Image 1: Esplanade Mansions

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

Calcutta, today known as Kolkata, was an important trading centre for the British empire. Having a rich history filled with important events, the city houses many resettled business communities like the Armenians, Chinese, Jews, Parsis, Gujaratis, Marwaris, Tamilians, and more. Some belonged to a far-flung diaspora, as they originated from outside of today's India. The term diaspora is used for people who have left their ancestral hometowns and migrated to various parts of the world, in search of a better life. Some reasons for this migration included events like wars, persecutions, conflicts, economic necessities, expansion etc. An interesting aspect about the city of Kolkata is that it contains a complex set of sociological groups, where the architecture built by the communities, carried particular characteristics and had an interesting development. This helped the communities establish a root within the city.

"The city allows a space for people to interact with others, to learn, to accept, to reject, to develop, to create new ways of life and of life itself." ~ Himadri Banerjee, Nilanjana Gupta, Spira Mukherjee, Calcutta Mosaic 2012.

Image 1: Esplanade Mansions An Art Nouveau building built in 1910, for a Jewish businessman called Elias Ezra in Calcutta.

Some communities, particularly the Indian ones, did well in businesses and are still active. While others, whose architecture has made a lasting impression on the city, are on the verge of dying out. The communities are different from each other, with some integrated socially and economically, while others architecturally. The project aimed to understand the latter, as only few studies have been found, to try and understand how the communities have been architecturally influenced by the urban landscape.

This project was a study on the architecture, built by the diasporic communities, from the early 18th century to the early 20th century. It looked at communities that had played an important, economic and architectural role in Calcutta. These included the Armenians and Jews, whose architectural contributions are mainly found in Bara Bazar and Park Street, two commercially different but important areas. Involved in important mercantile businesses, these communities had a close association with the British and some marginalized communities. Some members helped create important buildings like, grand mansions (Refer Image 1), religious and educational institutions, most of which are still currently active in the city's everyday life.

These architectural contributions act as heritage sites, as they help one understand the history, development and transformation of the migrant community over time. Presently very few in number, these communities are rarely recognized in discussions of the city's architecture and urbanism, thus making this study important, to help increase the awareness about them.

The project was intended to contain a threefold discussion, looking at urban context, architectural style and, current issues. This would help understand the importance of the buildings in the two areas, and how they are crucial in maintaining the identity of the minority communities. The analysis is based on the inferences of, Zoreh Torabi and Sara Brahman article, Effective factors in shaping the identity of Architecture, published in 2013, and the observations of Brian Paul Bach in his book Calcutta's Edifice, the buildings of a great city, published in 2006. It helped to understand, how the migrant communities adapted to the city with their architecture and the different ideologies associated with it. The study also tried to convey the current condition of the buildings in the post-colonial period and the necessity for proper guidelines and measures to protect the buildings from further damage.

1.2 Need and importance of the study

Currently, Kolkata's rapid urbanization has led to the architecture of the Armenians and Jews to be lost within a complex urban setting. What makes these two communities different, are their major architectural contributions to Calcutta's urban fabric, compared to other migrant communities in the early 20th century.

Tiretti Bazar and Tangra, housing the Chinese diasporic community, have a number of studies associated with them. Research papers, short films and proposals to protect their cultural identity, urban heritage, architecture, portray how they are more socially integrated and recognized within the city. However, neither the public nor scholars are very familiar with the architecture of the Jews and the Armenians, as little study has been found on it. A study on the different influences on their architecture helped to interpret how these communities created an identity and integrated with the city.

This project also aimed to learn about the heritage of the city and contribute to architectural conservation. In the process also understanding, the importance of Kolkata in the colonial period and the development of its urban fabric over time.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the study

Aim of the study: To study the character and transformation of Armenian and Jewish architecture in the urban setting of Kolkata.

The objectives of the study are:

1. To understand the growth and evolution of the communities with the city. 2. To survey the architectural contribution of the two communities with respect to: 2.1. Evolution of the urban context 2.2. Chronology and functional typologies 2.3. Stylistic characteristics 3. To select few examples for detailed study and analysis, with respect to their history, stylistic attributes, context, current condition and relationship with the city.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What defines the architectural identity of the diasporic communities in Calcutta? 2. How has urban transformation and the changed architectural context affected the

Armenian and Jewish communities?

1.5 Central Argument

Buildings built by the diasporic communities were constructed based on their memories and experiences.

The buildings are currently situated in an urban setting which is neglected, run-down and heavily commercialized, making what were once prominent landmarks invisible today.

1.6 Scope and Limitations

• Two case studies-

Kolkata has traces of architecture built by many communities like the Chinese,

Parsi, Armenian, Jews, Anglo Indians and even the Portuguese, Dutch, Scottish and more. But the project was limited to the Armenians and Jews as these communities were forefront as distinctive business entrepreneurs, who built important buildings for the city in comparison to the others. • Information sources-

Information about the history of the communities is available through secondary sources about Calcutta's minority communities and the prominent historic structures in the city. Some communities also have video documentaries, online archives, blogs and news articles about themselves. Important historic pictures depict how the buildings and the surroundings used to be at a particular time period.

• Detailing-

The study contains an overall survey of the buildings in Calcutta but only details the buildings in Bara Bazar (Brabourne Road) and Park Street.

It was limited to the study of the urban context, styles and issues of the architecture in order to understand the architectural identity of the two communities. • Comparative study-

Selection on the cases for comparison depended upon similarities in the time period, architectural style, function and location.

The communities architecture in Calcutta was also compared to their architecture in other parts of India and the world, that helped understand their distinctive choices in the selection of style. • Lack of information-

Information on some buildings was not available, due to lack of documentation or preservation of documents.

1.7 Operational Definitions

For the purpose of this project

1. Diaspora:

The term is used for people who have dispersed or spread from their original homeland.

Examples of such communities are the Jewish, Armenians, Chinese diasporas.

2. Architectural Identity:

Architecture is associated with identity as it helps carry a message, concept and characteristics attributed to a community in the place it was created. Rappaport describes identity as the ability to distinguish and identify an element from another. It is a feature which can be associated with physical attributes like shape, size, decoration, construction style, etc. or can be specific activities or practices in the environment or its functions.

Architectural identity is defined by ideas, effects and functions of a structure, that are a result of the culture at that time. Factors like beauty, knowledge and design originality are results of a dynamic thought that creates a genuine and meaningful architecture with identity. (Torabi, Z and Brahman, S 2013)

3. Urban Context: Urban context is the surrounding environment and its various constructions- physical, social, economic, ecological, cultural and more, in which architecture is integrated and dependent upon. (Bhuyan, 2016)

4. Urban Fabric: It is defined as the physical aspect of urbanism, emphasizing building types, thoroughfares, open spaces, frontages and streetscapes but excluding environmental, functional, economic and socio-cultural aspects.

5. Inventory: For this study, it is an organization of a list of important information of the structure used for data collection. It contains information like the location, style, characteristics, significance, threats and more.

1.8 Methodology

The project began with the generation of aims and objectives, a framework using relevant literature, and focussed on the need for the study. A research approach was then formulated to reach a conclusion.

1.8.1 Stage 1: Formulation of the project

The project was formulated by understanding the problem and its importance, along with its context. It focussed on the understanding of how the architecture came to be, and what were its implications on the site.

Research Approach

1. Preliminary background research. 2. Formulation of aims and objectives, by understanding the problem. 3. Understanding the background of the city and the communities. 4. Produce a preliminary survey of the different diasporic communities in Kolkata. 5. Collect relevant data with the help of inventories, of the two diasporic communities 6. Detailed study of influence of the architectural style through a comparative study of the historical architectural character of the city and the community. 7. Study effect of urbanization and change in political rule over the architecture. 8. Analysis of the findings, and test central argument. 9. Derive conclusions from the analysis.

1.8.2 Stage 2: Data Collection

Background data was planned to be collected through primary sources and secondary sources.

1) Primary sources1. Information gathered on site, through drawings, sketches surveys, inventories etc. 2. Members of the communities interviewed 3. Official authorities and organisations

2) Secondary sourcesInformation gathered from book sources, journals, archives and video documentaries, etc.