On the first floor of The Bhawanipur House is a common space for those who wish to work while they eat. In there is a long triangular-shaped table for them to sit at. Come closer, and you notice the tabletop is made up of old marble tiles. The very same tiles that were once on the floors of this very mansion.
That is the level of restoration visible across all three floors, where the owners salvaged everything they
could to maintain the authenticity of this 116-year-old heritage home. Not only that, they added era-appropriate furniture, art and artefacts to keep its vintage vibe intact.
You enter the 11,000-sq-ft property through a gravelled courtyard with cast iron garden furniture, a little lotus pond and a majestic mango tree towering over it all. Step in, there’s a tea lounge and bakery. The burnished wood banistered stairs take you to the middle level that has four dining spaces in all, including the aforementioned workspace. Further above is the terrace with al fresco dining and a live pizza kitchen. Each level has its own separate identity, yet all speak the same elegant design language.
It wasn’t always like this, though. Built in 1907, the colonial mansion, which was once owned by a Ghosh family, had been lying vacant for the past decade, till it was bought by the Surekas from the last resident, Sugato Prasanno Ghosh, for their Prakash Group of Companies in September 2016. Spearheaded by brothers Vishnu and Vishal Sureka, this is the mining and logistics company’s first foray into hospitality.
More of a passion project, really, explains the company’s COO, Nilesh Parasurampuria, as he takes us around. “The brothers are serious about preserving the city’s heritage and want to bring back the old adda culture, where you sit and chat for hours over a cuppa. Our tagline, ‘Where Calcutta Meets,’ encapsulates it all,” he says.
But converting an old family home into a modern-day cafe posed its own set of challenges, right from the century-old water pipelines to sewage system and electrical cables. Add to that severe damp and termite issues, and major structural degeneration. Also, like most old structures, this too had massively thick load-bearing walls, so putting in fire lines, air-conditioning and exhausts was a tough task. But thanks to the conservation architect, Shashank Shahabadi of Eastside Office, work was completed in a record 12 months. Another 10 months on interiors and TBH opened its now-gleaming doors to the public about two months ago.
Judging by the positive response thus far from foodies, this labour of love seems to have been worth it. What’s more, it’s also got a thumbs-up from no less than a former resident himself, journalist Arup Ghosh. Sometime in the 80s, the owners had rented out the ground floor to IndianOil and his father was an occupant. “When I got married, The Statesman salary did not leave enough for me and my wife, Swati, to get our own place. So we moved in here,” he recalls.
“The driveway and garage are now the courtyard, the drawing room is now the tea lounge, and our bedroom is being turned into a bar,” he says, adding, “At first, it was saddening. Somebody seemed to be messing with our memories. But then, we realised the new owners were actually preserving this lovely house. Or else, a land shark would have demolished it and put up an ugly highrise instead. We suddenly felt very grateful,” he adds.