Cover pic credits: Facebook: The Food Seeker
A century ago, if you were to stop by the ‘Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel’ near Kolkata’s College Square, you would have encountered a compelling sight — a group of Indian freedom fighters casually sitting around the eatery, waiting for their lunch to be prepared. Among them, you’d have spotted a bespectacled man in a khaki-coloured uniform, looking impatient until a plate of puishaak-er chochchori (a Bengali-style vegetable stir fry) was laid down in front of him.
The change in expression on the man’s face would have indicated that this was exactly what he was craving. And as he begins eating, it becomes evident that the dish has found favour with him. The man is Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian revolutionary prominently known for his role in the fight for freedom.
The dish he is feasting on is a Bengali speciality that is now a legendary pride of the Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel — a pice hotel where Bose frequently dined. In fact, the dish is prepared to this day, and the fact that there are no leftovers conveys the love people have for it.
The 112-year-old eatery is one among the many pice hotels in the city, the mushrooming of which is credited to the Indian freedom struggle.
The range of dishes served at the Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel includes fish, mutton and vegetable delicacies, Picture source: Arunangshu
The legacy of pice hotels in Kolkata
Not just among political circles, pice hotels were loved by even the working class. Interestingly, the name ‘pice’ borrows from the word ‘paisa’ considered the lowest denomination in Indian currency. The pice was a monetary unit of British India equivalent to one-quarter of an anna. The food was light on the pocket, an advantage during the peak of the Independence movement as Indians struggled with migrations, loss of business, and limited food supply.
As food historian Tanushree Bhowmik emphasised in an interview with BBC, “Pice hotels stand out as the first commercial indigenous eating places in the city. People moved from rural to urban areas as the economy shifted from agrarian to industrial, and these hotels sprung up to meet its needs.”
It is hearsay that even at a time when sustainability wasn’t the buzzword that it is today, these pice hotels were acing the game. The story goes that to keep operating costs low while continuing to maintain a profitable business, these hotels toyed with the concept of seasonal eating while prioritising fresh food.
In addition, waste was not tolerated and every part of the produce — from the bones to the peel — was used. Sometimes food would be served in banana leaves to eliminate plate costs.
The pice hotels were united in the way they displayed their menus depending on the produce that was available in the market that day. The items for the day would then make it to a board at the entrance that the guests could look at. It was an amusing sight to watch the servers rattle off the whole list from memory, despite the menu being ever-changing.
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The pice hotels of the city — Hotel Sidheshwari Ashram, Tarun Niketan Hotel, Parbati Hotel, Jagannath Ashram Hotel, and, of course, the Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel — were iconic in their own right and continue to retain the respect and awe of their customers.
The Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel
Today, not only has the crowd at the Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel seen a shift — from political figures to the working middle class — but also the food. New dishes have been rolled out on the menu while the taste of originals has been preserved.
Customers flocking to the hotel rave about the alu bhaja (crispy fried potato slices), macher dim er bora (fritters prepared with fish eggs), alu kumro chokha (a Bengali-style sweet pumpkin curry), chingri macher malaikari (a Bengali curry made from Tiger prawns), khashir mangsho (Bengali mutton curry), and chitol macher muitha bora (Bengali fish curry) among others.
But though popularly hailed as the ‘Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel’, this was not the eatery’s original name. It was called the ‘Hindu Hotel’ in 1912 when it was established by a gentleman named Mangobindo Panda. The name was changed following Independence when Panda marked the occasion by renaming the hotel ‘Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel’ — an ode to India’s newfound freedom.
Subhas Chandra Bose’s favourite delicacies at the hotel were the
puishaak-er chochchori and
murighanta, Picture source: Arunangshu
Despite its original name, people of all faiths were welcomed at the hotel by Panda who was affectionately known as ‘Thakurmoshai’. According to an article in the digital repository by the Ministry of Culture, there was one time when a group of freedom fighters found themselves inside the hotel. In the middle of a meeting where they were discussing their retaliation against the British, there was an unexpected police raid.
The article tells of Mangobindo’s bravado as he positioned himself at the doorway, refusing to yield. He remained steadfast until the police finally retreated.
In the years leading up to this, a BBC article highlighted how a secret room was built inside the hotel with a back exit that led to a secret passageway outside. The arrangement was apt for the revolutionaries who would often discuss their plans at the hotel and want to escape when a police van approached.
“My grandfather was always supportive of the freedom fighters,” says the current owner Arunanghshu Panda.
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Sharing how Bose favoured this eatery over the rest of the pice hotels, he says, “My grandfather belongs to Cuttack in Odisha where Bose was born too. That’s how when my grandfather started the ‘Hindu Hotel’, Bose, who was studying at Presidency College in 1916, began visiting and my grandfather used to serve him. I have seen and heard stories of how my grandfather was involved in the Independence fight. Many times, the freedom fighters would stop by, and he would cook a meal for them.”
The article in the digital repository also highlighted an incident in 1930 when Subhas Chandra Bose and fellow freedom fighters visited the hotel and raised spirited slogans like ‘Jai Hind’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, and Panda enthusiastically joined in. It sheds light on Mangobindo’s generosity as he provided food to hundreds of those who were starving during the Bengal famine of 1943.
Amidst these, Arunangshu has heard many stories of how Bose loved the puishaak-er chochchori and murighanta (a Bengali fish delicacy).
As the day begins in the City of Joy, the first trickle of guests begins to enter the Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel, which is carrying the baton of its legacy forward, not just in its food but in the tales that every guest is treated to.
Edited by Pranita Bhat.
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