Dr Jamshed J Bhabha, as the conceiver of the NCPA and its founder trustee-in-charge, supported his proposal.At the opening, Bhabha recalled what former prime minister Indira Gandhi said when she attended a special Indo-Italian gala performance of Rossini's great opera The Barber of Seville at Tata Theatre. Speaking to him during the intermission, she remarked that it was a pity that 100 seats had to be taken out of the side block of the auditorium to accommodate the orchestra, because the theatre did not have an adequate orchestra pit before the stage. She felt that a national arts centre ought to have a theatre designed to feature operas. Bhabha replied that would indeed make him and his colleagues extremely happy too, only they not have the resources at that point of time. But he promised Gandhi that the NCPA would strive to collect the funds for its construction within ten years. With the opening of the theatre, Bhabha said he had ``redeemed his pledge''.

The auditorium for western classical operas or ballets requires the use of an orchestra pit. This auditorium basically has a seating capacity of 1,150. But when the orchestra pit is not required and is closed, three extra front rows can be added in front, thus providing an additional 200 seats. The Drama Opera Theatre has been designed with a wide proscenium which opens wider than that of the Covent Garden Opera House. The stage has a depth much lesser than that of Covent Garden so that even those members of the audience in the side seats get a clear view of the whole stage.

The orchestra pit provides for a maximum of 60 musicians. And the stage can comfortably seat a large orchestra of 110 members in addition to a chorus seated on tiers at the back of the orchestra, such as may be required for a present-day performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The auditorium is designed so that the large orchestra as well as the chorus at the back can be clearly seen even from the side seats of the theatre.But doubts are already being voiced about the need to have spent such large sums of money on an auditorium which may or may not prove useful considering such large orchestras rarely perform here.

Critics are also of the view that the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre might become an elitist centre more than a popular venue for music lovers. And finally, they hope it will be able to rise above the red-tapism that characterises other NCPA halls. As of now, though, the celebrations are on.