What Sold in a Bengal Market in Pre-British Period, ব্রিটিশপূর্ব সময়ে বাঙলার বাজারে কী বিক্রি হত

১৭৫০ নাগাদ সুতালুটী বাজার আর শোভা বাজারে কী কী বিক্রি হচ্ছে এবং সেসময় কোন কোন দোকানের জন্য কর চাওয়া হচ্ছে, অথবা রপ্তানির জন্য কী কী মালের ওপর কর নেওয়া হচ্ছে, কোলকাতা – সেকানের একালের থেকে এবং আরও অন্য সূত্র থেকে ১) কড়ি, ২) সরষের তেল, ৩) সুতো, ৪) ওষুধ, ৫) লোহার নানান দ্রব্য, ৫) টায়ার(চাকা!), ৬) দুধ, ৭) জ্বালানী কাঠ, ৮) তালগুড়, ৯) খড়-বিচালি, ১০) মিঠাই, ১১) মাদুর, ১২) কামারের দোকান, ১৩) বাঁশ, ১৪) রূপোর স্যাকরা, ১৫) কাংশ্য দ্রব্য, ১৬)পান, ১৭) সুপারি, ১৮) ফলমূল, ১৯) ফলমূল ও শাকসব্জী, ২০) গাছ, ২১) আখ, ২২) তাঁতি, ২৩) কলা, ২৪) তেঁতুল, ২৫) চাল, ২৬) মাছ বিক্রেতা, ২৭) পশুমাংস, ২৮) সিদ্ধচাল, ২৯) ধনে, ৩০) কুম্ভকার,  ৩১) চুনের দোকান, ৩২) কাপড় বিক্রেতা, ৩৩) তামাকের দোকান, ৩৪) বেনামী দোকান ৩৫) ধান, ৩৬) ছোলা, ৩৭) জপের মালা, ৩৮) চট, ৩৯) কার্পাস, ৪০) সিঁদুর, ৪১) ফটকিরি, ৪২) তুঁতে, ৪৩) সিদ্ধি, ৪৪) আফিম, ৪৫) আতসবাজী ৪৬) নীল, ৪৭) সোরা, ৪৮) মদ, ৪৯) মধু, ৫০) মোম, ৫১) কাঠ, ৫২) দামি ধাতু, ৫৩) নারকেল, ৫৪) সুতো, ৫৫) সুরকী, ৫৬) ধুনো, ৫৭) গালা, ৫৮) নানান খণিজ দ্রব্য ৫৯) হাতির দাঁত ৬০) চামড়া ৬১) শিংএর দ্রব্য, ৬২) আবলুষ কাঠ, ৬৩) সাদা চিনি ৬৪) গৌড়ি(গুড় থেকে প্রস্তুত), ৬৫) তেজপাতা, ৬৬) গন্ধ দ্রব্য নার্দ(Nardostachys grandiflora), ৬৭) শাঁখের নানান দ্রব্য, ৬৮) জুয়েলারি, ৬৯) কাজু, ৭০) নারকেল, ৭১) বিভিন্ন রং, ৭২) ফুল থেকে তৈরি সজ্জাদ্রব্য, ৭৩) সোনা, ৭৪) ঘি, ৭৫) পাটি

Kumartuli-A Clay Model-Maker's Haven

Kumartuli the clay model-makers haven, is older than Calcutta, which grew out of three little villages, viz., Gobindapore, Kalikutta and Sutanooti way back in 1690. The history of the Kumartuli potter can be traced back to Krishnanagar in South Bengal. To begin with, near about the middle of the seventeenth century, potters in search of better livelihood came from Krishnanagar to Gobindapore, a prosperous village on the banks of the river Bhagirathi (now the River Hooghly), to eke out a living by making earthen ware pots, clay toys and cooking utensils for household use. When the land at Gobindapore was required by the British East India company for building Fort William, the inhabitants migrated further up the river to Sutanooti. The potters moved in to their new destination, colonized a vast area and named it Kumartuli, the term "Kumar" meaning a potter and "tuli" a locality. The Bengal Consultations, a journal of 1707 AD, gives an account of the presence of Kumars who occupied 75 acres of land in Sutanooti, which is a constituent part of present day north Calcutta.
The Durga Puja festival in autumn was an annual event in the homes of wealthy aristocrats. Potters came all the way from Krishnanagar, braving the perils of a river voyage, to mould the images of the gods and goddesses for the Durga Puja festival. By about the end of the eighteenth century, as the ways of the rich inspired the commoner, the annual worship of goddess Durga gained popularity. In 1790, as recorded in the Friend of India (now The Statesman), a dozen Brahmins formed the first ever committee to celebrate Durga Puja in Calcutta. They collected money in the form of a punitive tax (subscription), had the image of the deity made at Kumartuli and organized the first ever community Durga Puja festival. As the trend caught on, making images of gods and goddesses became a lucrative livelihood for the potter-turned-artisan.
Just where history ends and legend begins no one is quite sure. Kumartuli's clay model-makers claim their descent from people who made images of Durga for Maharaja Krishna Chandra of Krishnanagar. However, many historians are of the opinion that the ancestors of the artisans were potters who had drifted in during the days of the Raj but the power of legend still overwhelms the ordinary visitor.
Kumartuli, densely populated, is a hive of activity from June to the end of January as artisans get busy making scores of images for the annual autumnal festival. A potters colony ever since its inception and a model-makers haven now, it is the home of the finest clay-artisans in India.
In Calcutta, during the four days of puja festivity there is a craze to see Ma Durga or Mother Goddess made by Sri Ramesh Chandra Pal. Perhaps, he is the most reputed clay model-makers and sculptor at Kumartuli today. Sri Pal moulds clay to flawless images at his Raja Nabakrishna Street studio which inspire a sense of devotion. He sticks to tradition while shaping them where every part of the face is perfect with a touch of the super-human. And, Bengal's best known model-maker says, "Durga or the mother goddess is another form of Shakti (power) who fights evil forces, and we try to depict this facet in the icons through contemporary events."
Nearly eighty per cent of the community puja images in Calcutta are made at Kumartuli by lesser known artisans, who strive to make something new and innovative in their sphere of endeavour. However, aloof from the bandwagon of the traditional clay model-maker are Sri Amarnath Ghosh, Anshu Malakar and Kamakasha Bala Pal, pith artisans, who carve pith (shola) images of the goddess for non-resident Indians celebrating Durga Puja festival in different parts of the world. To preserve the cultural identity of these Bengalis, light-weight pith images are packed carefully in wooden crates and flown out from Kumartuli to Sao Paolo, New Orleans, New York, Montreal Toronto, London, Nigeria, Lagos, Singapore, Tokyo and even to Australia. However, no other image-maker has earned as much fame as Ghosh has and many of his creations are on display in museums abroad.
Making an image of a deity is a routine affair for an artisan at Kumartuli and they seldom use tools. To begin with, a skeleton of the figure is made first with small wooden planks and strips of bamboo. It stands on a wooden pedestal. The deity is roughly shaped with straw and tied with jute strands. It is one of the most significant steps in the art of clay model-making, as the final shape of the image depends on how well the straw dummy is conceived. A thick coating of blackish clay, mixed with rice husk is applied over the dummy. It is left to dry for a couple of days in the sun. A compound of sand-clay and jute fibre is smeared over the first coating and the surface is smoothed with a piece of wet cloth.
The delicate modelling procedure is taken up as soon as the figures have dried up completely. The head and fingers, both made with cement dices, originally developed in terra-cotta moulds, are fixed to the neck and hands respectively with clay paste. The joints of limbs are wrapped in pieces of cloth previously soaked in clay solution. The figure is white-washed two or three times over with chalk solution. When they have dried the traditional base colour -- red, white, yellow, pink, blue and black, according to preference -- is painted all over the body. The eyes, brows and the lip give the expression on the face. The dress is gorgeous. So is the jewellery. Images of Durga are embellished more often with shimmering gold foil and silver filigree ornaments.
Most of them shape the icons in the traditional mould, clinging desperately to time-honoured traditions in an age of modernity. By and large the gods and goddess have features ingrained in the popular imagination through myth, legend and literature. Thus, they are made in two distinct styles, either in the Bangla or Do-Bhashi mould.
The contours of the Bangla mould or visage is triangular, with a square chin, the hooked nose of a parrot and bamboo-leaf eyes and brows that extend impossibly from the bridge of the nose to the hairline. The Do-Bhasi mould, on the other hand is much softer. The complexion, too, is idealized like molten gold, more often yellow as the sun at crack of dawn. The model-makers have a common theme. They depict the battle between Durga and Mahisasura as dictated in the Puranas (ancient texts).
There is a frenzy, of last minute activity, at Kumartuli just about twenty days before the drums (dhaks) rend the air and the festival begins. For four days in succession viz., Maha Saptami, Maha Stami, Maha Navami and Vijaya Dasami the city of Calcutta has dazzling displays of coloured lights, ostentatiously decorated pandals, extravagant shows of icons and milling crowds.
What is there in the Bengali ethos that brings such an economic bonanza, enlightenment and faith in the City of Calcutta every autumn? To understand this you have to be here much before the pujas begin; witness the artisan at work in Kumartuli and then experience the spirit of the puja about a fortnight before the drums fade away and the images immersed in the muddy waters of the river Hooghly, melt into oblivion. And, what will the Kumartuli model-maker say at the end of all this. “We work round the clock to create exquisite works of art. But it sometimes hurts when we see our own creations being destroyed. Our year-long efforts are sunk without a trace”.

SweetsOfKolkata AshokeKumarMukhopadhyay

The 19th century renaissance in Bengal brought about a dramatic change in the customs, culture and education of Bengalis in Kolkata. During this century, Bengalis experienced a change in their food habits too. Bread-eating got the honour of a ‘progressive activity’ to many enlightened Bengalis! People of Bengal are sweet lovers, and have always been known for their particular weakness for sweets. Bengal has indeed always been famous for its creativity in sweet making and its artistic presentation. It is commonly believed that Bengal, which was previously known as Gour Banga, got its name for its abundant production of gur (molasses).
During the days of the cultural rebirth of Bengal in the 19th century, Kolkatans witnessed the birth of several sweetmeat shops. The ‘artists’ of those sweetmeat ‘institutions’ experimented and created delicious sweets from chhanna. Eminent personalities of the city were overwhelmed by these creations. Four famous ‘establishments’ of sweets grew up in the heart of Kolkata during this period, which have overcome family feuds and social barriers to continue to this day. These are Bhim Nag, K.C.Das, Dwarik Ghosh and Ganguram, Chittaranjan Mistanno Bhander(introductor of Sponge Rosogolla).
Chhanna was invented out of sheet necessity. During those days, milkmen in Bengal were left with plenty of unsold milk, from which was produced butter, cream and other milk products. But frequently the unsold milk would turn sour and form chhanna
(Casein). To make this casein palatable, molasses and sugar were mixed with it. A paste was thus formed. This uneven, soft paste called makha was the precursor of today’s sandesh. In the earlier days the sweetmeat shops of Kolkata used to sell the makka sandesh. Today’s range and variety were missing then. We get an interesting account of the Kolkatan’s food habits in a book titled Old Stories and Customs of Kolkata by Mahendranath Dutta( 1869-1956), younger brother of Swami Vivekananda. For breakfast, he says, they often had, among other things, fried flour products like gaja and zelabi. It is interesting to note that a marriage feast would not be complete without sweets like khaza and motichur. Neither rabri nor rossogolla – the present day delicacies, had been invented then. In the latter part of the 19th century, rossogolla made its debut in the Kolkata market. At the same time, two particular brands of sandesh- amsendesh and kamranga sandesh – came into existence. Previously, Peneti’s gupo sandesh had made its mark in the market.
Entered Paran Chandra Nag, a sweetmeat artist from village Janai in Hooghly district, in search of work .By that time, Bowbazar and Baithakkhana areas had turned into busy centres. Lalbazar and Dalhousie were nearby. In 1826, Paran Chandra set up a small shack for selling sweets in the Bowbazar area. That small shack braved the elements and hardships of the passing years, and still stands near the crowed Bowbazar- College Street crossing, on Nirmal Chandra Street. It is none other the famous sweetmeat shop of Bhim Nag.
Paran Chandra died at the age of 48. At that time, Bhim was a mere boy of 17. But, even at that young age, Bhim Nag had learned the secrets of trade from his father. He mastered the art of sandesh making by the correct mix of sugar and flour. He pioneered the creation of attractively designed sandesh in Kolkata. The business
Flourished and his products, glowing in publicity and fame, became esteemed household names. Eminent personalities like Rani Rashmoni and Raja Rammohun Roy became his patrons.
Aged Haradhan Nag is the great grandson of Nabin Chandra Nag. According to him, Rani Rashmoni used to buy large amounts of sweets from Bhim Nag. It is said that she bought 28 maunds of sandesh from Bhim Nag for celebration of the foundation day of Bhabatarini temple. Haradhanbabu adds that whenever Rani Rashmoni went to Dakshineswar, she invariably carried two big packets of Bhim Nag sweets – one for Bhabatarini ( the goddess Kali) and the other for Ramakrishna who loved Bhim Nag products and distributed them among his disciples. It is also said that he specially kept away a few pieces for his favorite disciple Naren (Swami Vivekananda).
Another eminent personality specially associated with Bhim Nag is Sir Ashutosh Mookherjee. We can almost visualise a familiar scene: on a hot summer afternoon, in the early part of the 20th century, a horse-drawn carriage stops in front of a small sweetmeat shop in Bowbazar. Seated in the carriage is Sir Ashutosh on his way from the High Court to the Kolkata University. He orders two packets of sandesh for himself and his mother. When the packets arrive, he can hardly wait for his share and finishes it right away! Indeed so close were his links that, as Haradhan Nag informs, a certain variety was christened Ashu bhog after this eminent patron. This variety is rarely made these days. When Motilal Nehru visited Kolkata in 1927-28, a sumptuous feast was arranged in his honour. On this auspicious occasion, Bhim Nag presented the delicious Nehru sandesh.
In those days, as many as 40 to 45 types of sandesh were daily displayed in Bhim Nag’s shop. At present, they display about 18 to 20 types at their showroom. The more popular among these are" abar khabo’ dilkhosh, rose cream’, basanta bahar, badsha bhog and paradise, the first three types having been created many years back. Haradhanbabu claims that Bhim Nag has given birth to our now familiar Ledikeni. During the birthday celebration of Lady Canning a special sweet dish was ordered to be made in her honour. After much thought and hard work was discovered a certain succulent variety resembling the rossogolla, only that it was deep fried in ghee to attain a deep rich brown colour, giving it a new look and taste. It was named Ledikeni in honour of Lady Canning.
The Special procedure of making sandesh has not been put in writing by Bhim Nag. The secret has passed down through the generations from Bhim Nag to son Asutosh, on to Manicklal, and eventually to Haradhan Nag: from the early 19th century to the end of the 20th century. Bhim Nag has been favoured by other famous customers like J.C.Bose, Meghnad Saha, P.C., Ray and Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Eminent or not, Bhim Nag still enjoys the patronage of all sections of Kolkatans who, in spite of the rising costs, cannot help but flock to the shop to taste their delicious ware.
After sandesh, confectioners of Kolkata turned to the invention of some syrupy sweets. The year 1868 ushered in a revolution in the realm of sweets of Kolkata. A very tiny shop at Baghbazar presented rossogolla: its creator a poor Bengali, Nobin Chandra Das by name. He was hardly 22 or 23 then popular and Nobin Das a famous name. People in Baghbazar used to cap verses: Baghbazarer Nobin Das / rossogollar Columbus (Nabin Das of Baghbazar is the Columbus of rossogolla.)
But Nobin Das was not a confectioner; His predecessors were connected with the sugar trade. He was the only son, and his father died soon after his birth. His childhood passed in adverse circumstances which accounted for his poor education. The only property that he inherited, besides his dwelling, was a plot of land. He sold this to finance a new business enterprise in partnership with his relatives. Due to mismanagement, the business flopped. Recovering from his shock, he managed to collect some money and open a sweetmeat shop at Baghbazar. In those days, sweetmeat shops used to depend on credit sales. However, Nobin Chandra had no resources to offer credit to his customers. As a result, his shop became a rendezvous for old, retired men and unemployed youths. Its attraction, the unsold sweets which they would enjoy at the end of the day. However, they encouraged Nobin Chandra to introduce a sweet different from the customary sandesh - a soft, succulent sweet as against the dry and hard texture of sandesh. He struggled towards this end, but every time he tried to boil the casein balls in syrup they disintegrated.
At last, he discovered the presence of an enzyme in the casein to which he ascribed a vernacular terminology that played the trick. He finally managed to create the rossogolla.
When he acquired the knowledge of making rossogolla, he diverted his attention to the perfection of sandesh. From the granular and course varieties then in vogue, he succeeded in making it into a smooth paste. It was Bhagwandas Bagla, a wealthy timber merchant, who popularised the rossogolla among Bengalis. Nobin Chandra had no vanity, and claimed nothing for his achievement. Contrary to the advice of his friends and admirers to take out patents, he taught the intricacies of rossogolla-making to numerous sweetmeat makers. Nobin Chandra broke away from his family trade, and was branded as moira. But he put up with the ignominy without protest. Later, he sought to vindicate his position by referring to the Puranas which first equated sweetmeat makers to the Brahmins in social status and later on to the ‘Kshatriyas after being enrolled as soldiers under ‘Kartabiriarjun’. He published a booklet in this connection.
Krishna Chandra Das (commonly known as K.C.Das) was the only son of Nabin Das. Krishna Chandra invented rosomalai and created a flutter. With a view to popularising rosomalai, K.C.Das opened a separate shop in his own name at Jorasanko in 1930. His youngest son, Saradacharan, joined hands. Together they started a factory of sweetmeats at 3 Ramakrishna Lane, Baghbazar. Saradacharan tried to expand the business further. Shops were opened at Esplanade East and Chittaranjan Avenue. In 1965, with the promulgation of sweetmeat Control Order. Nobin Chandra’s Shop closed down. Fortunately, K.C.Das at Esplanade East escaped the decree as it sold items other than sweets.
Of the traditional sweetmeat houses in Kolkata, probably K.C.Das alone has applied modern technology in production process. This has definitely increased their productivity as also efficiency. The workshop has become hygienic. Narendranath Das, the present managing director of K.C.Das enterprise and the son of Saradacharan, reminisced sweet memories: Dr. Pashupati Bhattacharya, a renowned medical practitioner of Baghbazar, would invariably buy Nobin Das’ rossogolla before visiting Rabindranath Tagore. One day the rossogolla stock was exhausted in Nobin Das’ shop when Dr. Bhattacharya arrived. He had to purchase from an adjoining shop. Rabindranath felt the difference and asked him to bring rossogolla from Nobin’s only.
Today rossogolla from Kolkata has become so famous that foreigners cannot resist the temptation of having them at banquets too.
Though Bhim Nag was famous for its sandesh and Nobin Das for rossogolla, yet it is the 104-year-old house of Dwarik Ghosh that has created a deep impression amongst Kolkatans for almost all its products. They introduced the concept of modern marketing to promote their products in the city. Dwarik became a household name within a short period. Instead of promoting only the sandesh or rossogolla, their endeavour was to improve the corporate image of the organization. Once Rabindranath Tagore , while praising the culinary ability of Bonophool’s wife Lila Devi said, " There were two creators of taste, in Bengal. First is Dwarik and the second is Rabindranath Tagore ". He wondered if Lila Devi would like to have the third position!
Dwarik Ghosh first came to Kolkata probably in search of a job in a sweetmeat shop. He hailed from a village Nijabalia in Howrah. Ramanath Ghosh and Kalisundari Devi had two daughters and four sons – Gostha, Dwarik, Binbode and Suren; Dwarik was born in 1865. He set up his shop at 77, Shyampukur Street in North Kolkata 20 years later. Since its inception, Dwrik Ghosh opened his second shop at Shyambazar. He died in 1926. Dwrik had two daughters, Nalini and Mrinalini, and three sons – Gyanendranath, Nishikanta and Abalakanta. It was Nishikanta who was responsible for the expansion of the Dwarik Empire in Kolkata. Another eight shops were opened by 1938 in Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Bhowanipore, Entally, New Market, CustomHouse, Sealdah and Hari Ghosh Street. Six more shops came up in the span of the next ten years – Gariahat, Baghbazar, Dalhousie, Assembly, Wellesley and Lake Market. In the 1940s, there was a time when 15 shops of this house were doing roaring business in the city, employing around 1000 people. Dwarik’s Sealdah branch was opened on August 11, 1938. On this occasion, they released a pamphlet calling themselves ‘Bangla O Bangalir brihattam mistanna pratisthan’ ( the largest sweetmeat house of Bengal and Bengalis). Interestingly, to substantiate this claim, they printed their annual sales figures, purchase of raw materials data etc. on the reverse of the pamphlet. The house recorded maximum sale aggregating Rs. 20 talks in no time. Then came the government control on sugar and taxes on sweets. The downfall of Dwarik began. At present, the three sons of Gyanendranath – Madanmohan, Gorachand and Gopinath – are controlling the Shyambazar, Entally and Lalbazar shops. Gobindalal, son of Nishikanta, is in charge of the shops at Bhowanipore and Tollygunge. Ilabanta, the son of Abalakanta, is running the shops at Hatibagan and Grey Street . Besides, there are two more shops of Dwarik at Behala and Sakherbazar. These are run by the son of Nalini, the eldest daughter of Dwarik. In all, there are nine shops of Dwarik in Kolkata at present.
In those days, Dwarik’s advertisement had also a very catchy slogan: nalen gur sandesh and fulkapi singara were called ‘Shiter sanjibani’ and ‘ritubhede ruchibhed’. Some of the old people still remember the cinema slide where the wife insists that her husband take more saying, "Please take more. These are Dwarik’s food. You’ll never fall sick".
Almost all the traditional sweetmeat houses of Kolkata are now bearing an impression of age. The exhaustion of old age seems to have gripped them all.
Another age-old sweets shop, Ganguram, also 104 years old, is still going strong. Ganguram Charusia established a small shop near Manicktala 104 years ago. This has now become Ganguram and Sons at Vivekenanda Road.
In those days, a tiny sweetmeat shop existed on the land owned by Raja Kamalaprasad Mukherji. The shop was located near Manicktala. Ganguram Chaurasia was an employee there, carrying sweets to the Rajnbari, He was liked by the Raja’s family. It was decided by the government to build a road in front of the shop. Eventually the shop was evicted. Ganguram was, however, allotted a small plot of land by the Raja. He set up a small sweets shop in 1885. Thus started Ganguram & Sons, now a very popular name in Kolkata. In the quality of curd, particularly, Ganguram has had no match
Ramjee Chaurasia, Ganguram’s grandson, recalls : Ganguram used to prepare excellent curd, but his eyesight was poor. One day, a beggar came to him and asked for food. He ordered that the beggar be given some curd. The latter prescribed medicine for his eyes. After a few minutes, when an employee from the kitchen came out with some curd, he was astonished to find no one except Ganguram! Family members opine that the curd of the Vivekananda Road branch is the best as it is from here that Ganguram offered the curd to the beggar considered to be Narayan, the God.
Ramjee Chaurasia informs that there are 10 branches of Ganguram in Kolkata at present.
Though established in 1885, Ganguram’s expansion took place from 1955 when his grandson Shankarlal Chaurasia took over. Ganguram then became the cultural ambassador of Kolkata. They had the privilege of catering to Queen Elizabeth, Bulganin, Krushchev and Chou en Lai. Bulganin was charmed by Ganguram’s cham cham. It was subsequently re-christened ‘Bulganin Cham Cham’. Ganguram now prepares 40 to 45 items daily. Of these, curd, rabri and cham cham are very popular. Ramjeebhai’s hobby is to prepare new items. He introduced sandesh cake in Kolkata. During the course of an experiment, he also invented the latest craze, Indrani. Ramjeebhai once decided to mix essence with curd, the result – 2500 cups of essence curd. But Satyen Roy , a renowned artist, pointed out that this might lead buyers to think that the curd was being adulterated. Now what could be done with those 2000-odd cups of curd? Thus Indrani was born.
The sweetmeat industry of Kolkata, evolved through the hands of Bhim Nag , Nobin Das, Dwarik Ghosh and Ganguram, received a severe jolt in 1965 when the P.C.Sen ministry restricted sweetmeat production under a control order. The reason obviously was the shortage of milk supply. Later on, the restrictions were lifted. In West Bengal, about 25 lakhs people depend directly or indirectly on the sweetmeat industry for their livelihood. There are about 50,000 sweetmeat sellers in the state.
In Kolkata alone, their number will be around 8,000.
We are celebrating the tercentenary of Kolkata. Many research projects on the city are coming up every day. But these eminent creators of sweets, a part and parcel of the cultural heritage of Kolkata, are yet to get their due recognition. They are looked down upon as moiras. Can we not christen a road in the name of Dwarik Ghosh or build a statue of Nobin Das? We should and must honour the efforts of these artists who set up a cultural tradition in Kolkata which is still maintained.

The variety of Kolkata type Misti is killing the innumerable variety of the sweets of the districts of Bengal. It is a sad fact(Comment of Editor).

Rupchand Pakshi(Rupchand The Bird)

Rupchand Pakshi(Rupchand The Bird) (1815/1818-1890) composer and singer born in Kolkata, where his father, Gour Hari Das Mahapatra, resided. Their ancestral home was near the Chilka Lake in Orissa.
Rupchand grew up in Kolkata and studied at Hare School. A natural singer, he learnt music from Chhotey Miah, Chhoti Khan, Ramchandra Banerjee, Golam Abbas Tabalchi, Shetari Pannu Miah and others. He had a melodious voice and became popular from PANCHALI, Kabigan, and Dhap. He was also famous for his devotional songs based on the Radha-Krishna stories as well as for funny and satiric songs on contemporary events. In fact he was more skilled in composing this second group of songs which greatly attracted audiences. A collection of his songs, Sangit Rasakallol published in his life time include 211 songs including Panchali, Half-Akhdai, Dhap, JATRA, Kavigan, GAJAN's song etc.
At the beginning of his singing career, he used the names 'Pakshi(Bird)', 'Khagbar(King of Birds)', 'Khagraj' etc. He also formed a panchali group with the name of 'Pakshir Jatimala'. Accordingly, he was popularly known as the 'Rupchand Pakshi'.
Rupchand's songs reveal his poetic ability, depth of knowledge of Bangla, and high aesthetic sense. At the same time he composed amusing songs in a mixture of English and Bangla; for example, 'Let me go ore dvari, I visit to Bangshidhari', and 'Amare friend kare, kaliya ram tui kotha geli'.