By Bangali Tola Varanasi: Past, Present & Future
Being a bong from Kolkata, let me take you on a journey through a Bengali Settlement in the Hindi heartland of Varanasi, called Bangali Tola.
Born and brought up on the plains of the mighty Ganga River, I was always curious and mesmerized by the sheer presence of the longest river of India. When I got a chance to document and tell the stories of that river on behalf of Namami Gange, it was like a dream come true. In this series, I will share some of my thoughts and stories from this expedition named #GangaKinare.
When I visited Varanasi for the first time, around 15 years back, it felt that I was traveling through another era. I had just started photography and exploring the gullies (alleys) of the old city of Varanasi, I heard someone calling out to me in pure Bengali and trying to sell a wooden doll. It came to me as a surprise. That was the time when I found out about the Bengali Settlement in the Hindi heartland called Bangali Tola.
Past
In our childhood, we used to churn a poem which goes like this;
“আমরা দুজন ভাই,
শিবের গাজন গাই।
ঠাকুমা গেছে গয়া-কাশি,
ডুগডুগি বাজাই।“
“Amra dujon Bhai,
Shib er gaajon gaai.
Thakuma geche Goya Kashi,
Dugdoogi bajjai.”
It means, when our grandparents are not in town, we had the best time of our life, as there was no one to tell us what to do and what not.
I have grown up with stories like Feluda where you can get a descriptive mention about Varanasi or Kasi, its Bengali culture, Sankrit tolas, and the Bengali style Durga Puja.
The best way to understand the Bengalis and their rich heritage in Varanasi was to start exploring the famous Bangali Tola. In my discourse with the residents of present-day Bangali Tola, I got enlightened about the deep roots of Bengal in this old city. The Durga Puja is one of the most celebrated festivals of Bengal. This cultural phenomenon was introduced in Varanasi by Bengali zamindar (landlord) Anandamoy Mitra Babu at Bengali Deodhi near Chauahamba in 1973.
When interacting with Mr. Dinabandhu Rokhshit, a local sweet shop owner, I came to know that Bengalis started settling in Varanasi from the time of the Pala Empire. Many zamindars (landlords) started occupying lands and building their ‘bari’ (houses) which are known as zamindar bari along the Ganga river. Those are the initial days when the Bengalis fell in love with this beautiful city. But it is in 1948 when there was a steep rise in Bengalis settling in Bangali Tola, due to partition. And thereafter, the area got its name of ‘Bangali Tola’.
Present
This time when I was in Banaras and was trying to find out that Bengali connect, but I was not being able to find them like the last time when I visited Varanasi.
On the 3rd day of our shoot, I came across 2 elderly Bengalis. One of them was Pt. Bisweswar, who helped me to understand the current situation. “Bengalis are moving out. You will not be able to find so many Bengalis living in Bangali Tola anymore,” said the retired professor of BHU.
When I was roaming around the narrow alleys, I found Bengali inscriptions in many houses. Some of the engraves are as old as Bangali Tola and some of them are very recent.
Pt. Bisweswar told me that there are many schools and colleges still running that were founded by various Bangali zamindars (landlords) in the vicinity of Bangali Tola. Some of them are Joy Narayan Ghosal Inter College, Chintamani Babu College, etc.
After pursuing Mr. Priyotosh Chowdhury, one of the residents of Bangali Tola, who still runs a ‘Doshokorma Bhandar’ told me that his family has been living in Benaras for generations now. “Bengalis have migrated to Benaras from Bangali Tola for various reasons like employment opportunities or religious reasons”, he said.
Being steered some merchandising projects for some leading corporates of India, now it has become a habit for me to scan any shop I’m in. When I glanced at Mr. Chowdhury’s ‘Doshokorma Bhandar’, I found an old-school ‘Bengali pongika’ along with a ‘topor’ (a headgear worn by the groom made from Solapith) which is a prominent symbol of Bengali marriage. The interiors still give you the old vibes with various materials stacked on the floors and the wooden shelves. “Once Bengali community thrived in this locality, but now you can only find some carbon prints”, he said while sitting on a small stool at his shop.
Future
Sitting on the steps of the Chausatthi Ghat and watching the transition of the day trans-versing into night, I was giving a thought to the arrow of time.
Mark Twain once said, “Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”.
When I was in Varanasi last time, I photographed Rajesh, one of the many aspiring “Kustigir” from one of the “Akras” of Varanasi. And this time, I couldn’t find any Akras at all. Most of them are closed permanently as modern gyms came up in almost every locality.
A few days back, after hard work of documenting the city of Benaras, for the last few days, I was feeling homesick and like all the Bengalis I was carving for daal bhaat (a meal comprising of rice and dal or pulses). My search took me to “Jaaloojog Khawaar Hotel” on the Godowlia Road. After having a wholesome Bengali thali, I spoke with the cashier. “Today’s young generations are moving out of Benaras for better career opportunities. Cultural exchanges are happening at every stage. The next generation barely speak in Bengali”, he said while attending other customers.
I was sad looking at the setting sun; I practically understood how time changes everything. I know modern infrastructure and facilities are essential for the growth of any city, but deep down in my heart, I was feeling a pain of losing the much known city of Benaras. Bengalis may leave the city for whatever reason but history will remember Bangali Tola as one of the most important inseparable part of Banaras.
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Very nice reading it well crafted and emotional attached