~e-Exploring ..

fa
Indian Drama
in English

Edited Ly: -
S.B. Barure • M.A. Sa rni Siddiq ui
 Re-Exploring ~
India n Dra ma
in Englis h
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 Contents
----•----

Preface V

1. A Panoramic View of Indian Theatre

- Dr. L. V. Padmarani Rao 1
2. Women Characters in Post Independence Indian
English Drama
- Dr. Vikas Raval 16
3. Mahesh Dattani's Tara: A Study in Rasa
- Kshipra Purani 27
4. Gender Discrimination in Mahesh Dattani's 'Tara'
- Dr. Ram Sharma 42
5. Disturbed Zones of (Post) Emotional Society in
Dattani's Tara and Bravely Fought the Queen
- Ankur Konar 51
6. In state of Decline, living on the periphery:
Study of Cyrus Mistry's Doongaji House
- Dr. Ajay Sahebrao Deshm ukh 65
7. Zubin Driver's worm play: An Allegory of
Contemporary Situation
- D..P. Digole 81
 Chapter - 6

In State of Decline, Living on the

Periphery : St ud y of Cyrus Mistry's
Doongaji House
-- -- •- -- -
Dr. Aja y Sahebrao Deshmukh *

[I]
in 1850s and 1930s.
Parsi theatre wa s eno rmo usl y significant
ia's first pro gre ssiv e
Parsi theatre can b.e dis ting uis hed as Ind
Eur ope an techniques,
viable theatre. It wa s a cum ula tive of
ally thri vin g in the
spectacle, and loc al for ms, exc ept ion
spo nso red by Parsis.
subcontinent. As the nam e des ign ates , it was
iness and shipbuilding.
Parsis wer e prim aril y occ upi ed wit h bus
nial Bombay Theatre
Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy pur cha sed the colo
in 1835.
ed to October 1853,
The first Par si pro duc tion is usu ally dat
by the Parsee Stage Players at Gra nt Roa
d Theatre. Embarked as
al. Many new troupes
amateur gro ups , soo n it bec am e profession
development. Viewers
were instigated dur ing this per iod of fast
dle class. Major theatre
were ma de up gen era lly of Bom bay 's mid
s, Victoria Theatrical
groups wer e the Par see Sta ge Pla yer
Zor oas tria n Theatrical
Company, Elp hin sto ne Dra ma tic Club,
Theatres in Calcutta,
Club, Alfred The atri cal Co mp any , Ma dan
Sha kes pea ~ ~at ak
Empress Victoria The atri cal Com pan y and nd
arati, Urd u, Hmdt,, a
Mandali. Parsi com pan ies wo rke d in Guj
nd Arts,
lish , Shri . Mu.ktana
Assistant Professor, Dep artm ent of Eng
11

Aurangabad (MS).
Commerce & Science Col lege, Gan gap ur,
 ~
~
Re-exploring Indian Drama in English
66
lish. It stimulated theatres in almost every part of Ind·1a
even Eng h . . k b .
This fashioned conceivably t e maJor tic et- uymg spectators ~
Indian theater history. The structure was greatly diverse and
ferent parts, taking stories from the Persian renowned ~f
dif · Mahab1.--
· classic epic
uruata, the marvel
Shahnama, the Sanskrit , tra di ous
Arabic Arabian Nights, Shakespeare s ge es and comed_i
and Victorian melodrama, etc._ Its style _was deriv_ed from t~
above sources a_s well as English p~-time theatricals, British
touring repertones, from ~U:opean rat_1onaJ story structures, the
singing and drama traditions of runeteenth-century Indi
courtesaM. Features like the amalgamation of simple pl:
obviously demarcated characters, strong emotional value '
spectacle, and ethical tone made the plays exceptionally populas,
The legendary genre mainly implied Hindu legends. r.
The social plays were equally admired.. When emotio
overpowered story, it bended towards into the melodrama.~
dealt and elaborated issues within the family . Problems about
equality, sexuality, education, and inheritance enacted within
domestic terms.
[II]
Zoroastrianism is a beleaguered faith . ln the p rocess of
modernization and extreme individualism, this minuscule
community is on the threshold of annihilation. Though less in
number, Parsis have made momentous end owment in all walks
of life. They lead the way in various areas like banking, s hipping,
atomic physics or Art. It is an accomplishment of their supremacy,
and capacity to ascend above the restriction o f numbers and
augment the existence of the nations they inhabit in. The Parsis
in India exhibited a magnificent gift for absorpti o n on the one
hand while their uniqueness remains unintem1pted. . There is a
sense of steady modification of sell inside and exterior of the
community. To the mainstream of the Indians, they are known
for their compassion or for their humorous appearance in some
Hollywood films with their peculiar attire or s trange H.indi
accent. They are regarded as the crazy community of Bawaji's.
For many others, they are people of abundance, absorbed in the
extravagance and excessive independence. Such segregation of
India's Parsi Zoroastrians has resulted in their cocooned. existence.
Nani Palkhiwala believes that:
State of Decline, Living on the Periphery : Study of... 67
111
History affords no parallel to the role of Parsis
in India. There is no record of any other
community so infinitesimally small as Parsis,
playing such a significant role in the life of a
country so large. [1994:317]
But in post-colonial era their position was ruined under
sovereign India'~ Hindu majori~. The f~ancial state of the Pars is
had been in decline well befo~e 1t was noticed. that the community
was deteriorat.ing. K D. Umngar perceives that Parsi's complaint
against their prospering business, industries of earlier century,
were "getting smaller year after year" [1971:35]. Instead of a spirit
of entrepreneurship, there is sharp unemployment upsetting the
commwtlty, and a need of professional diversification pointing
to their decline. Wadia P.A. marks about growing poverty in
Parsi community:
.. . poverty is not only an economic phenomenon
but has become a general social phenomenon,
affecting a substantial majority of families within
the commmtlty. [1949:9]
Minchoer comments that: "the rich of yesteryears became the
upper-middle class traders of today; the upper-middle class
became the middle-class fixed income earners; and the lower-
middle class became the new poor of the community." [Minocher
H.H.B 1978: xii]
The housing condition had specified another category of slow
devastation in the worth of life. The first housing settlements
were constructed with the help of public funds around the turn
of the century for the poor Parsis. Now those settlements had
become slums. New building, however, has never kept up with
the necessity of solitary persons and families who have been
rated. out of the personal housing market. As a result, over-
crowding, overstra in facilities, and worsening for requirement of
proper preservation have been enormous problems. TI1ese colonies
had beco me "a breeding ground of organized beggary and
hooliganism " [Wadia P.A. 1949:331 for the children, especially
boys.
Thus, one can see the downgraded. conditions of Parsis in
India . The community once well-known for prosperity and
charity is trapped in financial crisis and corruption.
 '-
Re-exploring Indian Drama in English
68
The centuries-long isolation of Zoroastrians from the political
. fter the Muslim assault adapted them to political
practice a . f d ti . .
pass1v1Sm. Parsi refugee in India oun . us appropriate stance
. .
for endurance. They were given their status as _unnecessary
refugees fully dependent upon thepsympathy . of Indian
. rulers for
thestrrv ival. But with English rule ars1 were recognized for their
Th . t . .
iation with political order. err ca egonzation with the
assoC h d' f community. Migration to the West is a crucial matter of the play
British and the lavishness placed t ~m istant ro~ most Indians
whose increasingly fervent yearrung was for mdependence.
National Independence in 1947 gave the great Hindu (in case of
India) and Muslim (in case of Pakistan) its first chance in
centuries to swap the position of servant for that of master and
thus at last to govern the political arena. It reinforced the
marginal rank and apolitical perception in Pars.is. Elite
consciousness and it's perpetuation by Parsis helped to "forget
the actual dangers to the community's future" [Kulke 1974:268).
[III]
This paper is an attempt to analyze the post-independence
scenario in Cyrus Mistry's Doongaji House. It highlights the
decline in the status of Pars.is in post-colonial India and their life
on the periphery.
Doongaji House is the first play by Cyrus Mistry. He won the
Sultan Padamasee Award for Playwriting in 1978 for Doongaji
Ho1LSesponsored by Mumbai's 11ieatre Group. Cyrus Mistry, though
21 at that time, brilliantly highlights the decline of glorious past
of Parsi community. Doongaji House emerges as the metaphor of
decay of India's most westernized, anglicized and modern
community into a community of poor people, living on the edge
with the consciousness of superiority over other Indians in post-
colonial India alienating them from Indian identity.
Doongaji ~ouse represents the community who has seen the
lavish days under the colonial rule and drastic changes in socio-
political, economical and cultural facets of their lives in post
colonial India. The drift between rich and poor Parsis increased
during P.OSt independence India. The grievance of degradation in
socio-economic conditions, and inception of social evil like betting
on Mataka have also been focused apart from the unhygienic
conditions of living, anxiety of being unimportant and negligence
r
In State of Decline, Living on the Periphery : Study of... 69
in old age, communication & generation gap, discordant relations
within the family of a Parsi Patriarch Hormusji Pochkhanwalla.
Recurring themes of the play are decadence-of Doongaji
House, family, relations, Parsi identity, socio-economic and
political status, Mumbai. H!story or the past is another important
theme of the play-glonous past of the Doongaji House,
Hormusji's family history, Mumbai as the centre of Parsi
such as migrating to Canada as an escape from torturing reality
of Parsi existence in Mumbai and inability to do so resulting into
frustration. Mistry has also utilized the 'dream sequences' to
foreshadow the future of the family.
[A]
Doongaji House, a colonial Parsi complex, is the central metaphor
of decay. The play opens with the description of Pochkhanawallas'
drawing room which is described as following denoting rotten
state of Doongaji House:
. . . is poorly lit. A faint, yellowish hue of
mouldiness and dust seems to hang in the air .
The furniture is drab and mostly antique . . .
dreary of cupboard with a large inset mirror,
. . . other curious articles of furniture in various
stages of disuse and decay may be judiciously
included to create the effect of a few decades of
cluttered accumulation and, above all, of
impoverishment. . . . The walls, hung with
portraits of family ancestors, are cracked and
peeling. In one corner of the room, a beam of
timber has been erected to support. [Act 1, Sc. 1,
pg. 117]
It also highlights the decadence of Doongaji House as, " ... The
tlzree-storeyed building . . . itself shows alanning signs of age and
degeneration" [Act 1, Sc. 1, pg. 117]
There is no electricity for two years in the house. Piroja
jokingly comments if ever their landlord installed electricity, it
will hurt her eyes as she has grown habit for kerosene lamp. Their
world has got smaller due to widening of the roads, as Piroja says
if windows are opened then the whole house "would be coated
 .:.,
-.....
, ~

71
70 Re-explo ring Indian Ora . . Living on the Periphery : Study of...
ma in Engli.c,h ate of DecI,ne,
. /n St I e
bl is on the floor, next to a arg
with dus t in fiv e minutes" and "p eople can look s t . 1
1, Sc. 1,118). Jl s uggests the red uc tion of Pa rs i ~a ,~hl n"( Art to be on th~ ta ~old odds and ends wrapped
much internaliza tion within lhe comm unj ty. O ne or d and too bundle o~ ouse et The comers of some family
same echoes fro m Ro hjnto n M istry' s S uch a Long / an reca]] the togeth~r :n~ ~: handle of a badminton racket
But Ooongaj i /-louse w as ne ve r the sa m e. ll was a p~~rney 0 991). p~rktrao1~~ from bundle. [Act V, pg. 174) . . •·
resid ent of IJoo ngaji I lo use . 1lorm usji, in his jolly mo ~lo be lhe shC
Id man living in Doongaji House JS BUTJOrJi
lellsthe
hjs lo ry o f Doongaji ho use a nd its present s late of doec1,_1ne: Anothe~ ol -four ears, who skates at any hour of the d~t
_f-Jormusji : When Bombay f!rs l got e lectricily - 1928
Bonesetter~e1g~Js mor~ to chaos that is prevalent in Hormusp_s
I thmk-ours was o ne o f the firs t buildin gs lo inst.all ~ Skating no:'e ~ Bo nesetter died when roof fell on h~- There is
house. BUTJOrJl . runent BUTJ·ori1Ts skating . v01ce added
m e ter. Yo u know, A va n? ll was the tallest build . in the envrro · • d h
bleakness to the H o rmusji's life. At the_ en~ with his eat.,
a ro und for miles .. . a t ru g ht il w o uld g lo w brightly 1:g
a,uc_h c~ao:o ed and s o its noise. It also indicates the chaos lS
a lightho use in a sea of d imly-lil fish in g boats. At. 0 e
s1<atrngd1s sd pnpew o rder is established by destroying the old one.
time it was a maller o f prid e lo be able lo say " I Jive : ~ finishe an a · · d t I1a t d ea tl1
he has hve
Doongaji I lo use .. . Wha l a s ta le it's come lo no w! That . . hi hJ"g hts the pathetic situahon that
PIIOJa g I • • • .
rascal of a la nd lo rd . .. IA cl 2, Sc. 2, 152 1 beeame the solutio n for it as she puts it.
Piroja : He waited twenty-five years for this day. He
Indiffe re nce a nd unca ring a lti tud e o f land lo rd and Parsi had becom e jus t s kin and bones .. . . When the roof ~aved
Pa nchya t has caused th is d ecli ne in the ho us ing cond itions or in, a beam fe ll s traight on his chest and flattened it. He
Doongaji I lo use. was asleep in bed .. . (pause). [Act V, pg. 175]
I

In due course o f lim e, ra in s ho w e r has settled the (•

e nvironme nta l proble ms s uch as e xt rem e hea t ct nd dust as well
as p e rsona l p roble ms in l'och kha nwctll n fa mily . Hut the same rain
has caused the great d a mage lo Doonga ji I lo use. The ra in has
cleaned the dus t e nve lo ped ove r t he re la tio ns a nd hearts breaking
do wn the unsee n wctlls a lso rn useJ the colla ps ing of old walls and
ceiJings o f Doongctji Ho u se.
I-le shows the way H ormus ji a nd Piroja have taken care of
their house, furniture, things hr1viJ1g seniimenta l value with
memories o f the ancestors a re clubbed together to be dumped
somewhere . This produces llw impact of grea t vacuum and
permanent loss o n the part o f I lo m u ,s ji a nd Piroja who are
abando ned with o ther reside nts o f the Doongaji House. Their life
will be a m eager o ne living o n the ed ge. Misty d escribes il as:
'The round ma rble- topped ta ble is no longer at
ce ntre-s tage. It has been pus hed nearer the door,
and its marble to p wra pped in old newspapers
and tied with a s tring . T he two chairs are placed
o ne o n top o f the o ther, seat lo seal, and a rolled
up mattress rests o n them . The lctmp w hich used
The fall o f Ooongaji House has compelled Parsi Panchyat to
reha bilitate the o ld Pars is of the house to the new place. This is
a s trong sense of community among the Parsis that has survived
it apart fro m m a ny problems. They are asked to shift to Jeejibhoy
Sa natorium. I-Io rm usji & P iroja have lost everything that they
owned. T heir chjJdren, pride, belief, and at last their "Dooongaji
House" . They a re in their last phase of life but any how have to
live. It d oesn' t m a tter where does they live in "A slum, a
foothpath, a sew e r! " (Act V , pg. 175) as Piroja puts it.
She highlig hts o ther causalities of the accident such Adesar.
Both of his legs w ere damaged . His wife and his old mother had
an unbelievable esca pe. Goolmai's thigh was cracked. This accident
has op~ned the whole side of the building to the street. It is
s uggesh~e that the Pars i world which was a great mystery to the
non-Pars1s, now it is re vealed to the whole world. People can
have a look into it.
H Purveyor_ ~~anges s hifting for the residents of Doongaji
ouse. lie cntic12es and humiliates the victims very rudely. He
uncouthly .
com menls on t h e h ousehold, furruture ..
of HormusJi's
flat:
 -~
~·
Re-exploring Indian Drama in E .
I
72 ng1!Sh
Purveyor : . . . What a lot of furniture you've been
collecting.! A proper godown. ~ell, you'~l have to sell it
off to thejaripuranawall, sometime later Im afraid. Now
see. You can take one cupboard. That one. Take the
mattress if you want. But not the bed . Certainly not th
bed, eh? You're not shll'.ting to the Maharaja of Udaipur':
palace, mind you. You JI hav_e t~ share a room .. . And
don't bring along any ternute infested furniture, see?
Don't want a pest-control problem on my hands at the
sanatorium. You people are famous for that. H.mnun
What a lot of trouble you've caused . .. . [Act V, pg. 176j
This attitude of the Purveyor is an indication of that how
young generation has become carel_ess about the problems of the
old. He considers that the people m the house have caused th
fall of the building hence tTOubling him for their rehabilitatio e
He carelessly handles Hormusji's violin calling it as guitar. 1-~·
ridicules Hormusji for living in decayed house as Doongaji I-Ious:
is. He is even feels annoyed that such places are in existence:
Purveyor: . . . Whal a hous e this is ! By God! 1 didn't
know such places existed. It's a museum piece. A zoo!
Such samples I've met today ... one better than the other.
This house should have been certified unfit fo r habitation
long ago! [Act V, pg. 1771
Hormusji feels insulted because of the way Purveyor
mishandled the things that have emotional value for Hormusji.
He is not ready to leave the house. He wr1nts to die under the
roof of Doongaji House. He thinks that there is no harm to stay
under the roof of Doongr1ji House. Piroja convinces him of unsafe
living in Doongaji House. He is unwilling to listen her.
Hormusji : . .. Let these walls collapse on me. I'd
rather be buried alive under Doongaji House, than dead
in some rat-ridden gutter, picked at by crows . ..
No. . . . not the Panchyat nor any chicken-livered purveyor
will be able to drag me out of this house .. . (in whisper)
I will stay alone ... shutter the doors and windows, drive
nails through them. . . . I will not see the light of day
again. (Suddenly hysterical, he jumps up and starts ba11gi11g
011 the walls with his fLqs,)
" '''lfl!i!~
73
In State of Decline, Livi11g on the Periphery : Study of...
. . f ? p ostrate yourselves!
. h walls! What are you wa1tmg
Pens or r ]
. ... [Act V pg. 178
Rele~~~~: S~~~;:~;~ ;;:e!~~:;;~ hitlque of 'Dream ~quence~'.
gesting the impending fall of Doongaji House and I-:Jo~tlSJl
stl
~Ju<l,anwalla. Hormusji has seen some nightm~res mt_w mg
firthcoming events. He saw himself in moving tram sleepmg on
a bunk but others were t1?'ing to pull him down to ~et the place
that Hormusji has occupied. He was pulled down.
Hormusji: .. . Then I was falling . .. . falling endlessly,
through space . .. •
Piroja : And now the house has fallen on our heads.
. . . [Act V, pg. 179]
Next he saw himself in a school as an old man appearing for
examinations Dhanjishaa Bapsola as his examiner. He was asked
to recite the Marseillaise but he couldn' t remember it where as he
has sung it for whole of his life. Then he was all alone in a
deserted street at night. Suddenly a white stallion galloped at
him. I-Ie sat on its back and the horse collapsed under him. He
cried in the sleep and " ... Then the morning awoke with a terrific
crash." (Act V, pg. 179)
At last the process of decline is completed with the fall of
Doongaji House. They compelled to leave the house. Among this
hum-bug, Hormusji is happy that Piroja is still with him to take
care and love him. He has also come to terms with his life. He
inquired about the Avan. Hormusji has accepted the reality of
destruction of Doongaji House. Piroja "collects a few last things and
~arries them 011t on the landing. Hormusji walks around, slowly, gazing
mcred11/011sly at the walls, the scaffolding, the furniture . .. "(Act V, pg
181). Hormusji in feat of emotions shared last words with
Doongaji House impersonati ng it as an integral part of their life:
Hormusji : So ... We are leaving you now . . . But
remember. It is not of our own choice that we part. In this
~ast week, I have learned many things. I learned there
IS a weakness in human flesh that makes it untrustwort hy.
• . . I learned that spirits too do not always speak the truth.
• . . But today, you have taught me something new. You
have taught me that even stone walls can betray .... o
Faredoon Doongaji, old scoundrel, wherever you are,

74 Re-exploring Indian Drama .
lil English
could you not have employed a sturdier stone f
cement, when you decided to raise this house? ~;e:S·ter
that could have held together just a few years lon hing
today, two old peopIe wo uld not have been forced so
&er;ou
of th~ir h~m~ to some strange new hole Where the~
misenes will mcrease a hundredfold ... surrounded b
strange faces, strange voices, unfa~r smells .... Wh;
am I talking to? Faredoon DoongaJl died years ago. N
Doongaji House to~, is dead. (More collies enter and
away the last of their luggage) . . . Come Piroja.(Act V
t:
pg. 181) ' Avan too is ready and finally leaves with him. Thus she completes
Thus, Hormusji and Piroja leave the house helping each other
arm in arm as there is no o ne to care for them.
[BJ
Another important face t of the play is scattering of th f .
members, especially, chiJdre n go ing aw ay from their olde amily
lt. · is · facing todayparents
. I pro bl em that Pars1· co mmunity
. a cruc1a lh
.1t 1s . ·1·JCant d. ev~ I?pme_nt m
. s1gm . 11 h ' ough
a t e s_ectio n.s of the society. The
strong sense of ind1v1dualism, m od e rnity, private space ado led
from west, their colonial maste rs, o ld p eop le are abandon~ b
their children. It has paved the p roblem o f health condition:
psychological problems, and lo ne liness am o ng lhe old people.'
Hormus ji Pochkhanawa la a nJ Piroja are living with their
daughter, t\ van. Ho th o f the ir sons have abanJ oned their parents.
Rusi who has gone to Canad a, ha~ n' l re turneJ . lie does not even
care for their financial proble ms . I le \\'ri tes short letters devoid
of emotional warmth. rali has lurneJ o ut to be a Malka Bookie
who even gives tips lo his fath er lo be t o n certain number. He
is living with a C hristian Ay a h, w ho m he has married . Avan,
though lives with them, has gone fa r aw ay fro m them emotionally.
She is overburdened with the duties o f the sons. She earns for
them. Similarly, Oonngaji I lou se is a lso abandoned by the
youths . It has become the hangout L) f the o ldies as if they have
become the burden over it:
Perin : First your Rusi w ent away to Canada . The~
Fali. went away to Chi.kkalwad i. T he Bogdawallas an,
their children moved out lock, s tock and barrel. Wh~
left in the building nO\v? O nly o ld people. (Act 1,
~
I . · · th Periphery · Study of.. ·
75
In State of Declme, Living on e .
· is below
uild mg
1,118) . . . All Oldies . . . who else in the b
sixty?( Act 1, Sc. 1,119)
Their daughter too has changed drastically. Avan as an
artistic child, used to write essay and poems. S~e wo~ the es~ay
etition and published two of her poems m Kaiser-e:Hind.
~=~hange from "a cheerful, spritely lit~le _devil to so seno~-· ·
so sullen... as if ... carrying some secret ms1de her . .. . something
she will not share."( Act 1, Sc. 1,127) has caused panic for her
parents. Cawas has of~ered her a jo~ in _his firm at Bangalore.
the cycle of abandonment in the family.
The problem of old people has another dimension i.e.
generation gap or communication gap between elder gen~ration
and young generation. It also highlights the rotten state of finance
of old people.
Piroja complains against Darabshah who in his sixty plus is
still a bachelor. Extreme individualism and modern ideas of
· freedom have caused great harm to Parsi-Zoroastrian community.
Simultaneously, it caused the decline in population and
commw1ity has grown up old where youngsters are not ready to
take care of their parents because of same ideas of individualism
and freedom. Here one can recall the Rohinton Mistry's master
piece Family Matters where Narirnan Vakil 79 years old professor
of English is left to suffer in the family of his daughter Roxana
living in the wants. Financial condition is worst and they can't
afford to ta~e on illnes_s. On the other hand, Darabshah is living
on the charity of a distant relative who donates him a fixed
amount eve_ry month. Hormusji expresses his helplessness and
sense of ururnportance in his own family as, "It all boils down
t~ money, doesn't it? Because I'm not earning, they treat me like
dirt.._. ( ~ct 2, Sc. l , 145). Hormusji is 70 now, and remembers his
flounslung days:
"In those days who would have believed that this
would be my state today? ... (In a tone of mock
~uzzl~ment) "Hormusji?" they would have asked
Wluch Hormusji?" (Utter disbelief) "Hormusji
Pochkhanawalla! .. . Na, na not possible heh
heh, not possible. . ."( Act l , Sc. l , 122) ' '
 --..,_-,
I
Re-exploring Indian Drama in English
76
There is acute sense of generation gap int~ play. The lack
of understanding on the part of both the genera tions has created
. l dryness and sense of helplessness among old people.
emo
F r tiddsona fuel • fath "If
to the frustration of his er, you ' re gomg
· to
~ 1 a u can die of a pomfret as well" (Act 1, Sc. 1,136). He
ie, ules
d·d· yo his
father and invites his father for mus1ca
. 1 rf
pe orman ce.
n ic
Hormusji get angry over this an~ ye11s: "He' s t Jmg · t
o ma e fun
k Don't think I am putting a curse on your head. A father
of me... . He's trying to taunt his old father. . . (Act 1, Sc. 1,136)
Hormusji's dentures troubled him while chewin g anythin g.
Avan ridicules him for his behavior. He gets hurt and expres ses
vulnerably that:
Hormusji: I may not have been an ideal father. But
I never thought I'd live to see the day when my childre n
would talk to me like that. .. . I know you have to work,
I know how you hate your job. Don't think I'm not aware
of it. It torments me.... Let me tell you that. And let me
tell you one more thing, Hormu sji Pochkh anawal l may
be down, but he is not out. I can tell you that. I will
change things completely! Overnight! Then you can even
leave your job if you want to-<Ac t 2, Sc. 2.- Pg. 154)
But Avan tells about her plans vaguely. Piroja is afraid that
'The family will scatter... the family will chip and splinte r . . . "(
Act 2, Sc. 2, Pg. 154). Hormusji blames Cawas that he has come
to complete the task of his father, "One mornin g he walks into
our life, when he walk out of it, in the evenin g our family is in
pieces, ruined."(160) Hormusji tells her not to go Banglore only
for moner f?r that he would suppor t her. Avan again insults her
father. Prro1a yells at her. Hormu sji tries to convin ce her on
sentimental level:
Hormusji : Do you remember, Avan? When Fali left
us, that night you came to my bedside and comfor ted me.
~ ou said, "Don't worry, daddy, I'll stay with you forever .
I 11 take care of you...'(Act 2, Sc. 2, Pg. 161)
Avan : One can't live on sentimentality. Old times,
old times. In this house there's nothing else. Do you
remember this? Do you remember that? I'm still young
don't you see? (Act 2, Sc. 2, Pg. 161)
In State of Decline, Living on the Periphery : Study of... 77
Hormu sji comple tely broken from Avan's attitud e tells her
that the same fate would befall on her. She too would grow old
and fell lonely:
Hormu sji : And one day, you too will be old. And
lonely. Desper ately lonely. Then perhap s, you will
remem ber your old father, who will no longer be alive.
can never do that to his own child. I'm just telling you
the way it is. It's a law of nature. Today I would not have
\ been half so unhap py if I did not know that the man you
are runnin g away with is the son of my worst enemy . The
man who reduce d me to what I am today. (Act 2, Sc. 2,
.
Pg. 159)
At last when he is convin ced of the doom of his family he
philoso phicall y expres ses the thinkin g differe nces betwee n old
and young:
Honnusji : The univer se is a strang e place, far more
myster ious than young people tend to think. When you
are yow1g, you think you can get away with anythi ng ...
It's not true. There are Laws operat ing, though we cannot
perceiv e them.... There is Fire . . . Atash . .. The Ataslz
in our temple s is a blend of fires ignited and in sixteen
differe nt combin ations. The sixteen th and most terrible
is the fire obtain ed from lighten ing that strikes the earth.
We have prayer s to produc e even that! Do you think in
such a world a man can get away with anythi ng? (Act
2 SC. 2, 159)
This ultima te truth that what was young is old now as well
as what is young will be old tomorr ow underl ines the acute pain
of Hormu sji's life. He also hints the same that young should not
commi t the same mistak e what young of past have done. This
time cycle would be contin ued foreve r so young genera tion
should take lessons from it. Darabs haa highlig hts the genera tion
gap betwee n young and old:
Darabshaa : We must watch this young er genera tion.
Watch how they will sweep us off our feet and into the
gutters of-(A ct 1, Sc. 1,137) . . . . This genera tion
 --::,,0
......
He-exp luri.ng lnJ ir111 Drnma in h ng lis h
78
miderst;rnds things much belier Lh1m we ever could . We
old dC'd derers will mumble and fumbl e, but they w ill
come i-traight lo the point. " ( /\cl 1, Sc. 1,138)
Thus the growing habit ofiJ1dividua lism a nd mod e rnis m has
caused the grea t drirt belween ymmg anJ o ld genera tio n .
[CJ
Post-independe nce socio-political scenario _has cat~sed ll~e ide ntity
cnsis in Parsi community. The community whJCh e n1oyed the
status o f colonial elite status came into clas h wi th the changed
order in Indian society. Though Parsis like Dadabha i Navroji,
Bhikai Cama have led the freed om s truggle, m ost of the Parsis
have kepi themselves up lo business arena during Britis h ruJe.
Hence, the community was closer to colonial mas ter causing
alienation from Indian milieu. In Post-independ ent lndia, they
faced the problem of changed status . ll resulted into the anx ieties
and conflict with other India n communities.
To avoid the humiliation in post independence India, many
Parsis have migrated lo the West. Ho rmusji loo, dreams for the
snowy landscape of Canada with pure air, devo id of hea l and
dust to escape from combat zone that Mumbai has beco me. But
financial conditions do not allow him. But he can do so" . .. If
only Rusi wouJd just sponsor us! "( Acl 1, Sc. 1, pg. 128). Piroja put
forward the problems of assimilation in aUen land that loo in such
an old age. It is beyond her imagination. She expresses her inner
anxiety as: "To Ca nada? At one time I did. Now my bo nes feel
too old to carry me such a long way . . . Go now? To die there?
( Act 1, Sc. 1, p g. 128).
They have sent their son Rusi lo Canada. He has not written
for a long t ime. H.ormusji blames postman for it, " for no t giving
him his Diwali bakshish" (Act 1, Sc. 1, pg. 127). He regrets over
the change. I ie bitterly reacts on this:
HonnuSJi : You d on' t understand lhe&e people, Piroja .
Thf.y've got complet.ely out of hand. They think it is their
Raj now. There wa& a time when they wouJd bow and
&crape to w;. Jf a l'ars i got on to a bus, they would rush
t.o offr:r him a &eat. Today, wal king down the street, they
Dlilkk fun uf you . "Bawaji aya. Parsi bawaji ko rlekho."
Sometimes I fU.61 fef:l like takjng a horsewhjp a nd flaying
In ,', /alt' nf J)pc/ 1nl', /,1 uinJ? rm th, PnipllfflJ '.,tudy of 79
the m ' Hut thoc,e daytt are go ne The Pa"i5 o f old are a ll
go ne (A ct I, ',c . 1, pg 127)
It r,how r, the great pa in pinching to Honnnsj:i that o nce a
community that wac, mO"il respected ha~ become the butt of
ridicule.
T he d iffer ence'! between pohtical agendas hav e cropped up
in r ioL'l between Hind us and Muslims This is interesting that the
riots ve been t he concern o f Hind u and Mu.slim. Panis ,houkl
ha
no t bother about it as neither f-hnd us nor Muslims will trouble
them . On the riots i~ ue, Ho rmusj:i remembers the 1921 Hindu-
Parsi trouble occurred when Prince of Wa les visited to Bombay.
He na rrates:
"A few r,hops looted, a few of our wo men
mo lested ... before we knew it, 1t had spread
through the whole city and we were fighting to
save ou r lives. What a licking we gave them!
Remember, Darabshaa?"( Act 1, Sc. 1, pg. 138).
He too remembers with pride, "I was onJy eight yean old,
Jiormusji . But I remember my father and uncles were up on the
terrace, singling out the Hindus one by one . "(Aet 1, Sc. 1, pg.
138). Ho rmusj i brings the details alive:
Honn1.1:,71 · We even poureJ pots of boiling water o n
their backs. ln three Jays they were on their knees,
begging fo r mercy ... . Butthose d aysarego ne, Darabshaa.
This is a generation of sissies. The blood has been
polluted ... (Act 1, Sc. 1, pg 1.38)
Hormusji blames the interfaith marriage as the cause of
decline in racial pride and superiority. He con5iders that becaUSc
of this co mmunity has lost its charm. Ho rmusji highlights reascn
of ethnic anxiety as:
Honnusji : ... The old acquisitive instinct, Darabihaa..
Snatch, snatch! Maharashtra for Ma hara.shtrians! Indeed!
After we Parsis have built the whole city! :--:ow ii the
British w ere here, they would have just flogged one 1..'r
two o f them in a public plaet> .. (Act 2- 1 pg 1~ )x
l lormusji and Darabshaa are badly ~ten ti:, some bo~,
l lormtL'>ji useJ fou.l la nguage for lht>m.
 ttll 1;..-,•xp lorln1: lmllon JJrnmu In 1,
,n~11,,h
~
I This i~ ~y n,p
iomnt lc of loss of Htnl11H In prnH colonlnl
1
uniillntl..J nnd glvt•n H('ron<l clnNN ''lilt,,
wht'l't' l'n~ls ure I',, f,,r the rt"Sp(•c l, prlvllt·)WH rt•c,.I Cltl~l'll
trentm ent.
Tlwy rn• \
,.~ This nliltnfllion (rom nnt.lonnl, HOclul V\•(j C h
rn 111 y
coloninl 11111st ~._., L~ lWet'll I llndtts, MuHllmH, other commun1t, ~u
ctttrsl"ll c.11st0m· , I I --rt' ont' thing worth lo mention '-'Mof
1
tnd in 11nd l'n~1~· .. :sic s,wlt fl / .r11tJ.: /011nw y waH hurnt b; ~hat
111
Rohinton M1strY/f \ ~:'iill~ the foul lnngu nge for Shiv Sena ' ~Iv
0 1
Sena m~ fl pr~tes rtl, t·> mention Is thr1l theHe leaderH "r · Ut
. tlung WO '
the mn,n
:ly to un(1e~
,,ct
1fl -
" e not
the rem•mns for such outbu rst. ' With
real .
.. . ,ce of fllixletres l 1rnl hAve been caused by Ot1t
th
taking. the co~n•_:"~~ --edom of expression is pul Al lhe risk. t!
MRjonty ~roups, t!
[IVJ
. earch of 1u,ppiness the whole fflmily scatters awa
To sum up, Ills · . 11 app i
anJ elll s
. . fl refw,ee sr1nr1ton11m
m ness Ltie univ~rw:•1
'y
I
. . • lii,hted in a dexte rous mc•rnner. 'f'I1e I}ars 1. fa rniln
l'J

necessity 1 11 n
. f ,s llg ,·v,·,w for it tnw1cc.
1lly encou nters un happin. esli Y
and
panlm g or, 1 n ° ency l o accep t and f ace the reality
d I' ,t the huma n tend
8
i~t:l f:)cused in Doongaii I l~>use. IL ~rings this. humiJiation
• .,. ; ,1·"
and n,argm(I 1U ,eu' existe
I ~
nce particularly m the family of a Pars,·
•
community. It marked the J ecl ~ne m self-re spect a nd peripheral
• • I •

existence of the Parsi comm umty . . .

Thus nno 11saF 11011.•w, marks the beg mnmg o f the expression
of anxiet ies of the Pc1rsi community . l ,ater on novelist like
Rohinton Mistry, Homan Desai, Tllfily U mriga r and others have
highlighted the vc1rious problematic of Pc1rsi comm unity at length
in their fiction.
References
Kulke, Eckhard. 11,e Parst'es ;,, lntlia. Delh i:Vikas Puhlis h ing House, 1974.
Minocl1er, 1lomi I lomji 13. "O Whith er 1',usis rlc1cc1 tt> c1nd perish or Reform
of flouris h",/\ Study of Co1111111111ity lntros1wt'lio11 . K.irnchi, 1978.
Mistry, Cyrus. Doo,1s11Ji House. Nt>w Delh i: Sa hilya /\ cadem y, 2006.
Palkhiwala, Nani. We the Nation : Tlw Los f Deem/es. New Delhi: UBSPD
1994. I

Umriga~, K.D. "/\re the Pars is Dying oul?" Th e Ill uslra led Weekly of
.l.ndrn, (t\ugusl 29), 1971.
Wadict , P.t\ . l't nl. Pnrsis [rt' llw Slm,/ows Tltirk,,n . Hombay· I) /\ W· 1·,
1949. ' ' · i:\C. lcl ,