For the first time in its 116-year history, the Calcutta Parsi Amateur Dramatic Club (CPADC), much feted for never missing out on its annual Parsi New Year drama for Gujarati speakers of the city, did not stage their own members. Instead they invited Surat based actor and humorist Yazdi Karanjia and his troupe to perform dramatist Adi Marzban’s Gujarati play Dinshawji na Dabba Gul (Dinshawji is shafted) on August 16, 2023 at the G. D. Birla Sabhagar (auditorium).
CPADC member for the past five decades, retired finance consultant Yezdi Karai told Parsiana the hall was filled to its lower tier capacity of 500 seats. "A miracle, since there are only 350 Parsis in Calcutta. For the second time in three years, the Gujarati community’s Creative Group booked 300 seats and filled them from amongst their 1,000+ Gujarati speaking members.” CPADC has no shortage of Gujarati speaking actors, he clarified.
Yazdi Karanjia (ext r) with co-stars in Dinshawji na Dabba Gul in Calcutta
Karanjia was all praise for the audience and the Club members when he spoke to Parsiana on August 20. Having performed in Calcutta "many, many times before,” he stated that the "management was wonderful…The audience was super… Every moment we received laughter.”
Karai filled us in on the back story: "In November 2022 CPADC felicitated Karanjia for his Padma Shri award (see "Doyen of drama,” Parsiana, July 7-20, 2020). He, wife Vera, daughter Maharukh (Chichgar) were invited. We had 200 Parsis in the hall that evening. After a brief introduction I interviewed him on the various phases of his life and his history in theater. He made a humorous address to the audience. Thereafter quite impromptu we rearranged chairs on stage and the three of them performed two skits of 10 minutes each. So the question was put to him whether they would spend Navroz 2023 with us and stage our annual natak of the 116th year. He readily agreed. And so it happened.”
Dinshawji… is about a 24-hour period in the life of a somewhat shady businessman and the shenanigans that follow, with a controlling wife, a friend who wants to stick to the straight and narrow, infidelity and a baby round the corner all thrown in. The 12-member cast of the natak kept the "audience well entertained till the final curtain.” The CPADC will be back as usual for its 117th year in 2024, promised Karai.