Down the Winding Lanes of History

Kolkata, or Calcutta as many still like to address it by its old name, has a history as rich as the culture and the traditional grandeur that the city is famed for. With a history that dates back to the 16^th century, Calcutta.  

A colonial city developed first by the East India Company, and later by the British Empire, Calcutta served as the capital of the British Empire until 1911 from early in 1690 when Job Charnok, an agent of the British East India Company, selected this place for a British Trade settlement. The then Calcutta, was hardly the Calcutta we know now – it was a congregation of 3 large villages Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata, located along the east banks of the Ganges river, protected by river Hoogly on the west, salt lakes to the east and a creek to the north. Because of the locational convenience the East India Company bought over these three villages from the local landlords after the Mughal emperor, Jahangir, granted permission to the Company to trade against a yearly payment of Rs 3000, in 1612.

 In the 19^th century, Kolkata grew rapidly to become the second city of the British Empire, after London and came to be known as the ‘City of Palaces’. In the later part of the 1850s, Calcutta underwent rapid industrial growth under the influence of the Western Industrial revolution and grew strong trade relations with other nations. At the same time, the city went through a massive cultural development, which resulted in a fusion of Indian tradition with European philosophies, creating a breed of culturally elite Bengalis. With the formation of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, under the encouragement of the Governor General, Sir Warren Hastings, the intellectual and literary life of Calcutta received a great boost.  It was around the same time that Bengal’s first newspaper, the Bengal Gazette was published, which was the first newspaper to be printed in India. Prompted by this cultural intermingling, intercultural marriages became popular and it was this union between the Europeans, English, French and Portuguese, and local women, both Hindu and Muslim, which laid foundation to the Anglo-Indian community of Calcutta.

Being the cultural hub of the country Calcutta gave birth to many legendary revolutionaries and literary genius’ who later contributed largely to the freedom movement. The intellectual and cultural upheaval of the city nurtured a generation of genius’, most of whom died a valiant death, fighting the battle of freedom.

The Bong Connection!

As they say, wherever you go, chances are you will run into a Bengali. They are everywhere. And yes, we’re talking about those outside the boundaries of Bengal. Be it the school parent committee, or your workplace, or the exhibition being organized in the neighborhood gallery, at the local library, at the beach you decided to take a holiday to, you will probably run into one, carefully peering at the portfolio that was just handed in at work, or preening their kids, or gossiping with the neighborhood women. Wherever they go, they have managed to keep their culture unique and alive – that is perhaps what sets them apart from all other communities in the world.

 The bong connection, as hyperbolic as it sounds, ask any Bengali, and they’ll go to lengths to explain it to you, and mostly end with ‘I cannot explain it, but there is something that connects us!’ At this point, most others would give up with an exasperated sigh. It is then that they will try to convince you that unless you have really been to Calcutta and experienced the city with all its charm and hospitality, its boisterous streets, the local street vendors lining every market, however small; the fragrance wafting from the sweetshops early in the morning, the cool breeze of Maidan, the trams in North Calcutta, the evening walk at Southern avenue by the Lake, complete with its ‘lebu cha’, the delights of Nandan and Park Street,   you would not really know why those who have once lived and loved here, can never severe this thread of affection.

Bengalis outside of Bengal always seem to be able to find other Bengalis to chatter with. And sometimes, quite to the suspicion of those who do not understand the language, chatter away in Bengali, just to annoy the others. Be it bonding over the Durga Puja, or reminiscing the ‘phuchka’ , or yearning that ‘shorshe illish aar mishit doi’, or catching up over an intense ‘adda’ session on the state of the world economy, Bongs outside Bengal, always find some shared interest to relate to. It is perhaps the pangs of longing for the affectionate touch of the elders in the family, or the genuine sound of concern in the voice of friends they left behind a long long time ago, or perhaps the shared memory of a time when reading Tagore and discussing the implications of ‘Shesher Kobita’ over some ‘laal cha and singara’ made the day worth its while. Or perhaps it is the shared memory of a time and place that will never again be the same – a place that once used to be home!

Beyond Independence!

In a few hours’ time, we are due to celebrate the 67^th year of being an independently ruled nation. With a celebrated democracy and years of applauded progress behind us, this could be a good time to pause and think. How independent a nation are we really? Yes, we are free from the shackles of British rule that once wounded the very soul of Mother India, but is an independent nation just that?  After more than 50 years of self-rule have we been able to evolve into an independently thinking nation – thoughts that are free from Western clutter? Have we been able to uphold the very ideals that led our forefathers to revolution?

With each year we march towards becoming a developed nation – with our GDP rising, increased urbanization, better education, more hospitals, improved homes – we seem to be developing on every front. While we are moving ahead rapidly towards becoming a nation that boasts of modernization and advancement of economies and industries, the regression of the moral attitudes has hardly been noticed!

 After 56 years of having revolted fiercely against a corrupt system, corruption has perpetrated the very pulse of our nation. From the local traffic police to the clerk at the municipality offices to the politicians, everyone looks at bribery as a routine measure. And why not? For every-time that we need work done sooner, or want to get out of a tricky situation we don’t hesitate to slip a few notes under the table. Schools have adopted the Western methods of education, without having first put the same into the Indian context. While the Iliad and Odyssey have become a part of the regular school syllabus, the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata are disappearing into oblivion. While our children are becoming experts in English and other world languages, several of our indigenous tribal languages are becoming extinct; the tales of Tagore, Saratchandra, Premchand, Bibhutibhushan, Jaishankar, RK Narayan are slipping into oblivion. Child labour is a rampant plague that furrows every state. While the country is doing all it can to alleviate poverty and illiteracy, it turns a blind eye towards those who suffer gender crimes. While on one hand we are a country that celebrates and worships women, the ugly façade is one that perpetrates heinous atrocities towards the womenkind, without so much as blinking. As a nation, while our cities have modernized our souls have only degraded, and the only ones who can be held accountable are we, the ones who have brought this about! How many more decades will it take us to rise and be the change we want to see? How many more decades of revolution will it take us to be truly independent?

Our very own Magical Didi

Started her political career in the Congress party, and as a young woman in the 1970s, she quickly rose in the ranks of the local Congress group, and remained the General Secretary of Mahila Congress. She is our very own “didi”, Mamata Banerjee. Born on 11th July 1960 she is the 8th and current Chief Minister of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office.

Ma Mati Manush:

Ma Mati Manush was a primarily slogan, coined by All India Trinamool Congress chief and current chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The term is literally translated as "Mother, Motherland and People". The slogan became very popular in West Bengal during 2011 assembly election. Later, Mamata Banerjee wrote a Bengali book with the same title.

Leader, Politician, Artist:

After being expelled from Congress in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee established the All India Trinamool Congress in 1^st Jan 1998. In 2002, Mamata Banerjee presented her first Railway Budget. In it she fulfilled many of her promises to her home state West Bengal. She introduced a new daily New Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express train and four express trains connecting various parts of West Bengal namely the Howrah-Purulia Rupasi Bangla Express, Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri Express,Shalimar-Adra Aranyak Express and the Sealdah-Amritsar Superfast Express (weekly). She also increased the frequency of the Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express and extension of at least three express train services.The TMC regime came to power in West Bengal with a promise of ‘Poriborton’ (change) from the policies of state repression and eviction of the poor pursued by the erstwhile CPIM-LF Government. 

The diverse bouquet of poems and paintings in the new anthology shows how her heart beats not only for the people of the country but also for the wide expanse of nature around her the degradation of air, water, trees and fauna move her just as deeply. Mamata Banerjee discovers the oneness of human beings with nature as she writes, "Not all tunes can be set to song, not all flowers bloom fragrant, not all trees bend over with leaves, not every heart has a humane beat".

Our very own didi is an artist by birth, she discovered her passion for painting & drawing in the year 2006. Two of the renowned painters of Bengal - who are diehard Mamata followers - say there is real art in her work. Suvaparasanna and Jogen Chowdhury even compared her with Rabindranath Tagore as an unschooled artist.

Heralding the Durga Puja

With the onset of Autumn, or what we Bengalis know as the beloved sarat kaal in Bengal, the fragrance of the shewli flowers all around herald the homecoming of Bengal’s favourite daughter – Maa Durga. During the 5 days of Durga Puja, the City of Joy decks up in the brightest of lights, prettiest of colours and mafinicient pandals and celebrates with all the joy and gaiety the city can hold.

One of the oldest heritages of Durga Puja traces back to Kumortuli, or the potter’s quarters, near North Kolkata. It is in these narrow, dingy lanes of Kumortuli, that some of the finest idols for Durga Puja are created and supplied to barowari and community pujas in Kolkata and nearby areas. At this time of the year, the puja preparations are in full swing. The potters who have come into prominence from obscurity, simply by the virtue of their artistry, are terribly busy, fashioning clay from the riverside into magnanimous idols of Maa Durga.

The first potters are said to have hailed from the Krishnanagar and initially visited the homes of the famous patrons to make the idols, a few months before Durga Puja. However, with time as business grew, the kumors wanted a land to settle in and moved to a zamindar’s land which later came to be known as Kumortuli. Amidst the maze of cramped decrepit structures, some made of bamboo, polythene sheets and wooden plans you find artisans, young and old, busy modelling the clay structures. With puja a little more than a month away, there is a flurry of activity - the most advanced figures still have only the first coat of yellow on them. As you move through the winding lanes, you embark on a journey through time and tradition. Everywhere, you will come across headless figurines of Maa Durga, atop her bahan the lion, with Mahisasur lying at her feet, kept in the open so that the scorching sun of Bhadra can dry them. Alongside,are the figurines of her sons and daughters accompanying her on her homeward journey. Look around and you will see, moulded heads of Maa Durga, lying upside down waiting to be coloured. From time to time you come across, a kumor handpainting the eyes or the lips of the idol, or moulding the canines of the still toothless lion with practised diligence. Sitting there and watching them, you will be drawn into a timeless trance with history and tradition weighing down upon you...

Street Food Heaven

With a mind boggling array of street food, the City of Joy also has another secret name, known to anyone who has lived in or visited the city – Street Food Heaven. What makes it even more special, is that almost every street, lane, by-lane, is characterized by numerous street food vendors, who inevitably add a touch of the local flavor.

 Be it the famous puchka, or the alu-kabli, or the jhaalmuri, or be it the steaming momos, or the piping hot Ghugni with chillas, the delicacies are many. To add to the joys of a foodie, all of these come at astonishingly low prices. Roadside stalls that sell chicken, mutton and egg rolls, a delicacy made with paranthas stuffed with the respective filling of meat or egg coupled with a spicy mix of salads and sauces, are a common sight, be it North, South or Central Kolkata. Similarly street vendors selling idli-dosas are seen a dime a dozen, especially during the day. In the evening chaat-walas who concoct scrumptious chaats within a matter of minutes are more popular. Stalls selling Masala Pepsi, Doodh Fanta, roadside lassi for as low as Rs 10 a glass, line the streets in most areas. Throngs of street food vendors are seen catering to excited customers especially outside schools or office areas. Another very popular area where people pile up in the evenings to snack on some mouth-watering delights is Vivekananda Park in South Kolkata.

The thing about street food in Kolkata is that these yummy delights are not only limited to light snacks. You also get full meals at these roadside stalls – a lunch of dal, rice and sabji is available for as cheap as Rs 12 a plate. Street stalls selling biriyani for as cheap as Rs 50 a plate, chowmein, fried rice and other Chinese delicacies are popular in the office areas. If you are thinking street food means unhealthy food, think again – street food here also includes fruit stalls selling fruit salads and fruit juices for as low as Rs 20!

It is a part of the inherent culture and charm of the city to stop by a roadside stall on a busy day and hog on a plate of delicious dahi-vada or aalu chaat. Better still, if it’s a street food vendor in your area, he will not only remember but will customize the taste according to your palate, each time, without you having to ask. It is these small charms of the city because of which it has lived up to its other name – The City of Gastronomical Delights!

 

Be Educated with Swabhumi

We started our journey with high hopes and dreams, now gradually it’s becoming true day by day. Swabhumi is now everywhere. It showcases not only Politics, sports, entertainment segment but it is also a friend, philosopher and guide for the young generation of our society, the students.

A few days back we happened to visit Naihati Mahendra Higher Secondary School with a new charm. We realized how happy they were after getting our daily. As if they explored a new version of knowledge through our ‘Swabhumi Lekha Pora’ page.  From ‘Mindscapes’ to ‘Joint Entrance tips’, everything they accepted gladly that day. Swabhumi is the one stop solution for every students and teachers, irrespective of their love for any subjects and this was very well seen through their beaming eyes when the daily was given to them….Our Next Generation.

Even our Education Minister Bratyo Basu agreed that Swabhumi is the paper for our next generation. He himself enjoyed a lot on reading our 2 pages of ‘Lekha Pora’ section.

Swabhumi will help them to know the unknown things, to discover things which are still undiscovered. According to Bratyo Basu, not only the students and teachers, even parents of the students will benefit through these sections. He wishes us for our future journey. We also know that with your love and blessings we will be on the top of everything in a short span. So, be with us. Amra achi abong thakbo. 

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay- Pioneer of literary renaissance of Bengal

The Bengali literary horizon, it was playfully said, was guarded by three celestial sentinels: Bankim Chandra (bent moon), Rabindranath Tagore (regal sun) and Sarat Chandra (autumn moon). It was Bankim Chandra the creator of classics in chaste Bankimi-Shadhu-bhasha that ignited the fervor of nationalism in the hearts of his countrymen. He gave a new impetus to Bengali fiction by refining its prose, coining sparkling- fresh phrases and aesthetic expressions of great beauty. He was also the first to popularize historical romances, as Walter Scott had earlier done in Scotland. Both tried to bring to life the remarkable heroism and patriotism of the inhabitants and their struggles against the oppressor.

Bankim Chandra was a super storyteller, and a master of romance. No other writer in India, in all its regions, has enjoyed such spontaneous and universal acceptance as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. He shot into the limelight with Durgeshnandini, his first Bengali romance, published in 1865. He then went on to write other famous novels like Kapalkundala, Mrinalini, Vishbriksha, Chandrasekhar, Rajani, Rajsimha and Devi Chaudhurani. He brought out a monthly magazine called Bangadarshan in 1872. He raised Nationalism to the level of religion by identifying the Motherland with the Mother-Goddess. The tremendous impact and thrilling upsurge that Anandamath and Vandemataram had on the Indian National Movement is indeed legendary. Bankim Chandra’s immortal song Vande Mataram set to music by the young Rabindranath became India’s national song, and the voice of the Indian people fighting against colonial rule.

Bankim Chandra’s Sanyasins in Anandamath are fabulous characters rather like the heroes of Mahabharata. Aurobindo Ghosh and other revolutionaries acknowledged Bankim Chandra as their political Guru. They, following his ideal, regarded him as: the inspirer, a new spirit leading the nation towards resurgence and independence. Bankim Chandra tried to reinterpret ancient Indian ideals by cleansing them of the accumulated floss of myths and legends. In the process he produced: ‘Krishna Charitra’, ’Dharmatattva’ (Philosophy of Dharma), ‘Devatattva’ (Principle of Divinity) and a commentary on Bhagavad-Gita. Not many in world literature have excelled in both philosophy and art as Bankim Chandra has done.

Legend of Bengali Cinema – Mahanayak Uttam Kumar

Born as Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Uttam Kumar is one of the greatest legends of Indian cinema. Born in 1926 in North Calcutta, he is widely acclaimed as the ‘Mahanayak’ of Bengali cinema and his contributions as an actor, director, producer, singer and music director earned him both national and international adulation.

His first successful release was a film by Nitin Bose, Dishtidan, though he came into limelight only with Basu Paribar. It was however, Agni Pariksha in 1950, with the famed Suchitra Sen-Uttam Kumar pair that catapulted him into success. In the following years, this couple ruled the silver screen with many films like  Harano Sur, Shapmochan, Shilpi etc. His on and off-screen chemistry was notably celebrated with several leading ladies of those days like  Supriya Choudhuri, Sabitri Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Sharmila Tagore, Aparna Sen, Mala Sinha and Tanuja among many others.

Uttam Kumar is especially known for his natural charisma infront of the camera which brought to the forefront a new era in cinema, breaking away from the stereotypical  dramatization associated with a ‘screen hero’. According to many, his signature film Nayak by Satyajit Ray, at the peak of his career, which foretells the story of the rise of an actor from ordinary backgrounds into superstardom, was written with him in mind. A perfectionist, never quite satisfied with being just the ‘matinee idol’ he experimented widely with his roles and was also the first ever recipient of the national award for Best Actor, for his performances in Chiriyakhana and Anthony Firangee in 1967.

His streak of brilliance continued till his last breath, where a massive heart attack on sets of Ogo Bodhu Sundori in 1980 claimed his life, a year after he came up with his authorized autobiography – Amaar Ami. Even after his death he continues to be one of the most legendary actors who single handedly changed the course of erstwhile Bengali cinema.