Why this 19th century house in Kolkata is seeking a heritage tag

Indian Express

4 days ago

By Debasmita Chowdhury
The historical residence at 48A Kailash Bose Street, in Kolkata, where the country's first widow remarriage had taken place has applied for a heritage tag.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has been actively involved in the same so that the house can be protected and remembered for the bold social reform movement, led by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, that occurred within its walls over 160 years ago.
Vidyasagar's reform efforts led to the British government passing the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act on July 16, 1856.
The house belonged to Rajkrishna Bannerjee, a close friend of Vidyasagar, who often invited him to have lunch at his place. And in less than six months, this two-storeyed residence on December 7, 1856, or the 12th of Agrahayan, 1263 (as per the Bengali calendar) witnessed a young widow, marrying again, making the house the first to host the first legally sanctioned widow remarriage. Vidyasagar himself officiated the ceremony. The bride was eleven-year-old Kalimati Devi, the daughter of Brahmanda Mukherjee and Lachmani Devi, hailing from Palashdanga village in Purba Bardhaman and her groom was Shrishchandra Vidyaratna, who was then the Assistant Professor of Sanskrit College, and son of Pandit Ramdhan Tarkabagish.
Kalimati had first gotten married at the age of four and became a widow at the age of six.
'We have appealed to the Heritage Conservation Committee nearly a month ago to assign a heritage tag to the house and it will be a moment of sheer joy and pride if it happens. This residence is a testament to such historic significance and social change, and, sadly, it has gone unnoticed for so many years', said Swapan Samaddar, member Mayor-in-Council (MMIC). 'We are still waiting for the final verdict. The process is still on since a lot of factors are involved – like which Grade of Heritage status will be given,' he added.
The old house today, sits mostly empty and quiet, with plants growing wild around it and metal shutters covering the ground floor. This Bengali-style building with its wooden windows and tin roof, looks worn out, with its yellow walls peeling and the iron railings turning rusty. With no permanent residents, it is being taken care of by a team comprising a maid, a priest, and a security guard. The owner of the house resides outside Kolkata and pays a visit once or twice a year.
The house has been partitioned into three distinct parts. Since 1983, the rear portion—painted white with its entrance on Jadunath Sen Lane—has been owned by Sarba Bharatiya Sangeet-O-Sanskriti Parishad. The front section is further divided into two parts: the right portion (48A), painted yellow, remains under the ownership of Raj Krishna Bannerjee's descendants, while the left section (48B) has gotten new owners sometime in the past decade. 'I have been working here for quite some time now. The owner stays outside Kolkata. But it feels good to see that the KMC is taking steps to give tribute to this house by giving it the status of a heritage site,' said the security guard of the house.
'There have been a lot of people who have come to visit this residence over the last ten years, including Britishers who have come to click photographs. When the Mistress of the house was alive, there were meetings… Their son visits rarely for a short period', said Ranjit Sadukhan, a grocery store owner in the vicinity.
Amarendra Nath Paul, a local resident of over 35 years said, 'This place holds a lot of historical significance, and it deserves to get an honour,' he said.
(Debasmita Chowdhury is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express.)
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More