Department of Arts & Crafts
Performing Arts
Performing Arts have an ancient heritage and are linked with religious observations and customs in every culture. Music and ceremonial songs have always accompanied traditional joyous events such as births, navjotes and weddings. The traditional celebration of life among the Zoroastrians too has been recorded by travellers since ancient times.
The “life affirming” faith of Zoroastrianism commands its followers to celebrate life. The Parsis have followed this injunction to the fullest and have always enjoyed the good things of this world including entertainment through Performing Arts, and have excelled in everything from Theatre and Films to Music and Dance.
Behram ni Sasu, performed by Surat's Yazdi Karanjia & Troupe.
Theatre
From the formation of the Parsi Elphinstone Dramatics Society by Dadabhai Naoroji and to the contemporary doyen Yazdi Karanjia of Surat, Parsis have contributed immensely to Theatre in India, and consequently to Indian Cinema. Gujarati adaptations of European Dramas in the mid 19th century lay the foundations of Modern Indian Theatre which was an agent of socio-cultural change. Parzor has collected, with the generous donation of Mr Noshir Gherda, 100 years of Parsi Theatre from the Archives of the Calcutta Amateurs Dramatics Club; many of these plays have been recently digitised with support from the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Parzor is also closely associated with Padamshree Dadi Pudumjee, International Puppet Theatre Artist, and have facilitated theatre and puppet theatre performances in the past few years.
Parsis were pioneers in Gujarati theatre, in adaptations from Shakespeare and other English classics. To trace the historical origins of Gujarati theatre, the translations and adaptations of Shakespeare and the origins of the Parsi Comedy may be studied. Amateur Parsi dramatic societies flourished in many locations, the Parsi Dramatic Society of Elphinstone College being formed as early as 1850. The last in the tradition of the great Parsi theatre families is the Yazdi Karanjia Group of Surat who continues to bring laughter across the country through the Yazdi Karanjia Group of Parsi Theatre artistes.
Given the bilingual ability of the community, Parsis were able to enjoy both western and Indian or Persian themed theatre. Since the mid 1800s Parsi Gujarati writers were not only contributing to the Press but also wrote extensively for the theatre. The origins of Parsi theatre lie in the assimilation of poetry, music from the Gujarati garba and traditional Indian theatre in western genre. The first Parsi theatre performance is known to be Rustom Zabooli and Sohrab, performed in 1853. While this one was taken from the Shahnameh, soon there were many plays from the Indian epics as well- popularised by Kaikhushru Kabraji of the Victoria Natak Mandali. More than the play itself, the audience enjoyed the farces that came at the end of most plays. These farces dealt with social issues like child marriage, quack doctors, superstitions and vices like gambling, and made Parsi theatre an important agent of reform in the Gujarati and Indian society.
Plays were often translated into Urdu to tap the markets of North India, Hindi and Marathi theatre gradually became popular too; with a secularisation of the audience the community gradually distanced itself from theatre till the theatre going tradition was reduced to two festival performances a year.
In recent decades with the Gujarati diaspora's demand for the Parsi theatre with its farces and colloquial humour, family centred theatre groups like Yazdi Karanjia's troupe have been called across India and abroad where they have performed to great acclaim. Parzor has carried out extensive research and documentation work on Parsi Theatre.
Theatre Archival Images
Puppet Theatre
Parsis have pioneered the adaptation of the kutputhli puppet tradition to modern themes and messages. The cross cultural influences of the west and east are apparent in puppetry where Meher Contractor was the first to revive and reinterpret this ancient performing art of puppetry in India.
Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi National Awardee, Dadi Pudumjee continues these traditions and uses puppets to carry social, environmental and other messages of importance to the public across India and the world. Pudumjee, who is also a member of the Parzor Trust, has founded the Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust and has been the President of UNIMA for four consecutive terms now.
Get a glimpse of Puppet Theatre by Dadi Pudumjee below:
To read more about Dadi Pudumjee’s work and organisation, please visit ISHAARA PUPPET THEATRE TRUST
As part of the International Everlasting Flame Programme, which Parzor co-hosted with the Government of India, we were able to organise a fun event with contemporary Parsi actor- Boman Irani.
Films
It is commonly known that Parsis were also pioneers in the Indian film industry, with cinema's roots in Parsi theatre.
Sorab Modi, winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, J.B. Wadia of Wadia Movietone, Jehangir Bhownagary, Freni Variava are some early Parsi veterans from the film industry. The late Parvez Meherwanji’s Percy was a pioneering attempt to explain the Parsi psyche to all Indians. In playback singing Parsi music directors have made their mark. Saraswati Devi the first Indian woman music director in films was a Parsi, Khurshid Minocher – Homji.
Music
Music is inherent to Zoroastrian culture in Iran and India. While the Parsi presence in the Western music tradition has been variously noted, many Parsis, particularly from the priesthood, were also trained in the Indian classical music traditions. The Gathas or the teachings of Zarathushtra, originally were songs, this is evident even today when one hears a Zoroastrian priest performing. While Folk music and instruments survive in Iran, as may be witnessed around the traditional Zarthushti festivals, in India with the Gujarati influence, Geet and Garbas have become part of the Parsi tradition.
From the earlier Iranian music, assimilation in the Indian milieu ensured that the Garba and geet became a regular part of birth, Navjote and marriage celebrations in Parsi vads. The Atash nu Geet or the Song of fire was performed by women in the temple courtyard each time a Fire Temple was consecrated. There is a song for most important occasions- for example, while the Atash nu Geet is recited also on Adar Mahino Adar Roj, or to help find partners for their daughters, women recite the Ava Yasht.
The traditional Monajats in Gujarati through which children were taught the meaning of prayers were sung daily. Women were the repositories of traditional ceremonial music and the Garbas of Gujarat were adapted to Parsi situations and legends. The Garbas / Khyal of the heroism of the women of Vyara and other historical events including the Sanjan landing were sung with pride over the centuries and helped to preserve and pass on the traditions, history and legends. As regards the Western music tradition, Mehli Cassinath started the Young Men's Orchestra in 1930; his wife, Dhunmai Cassinath started the Parsi Women's Orchestra; Pheroze Damri is considered amongst the best harmonica players of the world; Zubin Mehta has for decades been a household name conducting the world's greatest orchestras and making Parsis proud. Zane Dalal and the Symphony Orchestra of India bringing together musicians from the world over has initiated a new musical chapter in the Parsi contributions to global culture.
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