The late 19th century residence, is a classic example of Bihar's cosmopolitan heritage, a melting pot of many cultures. The product of a uniquely diverse and rich cultural legacy, reflecting the regions complex history.
Spatially, an indigenous arrangement based on Bihari, Bengali & Marwari architectural styles have been followed, which has been combined with contemporary and classical European stylistic influences. The house has art and memorabilia that has been collected over the years.
The first versions of these houses were built in Bengal for English officers, during the British colonial occupation of India. They hired labourers from the region to build houses in the 'Bangla' style, an expression that translates as “belonging to Bengal”. The word 'Bungalow' has been derived from this phrase, which was also the term used to describe a 17th century Bengali form of a hut.
There was an evolution of the bungalow's architecture from a one storey building with a verandah to an assortment of house-forms and their regional variants. The cities of Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi, and Bombay, have over time, all developed their own distinct versions. Other towns are likewise dotted with variants, large and small, of Bungalows that represent the history and culture of a by-gone era.
Across the globe, the term is today used to describe a type of dwelling. Poems and Books have been written about them, including songs by artists of two generations, from Bix Beiderbecke, to the Beatles.
Our maternal great great grandfather, Dr. Bhagwan Das was born in Varanasi in 1869. He was a scholar, an educator, a political activist and a contemporary of Annie Besant in the Theosophical Society.
One of the founders of the Kashi Vidya Peeth, a national university where he served as Vice-Chancellor. He wrote many books, in English & Hindi, on a wide range of topics including Theosophy, Indian nationalism, education, and translations of Sanskrit text. One of his best-known works is 'The Essential Unity of All Religions'.
He was an active supporter of Indian nationalism and freedom from British rule. He joined the Indian National Congress, during the Non-cooperation movement and was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly, from the United Provinces constituency, in the Indian general elections of 1934.
Dr. Das was awarded the Bharat Ratan, India's highest civilian honour, in 1955. A road in Delhi and the university library at Varanasi, are named after him. After his death, India issued a stamp in commemoration.
A family portrait of the in the courtyard of the house, dressed in traditional 'Dhoti-Kurtas'. 'Dhoti' is the lower garment, made from a single piece of unstitched cloth, around 15 feet long, It is wrapped around the legs & the waist and knotted in the front or back. The 'kurta' is the upper body garment it was worn with.
The Bhagalpur skyline at sunrise from the 2nd floor terrace. Long, cast-iron balconies with balustrades were another hallmark of the Bengali bungalows. The open terrace on the second floor is banked by bed rooms. Fretwork canopies, known as ‘Monkey tops’, were introduced as projecting hoods, above openings such as the doors and windows. They were originally used as a defence strategy against monkeys.
A portrait of our maternal great grandfather Sri Prakasa. He was a freedom-fighter, politician and administrator. After studying at Central Hindu Boys School and Allahabad University, he went to Cambridge where he completed both the History and Law Tripos courses in 1914.
He became involved in the freedom struggle on his return to India and participated in the Non-Cooperation movement, the Salt Satyagraha and the Indian Civil Disobedience Movement. He was arrested during the Quit India Movement.
He was a member of the Constituent Assembly, the body that framed the Constitution of India.
As India’s first High Commissioner to Pakistan, from 1947 to 1949, in his memoirs, ‘Pakistan: Birth and Last Days of Jinnah' he provided a fascinating account of the days in the aftermath of Partition. He was appointed Governor of Assam in 1949, of Madras in 1952 and of Bombay in 1956.
He taught at Kashi Vidyapith from its inception in 1921 till 1947 and was appointed its Chancellor in 1969. He was also a prolific writer who wrote over two dozen books on various diverse topics. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, in 1957 and a stamp commemorating his life was issued in 1991.
It is on record that on May 25, 1964, India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal 'Nehru visited his old friend Sri Prakasa, former Minister and Governor, at Kothalgaon, eight miles uphill on the Doon-Mussoorie route, and returned to Circuit House'. This took place at Dehradun, three days before Nehru's passing.
O COURTYARD! MY COURTYARD!
The 'courtyard' is an unroofed area that is completely or partially enclosed by walls. This was a public-private space where people would congregate for public events, like weddings, festivals, parties, and meetings. It was also used as a private space for religious rituals and household chores, like cooking, washing clothes and where regular interactions within the family took place.
This bungalow has 2 courtyards with wide verandahs and a colonnade of tuscan columns that insulate the main walls from the heat outside. The French-style wooden louvers are painted bus-green. The large, open spaces, were used for social and cultural gatherings. In days gone by, there was a 'Mandap', a covered structure with pillars, built in the courtyard which was used for marriages and religious rituals.
Lunch and Dinner in Bihar is usually 'daal' (cooked lentils), 'bhaat' (boiled rice), 'roti' (flat round bread) which serves as the base, coupled with vegetables cooked in gravy called 'sabzi'. Spicy fried vegetables are called 'bhujia'. Fried 'Aaloo' (potato) and 'bhindi' (okra) are popular dishes. Meals are served with 'papad' which is a thin crisp cake made of pulse, 'dhaniya' (coriander) chutney, 'raita' (mixed curd) and pickles.
ART OF GRINDING
'Masalas' need kitchen instruments to grind them. This flat grinding stone slab with the hand-held stone tablet, together called the 'Sil-Batta', ensure that the texture of the ingredients and flavours remain. The chisel marks on the grinding stone increase the friction, making the process easier and better.
The stone was used every day, to grind spices, vegetables, coconuts, grains, or lentils, and was placed in the courtyard since it needs regular washing. Courtyards have traditionally had access to water and a drainage system, a requirement for cooking and washing.
The sound poetry of the 'Sil-Batta', conjures up mouth watering images of freshly ground pink onions, the aroma of the brown roasted cumin seeds, and the flavour of the green coriander chutney.
The verandah which extends along the sides of the house is covered with a Madras roof, has double tuscan order pillars, Venetian shutters and patterned iron railings. It also serves as a side entry to the house from the the Rai Gupta Sarkar lane side below. In Hindu customs, 'Purva' (the East) is the auspicious side of the house and is the entry that was used for religious occasions and in death, the body was carried out from here.
'Tulsi', the Indian Basil plant, traditionally adorns the courtyard of Hindu households. Ritual requires that water should be given to the plant daily and that a lamp is lit near it in the morning and evening. It is grown in a specially built structure called a 'Vrindavan', which has an alcove for a small earthen oil lamp called 'Diya', on all four sides. Due to its medicinal values, the leaves are often used as a household remedy.
Our paternal grandfather Satyendra Narayan Agrawal 0n 12.10.1948.
He was the first elected Member Of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from the Bhagalpur constituency in 1952. He stood for elections on an Indian National Congress ticket and received 10,461 votes. The election then, was a very simple affair and there was an immense respect, courtesy shown and camaraderie shared between the candidates. For canvassing they used to travel with either horse drawn carriages or cycle rickshaws. Posters and pamphlets were used for promotions. He was re-elected to the Bihar Assembly in 1957 and 1962. Later, he became the Vice-Chairman of Bihar Legislative Assembly. And further on, he was made the Vice-Chancellor of Bhagalpur University.
Along with his siblings and friends, he started The Bihar Textiles in 1952.
The front verandah is covered with a slanting rooftop protects the entrance which overlooks the main Naya Bazar road. The heavy glass windows on the porch provide more privacy and protection.
'BUT, IRON- COLD IRON, - IS MASTER OF THEM ALL'
- Rudyard Kipling
Cast iron railings appeared somewhere in the second half of the 18th century. The iron is melted, moulded, and cooled. It has to be 'cast' in sand moulds and cannot be beaten into shape when hot, as it is brittle. It became popular during Victorian times and was used for making decorative gates & railings.
In India, at the time, Europeans who were settled here, had started to bring in designs from the west. Bengali's were exposed to these products and design ideas thru the catalogues of the leading foundries in France, England and Scotland, such as the pattern book by Lewis Nockalls Cottingham or 'The Smith and Founder’s Director'. This led to a new style, with different European architectural styles converging with traditional Bengali. Soon, Bengali's began importing everything from railings, grilles, gates, canopies & pillars and their homes came to be filled with European motifs like the fleur-de-lis or the Tudor rose.
The French catalog, Hauts-fourneaux et Foundries du Val D'Osne, Barbezat & Cie, Paris, 1866, highlights hundreds of railing designs primarily for exterior balconies. It is quite possible, that the railings at our house were selected from a catalog like this one and imported to India at the time.
As demand grew, Indian blacksmiths entered the market setting up workshops in Howrah. These craftsmen imitated the imported designs, made spares, did repairs and took on new assignments. Locally made cast iron items became available to more people, and by the early 1900's houses flaunted distinctive cast iron items. It is likely that all maintenance work or extensions at our house have been undertaken by them.
Our paternal grandmother Sudhawati Agrawal was born in Varanasi. A noted social reformer of her times, she was known for her philanthropy.
She studied at Central Hindu School, Varanasi.
A number of illustrious people of the time, such a Motilal Nehru, his son Jawaharlal and Rajagopalchari were an integral part of her childhood. She moved to Bhagalpur in 1934 after her marriage.
The image below is from Queen Elizabeth's and Prince Philip's first visit to India in 1961. Sudhawati is on the far left and she is flanked by her father Sri Prakasa, who was the then Governor of Bombay.
Satyender and Sudhawati on their marriage day in 1934. She played a vital role whenever her husband stood for elections, canvassing for him from house to house. She was appointed as Chairman for Social Welfare Projects for the rural areas of Nathnagar, by the Bihar State Social Welfare Board. The welfare work undertaken here, was so well executed, that these projects garnered a reputation over time, prompting visits from officials in Delhi.
Sudhawati with Dr. Satanand Singh the founder of the Prakritik Chikitsa Kendra, a Naturopathy centre, at Bhagalpur. She was treated by the doctor in the 50's after which she turned benefactor to the institution, being actively involved in the centre's development as a member of the Executive Committee, throughout her life time. On her request, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the new building of the centre in 1962.
The rooms have high ceilings and the multiple doors were made to increase cross ventilation. The folding doors, which open by folding back in sections, considerably increase both physical and visual accessibility between the outside porch, on the left, and the sitting room, as well as to the bedroom, on the right. The door panels, are accented with coloured glass from Belgium.
The house has been decorated with art, furniture, vintage photos, books and other memorabilia collected in India, Europe and America, which showcase the decorative schemes of many eras.
STUNNING BELGIAN WINDOW GLASS
Glass has been used for building since the Roman age, but it became more widely used, since the 19th century. Glass is a form of liquid sand. Belgium was a major producer of window glass at the time and the majority of the produced, painted and hand-decorated glass, was exported to all corners of the world.
Cylinder glass, used for windows, was one of the major production techniques in Belgium. Although the production process was industrialised, glass blowing was still the work of a highly skilled individual. Accomplished craftsmen made it by blowing a bulb, elongating it by swinging & turning and finally cutting & flattening it in to a large sheet. Glass is an anamorphic material made from sand, soda ash and limestone.
They had a skilled local workforce, supplies of the raw materials used to make glass and it was shipped globally. As a result, worldwide window glass, came to be known as, 'Belgian Glass'. Light shining through a Belgian glass window, adds both illumination and beauty, telling stories that inspire.
A portrait of Himanshu's family with his wife Sushma, his daughter Shinjini and Chirantan the younger child on the left in the courtyard.
Himanshu, in the kitchen here, was an avid sportsman.
A family portrait spanning four generations. Our maternal great-grandfather Sri Prakasa dressed in a 'Sherwani' and a Gandhi 'topi' cap, with his daughter Sudhawati, on the far right & her husband Satyendra, left back wearing a 'Kurta'. The third generation is their son Himanshu, right back with the tie & his wife Sushma, second from left, along with their child Shinjini, the little girl standing in the centre. All the ladies are wearing different types of traditional Indian 'Saris' draped in varying ways.
The Peepal tree at the back of the house provides shade from the sun, privacy, cleans the air and helps to absorb noise.
This type of tree holds special significance in Hindu Mythology, as the Lord Vishnu is said to have been born under a Peepal tree. It is also the kind of tree under which Gautam Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, which is why it is often referred to as the 'Bodhi' Tree.
This majestic tree has lived in harmony with our house and our ancestors. It has been, over the years, a sanctuary for animals, birds and insects. Every generation of our family has sat under its canopy, being quieted and comforted by it.