In 1853, Faramjee Dalal’s Parsi Natak Mandali performance of Rustom and Sohrab, a touching tragedy from the Persian epic Shahnameh, marked the beginnings of modern Indian theatre, including the still thriving tradition of Gujarati theatre. Since then, Parsi drama companies and troupes have come to be known for their dramatic performances in Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati and other languages, and their farcical Parsi-accented Gujarati comedies. While most Parsis moved away from Parsi Gujarati theatre to more lucrative lines like films or English theatre, the Parsi Gujarati theatre tradition is being kept alive by Surat-based theatre actor and director Yazdi Karanjia with his family and a group of talented actors.
The Parsis of Surat claim descent from a group of Zoroastrians of Iran who immigrated to India during the 10th century AD and made their home at Sanjan near Surat. During the 16th century, they were well-settled in Surat, a major Mughal port. The age of economic opportunity came when the British East India Company established its factory and headquarters at Surat, in the 17th century, and later moved to set up Bombay.
Explains Karanjia, "The Parsis doing business with the British companies got to see English plays, and this inspired them to begin professional, organised contemporary theatre in our own languages like Gujarati. This led Parsis like Framji Cowasjee to petition for a theatre in Mumbai. Thus, the Jejeebhoy family sponsored the building of the Grant Road Theatre and Dadaji Naoroji supported the inception of Parsi theatrical societies in Mumbai. Over the years many more Parsi theatre companies came into existence and started performing plays." This led to a national theatre movement.
"In those days, plays were usually based on classic stories from Hindu or Persian myths, legends, history, folklore and politics. Parsi Gujarati theatre grew with the success of Gujarati classic stories like Harishchandra and Nal Damyanti, written by authors like Vinayak Talib and Ranchchodbhai. Parsi plays began to be performed overseas too," says Karanjia. Many of the plays were efforts at inspiring social reforms and some promoted the freedom struggle. "Interestingly, it is said the first Indian talkie, Alam Ara, produced by Ardeshir Irani, was also inspired by a Parsi drama," says Karanjia, "After Independence, Adi Marzban, Feroze Antia and other Parsis introduced realism to Parsi Gujarati drama."
Karanjia started acting as a child, and founded his own group in 1958-59. "Inspired by the likes of Antia and Chanchi Mehta, I specialised in comedies and spoofs. I have been acknowledged by All India Radio for my radio plays. In 2005 an audience of over 560 at Toronto laughed all the way through the Gujarati comedy play, Kutrani Puchdi Waanki, and the Canadian associations acknowledged our role in fund-raising activities. We do not do plays to earn money."
His wife Vira says, "Unesco has undertaken a project for the 'Preservation of Parsi Zoroastrian Heritage’ with the acronym PARZOR for which they have documented much about Parsi theatre."