Kolkata – A Lost Glory of Dalits of Doaba

 

 Kolkata – A Lost Glory of Dalits of Doaba

I visited Kolkata last week from August 26 to September 2. It was my third short visits to the City of Joy – first two in 1990-91 and 1999-2000 in the call of my diplomatic duties – Meetings with the Kolkata High Court in connection with a rented property dispute pertaining to Romania and second accompanying the PM of Tukie (Turkey), Bulent Ecevit to Vishav Bharti University at Shanti Niketan in Kolkata for an Honorary Degree to honour him for his

At Kolkata in 1989-90

translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s book Gitanjali into Turkish language respectively. The third visit, a bit longer, was a family visit to meet my aging relations, Bhua and Fufad, Jai Kaur and Som Dutt of village Sikandarpur (Alawalpur) in Jalandhar. They have made Kolkata as their home for the last about 7 decades. Their family was engaged in leather business. It is a co-incident only that, I have had more connections with Kolkata as my grand-father; Rulda Ram also went to Kolkata for his bread and butter but returned back in mid 1950s. I recall seeing him in a Tonga (Horse-cart) on his return journey from the Jalandhar Railway Station to our home in Bootan Mandi, then a slum area in the out skirts of the town. Second, Vidya my wife, who is no more with us, now, was the daughter of Dhanna Ram of village Nawan Pind Jattan near Nakodar in Jalandhar. Dhanna Ram his immediate family were engaged in leather tanning business in Kolkata. The second purpose was to see and study the life and work of dalits of Doaba region of Punjab who were doing leather business in Kolkata (Calcutta) for generations and contributed to the socio-economic life not only of the area called – Bridge No.4 – Tiljala Road (now named as Guru Ravidass Sarani); a slum area of the Town of Joy then called Calcutta (Kolkata) – but also their homes back in districts of Doaba region of Punjab. It was a fairly pleasant journey from Jalandhar to Guru Ramdass International Airport in Amritsar (Raja Sansi Airport) by road and by Indigo flight to Netaji Subhash Chndra Bose International Airport (Dum-dum Airport). I stayed with my Fufad ji,  Som Dutt in their modest flatted accommodation at Kutsia Road (off Picnic Garden Road) which was not far off from the ‘nerve center of dalit presence in Kolkata’ at Guru Ravidass Sarani. I was informed that then CM of West Bengal Siddhrath Shankar Ray named Tiljala Road as Guru Ravidass Sarani on the suggestion of one of the brothers of my Fufaji (Uncle), Hazari Ram, a social activist of the community and his associates. Hazari Ram enjoyed good standing and rapport with the then Congress leadership of the city. It was one of my wishes to visit the place with a curiosity to learn more about the Karambhoomi (place of work and action) of dalit. According, I along with my Fufaji visited Guru Ravidass Gurudawara and related places on August 27 – a big gated park in front of the Gurudawara and adjacent plot being developed and contructed to accommodate more people on the celebrations of Guru Ravidass Jayanti and other big functions. The site, earmarked and dedicated by the state government of CM Mamta Banerji, is being developed with official patronage. The Gurudawara is a historical site which was built and dedicated to the community in 1939 by the migrant business community from Punjab. We paid obeisance to the great Guru Ravidass and joined the Aarti conducted by the Bhai (Priest) of the holy site. Later we met President of the Managing Committee, Narinder Chauhan and others, second and third

generation of the Punjabi migrants. During the cursory exchanges, I was told that dalits of Doaba region of Punjab came to Kolkata in 1920s with the Muslim (Khoja) leather businessmen from Peshawar (now in Pakistan) to make Peshori sandals. Later some more enterprising dalits from Punjab came to Kolkata to meet the increasing demands of the British army for boots and other leather products during the World War - II and also to meet the demands of leather to be used in the jute mills. Early migrants to Kolkata for greener pastures included many enterprising people of Doaba region particularly belonging to the villages of Jalandhar who were already engaged in leather business with the Khojas (Muslims) who migrated to Pakistan in the wake of partition of India. Many somewhat well to do, comparatively, from my native place, Bootan Mandi, namely; Nanda, Chanda and Jhanda, the three brothers of the known family of Seth Sunder Dass as told by my friend Manohar Mahey and Shama Sheenmar and many of his clan like Mali Ram of village Parsrampur, as told by my yet another friend, Prem Shant were the early birds to establish businesses in Kolkata. Yet another high profile family of Bootan Mandi who not only made their mark in business but also in politics and community matters was that of Seth Kishan Dass and his brother Seth Adhyatam. These Punjabi settlers in Kolkata played a historic role in the politics of India on one hand and contributed a great deal to India’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ by electing Babasaheb Ambedkar to the Constituent

Assembly in 1946 in cooperation with Joginder Nath Mandal, a prominent dalit leader of Bengal. If it was not done against all odds and hurdles created by the Congress Party and the Manuwadis of Hindu Maha Sabha and other hard core elements in the caste ridden Hindu society, the constitutional history of India and subsequent political developments would have been different.  I vividly recall reading the sterling role played by Seth Kishan Dass supported by the daredevil personalities like Baba Budh Singh of Village Tallan in Jalandhar among others. They rightly and aptly resorted to the Chanakya dictum of – Sam Dam Dand Bhed – to achieve their challenging goal to send Babasaheb Ambedkar to the Constituent Assembly amidst fierce opposition of the Manuwadis. The rest is history. With a view to keep this narration brief, I will skip many more names and details and come to the crux of the mater as to why I termed Kolkata – a lost glory of dalits of Doaba?

With this background, I hesitatingly intend to say, after visiting and interacting with the heirs of the motely crowd of Dalits who made a mark in Kolkata, a far off place from Jalandhar who could not rise up to the challenge to hold and maintain the glory which their forefathers created for them. It is a matter of regret and remorse. My off the calf observation in this regard is that our forefathers, the so called cream or elite of the community who could make money out of the hellish and dirty occupation of manual leather tanning, did not educate and prepare their off-spring to meet the challenges of the fast changing economic and socio-political scenario. In their false and narrow perception of good life, they wined and dined in their own rustic and traditional way after a day’s hard work in Kolkata and purchased agricultural and residential properties back home in Punjab. I vividly recall and I mentioned it in my brief speech at the Kolkata Gurudawara that they intended to impress their extended families and relations back home with good white kurtas and dhotis (attire) with chains and bracelets of gold and gold rings adorning their hands. The country made booze and mutton curries were fixed on the menu of their meals. Some of them including Seth Kishan Dass decided to come back and picked up the threads to lead a comfortable life and established their business back home in Bootan Mandi. But the uneducated lot had no wherewithal as to but to do in the fast changing business requirements. Some of them sent their sons to USA, Canada, UK and other developed countries and married off their daughters with their counterparts and relations in the developed countries as a last ditch effort to salvage the declining fortunes. Some of the families diversified their work but remained entrenched in and around their work place around Bridge No.4; a

slum area of the city. They, namely; Narinder Chauhan, Vijay Madara, Suresh Kakoo among others, are holding the fort which was once the citadel of dalit assertion – I termed the situation as ‘Kolkata: a Lost Glory of Dalits of Doaba’. I conveyed my feelings with a heavy heart to the audient at the Gurudawara function to honour me. The Chamar Seths of Kolkata did a wonderful job in making a break-through for socio-economic empowerment in the 1940s, earned name and fame back home in Punjab but, unfortunayely, they could not diversify and change to adjust to the changing business scenario. The major contributing factor in this set-back, to my mind, was that they did not educate and prepare the younger generation to meet the challenges of the future. I am reminded a poetic line of Allma Iqbal –

Jo Ashiana Shakhe Nazuk Pe Banega; Napayedar Hoga

As I said the visit was partly emotional re-bonding and partly leisure. My son Rupesh suggested that I must visit the famous China Town to relish the authentic Chinese meal which I did, courtesy; Suresh Kakoo, a duty-bound nephew of Fufad Som Dutt. The food at Restaurant Golden Joy, particularly the stirred fry garlic prawns was really good.  Kakoo who is a good cook himself, knowing my taste

for prawns, made a wonderful dish of prawns at home at a sumptuous dinner at their residence near the Guru Ravidass Gurudawara itself. I could also enjoy good mutton biryani and mutton korma at home ordered from good local eateries. I was interested
n tasting and bringing as a souvenir some local Bengali alcoholic beverage like Feni of Goa but could not get it. All said and done, It was a good emotional, educative and enjoyable visit which gave me a chance to visit the once – Nerve Centre of Dalit Chetna – Bridge No. 4 – Tilzila Road. We need to learn from history.