Patuatola Lane: Apu's mess and a forgotten pundit

Around June last year Criterion Collection launched the trailer of Apu Trilogy’s restored version, a process that involved more than thousand hours of manual work(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5zib042hEs). The trailer allowed many of us to have a glimpse Ray’s masterpiece in its original glory for the very first time. While going through such a film set in Calcutta, I have this habit of taking a shot in identifying the location. So when the trailer moved on to Aparajito, showing a visibly perplxed Apurba Kumar Ray trying to locate his mess in a narrow alley of the city, I decided to pause and take a better look. The lane looked familiar, and the pristine quality of the print also didn’t offer much trouble in reading the address of the bookshop behind Apu, which read Ramanath Mazumdar Street. Ramanath Mazumdar Street is a lane near College Square, that connects Bankim Chatterjee Street to Patuatola Lane.  However in the actual novel, we do not find any mention of Patuatola

Lane. Instead we are told that, Apu stayed in a mess at Panchanan Das-r goli (lane) near Amherst Street (now Raja Rammohan Ray Sarani). Though Panchanan Das-r goli is fictional, the locational detail that is provided in Aparajito fits with that of Patuatola Lane. Patuatola Lane, as the name indicates, derives its name from being the quarter of painters or Patuas, connects Surya Sen Street (formerly Mirzapur Street) with Mahatma Gandhi Road (formerly Harrison Road). This area being located between College para and Sealdah rail-station was dotted with a number of boarding houses or messes, catering to the migrant student community and also the office babus. A few such boarding houses are operative even to this day. Bibhutibhusan himself stayed in such a boarding house for quite a few years when he was a teacher at Khelat Ghosh’s school in Esplanade. Apu, who travelled from Nischindipur to the city for higher studies, understandably chose to stay in such a boarding house at this locality. 

Once sure of the location, I decided to pay a visit and compare as to how much the locale has changed in these six decades. Anyone who is familiar with the visual history of Calcutta will know that, how little records do we have of these lesser prominent and less touristy parts of the city. In such a case an outdoor shot from a film is probably the best documentary record that is available. Admittedly I was a bit relieved when I reached the location on a weekday afternoon. Yes the tube well that one could see in the film is gone; the grand house behind Apu, (more about it later) is not the same anymore. But still there is enough to easily identify the location. And finally the house, that Apu was seen entering; the mess he was looking for is still there.

But there was more that I discovered during this 'trip'.  The grand house that is visible behind Apu, now in a dilapidated state also has a remote connection with Satyajit Ray. It was the residence of Satindranath Bhattacharya, who played the role Satyaranjan Sarkar in Ray's Mahapurush. Satindra who was part of all Ritwik Ghatak films barring ‘Titas ekti nadir naam’, also acted in Baksho Badal, a film scripted by Ray. The plaque at the entrance of this house suggests that it was the also the

residence of Taranath Tarkabachaspati. Taranath Tarkabachaspati, as this memorial plaque suggests was a lexicographer and a reviver of Sanskrit lore. Taranath a professor of the Sanskrit College, for twenty-seven long years, is chiefly remembered for compilation of the Sanskrit dictionary Vachaspatya. Tarkabachaspati also published a treatise on Sanskrit grammar titled Sabdartharatnam.

What I personally found interesting was his role in the contemporary reform movements and the complexities of his relationship with Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The friendship between these two pundits finds mention in all the major biographies of Vidyasagar. The trouble that Vidyasagar took to travel and inform Taranath of his appointment at the Sanskrit College became a major lore of the former's life. Later, Vidysagar found an able aide in Taranath, during his movement for introduction of the Widow-remarriage Act. In Taranath's biography, his son, Jivananda even claimed that, it was Taranath who provided the crucial scriptural evidence in favor widow remarriage. As Brian Hatcher observed, though it is difficult to be sure of Jivananda's claim "Vidyasagar did later found what it meant not to have Taranath arguing on his behalf".

In his next major campaign against polygamy, Vidyasagar to his surprise found his old comrade in the opposite camp. Taranath even went on to publish a tract titled Bahubibaha Vadh in favor of polygamy of the kulins. Vidyasagar in his retort, Bahubibaha was particularly acerbic to Taranath. A separate section of the second pamphlet against polygamy (Tarkabacharpati-prakarana) was reserved for Taranath. As Vidyasagar's campaign began to falter, his frustration became even apparent. In a very uncharacteristic manner, we found Vidyasagar resorting to ad hominem attack on his former comrade. These attacks were conducted through two pamphlets, Ati olpo hoilo and Abar oti olpo hoilo, published under the pseudonym of 'the competent nephew' (upojuktosyo bhaiposyo). Tarkabachaspati remained silent against in reply to what Sumit Sarkar described as outbursts of 'helpless anger'. Their friendship though was never mended, Tarkabachaspati died in 1885. Vidyasagar died an exasperated man six years later.

Suggested Readings

Indra Mitra, Karunasagar Vidyasagar

Brian Hatcher, Vidyasagar

Sambhuchandra Vidyaratna, Vidyasagar Jibanharit o Bhramanirah

Brian Hatcher, What became of the Colonial pundits?, Modern Asian Studies, 39, 3(2005)