Down memory lane

Every Parsi boy and girl who has lived and grown up in Bombay and is now a senior citizen (many may be grandparents) must have seen a complete disappearance of certain things while others are slowly fading out before their eyes. Among these are:

Electric trams which no longer ply;

Vehicles drawn by horses known as ghoda-gaadis. It was the dream of a small boy to sit perched next to the driver. When a kind driver gave the reins to the boy even for a few moments the boy would feel as if he had conquered Mount Everest;

Tall, fierce looking Pathans who would invariably stand before the mill gates on payday and pounce on the poor textile workers to collect monthly interest on money given as loans. These Pathans were more interested in getting the vyaj (interest) than in recovering the principal amounts;

Just as we find mobile phones in the hands of most Bombayites today, in the past the city had gone crazy playing with a newly introduced toy. People remained engrossed with the toy whether they were waiting at bus stops, on railway platforms or even in offices during lunch break or any other place. The toy, which could be seen in the hands of men and women, old and young, was the yo-yo;

Passengers in trams could see placards on either side proclaiming "House to let — Ask Bhaaiya” or "House on hire.” How one wishes that these signboards would make a comeback in this concrete jungle!

The cessation of certain newspapers such as Saanj Vartaman, Kaiser-e-Hind and Gup Sup, the proprietors of which were Parsis.

The passing away of stalwart Parsi editors – Jal Heerjibehedin, Dossu Karaka, Adi Marzban, Russy Karanjia and Behram Contractor;

In Jam-e-Jamshed, once a broadsheet newspaper and the weekly Kaiser-e-Hind we would anxiously await the next installment of Parsi Gujarati serials penned by writers like Zeeni Paymaster, Gool Wachha, Arna Homi Pesina and others;

On festive occasions like Jamshedi Navroz, Parsi New Year and Khordad Sal we would throng to theaters to see Parsi Gujarati nataks, many of which were comical and written by Adi Marzban, Firoz Antia, Homi Tavadia or Dorab Mehta;

Irani cafes, hotels or restaurants occupy a special niche in the history of Bombay. Iranis had no qualms about setting up their joints at street corners, considered inauspicious at the time by Hindus. Irani cafes have an ambience of their own, with marble topped tables and bentwood chairs, where a customer with a cup of tea and brun pav maska or khari biscuits could take his own time to eat and not be bothered by a waiter or fellow customer or even by the café’s owner.

Some well-known Irani restaurants have already closed down­ — Café Naaz at Malabar Hill, Bastani at Dhobi Talao, Ideal and Pyrkes at Flora Fountain. The remaining ones will slowly fade out because the younger generation is not inclined to carry on the business started by their fathers or grandfathers as also growing competition from Udipi restaurants and the advent in India of international fast food chains like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut. Whatever happens to Irani restaurants, a sentence uttered by a waiter at an Irani hotel will be forever etched in the minds of Parsis. Shouting at the top of his voice the waiter informed his boss: "Seth né kuch khaaya nahi, piyaa nahi, glass toda, baar anna (The customer ate nothing, drank nothing, broke a glass, bill him 12 annas).”

Cinema houses played an important role in the lives of Bombayites. Whether the films were Hindi or English, as we grew up our love for cinema increased. We had no compunction in descending a number of steps to reach the lowest stall costing four annas (25 paise) as entrance fee and once we were seated at New Empire or Excelsior we would enjoy the best of films produced by giant Hollywood studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers and Paramount. As for Hindi films, the lowest stall would be nearest the screen and we would not mind being pushed and shoved. We would watch films produced by Minerva Movietone, Prakash, Prabhat Studios and those of the evergreen Wadia Brothers where Fearless Nadia single-handedly took on the goons or be enthralled by Ashok Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Madhubala and Meena Kumari.

Quite a few owners of cinemas were Parsis — Cambattas (Eros), Sidhwas (Regal and Capitol), Modi Brothers (Minerva) and Kookas (Novelty). Single screen cinemas stand as reminders of childhood when a small conical packet of sing-daana (peanuts), not popcorn, was the favored snack. Now multiplexes rule the roost with their exorbitant pricing for movie tickets. In terms of classic appeal Eros and Regal still remain unchallenged with their art deco embellishments, while Metro, Plaza and Sterling have survived thanks to plush makeovers. It is cause for concern that theaters are going to lose their old look forever to make way for malls.And thus we end this journey of reminiscences.

BHIKHAJI M. ADENWALLA