History of Chittaranjan Park Clubs compiled by Paroma Ray

A young boy relocating from bustling Karol Bagh to isolated CR Park in the 70s finds lifelong friendship through a club that started rather informally through a shared love for sports and culture. A freedom fighter teaching young boys the art of ‘lathi khela’ gets attracted to peals of laughter coming from a group of senior citizens sharing some sweets on some rocks beside a temple.

“What is it that fosters this vibrant club culture in Bengali neighborhoods?” Asks Shomik, founding member of Shapno Ekhon

“These clubs are a product of the social life and adda culture of Bengalis. The public-ness of everyday life provided an inclusive and egalitarian space which fostered these clubs through shared lives.” Responds Mritunjay Chatterjee.

The 12th session of the Adda series organized by Shapno Ekhon held a discussion on the History of clubs in CR Park on 4th June 2022. The panelists included eminent personalities including Mr Partha Mitra- Photographer/filmmaker and an active member of South Delhi Youth Center(SDYC); Mr Sujit Choudhary- AN engineer by profession, social organizer, sports enthusiast, a well-known face in CR Park and another active member of SDYC; NN Sarkar- - A freedom fighter who later became a squadron leader in the Indian air-force and a member of the Morning Club; Mritunjay Chatterjee- an artist practicing socially engaged art who has worked extensively on oral history especially with women from Afghanistan and Somalia and member of Hoi Hoi Sangha. The discussion was facilitated by Shahana and Shomik of Neighborhood Diaries.

In today’s structured and fast paced world where informal gatherings and activities just for the fun of it are increasingly being seen as a ‘waste of time’, the discussions gave us a glimpse of the past that is worth recreating. It took us back to a CR park that was largely a barren terrain in the Aravalis, where having a playground meant having to first clear out an empty rocky tract. A history so rich that even those who were part of it are still discovering fascinating tidbits about it. Eg. Bangia Samaj started in the house of Biplab and partha da’s parents’ homes in 1973 and yet instead of joining this club they decided to form one on their own which would later be known as SDYC

The SDYC club – Through the experiences of Mr Sujit and Mr Partha

Mr Sujit’s introduction to the club life happened in 1968 when he was a 3rd  grader taken under the wings of seniors at a club called Sabuj Sangha in RK Puram. In the afternoons, alerted by the sound of a friend dribbling a football outside his front porch, he would escape from the watchful supervision of his grandmother. The playground near his home became an escape from homework, it’s here where under the mentorship of seniors he learnt the art of organizing Durga pujas with a mere budget of 4.5k (from putting up tents to putting primer on the idols he took part in the entirety of the Puja process with enthusiasm that can only be found in an energetic child entering adolescence).  Moving to CR park in 1973 he would wander about in his neighborhood on his cycle driven by a desire to find a similar sense of community. By 1976 he was joined by Mr Partha as well (who had moved from Karol Bagh and had been drawn into a group of older boys who were particularly attracted to the football that he possessed). BY then Durga Puja which was the glue of the probashi Bengali community in Delhi had first split into two grounds- one in Mela grounds and the other in SDYC grounds in j block and then into four- Mela ground, shiv mandir, K block and J block. Shishir Chaterjee one of the founding members of SDYC also happened to be a member of the youth congress and yet the culture of the club was so rooted in the neighborhood’s shared life that at no point did it become a tool in the hands of any political parties.

The club that began informally through the shared love and appreciation for football, cultural experiences like Jatra, organizing Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja has been witness to many historic happenings culminating in the Asian games of 1982. As with football everywhere passions often ran high and sometimes police had to be called in from Kalkaji to settle the scuffles that would break out among the participating teams and their supporters (including one involving the Afgani football team). From playing carom in the garage of India’s first female commercial pilot Ms Durba Banerjee to scoring goals against the professional Delhi football team; the club has contributed to not just memories of their members but also in shaping personalities and creating social cohesion in the community.

The morning Club- Through the experiences of Mr NN Sarkar

A couple of retirees with hot tea in flask spread out across a bunch of newspapers laid down on rocks outside the Shiv Mandir. This seems like a sight one would be familiar with in the ‘rocker adda’ culture of Northern Calcutta; yet its ubiquitous whenever a group of Bengalis have a chance meeting. Coming to the mandir to offer morning prayers led a couple of older men to find health, happiness and company. This would eventually evolve into the Morning club of CR Park. NN Sarkar in the early 80s was then a middle aged man who had participated in the freedom movement through his association with the Bengal Volunteers. Old habits die hard so rather than letting his lathi khela skills go to waste, Mr Sarkar would spend his morning hours passing on his skills to the youth of the area. It is then that his paths crossed with the morning club members. In 1982 another freedom fighter, a fellow comrade of Master da, Mr Das too found himself amidst the club. He was in fact responsible for starting the tradition of starting off the day with Vande mataram sung with passion and fervor. The regulars of the club over time established their own rituals which included the establishment of a canteen that served piping hot luchu-aloo, cultural programs on Sundays and reading/discussion sessions on a regular basis. On rainy days a basement room under the Kali mandir would be made available to the club members to carry on with their discussions and festivities. As the word spread more people were attracted to this spot amongst the noteworthy was Mr Ranadhir Sarma Sarkar who had served as the law secretary under Nehru and would go onto becoming the chairperson of UPSC. From religious texts, to discussions on poetry and culture, to regular classes on diverse topics be it science or social science. A vibrant and intellectually rich environment was created that kept both the body and souls healthy and also created a culture of mutual care and concern

Hoi Hoi Sangha- Through the experience of Mr Mritunjay Chatterjee

Mr Chatterjee came to CR Park in 1977. Back then there were only two lanes of houses in the block where he resided. The sparse population however didn’t deter a group of about 15 young boys to collectivize around football and organizing Saraswati puja. The time he spent in CR park would often remind him of his childhood in Sarojini nagar where he would spend hours observing the likes of Tom Roy honing their skills on the field. The crowd of younglings was so boisterous that the name of the club was derived to match their energy level. The enthusiasm didn’t stop at just sports but extended to plays as well that were often written and directed by the mothers and aunts of the lot. Later Mr Krishnendu Chakrabarty would take on the role of director. Be it running around with torches during load shedding or putting up plays on the rooftops, just the fun of doing activities is what motivated them to try their hands at anything and everything including the indomitable art of Jatra. The dedication to fulfilling a task for the sole purpose of deriving pleasure out of a collective task was so great that even a bomb scare in the 1980s didn’t stop the group from putting up a great play for the community (even though the venue had to be shifted from the mela grounds to the rooftops of homes.

Screening of films through hired projectors, occasional picnics, enthusiastic participation in football matches that gathered a fan following among local fruit sellers and taxi drivers were some of the common threads of experiences that united these clubs in Cr Park. The streets of CR park have seen footballers like Bidesh Bose gulp down 7-8 pieces of fish after a tournament, diplomats, bureaucrats, freedom fighters alike spend hours on debates and discussions, plays put up by famous playwrights like Utpal Dutt. Under the watchful eyes of seniors, the junior members would learn life lessons. The egalitarian nature of the clubs, space for having heated discussions ranging across different shades of opinions, hosting political plays without politicizing/polarizing everyday lives etc are both products of a very public life of Bengalis as well as a contributing factor in holding the same community together. Threads of relationships beyond kinship ties were fostered through the ‘elomelo’ process of gradual club formations. While some parts of this publicness we still hold on to while organizing Durga pujas, there is much to this process that we need to treasure and bring back in our neighborhoods today.

End of an Era by Saibal Ghosh

END OF AN ERA – One day in the year, when Bengalis ruled Delhi! by Saibal Ghosh

The decision of the National Green Tribunal to ban the immersion of all idols in the Yamuna river starting this year, brings to an end the more than century old practice in Delhi of 'bhashan', ‘visarjan’ or Durga idol immersions on Dashami/Dussehra day at river Yamuna. For Bengalis in Delhi, Dashami had a special significance. Until more than a decade and half ago, when all idols from in and around Delhi converged at Gita Ghat on the Yamuna, near the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) – Kashmere Gate, it was an experience in itself! Many of us earmarked this day to meet acquaintances from far-flung parts of Delhi, who use to make it a point to come to Gita Ghat along with their respective Ma Durga idols for the immersion. A spirit of bonhomie use to pervade Gita Ghat that day. The loading of the idols onto buffalo carts and moving them to the bank of the river, walking on the river silt, gave us a different feeling altogether.

 

Of course, this was an unique occasion happening once a year, when the Bengalis ruled the roads of Delhi!  Almost all the pujo idols of Delhi, carried on trucks along with buses carrying the people, use to converge on Mandir Marg, in front of New Delhi Kalibari. From there, this huge procession of trucks and buses, with the New Delhi Kalibari idol on the lead, use to weave its way for Gita Ghat, through central Delhi. The young members of the Joint Procession Committee (JPC) with red and yellow bandanas tied onto their heads with a red ‘tilak’ on their foreheads, riding on their yezdis, jawas and bullets, use to stop all traffic crossing the path of this procession. We as young volunteers use to dance on the trucks to the beat of the dhaak and very often got down on the roads to continue with our dancing, especially in front of traffic cops posted on busy intersections. The cops had instructions not to interfere with the procession. Later, due to the size of the C R Park puja processions taking on massive proportions, with each puja boasting of 6-7 trucks and 10-11 buses, these processions from C R Park started reaching Gita Ghat directly. It was a greater instigation for us then to be part of our own processions, shouting at top of our voice "jacche kara - Mela Ground"! My friends Partha, Supriyo, Debjit, Aditya, Amiya and others will vouch for these experiences!

 

Another highlight of the Bhashan at Gita Ghat was the procession arranged by the oldest Durga Puja of Delhi - the Kashmere Gate pujo. They brought their idols on huge bullock carts, since this Pujo is located close to Gita Ghat. A group of shehnai players dressed in traditional attire playing the shehnai – known as the Nahabat – led the procession. The men from this pujo were always dressed in dhuti and panjabi, and the women in white sarees with red borders, the traditional attire of Bengalis during the pujas. Incidentally, this pujo is having its 110th celebrations, this year.

 

However, with the Asian Games in 1982 and subsequent advent of flyovers and then the Commonwealth Games (CWG in 2010), Gita Ghat itself was constricted in size, in a major way. Meantime, number of Durga Pujas in Delhi NCR increased massively in the intervening years, with a huge inflow of Bengalis from West Bengal settling temporarily or permanently over here. Durga Puja is also celebrated with fervour by the Bihari community in the NCR and this too added to the pressure on the ‘Visarjan’ ceremony. As a practical alternative, the authorities made facilities for Durga idol immersions at different points on the river Yamuna. All South Delhi idols began to be immersed at Kalindi Kunj Ghat near Okhla. Massive cranes were pressed into service at the site since this place had not been developed into a proper immersion ghat and hence, lacked the necessary facilities. The river bank was made up of uneven soft mud with visitors unable to reach the edge of the river without their clothes being totally mud-spattered. The jaws of the crane picked up the Durga idol by its head and dropped it into the water. Moreover, the Yamuna had become extremely polluted by then with pollutants in the form of white foam floating over the water surface! With this move, a certain element of charm associated with Durga Puja visarjan for us, disappeared forever! After the initial couple of years of this change, I too lost interest in the Bhashan ceremony and stopped attending it.

 

Nonetheless, a common string between the earlier visarjans at Gita Ghat 40 years ago and those at Kalindi Kunj Ghat thereafter, remained the same until a few years back. This was the rivalry between various local groups, which resulted in hilarious situations and later, into serious turn of events, with ‘bhashan’ as the locale for such confrontations!

 

Forming of neighbourhood clubs to indulge in various sports and cultural activities flows in the ‘Bengali blood’. Chittaranjan Park in the 70s and 80s was no different. Amongst the better managed clubs was South Delhi Youth Centre at J Block, known amongst us by its abbreviation - SDYC. SDYC use to organise an annual football/soccer tournament at the J-Block ground, around the end of monsoon and beginning of autumn. Teams from all across Delhi use to participate in this month-long tournament. It was a highpoint in the calendar of youngsters like us in early or mid-teens, who regularly flocked to the J Block ground in the afternoon after returning from school. Our focus was to cheer our favourite team from the sidelines. The team comprising of our elder brothers or ‘dadas’ mainly from E, F G and H Blocks of Chittaranjan Park was known as ‘hoosh corner’! A nonsensical name, purposely chosen, to highlight the free spirited nature of this group of young boys in the range of 17- 25 years of age. Our chants use to follow each move made by these ‘dadas’ on the field “…hoosh hoosh…hooshcorner!” The tournament use to see participation by a few teams from the Minto Road – near Connaught Place – area of Delhi. They use to call themselves ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute Teams A, B, C and so on. Their manager and major face ‘off-the-field’ was a young boy called ‘Dabbu’. This person had a nice physique and was one of the lone voices cheering his team(s) in the tournament. Sometimes the decisions of referees – all professionals hired from the Delhi Football Association – led to teams losing and bowing out of the tournament, which did not go down well with their supporters …and then the mayhem would begin!

 

Dabbu was one of those persons, who could never take the defeat of any of his teams, lying down! He use to run into the pitch agitatedly whenever he did not like any decision. Likewise, SDYC had its boys ready to pounce on him, whenever he ran threateningly towards the referee. This use to result in a melee on the field with fisticuffs running all around, with us, the young spectators, enjoying the ‘tamasha’ to the hilt. Either such matches were cancelled, to be played later, or the teams were disqualified altogether. However, the same teams use to come back to play, year after year, in the tournament, much to our excitement!  Once a disputed match got over, Dabbu use to get into a direct confrontation with the local boys – including the organisers. Many a times a local hero for us teenagers – Biplabda - a gentleman (who use to spend most of his time in front of a mirror exercising with dumbbells or pushing up weights) took matters into his own hand and thrash Dabbu severely. Threats of annihilation flew quick and fast with Dabbu, while leaving the ground with his teams threatening that he would not let any person stay alive when the Chittaranjan Park Durga Puja Visarjan/Bhashan processions would pass through the Minto Road area, on their way to Geeta Ghat!

 

How seriously were Dabbu’s threats taken was to be seen on the visarjan day when our trucks carrying the idols of the goddesses were also loaded with broken bricks, stones and iron rods, in order to face any emergencies, while crossing Minto Road. In reality, I do not recall any fights taking place because of Dabbu’s threats, although mild skirmishes might have occurred. Nonetheless, I did get to know about major fights taking place at the Kalindi Kunj Ghat between people from Durga Puja processions from Chittaranjan Park and other areas, in later years. I believe that some of these fights led to legal cases getting registered with many of the persons even having to spend a few weeks behind bars!

 

With such a colorful and ‘happening’ history of ‘Bhashan/Visarjan’ of Ma Durga idols in Delhi, the practice introduced from this year to immerse them in small water pits prepared in the local areas, will definitely look tame and mundane! However, I did observe this year that many people who had stopped participating at the visarjan ceremony in the Yamuna ghats due to inabilities from advanced age and other constraints were physically present at these immersions. Moreover, with the time thus saved, people spent more time at the Puja pandals giving these a festive look even during the Dashami/Dussehra day. Earlier, these venues use to be deserted, once the ‘sindurkhela’ got over and the idols were taken away for immersion. Let us hope that the acceptance by our community, of this new practice ordered by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and implemented by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, will be appreciated by all, signifying the contribution of Bengalis in Delhi, towards mitigating pollution in our river Yamuna.

Chiranjilalji ki kahani, unhi ki zubaani

 

Neighbourhood Diaries team of Shapno-Ekhon continues its mission to gather interesting stories of C R Park. On one such mission, Biswajit Bhattacharya, Shawn Martin and Shweta Sharma from Shapno-Ekhon interviewed Chiranjilal Thakur on February 28th, 2021. The venue for the interview was E Block park - one among many serene, scenic parks of Chittaranjan Park. Now the big question remains as to who is Chiranjilalji and how is he connected to C R Park. Let's find out his story without any further delay.

Bin Kagaz ki kashti-wala Bachpan

Chiranjilalji, an eighty two years young man, was born in a small village called Baanpur at Zila Bulandshahar to parents - Dharampalji and Beeraji. He had three siblings, two elder sister and a younger brother. Having lost his father at the tender age of seven, responsibility of the entire family fell on his little shoulders. They faced a lot of hardship due to the untimely death of his father. One sister was already married before his father's untimely demise. Through sheer hard work and saving every available coin he arranged his second sister's marriage. He then went to his brother-in-law's house at village Barouli, Zila Bulandshahar to learn some skillset. He fondly remembers those one and half years as his golden days, "Waha par rehtey thein. Bachpana tha, aur humari behen ki nanad thi, aur ladki thi, ladkey thein. Khub kheltey thein, koodtey thein. Fir uske baad mein apne gaon mein aa gaya."

Byapaar, Biwi aur Bacche

He started working again upon his return to Baanpur. Eventually he got married and had kids. Unfortunately, he lost two of his kids due to illness. In his words, "Humare ladke ko bimaari bahut buri thi, toh wahi kamaye aur wahi lagaye" His brother-in-law who was shifting to Delhi suggested he should also come with him and he agreed.

Roti, Kapda .......... (Part 1):

Chiranjilal is a barber by profession. He came to C R Park around 1970 to find work. At that time, there were only three-four houses at C R Park and rest of the plots were covered in jungle. Lots of people gave up their plot thinking this is not a suitable place for living. He feels they must be repenting now since the colony has come up really well. After three-four months he also decided to move to Gokhala market (near Tees Hazaari court), Purani Dilli. But fate brought him back to C R Park.

He has spent last 50 years working in C R Park. Even though he never owned a shop in C R Park, he is much sought after among the residents of C R Park. This is mainly due to his ability to extend his services to many old and infirm at their doorstep. One such client was the grandfather of Dr. Ghosh of J block.

His first client at Chittaranjan Park is Dr. Ananda Mukherjee's children who were then staying at B Block. He remembers giving them a haircut while they were sitting on their granny's lap. His charges at that time was just Rs. 1/- for a haircut and 50/- paise for a shave. This was for the people living in C R Park. Charges were as low as 15-20 paise for people of low income group. He remembers fondly how peaceful C R Park used to be during those days.

His association with the purohits of C R Park, especially C R Park Kali Mandir, gave him a much needed edge in his line of business. He worked with these purohits for rituals such as mundan, janeyu, vivah and ghaat-kaamaan. He remembers the initial monthly pay of the temple purohit as not more than Rs. 40-50/-. His ability to befriend the purohits of the colony not only gave him many such work in and around Delhi but also fame in terms of being featured alongwith Purohit Muktipada in a news article.

According to him, people were much simpler during early days. In his own words, "Pehle bahut sharafat thi. Baygair chai-paani ke, nashta karaye aane nahi dete thein. Main sabko bahu maa bolta tha, babu bolta tha, bahut izaat karte the..waise bahut. Mereko bangali colony pasand aayi"

Another incident he remembers where a resident of J block took him on a holiday trip, "Ek sahab thein...Bose..Bose..J block mein..Chandan Bose naam tha. Woh toh mereko Bumbai (Mumbai) dikhane le gaye. Bumbai se fir Nasik, fir Rameswaram aur Pondicherry." Besides being a barber, he also worked in tea shop, restaurants as labour. He also managed livestock such as goats, buffaloes, etc.

........Aur Makaan (Part 2):

Initially, he used to live in four-storey DDA flats, Govindpuri before buying a jhuggi for himself behind Krishna Market, Kalkaji. During Emergency, the jhuggis were demolished and he was alloted a residential plot at Madangir. He stayed there for eight years before shifting to another jhuggi at Transit camp, Govindpuri. Meanwhile, he constructed another house at Dakshinpuri. His house at the transit camp was illegally occupied and the fight eventually reached Delhi courts. The case continued for 27 years. He lost his wife in the interim and was forced to sell all his properties. Later he built a 150 sq. yard house at Tughlakabad village. His sons are staying there. But he prefers to stay in his transit camp house alongwith his grand-daughter after winning the case. He has four sons, four grandsons, eight granddaughters and few great-grandchildren. He still spends time with his sons and eats there most of the time. Otherwise, they send his food to his house. He has lost all his siblings.

Bhasha ka Talmel

He faced few hurdles due to spoken language being different than his. One very interesting story of his, "Ek dafa toh pandit ji ne mantar padwaye. Toh woh na kaha ke guru guru bolo. Guru, guru. Maine kuch aur bola. Bahut hasey thein. Guru mane gaaye ko boltey thein"

Dukaan ka adhoora sapna

On being asked as to why he never opened a shop in C R Park, "Socha tha..jab tak yeh jo market hai A block mein....4 number?
Biswajit:haan 3 number..3 number..
Chiranjilal: Haan 3 number..waha main socha tha. Waha pe kone pe hotel tha. Ek aur tha. Toh maine kaha ki sahab meri bhi jhuggi dalwa do. Toh fir waha ye tha ki yaha sirf Bangali rahengey....Bangali rahengey"

Ab ka C R Park

82 year old Chiranjilal visits C R Park Kali Mandir regularly. At day end, he walks all the way to Tughlakabad village to meet his sons' family. His business has suffered due to the onslaught of pandemic. In his own words, "Ab toh ye kaam khatam kar diya hain. Corona ki wajah se bulate hi nahi. Vaham itna ghus raha hain ki keh bhi kuch nahi saktey. Kaam toh bilkul hi thapp ho gaya hain.. ab toh bai ko gate ko bhi nahi chune dete. Ek sahab hain. Woh kehtey thein ki jab humko zarurat padegi tab hum bula lengey. Nahi toh nirupam nagar ki kothi thi. Unse daal roti badiya chal rahi thi. Chalo jo prabhu ki icha"

We, too, wish that things improve and we prosper again not only economically but physically as well as spiritually.

Amen

Acknowlegement:

Interview by Biswajit Bhattacharya

Photographs by Shawn Martin & Shahana Chakraborty

Transcription by Shweta Sharma

Blogpost by Shukla Banik

Life in a Dumpyard by Shukla Banik

 

It’s one of those rare early mornings when I am wide awake. The narrow green stretch, in-between two rows of houses in our block, is looking so green and clean drenched in the morning mist. The ominous-looking banyan tree, home to many interesting creatures, seems alive with its daily morning activities. A devotee is offering 'jal-abishek' at its feet to improve the karmic wheel of his life. Another man, a rather overweight uncle, is jogging to bring his ever expanding belly under control. Just a few feet from this place, our neighbour's bored labrador is emptying his bowel. Few squirrels are prancing nearby looking for food. A flock of sparrows safely perched on the electric wires high above are chirping away to glory, teasing and taunting the cat lying in wait on the nearby wall to nab his breakfast. A beautiful parrot is furiously making inroads into a juicy looking wood-apple with its strong beak making a fine mess with its sticky waste oñ the Honda car parked below . Butterflies of many colors and designs are flitting from one flower to another in search of the illusive nectar. I was sitting on my balcony, quietly sipping horlicks (yes, call me a pseudo-bong who prefers horlicks to tea) when a sudden chug-chug-thwack-thwoosh interrupted my idyllic tryst with nature. It seems the corporation truck is on its daily prowl to collect the waste from the dumpyard situated at the end of our lane. I rush inside to close all the doors and windows.  Why…. Well, that’s the story.

My family was allotted a residential plot at F block, C R Park which is situated right next to Govindpuri extension. During allotment (1971) our block was sandwiched between a huge cow-shed (khataal) at one end and a dumpyard at the other end. The dumpyard, at that time, was a grey circular structure with low walls of not more than 7 ft height. With its top open and one entry point, it used to always overflow with waste deposited by the surrounding residential blocks. The dumpyard was situated exactly at the corner of the E & F Kali pujo park facing the opposite lane of our house. Most of its circular wall was covered with mounds of earth belonging to the then unruly park giving it a look of a small volcano. Due to infrequent retrieval processes, it used to be always full to the brim with waste resulting in spill-over not only on the roads flanking the dumpyard but also into nearby residences and lanes. Meat or fish bones, rotten vegetables as well as certain unmentionables were a common sight. These unmentionables enriched our concept of biology much faster than the actual school lessons. Cows, pigs, dogs, cats, crows used to feast on these waste regularly. Sometimes they used to carry and dump these stuff right in front of our houses making an even bigger mess.. Then there was a double attack from the cow-shed in the form of regular and fresh download of cow dung. Our poor suffering lanes used to look like an extension of the dumpyard. Those were the days when mosquitoes became our best friend and 'Kachua chaap macchar dhoop' a necessity. 

While elders complained, argued and sulked, children of our society learned innovative ways of playing in the park. No one was allowed a shot/throw towards the dumpyard while playing. Punishment was the same for everyone without gender bias - "FETCH IT YOURSELF". Suffice it to say that the fetching experience in the dumpyard was quite distasteful. This punishment was borrowed from our east Delhi friend. Due to the manual drainage cleaning system at East Delhi during that time, the nullahs' running parallel to each lane used to overflow with many interesting stuff including human excreta. For self preservation, children from these lanes invented the trick of 'Fetch-it-yourself' and we shamelessly copied their example. 

Both the cow-shed and the dumpyard were later relocated by the authorities. While the cow-shed moved to a distant part of the city, the dumpyard moved only a few meters from its original position of facing our opposite lane to facing our lane. The reconstructed structure is now a square shaped one-storey building with high walls and closed top. The waste management process (collection, storage, retrieval) is quite efficient, organized and regular nowadays. There are separate boxes to segregate waste now. Not to mention dedicated staff, apart from lane-cleaners, to keep the dumpyard in ship-shape condition. However, every time the  waste retrieval happens, the foul stench emanating from the rotten food in the dumpyard forces us inside to our designer pot pourris and room fresheners. 

Everyday we throw out so much garbage from our homes, shops and offices.  Wrapping materials on almost all the food products such as grains, pulses, spices, breads, biscuits, milk or oil go out as garbage.  Food which turns stale due to consumption excesses goes out as garbage.  Be it groundnut shells, discarded beverage bottles, used train or bus tickets, waste paper, old clothes, shoes, bags, furniture, broken bathroom fittings or electrical parts, etc. etc. we keep generating humongous amounts of garbage daily without batting an eyelid.  None of us are actually bothered beyond the ‘Cleaner Bhaiyya’ coming and collecting rubbish from our premises.  Someone I know lives very close to the Okhla landfill area.  Over the years, they literally saw an empty stretch of land turning into a hillock full of garbage.   I shudder to think what they must be facing on a daily basis. 

Garbage!!! It has become such a huge part of our life.  Be it physical or emotional, we are always surrounded by it. We do nothing except argue, sulk or look the other way.  Some even enjoy playing around it to suit their selfish needs. We complain only when we get disturbed by the stench.  I wonder how much pain and suffering we need to endure before all of us can stand together and forcefully say “Enough is enough…. Let’s clean the mess”.

Paat Pere Khaoa: An online-adda session on C. R. park's food history (Date: 25th November 2020) by Ms. Rajashree Chakravarty

 

 Aloor Dom aar Phulko Luchee
Bhaate Bhaat , Chorchori aar Bhaaja
Shorshe Ilish holo maacher Raja
Kosha Mangsho aar Polaw holo Robibaar er Khaoa
Doi-Mishti-Chatni r shathe
Shesh hoye Bangali r Paat Pere Khaoa

People connect to their cultural or ethnic group through similar food patterns. Immigrants/migrants often use food as a means of retaining their cultural identity. People from different cultural backgrounds eat different foods. The ingredients, methods of preparation, preservation techniques, and types of food eaten at different meals vary among cultures. The area in which families live and where their ancestors originated influence food likes and dislikes. These food preferences result in patterns of food choices within a cultural or regional group.

Food items themselves have meaning attached to them. One particular recipe, one particular sweet dish, one particular fruit can associate with not just a particular season but also a festival, a ceremony or a ritual. People from that cultural background will instantly connect with it and become nostalgic.

Food is the medium for depicting the emotional, ceremonial and ritual universe of people. It is a realm where, having already experienced the pleasures of preparing, presenting and partaking, one has subsequently made it into a versatile medium for both spiritual and artistic creativity, a metaphor for diverse human experiences. The traditional life of Bengal is rich in form, ritual and aestheticism. In sacred and secular ceremonies, Bengalis have invested food with intricate symbolic significance.

This delicious connection between Bengalis and Food was beautifully put forward by some wonderful and knowledgeable guests in “Paat Pere Khaoa” an Adda on History of food of CR Park on 25th November 2020.  It was organized by the Neighbourhood Diaries, a Shapno Ekhon initiative, which is creating a platform to connect people to the history of C.R Park specially by involving the children who are getting an opportunity to know their neighborhood and its history.

The adda began with Malabika Majumdar responding to the role played by food in reassertion of cultural Identity of Bengalis displaced from East Pakistan(now Bangladesh) and who came to CR Park, a post partition colony. Malabika Ji explained that people in CR Park have come from both Kolkata and East Bengal. But as there has been a cultural difference between the Epaar Bangla- Opaar Bangla, people of West Bengal and East Bengal found it difficult to mingle with each other whole heartedly and that made the later create an exclusive group who wanted to make a Mini Bengal in CR Park. This also led to making extra efforts to hold on to their food tradition and rituals. Migrants from East Bengal had moved to India leaving everything behind. They worked harder in holding on to their culture and food habits as that kept them connected to their roots.  The food was categorically divided as Daily food, Utsab food (festival food) and Muslim Food. The daily food saw the use of mustard oil and more of green chilies with less use sugar and preparation of Fish and Chochchori on regular basis. Festival food on the other hand saw the use of varieties of rice during Durga Pujo, Lokkhi Pujo and Poush Parbon. Khichuri, Moa and Puli Pithe saw the use of different variety of rice. Those coming from East Bengal, which had a majority of Muslim population many Muslim delicacies also found place in their platter such as Dhakai Paratha, Korma, Rezala, to name a few.

One of the early residents of CR Park Mr. Ashish Ghosh happily shared his memories of some earliest shops that opened in the markets of CR Park and how food became an integral part of these markets and how they hold a special place even today. Mr. Ghosh shared that many people who were working in Delhi and latter came and settled in CR Park, brought with them some mixture of food and flavor.

Annapurna and Maa Tara Hotel were some earliest food enterprises of the markets of CR Park. These specialized in Bengali food and were a blessing to the Bengali bachelors. Some stared new enterprises but many failed in few years time due to several reasons especially when quality was compromised. But those who survived are doing well even now. Apart from the cooked food shops the market has many vegetable shops and a vibrant fish market. Initially the vegetable shops sold only the typical vegetables of Bengal but over the years they have now started keeping other varieties as well. Fish market has also seen some changes but is still primarily Bengali. The shops in the markets also sell items which were initially prepared in all Bengali homes such as Bori and Kashundi, Pithe and Puli. Though we are slowly loosing the ritual of preparing them at home, they have found a different way to reach our home.

Mr. Ashish also expressed that Bengali food has today achieved a brand name and this is a major shift. Today people from other region who are in Delhi recognize Bengali food and many associate the CR Park markets with it. People visit these markets to eat Bengali food.  In fact though Market Number 2 has now become multi cuisine but the foundation is still Bengali.

Mr. Swapan Majumdar took us through his journey of starting and expanding Swapan Caterers. As a young man who came to Delhi to find a job and then decided to open a shop of singara and kochuri and sweets with an investment of Rs. 245/- to get a shop, facing resistance from already existing shops who tried to discourage him by creating obstacles, Mr. Swapan did not give up or give in. In fact he went on from delivering from home to home, started to keep more items, learning to prepare new items, asking people to taste and give their opinion , improving upon them, went on to make a hotel and  to becoming a well known caterer. He shared how he has learnt so much in his journey of life, how he introduced the use of candles to keep food warm and how even today he makes sweets and enjoys doing so. Today he feels that people’s tastes and therefore demands have changed. He is catering to the changes but also maintaining his identity as a caterer who specializes in Bengali cuisine with his famous Kochur Shaag and Sorshe Maach.

And then there  a was beautiful poetic journey by Mrs. Ruma Ghosh who took us to Kashmere Gate, another predominantly Bengali populated area, where she was born and brought up. She beautifully interlaced her memories of childhood days and how growing up in a mixed culture she enjoyed luchee being replaced by Bedami Puri, Kochuri served with aaloo ki Sabji, Chaat-Pakori and Kolmi Vara.  But the home food was predominantly Bengali. Fish and Mutton used to be a regular feature, which actually came from Jama Mazjid.  Durga Pujo was fun with Anand Mela, which started in Kashmere Gate  and later came to CR Park.  

We were enriched by the initiative and the amazing journey of two very enthusiastic Home Chefs.

Mrs. Sharmila Sinha whose initiative is named as “Luchee”, is trying to bring back old traditional food. She emphasized that food has a strong link with bio-diversity and we have festivals to mark the use of food and fruits as per the season. Though these days all varieties of fruits and vegetables are available round the year but our traditional practices show us the significance of seasonal fruits and vegetables. CR Park is a place where variety of vegetables, fish, fruits and spices are available. The markets also have variety of food and sweet stalls and shops. Ghugni, a speciality of the Bengalis, is available in CR Park market only. In fact I too have not found it anywhere else. She also talks about the influences of Muslims in Bengali Cuisines especially amongst the East Bengalis. Food as we know is always influenced by the several factors-the climatic condition, the geographical location, the diversity in the local population to name a few.   

She feels that due to lack space, time and labour, the therapeutic culture of giving Bori or preparing Kashundi is getting lost but it is good that they are now available in the markets. On the other hand she feels happy to find that many young people are showing interest in becoming Home Chefs and are working towards restoring their food culture.

Poushali Mullick, a young enthusiastic home chef with an initiative named “Pinch of Bong” creates a blend of tradition and modernity.  Inspired by her mother she offers a fixed menu to her customers and people from different walks of life join in to enjoy the delicious food and enter into a lively conversation even with people whom they have never met before. Food brings them together and many become good friends. Poushali found that people are interested in Bengali food and if a little twist is added, a small improvisation is made in the traditional recipe, it brings a delicious change. She is keen to introduce new and simple recipies and is looking forward to invite people at her home to get taste of Pinch of Bong.

Finally an interesting conversation took place as the two home chefs shared their thoughts about what made them to take the initiative of Luchee and Pinch of Bong.

Mrs.Sharmila expressed as to how her friends wanted to know about history of food and how she helped them with their home parties and in 2017 she decided to start Luchee to promote Bengali food, culture and festival. Poushali was of course motivated and inspired by her mother who always used to put the menu for her invited guests and that was a unique way of welcoming them. She also said that though due to the current situation she is doing home delivery but she her heart lies in serving the customers as guests at her home. She is indeed looking forward for the conditions to change.

A question was raised about how the stereotyping of Bengali food are done by many hotels who are serving only a fixed variety of dishes in the name of Bengali cuisine and how it can be changed.  It was debated that more home chefs need to come up as experiments and innovations in food are happening in home and not in the hotels and restaurants that prefer to serve one or two staple dishes. Home food in Bengal changes from home to home. We find that every house hold has one or more family recipes that are specialties of that family. So as more home chefs come forward they can bring those special cuisines and thereby add immense variety to the Bengali food.  

Adda on Food of CR Park was a lusciously delicious discussion, taking us down the memory lane of the emergence of the food shops in the market and then bringing us to the present where new home chefs are initiating new ways of making Bengali food popular. It will also help in showcasing the rich culture of Bengal.

Koto Sriti Koto Notun Shopno niye
Shesh holo Bangali r Adda
Aaro  onek Sriti aar Notun Shopno niye
Abaar Jombe aaro ekta Adda

Voices of Women;: History of women's participation in C R Park (8th March 2019) - compiled by Monica Bannerjie

 

On Women’s day this year, Shapno Ekhon, as part of its Oral History project on CR Park, ‘Neighbourhood Diaries’, organised a gathering of women residents of the locality, in order to generate a conversation around its history as seen and understood by the women residents of the area. The participants, having lived and nurtured CR park as their home for decades, enthusiastically shared anecdotes, memories, reflections, observations of how they saw the locality grow from being an unsure neighbourhood of early 70s, to a well established posh locality, known across the country as ‘mini Bengal’ for Bengalis living outside the state.  

CR Park came into being in 1960s when Department of Rehabilitation announced the creation of a neighbourhood specifically for families which were displaced from East Bengal during partition. It was found that a large population of Delhi’s already existing Bengali population was found eligible for land allotment there. Discussion with the group highlighted that while several of the families living in different localities of Delhi, did agree to take allotment of the land in the area, the decision did not come easily and was a mix of scepticism and mistrust. Majority of the families living in Delhi that time were clear that they would return to Bengal once their responsibilities linked to work and family were accomplished. So taking on land for building a house in a locality which was newly created and was still emerging did not seem to be the right step for most families. Also, since most of the families lived in more established and posh localities of Delhi like Kashmiri gate, they were sceptical about leaving those areas and shifting to a less known area, where everyday life could be very different from what they were used to. It was a challenging decision. However, as families started moving in, CR park started getting its shape of being the social, cultural hub, that it became over the years.

Discussions around this transition of CR Park with the group highlighted that women living in the locality made a significant contribution in not only building its institutions but also giving it a special place on Delhi map for exhibiting the Bengali culture through its festival celebrations, literature, eateries, markets and cultural groups. 

From the initial years itself, women were found to be involved in all aspects of development in the area. While Durga Puja celebration provided them with a huge platform to showcase their talent for art, music, dance, plays etc; other festivals such as Rabindra Jayanti, Poila Baishakh, Saraswati Pujo, Kali Pujo, also helped them in bonding and coming together all year round on notions of art and culture. Food also played an important part in this as women made and shared traditional Bengali cuisines such as Peethe and Payesh through such occasions. Bijoya Dashami was also celebrated in a big way. The group nostalgically shared that in those early years, learning a new art form was more of a ‘neighbourhood affair…a family affair’ and not like recent years, where it has become more class oriented commercial practice. Mostly children would go to a neighbourhood ‘mashi’ or a ‘kaku’, who would lovingly and sometimes, if required, even with some scolding, would teach an art form only for the pure joy of sharing what they know. Participants were of the view that in current times, the ‘mashis and kakus’ were replaced by ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ and had brought in distances between generations making it difficult to form similar camaraderie that existed before.

In Durga Puja celebrations, women contributed in big way. The group shared that since 1971, all puja committees had atleast 40 percent women who participated in all aspects of the festival i.e. from bhog, to puja to organising cultural programme. Though the culture of Durga Puja celebration has gone through major change in the locality, both in terms of appearance as well as scale, women’s participation in all aspects of its celebration remains a continuing trend from the initial years.

Women also contributed in creating organisational platform for providing charitable and welfare services to those families living inside and around the locality who were less privileged. Mahila Samiti, the only all women institution of CR park, came into existence in 1974. It did numerous kind of activities which included running a Balwadi centre, charitable clinic, embroidery and stitching classes, marriage bureau and physio therapy unit. Women in those years, would finish their house work and come to Samiti office to contribute in numerous ways. At some point, the Samiti also had an Action Committee which actively worked to resolve neighbourhood conflicts, domestic violence and dowry issues in the locality. Though everyone in the Samiti worked on voluntary basis, there was never a problem in getting women to look into its everyday matters. The group however, felt that the Samiti was running out of its steam mainly because the younger generation was no longer keen to devote its time for Samiti work.

It was also felt that with changing times, the culture and composition of CR Park had changed and thus it was important to make it more inclusive of other cultures and ideas. For one, the institutions of CR Park need to become more inclusive and should be open to take people of other cultures (non-Bengalis) as their members. Also, they need to work towards introducing Bengali culture to those who live here but are non-Bengali or those who do not live here. It was felt that food could be the easiest way to bring in this inclusion in the everyday culture of CR Park but even inclusion in other aspects needs to be looked into. 

Participants for the adda:

1.Kum Kum Roy

2.Sreemati Chakraborty 

3.Manju Moitra

4.Rajeshwari Choudhury

5.Sharmila Sinha

6.Ruma Ghosh

7.Sushmita Chakravarti

8.Shipra Das

Doctors Speak: A Conversation with Doctors of C R park (July 1st 2019) by Monika Banerjie

This year on National Doctor’s Day, Neighbourhood Diaries decided to hold an adda with some of the most popular doctors of C R park to understand their association with the locality and its people. The objective was also to understand how they view the changes that C R Park has gone through over the years. The doctors who participated in the adda included veterans, well known to the paara, Dr. Krishna Sengupta and Dr. Choudhury and also other long serving doctors, which included, Dr. Sisir Pal, Dr Subroto Kundu and Dr. Talukdar. 

Talking about his long association with C R park, Dr Choudhury stated that he was initiated into the area by well known doctor of South Extension, Dr. P K Banerjee, who asked him to take on the responsibility of providing health services in the area. He used to run a Pathology Centre in those days. He first started visiting C R park in 1974 on his bicycle to see patients and would charge Rs. 10 for home visits and Rs 5 if the patient visited his clinic. He stated that in those days there was a different camaraderie with patients as well as other doctors. These days he said, people are busier in themselves; hence there is very little community feeling.

Recalling how medical practice evolved in the area, Dr Choudhury stated that in 70s, while the families of the poor residents in the area would visit Safdarjung hospital for their ailments, majority of the middle class residents preferred to visit Holy Family Hospital for most of their medical requirements. Those who were well off, mainly went to Spring Meadows hospital. Batra hospital which started in 1987, was seen as a costly affair and most Bengalis did not prefer going there.

Talking of some of the legendary doctors of the time, Dr Choudhary recalled the names of Dr Ghosal, Dr Biswas of R K Puram, and Dr Dhar, who practiced for several years in C R Park. Remembering him Dr Choudhary stated that he shared a very close relationship with Dr Dhar and in a way it will not be wrong to state that C R park belonged to Dr Dhar. In terms of Lab and pharmacy facilities, Dr Choudhary recalled some of the popular pharmacies of the time which included, Rai Medicoes, Lakshmi Medicos and Rakheja Medicoes. He also stated that apart from the Labs that were running at Mahila Samiti and Bangiya Samaj, Dr Banerjee’s Lab in East of Kailash was also very popular. 

Dr Krishna Sengupta, who turned 87 this year, made C R Park her home in 1973. Initially no one knew about her homeopathy practice, but as people became aware, more and more started appearing at her doorstep for medical support. Working from the premises of her home, initially Dr. Sengupta did not charge any fees. Also, there was no fixed time for seeing patients. People would come whenever they wanted and Dr Sengupta provided her services to everyone, irrespective of the social strata one belonged to. It was only at the initiation of her close friends after some years that she decided to start charging a nominal fee of Rs 2 to her patients and also decided to fix a time for her clinic visit. She however never made any home visits. Over the years, her consultation fee increased to Rs 5 and then to Rs 10 and still remains so. She never had to put a board outside her house. Her patients have remarkeable trust in her expertise and believe strongly that if she takes up a case, the patient is bound to recover. At 87, Dr Sengupta still sees patients every evening during the fix hours of her clinic and continues to enjoy the goodwill that she has earned over the years through her sheer dedication and hardwork.

Dr Sisir Paul, who was initiated into C R Park by none other than Dr Choudhary himself, shifted here in 1973-74 and started his own clinic in 1980. He was one of the first child specialist doctor of the area. Initially he found it difficult to settle here mainly because people could not understand why he would only insist on treating children and would refuse to see adult patients. However, with time, and as people became more aware, he became more settled and was able to stabilize his practice. He was also with the Deshbandhu Memorial Society from 1989 to 1999. 

Dr Choudhary also stated that in the early years, people would only go to General Physicians who would then guide the patient in terms of what medical assistance they require. However, with time the requirement for specialists have gone up as the level of awareness and orientation to required health support, amongst people has increased.  

Dr Talukdar who has been in Delhi since 1995, however was of the opinion that the increase in call for specialists was mainly because Indians were always trying to ape what was happening in the Western countries. But there is now a realisation in the West that the family Physician is the best person to guide in terms of medical assistance. Dr Talukdar was of the view that this realisation would again come back to the Indian society too. 

Similar to Dr Paul, Dr Subroto Kundu, who started his practice in C R Park in 1992, also found it difficult in initial years to set up his practice in the area. He stated that this was because Bengalis in his view were consultancy conscious as majority of them were salaried people. Hence it was difficult to increase consultancy fee. However, he felt that being a Bengali gave an added advantage as Bengalis prefer to go to a Bengali doctor.   

Dr Talukdar, who has been in association with Chittaranjan Bhawan for past nine years, chose C R Park to settle as it was a Bengali dominated area. He stated that he saw institutions like the Chittaranjan Bhawan and Bangiya Samaj, play a very vital role in connecting people from all stratas of the society. These institutions were committed to provide services such as health facility at very nominal rates. However, he felt that these institutions were not supported well by the community. These lacked funds and therefore the quality of the services suffered. 

In terms of relationship with patients, while Dr Sengupta stated that she had always maintained a very good relationship with her patients, Dr Kundu reflected on the change that has come about in his interactions with his patients. He stated that there was a deeper connection with the earlier patients while nowadays the patients were more like consumers. He stated that this was a reflection of the change that has come upon most social relationships across societies. Also since the consultantion fee was now much higher, patients felt that they need to get services worth the money that they were paying. 

Dr Choudhary also felt that the relationship with his patients had changed over the years. Earlier patients, to show their gratitude, would bring food (raw meat, vegetables) to gift to the doctor after rcovery. However, nowadays there was no connect between them. He felt that earlier there was also great camaderie between doctors, but now they hardly knew each other. 

In terms of the overall culture of C R park, the doctors were of the view that there was a strong dilution of its culture due to several non-Bengalis also coming in and settling here. They felt that Bengali culture, specifically, its street food, music, art form must be preserved. Otherwise C R park would lose its unique identity of being mini Bengal and will become like any other colony of Delhi.