusicAmong the Persis', in Nawaz B.Mady, ed., Parsis ill
WesternIndia(1998).
2 Gup['s full title is Parsi Thiyetar: Udbhavour Vikas (The Parsi Theatre: ItsOrigins and Development).
It apparentlygrewoutofhis earlierHirrdiNatakSahitya kaltihas (HistoryofHindiDramatic Literature],
first published in 1947.Gupt may have finished Pars; Ttuyetarin 1969. according to the date of its
foreword.
Silng~etNatalVol.XXXVJ,No.1,2001
4 KATHRYl':IIA:'4SEN
consulted a range ofsource materials in several Indian languages as well as in English. Theseare
acknowledged in his footnotes and preface. Gupt's references point to a dense layer of primary
evidenceinoldnewspapercolumns,inearlyautobiographiesandmemoirs,andincompendiaoftheatre
lorepublishedinGujaratiandUrdu.Second,Gupt'sinterpretiveapparatusisrelativelyfreeofthebias
thatpervadesmostofthesecondarysourcesontheParsitheatre.Composedinoneofthreelanguages
_ Urdu, Gujarati,orHindi- thesewritingsoftenrevealapreference forone particular group or
community over another. Urdu-language histories of the Parsi theatre laud the Urdu munshis'
contributionsbutbarelyrecognize theexistenceofGujaratiandHindiplaywrights,whereasaccounts
inHindiandGujaratidenigratethernunshisashackwritersordonotevenmentionthem:'.Yet.asGupt
himself states, it was"Persis, non-Parsis, Hindus, Muslims. and Christians who spread the an of
theatrebyfoundingtheatricalcompanies.whobuillplayhousesandencourageddrama. whobecame
actors andpopularizedtheartofacting,whocomposed innumerabledramas inGujarati,Hindi,and
Urdu,whocomposed songs and defendedclassical music,and who wrote descriptions ofthe Farsi
stage andrelatedmatters?'.The Parsi theatre asa livingphenomenon was quite free ofcommunal
antagonisms;itisratherliteraryhistorythatisdividedalonglinguistic,ethnic.andreligious lines.
For these reasons, Gupt's Parsi Thiyetar is aworthy source whose English translation is long
overdue.Asonewhohasconsultedthebookrepeatedlyoveraperiodofyears,Ihavecometo both
appreciateitimmenselyandtorecognizeitslimitations.Thesenowrequire somemention,inthatmy
editorial strategies are intimately connected with them. Although Gupt located many significant
sources.hewasunabletoconsult therecordsoftheBritishMuseumandIndia Office Library,where
manyoftheoldprinted play-texts are housed.Guptthereforeperpetuatesthe assumptionthat Parsi
theatreplay-textswerenotpublishedorareunavailable,andhisbibliographicdetailsareaccordingly
incomplete.My attempt hasbeen tosupply the missing informationwhereverpossible,drawingon
myownresearchvisitstothelibrariesinLondon.
It isimportant torecognizethat Gupt dependedupon severalkeyworksformajorsectionsofhis
book.TheseincludeKumudiniA.Mehta'sunpublishedEnglish-languagedissertationontheeighteenth.
andnineteenth-centuryEnglishstageinBombay,Patel'sandSharof'sGujaratiworksonthehistoryof
the Parsi theatre. and Nami's multivolume Urdu Thetar. Because ofGupt's ratherminimal use of
citations,theextentofhisborrowingsfrompreviousauthorsisnotentirelyvisible. Aseditor,Ihave
compared these sources withGupt's text and amplified the footnotes where necessary. I have also
correctedtheerrorsthatsocommonlycreepinwhentransliteratingfromone Indianscripttoanother,
aswellaswhen copying English-language passages into a Hindi publication. Whathasnot been
possible.however. istoresolvethediscrepanciescontainedwithinandamongthesemultiplesources.
Numerousinconsistenciesandfragmentedbitsofinfonnationremaininthistranslation.Manyoflhese
stem fromtheworksthatGuptconsulted.However,itmustalsobeacknowledged thatGupt himself
hasmademistakesandallowed contradictionstostand.
Gupt'sexpositoryHindistyleisratherprolixandrepetitious,although nomoresothancomparable
Hindiliterarystudies.Sincethevalue ofGupt'sbookliesinIheinformationitcontainsratherthanits
proseperse, I have taken the libertyoftighteningthesyntax andremoving redundancies.Another
characteristic is the descriptive rather thananalytical nature ofthe treatment Although it supplies
muchvaluabledetail,thebookcarriesnocentral argument.Attimes theamassingofevidenceisnot .
well-organized.TIleresultisacertaintedium forthereader,whomust sortthroughan excessoffact
without a supporting framework.
To overcome these obstacles andmake the book more accessible, I have decided to publishan
) For further details, see Kathryn Hansen, 'Pars!Theatre, Urdu Drama. and the Communalization of
Knowledge:ABibliographic Essay',AnuualofUrdu$tudieJ 16:1(2001), 43-63.
• SomnathGupt, Parsi Thiyetar: Udbhav au,Vi!as, dedication. S.
TRANSLATOR'S !J','TRODUCTJON s
abridged version of the translation.The following excerpt therefore presents the firstthree of ten
chapters in compressed form. The translation willbe completed in two subsequent instalments.To
provide visual illustrations to Gupt's history, I have also included several photographs from my
personal collection. My supplemental notes to the text are carried within square brackets in the
footnotes,alongsideofGupt'soriginalfootnotesintranslation,whicharenotbracketed.
Throughtheactsoftranslation,abridgement,and annotation,'havesoughttomake Gupt'sPars;
Thiyetarausefulsourceofinformationforthegeneralreader.Thistranslationwill notputtorestthe
controversiessurrounding theParsitheatreanditssignificancetothe culturalhistoryofSouthAsia.
However.itwillmakeavailableinEnglishoneofthemostfrequentlyconsultedstudiesofthisseminal
theatreform.thusopeningthedoorto furtherresearch.
ReferencesCited
Gupt, Somnath.HindiNatalSakitya laltihas (History ofHindi Dramatic Literature), 2d ed.Jalandhar:
Hindi Bhavan, 1949.
Gupt, Somnath. Parsi Thtyetar: Udbhav our Vilas (The Parsi Theatre: Its Origins and Development).
Allahabad: Lok.bharati Prakashan, 1981.
Hansen, Kathryn.Groundsfor Play: The Nautanki Theatre ofNorth India.Delhi: Manohar, 1993.
Hansen, Kathryn. 'Stri Bhumika:Female Impersonators and Actresseson the ParsiStage'.Economicand
Political Weelly ofIndia,29 August 1998,2291-2300.
Hansen, Kathryn. 'ParsiTheatre,Urdu Drama, and the Communalization ofKnowledge: A Bibliographic
Essay',Annual of Urdu Studies 16:1 (2001), 43-63.
Kapur,Anuradha. 'The RepresentationofGods and Heroes in the Parsi Mythological Drama'. In Vasudha
Da1miaand H.Von Stietencron (eds.), Representing Hinduism: The ConstructionofReligious Traditions
and National Identity (Delhi: Sage. 1995), 40J-419.
Mehta, Kumudini A. 'English Drama on the Bombay Stage in the Late Eighteenth Century and in the
Nineteenth Century'. Ph.D.thesis, University of Bombay. 1960.
:MOOy,Nawaz B.•ed. ThePersis in Western India: IBIRto 1920.Bombay:Allied Publishers, 1998.
Nami,AbdulAlim. UrduThetar (The Urdu Theatre).4 vols. Karachi:Anjuman-eTaraqqi-e UrduPakistan,
1962-1975,
Patel. Dhanjibhai N. Parsi Natal Takl!ta,,1 Tavarikk (A History of the Parsi Theatre). Bombay:
Kaisar-i Hind Press. 1931.
Saksena, Ram Babu.A History ofUrdu Literature. 2d ed,Allahabad: Ram NarainLat.1940(orig. 1924).
Sbarof Shyevaksha Darasha. Purano Pars; Natak Takhto (The Old ParsiStage). Bombay. Kaisar-i Hind
Press, 1950.
willmer, David. 'Theatricality. Mediation and Public Space: The Legacy ofParsi Theatre in South Asian
Cultural History',Ph.D. thesis. University ofMelbourne, 1999.
Yajnik, Y.K. TheIndian Theatre. London:GeorgeAllen and Unwin. 1933.
YusufAli,A. 'The Modern Hindustani Drama'. TransactionsoftheRoyal Society ofLiterature. 2d 5,. 3S
(1917), 79-99,
6 SOMNATH QUPT
BEFORETHEPARSITHEATREI
Justasthepresentistheresultofthe past,sotoo theParsi theatre emerged fromapre
existingformoftheatre.Itsantecedentwastheso-calledBombayTheatre,whichavailable
evidencedatesto1776.OneofthefirstreferencesisinanessaybyJohnForbes,anemployee
oftheEast IndiaCompanywho retiredin 1784."When IleftBombay, thegeneralityofthe
publicbuildingsweremoreusefulthanelegant.thegovernment-house.custom-house,marine
house,barracks,mint, treasury, theatreandprisoninclude thechiefofthese structures.'?
Corroborating Forbes,W.Milburn in hismemoirs says,"In thecentreofthetownisa
largeopen space, called the Green . . . ; around the Green are many large well-builtand
handsomehouses,theGovernmentHouseand thechurch...On therightofthe churchgate
isthebazaar...wherethenativemerchantsprincipallyreside;atitscommencementstands
thetheatre, aneathandsomestructure,"}
TheabsenceoftheBombayTheatrebefore 1776isdeducedfromA.Parsons'sTravelsin
Asia and Africa, published in 1818. This gentleman arrived in Bombay in 1775, but the
BombayTheatredoesnotappear inhiswork. The secondpieceofevidenceisJ.II.Grose's
VoyagetotheEastIndies,whereinhedescribestheplacecalledtheGreen,"aspaciousarea
that continues from the fortthereto,and is pleasantly laid out in walks planted with trees,
roundwhicharemostlythehousesofEnglishinhabitants'".Heretoothereisnomentionof
the BombayTheatre.
In 1833, when it was decided to sell the Bombay Theatre, there was an investigation
into its history. The then Secretaryto Government, John Bax, wrote a letter to the
Bombay Municipality, requesting information on "the terms on which the Bombay
Theatre was originally constructed and bas since been held'". In reply the Municipality
wrote, "It is stated in the Plan and Survey of Ihe Revenue Surveyor to belong to the
Hon'ble Company, and neither rent nor acknowledgment have consequently ever been
receivedbyGovernment'".
WilliamNewnham'sleitertoGovernorClareisalsoimportantinthisconnection:"Ihave
been associated with this Theatre for more than 20 years, as a Manager. It was built, I
understood, by subscription so far back as 1776, where a Tank ofimpure water before
existed;and was rebuilt inmy own time, atthe expence ofthe Community in 1817,on its
presentextensive scale;andtheoutlay on thatoccasion hasgiven it a value it didnot
previouslypossess.Itmay beproperheretostate that atthetime this greatoutlaywas made
by the Community ofthis Presidency,nothing was known to the Managers of that period
whether the ground, (or swamp as before alluded to) was originally the property of
Government,orofprivateindividuals,orofanyconditionbeingattachedtoitsoccupancy,
andthatitwasnottillmanyyearsafter,whenfillingtheofficeof'Chief'SecretarytoGoverrunent,
that,ontracingtheRecords,ldiscovered,fromProceedingsin1789,thatithadbeenoriginally
occupiedwiththe sanctionof Governor Hornby,anditscontinuance thensanctionedby
GovernorMeadowsbutsubjecttothepleasure ofGovernrnent'".
Although Newnham'semployment lasted for thirty years,hehimselfneverappeared on
thestageoftheBombayTheatre'.Anefficientmanager,hecarefullyrecordedtheproceedings
ofthe committee's meetings in diaries. When necessary, he also appealed for funds by
THE PARSI THEATRE: ORIGINS & DEVELOPMENT(I) 7
subscription. Hemadearrangements forcostumesfortheactorsandtookcareoftheirfood
and drink. The theatre became almost his householdhobby.
The Bombayofthose days was not like today's city. Itwas divided into three islands,
eachwithitsownimportance.Spain,Portugal,France,andEnglandallcametoBombay,but
theEnglishfinallyweretheoneswhosucceededinstayingon.Fromthelettersanddocuments
oftheBelassisfamily, itis apparent that Englishsociety was originallya smallmilitary
settlementwhosemeansofentertainmentwerelimited.TheyplayedcardsathOI~1e, hunted
forrabbitsonMalabarHill,orrodehorsebackuptoThana.Someindividualsmusthavegot
togetherandbuilttheBombayTheatrefortheiramusement.
The historyofthe theatre isdivided into severalphases. Duringthe first phase, 1776 to
1819,therearefew descriptions. Possiblythe earliestnoticewaspublished in TheBombay
Courier on 27 July 1793. An appeal for the printed book ofSheridan's The Schoolfor
Scandalsuggeststhat the theatremanagerswantedto puton the playbut lackedacopy. In
1818thetheatrewasclosedforrepairs,reopeningin1819withaperformanceofHolcroft's
TheRoadtoRuin,AccordingtoTheBombayGazette(6January1819),theaudienceconsisted
of"the wholeofoursocietythat werenotprevented fromattendingby ill-healthorvery
urgentbusiness". Duringthis secondphase,theBombayTheatre was greatlyaidedby
Bombay'sgovernor,MountstuartElphinstone.Hegiftedanumberofcomediesandfarcesto
the theatre, came to watch the performances, and supported the theatre fmancially. The
theatremounted aproductionofTheRivalsontheoccasionofhisdeparture.
AfterElphinstone,darkcloudsofneglectandinefficiencysettledovertheBombayTheatre.
The debt owed by the theatre kept mounting, and finally it was decided to sell offthe
building. In 1835, Jamshedji Jijibhai [Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy] bought it for Rs 50,000. After
payingofftheloans, abalanceofRs27,379remained,whichwas depositedinagovernment
account.Fortenyearsthetheatreremained closed.Thenthepublicurgedthereopeningof
atheatre,andBombay'snewspapers lenttheirfullsupporttothemovement.Consequently,
thegovernmentallocatedtheproceedsfromthesaleoftheoldtheatrefortheconstruction
ofanewone. OneofBombay'sleadingmerchants,JagannathShankarSeth, donatedaplot
oflandsituated on Grant Road.Thequestionoflocationwas thereby resolved,andthe
construction ofthenewtheatre began.
Finally, on 10February 1846, the GrantRoadTheatrewas inaugurated.At first English
playswereperformedhere,althoughthevenuewasquitedistant fromtheBombayGreen
andFort area, andtheEnglishaudience hadtosurmount numerous obstaclestomakethe
journey. ThiswastheveryplayhouseinwhichParsis, Hindus, andIranis alsoentertained
the publicwiththeirplays.
The Grant Road Theatre was built after the English fashion, the interiorportion being
influencedbytheDruryLaneTheatre. Itsdressboxesextendedaroundtheauditorium and
couldaccommodateseventy-twoindividuals.Thecapacityofthepitwassixty-fivespectators,
andtherewere200seatsinthegallery".Theacousticsweresuchthateveryonecouldreadily
hearthedialoguesandsongsoccurring on stage!".
Thescenerywasminimal,asalargesumhadbeenspenttoconstructthebuildingandno
funds wereleftover.Nevertheless, MrsDeacleordered"agreatquantity ofnewscenery"
from England". TheBritish IndianGentleman's Gazettepraiseditsbeautyandinterest, but
8 SOMNATIl GUPT
other newspapersvoicedtheir displeasure.Once Prince Waldemar ofPrussia was seatedin
thetheatrewithhiscompanions.Thedropscenewasraisedtoloudapplause, andapainted
curtain depicting Monsieur Deschappelles's furnished room came intoview. Suddenlythe
• rope holdingthe curtainbroke and the entire scene crashed to the ground". The audience
wasoutraged,andthenewspapers severely criticizedtheevent.
Costumesweresimilarlyneglected,rarelybeinginaccordancewiththeplay.WhenHamilton
JacobinauguratedthetheatrewithW.H.Wills's TheLarboardFin,orTheCornishWrecker,
he advertised that the play would display "entirely New Scenery, Dresses, Decorations,
etc."", However,theaudienceraised aruckusaboutthe extravaganceandincongruity of
tbecostumes.TheCornishwreckers weredressedinscarletbreechesandwhitepetticoats
trimmed withredtaffeta",The criticsassailedthemanagers,sayingthatCornishseamen
wore thick broadclothanddetested petticoats.Although the criticism was harsh,attitudes
wereslowtochange.
Inthebeginningthetheatrewaslitwith oillampsandcandles,but latergas tampswere
broughtintouse.In1847,ontheoccasionofwelcomingtheGovernor'swife,thetheatrewas
illuminated bymeans of gas.Yeta full use ofthis invention could not be made,perhaps
becausethe managers were notvery familiarwith it. InApril 1854, TheBombay Gazelle
praisedthe lightingsystem,butinDecemberofthesameyear TheBombayTelegraphand
Couriercalledthearrangements"wretched",
When it opened, the Grant Road Theatre was leased to Mrs Deaele rent-free". The
managingcommitteewaschairedbyoneLeGeyt,RevenueJudge and SeniorMagistrateof
Police,withJagannathShankarSethandKhurshedjiJamshedji[CursetjeeJamsetjee]asthe
two Indianmembers.Aftersomedays, Mrs Deacleandthecommitteehad adisagreement,
andforthreeyearsthetheatrewasrentedout.lIowever, financialproblems continued,and
toreducethe debt,thegovernment waspetitionedforaid,whichitrefused.Thecommittee
was reduced to announcing that the theatre building would be auctioned offin 1855".
Jagannath Shankar Seth purchased it, and the Grant Road Theatre became his personal
property".Afterhediedthetheatrepassedtohisheir,Vinayak ShankarSeth,andthentohis
widow,MrsLakshmibaiVinayakShankarSeth.In1885shesoldittotheWesternIndianFlour
Mills".
As long as it waspatronized by the governor and high-level officials, the theatrewas
frequentedbypeopleofgoodfamily.BecauseofthelocationonGrantRoad,however,their
attendance decreased. Snme Christian preachersalsoopposed the theatre as depraved and
inunoral.TheOrientalChristianSpectatorwaschiefamongthose newspapersthatwrotein
oppositiontoHindudrama.Inconsequence,thetheatre wasattendedbysailorsfromtrading
ships,soldiers,andtraders.A lowclassofpublicCameandmadethe theatre foul-smelling
withtheirsmoking.Theperformancesbegantostartlate,andetiquettedeteriorated.Drunken
sail~rsandsoldiersbehavedrudelywiththewomen.Itbegantobenecessarytobringinthe
policetokeeporder.Thisaudience inlatertimeswas inheritedbythe Parsitheatre.
Inthe Grant RoadTheatre, the actors usually were professionals. The theatre'slessee,
Mrs Deacle,was herselfa professional. as was hercompanionMiss Clara Ellis, although
they appealed toamateuractorsto assistthem. Whenevera foreign actoror theatrical
companyarrived, heading to Calcutta,Australia, orChina, they stopped in Bombay fora
THE PARSI THEATRE, ORIGINS & DEVELOPMENT (I) 9
performance, This panern continued for many years.
TheBombayaudiencespreferredmelodramasandfarces, asinthecontemporaryEnglish
theatre.Morton'sSpeedthePloughandBulwer-Lytton'sTheLadyofl.yons,withtheirmixof
seriouscomedyand melodrama,were favourites attheGrantRoad Theatre. As Mrs Deacle
had said, "Old wines made mellow and improved by age,!New fruits, but late from the
Londonstage?",IIwas ollen impossible toperform acompletedrama,be ita tragedyora
comedy.Thus portions selected from dramas- including those of Shakespeare - were
pcrfonned. To linkthedifferentscenes,farces, music,andotherentertainingfarewere
inevitably added. The audience preferred action and gesticulation to speechifying. They
especially liked an abundance ofsongs, exciting dancing, and clowning. They wanted
spectacle anddemanded supernatural scenes andanelementofromance eveninserious
plays.Thiswasmore orlessthecondition ofthe theatreinEnglandas well.
Wheneveranactorinasoliloquymade asatiricalremark onacontemporary topicor
pokedfunatanimportantpersonorincident,theaudienceburstoutwithroundsoflaughter.
Theelementoftopicality wasa necessarypart oftheatricalrepresentation.
Theplayhousesystem,lackofactressesforfemaleroles,inappropriatecostuming,worn
outscenery,middle-classviewershipandtheirtaste,etc.- allwereinheritedbytheParsi
theatre.TheParsitheatrewasgroundedinboththeaccomplishmentsaswellasthedeficiencies
oftheEnglishstageinBombay.Whatitdidwiththisinheritance,andhow, form the subject
ofthis book.
THEORIGINSOFTHEPARSITHEATRE:?O
Thephrase 'Parsitheatre'signifiestheplayhousesbuiltandoperatedbytheParsicommunity,
along with Parsi playwrights, Parsidramas, Parsi stages,Parsi theatrical companies, Parsi
actors,Parsidirectors,andsoon.Also includedare thoseplaywrightsandactors who were
nol Parsis,but who worked ona salaried basis forthe Parsi theatrical companies. Further,
those companies, owners, and actorsare countedwho, while not beingfromtheParsi
communityandnotbeingresidentsofBombay,addedthewords'ofBombay'totheirtheatre
companiesinordertoshowtheirconnectionstotheParsitheatre.Forexample,'TheJubilee
ImperialTheatricalCompanyofBombay'haditsorigininthepresentUttarPradesh(fanner
UnitedProvinces).Itsownersadded'ofBombay'toconnectittotheBombaycompanies,
hopiogto make agreaterprofitby usingthisassociatioo.
The English-styleplayhouseonGrantRoadwas variouslycalledtheGrantRoadTheatre,
ShankarSeth'sOldPlayhouse,andtheRoyalTheatre.AtfirstEnglishplayswereperformed
in this theatre, but slowly the audience began to change. As the number of Parsis and
Hindus increased, performances wererequired thatmetthetasteofthesenewspectators.
From 1853onward,performancesofplaysinMarathi,Gujarati,andHindustanitookplace in
this theatre.
According to TheBombay Telegraph and Courier, 27 and31 October 1853,one Parsi
Dramatic Corps performed a play in the Grant Road Theatre in Gujarati entitled Rustam
Zabu/iand Sohrab.The plotwastaken from Firdausi'sShahnama.Another advertisement
10 sml:-/ATH GUPT
underthe heading "ParsiTheatre" was published in The Bombay Times, announcingthe
performanceof The Birth ofShyovaksh and a Hindustani farce, Tikhe Khan, on 6 May
1854".ThisdramatoowasbasedontheShahnama,whereasthefarcesatirizedthelifeofthe
nawabs.AccordingtoTheBombay Times of 18May1854,Shyavaksh, Part Twowastobe
performedalongwithafarce,HajiMiyanandHisServants,Fazaland TikheKhan.Theplay
received a favourable review". The Bombay Times of 2 June 1854 published another
advertisementforatheatricalperformance,With this seriesofdramas inoneseason,the
Parsitheatrewaslaunched.ThemainplayswereinGujaratiandthefarceswerewrittenin
Hindustani.AlloftheactorswereParsiyouths.Thenamesoftheplaywrightsarenotknown,
andperhapstheseplaysandfarceswereneverpublished.Allwereperformed intheGrant
RoadTheatre.
Advertisementsundertheheaders"ParsiDramaticCorps","ParsiTheatricalCommittee",
and"ParsiTheatre" werepublished in the Bombay newspapers of the time. A curiosity
naturallyarisesastowhetherthesenamesallreferredtooneorganizationorwhetherthey
belongedtoseparatecompanies.DhanjibhaiPatelmakesreferencetotheestablishmentof
the"ParsiNatakMandali"in1853".ThefounderofthiscompanywasPestanji Dhanjibhai
Master, himself an actor with the company". The other actors were Nanabhai Ranina,
DadabhaiEliot,ManchershahB.Meharhomji,BhikhabhaiK.Mus,DrKavasjiH.Bilimoria,
DrR.H.Hathiram,andKavasjiNasharvanjiKohidaruwholaterbecamefamousasKavasji
Gurgin.AlltheseParsiswerefamouscitizensoftheirtime.NanabhaiRaninaand Kavasji
Gurginremainedconnectedtotheatricalactivitiesformostoftheirlives.Therestgotinvolved
intheirownoccupations.TheownerofthecompanywasFrarnji GustadjiDalal,whowas
knownasPhalughus.Fortheoversightandpropermanagementofthecompany,acommittee
wasformed madeup ofProf. DadabhaiNaoroji, Kharshedji N. Kama,Ardeshar F.Mus,
JahangirBarjorjiVaecha,andDrBhauDajiLad.
IntheParsinewspaperRastGoftardated25February 1855,thisnoticewaspublished:
ParsiTheatre
ForthebenefitofthePatrioticFund
TheParsiNatak.Mandaliwishestoinformthepublicthatitstwelfthshowwilltakeplace
onFebruary27thintheGrantRoadTheatre
duringwhichthefollowingplayswillbeperformed:
ThestoryofKingFaredun
andanamusingfarceca1le~TheThieffromSurat
Ticketprices: Rs.2.50, 1.50, 1.25,pitRe. 1.
In1856itperformedRustamaneEkdast,whoseplotwasalsotaken fromtheShahnama
Thenameoftheplaywrightisnotknown.
InordertounderstandtherageforParsitheatre, one must look at the Hindutheatreas
well,becauseittooprovided encouragementto the Parsi theatre. The Bombay Times and
JournalofCommercein1846reported:
Ourreadersarenotgenerallyawarethatanattemptwhichhashithertoprovedeminently
successful,haslatelybeenmadetorevivethelegitimateHindooDramainBombay.The
THE PARS]THEATRE:ORIGINS& DEVELOPMENT (I) II
Theatre inKhetwaddy,wherethishasbeenattempted{,Jis asyetwithout moveable
scenesand...whatisusuallyreckonedthepitservesthepurposeoftbestage,benches
allroundrisetierabouttier,andareoccupiedrightlybyhundredsofrespectable,well
conducted,andmostattentivenativesofallclassesandcreeds.Weneednotinformthe
readersofIloraceWilson- tothosewhoarenotsuch,theinformationmaybenew
thattheHindooDramaisofvery olddate...TheplaysactedatKhetwaddy Theatre
havebeentranslatedfromSanskritbyalearnedBrahmin,whoappearedonthestage.A
buffoonorchores firstcomes in.somewhatafterthemannerof Greeksandshortly
recitestheleadingparticularsofwhatisabout10occur.Theactorsnextappeargorgeously
andfantasticallydressedandtheplayproceeds- thebuffoonthroughthewhole,even
inthegravestscenesj.]intrudeshisimpudenceorwit".
Thusthe Khetwaddy(orKhetvadi)Theatrewasactivein1846,andplaystranslatedfrom
Sanskritwere performedunderthename of'Hindu drama'.Thistheatre waspossiblyopen
air,thestagebeingconstructedafterthetraditionalfolkstyleand folktraditionsfollowed for
audienceseating, entrance ofcharacters, etc. Itcanbe assumed that the plays werein
Marathi because Khetvadi was a Marathi neighbourhood, as itis today,and entertainment
mustbavebeen geared accordingly.Itseems that thephrase'Ilindu drama'was takenfrom
Horace Wilson who bad written a book on Sanskrit drama, wbich he called not Sanskrit
theatrebutThe TheatreoftheHindoos.Whateverthecase,itiscertainthatbeforetherise
ofthe Parsi theatre in 1853, the Hindu theatre was actively present in Bombay, and in it
popular dramas were performed in the local language. Thistrend must surely have given
impetustotheParsis.
By 1861,a number ofParsi theatrical companies and clubs were extant in Bombay,
entertainingthepopulacefromtimetotime intheGrantRoadTheatre.Mostwereamateur
companies. The club at Elphinstone College only performed English plays, especially
Shakespeare.However,mostofthedramaswereinGujarati,withoccasionalperformancesin
Hindustaniaswell.In1858theZoroastrianTheatricalClubperformedHindiaurFirangiRaj
menMuqabla[ContestbetweentheIndianandForeignRegimes],whichwasinHindustani".
Around1858anewcompanycalledtheIndianTheatricalClubwas formed,Theyperformed
adramaentitledNanaSaheb.ThiswasthesameNanawhowasconsideredtheherooftbe
independencestruggleof1857.Showingtheir loyallytothe Britishgovernment, the Parsis
addressed the hero as follows:
OhtyrantNana,you'vedoneafouldeed,
Betrayedyow saltandinsultedourhonour.
Sinner,thief,untouchable,whobroughtdeathtotheinnocent,
Yourexampleremains,butyou'llmeetabadend."
Thisdramabecameextremelypopular.SomeofitssongsweresunginParsihomes.
Itisunfortunatethattheplaysfromtheearlyperiodofthe Parsitheatrearenowheretobe
foundtoday.Itmaybethat theywerenotpublished.Nonetheless,from thedescriptionsthat
arefoundhereandthere,itseemsthattheinterestoftheParsiswentfirstofalltowardsthe
history ofIran.Taking stories from the Shahnama. they made the warriors and kings of
Persiatheirheroes.
12 SOMNATHGUPT
THE BOMBAYPLAYHOUSES BUILT BYPARSIS"
The greatest difficulty faced in the early days ofthe Parsi theatre was the shortageof
playhouses.In 1853onlytwotheatresseemto haveexistedinBombay. OnewasonGrant
Road and the other was the Khetvadi Theatre, perhaps an open-air theatre that featured
performancesintraditionalfolkstyles.Theresult wasthat theatrical companies couldnot
presenttheirplaysforlongruns.The GrantRoad Theatrewas rented out each weektoa
givencompany whiletheothercompanies satidle.In terms ofbusinessandrevenue, the
dearthofplayhousesintroducedaformidablesituation.Thereforetheattention ofcompany
ownerswentfirstofalltofillthislack.Theytooktwoapproaches.Thecompaniesperformed
inBombayasmuchastheycould,butthentheytookalloftheiractors, scenery,andprops
andwentontour,establishinganitineranttheatresoastoperform their plays foraslonga
durationaspossible.Theseperformancestookplaceindifferentparts ofthecountryduring
suitable seasons oftheyear.
TheplayhousesbuiltinBombayduringthedevelopmentoftheParsitheatrewereextremely
important.However,whenthesetheatreswerebuilt,andtheirinternalandexternaldimensions,
aremostlyunknown.Todaytheyhavealmostallbeendestroyedorconverted intocinemas.
Dueto the lack of informationabout the chronology oftheir construction, the following
ittformationispresentedinalphabeticalorder.
EdwardTheatre:ProbablyconstructedinI85Q--{;0andstillstaodingonKalbaDeviRoad.
Liketheothertheatres,ithasbeenoverhauledandisnowusedforcinema. Gujaratidramas
wereperformedhere.
Elphinstone Theatre: Builtaround1853andnamed forBombay's popular governor.No
otherdetailsareavailable",
EmpireTheatre: Constructedin 1908andowned bytheCity ofBombayImprovement
TrustLimited,whoseprincipaltrusteeswereMrNathanoftheE.D.Sassoon Companyand
A.J.BilimoriafromTata& Sons.Its seatingcapacitywas 1000.Dramas were stillbeing
performedhere in 1930,the year in which the theatre's first talkie, VagabondKing,was
exhibited.In1948SethKekhashruModihaditcompletelyrebuiltandputintooperationasa
cinemahall
JO.
ErosTheatre: Constructedin 1937byShyavakshaKhambata.This elegant theatrewas
erectedoppositeChurchgateStation,andlakhsofrupeeswere spenton it.It stillmaintains
itsillustriouscharacter,beingcountedasoneofthemostfamoustheatresofBombay.Today
itisusedasacinemahall",
EsplanadeTheatre: Built by theNatak UttejakMandali. Located near the present-day
CrawfordMarket,itwasconstructedofwood.AlloftheUttejak's dramas wereperformed
here,includingRanchhodbhaiUdayram'slong-runninghitHarishchandra.KaikhushroKebra
was i~timately involved in the constructionofthis playhouse, just as he was withthe
foundmgandoperationofthe company.Thecompany lasted about thirty-five years;thus
theplayhousemusthavebeeninuse foratleastthatlong.
GaietyTheatre: ItsownerwasDahyabhaiDholsaji,butwhether hedirected atheatrical
companyisnotkoown.EarlierNazirhadbuiltatheatreofthe samename on thissite,and