Only brick & mortar remain to narrate tale of Punjab’s Parsis

The Parsi community has had a limited yet conspicuously notable presence in the cultural and historic tapestry of Punjab.

Only a few Parsis have called Amritsar home, yet they have contributed significantly to the plural fabric of Punjab, adding their cosmopolitan touch with a large social and economic presence.

A known member of the Parsi community who has remained part of Amritsar’s history is India’s first Field Marshal, Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw.

One of India’s most famous military figures, the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal was born in Amritsar.

Field Marshal Manekshaw’s official residence at Lawrence Road has now — sadly — fallen prey to urbanisation.

His father, Dr FHS Manekshaw, ran a clinic in the city, which can still be visited at Sur Babu & Co, the chemist shop once owned by his father in Katra Ahluwalia.

Among the only existing remnants of the Parsi community in the region is the famous Bhandari Guest House — a quaint, beautiful heritage homestay located in the Amritsar Cantonment.

Established by Tehmi ‘Bogga’ Bhandari — known as the ‘Grand Old Lady of Amritsar’ — the building was used as a palatial residence that once hosted the likes of Hollywood stars, political heirs, diplomats and the social elite.

Like the structure, its owner lived a celebrated life.

For Amritsaris of all generations after Tehmi Bhandari, the guest house — fondly known as the ‘red bougainvillea house’ — remains an object of fascination and pride.

Tehmi, like her father Adeshwar Bogga, was known for her philanthropy.

She was a pioneering woman, much ahead of her time, who gave Amritsar its first taste of urban hospitality by turning her residence into a guesthouse.

Even today, the guesthouse hosts foreign travellers, who want to experience warm, ‘not-mechanical’ hospitality.

Her first husband, Padam Chand Bhandari, was the man who build the mutli-laned heritage bridge known as Bhandari Bridge, connecting the walled city with Civil Lines.

Historically, the Parsi community in pre-Partition Punjab was limited to a few cities — including Amritsar, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Before 1947, Amritsar’s demography was balanced: Sikh, Hindu, Muslims and Parsis finding equal footing in its social and economic growth. However, after bloodied lines divided Punjab, violence pushed most Parsi families out of Lahore and Amritsar, with most the community relocating to Delhi or Gujarat.

According to Mohan Singh, a Sikh writer and scholar, Parsi families in Amritsar were only handful in number, but known for their philanthropy.

“They were non-partisans, even at the time of Partition. Although there might be no official records as to how many (Parsi) families lived in Amritsar — the number likely not exceeding double digits — they contributed immensely to the city’s progress,” he said.

Known for their entrepreneurial spirit and significant contributions to civic life, they engaged with the local community by building schools, libraries and trade centres.

In these cities, the community established a distinct identity, known for its contributions to business, education, and public affairs.

They seamlessly integrated into the local culture while maintaining their religious identity.

Singh reminisced, “My nephew used to work for Adeshwar Bogga, a wealthy businessman who owned ice factories in Amritsar and Ludhiana. The Bogga family, along with the family of Field Marshal Manekshaw, settled in Amritsar in the early 1900s and did not leave until very recently. Bogga was known for his ice factory (the biggest in Amritsar); an Australian parrot that he took great pride in owning; and his philanthropy.”

Today, only structural remnants of the community’s legacy remain in these cities in the form of cemeteries, private residences and memorials.

There are archives that mention a Parsi fire temple in Lahore in early 1970s that closed down.

In Rawalpindi and Lahore (in present day Pakistan), imprints of the community’s presence and impact can be witnessed through the now dilapidated residential structures.

Keccki Kawasji, another popular member of Amritsar’s Parsi community, was an educator who taught at St Francis School. She is remembered as a notable figure.

Her family moved out of the holy city three decades ago. Shiavax Jal Vazifdar is another notable Parsi figure in Punjab’s history, who served as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The last remaining members of the Parsi community in Punjab braved militancy but later migrated, leaving behind only brick and mortar structures to tell their stories.