Windows Calcutta

Charu slightly parts the slatted windows to look at the world outside with her opera glasses. The outside life that is otherwise shut to her, is available only through the gaps of the windows. She moves from one window to another, moving the slats to zoom in on the people walking down the street. This is how she looks at the world outside- through the slatted windows. (Charulata, 1964)



The iconic scene from Charulata is by far the best shot ever showing an inside view of the lazy city of Calcutta through the eyes of a commoner. Somehow sharing similar notes of isolation either out of too many things to do or boredom out of nothing to do at all, we all are trying to zoom in at real life through slatted windows. When it gets too claustrophobic for us to handle the pressure, we part the slats to take a view at life passing by and pause to muse on it. Yet, being distant observers, we are far away from touching life and thus the image is slatted. Life in Kolkata on a hot, sunny day or a waning afternoon turns you philosophical as you watch the trams passing by on the streets, ringing their bells, a horde of school goers returning home in merriment, or simply stare at the trees shaking themselves to offer you some fresh air, while you stand quietly in front of a window for a few minutes.

Apart from the Howrah bridge and the Victoria Memorial, if there is one thing among many others that marks the identity of the city, it is the slatted windows of Calcutta. It marks the signature style of the old heritage houses of the city and is a part of its identity . With everything vintage being replaced by multi-storey buildings, only a few localities in the North and the South are preserving the remnants of Colonial architecture. Without them Calcutta is just another city with the same kind of concrete apartments that you see in every metropolitan city. Just like Jaipur is incomplete without the jaali windows and jharokhas, Calcutta is known for these shuttered windows. What gives life to brick and cement is the architectural brilliance and vintage aesthetics that connect to your soul. Calcutta, even though a city of brick and concrete, had that soul deeply rooted within her. Trapped behind airtight glass panes in air conditioned buildings, the soul struggles to breathe today.  

From the inside of an old Calcutta house.
Picture courtesy :- Satarupa Mitra

The city will be unimaginable without vintage red or yellow houses and the sleepy green wooden slatted windows. Fitting in perfectly with the mysterious character of the city, these give the huge houses a note of mystery. You always have a subconscious urge to know what's lying behind these half open shutters. It is also interesting how the insiders can lift the shutter to look at the busy streets whenever they please or let the rays of the sun heat the room in winter and also shut them down to isolate themselves in darkness on a bright, sunny afternoon in summer.  Half the houses are in a state of decadence today but one can well imagine the architectural excellence even from what remains. The DNA of the city is locked within these architectural nuances, giving Kolkata the old world charm that has intrigued filmmakers from Satyajit Ray to Shoojit Sircar. If Lucknow and Old Delhi has a Mughal hangover, Calcutta has a colonial feel to it and a unique old world charm that blends in European influence seamlessly with untainted Bangaliana.

Calcutta

Venice
Source:- Internet

The influence of European architecture exists not only in the historical buildings like the Raj Bhavan, St.Paul's Cathedral, Princep Ghat, Victoria Memorial, Town Hall, etc., but also dwells heavily upon the house of the commoners as well. The use of the Corinthian pillars and Doric columns is very evident if you come across any old Calcutta house. These tall windows with stained glass designs within a curved arch and shuttered windows are a direct influence of the Venetian blinds. Old Venice has windows very similar to those of Calcutta. This is precisely how European architecture has blended in with our history and culture and it is this conglomeration of influences that makes the city an artist's delight.

These dreamy painted glass panes in an arch pattern still exist in only a handful of houses. Most houses are just left with the iron frame and faded, broken panes speaking of lack of maintenance. Once upon a time these must have given a magical lift to the huge rooms on sunny afternoons when the light came in through the coloured panes.

Coffee House

The use of the shutters were not just an aesthetic addition due to European influences in the Colonial era but also a necessity. Those tall windows letting in too much of sunlight would make life difficult for the people in a humid city like Calcutta. Thus, to screen the windows from too much of heat and sunlight and regulate the amount as per wish, the shuttered screens served the best purpose and were the perfect mix of necessity and aesthetics. Windows lined along the long verandahs sometimes even had extra screens made of a kind of mat called "shital pati". It kept the interiors cool during the hot summers and could be pulled up and down using a string attached.

It is indeed sad to see such state of decadence as you move around the city. Lack of maintenance has brought out the skeletal remains of some of these magnificent architectures. The inevitable fate of such decadent houses is thus in the hands of the promoters and businessmen. In a city already having too many new apartments and housing complexes coming up here and there, most of the old paras are losing the old houses one by one and have started looking alien with apartments having not an iota of aesthetic sense. May it not be too late before people start repairing and reusing the houses instead of breaking them down and replacing them. If development is done keeping the character and heritage of the city alive, it would actually be a real step towards development. With the eyes too used to demolition, it is at times good to see some conservationist approach taken in renovating and converting old Calcutta houses into boutiques, restaurants, home stays and galleries instead of breaking years of history and art for something new. This is a city where we cannot afford to let go of the past to step into the future. The 'new' has to co-exist with the 'old' to let the city have a bright future. 

Byloom, Hindustan Park