'Dhaba' at Ballygunge Phari, Kolkata downs shutters as owners 'retire'

The Dhaba, the landmark food stop at the Ballygunge Phari crossing and one of the oldest tandoori eateries in south Calcutta, has downed shutters. A notice pasted on the closed entrance announces the "complete and permanent closure" of the dhaba that dates back to pre-Independence.

The reason cited on the notice is "physical inconveniences" of the partners who have become "senior citizens" and "non-availability of any of their next kin in the City". The notice is dated June 28 and the closure, it mentions, became effective from 6am the day after.

"We are three brothers. I am 70 and the youngest among us is 64. We want to retire now," said Avtar Singh, the eldest. "Our next generation has migrated to Canada. Those who are here do not want to join the business."

The family had two other dhabas. The Hindusthan Park one was rented out earlier this month .Another, in Bagha Jatin, is functional but Manjinder Singh, the youngest, says he sits there only for an hour in the morning.

The closure of the Ballygunge Phari landmark came as a bolt from the blue for the 42 permanent employees and seven casual workers. "We worked as usual till Monday (June 27, 2016). Tuesday is our weekly closure. On Wednesday, we found this notice on coming here," said Alok Debnath, who worked for 14 years as a table boy.

Kanai Das, the biryani cook, still has his wallet and mobile phone locked inside. They have been offered settlement of their dues but they want their jobs back.

Customers are surprised too. "The Dhaba is one of the places we regularly order food from for our staff room. Who knew they were planning to shut down!" wondered Neelanjana Dasgupta, a teacher of South Point School. She would miss her favourite Keema Stuffed Kulcha that came with a kebab of choice. "I also used to pick up Sarson Ki Saag and Makki Di Roti sometimes for dinner."

Workers insist that footfall was not lacking. "Daily sales would run upto a lakh or so and double on special occasions," claimed Gour Baidya, a waiter at the eatery since 1978. Top picks included Tandoori Chicken, Reshmi Kebab, Mutton Tikka Onion and Do Pyaza. "No one makes tadka in south Calcutta like we do," said Manjinder, a claim enthusiastically echoed by the workers.

"Customers got our rolls packed for relatives before flying to Singapore or London," Manjinder added.

The Dhaba counted several celebrities among its patrons. "Orders came from Tollywood superstar Prosenjit's office across the road. Om Puri dropped by whenever he was in town. Suchitra Sen loved our roll and mentioned that in several interviews. There was a time when she would wait in the car for the delivery," said Manjinder.

Among the other famous faces that dropped by over the years are former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farukh Abdullah, actor and columnist Victor Banerjee and Tolly heart-throb Dev. "Victor Banerjee has had tea on our roof-top on several occasions. The restaurant was single-storeyed then," recalled Manjinder.

The Dhaba was started by Sardar Gurbachan Singh, the father of the present owners, in the 1930s. "He got a trade licence from the British in 1938 which still hangs inside the locked premises," said Manjinder. "My father's bus driver friends used to complain of the lack of a tea stall on their route from Jadavpur to Esplanade."

Thus the place started as a tea shop which also sold milk. Gradually the benches in the single-storeyed structure gave way to tables and chairs and in the late 1970s, a floor was added. Air-conditioned seating was introduced about two decades ago. A Punjabi cuisine specialist, The Dhaba added rolls and then Chinese to its menu around 2001-02. Biryani and other north Indian dishes were added about 10 years ago. "Our biryani was favoured for being less oily. In recent years, we innovated with Babycorn Roll and Diet Roll, which used rumali roti in place of paratha," said Manjinder.

The Bagha Jatin Dhaba does not offer all this. "People here care more for good food than good health," he said, from behind the counter on Sunday morning.

The workers, who gather habitually at The Dhaba every day, feel that the Ballygunge restaurant will reopen in a different avatar. But the owners say they have not decided what to do with the property at such a prime location. For now, they have "long vacations" and "trips to Punjab" on their mind.

(Content courtesy: The Telegraph dated 2016-07-11)