By Monali Dam
Ever since the days of the Raj, the British were always on the move. They travelled far and wide for various reasons like administration trade and commerce, revenue, hunting etc. The Indian postal system established by Robert Clive in 1776 in Kolkata ushered in the age of dak bungalows. In contrast to the dense jungles, deserted roads these bungalows were the welcoming shelter. They were mainly built for the British officials and civilians who travelled through the hinterlands, for temporary stay and rest.
There is something magical and mystical about these dak bungalows. I was always fascinated with the concept of dak bungalows. Their offbeat location, many stories ,dark tales always ignited my imagination. The walls hide innumerable tales of an bygone era. Thus even authors like Rudyard Kipling and Satyajit Ray wrote about it as they were fascinated by the intriguing aura that let to the plot. For example in Rinchenpong region of West Sikkim, Rabindranath Tagore composed some parts of Geetanjali while staying here.Author Ruskin Bond wrote” the ghosts ...who the British brought and left behind in our...dak bungalows they are what you’d called revenants... from the dead reappearing physically, but not quite physically. ”According to stories a particular bungalow in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh objects would fly around and furniture’s would move on its own across the room. Any visitors who resisted the ghosts would meet their end, just like General Douglas, who shot his wife and children while staying there for reasons unknown .English author Rudyard Kipling adds, darkly in those days men drove from Calcutta some of the dak bungalows “had little cemeteries in their compounds.” In My Own True Ghost Stories ,he writes of” these objectionable places to put up in’’ where Khansamas. were as old as the bungalows .For the unversed , Khansamas were the caretaker of these bungalows who doubled as a cook and a butler . They had a lonesome existence in these forsaken dak bungalows. The Khansama would often do shopping from the nearest village and dish out a tasty meal to suit the sahib’s taste. The dak bungalow chicken curry being the famous one even today. It was either prepared with meat or chicken and served with rice and vegetables or bread to the British officers who stayed at the various dak bungalows across the country. The Khansama would also entertain visitors with eerie stories. That many British soldiers ,women children died in dak bungalows during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, can explain the reason behind these ghost encounters.
The dak bungalows spanning through the length and breadth of the country were strikingly uniform in nature. They were mainly built in European style , comprising of three or four rooms, a large and wide verandas either on a hilltop or in deep forests with majestic views which add to their charm. But these bungalows were usually dilapidated and lacked basic amenities.Tnis would often upset the memsahibs accompanying the British officials.
But inspite of poorly maintained, grim tales,the dak bungalow also evoked a certain warmth. In her book The Raj On The Move: Story Of The Dak Bungalow , Author Rajika Bhandari says “The presence and availability of dak bungalows had an unexpected but profound influence on the social interactions of the British in India occasions like Christmas could now be celebrated away from home...this is how many generations of British in India, came to be acquainted with the Indian wilderness that they eventually came to love”.
Though the British left long time ago,these dak bungalows were the silent testimony to a bygone but enchanting era... Indian history, memsahibs and sahibs,their servants ,etc, theirs romance , quarrels, violence leading to murders, suicides .The dak bungalow has seen it all.Such scars must be erased and the government must restore the crumbling ones to its original glory and convert it in to tourist spots.
Love them, hate them or fear them there is no denying the fact that the dak bungalows was like a breath of fresh air for weary British officers and travellers to the most unseen scenic corners of this enigmatic land.
By Monali Dam
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