S Roy Chowdhury
@sroychowdhury
Historian of the (very long) twentieth century. Writer.
Setting off on a research trip. Will set aside some time for researching the colonial French food here. Wasn’t much French fare in evidence at the airport or at dinner.
In Kolkata I notice the thatched hut beneath the flyover under construction. Once ubiquitous in rural Bengal, the square tiles woven from palm fronds were used to make walls for village houses. Here it’s temporary housing for workers. The tall buildings on the horizon signal relentless urbanization.
A teeming nation of nations… My de Tocquevillean takeaway from my Philadelphia trip this week is that the public mood is noticeably cheerful. This has been boosted by the influx of happy World Cup fans who have filled bars and restaurants and public places.
New York City through a grimy Amtrak train window is reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh’s “Factories at Asnières” or Laura Woodward’s “Twilight on St. Augustine.”
Right now, the only people in the world 100% happy with their life are New Yorkers. 🏀⛹🏼⛹️♂️⛹🏾
Term is done, just a few loose ends to tie up before the more measured pace of summer starts. Time to enjoy a long brunch with old friends visiting from the West Coast, walk by the river, and to take in some art.
Everything may be falling apart but New England is still insisting on spring.
It’s the 250th year of the Declaration of Independence. The mood in the city where it all went down is a tad bit more subdued than celebratory, given all that’s going on right now. #philadelphia #usa250
Talked to former students about Gurudev’s Viswa Bharati. Their affection for the place is palpable and very moving. Their professors are dedicated & the students find a lot of meaning in their work. Despite the administrative neglect there is a definite vibe about the place.
Short break from eldercare. And a trip to Shantiniketan. Got some good pics to show my students. But it’s sad to see bus loads of weekender tourists arrive & start blasting the place with loud Bollywood music. Drinking my evening tea to the background score of “hei hei hei”, claps & other noises.
Grainy photos are all that remain of the 49th Bengali Regiment - a wartime unit (disbanded postwar) - deployment in Kurdistan in 1919-20. Here, the Kurdish resistance leader Sheikh Mahmud in the custody of 49th Bengali soldiers (nd). Probably en route to exile in India.
Before I got into studying World War I & history and stuff, my imagining of Armistice Day involved Chris Selby, a theatre agent, and a watch smuggler. A Victor Canning short story in my English textbook (no one these days knows what a ticking watch sounds like).
At the historic Data Bandi Chhor Gurudwara this summer. Gwalior seems like a dream I had - an interesting dream where old India and new India blend, a tinge of the sweet old ways, a dash of the bad new ones. Always super interesting. Thanks to my hosts and friends.
Whatever is left of late summer flowers will all be gone after this nor’easter.
Indiana isn’t the most topographically interesting place but the northern part has Indiana Dunes State Park. Gorgeous!
I miss random things about India - Indo-Greek coins at the Indian Museum in Kolkata (here Alexander and Porus fighting), a glimpse of Humayun’s Tomb from the flyover in Delhi, an old kawariya just walking quietly on his pilgrimage.
I don’t think Albuquerque is picture postcard pretty but it’s still an interesting place. And I loved _Better Call Saul _ so much that I half expected to see Saul or Kim or Gus Fring driving around town or dumping someone in the scrubby desert or picking up tacos from a food truck.
Weekly photo: I drove across from New England to New Mexico & back this summer. Lots of windmills, some giant crosses & the occasional surprise of a Punjabi Dhaba/truck stop in the empty scrubland. The flat landscape makes the sky huge in the west. It’s always an interesting place, this country.
Unfortunately, my father cannot travel for his regiment 20 Lancers’ Battle Honors Day (diamond jubilee Sept 1). What a good looking bunch they were, the “Saviors of Akhnoor.” Capt Bhaskar Roy (not in pic) was awarded an MVC for leadership against oncoming Patton tanks at Chhamb.
A rainy monsoon day at the Gujari Mahal Museum in Gwalior, #India . A peacock in the rain, camel guns with long muzzles, Jain sculptures and some antique coins. An eclectic place. Had the place almost entirely to myself because of the rain. The open courtyard was delightful in the rain.
Summer travel vignettes. A photo a week (I hope). Looking at a very intricately carved boar in Gwalior, in July.
Disappointments in research are offset by satisfaction on the food scene. Chicken kabiraji - a uniquely Kolkata dish. Crisp egg chiffonade with a chicken filling. Each cafe has its own rendition of the dish. This one was ok, have had worse & have definitely had better.
The road to the archives takes me through one of Kolkata’s low income neighborhoods, Narkeldanga. Old Calcutta history asserts an occasional presence along the main Narkeldanga road.
A very bad day in the archives yesterday. 4 of the maximum 6 requests allowed were returned with the dreaded “Not Found” notation.
Amongst the nicest moments of my Gwalior trip were visits to the Gurdwara Data Bandi Chhor, and the tombs of Tansen and his guru Muhammad Ghaus.
The badlands nearChambal are a tough and craggy landscape but full of interesting monuments. #Gwalior