Last year, when I was writing my article for Sokal Sokal on Durga Pujas held by Old Ancestral Houses in Kolkata, I covered the Puja performed by the Dutt-BaRi, i.e Balaram Dutt and his descendant Bholanath Dutt, thoroughly. I remember the Puja finally shifted to an ancestral house at North Calcutta's Beadon Street. I never knew that the house that I was referring to was 33/2 Beadon Street (I did not know anything about that address till 5-6 days back!)! The name of the house "Bholanath Dham" has over the years become much more famous than the address "33/2" as it is the Dutt-BaRi and the famous "Bonedi Puja", i.e. Ancestral Home Durga Puja of Dutt Family is being held in that house for decades!
As the house was bought by the Dutts after 1925, we can infer that it was bought with Dr Shashikumar Sengupta (Thamma's father) as a tenant as he had lived there for years with his daughters, from much before 1925. So, the tenancy must have got transferred from the previous owners to the Dutts as Shashikumar continued his stay.
Had Jethu remembered the Durga Puja part, we would have found the house that day by just asking people about a big family puja, or had we known the name of the house we would have had the same easiness (but would have missed the fun and excitement) as it is very famous as "Bholanath Dham". But, Jethu might not have had Puja holidays at Dow Hill, which means he might have missed the Pujas from his age of 4 to 8 and the Pujas that he witnessed till the very young age of 4 might have gotten erased from his memory! Will have to ask Jethu.
Bholanath Dutt was a descendant of Balaram Dutt. Bholanath had started this puja in 1905 at Bholanath Ashram (one of his residential houses) in Varanasi. After the death of Bholanath Dutt, his sons (Janaki Nath, Raghunath, Bireswar and Bibhuti) continued the puja at Varanasi. Then the puja shifted in 1914 to their Kolkata home that was at Shovabazar (not to be confused with the Debs). It continued there till 1925. The family had living space shortage at Shovabazar house and they bought the house at 33/2 Beadon Street and shifted there in or just after 1925. The family and the Durga Puja has stayed in that house ever since. The house "Bholanath Dham" is named after "Bholanath Dutt". Bholanath Dutt had meager beginnings. "with the early death of his father he had to start his livelihood from 13 years of age, he used to work in the shop of Babu Thakur Das Nag, but he had ambition and wanted to come up in life. On attaining adulthood he sold the property received from his maternal uncle for Rs.800/- and started business of paper at China Bazar, Calcutta. In a few years time his hard work paid off and he became famous as Paper tycoon." Jethu remembers that the landlords of the house had a "Plantation or something" as one day they had made arrangements of taking the little Jethu there in their car. It must have been their paper factory or warehouse where they were about to take him. (Or as Anjoli said it might have been their lands where they were having some plantations). But, due to a prank played by BaRo-Jethu, Jethu could not make it that day.
"While on business trip to Ceylone (Srilanka) Dhanapati Saudagar and Srimanta Saudagar got the dream of Devi Kamala Kamini (Maha Lakshmi) and received her blessings." Dhanapati Saudagar or Dhanapati Dutt was an ancestor of Balaram Dutt and Bholanath Dutt. From the time of Dhanapati, the family has worshiped Kamala Kamini, whose engraving they had made on the top of the 33/2 Beadon Street house after having bought the house. (Jethu pointed towards it and said, "It was there", I said "Mahadev?", the lady from the top of the house corrected "Its not Mahadev! Its not Kamala Kamini.. Have you not heard of Chand Saudagar?")
History, so intriguing, so exciting, always so near!!! Anjoli Roy, Joya Roy,Ranabir Ray
As the house was bought by the Dutts after 1925, we can infer that it was bought with Dr Shashikumar Sengupta (Thamma's father) as a tenant as he had lived there for years with his daughters, from much before 1925. So, the tenancy must have got transferred from the previous owners to the Dutts as Shashikumar continued his stay.
Had Jethu remembered the Durga Puja part, we would have found the house that day by just asking people about a big family puja, or had we known the name of the house we would have had the same easiness (but would have missed the fun and excitement) as it is very famous as "Bholanath Dham". But, Jethu might not have had Puja holidays at Dow Hill, which means he might have missed the Pujas from his age of 4 to 8 and the Pujas that he witnessed till the very young age of 4 might have gotten erased from his memory! Will have to ask Jethu.
Bholanath Dutt was a descendant of Balaram Dutt. Bholanath had started this puja in 1905 at Bholanath Ashram (one of his residential houses) in Varanasi. After the death of Bholanath Dutt, his sons (Janaki Nath, Raghunath, Bireswar and Bibhuti) continued the puja at Varanasi. Then the puja shifted in 1914 to their Kolkata home that was at Shovabazar (not to be confused with the Debs). It continued there till 1925. The family had living space shortage at Shovabazar house and they bought the house at 33/2 Beadon Street and shifted there in or just after 1925. The family and the Durga Puja has stayed in that house ever since. The house "Bholanath Dham" is named after "Bholanath Dutt". Bholanath Dutt had meager beginnings. "with the early death of his father he had to start his livelihood from 13 years of age, he used to work in the shop of Babu Thakur Das Nag, but he had ambition and wanted to come up in life. On attaining adulthood he sold the property received from his maternal uncle for Rs.800/- and started business of paper at China Bazar, Calcutta. In a few years time his hard work paid off and he became famous as Paper tycoon." Jethu remembers that the landlords of the house had a "Plantation or something" as one day they had made arrangements of taking the little Jethu there in their car. It must have been their paper factory or warehouse where they were about to take him. (Or as Anjoli said it might have been their lands where they were having some plantations). But, due to a prank played by BaRo-Jethu, Jethu could not make it that day.
"While on business trip to Ceylone (Srilanka) Dhanapati Saudagar and Srimanta Saudagar got the dream of Devi Kamala Kamini (Maha Lakshmi) and received her blessings." Dhanapati Saudagar or Dhanapati Dutt was an ancestor of Balaram Dutt and Bholanath Dutt. From the time of Dhanapati, the family has worshiped Kamala Kamini, whose engraving they had made on the top of the 33/2 Beadon Street house after having bought the house. (Jethu pointed towards it and said, "It was there", I said "Mahadev?", the lady from the top of the house corrected "Its not Mahadev! Its not Kamala Kamini.. Have you not heard of Chand Saudagar?")
History, so intriguing, so exciting, always so near!!! Anjoli Roy, Joya Roy,Ranabir Ray
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