Dhaka house of Zamindar Jotindra Kumar still stands

Dhaka Municipality began its journey in 1864. It started work like constructing and repairing roads, sewerage systems, supplying drinking water, and garbage removal. At this time, the railway and waterway systems improved considerably.

Communication between Dhaka and various cities, including Kolkata, was established via the Buriganga River. For this improvement in this communication system, the city's perimeter also started to expand.

Settlements sprung up in new areas. Sutrapur, Lalbagh, Wari, and Narinda began to develop. However, Farashganj, located on the bank of the Buriganga River, was already bustling because it was the trade centre for French merchants. Before the English arrived in this region, the French, Portuguese, Dutch, and Armenians had their dominance.

Shyambazar is the locality adjacent to Farashganj. At that time, which is the end of the nineteenth century, Jotindra Kumar Saha, a Zamindar from Tangail, built a house in this Shyambazar area of Dhaka. It was named Mangalabash.

The Zamindar stayed in this house whenever he came to Dhaka, just as modern wealthy individuals build a holiday home away from their main residence. He frequented this house until the partition of the country in 1947. However, there is a difference of opinion on whether Jotindra Kumar's Zamindari was in Tangail or somewhere else.

At the time of the partition, many were able to exchange their properties, but Jotindra Kumar Saha could not. He left this palace behind and moved to Kolkata.

According to Azim Bakhsh, known as a living dictionary of Dhaka affairs, Sardar Maula Bakhsh's house was right next to Mangalabash, located at 3 Mohini Mohan Das Lane. His son, Mohammad Azim Bakhsh, has been aware of the house and everything associated with it since his childhood.

Azim Bakhsh said that after the partition of the country, officials from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka used to live in this house. The house was looted during the Liberation War in 1971.

After the Liberation War, the house became a student dormitory for Kabi Nazrul Government College in Old Dhaka. The century-old building began to be used as the Shaheed Shamsul Alam Dormitory. This student of Kabi Nazrul College was martyred in the Liberation War.

In addition, a room on the ground floor was reserved for the cultural organisation Mukti Khelaghar Asar. ‘Khelaghar’ was established in Dhaka on 2 May 1952, through the initiative of children's writer Habibur Rahman.

Mukti Khelaghar Asar was a branch of Khelaghar. Azim Baksh recalled, "All the activities that a children’s organisation does were part of the Khelaghar Asar.” But over time, the organization weakened.

The people of Shyambazar and Farashganj still recognise the building as the Khelaghar building. If you ask a local tea stall owner or fuchka-wala where Mangalabash is, they won't be able to answer. If you mention Khelaghar, they will even show you the alley.

I have visited this Mangalabash multiple times due to my writing and research on Old Dhaka. Recently, I went again one afternoon.

Your mind is bound to feel heavy if you visit this once-bustling locality. Many century-old buildings bear witness that in the past, stories of hundreds of incidents were written on these walls. Today, it seems everything has been erased, taking on a faded appearance.

The reason for so much discussion about Mangalabash is the British architectural style of the structure. From the outside, it is two-storey building, but some parts on the south side of the second floor are three-storey. This three-storey section is equivalent to a modern five-story building.

The interior of the building is not as dilapidated as the exterior appears. It features three beautiful, open courtyards. One is quite large, where Zamindar Jotindra Kumar used to sit with his courtiers. In another, the women of the house spent their afternoons. The use of the third is not clearly known.

Behind the house, there was a well for bathing purposes from that era. Even in this time, water is still drawn from that well for bathing. Some parts of the building’s walls and some rooms feature tiles from the previous period.

Climbing the stairs to the roof offers a huge expanse of sky. It was learned that scenes for several films, including Chorabali and Musafir, were shot on this roof and in the ground-floor courtyard. Several commercials have also been produced here.

The original form of the palace still exists, apart from some minor renovations. However, there are questions about these renovation works too. Allegations have been leveled against the Kabi Nazrul Government College authorities for destroying the building's original appearance in the name of renovation.

Regarding this, the Urban Study Group, which works to preserve the heritage of Old Dhaka, held a human chain there towards the end of 2020. According to them, the century-old Mangalabash building is intricately decorated. It was constructed in the European Neo-Classical style with railings and colored sash windows (sharshi).

A sharshi is a window shutter or screen made of a wooden or metal frame, which has colored glass fitted into it. These allow sunlight to enter, scattering colorful light inside. Especially during the day, this light casts colourful shadows inside the room. This maintained both the beauty and privacy of the house.

But renovation is also necessary. Inside, the building currently houses about 1500 students. There are a total of 35 rooms. One can move into all rooms by entering through a single room. The condition of the students living there is utterly miserable. Plaster is falling off. Many have been forced to stretch tarpaulin sheets over their mosquito nets.

I spoke with Chief Executive of the Urban Study Group Taimur Islam. According to him, this is a multi-courtyard or multiple open-yard building constructed in the Neo-Classical style. Due to its architectural or aesthetic importance, this building has secured a place among the major structures of Dhaka.

Taimur Islam also explained why the building is unique. It’s somewhat circular frontal facade has a series of designed arches. In between these are huge, fluted columns of two-storey height with Corinthian capitals. Inside these arches were metal frames designed on stained glass.

Inside, the paved courtyards feature hand-crafted ornamentation, designed iron pillars, designed wooden jhalar (fringes/screens), and the use of ancient ceramic tiles. All in all, the building is aesthetically unique.

Several buildings in Sutrapur and the surrounding areas are on the list of the Department of Archaeology, such as Northbrook Hall, Rose Garden, Sutrapur Zamindar Bari, Ruplal House, and Shankhanidhi House. However, Mangalabash is not on that list. Yet, it is an important specimen of the architectural heritage of Old Dhaka. Besides, it is a part of history and culture. There is a special necessity and significance in preserving buildings of this kind.