Getting a chance to shoot ( and do the decor of) a wedding at Elgin Fairlawn hotel, Kolkata was nothing short of a dream project. When the bride revealed the name of the venue, I was thrown back into a sea of memories at that very instant. All of the weddings that we do are very special to us, but this one had a personal connection. The last time I was supposed to be there, was for doing a project on Lady Violet; the short, auburn-haired, and well-coiffured, Ms.Marplesque quintessential Anglo-Calcuttan, who owned the property. Life happened, plans changed, and I left for Delhi. Upon my return I found, that Lady Violet was no longer with us, and the custodian of the property was Mrs.Fowler, her daughter. As I revisited the place years after, I walked down the memory lane, standing in front of the big banyan tree that nestles the courtyard and the vintage fountain that proudly carried an indelible imprint of the British era in Bengal.
Housed in a 1783 building with a colonial-era vibe, the memorabilia-filled iconic heritage hotel has been shaped by the hands and minds of generations of families whose memories and influences have contributed to the unique heritage. Since 1783, The Elgin Fairlawn has stood on the junction of Madge Lane and Sudder Street. It was built by a European, Mr. William Ford who purchased the land from Sheikh Ramjan and Bhonay . The street was originally named after Ford. However, the current name was adopted many years later when a Sadar Court (pronounced Sudder) was built. A Sadar Court is a local court of appeal. The building was constructed shortly after the land was purchased and the deeds state that a “Pukka” building had been built by Mr. Ford. The word Pukka (proper) denotes that it was built of bricks. Bengalis were only allowed to build from coconut palm and mud by the ruling Nawabs.
Since then, from Chisholms to Mounts to the Armenian Sarkies ( of whom Lady Violet was an heir), the possession of the building has followed many successions and in 1962 – Mr. Ted and Mrs. Violet Smith took over the ownership and administration of the property.
Not much is known about the Chisholms. However, the Mounts were a seafaring family. They were allegedly involved in smuggling opium and textiles with China. Many British Earls and Viscounts can trace their beginnings to this kind of activity. Job (pronounced Jobe) Charnock once said that “it will always be possible for a man to make his fortune in Calcutta” and many did. During the Second World War, it was requisitioned for Canadian Airforce personnel. For two years it was known as “Canada House”. During this time it served as a family quarter of an Airforce Major Melvyn Douglas.
This blog is going to be an account of the sealing of love between two of our friends, and also, the scrawls of an archeophile.
In his essay on “Antiquity”, Charles Lamb wrote:
“Antiquity! thou wondrous charm, what art thou? that being nothing art everything? When thou wert, thou wert not antiquity – then thou wert nothing, but hadst a remoter antiquity, as thou calledst it, to look back to with blind veneration; thou thyself being to thyself flat, jejune, modern! What mystery lurks in this retroversion? or what half Januses are we, that cannot look forward with the same idolatry with which we for ever revert! The mighty future is as nothing, being everything! the past is everything, being nothing!”
He knew what it felt like to be nostalgic and perhaps nobody else can put it more exquisitely in words than he did.
British travel writer Eric Newby had once compared the ambiance of this hotel to a “slow-motion film of a coronation”.Little would you know about the Fairlawn Hotel from the outside, but this is one of the most beautiful properties I have been to in Kolkata. Kolkata, the erstwhile capital of British India, is an amazing collage of the English imperial culture and the traditional Bengali way of life, interspersed with all the elements of a modern metropolis. Its 350-year-old heritage fuses seamlessly with the remnants of its colonial past, adding a nostalgic charm to the city. Adorned with ancient landmarks like museums, shopping streets, and delectable cuisine, it has a magnetic influence over travel enthusiasts who visit the city to experience its vibrant culture. Kolkata has this unique ability to make you love it one minute, hate it the next, and then fall hopelessly in love with her all over again! The Fairlawn Hotel is every bit reminiscent of the British-Armenian era with a quaint Victorian touch. The genteel colonial charm of the hotel oozes of nostalgia. Several centuries of fascinating history rest on its humble facade and it still shelters minds like us from the decay of brutally ugly buildings offering pointless luxury.
Everything about and in Fairlawn is time-kissed. The iconic heritage hotel has been shaped by generations of families whose memories and influences have contributed to the unique heritage. It was here, in one of the rooms of Fairlawn Hotel, where the story of Calcutta titled City of Joy was penned by the French Writer Dominique Lapierre during his staycation. There is Calcutta and Kolkata. This place gives us the real taste of Calcutta. Places like Fairlawn are rare, in modern days. This oasis right in the heart of Calcutta is heavily steeped in history and glamour. If Calcutta is not a place, it’s a “feeling”, Fairlawn Hotel, the classy and royal heritage bungalow, with its soul hidden somewhere in its atmosphere; walls painted in elegant, vintage, and luxurious mint green, tall mirrors, old artifacts, showpieces, handwritten letters, the chandeliers, the curtains, the tea-pots, creaky wooden staircase lined with old photos, a chequered marble floor, potted plants, a potpourri of styles transports you to an old-world charm which is more than a footnote in a celluloid fairy tale. Adding immeasurably to the appeal are the dining room with chandeliers and tablecloths, shady courtyard café, and communal balcony providing wicker chairs and street views. It is not a place u visit, it’s an experience of a living museum. For Violet, it was her obsession; it has been her life’s work. The formidable and legendary Lady of the House had the paintwallahs out each day painting anything that didn’t move… old marble tiles and living trees not even spared. The Fairlawn is a real institution in Calcutta. Time has callously ensnared a lot of beautiful things and places around me, and transformed them into something more lovely, like this place, energizing, quiet, regal….and perfect. You come to love everything about this gorgeous place. Even the resident cats, happily made special guest appearances in so many of the photos!
Lady Violet was an anglophile and was very proud of the hotel’s colonial past and enthusiastic about all things British. The grand old dame was known in Calcutta as The Duchess of Sudder Street. Her parents fled Armenia after the Turkish invasion and genocide in 1915 and landed up in Calcutta. Violet lived at the Fairlawn all her life, celebrating her birthdays and throwing parties at the hotel’s famous balcony, in the style of British nobility. She used to descend the stairs every day, impeccably made-up, even in her 90s, to hold court in the foyer with her guests. Lady Violet, who passed away in 2014 aged 94, was one of the last of Calcutta’s flourishing Armenian community who once ran trading companies, mines, jute mills, and hotels. If you wish to know more about her and the hotel check out this beautiful documentary here.
