Even though I was born in New Delhi, my roots are in Calcutta. My ancestral house is at Ahiritola, a part of Sutanuti, one of the three villages that were merged to form the city in the late 17th century. Whenever I visit the centuries-old house, I like to look at the buildings in the neighbourhood with their blend of vernacular and European style. Built by affluent Bengali traders “the city of palaces” is now partly crumbled. Each time I visit the city, I find some more of the iconic buildings demolished in the mad rush for development. So, I felt it was time to learn about what remains of a rich architectural heritage.
My parents booked The Palace Walk by The Ganges Walk. It started one Sunday at 8am from Natun Bazar, one of the earliest markets of the city. My parents and I were among two dozen people from various parts of the country. We negotiated crowded streets, roadside vendors, porters and huge trucks in Burra Bazar, the key trading hub, guided by three of the organisers.
Our first stop was a 200-year-old shop and factory, Makhanlal Das & Sons. We got to see how sweets are made from cottage cheese blended with nolen gur or jaggery. We got to taste the wonderfully crafted monohora and jolbhora sandesh. Our guide Poulomee Auddy explained the nuances of a perfect sandesh. After the sweet treat, we wound our way through different bylanes to reach the Tagore Castle in Pathuriaghata. It was built in the 1820s and remodelled by Jatindra Mohon Tagore in 1895 after the Windsor Castle in England. The clock was missing from the tower of the castle and the rest of the structure was in shambles.
Next, we visited the house of Jodulal Mullick decorated with magnificent cast iron structures brought from Glasgow. Descendant Rajat Mullick took us around and shared a fascinating account of Singhbahini, the family deity. Then we stopped at a traditional sweet shop to enjoy a breakfast of kochuri, alurdom and nolen gurer rosogolla. It was my first experience of enjoying delicious, freshly-made food standing on a crowded street.
After refreshments, we were guided to the Ghoriwala Mullick Bari, meaning the house with the large clock tower. We met a member of the family who regaled us with stories. Our next stop was Lohia Matri Seva Sadan, a huge mansion with majestic Corinthian pillars. Built by Babu Harekrishna, this house once had lions atop the gate just like those at Viceroy’s House. Our guide Atreyee Basak narrated the story of how multiple owners of the house went bankrupt and it was eventually bought by the Lohia brothers who traded in jute. They turned it into a maternity hospital and recently it was leased to a multispeciality hospital group in Calcutta.
We then visited Jorasanko Rajbari, which was initially the headquarters of the Bank of Calcutta, the precursor of the State Bank of India. Then we visited Jorashanko Thakur Bari, the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore. The mansion has a captivating museum spread across several rooms.
By the time we reached Marble Palace, we were quite tired. In the well-maintained garden was the private zoo. Inside the building, I was thrilled to see the large rooms filled with marble statues, a variety of chandeliers and many different collections of historically significant items typical of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The walk officially ended here but for me, the journey of getting to know the city had just started.
Ankit Basak
Third year, CSE, KIIT School of Engineering, Bhubaneswar