Events & Personalities
Karanjia in Karachi
The Yazdi Karanjia dramatic group of Surat was invited to visit Karachi by the Young Mazdayasni Zoroastrian Association (YMZA) of that city. During the goodwill tour they performed their well loved comedy Kutra ni Puchri Wanki to appreciative audiences at the fully air-conditioned Art Council Theatre on November 5-7, 2010, Karanjia mentions in a write-up sent to Parsiana.
A scene from Kutra ni Puchri Wanki by the Yazdi Karanjia dramatic group
All three performances were house full with Parsis, Gujaratis, Kachhis, Bohris and other Gujarati speaking communities, especially senior citizens, enjoying it so much that the cast received standing ovations. The play has been performed over 300 times, the local newspaper, The Express Tribune of Karachi mentioned in its edition of November 7, 2010. Karanjia, for whom this is a "passion, not profession” does not charge for performances.
Karanjia recounts that they were warmly received at Karachi’s airport by the ever helpful Shapur Maneckji, YMZA president, and provided a royal stay at the Beach Luxury Hotel, courtesy Behram Avari who, along with his son Dinshaw and daughter-in-law Dinaz welcomed them. Committee members of YMZA took turns to be with the visitors from Surat, showing them around the beautiful coastal city. An enjoyable time was had at the beach, with a boat ride and catching crabs in the sand in the late evening. Buying exquisite Karachi items for family and friends was made possible by Natasha Mavalvala, who arranged a shopping expedition.
"There was no scare, no bomb, no rushing as we had been... warned of. Everyone around us was mild, kindhearted, soft-spoken and... polite. The citizens respected us wherever we went... There is no difference between our neighbors and us,” Karanjia noted in a letter to the YMZA after the trip.
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