The First Miss India from Calcutta who was arrested for being a Spy

 

Before Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, and Lara Dutta charmed us by winning the prestigious Miss India title, there was Esther Victoria Abraham. 

Better known by her stage name, Pramila, she was the first woman to be voted as Miss India in 1947.She was 31 years old and was pregnant with her fifth child during her Miss India moment and It was none other than Morarji Desai who presented her the crown.

There was nothing ordinary about her life even before the pageant. At the age of 17, she left her conservative Baghdadi Jewish home in Kolkata and joined a Parsi travelling theatre company in Mumbai as an entertainer. Her job was to keep the audiences quiet by her dance performance during those 15 minutes when the reel projector had to be changed.But she had a much bigger role to play in her life.

 

Early life

Esther was born in 1916 in Kolkata to Reuben Abraham, a businessman from Kolkata and Matilda Issac, who was from Karachi. Her family was of Baghdadi-Jewish origins who settled primarily in trade route ports around the Indian Ocean and the South Chinese sea. She had three half-siblings and six siblings from her parents’ marriage.

Education

Esther attended the Calcutta Girls High School but later shifted to St James which was a co-educational institution and had a reasonable fee structure, which the family could afford. Esther understood that to be an all-rounder, she had to learn to excel in both studies and sports and become better than the boys.She was a hockey champion and won many trophies in sports. She had a penchant for drawing and on graduating from high school, she received an arts degree from Cambridge.On completing her high school degree she went on to become a kindergarten teacher at the Talmud Torah Boys School. Despite having done a B. Ed degree, she didn’t want to teach and was drawn to Hindi cinema.

From Esther to Pramila

Her family had a keen interest in music and dance, which attracted young Esther to the cinema. Her entry into silent movies happened by a sheer stroke of luck. Meanwhile, she got married to a Marwari theatre personality and had a son with him – Maurice Abraham. Her parents convinced her to annul the marriage and they brought up Maurice.

A chance visit to Bombay to visit her cousin Rose Ezra changed the course of her life. Director R S Chowdhari spotted her while she visited Rose who was acting in The Return of the Toofan Mail. The director thought that the tall and glamorous Esther would do greater justice to the role and she was signed after being put through a screen test.The movie The Return of the Toofan Mail was never completed but this marked the beginning of Esther’s entry into Hindi cinema.

She stayed on in Bombay and started working with the Imperial Company. In 1936, her first movie Bhikaran hit the theatres and her anglicized Hindi was accepted and became quite the rage. After this movie, she was given the screen name ‘Pramila’ by director and producer Baburao Pendherkar.

She went on to act in movies like Ulti Ganga, Burra Nawab Sahib, Bijli, Shahzadi, Jhankar, Our Darling Daughter, Maha Maya, etc., among others that often saw her play a vamp and stunt star. She also became the first major woman film producer with 16 films under her banner Silver Productions. Morarji Desai, then Prime minister, got her arrested for she was suspected to be a spy for often travelling to Pakistan. Later it was proved that her constant travels were aimed at promoting her films.

As a fashion icon

She wore sarees with a western twist which were usually different from the traditional designs of those times. She designed, drew and stitched her own costumes. She was a popular face in the fashion magazines of the 30’s and 40’s.

Marriage and family

In 1939, she got married a second time to Syed Hassan Ali, better known by his screen name ‘Kumar’ (who played the role of the sculptor in Anarkali). Zia was a Shia Muslim and she adopted the name Shabnam Begum Ali in the nikahnama.

However, Esther remained a practising Jew till the end. Zaidi was already married and his wife and children lived in Lucknow, but he lived with Esther for twenty-two years in Bombay. They had a lavish lifestyle and were often seen at races and they loved fast cars. In those days, she modelled for A J Patel and got a couple of Hollywood offers, but due to the outbreak of the Second World War, they never materialized.

She had four children with Zaidi: Akbar, Asghar, Naqi and Haider. The children were taught to follow both Muslim and Jewish faiths. They attended the Passover Festival at their grandparents’ house in Calcutta and cooked Iraqi-Jewish food at home regularly.

Esther was proud of her Jewish identity and got the ration cards of her children registered in her name. This courageous woman broke patriarchal rules and made sure that her identity as a mother didn’t get lost in oblivion. Her parents helped her buy a house in Shivaji Park and the house was called Pramila Vilas after her.

First woman to win the Miss India title

She was 31 and pregnant with her fifth child during her Miss India win. “The title was okay—it didn’t really mean much to me then. It only became important 20 years later,” said Pramila in an interview.

“At that time, it (the Miss India pageant) was more of a popular-face contest, and since I was on the cover of most magazines in those days, I was chosen. In those days, the rules and regulations had still not been formally laid down,” she added. Pramila was given the Miss India trophy at the Liberty Cinema by none other than Morarji Desai.

Starting a film production company

Along with her husband, Pramila started her own film production company, Silver Films in 1942. She defied the studio systems where power rested in the hands of the wealthy producers and actors were paid employees of studios.

She undertook the risk of establishing her own production company and raising money to fund her films. She produced several successful and popular films and acted in some of them. Her last film as an actress was Murad which released in 1964.

Life after retirement from cinema

Her husband decided to move to Pakistan along with his extended family from Lucknow, which left her bereaved and surprised. But Pramila decided to stay back as she did not wish to live in a theocratic country. She lived in India with her five children after her husband went away and continued to produce films.

She was embroiled in battles with the government to get back properties that they had requisitioned. She would travel in public buses to the court hearings. She tried to launch her children in Bollywood with her daughter Naqi Jahan becoming a well-known model and Miss India in 1967.

Esther and Naqi are the only mother-daughter duo to bag the Miss India title. Naqi became a successful still model until she opted for a married life with Gujarati businessman and took the name, Nandini Kamdar. Akbar and Asghar had short stints with films while Maurice produced a couple of movies.

Her son Haider Ali of Nukkad fame did character acting in Hindi cinema and also appeared in television serials. He wrote the script of Jodhaa Akbar and did a cameo in the song “Khwaja Mere Khwaja“.

Last film and passing away

Her unquenchable spirit for acting was displayed in the Marathi movie Thangg directed by Amol Palekar where she played a grandmother years after formally bidding adieu to the cinema. She died five months short of her ninetieth birthday on August 6^th, 2006. At her funeral, Maurice recited the scriptures in Hebrew at the Maghen David Synagogue while Akbar recited the scriptures in Arabic. She was laid to rest in the Jewish cemetery in Chinchpokli.

 

Gumghar – The quarantine and isolation that was there in Old Calcutta

 

After the pandemic of Covid – 19 the whole world is now familiar with the word Quarantine or isolation . But did you know Calcutta had a Quarantine & isolation house for isolating infectious and contagious patients back in 1792. Cholera was on its run as an epidemic in Kolkata and one more epidemic setting in is Plague at that point of time. As both Cholera and Plague were highly infectious and contagious ,  and the natives Indians being affected the most , the British lords planned to build up a hospital called native hospital in 1792 . The hospital was built near Colootola Street where the Chandni Market stands today in Kolkata.

What happened to the patients who came out of the hospital and needed to be isolated from their family and stay on quarantine? Britishers built up a house called Gumghar where these patients were kept and maybe they never saw daylight again. Gum in Bengali refers to hiding someone forcibly and Ghar refers to House or room. So Gumghar meant a house where people were kept forcibly separated from others. Historian P. Thankappan Nair writes in his book ‘History of Calcutta’s Streets’ that the earliest known mention of the lane can be found in the Bengal Agra Directory of 1850. But that too is a passing mention, and has been referenced using a different spelling than what is presently used: “Goomgur lane, north side of the native hospital, dhurrumtolla. While there is no clear historical documentation to confirm this, the name of the lane suggests that the houses may have specifically been used for isolation and quarantine purposes

A report by the Rivers Pollution Commission in 1868 titled ‘The Domestic Water Supply of Great Britain’ presented in both houses of Parliament in Britain indicates that cholera, endemic in Calcutta during that time, was one of the illnesses to be treated at the Native Hospital in the city, while the Calcutta Review says that small-pox was also treated at the institution.

In many ways, this institution was the predecessor of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital that was established in College Street in 1835, Asia’s first medical college. Some 78 years later, in 1874, this institution was once again shifted, this time to Strand Road near the Hooghly river, renamed Mayo Native Hospital where it still stands. With time , the Gumghar building was also shut as there were no need to isolate infectious patients anymore.

However, the  300 Meter lane got its name as Gumghar lane and still there is a board marking the colonial history , which shows that this lane exists in the 21^st century though it is difficult now to say which building was used as the actual isolation house for infected patients. This lane bubbles with hustle and bustle all through the day but as night sets in , the silence speaks  about the history of quarantine and isolation process which started 200 years back in Kolkata

 

 

THE MYSTERIOUS TOMB OF JESUS CHRIST.

 

If you have ever been to Srinagar and asked a Cab driver to take you to the “Tomb of Jesus Christ” then he would bring you to Rozabal Shrine , which is popularly believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ.

For as long as locals in Srinagar can remember, Kashmir's Rozabal shrine has been the subject of an age-old debate: Was the shrine the burial place of Jesus of Nazareth? The belief is that Jesus survived the crucifixion and spent the rest of his years in Kashmir and the shrine was his final resting place.

The locals firmly believe that Jesus Christ who was Crucified at the age of 33 did not die and managed to escape via route of Afghanistan, parts of Iran , Pakistan and finally landed at Srinagar Kashmir nearly 2000 years ago.  He was supposed to have lived 14 years at Srinagar and ultimately have been resting in Peace at Rozabel Shrne. In fact the name "PAHALGAM" which is almost 50 Kms distance from Srinagar which gets its name as Pahala Gaon which means The first village where Jesus stepped in and stayed the first night en- route to Srinagar

The shrine of Muslim saints Hazrat Youza Asif and Syed Naseer-ud-Din garnered worldwide attention from news of the myth. An old glass-paned grilled window, which always remains open alongside a narrow alley, gives a glimpse inside the dimly-lit shrine, which is located in close proximity of famous ‘Dastgeer Sahib shrine’. In the narrow alleys of Khanyar area of Old City, where the shrine is only open on the 13th day of every month, according to lunar calendar, the young locals recount the story of American author Suzzane Olson who claimed to be a descendant of Jesus, came to Kashmir to obtain DNA from the shrine in the late 1990s. Olson's claims increased the influx of tourists.

What's in a name?

Many writers in the 1950s, took up the responsibly to refute the 'Jesus theory' through their writings, including 1950s, including Molvi Ghulam Nabi Nabi Mubaraki, one of valley's top Islamic scholar and preacher. However, in his book Jesus in Kashmir, Kashmiri writer Fida Hasnain claims evidence that Christ is buried at Rozabal is mentioned Kashmir's own history long before  Mirza's claim. “Yuzu Asif, the name of the saint buried here, is not Arabic name or Muslim name. It’s a Hebrew name and the prophet Jesus is buried there (Rozabal). He came to Kashmir after he faced problems there. How can we believe locals, we have to see history.Ghulam Ahmad Mirza’s claims predate our own history Tawareeq-e-Kashmir,” Hasnain said.

It's in a part of the city where the Indian security forces are on regular patrol, or peering out from behind check-posts made of sandbags. Officially, the tomb is the burial site of Youza Asaph, a medieval Muslim preacher - but a growing number of people believe that it is in fact the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. They believe that Jesus survived the crucifixion almost 2,000 Easters ago, and went to live out his days in Kashmir.

 However , historians claim that "It's a story spread by local shopkeepers, just because some crazy professor said it was Jesus's tomb. They thought it would be good for business. Tourists would come, after all these years of violence.

 The tomb of Jesus was just another place to tick off on their tourist-in-India must-visit list. So be it Jesus or not , the shrine has definitely triggered off the debate of Jesus being buried at Srinagar and eventually has developed to become one of the must visit list for the tourists visiting Kashmir.

and the debate continues

 abhijit45@gmail.com

#JesusChrist , #Tomb , #Srinagar , #Rozabal

A Trip to Chimney

 

Chimney in Kurseong extends a remarkable getaway amid the Darjeeling Hills. Located far from the rush and crowds, it is a place less explored. An inseparable part of the quaint Himalayan hamlet, the place is hidden and unknown to the majority. Chimney is located 8 km uphill from the heart of Kurseong. A spectacular drive through Dow Hill ensures a smooth journey. The roads accompanied by lush beautiful Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese Cedar) locally known as Dhupi Sallaa, further intensifies the joy of riding on the stunning hilly slopes.

 

The solitary 23-feet Chimney is the only evidence of the Dak-Bangalow which existed in this area in the former times. Erected around 1839 by British, the Dak Bungalow got entirely divested over time. It got worn away leaving behind its only central fireplace in the form of Chimney. Eventually, the Chimney rightfully shared it’s title to the Village.

 Standing on a high surface, Chimney is more than 100 years old. The sources affirmed the British officials and soldiers rested under the shadows of Chimney while trekking from Kurseong and other Villages.

Despite its age, Chimney is restored to its original glory by the Forest Department as ‘Chimney Heritage Garden’. Fascinating in every way, Chimney is nature lovers’ paradise. The place overlooks the two significant rivers of the region- Teesta and Mahananda. It is endowed with many viewpoints from where you can enjoy a spectacular view of Kanchenjunga peaks.

 Chimney is located quite nearby to all the major attractions of Kurseong. You can easily explore the famous Tea Estates of Kurseong. Such as- Makaabari, Ambotia, Castleton, and Goomtee. Other major nearby attractions include- the Toy Train Station of Kurseong. The major religious sites located nearby are- St. Paulseak Church on Hill Cart Road, Juma Mosque in Hat Bazaar, Buddhist Gompa in Downhill Road, Giddapahar Durga Mata Mandir, Jagdish Mandir on Bank Road, and Ambotia Shiva Temple.

Chimney Village offers an excellent alternative to escape the blistering summer of the lower plains. The forests surrounding the village makes a perfect escapade for the birdwatchers and trekkers. Those willing to escape the hectic schedule can find peace amid the serene greeneries. The sight of the sunrise over Kanchenjunga peaks, the rolling tea estates, and the scenic landscapes are truly worth the visit. The trekking enthusiasts can hike form Chimney Village to the breathtaking Mahananda Waterfalls. Chimney indeed meets the quest of the peace-seekers.

Homestay facilities are available for the explorers willing to spend a few days here. Chimney well satisfies the quest of the ardent explorers and photographers. The place extends a good reason to fall in love with the allure of nature. Chimney in Kurseong is can be explored throughout the year. However, avoid visiting the place during monsoon or, rainy seasons.

 

HOW TO REACH 

Chimney can be reached by two ways by the travelers. One can travel through Kurseong via the Dow Hill to reach to the hills of Chimney. And another can be traveled via the Darjeeling road and again back up the hill to reach the beautiful village of Chimney. It generally takes about 30 mins to reach through the marvelous Bagora road from Kurseong. A perfect destination for a short trip to relieve stress from busy schedule

abhijit45@gmail.com

#Chimney , # Kurseong