Reliving Calcutta through Zeena Choudhury's memoir

Dhaka is gaining its name as a city of cafes and restaurants. At Tu'do in Banani, however, book lovers can also read and discuss books through Bookworm. The Reading Circle (TRC), a bookclub reading and discussing books since 2006, utilised this opportunity and gave a reception to Zeena Choudhury on 18th July. Her recent book, 'Calcutta Kebabs and Christmas Cakes', was discussed, and excerpts were read out by members of TRC.

TRC, initiated by Dr Niaz Zaman with only three members, meets once a month and now it has more than 40 members. They have read more than 250 books. TRC has also published four books in collaboration with Gantha, a writers' association. 

Over the years, it has hosted receptions for renowned writers like Syed Monzoorul Islam, Selina Hossain, Syed Shamsul Haq, Rizia Rahman, Kaiser Haq and many others. The group has also honoured international writers like Amitav Ghosh, Aruna Chakravarty and Mani Sankar Mukherji.

TRC chooses books that everyone agrees on, usually by a famous writer or an award-winning title. Zeena Choudhury's earlier book, 'Church Bells and Darjeeling Tea', gained much popularity among Bangladeshi readers. 'Calcutta Kebabs and Christmas Cakes', published by UPL, is a voluminous work of more than 500 pages, yet readers found it unputdownable.

The chief speaker was Dr Parvin Rahman, Vice Chancellor of Central Women's University. She praised the book as 'disarmingly charming' and said it brought back memories, as she too had lived in Kolkata around the same time.

It is one of those rare books that transports readers to the very place where events unfold. In that sense, everyone who reads it becomes an inhabitant of 7 Park Lane, and therein lies the writer's success.

The book is a memoir of a young girl who lived at 7 Park Lane with her grandmother for five years after World War II. It was also the time when India and Pakistan emerged on the map of South Asia. 

Her parents were pursuing higher studies in the USA. She befriended her grandmother's friend and tenant in the same building and became an integral part of life at Park Lane. It was a multicultural society where both Eid and Christmas were celebrated.

'The house had not remained a simple house anymore, but it had become a treasure trove for all readers,' another discussant, Dr Tanvir Khan, opined. Other speakers included Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Sara Zakir, Khadija Rahman, Shirin Sheikh Mainuddin, Razia Quader and Razia Sultana Khan. The programme was presided over by Dr Niaz Zaman.

One cannot help but see the city of Calcutta, as it was called then, through Zeena's eyes. Her 'master moshai' gave her and her brother a tour of present-day Kolkata in his brand-new Bugatti. He taught them the history of the city, introduced them to poetry, and took them to the theatre.

They walked on Sundays along Chitpur Road—a road four centuries old, named after the goddess Chitteswari and notorious for the bandit Chitey Dacoit, who offered human sacrifice (145). In the seventeenth century, it stretched from Chitteswari Temple in the north to Kalighat Temple in the south. At that time, it was the 'Black Town' to the British, while Chowringhee was the 'White Town.'

College Street is a must-see for anyone visiting the city. Zeena gives a vivid tour of the street, noting that it derived its name from the many educational institutions nearby.

Zeena Choudhury divides the book into sixty chapters, some only two or three pages long while others are considerably longer. Each chapter can stand on its own. Her writing is magical and enriched with historical anecdotes. 

It is one of those rare books that transports readers to the very place where events unfold. In that sense, everyone who reads it becomes an inhabitant of 7 Park Lane, and therein lies the writer's success.