India’s only opera house, opened in 1909, last hosted a public event 13 years ago, Smita Deshmukh & Surendra Gangan report.
India’s only opera house, opened in 1909, last hosted a public event 13 years ago
Smita Deshmukh & Surendra Gangan.
MUMBAI: The state government is planning to acquire the Royal Opera House in an attempt to restore the heritage structure to its original grandeur.
The building, India’s only opera house, was opened in 1909, and last hosted a public event 13 years ago, a fashion show featuring the works of designer Sangita Kathiwada, a close relation of Jyotinder Singh, maharaja of Gondal, whose family has a 999-year lease on the premises.
The government has written to the Mumbai Urban Heritage Conservation Committee (MUHCC), seeking legal guidance to acquire the Grade 2A heritage structure. “We want to take the lead in restoring historical structures and want the MUHCC to show us the way ahead,” said Sanjay Ubale, secretary, special projects.
The Royal Opera House was once the centre of performing arts. Today, it exemplifies desolation. Its only operational parts are a tea stall and four shops on the ground floor. “The last film show was held here in January 1991, and after the Kathiwada fashion show, no one from the Gondal family has come here,” the property’s caretaker said.
The Royal Opera House was conceived in 1908 by Maurice Bandmann, a famous entertainer from Calcutta, and Jehangir Framji Karaka, who headed a coal brokers’ firm.
A baroque design incorporating a blend of European and Indian detailing was chosen for the structure. A long frontage was created to let carriages drive up to the entrance.
Twenty-six rows of boxes behind the stalls were put up for the best view of the stage. The ceiling was constructed to enable even those in the gallery to hear every word uttered by the performers.
Sandhya Savant, a city-based architect, who prepared area guidelines for the Opera House precincts, had said that the structure could be refurbished by changing its classification to Grade 2B.
The modification would have helped the Gondals to develop the vacant land around the structure and use part of the funds for restoration.
Sharada Dwivedi, a historian, welcomed the government’s acquisition plan but sounded a note of caution. “The modalities of the acquisition need to be worked out,” she said. “The MUHCC regulations do not have a clause of taking over private properties. So what is the point in approaching them? Someone has to sort this out with the Gondals and offer them some incentive.”
The government is also keen to take over the dilapidated Watson’s hotel, a Grade 2A heritage structure now known as Esplanade Mansions. Sadiq Ali, the property’s owner, is looking for prospective buyers. MHADA has sent eviction notices to the building’s 200 tenants, many of whom are traders and lawyers. For now, MHADA has sanctioned Rs50 lakh for structural strengthening work.
Faded glory
The Royal Opera House was conceived in 1908 by Maurice Bandmann and Jehangir Framji Karaka
A baroque design incorporating a blend of European and Indian detailing was chosen for the structure
The only operational parts now are a tea stall and shops on the ground floor
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