19th century Kolkata was the Paris of the East and many communities had flocked here and settled to earn their fortunes. The Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, Jews, Parsis came via Surat and they traded and prospered in Calcutta. The grey quarter, the area between the old white and black towns, once occupied by Armenians, Jews, Chinese and Parsis, once buzzing with the life of these settlors now has just a few persons of these communities. The religious places however continue to stand tall as a testimony of Calcutta that had a multicultural pluralistic identity synthesising and making them our own.

We went to some of these , within a walking distance of 2 Kms and the syncretic coexistence makes us wonder about where those days of compassion and acceptance have gone.

The city’s first synagogue — Neveh Shalome – was built in 1826. It was demolished in 1884 and the magnificent Magen David , meaning the Shield of David but was rebuilt in 1912. One of the most beautiful in Asia the Maghen David is referred to as the king of synagogues in Calcutta . The interiors are stunningly ornate with chandelier and stained glass. The altar is crowned with an apse studded with stars representing the heavens. The large plaque contains the Ten Commandments, the Rabi (Jewish priest) conducts the services from the .raised platform, known as the Bima was made out of cast iron and shipped out of Glasgow. This synagogue had not a few but a hundred copies of the Sefer Torah stored in casks made of silver. These have dwindled to two. Designed by Macintosh Burn, the Maghen David, has a steeple about 142 feet high.

The Beth El Synagogue is the Queen of synagogues, the most complete synagogue in the city with a Mikveh, (a place for a ritual bath), a tandoor for baking matzah (unleavened flatbread used during the Jewish Passover ritual) and a wine press in the cellar.

Jael regaled us with anecdotes, a morning in September 1858, the city of Calcutta woke to the news of the sensational murder of a Mrs. Leah Judah, who was brutally murdered by her paramour Naseem Shalom Gubboy and his friend Ezekiel Rahmani Shurbanee. Gubboy and Shurbanee both lived in a boarding house for Jews on Pollock Street. So did the murdered woman – at 5 Pollock Street. The entire Pollock Street area was a popular area for Jews to settle in. The Jewish Girls’ School was at No. 8, opposite the Beth El Synagogue at No. 26.

Dadabhai Behramji Banaji was the first to arrive from Surat. His relative Rustomji Cowasjee Banaji came early in the nineteenth century, and founded an agiary in Ezra Street in 1839, which is now a ruin with its grounds encroached upon by the Ezra Street electrical market – although Prochi Mehta, who took us around, remembers it with its compound intact, in which, as a child, she would be given a ride ‘round and round’ on a motorcycle by an affectionate uncle. Dhunjeebhoy Behramjee (D.B.) Mehta, after whom the agiary was posthumously named, came to Calcutta in 1846 and soon began trading with China. He started the Empress of India Cotton Mills in Serampore, and after a dispute with Banaji, decided to set up a place of worship in his own house, for which the sacred fire was brought from Navsari in Gujerat. After his death, his wife and son decided to fulfil his wishes and with generous donations from the family (as well as members of the community), the second fire temple was established. It was consecrated on 28 October 1912 with great pomp. The fire that had been brought from Navsari for the Mehtas’ own house was installed there.

Saifee Masjid in Kolkata is an age-old institution that has been the locus of the Dawoodi Bohra community’s spiritual, educational and cultural affairs since 1921. Standing out amidst the din of Brabourne Road a 100 year old institution provided sanctuary to generations of Dawoodi Bohras for whom it has been an integral part of their lives. Sabir Ahmed spoke about the Minbar a place from where the Rabi calls out to his congregation and some other practices which have distinguished this community.Nigerians were invited to call out the Azan as they had loud sonorous voices.

We did not have the time to visit either the Portuguese or Armenian Churches but we went to the Chinese Sea IP Temple in Tiretta Bazar; through the old Anglo-Indian precinct of Bow Barracks to the Dharmankur Buddhist Temple.

Bow Barracks is a narrow lane between Hare Street and Bow Bazaar police station. The narrow lane is bordered by six blocks of three-storeyed brick coloured buildings, The Bow Barracks was a garrison’s mess built for the army during World War I. When the soldiers left India, they handed over the apartments to the Anglo Indians who took them on rent. Today, 132 families live in the Barracks.

Dharmankur Buddha Vihar is run and managed by Bengal Budhist Association, which was set up in 1892. A centre for Buddhist learning. A peaceful haven.

The day ended at 41 C R Avenue a gracious old home with a renowned Kali Temple. The residents have shifted but the kharkaris , grills and stained glass retain their splendour. Empty rooms to be re used for meetings. A showcase for home owners who have space and wish to keep their property despite problems of ageing, dated infrastructure. We need to collaborate and help them keep their legacy alive!