This is an excerpt from Heritage Retailers of Calcutta: 1785 to 1950, by Ashish J. Sanyal, published by Notion Press. The author has shared stories of the oldest shop in individual categories, as well as those that reinvented themselves to remain relevant. Read more about the selection process here.
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1914 — BHOWANIPUR ART FRAMING CO., 5B Ashutosh Mukherjee Road, Kolkata – 700020
“Strive for perfection” was the advice given to Mr. Dipundu Kumar Bose by his grandfather, Mr. Makhan Lal Bose. Dipundu has done so since 1977 when he began working at the Bhowanipur Art Framing Co.
The shop has been in the same location and owned by the same family for the last 100 years, serving the city’s leading families and artists. Mr. Satyajit Ray used to visit the shop frequently and had the period frames for his film Shatranj Ke Khilari made by Bhowanipur Art Framing Co. He insisted that all the frames should be 6 inches wide, made from teak wood, and varnished so as to look 300 years old. Mr. Ray would spend hours in the shop to ensure that the frames were just what he wanted.
Paintings being framed inside Bhowanipur Art Framing Co.
The founder, Mr. Makhan Lal Bose, came to Kolkata from Dacca at the age of 13 and started working in an uncle’s picture framing shop on Harrison Road. Hard working and diligent, he was offered a shop on what was then called Chowringhee Road, an exclusive part of the city lined with the houses of senior officers of British companies operating in Kolkata. Horsedrawn trams plied Chowringhee Road in those days.
Dipundu’s father, Mr. Dilip Bose, ran the business for fifty years, building on the goodwill garnered and bequeathed by his father. He is now 87 and retired but occasionally comes into the shop. Dipundu and his uncle, Mr. Shamal Kumar Bose, are the present co-owners of the business. There was a brief period in the 1960s when three generations of the Bose family worked together at Bhowanipur Art Framing Co.
Paintings rest against a wall inside the shop
Dipundu is, as his grandfather wished, a perfectionist. He is in the shop from 10.30 am to 7 pm, six days a week, advising and guiding his customers. “Most leave it to me to do what I think best for their pictures and paintings. Several of our customers have been coming to the shop for the last 40 years and I have seen many of them grow up before my eyes” says Dipundu.
The stone flooring of the shop remains unchanged as does a very interesting contraption made from wood called a nash in Bengali. It ensures that the angles of the frames are aligned at exactly 90 degrees (see photograph). A diplomat was so intrigued by this piece of equipment that he offered to buy the nash. Dipundu told him that he could have it free of cost. The diplomat got the message and apologized.
The 'nash', a wooden contraption, ensures perfectly framed paintings
Does Mr. Dipundu Bose have any regrets? Yes, he is sorry to have to work with laminates as opposed to teak wood. When asked if he is expensive, he is not embarrassed to admit that he is very expensive but provides his discerning customers with true value for their money.
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