Calcutta

I stayed at the Fairlawn Hotel in Calcutta. Its a venerable old pile in Sudder street, built about 250 years ago by a Pommie chap who described it as a "pukkah" building. It has been owned since by various other pukkah families and apparently was run as an hotel in the early part of the 20th century by two English "spinsters", the misses Barratt and Clark, up until such time as it was bought by the present owner's family. Remember the movie "City of Joy"? Part of it was filmed at the Fairlawn.
Mrs Violet Smith is quite a character. She was born 85 years ago to Armenian refugees in Dakka, then the capital of East Bengal and now of Bangladesh. She married an Englishman, Edward Smith in 1944 and they moved to Bombay, where they lived on Malabar Hill (pukkah suburb) until they returned to Calcutta ten years later to take over the running of the Fairlawn. (too bad about the picture, but you get the idea - lens cap disintegrated - that's the shadow and another story)
Mrs Smith is a delightful and charming character, quite startling to look at with a little white foundation, over which are drawn two highly arched eyebrows. She wears a dark brown bouffant wig. Mr Smith fell off the twig about three years ago leaving Violet at the helm. She apparently sailed through the transition, cause she runs a tight ship - very much the "iron fist in the velvet glove" style. At precisely 8.30 she descends the stairs for breakfast, after which she sits in state in the garden, greeting guests, chatting with locals and giving a good ear pulling to whichever staff member needs it at the time.












At 12.30 she disappears upstairs and isn't seen again until the next morning.
A liveried waiter bangs the gong and luncheon is served at precisely 12.45 and dinner at 7.45
I reckon the menu hasn't changed since the Brits fled in 1947. We chowed down on such delicasies as mulligatawny soup, fried Bekti (local fish, yum) with finger chips, sweet curry of meat (suitably de-spiced) with fresh chutney and mango charlotte (very good). Her food is famous (infamous?) all over Calcutta, as is she. Now there's Indian food even P. McKee would like, lol!







Mrs S. insists that all her guests sit together (did I mention the iron fist etc?) Actually there are usually a few weak protests, but any dissent is quickly put down by the experienced staff and everyone seems to enjoy the company - and you get to rub shoulders with quite a variety of folk, let me tell you. (more later)






Here are a few suspects.












View of upstairs "sit-out"
















Memorabilia on stairs, Fairlawn.