A morning at The Royal Opera House, Mumbai

On a busy Saturday morning when most people are rushing to work. I went over to the Royal Opera House for a walkthrough event. Located at a 15 mins distance from Charni Road station, The Royal Opera house is a building that you can’t really miss.

In fact, the Royal Opera House looked like a scene straight out of an old English novel with a classic entrance, a long foyer with a stunning ceiling adorned with beautiful chandeliers, walls filled with paintings, and decorated with stained glass. As I slowly entered the main hall it became even more mesmerizing with red chairs, carved ceiling, stunning balconies, and a huge stage. The only thing that was missing were men in those formal English outfits and women in flowing gowns. How I wish even that could come true.

As the event progressed we were given information about the history, heritage, architecture, and the present activities, events happening at the opera house.

History

The Royal Opera House was conceived in 1908 by Maurice Bandmann, an entertainer from Calcutta, and Jehangir Karaka, the head of a coal brokers firm with a budget of 7 lac 50 thousand. The original location for the opera house was Princess Street but then it was decided to shift it to a new place- New Queen’s road. The then owners called it “The theater deluxe of the East” and “Home of celebrities. It was inaugurated by King George V in 1911 and that is how it got the title of Royal. In 1935, Ideal Films Ltd. acquired and renovated it into a movie theater. It was a booming movie theater till the ’80s.

In 1952, the then Maharaja of Gondal, Shri Vikram Singhji bought the opera house. However, in 1980, the number of people visiting the opera house dwindled and eventually it shut down. The last movie was screened in 1991. In 2010, his son Shri Jyotendrasinghji commissioned the renovation of the Opera house. The Royal Opera house was then opened to the general public in October 2016 after 25 yrs.  A year later, the Royal Opera house was awarded the UNESCO Asia Pacific award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Over the years great artists like Bal Gandharva, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, A.R. Rehman have performed at the Opera House. Many movies and fashion shows have been launched and screened.

With every step I took, drowning in the history of this gorgeous place a deep sense of pride stirred in me. Being a Mumbaikar, this place is our history and heritage we need to protect and cherish it.