By Moira Dynon B.Sc.
1969
This was an article written by Moira following her visit to India in January and February 1969. It was published in June 1969 in The Horizon, Official Organ of the Catholic Women’s Social Guild.
Calcutta, India’s largest city, is busy, over-crowded and vital. A great centre of commerce and industry, it is the capital of West Bengal State. Situated on the Hooghly River about 80 miles from the sea by the river, Calcutta owes its commercial importance to its being the port of north east India on which river, rail and road traffic converge. The port of Calcutta is one of the busiest in the world. A great industrial city, it contains iron foundries, jute mills, textile factories, tanneries, shipyards, timberyards, paper mills and factories for the manufacture of motor cars, machine tools and other products.
It is a great metropolis of Asia.
Calcutta has been called “City of Palaces” and “City of Contrasts”. Jawaharlal Nehru called it “City of Processions”.
To many Australians it is the city where so many human beings live in dire poverty and where saintly Mother Teresa and Melbourne-born Brother Andrew, M.C. (formerly Father Ian Travers Ball, S.J.) and numerous dedicated social welfare workers of all religions minister to the needs of the poor. It is where Mrs. Nilima Mukerji of West Bengal Women’s Council and her band of co-workers assist in the care and rehabilitation of refugees and poor villagers who flow to the busy city looking for jobs.
Calcutta, the birth place of Rabindranath Tagore, India’s most famous poet, is the heart of Bengali culture, hauntingly beautiful Bengali music, literature, plays and classical films. Calcutta, from where Ram Rohan Roy, the most influential Indian social reformer before Mahatma Gandhi, preached civil liberties and edited the first Indian newspaper. Calcutta, where were born famous scholars and authors, such as Sarat Chandra Chatterji and Keshab Chandra Sen. Calcutta, where the renowned scientist and Nobel Prize Winner, Sir Jagdish Bose conducted his research, could aptly be described as the birth place of the Modern Indian Renaissance.
Calcutta is where I saw the home of the great Indian revolutionary, Subhas Chandra Bose, who, together with Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru, contributed so much to the Indian Independence Movement.
Calcutta is a CITY OF PARKS where there is the river-fronted Botanical Gardens with its 200-year-old gigantic Banyon tree, Serpentine lake and rows of mahogany trees – the city with the ‘Strand’ and its jetties and splendid views extending some two miles along the river bank and the “Maidan” in the heart of the city where people gather on the balmy evenings.
Or is it the CITY OF SPORT? with its racecourse reputedly one of the world’s largest flat courses – with its Calcutta Tennis Courts on which in recent years inter-zone Davis Cup matches have been played – with its Eden Gardens housing the Cricket Ground, said to be the second oldest ground still devoted to the game. There is tremendous interest in cricket among all sections of the people of Calcutta. On more than one occasion I saw undernourished boys playing cricket with sticks for bats and balls made of paper.
Calcutta holds a wealth of diversity for the shopper. Whether she visits the Arcades of the Great Eastern Hotel, the shops or the sprawling bazaars, she is fascinated by the oriental brocades and silks sometimes woven with threads of pure gold or silver, the jewellery and precious stones, filigree silver, brass and copperware, ivory carvings and the lovely enamel work and handloom textiles. If time permits, a browse through the English language sections in the bookshops is rewarding.
For those of us interested in modern science and technology, there are a number of renowned institutions, to mention but a few, the School of Tropical Medicine, the Bose Institute and the Indian Institute of Hygiene and Public Health.
Landmarks
A landmark in Calcutta is the parkland called the Maidan which has been termed the Hyde Park of India. Some two square miles in area it houses many statues and monuments, relics of the British rule, and a reminder that for 52 years Calcutta was the capital of India.
Nearby, the Victoria Memorial, built of white marble brought from Jodhpur, stands as a tribute to the years of imperialism. Thousands of relics are stored there – statues, portraits, manuscripts, armour, furniture and firearms. The statue of Queen Victoria at the time of her accession and a rosewood piano used by the Queen as a girl are prominent. Also there are the Whispering Gallery with its echo, the lovely Grand Dome, and the series of mural decorations along the gallery in the interior of the dome.
Indian Museum
A short distance away is the fascinating Indian Museum. The Museum depicts the recorded history of life in India. There are exhibits here thousands of years old dating from the cultures of Harappa and the ancient city Mohenjo Daro. I was especially interested in the gallery containing replicas of the Rock Edicts and Pillar inscriptions of the wise Emperor Asoka (3rd century B.C.) who avoided war, preferring peace and goodwill, and whose Lion Pillar and Wheel have been incorporated in its emblem by independent India. Of great interest also are the exhibits of ancient Buddhist art dating back to 5th century. These stone sculptures were excavated some years ago at Nalanda in neighbouring Bihar State.
Nearer to the river is Fort William commissioned by Clive in 1757 and completed in 1773 at a cost of two million pounds sterling. Today the Military Academy at Fort William has its own church, boxing stadium, parade and sporting arenas, post office, cinema, theatre and shops.
Dalhousie Square
Towering over Dalhousie Square is West Bengal’s 13-storeyed New Secretariat Building and nearby the massive General Post Office with its white dome and corinthian pillars. There is the well-known Writer’s Building so named because it was originally used as a residence for junior employees of the East India Company. Today it accommodates the Ministries of the West Bengal State Government. On the roof are monuments depicting Justice, Science, Agriculture and Commerce. Dalhousie Square is the scene of much activity – processions and demonstrations of a political nature centre on the Square and Writer’s Building.
Howrah Bridge
Several bridges span the Hooghly River, the largest of which is the modern 1500 feet wide Howrah Bridge. Over it moves an endless stream of vehicles ranging from bullock carts to the most modern Indian built motor cars. Under it sail ocean-going ships, some of them Indian built. Nearby is the Howrah Railway Station from which travel fast trains and air conditioned expresses to all parts of India.
Multi-Religious
The word Calcutta is the Anglicised form of Kalikata, the Moslemised form of Kali-ghat, a famous shrine of the goddess Kali in the south of the city.
The life of Calcutta gives evidence of the deep spirituality of the people and the multi-religious characteristic of the city as evidenced by the crowds at the many temples, mosques and churches.
At the Dakshineswar Temple there are 12 separate shrines to the god, Siva. Across the wide Bally Bridge on the river banks in a lovely setting is the Ramakrishnan Mission’s Monastery known as Belur Math. Founded at the turn of the century by the reverend Hindu Swami Vivekananda, Belur Bath was built with the financial assistance of some American people. I was interested to see the Nakhoda Mosque with its Indo-Islamic architecture, the red brick Jewish Synagogue and the Parsee Temple with its 140-year-old Tower of Silence.
The Parasnath Jain Temple standing in beautiful gardens is like a palace. The interior glows with mosaics, crystals, rubies and other precious stones. The white marble statue of the Jain prophet Sithalnathji bears a large diamond on its forehead and the feet rest on silver lotus flowers.
There are numerous Christian Churches. It is claimed that the 18th century St. John of Nazareth Church is the city’s oldest Christian Church. Built about the same period is the twin-towered Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its Portuguese style architecture.
In the grounds of St. John’s Church of England are the graves of early British Governors. St. Paul’s Cathedral (Anglican) with its tall Gothic tower and glorious stained glass window was visited by England’s Queen Elizabeth II in 1961.
Tagore
In a lovely stately old house with many court-yards, Rabindranath Tagore was born. The house is now a Museum. Photographs, some of his paintings and many relics tell the story of this famous man. Tagore wrote plays, dance-dramas, poetry and books in Bengali and in English. Accompanied by one of his relatives, Mrs. Sheila Chatterjee, the well-known Bengali authoress, I was enthralled by the stage production of Tagore’s play “King of the Dark Chamber” at Rabindra Theatre.
As the guest of Mr. A. S. Mehta, Manager of the Calcutta Branch of the Shipping Corporation of India, I attended the lovely show “Glimpses of India”. The singing, the dancing and the magnificent costumes from all States of India were exciting.
Shipping Corporation of India
I shall always remember the kindness and friendliness of the officers of the Shipping Corporation of India. S.C.I. vessels transport the milk powder gifts of Aid India Campaign from Australia to India ports free of charge. Whilst I was in Calcutta, S.C.I. placed a car and driver at my disposal which resulted in my being able to meet and talk with a number of officials and to visit many social welfare projects (recipients of milk powder gifts) in the limited time available. I deeply appreciated the gracious hospitality and the assistance in a multitude of ways extended to me by Mr. Mehta, Captain Bhoort and other officers of Shipping Corporation of India.
Education
There are numerous recognized educational institutions in Calcutta. The University of Calcutta founded in 1857, exercises control over the matriculation examinations in West Bengal for which tens of thousands of students present themselves annually. It sets the curriculas and conducts examinations over more than 100 affiliated University colleges, including the eminent Presidency College, St. Xavier’s College, Sanskrit, Madrasa and the Bethune Girls’ College.
At Loreto Convent, Calcutta, it was a great joy to have talked with Miss K. Payne, of our C.W.S.G. Horizon Committee, who was down on leave from her post in the mountain district at Simla. In reply to my questions she told me about the loss of life, the suffering and hardships caused by last year’s devastating floods and accompanying landslides.
In Calcutta, as in other parts of India, there is abundant evidence of the fierce demand for education and of the determination to overcome illiteracy. There are many examples of shift schools and of children being taught out of doors and in temporary accommodation.
Democracy
It was just a few days before the Mid Term Elections when I went around North Calcutta and Howrah. The atmosphere appeared orderly but there was an undercurrent of nervous tension. Election meetings were taking place in the open air and on street corners. The walls of buildings were painted with the symbols of the political parties whose policies and platforms ranged through the whole political spectrum.
As I looked at the obviously under-nourished babies and children, the beggars, the physically handicapped and the utter poverty in which so many of Calcutta’s people exist, the words of Jawaharlal Nehru went through my mind: “Results alone will retain democracy in Asia; the test is in the flow of goods, how soon – how much”. In Calcutta there are too many human beings with barely enough to eat, no proper houses in which to live, no money, no job, existing in over-crowded insanitary conditions. Despite the considerable public health programmes and the amount of social welfare work conducted by an army of enlightened, devoted workers, so much remains to be done. But the resources with which to do it are limited, and too often, non-existent. The ravages and neglect of the colonial era have left India a poor country. She is making heroic efforts to raise the standard of living of her people in freedom and by democratic means. But the problems are enormous. The size of the task is gigantic. Meanwhile the impatience and frustration of the masses is growing.