Damzen
Lane would be what
in Calcutta is referred to as a “Muslim area”. What it means is that the people
living in the area are primarily Muslim. The result is that such areas
have an atmosphere of their own, very different from the other parts of the
city. The people, understandably, look different. Women are seen clad in burqas
or abayas, covered head to toe in black. The men are often seen in shalwar-kameez,
with the lower garment, the shalwar, ending just a little bit above the ankle
and often with a very thick hem. Beautiful handcrafted skull caps and fine
flowing beards, often without the moustache also provide clues to the faith of
the men sporting them. But this does not, by any means, describe all the people
of the area. A large number of people of a single faith living in close
proximity also give an area a certain look and feel. There is a certain rustic
charm to Damzen Lane, but hiding within are stories and relics from a bygone
era.
 |
| A goat pops out to say hi! |
But how
did Damzen Lane end up with its rather peculiar name? Trawling the internet led
me to only two options. The first was a series of announcements in Calcutta
Magazine and Monthly Register and The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for
British India. First came the death of Mrs Joanah Damzen, aged 58, on August 1st,
1831. Then, the death of Cecelia, aged 10, daughter of Mr. S. Damzen of the
“Political Department” on 24th March, 1838. This was followed by the
marriage of Caroline, eldest daughter of Mr. S. Damzen, on September 9th,
1840 to Mr. W.T. Morgan. If I was to assume that all of these announcements
were about the same family, then that paints a grim picture indeed. Poor Mr. S.
Damzen! Wife dead, younger daughter dead, older daughter married and,
presumably gone; alone and so far away from dear old England. But would the
government name a road after someone who (it seems) was a minor
official? Probably not. Even Maddox Square and Richie Road get their names from
S.L. Maddox and John Gerald Richie, who were both Chairmen of the Calcutta
Corporation. So that’s how high and mighty you needed to be for this particular
honour.
 |
| Once the house of a High Court judge |
So that
left me with one other option, a gentleman known as Mr. Percival R. Damzen,
FBAA, FFCS, who was a secretary, and later a director (or is it the
other way round?), of an organisation with the rather ominous name of The
Colonization Society of India Limited. The CSI Ltd. wanted to create a
“des” or “mulook” (a native place or a place of origin) or even an
independent nation state for Anglo-Indians. They examined many options and
ultimately settled on a piece of land in erstwhile Bihar, now Jharkhand. The
town got its name from its founder, Ernest Timothy McCluskie, McCluskieganj.
Starting in 1932, some 300 Anglo-Indian families moved to McCluskieganj. Only around
20 of the original families remain there today. The town is still quite a
pretty place, and a major tourist attraction. Many of the former Anglo-Indian
Bungalows are now hotels and guest houses, serving visitors to the area. If Mr.
Percival R Damzen was an influential member of the Anglo-Indian community of
Calcutta, they could have prevailed upon the government to name a street in his
honour. But why here? Were there many Anglo-Indians living in Damzen Lane? I
have no evidence either way.
As I
venture in, the first sight that greets me on the corner of Damzen Lane is
Murshid Quraishi’s beef shop. This is one of the many things that can only be
found in a “Muslim area”. Hindus do not eat beef (most, though not all),
and cow slaughter is considered a sin by most Hindus. Beef can be a difficult
item to find in most Indian states, but here in Calcutta, it is still freely
available. An interesting aside; the name Quraishi comes from the Arabic name
Quraysh, a powerful merchant tribe that once controlled Mecca and its Ka'aba.
But why is it that in Calcutta I always find a Quraishi running a meat shop? No
idea!
 |
| Gate of Chonghee Dhong Thien Haue Church |
I was in
the area on a Sunday morning to do some street photography and explore the
Chinese temples of Tiretta Bazaar. Tiretta Bazar, named after the
Italian Eduardo Tiretta, was Calcutta’s first Chinatown. Although
many Chinese have left India, especially after the Indo-China war of 1962,
there is still a strong Cantonese presence in this part of town. The Hakka
Chinese have mostly moved to the Tangra area, creating a second, newer
Chinatown about 5km to the
southeast. There were 6
major Chinese communities in Calcutta and each built its own temple, attached
to which was a social club which controlled a graveyard for the associated community.
Among these was the Hokkien (Fu kin) community. Hokkien is a dialect
which originated in southern Fujian province. They built the Chonghee Dhong
Thien Haue Church which remains standing to this day. The Hokkien packed up
and left Calcutta in the early 20th century and there is only one
family from their community remaining in the city now. Their temple remained
abandoned for a long time, until the Hakka took it over. The word Hakka means
“guest” and the Hakka were originally unskilled, poor nomadic people. In
Calcutta, they quickly took to the leather trade, which was not considered
respectable at the time, and it has been associated with them ever since. The Hakka
Chinese are still the movers and shakers in the leather trade in Eastern India.
Inside Chonghee Dhong, I am greeted by the old, and I suspect slightly senile
caretaker, who shows me around. He points to idols of Chinese Gods and
introduces them as Chinese Krishna and Chinese Lakshmi! Perhaps he meant
Chinese Gods of love and prosperity. I do not ask him their actual Cantonese
names. He says repeatedly that this is the oldest Chinese temple in the area.
“160 years old”, he insists. I nod politely.
 |
| Inside Nam Soon Church |
Further
down the lane, almost invisible, is yet another Chinese place of worship, the Nam
Soon Church. The door to Nam Soon is concealed in a way that one would only
find it if one were looking for it. Once I go through that door however, I am
shocked. It’s like someone picked up a little piece of China and planted it in
the middle of Calcutta! All that is needed are a few cherry blossoms to
complete the illusion. The well maintained interiors, with trees planted around
the courtyard, and the spotlessly clean and vividly illuminated shrine make for
a sharp contrast from the somewhat ragged nature of the structures immediately
outside. There are ceremonial weapons all around the shrine, and in the centre
are the deities Kwan Tai, Sea Phow and Choy Choy Soon. The expression “oasis of
peace” is somewhat overused, but that is the only one that comes to mind when describing
Nam Soon Church. I walk around, take a few photographs, and as I venture out I
notice something that I missed on my way in. There seem to masses of what looks
like hair, drying in the sun, on the road!
 |
| Khalid Ansari at work |
It is at
this point that I meet Muhammad Shamshad Alam. He is a local, an engineering
student, enjoying his Sunday break. Shamshad explains that the hair I see comes
from the tail of cattle. The cattle have been slaughtered for meat, thankfully
behind closed doors. That hair will be washed, dried, bleached to get an even
colour, and will then be turned into shaving brushes. All this activity in one
little lane! Shamshad takes me to the modest workshop of Khalid Ansari. While
an apprentice sits inside, tying the hair into uniform little bunches with wire;
Khalid “Bhai” expertly inserts them into handles. A little bit of pressure from
a pincer-like instrument and the brush is ready. These are sold in a market
nearby.
 |
| Elephant Gate |
Right
next to the door of Nam Soon Church there is a large, very ornate, exposed
brick and stucco building. Above the door are the dates 1902 and 1982. The
former probably represents the date of construction, and the second the date of
repair, but this is just a guess. I am told that this used to be the house of a
Judge of the Calcutta High Court. The owner was probably a Muslim who migrated
to East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in 1947. His family still visits the house
once a year. From the look of it, the house could do with another thorough
overhaul, and then perhaps a third date can be put above the door. A few steps
away is another house with an absolutely gigantic gate. The locals call this
the “Elephant Gate”. There are some references to it in the Lonely
Planet guide, which says that the owners of the house once kept elephants, but
I find it hard to imagine an elephant lumbering down Damzen Lane. A small car
would only be able to navigate through here with some difficulty. But maybe
back then, there were wide open spaces even in this part of town.
Shamshad
is curious about my camera. He wants to take up photography, but is put off by
the high costs involved. I tell him to take photographs with whatever he can.
“The more you click, the better you will get”, I tell him. He tells me he wants
to document life on Damzen Lane, a world he is intimately familiar with, but
one to which outsiders seem completely oblivious. A worthy pursuit I tell him,
and we part, agreeing to keep in touch with our words and images. Does our city
have a new chronicler? I certainly hope so.
- by Deepanjan Ghosh
Edited
by Brian Paul Bach
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- I am grateful to Brian Paul Bach for editing my text. Brian has written several books, including a scholarly volume on Calcutta entitled “Calcutta’s Edifice”. Check out his Goodreads page here, and his blog here.
- Many thanks to Muhammad Shamshad Alam for showing me around Damzen Lane and inspiring me to write this story.
SOURCES
Domicile
and Diaspora: Anglo-Indian Women and the Spatial Politics of Home – Blunt,
Alison
New
Faces in Old Calcutta – Roy, Pijush Kanti
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