Poetry in Iron- The Charm of old Kolkata Balconies

Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his description of "Library"" "Somudrer sohosro botsorer kallol jodi keho emon koriya badhiya rakhite parito je se ghumaiya pora shishutir moto chup koriya thakito, tobe sei nirob moha-shobder sohit gronthagaar'er tulona hoito". And I offer my own crude translation of the same here: If anyone could capture the roar of the sea for a millennium in such a way that it would stay silent as a sleeping child, then that silence, pregnant with deafening decibel, could be compared to a library. I take liberty to modify this stratospheric analogy to say the iron railings of the houses in colonial Kolkata are pregnant with the entire history and heritage of the city. These represent a microcosm of the architectural, social and economic history of the city from 18th to 20th century. Too profound? Lets discuss!

I don't remember when I started getting fascinated by these exotic protuberances, also known as balconies, often from dilapidated and neglected structures in the older neighborhoods of Kolkata. Millions of people have passed under and even stood nonchalantly on these, most without caring to look, let alone appreciate. That included me of course, for the most part of my life. Maybe my first appreciation for this well-kept secret of Kolkata is a corollary of my liking for traditional houses in older parts of Kolkata. The moment you care to look up and appreciate the magnificent mansions that dot several parts of north, east (say Beliaghata) and part of south (say Bhowanipore) of Kolkata, you can't help notice the majesty of the balconies which look back at you with almost surreal charm. The architecture is typically hybrid between European and traditional Indian architecture. Remember, colonial Kolkata was clearly divided between the Native and the White areas. My objects of fascination are typically the houses of the rich Indian community in the Native areas. Most of these were constructed between mid-1700 and early 1900.

Now, when I look at the balconies of the old mansions, apart from the ornate architecture of the structure itself, what attracts me most is the balcony railing. Most often, these are made of iron, unlike our modern houses which typically have mild-steel (MS) or wrought iron railings. My initiation to the material named "cast iron railings" happened when I was scanning the construction material market and demolition sites in 2003 for construction of my house in Kolkata. By that time, I had already bought a substantial quantity of "demolition material" from a palatial mansion on Suburban Hospital Road and therefore got a taste of how good old materials can be. Martin Burn company bricks were like gold, Burma teak wood door and window frames were strong as ever, floral design floor tiles needed just one polish to shine like a newly minted coin again. I could not get the cast iron grills for staircase and balcony/roof railings from there. I checked the new material market and the price differential with MS material and waiting time (for manufacturing on order) was beyond my affordable limit- so I settled for what everybody does- mild steel bars and strips. But the fondness for the intricate designs and the old-world charm offered by cast iron stayed with me all this while, only to re-surface when I now go out occasionally on early morning dates with the old ladies that I fancy!

Now here's your treatise on metallurgy- to help you understand what kind of an animal "cast iron" is. Cast iron arrived in early 19th century. It is one of the earliest forms of iron extracted from ores, having a higher carbon content (2 to 4 percent) compared to modern construction materials like mild steel. It also contains varying amounts of silicon and manganese and traces of impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus. It has to be "cast" in sand moulds and cannot be forged (beaten to shape when hot) and it is brittle. It is however very good with compression load, and most importantly, it does not rust at all. Cast Iron architecture was a prominent style in the Industrial Revolution era (late 18th century) when cast iron was relatively cheap and modern steel had not yet been developed. It had both structural use (bridges) and architectural use (pillars, railings). Allow me to insert a quote from Rudyard Kipling here:
"Gold is for the mistress- silver for the maid
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade
“Good” said the Baron, sitting in the hall,
“ But, Iron- Cold Iron, - is master of them all”.

The skilled craftsmen of Bengal, possibly employed in the early foundries of Howrah (this area was famously known as Sheffield of India for its engineering industry) casted some of these masterpieces. The foundry industry in Howrah is the birthplace of the Indian engineering industry. In fact, the fame of steel from India is mythological. It is well captured in the words of the Arab Edrisi (12th century) who commented: "the Hindus excelled in the manufacture of iron and it is impossible to find anything to surpass the edge from Hinduwani or Indian steel". It is mind-boggling to think how these intricate designs were created in moulds in which hot molten iron was then poured for casting. I believe a large quantity of intricately designed cast iron architectural materials were also imported from Britain during that period. The wealthy families of Kolkata, who stayed in the important neighbourhoods of colonial Kolkata used them. The ornate style of cast iron railings fitted perfectly with the Victorian style of construction of these buildings.

I have traveled around the city for months, taking pictures of these absolute beauties. The photos were mostly taken between 5 am - 8 am when I could drive through the congested neighbourhoods with relative ease and not having to worry about one-way streets and unauthorized parkings. So I had the sun working either absolutely in favour or against my amateur photographs.

I have seen several beautiful cast iron architectures in the residential houses, but the place with the most extensive use of intricately designed and passionately maintained cast iron railings is the magnificent Pareshnath Jain Temple, located to the North East of Kolkata at the Badridas Temple Street. The temple is dedicated to Pareshnath, who was the 23rd Jain Tirthankar, and was built way back in the year 1867. The railings used in the temple premises and some cast iron benches and chairs used in the temple precints are simply awesome.

I thought of listing my favorite "top ten", but realized that it is stupid to give any such list since I probably have missed many and don't know many more that lie in those and other areas. I am also not sure whether the historical handicap and the unintellectual appreciation by a "Southerner" of a small visual aspect of the houses that are seeped in more important glory of the owner's past will be pardoned by those whose houses I mention and those whose I dont. So I refrained from listing any. But I can assure that I will keep looking and keep the flag of dogged affection flying for every new "discovery" that I make. The poetry in iron- the elegant, intricate, timeless, charming cast iron railings in the balconies of colonial Kolkata.

I will stop here, and let you judge. You can start from a sample of pictures given below:

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