47 Ghosh Bari may not ring a bell but Khelat Ghosh’s house located at 47 Pathuriaghata Street is a well-known landmark.
For the past couple of years, the huge compound of the palatial mansion has been the hunting ground for the Instagramers and social media influencers during Durga Puja.
For the rest of the year, the building remains out of reach of visitors but things are ready for transformation. Christened as the 47 Ghosh Bari, a portion of the Khelat Ghosh’s house, will turn into a heritage homestay and restaurant and will be a hotspot for post- and pre-wedding shots.
The Man
Marble bust of Babu Khelat Ghosh in the dining room
Khelat Chandra Ghosh was the grandson of Ramlochan Ghosh, a clerk of Governor General Warren Hastings. During the time of Hastings, he moved to Pathuriaghata Street and built a house at 46 Pathuriaghata Street. Khelat Chandra Ghosh was born in this house in 1829. A highly erudite individual, who received enormous appreciation from all strata of the society. Apart from being a successful businessman he was known for his religious, spiritual and philanthropic activities. He built the famous Khelat Ghosh Mansion, which remains a prominent landmark of the city even after a century.
The Mansion
A colonial styled statue at Khelat Ghosh House and (right) a simple but elegant lampshade from the bygone era
The construction of the building started in 1844 and took two years to build. Supported by tall pillars, the house is centred around an open courtyard lined with long corridors and approached by a flight of marble stairs. Belgian glass mirrors, decorative chandeliers and porcelain statues and urns add to the décor of the grand house. During its heydays, the Khelat Ghosh mansion bustled with activities and was the forefront of performing arts, including theatres. The mansion was visited by many prominent personalities such as Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Mahatma Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
Durga Puja
Visitors at the Khelat Ghosh Mansion during Durga Puja
Amitabha GuptaThe house still serves as a residence and office of the Ghosh family and remains out of bounds to visitors. But come Durga Puja, the entire house turns into a festive ground. Family members from far and wide join in the annual celebrations. The gates are thrown open and visitors get access to the huge courtyard complete with the thakur dalan. Social media influencers have a grand time as reels and stories flow freely attracting millions of likes and shares.
A white elephant
The long corridors of Khelat Ghosh Mansion
Today the Khelat Ghosh House has been declared a Grade I heritage building by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). This has been a tricky situation for the Ghosh family, as extensions and even repairs have to be done according to the KMC guidelines. The paltry rent received from the few tenants is the only revenue generated from the huge mansion. Most of these tenants have been occupying the premises for over a century and pay an astonishingly low rent. So, the house has turned into a white elephant and the only way of preserving it is to put it into adaptive reuse.
The future – adaptive reuse
Rooms of Khelat Ghosh House under renovation
In come the twins of Twin Tours. Twins Subhajit and Abhijit Datta operate the Twin Towers, a travel company specialising in walk tours of traditional households in north Kolkata. They also have the experience of converting heritage properties into homestays and eateries. Subhajit says: “These heritage properties have immense tourism potential. We are planning to convert three rooms of the Khelat Ghosh Mansion into homestay. There will be a big hall for photo shoots. The hall will be decorated with age-old furniture and artefacts, which will add to the aesthetics of the photos.”
“There will be a separate dining hall serving Bengali cuisine, which would also contain a few exotic items from the Ghosh kitchen.”
According to the twins, the project will be ready before Durga Puja 2024 and will be known as 47 Ghosh Bari. Presently, the dining hall is ready and serves food on request.
Food on call
A typical thali at Khelat Ghosh Mansion serving luchis, alur dom, salad, fish fry, pulao, mutton curry, papad, chutney and payesh
Contact: For food on call, call Subhajit Dutta of Twin Tours at 90515 25307The restoration work is in full swing and twins are working round-the-clock to meet the deadline. Presently, food is available on call. Subhajit says: “We are presently serving only thalis. The order has to be made 24 hours in advance and must have a minimum of five heads. There are different vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations and prices start from Rs 1,200.”
He further adds: “We are also open to picnics. Recently, Calcutta Foodies Club (CFC), a popular food club operating on Facebook, had their annual picnic with almost 500 guests.”
Road ahead and future of conservation
The dining room with a bust of Khelat Ghosh and portraits of members of Ghosh family
The Ghosh family members are also excited about the project. Prodipto Ghosh, great-great-grandson of Khelat Ghosh, says: “That the project will provide much-needed funds for maintaining the house.” The first-year BBA student added: “The homestay will attract a lot of visitors from far and wide and in the process, will bring back the lost glory of our illustrious family.”
Subhajit adds: “Twin Tours are ready to help owners of such property. We provide guidance in setting up of heritage homestays and eateries.” He further adds, “This type of adaptive reuse is possibly the only way to save the crumbling heritage mansions of Kolkata.”
