F: Food #AtoZChallenge

After that article on Dacres Lane, (see D), you may be wondering why I am talking about food. You see, in Calcutta, one cannot NOT talk about food.
Bengalis in particular love to eat. They will spend half their savings on that perfect hills or the prawn cutlet and not blink an eye. Even while eating lunch, they will be wondering what they will eat not only for dinner, but also the evening snack.
In earlier times, most of such snacks etc were made at home. I have happy memories of my mom making evening snacks of dahi vada and nimbi and gaja and chikkis on a regular basis. As families have grown smaller and and people have been moving into unit families, the habit of home cooking has sadly dwindled. Today few brides know the intricate spices for a shukto or will know how to make that mochar chop, much less how to cut the banana flower.
Even otherwise, with the changing times, many, many eateries have spring up all over the city. Of course there are the classics like Shiraz, Royal (for the Calcutta biriyani), Badshah, Nizams, Kusum (for Kathi Rolls), Tangra, Waldorf, Mainland China, Bar-b-q (for Chinese like no Chinaman has tasted!), Mocambo (for baked crab and steaks!), Peter Cat (for Cello kabab), Golbari (for the mutton kasha), Cafe, Apanjan (for the fowl cutlet and fish fry), Zaraanj (for the Raan kabab and kali daal) Kasturi, 6, Ballygunge (for the Bengali delicacies just like grandma used to make), India Restaurant (for the Galauti kabab) etc, etc, etc, the list is endless.  Now loads of newer places have mushroomed all over Calcutta. earlier a meal out meant you headed for  the Park Street area but now you can get a gourmet meal practically anywhere! And food delivery services now ensure that you are constantly satiated!
I'm not even venturing into the five star hotels and the ones like Fatty Bao and (my daughters' favourite) Cafe Mezzuna!
You get the drift?
Food and the Calcutta spirit. Calcuttans and their food. Don't try to separate the two.
And each one of us have a few places we are passionate about. I am certain after reading this I shall be told about the places I have missed/not mentioned!!!     

E: Emotions #AtoZChallenge

                                            Image Credit: emoticons.html


Bengalis are an emotional lot. Hence in the city of Calcutta, there has always been an abundance of it. Whether it were the processions of our childhood or the next door aunty screaming because someone interrupted her afternoon siesta. People in Calcutta are so involved. A cabbie driver once gave me a long lecture on travelling in a cab when I was visibly pregnant. I have lost count of the number of recipes I have exchanged with random strangers at the market while buying vegetables or fish. There was that cop once who caught me speeding and let me go because I pointed to my toddler and said she had to go potty! Living in this city sees instances like this all the time. This city has heart. And passion. Specially when the discussion is about politics of football!
Why, during the World Cup football finals, entire localities are painted blue or yellow in support of Argentina or Brazil. Those two far away countries vie for space in the city, no matter how deep into the night the matches go on. I have had loud amicable arguments with complete strangers because I support Germany, most of them with my fruit seller and mutton seller who are die-hard Messi fans!!!
Calcuttans are sentimental too. They resist change. Just because that floor in that old house was made of red cement by the great great grandfather, they will look forlorn when someone replaces it with pristine marble. Likewise they want to hang on to their old delusions of grandeur and culture even when it is hanging in shreds!
Fortunately (or unfortunately) this is changing. Today, the streets are clean and well lit (although some people will complain about the light in their eye) and people (specially the younger generation) are moving with the times. This is a city on the move. Critics will say we are moving backwards but that is not always the case. It is still relatively safe for women alone. I will not deny that Calcutta does have its fair share of anti social elements and eve-teasers but it's still a happy place to be.
For instance, this is one of the cities that still serve beef. We do not allow anyone to tell us what we should eat or where we will pray. We do not like interference barring the dubiously well-intended, unasked for advice that is freely handed out by friends and strangers alike.
Just because.
No, don't contradict me about this now.
You see, I will get emotional about it!

D: Dacres Lane #AtoZChallenge

                                      Image credit: dacres-lane-food-hood-town-absolutely-not-missing

Dacres Lane. Also known as James Hickey Sarani. 

That narrow stretch running perpendicular to the Great Eastern Hotel (now Lalit Great Eastern) and Esplanade which was where street food for office goers possibly originated in Calcutta. 

Located just off the busy Esplanade, it has catered to millions of office goers, a fair number of tourists and adventurous souls like me. To be honest, I have not been there since my youth, considering it faces a bit of dilapidation and there are far more eateries in place. 

But one cannot deny that this is still a heritage in the city’s food landscape. 

And we are not talking about phuchkas and chaats and the usual fare you see nowadays. Here, the signature dishes in Chittobabur Dokan is ghughni, stew, fish roll and khichuri, correct me if I am wrong! 

This entire lane is still strewn with restaurants and food stalls dating back to more than five decades. Forget the few air-conditioned places in the vicinity (there are some ) and you will find yourself on an outdoor (often rickety) wooden bench balancing a steel plate and enjoying one of the most flavourful yet simple meals ever. The stew used to be a favourite; served with vegetables and a big chunk of mutton or chicken, it was humble and comforting. 

Some years ago international chef Gordon Ramsay had set up a stall in Dacres Lane trying to outdo sales… I do not think he won!

Dacres Lane is not for the faint-hearted. Nor for those with a weak disposition. I have not been in years, but writing this has suddenly evoked memories… anyone coming with me? 

For, as Oscar Wilde said, "after a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations!" 

C for College Street! #AtoZChallenge

                                         Image credit: college-street-kolkata.html

You cannot talk about old Calcutta without a mention of College Street also known as Boi-para (literally, a locality for books). And what a locality it is! It's home to the largest second hand book market in the world and books call out to you from every nook and cranny. As children, when we went there, it was overwhelming. Those days you couldn't get any decent book except in College Street!  The shops in Gariahat or New Market were pooh-poohed by the older generation, specially my grandfather and no self respecting Bengali would pass up a chance to miss a visit! As the name suggests, College street is located near several of Calcutta’s academic institutions, among them, Calcutta University, Presidency College (now University), Sanskrit College and Calcutta Medical College are but a few. When these institutions came up early in the 19^thCentury, that stretch of road between Harrison Road (now M.G.Road) and Bow Bazar became a haven for the city’s intelligentsia.

One can spend hours browsing this stretch of road dotted with hundreds of bookshops. And at one time it also was home to India’s biggest publishing houses. The bookstores range from standard brick built affairs to small makeshift stalls made from bamboo, canvas, or even sheets of metal or plastic. Each stall owner can tell you a story that goes back years.  It is said that any book ever sold in Kolkata can be found in College Street. Rare books have been found, hidden between first editions and raunchy thrillers as well as school and college text books. 

And of course you have to have sampled the staple of  College Street : the Coffee House. In every Bengali’s heart there is no place that has been loved or romanticised as much as the Coffee House. Right from the first time their eyes met, right to the impassioned speeches and political discussions of their youth, to the afternoons of camaraderie, every father has a story to say, every aunt has a tale to tell. Songs have been sung reminiscing those golden days of youth and who is to say how much poetry has been written or imagined in those halls! 

I leave you with a link to a famous Bengali song, “Coffee House-er shei adda ta aar nei, aaj aar nei”, a song reminiscing the carefree languid days of youth: 

 Coffee House manna Dey

B: Burrabazar #A2ZChallenge

Burra Bazar. Let’s start with the old heart of the city, Burra Bazar. A long time ago, in the 15^thcentury BC, long before Job Charnok came by on a sailing boat and “discovered” Calcutta, a family escaped Gujarat with their family deity and travelled to the banks of the river Hoogly and set up their home in Saptagram. They were the Shresthis and they were businessmen engaged primarily in trading of cotton. Those days Saptagram was a prosperous trading port and dominated by Portuguese merchants. After the arrival of the East India Company, the name was anglicized to “Sheth” and later to “Sett”. Yes, those were my ancestors, I come from the Sett family in Burra Bazar which literally means “big market”. 

Taking the name of their household deity, the Setts set up residence in Gobindapur (present day Dalhousie Square) and it is said that they owned the Lal Dighi. Those days Gobindapur was a dense marshy jungle and the Setts cleared the area and build their mansions there. Due to gradual silting of the river, Saptagram lost its importance and the Setts moved their business to Betor in Howrah. With the advent of the British, Dutch and other European traders, Betor became a major trading centre and the Setts became major players. 

At the end of the 17^thcentury, Job Charnok arrived from Patna and established a trading post. When the British wanted to build a fort in Calcutta to protect their business interests, the inhabitants of Gobindopur were asked to move further north into Sutanati. The fort was then approximately where the present day G.P.O. stands. The (in)famous Black Hole of Calcutta incident occurred nowhere near the present-day Fort William but in the Dalhousie area, but that’s a story for another day. 

The Setts moved to Banstolla, present-day Hariram Goenka Street along with the family deity, “Gobindo Jew” where the family still resides. That’s the heart of Burrabazar, the old market area of Calcutta where haphazard buildings and narrow lanes jostle for space.

Last year a cousin and I went on a long walk around the area and visited the temple. The image is from pictures we took there. That temple where regular prayers are offered on a daily basis along with the strip of remaining houses bear testimony to the prosperity of the Setts in an earlier time. I have many, many memories of that house and the temple. As children we visited often. Now a lot has changed. Families have moved and sold their shares, it is not a place I relate to anymore. But I still fondly remember those long verandahs and large rooms with their glowing crystal chandeliers where we spent many a day and night with our cousins and other relatives. 
The Setts, (along with the Sils, the Mullicks and the Basaks) were the true founders of Calcutta, now lost in the annals of time. Reminds me of a line from a famous book by Richard Llewellyn: "how green was my valley, the valley of those that are gone."

A City of Joy #A2ZChallenge

I've spent most of my life in Calcutta, a bustling old city in the Eastern part of India. They have renamed it to Kolkata but to me it remains Calcutta, a city after my heart. Yes, even with its warts and humidity and countless other flaws.
Remember that book by Dominique Lapierre, called City of Joy? That was a book about my city. The film, starring Patrick Swayze was shot here and a lot of people were very excited. I never watched the movie. You see, I didn't even like the book.
Because the story of "city of joy" showcases only one aspect of my beautiful city. It showed only the underbelly, the poverty and the plight of rickshaw-pullers. That too is Calcutta but that is not all Calcutta is!
So come with me and over this month I will weave some tales, sprinkle some history, draw from my own experiences and try to show you why Calcutta or Kolkata (if you will) truly is a city of joy!

P.S. the picture is of a very old map of Calcutta and Howrah that was owned by my father. I surmise it must be at least fifty years old, see the price!!!