The last well in Narinda: A water source older and purer than Wasa

On Sharat Gupta Road in Narinda, Dhaka, stands a house at the far end marked with the number forty-four. Within its premises lies a well. But this is not an ordinary well – it is an idara. What is the difference between a paatkua and an idara?

Let us begin with the paatkua. According to Bangla Academy's modern Bangla dictionary, a paatkua refers to a raw or rudimentary well. Potters traditionally baked clay rings in kilns and then used them to line the well. These rings were called paat. Several such rings stacked on top of each other would form a well, which gained the name paatkua.

However, not all areas required these clay rings. In regions with firm red soil, the earth did not cave in easily. Wells in such areas could be dug without additional reinforcement. These were commonly known as maitakua (a well made of clay). In Bangladesh, groundwater is often accessible at a shallow depth – dig forty to fifty feet, and water is within reach.

Building an idara, on the other hand, costs more. From bottom to top, it was lined with brick rings. A pulley system was installed at the top, which helped draw water using a rope and bucket. If the rope rotted and fell into the well, a hook resembling a fishing gaff was used to retrieve it. In earlier times, zamindars and kings constructed wells for the benefit of their subjects and built idaras for their households. Many of these structures are centuries old.

Previously, water sources included ponds, canals, marshes and rivers. But these often dried up during summer, and the remaining water became too dirty to drink. People then turned to wells and idaras as their only reliable sources.

There were once an uncountable number of wells across Dhaka. Even in the 1980s, they were widely used. However, this began to decline in the 1990s. Today, a few working wells remain in areas like Shakhari Bazar, Farashganj, Goalanagar, Sutrapur, Gendaria, and Thatharibazar.

The active idara at Sharat Gupta Road, at house number 44, is still in daily use. The house is large – 22 families reside here. It is clearly not an ordinary home. We will come to that soon. The total population exceeds one hundred, though not all depend on the idara. Four families live around it and use it exclusively for bathing and cooking. These families together have about thirty members.

On a recent day, the sun blazed overhead, the roads were packed with people. I walked from Nawabpur, through Mahajanpur, then onto Tipu Sultan Road and finally arrived in Narinda. At the corner of Sharat Gupta Road, I asked a shopkeeper about the well. An elderly man guessed that it must be inside the house once known as Shakti Oushadhaloy (strength dispensary in literal meaning).

The entrance made it clear – this was once a wealthy residence. Above the main gate was perhaps a guardroom or music chamber. Moss and time have now hidden many details. After the gate, a narrow path led to a spacious courtyard, paved with bricks. Beyond it stood a Narayan temple, with the year of establishment – 1308 in the Bengali calendar – carved into its wall. This translates to 1901 in the Gregorian calendar.

That same year, Principal Mathuramohon Chakrabarty established Shakti Oushadhaloy, the Indian subcontinent's first Ayurvedic medicine manufacturing company.

To the left of the courtyard stood the main building. The wide roof rests on tall, double-storey columns resembling palm trunks. The tops of the columns are adorned with carvings, and above them sits a triangular pediment, much like those on ancient Greek temples. There was once a rangmahal (variety theatre hall) on the right side of the building.

Now, the plaster has fallen off in many places, exposing the bricks like grinning teeth. On the wall of the first-floor veranda, bold letters read – "Shree Lalmohon Chakrabarty (Owner of Shakti Oushadhaloy)". That settles the question of ownership.

When Mathuramohon founded Shakti Oushadhaloy, malaria was ravaging Bengal in severity and spread. Quinine was failing as a treatment. At that moment, Mathuramohan introduced Amritarishto, described in advertisements as "the infallible remedy for malaria".

There is an extraordinary story behind the founding of Shakti Oushadhaloy. In the late 19th century, Mathuramohon was a teacher at Jubilee School. Suddenly, he fell seriously ill. He consulted renowned doctors in both Dhaka and Kolkata, but nothing worked. Finally, he went to the ashram of Loknath Brahmachari in Baradi. There, under the care of the Brahmachari, he gradually recovered.

It is said that under the guidance of a Brahmachari, Mathuramohon gave up teaching to devote himself to Ayurvedic practice. Brahmachari had told him, "Go to the forests. Serve people using plants and herbs." This was how Shakti Oushadhaloy came into being.

Photo: Collected

Let us return to the idara, which remains functional to this day. It is located at the back of the house. The well has a circular opening, approximately ten feet wide. In some places, the plaster has come off. Its height from the ground is about waist-high. There are drains on either side for water drainage. A small adjoining room appears to have been either a changing room or perhaps a kitchen – it is now covered in weeds, so one cannot be sure.

I saw a child drawing water from the well and bathing in it. He told me that he bathes with this water every day, and he said that the water feels quite cool. I asked whether they drank this water. He replied, "No."

By then, two women had arrived, each carrying two large water bottles. They had collected the water from a Wasa water ATM booth. I asked how far the booth was. They replied, "You need to cross the main road in Dayaganj—it takes about 7-8 minutes."

Although there is a Wasa water line in their house, the water from it has an unpleasant smell and sometimes even has insects, so they do not use it. They use the healthy water for bathing and cooking, and collect drinking water from the ATM booth twice daily.

The oldest resident is Robicharan Das, who said he is 90 years old. He was born in this house. Back then, the house was quite grand. In the evening, a kerosene lamp would be lit at the main entrance, and the inner rooms were lit with oil lamps and hurricane lanterns. Behind the house was a banana grove. The large house once had several idaras. Most of the factory workers of Shakti Oushadhaloy used to live in the rear part of the house.

Robicharan still works at the factory. He started in 1966. At the time, he earned 12 taka per week. Now he earns 380 taka daily, though he does not get work every day. On days when herbs arrive, there is more to do, such as sorting plants or preparing fires for processing.

He said, "The water from this well used to be clear, like pomegranate juice. Drinking it would make you feel energised." He explained that in winter, the base of the well was cleaned every two or three years and coated with lime, which made the water even clearer. The well had a pulley and a tin cover. It is at least 40 feet deep. Robicharan's grandchildren now live in the same house.

Priyanka Ghosh, a young bride from Gazipur, is also living in the house. She is 23 or 24. This was her first time seeing a well, and she was surprised but not displeased.

During heavy rains, the water in the idara almost overflows. Her seven-year-old daughter, Piyasha, bathes in it and even swims. Priyanka's brother-in-law, Likhan Ghosh, is a student at Suhrawardy College. Bathing in the well in the morning has become a routine for him.

Shakti Oushadhaloy no longer has its former strength, nor does the house retain its past grandeur. Yet, the old idara still runs – quietly serving the needs of people. In this age of bottled water, that is no small thing. The question is – how much longer will it last?

This article was originally published in Bangla and was translated by Imran Hossain