The colourful history of Meherpur’s last old mansions

The first thing that the old mansions remind us of are the sparrows' nests in the attics. In the evening, as the birds returned to the nests, the sound of chirping would fill the surroundings. 

The roofs of the old houses brought the open sky closer, and with it a handful of blue you wanted to fill your pocket with. And when winter arrived, it would be time to spread the rug and enjoy the sweet sun. For the young ones who were banned from stepping on the roof ladder due by the elders, winter gave them a temporary licence. 

Those houses are now abandoned, though their stories live on in the labyrinthine streets of Meherpur, a northwestern district in Bangladesh.

A tapestry of history is woven within the walls of these ancient houses. These structures, having weathered the test of time, stand as silent sentinels of a bygone era, each brick and beam echoing the stories of generations past.

Three residences of the Bhattacharya family 

Among these relics of the past, the legacy of distinguished lawyer Nalinakshya Bhattacharya shines bright. 

In the balcony of Bhattacharya's house, a kind of curtain made of bamboo planks was found. The curtains were hung on the railing of the balcony to provide “purdah” for the women of the house. Photo: Anushka Banerjee

After completing his graduation from Calcutta University in 1910, Nalinakshya studied law at Calcutta Law College. After completing his studies in 1914, he returned to his native Meherpur — then a subdivision of Nadia district during British colonial rule — and started practising law. 

Nalinakshya began to gain unprecedented fame in a very short time due to his knowledge and intellect. And with fame, came money. Besides buying land with the money earned, he started building houses. 

In the heart of Meherpur, his three stately abodes, the 'Old Post Office,' 'Law Garden,' and 'Kanakprabha,' stand as monuments to his reverence for heritage and culture. 

Inspired by the ethos of Rabindranath Tagore, Bhattacharya meticulously crafted these houses, each over 90 years old, blending Greek architectural finesse with subtle modernisations.

The floor of the two-storied Law Garden is adorned with tiles. Though the front of the hanging porch has undergone some renovation, the "oldness" has not been erased.

Within the hallowed halls of the Old Post Office, aptly named for its former function, relics such as Surendranath Banerjee's secretary table serve as tangible links to history. While Nalinakshya was studying law in Calcutta, revolutionary Surendranath Banerjee was arrested by the police for his involvement in the anti-Beatrice movement. 

The British government auctioned all the furniture in Surendranath Banerjee's house and Calcutta Law College students collectively decided to buy all the furniture in honour of Banerjee. Nalinakshya got the secretary table.

That table is still at the Old Post Office, Ananya Bhattacharya, a descendant of Nalinakshya Bhattacharya, informed us.

Nalinakshya Bhattacharya had built seven to eight double-storied houses in Meherpur. During the 1971 Liberation War, the homesteads were looted and set on fire. After independence, the family managed to make the remaining three houses suitable for living. 

In the balcony of Bhattacharya's house, a kind of curtain made of bamboo planks was found. The curtains were hung on the railing of the balcony to provide "purdah" for the women of the house. 

This also protects the indoors from harsh sun rays and rain. However, there was no lack of light in the balcony. These houses were built in such a way that a lot of natural light could get in as at the time these old mansions had been built, there was no electricity. 

Zamindar Surendranath Bose's Bose Bari

The ancestral home of the Bose family stands as another testament to Meherpur's storied past. Adorned with engraved letters and weather-worn façades, it serves as a living monument to India's freedom struggle. Here, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once graced its halls, leaving an indelible mark on its history.

Surendranath Bose's zamindari spanned from Baradi in Meherpur to the Chuadanga border. 

To build Bose Bari, a little more than 125 years old, Surendranath brought masons and artisans from Medinipur, Jhargram, Patna and Bihar.

During the anti-British movement, one day on 5 June 1928, Netaji gave a speech at the Meherpur English High School grounds. Subhash called upon the people of Meherpur to boycott foreign products. Back then, Suren Bose's sons were Congress supporters. So after coming to Meherpur, Netaji went to Bose Bari.

Meanwhile, to arrest Netaji, British police raided Bose Bari. By then Netaji had left Meherpur. Zamindar Kiran Kumar Bose, son of Surendranath Bose, looked a lot like Netaji. Police arrested Kiran Kumar on the suspicion of him being Subhash Bose, Anindita Bose Ayantika, one of the heiresses of Bose Bari, told us.

Later, however, the error was resolved. 

Inside, the house looked like something out of a novel by Bimal Mitra. The name of the house was engraved on a wall in English letters. Furniture in this house where Netaji Subhash had taken his meals are still preserved.

If you stand on the balcony of the second floor, you will see the flower garden. 

With six rooms on the first floor, three rooms on the second floor and one room on the third floor, the architectural style of the house clearly reflects the Nawabi period. 

Pigeons — the current residents of the roof at Bose Bari — could be seen flying around. 

Because of Bose Bari, the area around this house is still known as Bose Para by locals.

Palbari: A relic of the World Wars 

There is another old house in Meherpur, in the area just behind Law Garden. Palbari is said to be at least 100 years old. 

Paal bari. Photo: Anushka Banerjee

During the First World War, Manindranath Pal built the ground floor of Palbari with the money he earned from his contracting business. Later, during the Second World War, the construction of the second and third floors of the house was completed. 

This house is rather worn out, but still standing as a silent witness of the birth and death of the next two or three generations of Manindranath Pal.

Countless old houses are scattered in the small city of Meherpur, but not all have survived.

At Mallick Para of the city, searching for the house of the grandfather of popular West Bengal actor Ranjit Mallick yielded no results. There were no signs of any house of that period. Only the ruins of a temple were visible. Locals said the house had indeed been there, but was later deserted. 

Many more of these old houses might soon be torn down to make way for modern structures.