Thirst quenchers of yore bear testimony to city’s hospitality

According to historian Rafique Baghdadi,many of these fountains were donations made to the local community by merchants,mainly Jews,Arabs,Gujaratis and Parsis. “The fountains were usually donated in the name of a merchant’s deceased family member. It was believed that this would help the soul of the dead to attain peace,” Baghdadi said.

The pyaaus also served as storage water tanks,and for musafirs or travellers,they were the only source of water. “In our culture,the first thing you offer guests is water. In those days,water was not available easily in the city. There were few restaurants or Irani cafes. People would travel in caravans for long hours. The more philanthropic merchants constructed these as a noble deed. It has often been reminisced that the water from these pyaaus was very sweet,” Baghdadi said.

The fountains were built in vernacular architectural styles and mainly constructed from locally available Kurla or Malad stones.

“Though not used today,the pyaaus still lend an identity to their neighbourhoods. From an urban development perspective,they form important landmarks for the areas they are located in. For example,the eastern suburbs would hardly have any reference points as there aren’t many water fountains there,but the Fort portion of the island city can be easily identified by the Ruttonjee Mulshee pyaau on Mint Road,” said Pankaj Joshi,executive director,Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI).

The Ruttonjee Mulshee pyaau at Fort junction has the sculpture of a boy reading a book atop the fountain. It was commissioned by a merchant in memory of his son. It is believed that the boy,Dharamsee,died young,so his father built this pyaau so that the child’s memory can live on,Baghdadi said. Another fountain,the Devdas Puroshottamdas Kothari pyaau near the Reserve Bank of India building resembles an agiary or Parsi temple and bears carved symbols significant to the community.

However,despite featuring in the heritage list,the present state of the structures bears a grim tale of neglect. “Most of the pyaaus were functioning till the 1950s,after which many were handed over to the civic body. Under their care,barring a few,most have been destroyed by miscreants. It is only people of the respective areas who can take up the job of preserving these pyaaus,” Baghdadi said.

Joshi added,“It is unlikely to happen,but the government can create a comprehensive plan to repair these pyaaus and make them functional for the urban poor again. Even if bottled water is available and restaurants around the corner,there is nothing like drinking from the pyaau on a hot summer day.”

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