Parsis Calcutta progressed with

Aradhika Sharma

Advertisement

This book is the result of an incident wherein the author’s grandchildren were barred entry into Kolkata’s fire temple. This unfortunate occurrence culminated in Mehta chronicling the lesser-known lives of the community of pioneering Parsis who came to Kolkata during the British rule. Methodically researched, the work highlights the contributions of this small but forward thinking, broad-minded community that has made invaluable and myriad contributions into the development of the city that was counted among the jewels in the British crown.

It is supposed that the Parsis came to India in 636 CE along pre-established trade routes to escape Arab persecution. “There is no recorded history of our arrival in India, only an epic poem called ‘Kissa-e-Sanjan’ written by a Parsi priest, Baman Kaikobad, in 1599,” says Mehta. That, indeed, is an unfortunate loss of recorded history of a community that helped in propelling the great cities of Kolkata and Mumbai towards growth and enterprise. Indeed, many of the progressive Parsis of Bombay, like Nusserwanji Cowasji Petit, Framji Banaji, the Wadia family of shipbuilders, Khurshedji Cama, Dadabhoy Navroji and Jamshedji Madan, originally hailed from Kolkata.

Traders, philanthropists, lawyers, businessmen, industrialists, community leaders, bureaucrats and stalwarts from other fields populate the pages of this book devoted to this elite and industrious community. The first Parsi who came to Calcutta around 1767 was Dadabhai Behramji Banaji. Parsis used to trade with Armenian brokers in Surat and possibly accompanied the Armenians to Calcutta for business. There are also accounts of redoubtable gentlemen like Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy who traded in opium, earned a fortune and donated generously to charities during the Bengal famine of 1943.

Navroji Sorabji Umrigar’s father, Sorabji, gave his entire fortune to an English teacher to teach young Navroji the Queen’s language. This act, although not appreciated by his wife who fed him, as punishment, only salt and bread for 40 days, reaped rich dividends as his son had a prosperous career as a merchant, and brought good name to his family by building the first Tower of Silence in Kolkata.

Mehta recounts that Rustumji Banaji, owner of Kidderpore and Salkia docks, master ship builder, pioneer in banking, insurance, social service, social reform and shipping was probably the most prominent man in Bengal in the 1800s. In 1837, Calcutta was one of the dirtiest cities in the world. Rustomji Cowasji Banaji played a major role in modernising the city. Regrettably, he is forgotten today.

Jamsetjee Framjee Madon, “a true benefactor of the poor” and one of the forerunners of Indian motion pictures who owned over 120 cinema halls, hailed from a poor family. With no recourse but to start working at the age of 12 to support his family, he began his career as a scene-shifter in Bombay in the drama company owned by Cooverji Ratanji Nazir, at a salary of Rs 4 per month. His subsequent enterprise and charitable works make him a fine example of Parsi adventure and philanthropy. In 1923, this boy with humble beginnings was honoured by the British with the award of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his many cosmopolitan charities.

There are many such accounts, like that of Navroji and Byramji Nalladaroo who started The Calcutta Parsi Club at the Maidan in 1908. There are stories about how Khurshedji Bomanji Motabhai advocated for the establishment of a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, petitioned the British government in 1845 to enact a law to that effect and how Khurshedji Rustomji Cama, a scholar and religious teacher, came to Calcutta in 1849 and was hailed as the city’s first public speaker on religious and social subjects.

A whole section is dedicated to the connection between the DB Mehta and the Jamshedji Tata families. The author has sourced several photographs that give a peek into the living history of a people whose contribution to the country is both timeless and enduring.