BengalOORU Katha

Volume-1 April-June 2008

… Cover Story k s e d s ' r o t i d

E Namoshkar! f e i h As we herald the Naba Barsha (New Year) we all know what that means, don't we? It's a time for C new beginnings for looking back fondly and looking ahead with joy. Just the year gone by has e h t transformed into a new year bursting with possibilities. Jayamahal Durga Charitable Samiti is Culture Beat

m endeavouring into a new activity of bringing out its own Newsletter, “Bengalooru Katha,” an o r

F information and communication channel for Bengalis as well as Kannadigas interested in the Bengali culture.

Can we take an oath in this Naba Barsha; we will support it and enliven it together so that we like it more and more.

Of course, all the latest goings on amongst Bangalore Bengalis will weave through the pages of the Newsletter, but there is far more in store as a slew of regular features will enthral us with experiences of Face to Face guest writers in Bangalore.

Bengalis always have tried to make a good blend of its culture with the rich heritage of Karnataka. It is an attempt for furthering the same by bringing a cultural lineage amongst the three and half lacs of Bengalis residing in Bangalore.

We thank all the persons who have shared their rich experiences, literary thoughts with us in this issue of the Bengalooru Katha. We also acknowledge the efforts put by all who have made it happen. Thank you all. Personality Have a happy and prosperous Naba Barsha!

Arun Kumar Chaudhuri

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Y On Bengali Nicknames T I

L To choton, bulbul, khoka, laltu, gogol, babu, buro, tutu, bubu, A ghoton, bhutan, chotka, shanto, bubai, tubul .... et al. Here is an attempt

N to alert people to a great injustice that is being perpetrated upon the sons of Bengal.

O So you thought they were wimpy to begin with. Far from it, my friend. Their S

R current state is a result of years of conditioning by the oppressors, namely, the women.

E By using a variety of psychological weapons, they have reduced these fine men to

P what you mostly see today. Let us focus on the first weapon in their hands - the nickname. When a son is born into a Bengali household, he is gifted with a resonant, sonorous name. Bengali names are wonderful things. They convey majesty and power. A man with a name like Sushmito, Samrat, Samudro, Rudro, Prokash,Indrajeet, Surojeet, Prasenjeet, Bishwadeep, etc., is a man who will walk with his head held high, knowing that the world expects great deeds from him, which was why they bestowed the title that is his name upon him.

But it simply will not do for these men to get ahead of themselves. Their swelling confidence needs to be shattered. How can one go about it? This task is left to the mothers of these lads and is accomplished by the simple act of referring to the boy, not by his rather-great-sounding real name, but by a nickname which even Shakti Kapoor ‘Picking Lotus Buds from the Mud’ would feel ashamed to answer to. Their are some rules for creating nicknames, which need to be followed. 1) Nicknames must have no connection to the real name. Arunabha cannot be Shukla Bose, CEO, founder, Parikrma Humanity Foundation, has a rich corporate called Arun. No, for that would be logical, and such things are anathema in experience of 26 years in the hospitality industry. Her first step of success was when the world of women. Instead he shall be called BHOMBOL. If possible, the she completed her ISC from Loreto Convent with record marks and won the National nickname and real name must have no letters in common, but an ancient Scholarship. She then did her Bachelors in English and Education. She also has the alphabet proves to be the constraining factor there. credit of having started the first school for the Indian army officers’ children in 2) Nicknames must be humiliating to the power infinity.. If you are a tall remote Bhutan. She then went to do her MA in Comparative Literature and got strapping boy, with a flair for soccer, an easy charm and an endearing a gold medal. She did her MBA specializing in Marketing. That was the beginning of personality, then you shall be nicknamed “Khoka.” And every time, you have her long stint in a corporate career. set your sights on a girl, and are on the verge of having the aforementioned lass eat out of your hand - your mother will arrive and pronounce loudly - She joined the Oberoi group and held various positions in Marketing. In 1990 she "Khokon, chalo". The ensuing sea of giggles will drown out whatever joined RCI, a multinational world leader in timesharing, and was responsible for confidence you had earned from that last winning free-kick. starting the new concept in the country, as the first MD. She was there for 10 years and was responsible for making it a profitable and a well-known hospitality brand 3) A nickname must refer in some way to a suitably embarrassing incident in and was responsible for the India, South East Asia, Middle East and China regions. your childhood that you would give your arm and leg to forget. If it took you a little too long to shed your baby fat, then years of gymming will not In 2000 she gave up her high profile corporate position and started the rid you of the nomenclature Motka. If your face turned crimson when you India operations of a multinational NGO working with children and also volunteered cried as a toddler, you will be called Laltu. When you turn 40, your with Mother Teresa for 7 years. Her experience with slum and street children greatly friends' children will call you Laltu Uncle. Even age will not earn you the encouraged her to make the development of under-served children her mission in life. right to be taken seriously thereafter.

She then started Parikrma Humanity Foundation, an NGO that runs four schools that 4) Different members of the family will make up different nicknames each provide quality English medium education to about 850 orphaned, abandoned, slum more embarrassing than the preceding one. If one member of the family calls and street children. Parikrma has also partnered with Bangalore Corporation to you Piklu, then another will call you Pocha, and another will call you enhance the quality of education of 15 government schools. Ghoton. The humiliation multiplies. 5) You will always be introduced by your nickname until people forget you Shukla is the recipient of many national and international awards. She was had a real name. Ranajoy might have taken on a gang of armed men awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1995, the Bharat Gaurav Award single-handedly, but Tatai really didn't have a chance. After a point, Tatai in 1996 and the Woman of the Year award in 2000. will completely take over the beaten body of Ranajoy, weighed down by the pressure of a thousand taunts. Parikrma Humanity Foundation has been awarded the Derozio Award for excellence in special education and social commitment. Parikrma also received the This strategy is surprisingly effective. Ask yourself - would you take Governor's award for exemplary social work in January 2007. Professor Boltu seriously? Or put much weight by the opinion of Dr. Bubai? Or march into battle under the command of General Topa? The power of the nickname has scarred the psyche of Bengali men everywhere. It follows them like a monkey on their backs. That too, a monkey with a flair for slapstick, *** that was gifted to them by their own mothers, aunts and grandmas. Suvobroto Chattopadhyay Eminent Bengalis in Karnataka

Way back in 1884, at about the age of twenty three years, Rabindranath first stepped into

E the territory of Karnataka. His elder brother Satyendranath Tagore, the first Indian ICS officer R

U was then posted as the District Judge at Karwar. In his autobiography, “Jeeban Smriti” there is T

A a short essay entitled “Karwar”. He also wrote “Prakritir Protishodh” there. E

F Later on a train journey while passing through Dharwar, D R Bendre, the well-known Kannada poet met Rabindranath on platform No 1 of the Dharwar Railway Station and had a longish chat with the poet. To commemorate this memorable incident a stone plaque has been installed on this platform. The story of “Amit Ray” “Shesher Kobita” was a project Rabindranath had taken up in the summer of 1928 at Coonoor as the guest of the Maharaja of Peethapuram. On that trip he was accompanied by Dr. Prashanta Chandra Mahalanobis and his wife Smt. Nirmal Kumari (Rani). After a few days, they left for Colombo for a trip to Europe. On reaching the Lankan capital they were told that in view of the poets declining health he should not undertake the arduous journey to Europe. The programme was cancelled and they came to Madras as the guest of Dr. Annie Besant at Adyar. He could barely withstand the oppressive heat and so came to Bangalore to recoup his health as the guest of Sir Brojendranath Seal who was then the Vice Chancellor of the Mysore University. “Balabrooie” was the official residence of the Vice Chancellor. Rani discussed the story of “Amit Ray” with Sir Brojendranath. He requested the poet to read out the story. Though “Sheser Kobita” was begun at Coonoor, its greater part was written at Balabrooie. It was completed on June 15, 1928. As promised earlier, Rabindranath virtually recited the entire manuscript. Brojendranath was thrilled and punctuated his joy with occasional exclamations such as “brilliant”, “wonderful”. What an auspicious combination it was a super story read out by the author himself in the august presence of Sir Brojendranath and the Mahalanobis couple. Every one enjoyed every Experience the moment of that memorable evening. Magic of Eastern Cuisine

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R This was the story of the Bengali filmmakers in Mumbai. What about the with Hindi films goes back O stars , the true prime movers of the glamour-struck Hindi film world? In a

T a long way to the early

S world dominated by handsome hulks from Punjab, it was quite

days of Indian cinema R remarkable for Ashok Kumar (born as Kumudlal Kanjilal Ganguly) to E when the word 'Bollywood' have a long and successful run in Hindi films , with films like Achhut V was not even coined. The

O Kanya, Kangan, Kismet, Mahal, Bahu Begum, Gumrah and Ashirwad. studio system was strong C His brother Kishore Kumar did not do too badly as a comic-actor though it then and BN Sircar's New is as Hindi film's most versatile and popular singer that he ultimately Theater, established in fulfilled his destiny. In the 50's there was also Pradeep Kumar ( born as 1931, was on par with Pradeeep Batabyal) with hits like Nagin and Anarkali. Looking at old Bombay-based studios reruns on film channels you may wonder what people saw in Joy s u c h a s P r a b h a t . Mukherjee and Biswajit. But in the crazy, beyond-all-logic world of Hindi Pramathesh Barua and films the two had a string of super-hits like Love in Tokyo, Junglee, Bees Nitin Bose are the Saal Baad and Do Kaliyan. And then after a long spell of silence, came on stalwarts from this studio the stage, accompanied by strobe lights and a deafening applause, our that were involved with a own Disco Dancer (1983), Mithun Chkraborty. number of landmark films in both Bengali and Hindi. But the first Bengali producer-director to Though Suchitra Sen acted in the odd Hindi film now and then, Mala move to Mumbai and make a mark there must be Bimal Roy. With Sinha had made a lasting pair with Biswajit apart from acting in such films like Parineeta (1953), Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Devdas (1955), classics like Guru Dutt’s Pyasa and BR Chopra's Gumrah. One had to wait Madhumati (1958), Sujata (1959) and Bandini (1963), he is counted till the sixties and the early seventies for the two quintessential Bengal among the most acclaimed directors of Hindi films of all time. Sashadhar tigresses Sharmila Tagore and Rakhee to roar. Debuting with Kashmir Ki Mukherjee, father of Joy Mukherjee was the other successful Bengali Kali in 1964, Sharmila was equally at ease with glamorous roles in films filmmaker based in Mumbai who flourished in the 60's. Hrishikesh like An Evening in Paris, as she was with serious, meaty roles in films like Mukherjee who had edited many of Bimal Roy's films, made his debut Aradhana, Amar Prem, Safar, Avishkaar and Mausam. Rakhee did film Musafir with Dilip Kumar and Suchitra Sen in 1957. He followed this portray a vamp as a part of her double role in Sharmilee, but she was the with Anuradha and Satyakam. But it was only with Anand in 1970 with first choice for a serious, romantic heroine in films like Jeevan Mrityu (her Rajesh Khanna in the title role that Hrishida found his true mettle. Films debut film in Hindi), Daag (the Yash Chopra romance in which the two like Bawarchi, Namka Haram, Mili, Abhiman, Golmaal and Khubsurat Bengal tigresses faced each other) Kabhie Kabhie and Trishul. Plain Jane established him as the master of the middle-class milieu. Operating in a Jaya Bhaduri soon joined the party with a remarkable debut in Guddi. She more commercial format was Shakti Samanta who gave some of the notched up one impressive performance after another in films like biggest hits of Hindi cinema primarily with two lucky mascots, Shammi Koshish, Kora Kagaz, Zanjeer, Parichay, Mili, Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna. With the former, he made such breezy and Sholay till she gave it up all after marrying Amitabh Bachchan. entertainers like Kashmir Ki Kali and An Evening in Paris, while with the latter, he gave us emotional family entertainers like Aradhana, Kati If it is one field in Bollywood that the Bengalis truly shone in the 50's and Patang and Amar Prem. Amanush with Uttam Kumar was his last big 60's it is music. Pankaj Mullick and Raichand Boral were the earliest bi- success before he slowly sank into oblivion. Asit Sen (Khamoshi, Safar) lingual composers who scored music for both Bengali and Hindi films all and Dulal Guha (Dushman, Do Anjaane) are the other two directors who through 1930's, 40's and 50's. Their compositions were influenced tasted limited success in the big bad world of Hindi films around the same heavily by Rabindra Sangeet and Bengali folk. Anil Biswas was the other time. Bengal-born composer to blossom in Bombay around the same time. Among the early stalwarts, it is Sachin Dev Burman whom the present generation of music lovers is most familiar with. Burman-da was the Sindhu musical soul of Dev Anand and his Navketan Films. His list of classics is too numerous and well-known for recounting here. What is remarkable is CARGO SERVICES LTD. the way he remained at his creative peak right till his death, scoring music BRANCHES AT for films like Aradhana, Prem Pujari and Talaash when he was in his seventies. Salil Chowdhury with his uncompromising originality was less successful commercially, but still has left behind gems like Parakh, Calicut C Cochin Freight Forwarding O Chennai Coimbatore Customs Clearing M Delhi Transportation P Hyderabad Mumbai Warehousing L Pondicherry E Consultancy Tirupur T Trivandrum E Tuticorin LOGISTICS Vishakhapatnam

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But one area where the Bengali talent has found ready takers in Bollywood is music, especially playback singing. Kumar Sanu Madhumati and Rajnigandha. Hemanta Kumar, apart from being a managed to build himself as a poor man's Kishore, rising rapidly in successful playback singer with his distinctive voice, scored music in films like the heyday of Nadeem-Shravan, and disappearing as fast. Abhijjet Bees Saal Baad, Kohra, Nagin, Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam and Khamoshi. gained some success as the voice of Shahrukh in films like Anjaam, Equally distinctive was the voice of Geeta Dutt with unforgettable numbers Yes Boss and Chalte Chalte and there is Babul Supriyo with an like Waqt Ne Kiya and Thandi Hawa. After a long break following her occasional number now and then. London-based Sujata marriage to Guru Dutt, she made a charming come back under Kanu Roy's Bhattacharya singing as Madhushree made everyone take note of baton in the film Anubhav. Then there was Rahul Dev Burman, the creative her dulcet voice in Yuva with Kabhi Neem Neem. Soham Chakraborty dynamo, who revolutionized Hindi film music every few years with paradigm- too impressed with his In Dino in Life in a ..Metro. But the leading changing musical landmarks like Teesri Manzil, Padosan, Hare Rama Hare lights of playback singing in Mumbai are unquestionably Shaan and Krishna, Amar Prem and 1942, A Love Story ( his swan song). The list of his Shreya Ghoshal. Both of them are versatile, have youth on their side outstanding scores would fill pages. The same is the case with Kishore and have notched up enough hits singing for all major stars of today. Kumar, the legendary playback singer who displaced Mohammad Rafi from When it comes to creating music, the man of the moment in Hindi his perch with the remarkable success of Aradhana in 1969, and never looked films has to be Pritam Chakraborty, with hot and happening scores back. Manna Dey provided a good counterpoint to Kishore with his niche like Gangster, Woh Lamhe, Dhoom 2, Life in a.. Metro, Bhool numbers. Though successful with romantic numbers like Aaja Sanam Bhulaiya and Jab We Met. There have been fingers pointed for his Madhur Chnadni Mein, it was with classical raga-based numbers like generous borrowing from sources as diverse as Pakistani, Turkish Poochho Na Kaise or Jhanak Jhanak More Baaje Paayaliya and dramatic Arabic, Indonesian, and even, Korean pop. But there is no denying numbers like Zindagi Kaise Yeh Paheli or Hey Bhai Jara Dekha Ke Chalo that that he has a grip over today's listener's tastes and adds something of Manna really found his true forte. Of course, among this cavalcade of true his own to most of what he borrows. At least, he has given due credit greats one should not forget Bappi Lahiri, a true music director of the masses, to Guatam Chattopadhyay of Mohiner Ghoraguli for Prithvi, the song going from one extreme to another, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna to Bombaysi Aya he popularized with his 'Bheegi Bheegi' adaptation in Gangster. Mera Dost,. Giving him company, though in a much more selective terrain, is Shantanu Moitra. Making everyone sit up with his evocative and Leaving the glory days behind let us take a look at the Bengali's in Bollywood distinctive score in Hazaron Khwiashein Aisi, he followed it up with of today. What kind of presence do they have there? Leading the Bong brats in the excellent Parineeta, Eklavya, Laag Chunri Mein Daag and the Bollywood is Anurag Basu. Though Saaya came earlier, it was Murder of exquisite Khoya Khoya Chand. Not bad for someone who started his Mallika Sherawat fame with its huge commercial success that made musical career with the jingle Bole Mere Lips, I Love Uncle Chips! Bollywood take notice. He proved his directorial mettle with Gangster and Life.. in a Metro and is among the most wanted directors in Mumbai today. Not quite the glorious days of the 50's and 60's, but at least there is Reportedly his next is a romantic crime thriller with Hritik Roshan. Pradeep some ground being regained. These are exciting times for Bollywood. Sarkar came gave us a brilliant contemporary version of Sarat Chandra's Let's hope its Bong connection becomes stronger and the Parineeta only to take a step backward with a disappointing Laaga Chunri relationship leads to some kind of resurgence of mainstream Bengali Mein Daag. There are many more with limited success, mostly in the low or cinema in the days to come. middle-budget bracket: Sujoy Ghosh (Jhankar Beats, Home Delivery), Utkal Mohanty Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla Ka Ghosla), Onir (My Brother Nikhil, Bas Ek Pal), Saket Chaudhury (Pyaar Ke Side Effects), Ken Ghosh (Ishq Vishk , Fida), Shashank Ghosh (Aisa Bhi Hota hai, Part II) and Shoojit Saircar (Yahaan). Then there is the irrepressible Rituparno Ghosh with his Raincoat and the upcoming The Last Lear as his Bollywood offerings so far. Pritish Nandy and his PNC Communications are keeping the flag of production high. With Best Compliments

There has been no Bengali male star of note after Mithun. But Rahul Bose is not doing too badly in his brand of films, notable among them being Pyar Ke Side Effects, Mr. and Mrs Iyer and Jhankar Beats. The female stars are doing S.S. Electricals much better. Half-Bengali Kajol (daughter of Shomu Mukherjee and Tanuja) Class 1 Electrical Engineering and Contractors is Hindi film's most admired actress in recent times, closely followed by Rani Mukherjee, a scion of the famous Sasadhar Mukherjee lineage. Bipasha Basu, Sushmita Sen have been quite successful. And Konkona Sen has made Opp. SKF Bearings Co., # 26, 5th Cross, it on the sheer strength of her acting talent, giving a great account of herself in Vidyanagar, Bommasandra Indl. Area Mr and Mrs Iyer, Page 3, Mixed Doubles, Traffic Signal, Omkara and Life..in a Bangalore - 560 009. Metro. Between the two daughters of Moon Moon Sen, it is Raima who has Ph.: 7833199 M : 98452 14579 shown great promise in films like Chokher Bali, Parineeta, Honeymooon Travels and Manorama Six Foot Under. Rimi Sen is hovering on the sidelines after some success in films like Hungama ,Dhoom, Garam Masala, Phir Hera Pheri and Golmaal. Tanushree Dutta and Koena Mitra have made their Specialists in : Manufacturers of DB Panels, presence felt as item girls and are trying to move up the hierarchy. LT/HT Power Sanction or email:[email protected] F T Bal Bhavan Amphitheatre 6.00pm. June /July2008 The GrandAshok.Saturday move outofBengalorthosewhohave optedtostaybackinBengal?' The eveningwillalsofeatureadebate on'Who'smoreDynamic-theBengaleeswhohaveoptedto 'Chalo, Let'sGo'.MusicDirectorNeel DuttandsingerRupankarwillper Director AnjanDuttalongwithhiscast memberswillshowcasea3-minutetrailerofhisne Chowdiah MemorialA Bollywood 1943to2008:Amusicaltripdownmemor F F R l Chalo, Let'sGo Cream ofBanglaTheatreinBangalore Angik presents MA Mukhosh presents ace toF or bookinganddetails,call:98451-72749, 26492473 or details,visit: agore's Dance Drama BanglaSongsandP anga Shankara,F F C U LT U R E B E AT orthcoming Events AM Entertainmentpresents Making Bengalur city's the Thank “Corporate spice Amjad concert Entertainment T Bengaloor Jagannath Chakraborty Lopamudra, per brought screened Sengupta Biswas. MA great whiff Lving here o ace withMannaDey for year cater AM culture of e to mances you xtent Ali , Bengali platfor

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Sri Nityananda Banerjee Compiled by R T Nagar Anjan Kumar Bhadra 9845352410 Reminiscences KC DAS in Bengalooru E C

A While today Bangalore has become the preferred destination of so many organisations from Manik was with us from Day One of our business at Bangalore and was originally employed F

across the world, the arrival of K.C.Das in this city had less to do with its business-friendliness in our shop while the elderly Mr.Ajit Sinha was our Manager. By 1974, Manik was

O and a lot more to do with government policies in our home state of West Bengal. The stringent supervising our factory operations. As our operations picked up, Mr.Sinha was finding it T

E Milk Trade Control Order of 1967 passed by the then Chief Minister Prafulla Sen (who also difficult to cope with the increased load and I requested Manik to join him and help him out

C happened to be my uncle!) had severely cramped and smothered the enterprise initiated by in 1976. Since then, Manik gradually started to oversee our complete business activities A

F Nobin Chandra and built into a tradition by his successors. Barring our Esplanade and today, he is responsible for the entire gamut of our business and work. Manik's role in establishment, which was selling savouries besides sweets, all the K.C.Das shops in Kolkata building up K.C.Das Bangalore into what it is today has been immense. had to close down, along with the famous Nobin Chandra Das establishment, in 1967. My father, the remarkable late Sarada Charan Das, was actively scouting for alternate places to Over the years I have been in Bangalore, many distinguished and even strange guests and expand our operations and even made an abortive trip to Ahmedabad. The hot weather of visitors all unique in their own ways have graced our home. In 1980, East Bengal and Ahmedabad as well as an unfortunate accident involving an overturned auto-rickshaw Mohun Bagan teams have had lunch together at our place; a very rare event which many think discouraged him strongly enough to abandon any Gujarat plans. was quite unbelievable. Sailen Manna and PK were present, though Chuni Goswami remained loyal to his club sentiments and did not attend. Pandit Ravi Shanker has been visitor Then in 1970, my father asked me to accompany him to a CFTRI conference being organised on more than one occasion and so have many other illustrious performers, artistes and in Mysore. Much against my inclinations, I was forced to dress myself in trousers and shirts scholars. A Bengali gentleman of Bangalore once wrote an article in a Kolkata magazine instead of my own preferred “dhuti-panjabi”…and I found myself in this (then) beautiful city. saying that if anyone wanted to visit Bangalore and needed a place to stay at no expense, I remember that Shrungar Shopping Complex was then being constructed on they could land up at the Bangalore railway station and take an auto-rickshaw to Church M.G.Road…and me standing on the balcony of the Orient Longman office there and Street and ask for the K.C.Das house, where they would get free boarding and lodging for as wondering what a desolate and lonely place this was. Hardly any people on the roads, a few long as they wanted. This triggered off a spate of genuine inquiries about the “K.C.Das cars drifting along…and scattered lonely houses on Church Street! There was, at that time, Guesthouse/Dharamsala” from Kolkata! I have also received in plenty love, support and help also a Bengali sweet shop in Shrungar run by Chandan Mitra, son-in-law of the famous from many people here to whom I am grateful. Some have still remained cherished friends Dhruba Das of Kolkata. After a few days in Bangalore, my father took me on a trip to other while some have gradually drifted away into other orbits. The only sad part of this story is places in South India and then we returned to Kolkata. Over the next few months, Bangalore that the overwhelming majority of our clients has always been and still are non-Bengalis, many came to be discussed more and more as a possible destination for our business. Finally, my of whom have been loyal customers over generations. Some of our Bengali clients also have father kicked off the K. C. Das company's “southern campaign” in 1972 when he set up a approached us with peculiar requests…such as a gentleman who called me up one day and factory and a shop in Bangalore. We took the present premises at Church Street and an wanted to place an order for “sondesh” and instructed me not to use “maida” for his order! adjoining piece of vacant land on rent for the sum of Rs.1500/-. We took the shop at the Another Bengali gentleman once created a bit of a scene at our shop insisting that we should junction of Church Street and St. Mark Road for Rs.500/-. It was a tailor's shop. A few have a separate counter for Bengalis, as we were a Bengali establishment. Anyway, it has months later, we took the adjacent two shops too…which were dry fish shops…for an been an eventful three decades for us here and I must say I have enjoyed every bit of it so far. additional Rs.250/-. The shop at that time had two sections a snack bar and a sweet counter separated by a connecting door. The start was definitely not smooth. We had an electric (as narrated to Anirvanjyoti Chaudhuri by Shri Biren Das) boiler but that was mostly in-operational due to the erratic power supply at that time. The decision was taken to buy and bring in a fuel-oil boiler from Bombay, but it could not be put up in time for the planned inauguration on April 14th Poila Boisakh. It was then decided to postpone the inauguration. Meanwhile, we had already taken an order from the Bengali Association to supply sweets for their Poila Boisakh celebrations but then we had to inform them of our inability to do so. They were quite upset about it. And then my mother put her foot down and said the inauguration must happen as planned on the auspicious day. So we again went ahead and launched our operations. This time, Mr.Aich, the then Secretary the Bengali Association was quite furious with our flip-flops and they boycotted our launch event. However, a lot of local people did turn up and K.C.Das was on its way at last in Bangalore.

The initial years were quite hard for us. We sold rossogollas for 25 paise each and milk was available for Rs.1.25 per litre. Sales rarely exceeded Rs.250/- per day and the expenses of running the huge establishment were a constant drain. We were quite dependent on support from our head office at Kolkata for survival. Creditors were baying for our blood and even our bankers were despairing. On top of it, we had to buy the premises we were operating out of for Rs.2.25 lakhs funded out of a bank loan. Mr. Vittal, the then Branch Manager of UCO Bank, was a great well-wisher who supported us in those tough times. My father left

m Bangalore for Kolkata in 1974 and the entire responsibility fell on me. Support from the head o c . h

c office also dried up around that time. We were indeed very very hard pressed. Things started e e r

a improving from 1976 onwards and we turned the corner slowly. We made our first profit of m .

w Rs.50,000/- in 1976-77 on a total turnover of Rs.2.5 lakhs! It was in those early days that w w

two remarkable young men who contributed so much to our growth joined K.C.Das. M. g n i s i

t Muralidhara was an articled clerk with our auditors P.A.Ghatage in 1975, when I noticed his r e v

d meticulous work and dedication. I requested Mr.Ghatage for his services and Muralidhara A

h

c also readily agreed to come and work for us. Over the next nine years, he managed our e e r

a finances and accounts with such skill and capability that we still miss him till this day. He left us M

:

for an employment with the Reserve Bank of India in 1994. The other gentleman was n g i s

e C.R.D.Gilbert…more popularly known to everyone who has visited our home as “Manik”. D

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