Kerosene lamp posts of Thataribazar still standing with thousand memories

Barasat-based Mohammad Israil saw the gas lamps and how they operated when he was living in Kolkata. The lamps were enclosed within rectangular chimneys, fastened to the top of an iron pole. At the point where the frames began, there was another iron pole placed adjacent to it. The significance of this should not be underestimated.

There is a good description of the evenings after the arrival of the gas lamps in Kolkata in "Hutom Pyanchar Naksha": "As soon as evening fell, a municipality worker scurried with a ladder under his arm to light up the streets. He climbed up the ladder to the lamp post and first cleaned the light shade glass with a rag. Then he turned the key to turn on the gas. Finally, he lit the lamp using a match." The municipal worker would rest the top of the ladder on the iron bar; otherwise, there was a high possibility of him falling. The first gas lamp was lit in Calcutta on 6 July 1857. Before that, the kerosene lamp was lit.

Israil came to Dhaka with his family in the aftermath of the partition. Currently, he is 88, so at that time, he was just 12 years old. After arriving in Dhaka, they spent some time in Moulvibazar before eventually settling in Thataribazar. Israil had to work to support his family due to financial constraints. In Thataribazar, there's a famous intersection known as Bottola.

If you walked straight west from Bottola, you would find an alley on your left. Following this alley, you will eventually arrive at Taherbagh. Right in front of House 11 is where the lamp post is situated. However, a modern-day bulky lamp post is hiding it, so it is difficult to see if you do not pay close attention. Although the top of the post is empty, there is a stair cross. The lamp post is approximately seven feet tall.

A local resident said, "There is about 7 feet more underground as the road is elevated. Even after all these years – about 100 years, the iron has not rusted; no part has eroded. After all, it was made by the British."

In the Taherbagh Workshop area, there are several lathe machine shops on both sides of the street. Mohammed Israil is the manager of the store in Boba's Spring Shop. In his time, he has seen more electric streetlights in Dhaka, but the number of kerosene lamps was not negligible either. The municipal workers came every evening to light these lamps. The lamplighters had ladders on their shoulders and kerosene cans in their other hands. He found out that the lampposts were brought from abroad.

Azim Bakhsh, director of the Dhaka Centre, which deals with the history of Dhaka, told TBS, "Dhaka Municipality had two pressing tasks: lighting the streets and road maintenance. Kerosene lamps were primarily in the alleys, and electric lamps were on the roads.

"Every evening, the lamplighters arrived with ladders and oil cans. They opened up the chimney doors after climbing up the ladder. After pouring in kerosene, they lit it up using matches. In Dhaka during that period, no one's house was double-storied except the zamindar or the prominent businessmen. The lampposts were 15 feet high. So, the lamplighters used to ask the mothers and sisters of the house to move away."

Kerosene lamp posts first lit up the streets of Dhaka in 1877, one year after Queen Victoria of Britain assumed the title of Empress of India. To celebrate, the residents of Dhaka formed a celebration committee and raised a fund of Tk6,500 to install 100 street lamp posts.

The first 60 lampposts were installed from the municipality office to Chawkbazar at Waisghat, and more were installed in other neighbourhoods over time.

Dhaka's history researcher Hashem Sufi said, "The number of lampposts did not increase quickly because the local wealthy individuals were the ones expected to fund them. Moreover, kerosene wasn't readily available and there were no oil refineries in the Indian subcontinent. So, oil had to be imported from distant countries, even from England. Kerosene was classified as an explosive substance under British law, so it was prohibited from common use. Petrol pumps were owned by the government."

"Now, you might ask, did Dhaka not have street lamps before kerosene lamps? What was lit inside homes?" Hashem Sufi answered his own question, saying, "In the Mughal era, there was a profession called 'Mashalchi,' who was responsible for lighting torches at crossroads. They used sesame or linseed oil as fuel. This practice continued for a few hundred years."

Dhaka Municipality was formed in 1864. However, the plan to decorate Dhaka in the European style was adopted by the municipality in 1885. The municipality paid the lamp lighters on a monthly basis, which included the price of oil. For example, in 1890, a lamp-keeper used to get 1 taka 7 annas; in 1899, he got 1 taka 3 annas.

In the early 18th century, Dhaka began to lose prosperity when the capitals of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa were shifted to Murshidabad. And it lasted until the end of the nineteenth century. 

The elephant was the vehicle of Dhaka in the seventies of the nineteenth century. In 1869, there were four main roads in Dhaka with a total length of not more than a few miles. 

In the 1870s, the population of Dhaka was a little over 50,000. However, when it came to civic amenities, there were hardly any. Nawab Ahsanullah donated four lakh taka for electric street lighting. The Dhaka Electric Light Trust was established to install and maintain electric streetlights. In a notice published in a newspaper on behalf of the trust, it was announced that electric lights would be installed on Rahmatganj, Chawkbazar Circular Road, Mogaltuli Road, Nolgola Road, Babubazar Road, Kamitiganj Road, and many other areas.

Finally, the long-awaited day arrived on 7 December 1901. A grand ceremony was held at Ahsan Manzil to mark the arrival of electric lights in the city. The following day, the Dhaka Prakash newspaper reported, "Yesterday, just after dusk, thanks to the generosity of the respected Nawab Bahadur, the main streets of Dhaka city suddenly burst into laughter with the power of electricity."

Azeem Baksh stated, "Even after the introduction of electric lights, kerosene lamps were in use for a long time. However, even when combined, the number of lampposts was not enough. In the 1950s, Dhaka's nights were quiet. People did not roam around much after dark." 

Hashem Sufi had similar experiences. He said, "At night, people were not seen on the streets. Those who had to go out of necessity would move in groups. Even cinemagoers, while walking back from the theatres, would sing loudly."

Near Laxmibazar lies an ancient locality of Dhaka called Rokonpur. It is believed that a dervish named Rokonuddin Chishti used to live there, and the area was named after him. Hashem Sufi lived in house number 1 in Rokonpur. He recalled seeing two lamp posts at the northern and eastern corners of their house; one lit with kerosene and the other with electricity.

The transition from kerosene lamps to electric lights was gradual. According to statistics, in 1935, Dhaka had 869 kerosene lamps and 1,066 electric lamps. This means that in the 57 years preceding that, an average of 15 kerosene lamps were added each year. There was some progress during the partition of the country. At that time, there were 1,070 kerosene lamps and 1,370 electric lamps in Dhaka.

Hashem Sufi said, "The Nawabs owned the Dhaka Electric Supply Company in Paribagh. It was registered in Kolkata and many of its officials were English. This establishment was capable of producing 6 megawatts of electricity. Apart from supplying electricity on the streets, it also provided power to Mintu Road, Nawab's Palace, DC House, and Ruplal House. Later, its scope expanded and the number of customers continued to grow. They used coal to generate electricity here."

Azeem Baksh added, "In addition to the regular iron lamp posts, I've seen another type of lamp post. These were made of corrugated iron but looked like English 'S' letters. Near the Gendaria Bridge, where there used to be a wooden bridge, there is now a drug control office."

Azim Bakhsh clearly remembers the kerosene depot in Ultinganj. The depot was on the banks of the Buriganga. 

Azim Bakhsh believes that there were more such depots in Dhaka, but they were not that many in number. In addition to street lamps, kerosene was also used in hurricane lanterns, small lamps (known as kupi in Bangla) and hajak lamps.

Both Hashem Sufi and Azim Bakhsh saw the kerosene lamps being lit in the early sixties for the last time. And what about the posts? Hashem Sufi said, "Lost to neglect. Even those who have seen them have forgotten. I collected one and gave it to the Dhaka City Museum for preservation; now, I can't say whether it is there or not."