Maja masti in Karachi

The Parsi drama group Centre Stage was invited to perform a "genuine Parsi play” to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the Young Men’s Zoroastrian Association (YMZA) in Karachi in October 2008, as per a write-up received from Dinyar Tirandaz who, along with wife Roshan led the troupe on a two-week visit to Pakistan. Accompanying them were actors Danesh Irani, Parized Songadhwalla, Ashiana (Aban Bashir Shaikh), Rohinton Patell and Afshad Kelawala while Yazad Karai handled the sound and lights and also supervised the settings. Junior artistes baby Anushe Engineer and Ervad Mehernosh Bhada went along too, Tirandaz adds.

Dinshaw Byram Avari, joint honorary secretary of YMZA organized the proceedings and Adi Marz­ban’s popular Maja Masti Ni Mokaan was performed to packed houses on five days, from October 23-27, 2008, Tirandaz notes. Over 70 percent of the about 2,000 Parsi Irani Zoroastrians in Karachi enjoyed the performances which were also attended by Khojas, Bohris and Gujaratis. In addition to the eight that had gone from Bombay, two members of the cast were from Karachi. Roshan had e-mailed their dialogs and explained the scenes, so they were well prepared.

Photographs of the sets had also been sent in advance and Tirandaz waxes eloquent on the quality of the stage sets prepared for them. There was no problem in obtaining visas for Pakistan as Avari’s Bombay based uncle Edal Katrak personally flew to New Delhi and had the visas stamped on the passports of the visitors. Earlier, Byram, who is the honorary consul general of Canada in Karachi had arranged for the paperwork to be done in Karachi, along with that for other guests who were to visit Pakistan for the navjote of his grandson, the son of Dinshaw and Dinaz.

Top: Scene from play; above: Dinyar (ext. l) and Roshan Tirandaz (2nd from r) with their troupe in Karachi, (3rd from l) Dinshaw Avari

The Centre Stage players were housed at the Avari-owned Beach Luxury Hotel and on the very first evening their host arranged a party at his residence to enable them to meet all the committee members of the YMZA. Tirandaz discovered that the bawajis of Karachi "are no different from us. The friendliness, the love and the flavor of the language are the same.” Many of them have relatives in Bombay, Udvada, Navsari, etc. During the party Tirandaz sang a couple of old, funny Parsi ditties, Kaka kalingar jéva and Looli langri ya moogi bahu, which were appreciated so much that the Karachiites asked for them to be incorporated in the play, which was done, the actor mentions.

The YMZA committee members took members of Centre Stage out partying and shopping, and treated them to lunches, high teas and dinners in their homes. Avari had arranged for chauffeur driven cars and vans to be at their disposal and personally chalked out an itinerary for them. The Moghal sisters, Firoozeh and Zarine, along with Freddy Sidhwa and Shapur Maneckjee accompanied them everywhere and made them feel at home. The visitors were also invited to the Avari navjote at the agiary on November 1, 2008 followed by luncheon at hotel Avari Towers. Almost every member of the Zoroastrian community in Karachi had been invited to the navjote dinner, on the lawns of the family’s Beach Luxury Hotel, Tirandaz mentions.

The Centre Stage group returned to Bombay the following day, with wonderful memories of the warmth, love and acceptance of their co-religionists in Karachi.