Ballygunge

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Ballygunge is an upmarket and posh locality in South Kolkata. It is flanked by Park Circus in the north, Kasba and the Eastern Railway south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria and the Lakes (now called Rabindra Sarobar) in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore and Manoharpukur in the west. It is large area comprising of Old Ballygunge, Ballygunge Circular Road,Gurusaday Road, Palm Avenue, Mayfair Road, Ballygunge Place, Gariahat, the Lake Area, Deshapriya Park and some areas of Lansdowne Road (Sarat Bose Road).

Contents

[edit] History, Culture and Development

The bally meaning sand and gunge or village signifies that there used to be a huge deposit of sand here earlier. In fact, it is considered that while the British were digging the Mahratta Ditch as a precautionary measure to fortify the city against invading Maratha warriors, the sand and mud that was dug up used to be piled up in the area currently known as Ballygunge.

The locality started developing with the expansion of Kolkata city beyond the Mahratta Ditch (later the Upper and Lower Circular Roads and now the A.P.C.Road and A.J.C.Bose Road respectively), in the early and mid-20th century. Soon this locality became one of the addresses to have in town, with beautifully laid out areas like Ballygunge Park, Queen's Park, Sunny Park, Merlin Park,Ballygunge Circular Road, Old Ballygunge Road (Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue), Iron side Road, Mayfair Road, Mandeville Gardens (areas known today as 'Old Ballygunge". Stately bungalows came up on both sides of the tree-lined avenues.

The Tagore Estate used to have large holdings in the area. The Maharajahs of Tripura built their Calcutta town house on Ballygunge Circular Road. Zamindars like the Maharajahs of Nadia, leading barristers, judges and I.C.S. officers built houses in Old Ballygunge. A cantonment area grew on Ballygunge Circular Road, along with several noted colleges and schools. The areas around the lakes - between Rash Behari Avenue and Southern Avenue - began to be developed in the inter-war years and came to be known as the Rai Sahib-Rai Bahadur's colony because of the number of senior civil servants (bearing those titles) who retired and settled there. At the same time, other areas like the serpentine lanes of Fern Road, Kankulia Road (stretches later came to be gentrified as Ballygunge Gardens/Terrace), Garcha (parts later gentrified as Dover Terrace), Motilal Nehru Road, Ballygunge Place East became crowded with lesser mortals.

Although the area reflects the city's problems of over-crowding and pollution, Ballygunge remains a sought after residential area.

Business families like the Birlas and the Thapars have built their home here. The official residence of the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court is in Ballygunge and the area has provided state Chief Ministers and Union Cabinet Ministers for the last three decades. The traditional burra sahibs - the senior company executives and bureaucrats - continue to be housed in the locality. The Consulates of Belgium, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Indonesia and Thailand are located in Ballygunge.

As a result, Ballygunge is today the one of the most exclusive locales of Calcutta, with land prices among the highest in the country. Since the 1970's colonial bungalows and detached houses have been giving place to multi-storied flats. In the seventies and eighties these were largely "co-operative" initiatives for the Bengali middle class ("Saptaparni", "Paarijaat", "Ananda", "Meghamallar"); during the '90s, the developments became increasingly more swank as marble clad high rises were targeted at Calcutta's business communities; and finally the new millennium has seen condomiums with swimming pools and other facilities for the seriously affluent. Recent road development undertaken at the Old Ballygunge side, Rashbehari-Deshapriya park and Gariahat have improved the infrastructure in the Ballygunge area, although traffic snars are still quite common along major arteries like Rash Behari Avenue, Gariahat Road and Syed Amir Ali Avenue during peak hours.

The southern part of the locality consists of the Gariahat area, renowned for clothes, jewellery, and a fresh food market. Some of the renowned shops which really has set the trends of South Calcutta exclusively independent. Some of the fashion shops are:

  • The Gucci Fashion Valley
  • DCM
  • Stanrose
  • Traders Assembly

A number of established retail brands have opened shop in this area and shopping malls are opening up rapidly. The Gariahat area is also a veritable gourmet's delight:

  • Bengali confectionery (Banchharam, Girish, Mouchak)
  • North Indian confectionery (Ganguram, Sharma's, Junior Brothers)
  • Snack Bars (Campari, Baked N Fried, Purbani)
  • Patisseries (Upper Crust, Kathleen's, Mongini's)
  • "Pice" Hotel (New Karco)
  • Bengali (Bhajahari Manna, 13 Paarbon)
  • Mughlai (Southern Aminia, Bedwin)
  • North Indian (Amber, Mirch Masala, Kwality)
  • South Indian (South Indian Club, Sonali)
  • Chinese (Krystal Chop Stick, Chinese Pavilion, Grub Club)
  • Punjabi (Ballygunge Phaari Dhaba)
  • "Junk" - "Phuchka" outside DCM Showroom (Gariahat Road) and assorted "Jhaal Muri" stalls

One of the most beloved local institutions has been hardest hit by the passage of time - the area between Gariahat and Gol Park used to have several used-book stores lining the footpaths. At their best, these were more than equal to the more-renowned College Street booksellers and much better than the relatively overpriced shops on Free School Street. From disposable chart-topping thrillers to arcane magazines, these were sure to stock a large variety of titles. However, this market never quite recovered from one of the periodic fits of 'hawker evictions' carried out in the early 90s. While the rest of the stalls in and around Gariahat came back bigger and more crowded than ever, for some reason the used-book sellers have not quite recovered their niche.

Further South is the lake area, open green spaces and water bodies which act as lungs to the city. The Lake Stadium is here, and swimming and rowing institutions are dotted around the area. Of note are the Indian Life Saving Society (founded 1922 but known to one and all as Anderson Club); the Calcutta Rowing Club (established in 1858); and the Bengal Rowing Club (founded 1929 as the Marwari Rowing Club).

Ballygunge is also noted for several established Durga Puja pandals, including Ekdalia Park (on Ekdalia Road), Singhi Park (on Dover lane), Adi Ballygunge Sarbojonin Deshapriya Park, etc. (during the Puja season in September/October).

Ballygunge is also home to the Dover Lane music festival, being held annually,which is noted for its participants who hail from the best of Indian classical music. Noted dancer and choreographer, Uday Shankar (elder brother of Ravi Shankar) used to live in the area. His wife Amala Shankar, their son: Ananda Shankar, and their daughter: Mamata Shankar continued reside and run teaching establishments in Ballygunge. Rabindrasangeet is taught at a number of institutions in the locality, of which, Dakshini is perhaps the most celebrated.

Ballygunge Railway Station is an important junction on the Sealdah south-section of the Eastern Railways suburban service. It is here that the lines to Jadavpur and Budge Budge fork out. The Calcutta Tramway Company has two depots in the locality - one adjacent to Ballygunge Station; the government bus services also maintain a depot next to the station, providing "integrated" transport services. The underground Metro railway skirts Ballygunge, the closest station being "Kalighat".

[edit] Educational institutions

Ballygunge is home to some of the better educational institutions in Kolkata.

  1. South Point School, Mandeville Gardens, once considered to be the largest school in the world.
  2. St. Lawrence School, Ballygunge Circular Road
  3. Ballygunge Govt. School, whose alumni include Satyajit Ray
  4. Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan, Gariahat Road
  5. Modern High School for Girls, Syed Amir Ali Avenue
  6. Ballygunge Science College, Ballygunge Circular Road
  7. Patha Bhavan, Swinhoe Street-Palm Avenue-Ekdalia Road-Ballygunge Place (depending on class)
  8. University Law College, Hazra Road

[edit] Places of interest in Ballygunge

  • Gariahat Market, centred at the crossing of Rash Behari Avenue and Gariahat Road (known as Gariahat more)
  • Birla Temple on Old Ballygunge Road (near Ballygunge Phari)
  • Ice Skating Rink, Syed Amir Ali Avenue (Opposite to Ballygunge Park Road)
  • Birla Science & Technological Museum, Gurusaday Dutta Road
  • Max Mueller Bhavan, Ballygunge Circular Road
  • Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Rash Behari Avenue(near Ballygunge Station)
  • Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC), Old Ballygunge Road & Gurusaday Dutta Rd crossing
  • Rabindra Sarobar/Ballygunge Lake(the biggest open area after Maidan in Calcutta) at Southern Avenue.
  • Ramakrishna Mission at Golpark- a big library cum convention centre.
  • Birla Academy of Fine Arts on Southern Avenue.
  • Lake Kalibari,on Southern Avenue
  • Deshapriya Park-a large open area with an integrated club adjacent to it.
  • Maddox Square,on Ritchie Road-having a rose garden
  • Triangular Park, junction of Purnadas Road and Rash Behari Avenue
  • Mahanirban Math, opp. Triangular Park
  • Lake Stadium
  • Mukta Mancha, Rabindra Sarobar
  • Buddhist Temple, Lake Temple Road
  • Theaters: Priya Cinema, Manoka Cinema.

[edit] Famous persons

  • Satyendra Nath Tagore, first Indian I.C.S. Officer, and elder brother of Rabindra Nath, built a house on Store Road (Gurusaday Road), which is now the Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (Guru Saday Dutta Road).
  • Indira Devi Choudhurani, daughter of Satyendra Nath, wife of Pramatha Choudhuri, and once a muse of Rabindra Nath lived at 2 Bright Street (subsequently purchased by the Maharajahs of Nadia and today known as "Nadia House"). The house was purchased by Satyendra Nath for his only daughter and he died here.
  • Swarna Kumari Devi (Mrs. J. N. Ghosal, elder sister of Rabindra Nath, mother of Sir Jyosna Nath Ghosal, ICS, lived with the latter at his house: 3 Sunny Park.
  • Gurusaday Dutt, ICS Officer, champion of tribal arts and craft lived on Store Road which now bears his name
  • Ghanshyam Das Birla, businessman and industrialist used to stay at Gurusaday Dutta Rd, where his descendants continue to live
  • Jyoti Basu, former Chief Minister of West Bengal has his ancestral house at 55B Hindustan Park and lived there till the mid eighties
  • Buddhadev Bhattacharya, the current Chief Minister of West Bengal, lives at 59A Palm Avenue
  • Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker of the House of the People (Lok Sabha) occupies his ancestral house at P514 Raja Basanta Roy Road
  • Pranab Mukherjee, Union Cabinet Minister (responsible at various times for Finance, Commerce, External Affairs and Defence Ministries) lives at 60/2/7 Lake Road
  • Indrajit Gupta, once Union Home Minister, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, elected MP for 9 sessions, lived at 1 Dover Road (ancestral house)
  • Sir Bepin Behary Ghose, Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council lived at 11 Dover Lane.
  • Justice P.B. Chakravartti, first Indian to be the permanent Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, used to live on Southern Avenue.
  • Justice Padma Khastagir, the first woman to sit on the Calcutta High Court Bench (and Acting Chief Justice) used to live in Southend Park.
  • Sir Jadunath Sircar, Padma Vibhushan, noted historian, once Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University, used to live at 10 Lake Terrace.
  • Prof. Meghnad Saha, noted physicist, founder of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, apparently used to live on what is now Southern Avenue.
  • Sir Asutosh Chaudhuri, High Court Judge, close friend of Rabindra Nath Tagore, political leader lived in Old Ballygunge.
  • Sarat Chandra Chatterjee noted Bengali novelist lived on Ashwini Dutt Road.
  • Satyajit Ray, film maker of world-wide fame, Academy Award Winner, used to live on Lake Temple Road.
  • Suchitra Sen, famous Bengali film actress lives on Ballygunge Circular Road.
  • Hemanta Mukherjee, doyen of Bengali music, (known as Hemant Kumar to the fans of his Hindi songs) used to live on Lake Avenue.
  • Sachin Dev Burman lived in a house that he bought/built in Southend Park.
  • Suchitra Mitra, noted exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, used to live on Swinhoe Street.
  • Buddhadeva Bose, a major Bengali writer of the twentieth century, the most multi-talented amongst those belonging to what is for convenience termed the 'post-Tagore' period, used to live at 202 Rash Behari Avenue.
  • Sunil Gangopadhyay, well known novelist and poet, lives on Mandeville Gardens
  • Buddhadeb Guha, well known novelist and poet, and his wife, noted exponent of Rabindra Sangeet Ritu Guha live on Ironside Road
  • Ruma Guha Thakurta, Singer, Actress and founder of Calcutta Youth Choir, lives at Ballygunge Place.
  • Arghya Sen and Ashoketaru Banerjee, noted exponents of Rabindrasangeet, live in Ballygunge Place and Purnadas Road, respectively.
  • Rabindrasangeet singers: Sumitra Sen and her two daughters, Indrani and Srabani, live on Ballygunge Circular Road.
  • Nabanita Dev Sen, Litterateur, and only daughter of the poets Naren Dev and Radharani Devi, former wife of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, lives in the ancestral house "Bhaalobasha", 72 Hindustan Park.
  • Linguist, educationist, litterateur Professor Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay, DLitt who did pioneering work on the origin and development of the Bengali language lived on Hindustan Park
  • Subrata Mukherjee, former Mayor of Kolkata, stays on Ekdalia Road.
  • P. C. Sorcar, Jr., magician, stays (like his father before him) on Ballygunge Station Road.
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