On turning 300 years, the Bhikha Behram Well (BBW) in Bombay’s Churchgate locality received considerable media coverage both within and without the community. How did a well dug three centuries ago to quench the thirst of city residents and wayfarers acquire such prominence? Wells in Bombay are not unusual. Many old buildings in the city have/had wells to provide water for household use and consumption. All fire temples must have a well to supply water for rituals and other purposes. Piped municipal water was only introduced in Bombay around 1860.
Being relics of a past era, the wells have an antiquated charm about them…and also myths. Writing in her bombaywalla blog, scholar Dr Simin Patel referring to Sir Rustom Masani’s Folklore of Wells: Being a study of Water-worship in East and West (1918) notes: "Wells also had tempers. Theaters lost their audiences, construction came to a standstill, inhabitants fell dangerously ill, if the resident well spirit was offended. Defilement of any kind — kicking a stone on which there were offerings, sleeping near the well in menstruation, closing a well with concrete — all had dire consequences. Death. Dangerous illness… Like the theaters on Falkland Road which have dargahs in their basements, Bombay’s landscape is suffused with spirits dwelling below the surface. (But), by and large Fort’s wells had genial spirits.”
The digging of wells for public use was an act of cosmopolitan charity. As were public fountains. The ornate fountain outside the St Thomas Cathedral opposite Horniman Circle was funded by Sir Cowasjee Jehangir in 1866 as was the monumental water fountain in London’s Central Park as a "token of gratitude to the people of England for the protection enjoyed by him and his Parsi fellow countrymen under the British rule in India.” Inaugurated by Princess Mary, Duchess of Teck in 1869, "small apertures were included at the base of the central block to allow dogs to drink.”
That after 300 years these acts of Parsi charities are still remembered and celebrated is noteworthy. Too often we hear of Parsi trustees saying they should close down an institution, hospital, etc because there are no Parsis around to benefit. It’s true that when these institutions were founded, they served an essential purpose to the community. One had to look after one’s own as the colonial powers were more concerned about furthering their mercantile interests rather than the welfare of their subordinates/subalterns. After Independence, the local governments were either too impoverished to tend to the minorities or were subject to political pressure to favor the majority. Communities had to look inwards.
But today as the Parsi numbers diminish, many institutions either lie forsaken or underutilized. Our hospitals have empty wards and low bed occupancy. Some of our homes for the elderly are not used to capacity. Many graveyards lie forgotten. These community resources can, however, serve the commonweal, and thereby show appreciation "to the people of India for the protection enjoyed” by the Parsis for over 1,000 years. Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy helped fund the Sir J. J. Hospital and the Grant Medical College for all. Our schools, once for Parsis only, are today cosmopolitan. Everyone benefits.
When the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) turned 350 around two years ago, aside from a few references about the anniversary in Parsiana, no one seemed to know or care. On the other hand, the trustees of the BBW were proactive. Trustee and retired homeopath Dr Viraf Kapadia says he informed people of the tercentenary celebrations planned for this March 21 a year ago (see "A Wellspring of hope,” pg 25). Around 800 people showed up at the function and dinner at Allbless Baug, including leading figures in the community and the city, many of whom were felicitated. The Maharashtra government was lobbied to name the traffic intersection at Churchgate after the Well. A book titled Waternamah, comprising a collection of articles pertaining to the Well and allied subjects, edited by noted journalist and columnist Bachi Karkaria, was released at the function; a silver coin commemorating the tercentenary was minted.
If the BPP trustees were too pressured with other commitments, they could have approached an event management company to oversee their 350th anniversary celebrations. It would prove expensive for a financially strapped trust but salient milestones provide providential opportunities for fundraising.
The reopening of the F. D. Alpaiwalla Museum nestled in Khareghat Colony is another case in point. Here two cultural activists, Dr Pheroza Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree oversaw the transformation, refurbishing and the reopening ceremony held on March 27 with assistance from the Government of India, Ministry of Culture as well as the BPP.
The BBW is well loved. Bombay Parsis would stop by the Well to bow their heads in reverence or light a divo on their way to work or home. Those legions of devotees have thinned out as the working population of Parsis has shrunk and the commercial center of the city has moved further north. Another reason why the faithful preferred the Well over neighboring fire temples is one could walk in and out without having to perform the obligatory kusti prayers or remove their shoes, or cover their heads or request their non-Parsi colleagues, family members and friends to wait outside like untouchables. Of course, there is the offensive "Admission only to Parsis” line on the entrance gates but this signage Kapadia justified is to keep idlers away from loitering on the benches in the BBW precinct. It has no legal, religious or moral sanctity (see "On water, wishes and worship,” pg 24). The Well’s stained glass panels had once been smashed, allegedly by vendors who had been reportedly asked to shift elsewhere as their presence cluttered the precinct. Community members and others held a vigil to protest the vandalism. A wall now surrounds the premises. The Well’s allure extends beyond the city. The Hyderabadi Page on the Facebook Parsi Zoroastrians Worldwide site featured a short video by local activist Arnaz Bisney on the Well and its historic significance.
In his book, Masani observes, "The Bombay Parsi is a born venerator of water. He may be seen any day on the beach, dipping his finger in the water and applying it to his eyes and forehead, lifting his hands in prayer and wafting his soul to the realms of the Great Unknown.” Now we know why the Well endures.