Pixelated Memories: Lord Wellesley

Showing posts with label Lord Wellesley. Show all posts

November 27, 2012

Raj Bhavan, Calcutta

The gubernatorial house of Bengal, Raj Bhavan (“Regal House”), is an essential stop on the itinerary of any heritage enthusiast on a sightseeing tour of the historic British-built BBD Bagh Area (formerly Dalhousie Square) despite being out of bounds for visitors. Strewn with history from the colonial past with Gothic and Victorian edifices, beautiful churches, ancient cemeteries and impressive English buildings complete with exquisitely sculpted Corinthian pillars, ornamental statues, imposing facades and splendid interiors, BBD Bagh is one of the most renowned and endearing heritage zones in the city of Calcutta. As its centerpiece, the skillfully designed and laboriously executed enclave has the residences of the mighty – Raj Bhavan and Writers’ Building (office of the Chief Minister of Bengal, refer – Pixelated Memories - Writers' Building). By the numerous police officers on duty around Raj Bhavan, one is only granted permission to click the lovely cream-yellow facade from the streets afar and from the massive gateway if one happens to be unyieldingly adamant, like yours truly (unlike the superbly visitor-unfriendly Writers’ Building where photography is prohibited even from afar!) and hence one has to rely on old photographs and satellite imagery to achieve an idea of what the Governor’s residence is actually like. The largest and unequivocally the most highly adorned residence of a state head after the President’s House in Delhi (refer Pixelated Memories - Presidential House, New Delhi), the Raj Bhavan sits snugly in a colossal green space measuring 27 acres in the heart of the city and consists of a central domed rectangular core from which emerge four annexes connected to the core by quadrangular curved sections – the dome is not visible from the primary (northern) gateway since the raised triangular facade of the structure supported on six Doric pillars impedes the view from this particular side, however one can observe the giant semi-circular dome from the southern gateway.

The Raj Bhavan. At the bottom of the staircase is a Chinese canon brought by the armed forces following the First Opium War.

Though there are masonry gates along all four sides of the vast lawns housing the palatial building, only the northern gateway has been envisaged as a grand, though simplistic, structure with an ornamental iron gate complementing the thick marble pillars crowned by decorative marble vases; the rest of the gateways possess cement-finished terracotta/brick sculptures of lions (atop central (largest) arch) and sphinxes (atop the smaller side arches) but simply fail to hold a candle to the northern gateway, probably because the statues are undoubtedly unrealistic or because despite their decorative appearance and much adorned surfaces, they are unremittingly not as grand as the intention behind their conceiving might have been. The present form and composition of the statues was arrived upon after much experimentation that continued for over a decade! Photographs depict how luxuriously regal the structure is from within and since I haven’t been inside (but would love to!) I am sharing photographs from the official website to display the same. On the north side, an enormously long gravel-lined walkway flanked by palm and other trees leads to a wide flight of stairs following which the building’s interiors can be accessed. At the bottom of the staircase rests a beautifully decorated Chinese cannon mounted on a winged dragon and brought to India in the year 1842. A plaque fitted on the cannon's plinth reads "Edward Lord Ellen borough, Governor General of India in Council, erected this trophy of guns taken from the Chinese, in commemoration of the peace dictated under the walls of Nan kin by the Naval and Military forces of England and India under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker and of Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Gough (1842).", thereby commemorating the victory over the Chinese in the highly unethical First Anglo-Chinese Opium War that broke out as a result of the Chinese emperor’s opposition and punishment with regard to the pushing of massive quantities of illegal opiates into his country but was largely motivated by the British frustration at the Chinese trade framework which limited their influence in the region. The seal of Indian sovereignty – the Ashokan lions mounted on their pedestal and underlined by the national quote “Satyamev Jayate” (“Truth alone triumphs”) – can be seen embossed in gold on the northern gateway as well as the triangular pediment of the main structure – these replace the British coat of arms that once made up the insignia defining the Viceregal lodge, as noted by the renowned painters Thomas and William Daniells –

“Contiguous to the Esplanade is the Government House, a superb edifice, approached by four colossal gates emblazoned with the Britannic Arms”

As witnessed from vintage photographs, the coat of arms belonged to the British government and the East India Co. (these were later removed in favor of the former) and featured on the triangular pediment as well was emblazoned on the front face of each annex.

The simplistic yet marvelous northern gate. Notice the Indian administrative insignia emblazoned in gold on the gates.

Completed in 1803 after four years of laborious construction work, the grand building, then referred to as “Government House”, was a brainchild of Lord Wellesley, the then Governor-General of the British East India “trading” Company (which incidentally also owned vast territories and commanded a very powerful army). Prior to the construction of this splendid structure, the Governor-General used to reside in a rented country house that stood at this very spot and was owned by Mohammed Reza Khan, the Nawab (revenue collector/”Zamindar”) of Chitpur but was found to be unfit for regal residence by the Governor-General. Embarrassingly, though Lord Wellesley has been credited with gifting one of the most elegant colonial buildings to Calcutta, he was soon charged with misuse of Company funds for construction and furnishing of this extremely expensive structure and was recalled to England in 1805. Considered to be amongst the finest European architectural legacies in the subcontinent, the structure was designed by Captain Charles Wyatt and inspired by the Kedleston Hall of England (the ancestral residence of Lord Curzon, a later Governor-General and occupant of the Government House). It, however, differs from Kedleston Hall in several key aspects – the latter features only two annexes curving along its front instead of the four elegant pavilions curving symmetrically along each corner of the central building as observed in the former; nor does Kedleston Hall boast of a fusion of several architectural influences like spacious verandahs and colonnaded hallways.

Warm and regal - The Throne Room within the gubernatorial house (Photo courtesy - Rajbhavankolkata.nic.in)

The Neoclassical Raj Bhavan building has since housed numerous Governor-Generals, (following the transfer of governance from East India Co. to the Govt. of Britain in 1858) Viceroys, (following the transfer of British administration to Delhi in 1911) Lieutenant-Governors of the territory of Bengal and (following independence) Governors of the state of Bengal – it was only natural that several changes would have to be made to the structure to accommodate the requirements of these illustrious personalities while also modifying it to keep pace with technological and structural developments – thus somewhere around 1805 the metallic dome was added – it used to be surmounted by a sculpture of a female deity holding a spear and shield but it was removed to avoid lightning strikes – the dome has since been repaired and replaced several times, Lord Curzon had a small electric lift installed within even though the building only possesses three floors with a total of sixty regally furnished and tastefully decorated rooms; he also added the ornamental vases, each of which is over six feet tall (a fact not apparent from the gateways!), marking the roof and modified the color scheme from pale yellow to dazzling white, though at present yellow seems to be back in favor (I must point out that in comparison the new supposedly “gentle and soothing” blue and white color scheme being enforced in the entire city by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) dispensation appears to be a highly garish eyesore, nowhere more apparent than in the elitist, elegant and warm BBD Bagh area). Several more cannons and guns were added as trophies around the main structure as the British established administrative and military control over new territories – Sindh (Pakistan), Mesopotamia (Iran), Punjab (India-Pakistan), Mandalay (Myanmar), Kabul (Afghanistan), Seringapatnam (capital of Tipu Sultan's kingdom at Mysore, from where comes the Governor-General's stunning throne) – I wish public entry to the complex was allowed if only to view these historic artifacts. A lesser proportioned “Garden House” was added in the huge lawns in 1977 when T.N. Singh, the then Governor, expressed unwillingness to stay in the main building citing its massiveness and opulent character. The most prominent of the recent Governors of Bengal, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, a forthright and extremely brilliant writer-columnist whose articles and essays I adore, had several environmental measures taken up in the complex, including solar panels and rain water harvesting systems.

An aerial view depicting the central core topped by the metallic dome, the triangular facade supported by the six Doric pillars and the four annexes (Photo courtesy - Panoramio.com/sandipanoramio)

The richly decorated offices and the lavish residential quarters are accommodated in the four annexes; the complex also maintains, in a corner of its lawns, a small cemetery dedicated to the gubernatorial pets that deceased during the tenure. Besides a “Throne Room” (where once princes and visiting dignitaries were received but today the Governors are administered oath of office), the structure also boasts of several huge and colonnaded banquet halls, visitor rooms and conference chambers, each of which is lined with precious artifacts and magnificent paintings besides rich carpets, comfortable seating arrangement, luxurious chandeliers and expensive wooden furniture thereby completing the lavish royal appearance deserved by the Governor (based on the photographs available on the official Raj Bhavan website, see site link at the end of this post). Of course, one can argue that such extravagant show of splendor and affluence is sick and demoralizing in a poor state such as Bengal where the government makes headway in providing the most basic civic amenities only after receiving millions of rupees worth bailout packages from the central government, but – one, the (nominal) head of the state needs an exclusive, lavish residence in accordance with her/his position, and two, duh, people aren’t after all allowed within the massive structure! (except occasionally, like the recent much written about, open invitation to visitors by then Governor M.K. Narayanan).

Lavishly luxurious - One of the several drawing rooms (Photo courtesy - Rajbhavankolkata.nic.in)

It is interesting to note that while the British no longer run the country and the Governor is only the titular head of a state with the actual legislative power resting with the Chief Minister, the landmark gubernatorial houses in every state are still referred to as “Raj Bhavan” or “Government House” – definitely a colonial legacy in nomenclature which has been adopted to modern vernacular utilization. The Raj Bhavan at Calcutta has been the site from where some of the foremost personalities of their time legislated over the entire country and several eminent Governors managed affairs of Bengal; it is also the site for the undertaking of several key projects and signing of several important treaties and orders. The majestic structure proved to be a pinnacle of European construction in the magnificent city and has undoubtedly been paid a grand tribute by Lord Curzon (who happened to be a discerning visitor and pro-conservation administrator of several endearing historic structures throughout the subcontinent) through his words –

“(It is) without doubt the finest Government House occupied by the representative of any Sovereign or Government in the world.”

Flamboyant! (Photo courtesy - Flickr.com/Chiradeep Mukhopadhyay)

Location: BBD Bagh Area (formerly Dalhousie Square)
Nearest Bus stop: Esplanade
Nearest Metro station: Esplanade
How to reach: Buses and metro can be availed from different parts of the city to Esplanade from where one can walk/take a taxi to Raj Bhavan. One can also take a taxi from any part of the city to Raj Bhavan/BBD Bagh.
Entrance fees: Nil, but visitor entry strictly disallowed without prior written permission from the authorities or appointment with the Governor.
Photography/Video charges: Nil from the outside. Again, prohibited within the complex.
Time required for sightseeing: 20 min
Relevant Links –

Suggested Reading –

July 31, 2012

Alipore Zoo, Calcutta

“To those who can remember the dirty and rather dismal looking approach to Belvedere, the improved and satisfactory condition of the neighbourhood, at present, must afford a very striking contrast. Both east and west of the roadway leading from the Zeerut Bridge were untidy, crowded unsavoury bustees. Today we shall find on the site of the old bustees, the Calcutta Zoo. A very large share of the credit for the establishment of this pleasant resort is due to Sir Richard Temple, who was Lieutenant Governor of Bengal from 1874 to 1877, but long before the scheme assumed any proper shape, Dr. Fayrer, C.S.I., in 1867 and again in 1873 Mr. L. Schwendler (known as the 'Father of the Zoo') had brought forward and strongly urged the necessity of a Zoological Garden. The visit to Calcutta of His Majesty King Edward the Seventh, then Prince of Wales, was seized upon as an auspicious occasion. On the 1st January, 1876, the gardens were inaugurated by His Royal Highness, and in May of the same year they were opened to the public."
–
Sir H.E.A. Cotton, Politician–Barrister–Administrator–Journalist–Historian–Writer, in his book “Calcutta Old and New”

"Painted horses"

I am back in Calcutta (I don’t like the new name – Kolkata), the city as ancient as civilization and famous for its rich ancient customs that complement the poverty, filth and chaos of everyday life. For some one born and brought up in Delhi, comparisons are natural – Delhi is ancient but timeless and extravagantly royal, Calcutta on the other hand has long abandoned such pretensions – the city is vintage, the structures seem to be falling apart and yet the people make it work one way o the other, as if some magical force is holding its existence together. My ramblings were vast and my imagination soared sky-high as I made the 4-hour long journey, accompanied by two college friends Sunil and Aakash, from the sleepy suburb of Durgapur where our college is located to the heart of Calcutta with the simple motive of spending the entire day at Calcutta Zoological Park, popularly and in most official documentation referred to as Alipore Zoo. Though I, like all photographers, experience boundless pleasure in clicking nature and getting the occasional picture-perfect click, I do not possess the means to spend several days in exorbitant resorts in the middle of forests/sanctuaries like the Sunderbans or Kaziranga, and therefore zoos form an integral part of my itinerary whenever I get the rare opportunity to visit a new city/state. Alipore Zoo had long been on my list too, however my problems were compounded since most of my friends hate zoos and I was again stuck with the dilemma of having to travel alone and cut costs (which is a genuine issues given my spendthrift tendencies) – thankfully Aakash and Sunil came to my rescue the day before I was to travel to the zoo. So here I was, sitting cramped by the window seat of the bus and taking in the sunrise and the cold morning breeze while music blared loud into my earphones and my two companions slept unperturbed by noise and motion on adjacent seats.

The colors of Alipore

Alipore Zoo began out in the year 1800 as a small menagerie maintained by Arthur Wellesley, the then British Governor of Bengal, at his residence in Barrackpore, a suburb of Calcutta. Wellesley soon returned to England, leaving his collection in the care of one of his Zoologist friends. Plans were underway regarding establishing a proper zoo in Calcutta and they had support from the Asiatic Society of Bengal too, but couldn’t materialize due to unavailability of enough space to create a massive garden complex to house the animals – Sir Richard Temple, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, shifted the mini-zoo to Alipore and upgraded it into a formal, full-fledged zoo in 1873, thereby making it the oldest designated such property in the country. The zoo was finally inaugurated on January 1, 1876 by Edward VII, Prince of Wales and thrown open to the public the same year; the first batch of animals were from the private mini-zoo of the German electrician Schwendler, who also happened to be a member of the Asiatic Society of Bengal besides involved in setting up of telegraph communication between Agra and Calcutta and studying the feasibility of electric lamp lightning of Indian Railways; a monumental stone obelisk still stands in the zoo complex in his honor. The zoo saw rapid expansion as many more animals were gifted by Indian and British residents from all over the country; today it has a gigantic variety of flora and fauna on display in its 45 acre campus. Initially, the zoo was maintained by Schwendler himself along with Botanist-Professor George King; the first Superintendent of the zoological garden was Rai Bahadur Ram Brahma Sanyal, a most notable manager of the species in the zoo and far ahead of his times when it came to animal husbandry and upkeep – he introduced several successful breeding programs to the zoo, and also maintained journals where he recorded all observations regarding the animals (housing, feeding, behavioral patterns, reproduction and treatment) which he later published as “A Handbook of the Management of Wild Animals in captivity in Lower Bengal” (1892).

Schwendler's commemorative obelisk

Sleep-deprived as we were (left college at 4:30 am to catch the first bus), and after enduring the long journey to Calcutta and then to the zoo, naturally the expectations were high in our minds and there was eagerness writ all over our faces. However, as soon as we stepped down from the rickety bus, we were disappointed to see the small gate of the zoo and the cramped spot it was confined in, I had already mentally started comparing it to the Delhi Zoo (refer Pixelated Memories - Delhi Zoo), which, flanked by a medieval fortress and with its large enclosures presents a postcard-perfect moment. A colorful and extremely chaotic, though monotonous in its fares, bazaar was operating outside the Alipore zoo; there were vendors selling ice creams, hats, faux leather belts and guavas, while a line of taxis stood at attention, ready to drop one anywhere one fancied to visit; if one escaped being heckled by a group of beggars in tattered clothes and braided hair, there always were taxi drivers heckling visitors with inquiries regarding where they wanted to go, irrespective of if one just stepped out of the zoo complex or a bus/taxi! Waiting in the queue at the ticket counter and promptly realizing my folly of comparing cash-strapped, congested Calcutta with affluent, flamboyantly lavish Delhi, I promised myself to keep an open mind and just take in the sights and sounds of the place instead of judging and photograph the beautiful birds, animals plants with the new camera that my maternal uncle very recently gifted me.

Standing proud - Swamp Deer

A small board outside the zoo notifies public that no eatables, plastic materials and polythene wrappers are allowed within and photography is permitted for free but for videoing the premises one needs to pay Rs 250 per hour. Once inside, we immediately looked if there was a map depicting a general idea of the enclosures and walkways and after consulting it we decided to follow the path that first took us along the aviary cages and then the enclosures of lions, tigers and jaguars. The map was actually very old and ill-maintained, and at first we thought that the zoo was quite small, but then realized that even the faded portions of the map were part of the premises and we shall have to spend at least 4-5 hours if we wanted to explore the complex in its entirety. The zoo was almost deserted and besides us there were only a few tourists.

Astounding, right? - Pariah kite

The remarkable bird enclosures, visible from a distance, are impressively designed in several unique shapes and boast of ample space for the small creatures within – some resembled small pagodas with their roofs topped by pointed finials, while others were massive circular wells surmounted by conical roofs and divided into numerous smaller sub-enclosures – the extraordinary range of bird species that the zoo boasts of can overawe any visitor – there are peafowl, pheasants, mynas, macaws, parrots, parakeets, kites, ostriches, emus, cranes and pelicans, besides numerous migrant birds are also lured into making stopovers at the zoo by the prospect of vast green spaces and water bodies that it has to offer. To the grey-green monotony of the cages, the beautiful birds bring tinges of vibrance and heartwarming attractiveness; several of the enclosures are also equipped with large wicker baskets and baked-mud pots (“matka”) for the birds to nest in. However at first glance, the enclosures appear to be eyesores, given that the wire meshes are thick, rusty and often double-layered, making photographing the quick avian fellows all the more difficult – the weather was opening up and dark clouds rumbled overhead while we were exploring the zoo premises, but clicking the majestic peacock that had begun strutting around its enclosure with its magnificent plumage spread and glistening was near impossible thanks largely to the thick wire mesh.

Large - One of the bird enclosures; it is divided into numerous segments radially.

Next we headed to the mega-fauna enclosures – the massive elephants were roaming about in the extremely humid weather, perhaps like us waiting for the dark, ominous clouds overhead to open up and drench the world; the obstinate tiger was content with lying down somewhere in his thickly vegetated open-air enclosure (bound by a wide moat), the tall grass ensured that we couldn’t catch a glimpse even though we had circumambulated the enclosure several times in no less than 20 minutes. Among the other animals that we saw which didn’t have open-air enclosures but cemented cages were striking white tigers, regal lions, a very muscular Royal Bengal tiger and a magnificent jaguar – the condition of these animals was deplorable since they were being housed in very small spaces with cemented floors that certainly would heat up in summers and be chilly in winters, besides not providing a natural, foliage-and-rock environment to these mighty beasts; visitors, largely uneducated in animal husbandry and even otherwise, made mockery of the animals, teasing them and rattling the enclosure bars every time the animal decided to sit in a corner or enter the shed at the back; many of them resorted to shouting and making loud sounds to scare the animals – I felt a surge of pity and even asked one of the boys there to not do the same, but to no avail! At least, in this aspect, I have to concede that Delhi zoo fares far, far better than Calcutta zoo – the maintenance of animals is superior, so is the enclosure size and the treatment meted out to the animals by the visitors and zookeepers.

Majestic - Indian Elephant, once a common sight on the country's streets but have almost disappeared now and can only be seen in zoos and protected wildlife sanctuaries.

Moving ahead we saw deer, not aplenty as in Delhi Zoo – the Calcutta Zoo makes up with gorgeous birds what it lacks in terms of deer specie. There was a lone rhinoceros, grazing in a corner of his large enclosure, a hippotamus who soon disappeared in the depths of his pool, a bear that when teased by visitors ran to hide in his cave and a gharial basking in the sun. In a corner of the zoo complex, a segregated area has been created for inhabitation of bat species, and there were literally several scores of them flying around the tree tops or hanging upside down from the branches, it sent a chill down everyone’s spine just to look at them and almost everyone (except us since we were so engrossed clicking them) proceeded rather sharp and rapid over the low bridge through the bat territory. I was reminded of the recently released Batman movie (The Dark Knight Rises) which I really enjoyed watching in a theatre just a few days back, again with the same set of friends. Underneath the bridge flows a deep artificial stream and on considerate observation, one can observe large shoals of blue-ish fish swimming under the clear surface. The Reptile House too is located close by, but it was under renovation when we visited and therefore closed for public entry.

An attempt at minimalist photography

There’s a restaurant just around the corner next to the zoo entrance – shaped like a storybook cottage and lined with stone tiles in orange and deep red, it seemed to have jumped out of the pages of “Hansel and Gretel”, though the food served consisted not of cakes and doughnuts, but rice, noodles and Chinese-style curry dishes. The entire landscape is dotted with numerous small shops offering refreshments like water bottles and ice creams. At certain times it seemed that the zoo has more green space than enclosures and looks more like a glorified garden – couldn’t the space have been utilized more efficiently, perhaps increase the size of existing enclosures rather than stuff so many animals in small, pitiful cages?

Classic storybook-like - The zoo's restaurant

The zoo, until 2006, was home to Advaitya, a 255-year old Giant Aldabra Turtle, said to be the same as the one in the private menagerie of Robert Clive of the East India Company – it was said to be the oldest documented living being alive at the time of its death. Robert Clive gained the East India Co. a foothold in the Indian subcontinent through territorial expansion following military campaigns against the Indian sovereigns and their proxies and governors, under the suitable excuse of avenging British citizens’ death in the notorious “Black Hole Tragedy of Calcutta” (refer here Pixelated Memories - Black Hole Memorial) – not just Clive’s fame, but also his huge tortoise far outlived him, in fact Advaitya saw the establishment of the East India Co.’s territorial rule, its demise, the “Quit India” Movement, independence and subsequent partition of India, Pakistan and later Bangladesh, besides the banalities and frivolities of everyday grind. The turtle was the zoo’s pride and its demise was deeply mourned by the zoo authorities as well as all the major newspapers of the country.

Black beauty - Black-crowned crane

For the past few years, the zoo is in news for all the wrong reasons – inability to handle the large population of animals, thefts, inefficient and often unethical cross-breeding programs, death of animals due to stress and lack of space for movement and so on. The zoo has also been warned by the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZAI) about the same and it risks its license to handle and showcase animals being revoked – even PETA India has called the place a “death trap for animals”. Our trip, however, was a good one and we enjoyed the time spent there. So did the other visitors and kids we observed. Certainly the zoo does need to address the issues about animal health and care and also try to improve itself in terms of visitor experience – benches meant for the visitors were unclean, signboards on the cages detailing the animal/bird inside were either absent or old and faded, water taps were broken and water dripped from everywhere except the faucets themselves, plus more route maps definitely need to be installed with immediate effect. I would hate it if the zoo were to be closed down, but given the space crunch that they face, especially by the pressure exerted by urbanization and infrastructure development in the surrounding areas, the zoo cannot expand any further, and it would perhaps e in everyone’s interest to shift part of the animals to another area, or create subsidiary zoos – point in case, the aquarium just across the road maintained and funded by the zoo authorities (we couldn’t visit it since it had begun raining cats and dogs by then). Awareness campaigns, if possible to organize and sustain, would unquestionably go a long way to attract publicity and visitors and profit the zoo and its financial needs. In my opinion, the zoo is a must visit place, especially during the period of late July to November since that’s when the migratory birds, especially the large and stunning Sarus crane, travelling to their winter destinations stop by at the zoo.

A thing of beauty..

Location: Alipore
Open: All days except Thursday (If a holiday falls on Thursday, the zoo remains open that day and the weekly closure is observed on the next available working day).

How to Reach: One can avail bus/taxi services from different parts of the city. The locals, especially the bus conductors/taxi drivers, recognize the zoo by its vernacular nomenclature “Alipore Chiria ghar”, since most of them are uneducated, hence it’s better to ask them in vernacular.
Timings: The ticket counter opens from 9 am to 5 pm; the aquarium opens from 10:30 am to 5 pm
Entrance fees: Rs 20 (Rs 5 extra for the aquarium)
Photography charges: Nil
Video Photography charges: Rs 250
Time required for sightseeing: 4 hrs

Relevant Links -

Suggested reading -

November 27, 2012

Raj Bhavan, Calcutta

July 31, 2012

Alipore Zoo, Calcutta

Total Pageviews