Spectral whispers on the Streets - Miscellaneous Blogs

A Conversation

March 22, 2022

Chinsurah is not a place where you would frequently find photographers like one might find in old localities in North Kolkata. So when you are seen taking photos of old houses, aged people generally become very curious. A common conversation goes somewhat like this-

- কাকে চাই? (Who are you looking for?)

- আজ্ঞে কাউকে না, আমি একটু বাড়িটার ছবি তুলছি। ( No one, I just want to take some photos of this house)

- কেন? (Why?)

- আসলে আমি পুরোনো বাড়ির ছবি তুলি। ( Actually I love to take photos of old houses)

- ও আচ্ছা, এটা তোমার সখ, তাই বল। তা এই যে ছবি তুলছো, সেটা দিয়ে কি করবে? (Oh i see, it's your hobby. So what will you do with the pictures you click?)

- আমি স্থানীয় ইতিহাস নিয়ে একটু interested তাই এই বাড়ি গুলোর ছবি তুলে share করি। লোকে যাতে জানতে পারে নিজের শহরের ব্যাপারে। (I've always had a passing interest in the local history of this place so i take these pictures and share them just so people can get to know a bit about the history of their hometown.)

- ভালো ভালো। এসব বাড়ি তো এমনিই ভাঙ্গা পড়ে ফ্ল্যাট হয়ে যাচ্ছে। কি আর করা যাবে। (Good to know. As it is most of these houses are being replaced by apartments. There's nothing one can do about it...)

Even though more than often we like to believe that old people are flag bearers of the past who refuse to accept or live in the present, its also true that if they didn't hold on to the time they lived through, so much of our history would be lost to time, trashed as unnecessary details.

Lost Houses, Lost Stories

Feb 22, 2022

Towns and cities are often seen as a living organism, thriving with its people and often collapsing over time. But if you notice carefully, you'll see that such settlements are not just one organism, but consist of several organisms, one rising while the others fall into a slumber. It is especially noteworthy in the case of Chinsurah, where presently thriving paras (localities) were literally covered in vegetation even 50years ago, and the localities which were lively centres have become quaint and silent. Kanakshali would definitely fall in the latter category.

Kanakshali, one of the oldest localities of Chinsurah, is now full of derelict old houses. Some of these have elaborate stories about their pasts, but sadly, many of them are at risk of being lost forever.

This is one such house in Kanakshali. The plaque at the entrance reads " Ray Bahadur Sri Kshitish Chandra Roy, M.A.". The fact that the owner of the house received the title of 'Rai Bahadur' is really interesting. However, sources of local history do not provide any information about him. Hope to explore further. If any of you know anything more about its history, I'd love to know about it!

Addendum- Sadly, this house, like many others in the locality, fell prey to demolition. The empty plot still stands, with the marble plaque gone. 

When Walls Speak

Dec 7, 2021

Old houses throughout Bengal are often adorned with beautiful stucco work, referred to as "Pankh" decoration in Bengali. However, some of these designs weren't merely used for ornamentation. Some even contained symbolic meanings. One such house where such an example is visible is the Mondol Bari of Chinsurah.

The Thakurdalan of this house unarguably has the most ornate stucco work among the old houses of Chinsurah. Among the beautiful floral designs, on either side, there is a motif of a lotus and a human eye. This is indicative of the person who constructed the thakurdalan and started the famous Durga pujo of Mondol bari- Padmalochon Mondol (Padma meaning Lotus, Lochon meaning eye in Bengali).

Stories such as these are often lost over time. Thanks to the old residents of this town, these seemingly insignificant yet historically valuable anecdotes are still alive.

Raash 

Nov 7, 2025

The mercury has started to drop. Shawls are out of almirahs, wrapped around shoulders of the early morning walking crowd. A few metres away from their route, tucked away in a narrow alley full of old dilapidated mansions where they rarely intrude, stands an old temple of Radha-Krishna. I stopped my cycle infront of the empty compound, to get a peek of what appeared to be a strange contraption from a distance. I obviously had to go in and see.

"Go give it a push" a voice behind me said. I obeyed. The wooden gopis attached to the contraption started twirling and moving quietly.

"I like decorating the temple on my own. We dont have grand Bhanga-Raash celebrations like Shantipur and Nabadwip, but I like doing as little as I can for Gobindo."

Radhaballabh Jiu Temple, Ghutiabazar

Meanwhile out on the road, big arrangements are underway. Loud speakers being installed to play "Vande Mataram," today a 150 years old. The house in Chinsurah where Bankim supposedly composed the hymn, empty all year, today suddenly has a stage infront. Elections are a few months away, maybe it'll again randomly find mention in some politcian's speech. Further down the road, saffron flags and loud speeches reverberate and irritate ears, praising Ram.

Vandemataram Bhavan, the house were Bankim Chattopadhyay
supposedly composed a part of Anandamath

A novel and a song, its many afterlives, romanticized, twisted and poisoned retellings of an imagined past, echo throughout the town, growing fainter as you move farther and farther away, till you reach the narrow lane where Krishna and his gopis twirl and dance in silence, a silence where even Ram doesn't intrude.