I am Kanchan Ghosh. My roots are firmly embedded in my hometown Allahabad. I was born into a Bengali family of Lukergunj, Allahabad.
My ancestral lineage can be traced to GIRISH CHANDRA GHOSH (1844-1912) a Bengali actor, director and writer who was largely responsible for the golden age of Bengali Theatre.
He co-founded The Great National Theatre, the first Bengali professional Theatre Company in 1872, and wrote nearly 80 plays and acted and directed in many more and later in life became a noted householder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.
My grandfather SANAT KUMAR GHOSH (1874-1966), an engraver and designer moved to Allahabad in 1899 from their ancestral home of Chandanagore, a French colony by the river Hooghly in Bengal. He established a jewellery business at No. 1, Hewett Road, Allahabad. He married Kanak Praba, a Bengali girl born to the Deb family also from Lukergunj. Blessed with two son’s GOBINDA KUMAR GHOSH (1920-1996) and PRASHANTA KUMAR GHOSH (1930-1988), both renowned football and hockey players of their era.Their fans included KHAN ABDUL GAFFAR KHAN, Judges of the High Court and British officers that were stationed at Allahabad.
1950, Eastern Railway Hockey Team.
1940, Mohun Bagan vs Anglo Bengali Inter College.
So popular were they that a championship trophy was instituted in their honour. Legend has it that their modest appearance utterly belied their magnificence on the football field.
It was for his exemplary soccer career and indomitable spirit that my father Gobinda Kumar Ghosh was selected to train as a pilot in the Royal British Airforce career. Fate however and probably destiny had other plans. The East Indian Railway’s Allahabad Division made him an offer he couldn’t refuse; “join the Railways and lead their football team”, which he happily did. Allahabad at that time was the distillation of many inspirations. It had a cosmopolitan hauteur that was anything but common in those days. Not only did it attract people from all walks of life but was also known for being a hive of political activity. A city from where the freedom struggle began. In hindsight it was probably for these reason that he chose to stay. His pavlovian loyalty to this great City did raise a few eyebrows back in the day.
Baba married my mother Gita (1932-2021) and she belonged to the eminent Ghatak family of Chaker Bari in Allahabad. She took music lessons from PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR and USTAD ALI AKBAR KHAN of the Maihar Gharana in Choker Bari. The ancestors of Ghatak’s owned vast property of Bengal in the Nadia district given as gift by Maharaja Bahadur Krishna Chandra Roy of Krishnanagar, Nadia, as a reward for negotiating his marriage, and they settled in the prosperous village of Dighra in Alampur pargana, which came to be known as Ghatak Dighra. During the early years of 19th century, her great grandfather MADHAB CHANDRA son of KASHINATH left Dighra (now known as Dighari) and came to north India with his mother travelling in a horse drawn carriage and settled in Allahabad. Madhab Chandra was a scholar of English, knew Bengali and also had a good handwriting.
Maa and Baba
He was made Tehsildar of 56 villages by the then British Government. He constructed a mansion at 91 Johnstongunj, now Chowk, Allahabad known as Choker Bari Char Moholla Bari - Baithakbari, Andarbari, Rannabari, Chandimandap and a Shiva Temple were the annual Shivratri, Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Saraswati Puja were celebrated.
As for Me, Kumar Kanchan Ghosh, I was born and raised in Allahabad. I completed my schooling and my college in Allahabad. I’m one of the few who had the good fortune to study both at the St. Joseph College and Boy’s High School. I later graduated from the Allahabad University
Growing up I was in awe of my uncle Prashanta whom I’d watched perform on stage at the Lukergunj Club, Allahabad. He had that ineffable X factor and He performed with such distinction and panache that it totally mesmerised me. Truth be told, the initial desire to somehow pursue this art gained momentum thereafter.
Lukerganj Shikar Party
Coming from a family with a lineage of art and literature this influence was a gnawing one. It would be only a matter of time before my interest in this field was sparked. Not surprisingly during this phase my circle of friends became a bit more varied and I met Tigmanshu Dhulia in junior college.Tigmanshu was very active in Theatre and Music in the Allahabad scene. His influence rubbed off on me and I took it upon myself to read, educate and soak in all I must to carve a niche for myself in this now my chosen field. The thought of carrying on the legacy of my ancestors stoked me immensely. I also had to consciously remind myself that this weight of expectations shouldn’t weigh me down, come hell or high water.
My first appearance on stage was a Hindustani adaptation of Eugene O’Neils ‘The Emperor Jones’ under the aegis of Campus Theatre, directed by (Late) Prof Sachin Tewari. It met with moderate success and despite the nerves I managed to do what was required of me as an actor. The lingering after-effects of this small yet noticeable performance further fuelled my desire to take it a notch higher.
The deeper I delved into this art the more convinced I was that this is what I wanted to pursue. Break the mould and take that quantum leap is how I spurred myself.
Baba and Jethu driving Baby Austin with a hood
A regular 9-5 job was not up my street. Courage often comes out in small ways, not big, grandiose ones and my big step was moving away from the confines of a security blanket and roughing it out; first for a few years in Delhi and then in Mumbai. I am happy and proud to to say that I am carrying the family legacy forward. I have a daughter who is also an up and coming actor.
Now, looking at life through an emotional prism I take immense pride of the fact that I’m from this wonderful city. And to me this is not “a calibrated walk down memory lane” but a homecoming of sorts. I confess I left the City, for better for worse but the City never left me.
Every time I returned, like a prodigal son, it welcomed me unabashedly with unconditional love; be it through the college friends I left behind, the “Paan Wala” the “Chai Wala” on the nukkad or the maid who cooked for me when I was a kid. What Allahabad has so generously given me is simply unquantifiable; the love, the camaraderie, the education and the values it has instilled in me, have always made me stand out in a crowd.
And for that I shall remain forever indebted to Allahabad, my hometown.
