Chitpur Local and the Rip Van Winkles of Calcutta

• DOI: 10.1353/abr.2015.0117
• Publication Date: 2015-12-06T14:00:14Z
• Authors: Rajat Chaudhuri
• Keywords: Yard; Churning; Ice cream

Chitpur Local and the Rip Van Winkles of Calcutta Rajat Chaudhuri (bio) The field in north where Minerva theatre stands today had been bustling with spectators from early morning. There is a nip air grass, fiery green, being ruffled by mild breeze blowing river. two babus their red bordered dhotis, shirt, collar, lightly worn chador arrived troops sycophants, servants, curious were now settled down facing tents. Everyone was waiting bated breath for bird fight to begin. fighting bulbuls, perched on arm European trainer, watched opponents through daze intoxicants, ready tear them apart. excitement palpable, no less than an Indo-Pak cricket match. Bird not what has brought us here, so we amble westward towards Road, perhaps oldest streets. We are somewhere middle nineteenth century area already booming activity. It busy street its grand mansions displaying eclectic mix Palladian Indian styles. customers haggling shopkeepers at vegetable stalls, wandering bullocks stationary cows, gimlet-eyed goldsmiths behind counters, stench cow dung air, print shops churning out grammars religious texts, rattle phaetons carrying well-heeled destinations stream pedestrians. This heart Calcutta’s “Black Town.” In printing presses along south thoroughfare elsewhere city, printers have running thriving business more half century. Among bassoon player turned engraver mapmaker Calcutta, Aaron Upjohn Bowbazar, Englishman Charles Wilkins working East India Company, who Panchanan Karmakar, would later cut first Bengali typeface Andrews press Hooghly, Irishman James Augustus Hicky set up earliest known (1777) others. Hicky’s Bengal Gazette, newspaper printed (January 1780), ran into trouble quite quickly. What interesting about these old that they employed goldsmiths, coppersmiths, metal engravers, carpenters, other traditional artisans workshops, turn picked techniques find artistic expression indigenous Bot-tola printing, engraving, woodcut skills flourished around Calcutta. Thus, blacksmith profession co-creator typeface, life engraving illustrations used bot-tola books while also training his son-in-law this craft. By small doing well. distinctive art born milieu, themes spanning mythological secular, occupy important position cultural ferment those times. Today twenty-first century, walking road, rumble few remaining letterpress machines still reaches our ears, one last links tradition produced almanacs (panjika), folk literature, prints more. But between posters, manual litho artists gradually fading away, brightly made prostitutes Sonagachhi glazed looks cage-like boxes, often painted bright blue, particular storefront catches attention—Diamond Library. Against walls glass fronted wooden almirahs stacked gaudy-covered booklets. These jatra scripts published Diamond Jatra (also called “opera”), or theatre, which involves exaggerated acting style stage open all sides, beginnings processions accompanied singing dancing celebrate glory gods. From there present secular avatar, encompassing everything family drama crime politics, come long way. And always hot bed tradition. Click larger view View full resolution Marquee Move Rajat...