The riveting story of Meena Bazar

The recent launch of housing complex at Kothi Meena Bazar evokes memories of the glorious days of Agra

December 05, 2016 02:55 pm | Updated 02:55 pm IST - DELHI:

ALL THAT GLITTERS: An aerial shot of Meena Bazar in Old Delhi. 
Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

ALL THAT GLITTERS: An aerial shot of Meena Bazar in Old Delhi. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The launching of the Prime Minister’s Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin from Kothi Meena Bazar recently was another reminder that medieval times can sometimes curiously merge with the present. The kothi actually was the residence of the Lt-Governor of the North-West Province of which Agra was the Capital for some years before Allahabad became the seat of power of the British administration. That was the time when Delhi had been relegated to being just a parganah of the Punjab Province. The Lt-Governor of the North-West Province controlled the area almost up to the outskirts of Delhi at a time when there was no Haryana and the Lat Sahib’s writ ran well beyond Hodal. One may ask why the place was known as Meena Bazar kothi? The reason was that the grounds of this kothi, situated near Shahganj, were temporarily used to hold the weekly Meena Bazar when Shah Jahan’s entourage was on the move to Delhi and elsewhere. The name stuck when the British took over.

Kothi Meena Bazar was one of many Raj-day bungalows which, along with erstwhile State guest houses like Gwalior House, Bharatpur House, Kota House, Dholpur House and Jaipur House, vied for prominence in the social milieu of that time, along with the Metcalfe Testimonial. Halingar Hall of the Martin family was the home of TBC Martin (Munna Baba) built by his father (a hero of 1857) and where he lived for many years with his wife Blanche till he moved to the Cantonment and the hall was taken over for Government use, as part of the civil courts. Halingar Hall in its heyday was the meeting place for Anglo-Indians of Delhi and Agra. The Delhiwallas came at the weekend by train to take part in cultural activities, dances and tombolas that preceded grand dinners with Gracie Bibi presiding. The Alexanders from Jaipur and some families from Bandikui, Dholpur and Alwar were also among the participants after the return of Major James Alexander from the Afghan War which followed the assassination of Amir Habibullah in 1919, not long after the ruler’s visit to Delhi.

Not far from Halingar Hall was the Fantasia of J. F. Fanthome, Hony Magistrate and chronicler of the “Mutiny time” events in Delhi and Agra. His descendant F. J. Fathome, who died some years ago in Dehradun, was an Anglo-Indian leader of Delhi whose cousin is an MLA in UP. After the death of J. F. Fanthome, justly famous for his book, “Mariam - A story of the Indian Mutiny” (which was adapted for the film “Junoon”, starring Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer).

Fantasia was taken over by YWCA for some years until it was eventually sold to a business family at a time when a lot of old bungalows were being disposed of by the Church Missionary Society. Among these were the ruins of the Scottish Church and attached cemetery. The site was bought by Dr. B. M. Sarkar whose nursing home now occupies the place.

Fantasia at one time was the celebrated location where British and Anglo-Indians congregated. A number of marriages were also held there with brides being taken away to Delhi nursing nostalgic memories of Fantasia and the life they lived in its vicinity. Would it surprise some to know that “a missionary named Sophia Bland was the godmother of every child born of the union of Delhi-Agra families between 1885 and 1900?” St Paul’s Church, built near Fantasia by Governor James Thompson in 1855, according to the late Thomas Smith, was once the site of the old garden of the Dutch factory. He says that in 1618, Van Ravesteyn, who headed the Dutch mission, managed to get the necessary concessions from Emperor Jahangir and established a Dutch factory in 1621. Its first head was Woutier Heuton, who was succeeded on his death in 1623 by Francis Pelsart, who was unfortunately shipwrecked later off the coast of Australia “T. S.” goes on to say that in 1854 when the foundations of St Paul’s Church were being laid the tombs of Justin Offley, chief of the English Merchants who died in 1627 and John Drake who died on 5-3-1637, were among the six discovered and removed to the church cemetery.

The English and Dutch merchants, it may be recalled, mainly operated between Delhi and Agra and John Drake was shot when he resisted being coloured during Holi while on his way back on horseback. With his sword Drake had managed to keep the riotous villagers at bay until one of them shot an arrow from behind a tree that struck him fatally. The Dutch factors in Delhi were among those who attended his funeral and were permitted to mete out punishment to the accused villagers.

It’s worth remembering that not only Shah Jahan but also his daughters, Jahanara and Roshanara, were fond of the camping site for the Meena Bazar while on the periodical move to Delhi (120 miles as the crow flies) where Shah Jahan was building a new city of Shahjahanabad. When the Red Fort came up the emperor was particular in having a Meena Bazar built in it on the lines of the one in the Agra Fort. And among the features added by his daughters was the one about the sale of glass bangles, which they so much enjoyed when the Chudiwalis from the rural areas of Shahganj came to sell their colourful assortment of chudis to the princesses. Perhaps the PM may not have been aware of this when he launched his Awaas Yojana at Kothi Meena Bazar. But it is not improbable that some of the descendants of the bangle-sellers may be among the beneficiaries of the housing scheme 400 years later.

The author is a veteran chronicler of Delhi

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