North Kol families keep phanush tradition floating
Times of India | 28 October 2024
Kolkata: A handful of families in north Kolkata are making conscious efforts to keep the tradition of making ‘phanush’ (hot-air balloons) at their homes alive despite facing sheer competition from the cheaper Chinese lanterns. These home-made hot-air balloons are traditionally released on Kali Puja. Once an integral part of north Kolkata’s ‘babu culture’, the tradition is now almost on the brink of extinction.
Ajoy Dutt (73) of Beadon Street is among those, who are still practising the tradition. He is eagerly waiting to celebrate the centenary year of phanush-making by the Dutt family this year. Dutt, who had learnt the art from his uncle Manik Nath at the age of 10, makes 10 to 12 big hot-air balloons every year at his Beadon Street residence. But, this year he has put in some extra efforts to prepare at least 25 such hot-air balloons in view of the centenary celebration.
Like Dutt, octogenarian Sachin Kumar Mukherjee and septuagenarian Pradyut Kumar Mallick also continue to make ‘phanush’ at their homes. In his locality, Mukherjee is popularly known as ‘Phanush Manush’. “I start making phanush by offering puja at the Kali temples in Kalighat and Dakshineswar every year,” he said. He had once crafted a ‘phanush’ as high as a three-storied building and successfully released it into the air.
During 1870-1880, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah used to release ‘phanush’ from his Metiabruz residence, and locals enjoyed watching those flying above the Hooghly river. History has it,Zamindar Latu Babu gave ‘borat’ (purchasing requisition) for a few ‘phanush’ to Orient Goldmann, a French firecracker seller, between 1885 and 1886.
“The tradition is dying also due to the lack of interest among the city’s Bengali youth,” said Mallick, a Peary Mohan Sur Lane resident, who took to the craft at the age of 11.
There are no written records about the tradition’s origin in Kolkata. It was probably made for the first time by Gourishankar Dey — a former mathematics professor of Scottish Church College — in 1912, according to oral history.
In 1920, Pal Bari of Chidam Mudi Lane started making ‘phanush’ of different patterns and created five-armed stars. The grandfather clock ‘phanush’ was made by Jawhar Pal. The tradition was continued by Udayshankar Pal of Nilmoni Mitra Lane. During that time, many north Kolkata houses released home-made phanush. Mitra Bari on Beadon Street, Banerjee Bari, Dutta Bari of Nayan Chand Dutta Street and Gobinda Dey of Ramdulal Sarkar Street were some key connoisseurs of phanush. Manick Lal Dutt deviated from the traditional shapes and made pentagonal football ‘phanush’ during 1970s.
“The modern high-rises hardly have any space to prepare these oversized phanush,” rued Dutt, who — like Mallick — had trained several younsgters. But, many of their students have either left the city for jobs or hardly have time to carry on the legacy.