Tit Bits of yesteryears & the future of Bengal psyche by Sanjoy Das Gupta

Part1

It gives me great joy to recollect that day when my father proudly announced to us that we are likely to get a piece of our own land from the government in EPDP colony to build our own house. We were then staying in a rented house in the then Lajpat Nagar 4 double storied colony settlement probably built by the British at the earlier periods of pre independence stages for expansion of Delhi beyond Lueytens and the Residency areas; sanitary systems of which were then functional only through the daily collection mode by manual scavengers. 

The land was not being offered free by the government to candidates like my father and many more, who had been displaced from East Pakistan during the partition as refugees and had moved over to Delhi in search of employment. Payment of an amount of Rs.4800 required to be made for our plot size of 160 square yards, in itself was an impossible mission for most of such aspirants dreaming to build a house of their own in Delhi! I remember father had taken a temporary loan from one of our very close well wisher and an absolute darling family friend who was always there to help us in any manner that could possibly arise at any time. His help at that time was God sent! My father was thereafter allotted the plot B-369 and we had carried out the Bhoomi Puja somewhere in early 1971.The loan of around Rs34,000 needed to construct the house, was disbursed to him in instalments through his CSIR office. The adjustment of this loan was admittedly concluded and completed by my father before his retirement. 

We had moved into this wonderful home of ours in 1972 with me then studying in IIT Delhi for my Civil Engineering B.Tech degree with passing out in 1973. My little brother was hardly 10 years old then and was attending his school in Frank Anthony in Lajpat Nagar. It was exciting at those times that we had opted for the construction of our house through a full turnkey mode complete with design through to successful hand over with complete paperwork with a new aspiring and honest group consisting of two budding civil engineers from Jadavpur and BE College (then popularly known as Shibpur Engineering College) wherein, I too, had been offered Telecommunication Engineering during my selection therein in 1968. However, I preferred to go in for admissions in IIT Delhi for obvious reasons of its international branding and student profiles. The five year course was totally residential with stay in exceptionally good hostels. The team did a wonderful job and delivered our home with exceptional quality well ahead of the agreed schedule. I recollect that gruelling one year or so, when both my parents used to come daily to the rugged dust strewn site all the way from Lajpat Nagar with packed tiffins and dry lunch boxes, water, tea etc., and had to beat and take heads on the inclement weather in all its forms, be it summer, winter, storms, monsoons what have you. Cement was then government controlled and had to be drawn directly by my father from authorized government depots on the basis of sanctioned permits issued to him only, that were far flung away from site. This cement had to be drawn by him only from these rather tough handling depots and then handed over to our contractor for the works in progress. I have seen that even my mother had extended her hand in these matters on numerous occasions giving at least some relief to my father from these tough routines. The two souls had been severely sun burnt through these very rough times. 

The so called horse shoe shaped park with lush gardens that are seen now (with the name of Kalpataru RWA written on both the entrance gates) was an immense jhuggi - jhopri squatter with transient labour worker families setting themselves up therein with no considerations to cleanliness or public health, making it a source of permanent bother and nuisance that my parents and a few others in the vicinity went through, without any plausible remedy, with an element of helplessness and perseverance with the almighty’s grace. When we had shifted in our new home in 1972, I recollect that there were probably around 20 to 25 houses that had/were being built at that time across the entire length and breadth of Chittaranjan Park in its totality. Around ours were hardly two, who had completed their constructions a year earlier. But then all these families had become very close friends even dearer than one’s own family members. The bondage and umbilical cord (so to say) of these old linkages are still dormant, active, emotive and vibrant even today, although one now looks at the third `generations’ and beyond.  This I must say is the essential chord of our Chittaranjan Park vibration, which is still stringing us all together into that silent chain of togetherness.  

The park today

Each house had its distinctive architecture and was unique as they were being built to the individual’s dreams and desires. My father being a terrific and brilliant artist was my personal idol and dream of ecstatic compositions, had continued to take on myriad forms and styles as he grew older and well beyond his post retirement stages even till his early eighties! I would watch him in absolute awe at his work, which went non- stop for hours together on his paintings and assignments at home, in spite of my mother’s admonitions. My father too created and has left behind his permanent etching on the front wall of our house with a unique mural using geometric forms.  Photo snap of our house post my marriage in 1974 reproduced below depict the inside-out verandah frontage side views of our house with his implemented mural which still stands the test of time and is very carefully preserved, maintained and cherished by us with immense pride. Further transformation of the house to a partial three storied house into the 1995 era are reflected in few coloured pictures which still indicates the desire to perhaps fit ourselves of one’s additional requirements with the original model and concept in view as compared to the phenomenal drastic changes that are continuing to grip this entire neighbourhood in unimaginable and inconceivable  dimensions and proportions without any semblance of control or maintenance of the psyche that were institutionalised by our parents and founding members of the colony. 

The house as constructed by my father in 1972 and during 1974 when I was married

Our three storied house terrace in 1996 with clear surroundings built with personal bank loans

Our house in its final original form as seen today surrounded by the builder based flats all around 

The market in its shanty form had just begun in the now Market 1 area. One had Asheem to deal with groceries, Banik’s shop for dashakarma, young Mokim for fresh mutton, Senda’s shop for books and stationaries, Kamala Sweets for our Bengali sweetmeats, Swapon selling us singaras on his cycle on a door to basis and the famous pitch dark complexioned Babuda (Roy) chattering away with all ranges of politics of Bengal and its ramifications with his immense range of newspaper and magazine collections, while his scissors did brisk work for the “so called” rickety “saloon-based” hair cutting for all ages. The DMS shanty structure had probably just started functioning for our milk supply which all of us queuing early in the morning come what may the weather, on a daily basis. The temporary shed of Kalkaji Bangiya Samaj at the south-eastern corner of the present plot also made provisions of the much needed small space to Dr. S. K.Choudhury as a clinic, for seeing patients daily both in the morning and in the evening hours. He was (and still is) quite a brilliant doctor offering his untiring services to all those who approached him from all over, with a compassion and personal flavor that is inconceivable in today’s harsh world . He continues to render his invaluable expertise and personal rapport with many of us and our next generation families from those times even till date. I recollect with lot of pride when my father had rendered his personal artistic touch to make the beautiful logo of Bangiya Samaj with its symbolism etched therein. The same continues to be kept alive in all their publications and formal papers till date and of course in the main building. I remember that he was specifically felicitated for this beautiful contribution during an Independence day celebration event in therein  around ten years back from now driven in the car by one of the senior executive committee members.

The beginnings of the first Durga Puja as one entity perhaps started in 1977 wherein the present C Block ground was the venue. In those days it was quite sizable. I remember three very distinctive events in which I was personally involved. The first “Agomoni” was presented to the residents of the colony at this puja pandal by a composite team of young budding artists, musicians and narrators in which my wife had participated very actively. An old photograph available with me draws out this event depicting the participants waiting to start the programme. 

The second event came in the form of me and Mr. Supriyo Nandy’s (who did well to join IIT Delhi in the Electrical Engineering after four years of my joining therein) elder sister Miss Rina Nandy, when we had the privilege to enact a mute soliloquy on stage in dance and mime expressionism format attired in very special dresses and make up, with the base poetry theme being narrated by Dr. Foni Basu with musical ensemble and special lighting. The concept was unique and had its extreme nuances since our combined movements had to reflect these deep meanings to the audience without any lack of attention. In those times, I would qualify this attempt to be a very bold one not easily ventured upon during Durga Puja celebrations in Delhi. The third event was my own direction of the famous and hilarious play “Bharate Chaiey” with casts being meticulously screened and selected from a plethora of aspirants ranging from boys and girls from Class 3 to 11 in Chittaranjan Park! The mode and stylization used for the enactment of the play was modern, absolutely new and entailed complete commitment of the actors and support team to perfection. The show had drawn huge appreciation from all corners including visitors who had seen the performance. As I recollect at hindsight and even now, most of these participants are now reasonably old and would be perhaps at their stages to become either grandparents or are getting ready to marry off their children! Some of the participants staying in Chittaranjan Park till date urge me to recreate this play once again with them to relive that old nostalgia. It may not therefore be quite a surprise for many that such a thing could happen in the near future, as a special show! 

The success of this particular production probably arose as an outcome of the masterpiece five act play of “Shashibabur Shonshar” directed by me in my final year at IIT Delhi in 1973, which won accolades in many spheres and circles in Delhi and beyond with its unique and distinctive presentation. I still rember that  this had kept the audience rooted and mesmerized to their seats in our phenomenal auditorium at the institute which had world class acoustic systems developed and implemented by our revered Dr.Prof. Mathur of our Physics Department, who still recollected that performance when we met once again in the same auditorium after a long gap in one of our Alumni sessions many years later in the institute. The privilege to act and sing and winning the Best Actor (English) as well as the Best Vocalist (Hindustani) for almost four years at a stretch in the institute, was perhaps overshadowed by this phenomenal production in its totality. This euphoria is still alive even after I had got the privilege to act in the lead role in an outstanding English satirical play that was directed by Barry John himself at the institute!  

A year earlier, the production of “Bharate Chaiey” had been directed and presented by me in another stylization with children of similar age groups in the Defense Colony Durga Puja celebrations. The exercise was tough as I had to carry out rehearsals of the children in my wife’s maternal uncle’s house there, after completing my duty in our office located in the South Extension Part II area. I would thereafter return home to Chittaranjan Park quite late in the night on an almost daily basis for two to three months! But then, it was fun and exciting for all who participated and helped make the production a great success! 

The advent of entertainment programme in all the pujas in Delhi in those times, were completely staged through full participation of the available local talent which was available in plenty be it vocal, musical, dramas, jatras, dance dramas or any other format.  Rehearsals for all these variants used to be held at the behest of specific volunteers and their houses with roof tops as necessary, well before three to four months of the commencement of the Durga Pujas. The advent of tea, snacks and even special dinners were an integral part of these very exciting rehearsals. It wasn’t out of place that one could drop by to see such rehearsals at any place even if one is not a participant in the actual event! I still remember overhearing a jatra rehearsal quite late into the night that was ongoing in the roof top of one such volunteer. The volume required for such performances without microphones was imperative and was been ensured during these rehearsals. I say this with conviction as this is the way that entertainment and cultural programmes were necessarily an outcome of internal efforts and talents available therein without seeking to unnecessary delve into bringing external sources with huge financial implications, now becoming the only manner that these could be addressed and performed. There is this dire need today and for the future, that the present rush to reach out for performances from external sources and multiple agents, draws out its end forthwith for revival of the well set old ethos of performances from within only with serious commitments from the present Puja organizers of Delhi and the NCR region in particular. I state this strongly because we had all been brought up in Delhi by our parents and peers in similar fashion for such cultural performances that had been nurtured and engrained into our psyche even when we were as small as eight years old!

(My next post in Part 2 will bring out the nostalgic experiences of these young days and their formative impact in our later lives)