A hotel from the Raj days

The facade of the building at 19 Zakaria Street at Chitpore in Central Kolkata is deceptive.

The facade of the building at 19 Zakaria Street at Chitpore in Central Kolkata is deceptive. What looks like a dilapidated building is actually a hotel with swank interiors.

The hotel,run by the Sikhwal family,was originally the home of Mohammad Halim who migrated to Pakistan after the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. It was later confiscated by the Government of India and declared enemy property under the Enemy Properties Act,1968.

Kanaihalal Sikhwal,a tenant in this building who came from Rajasthan,entered into a lease deed with the Custodian of Enemy Properties and set up the Rajasthan Guest House here.

Story continues below this ad

The four-storeyed guest house with 100 rooms,located near Kolkatas famous Nakhoda mosque,is a popular one,attracting guests from all over India and abroad. Its interiors hark back to the Raj days,and that nostalgia value is what makes it popular.

Md Halim left for Pakistan. We dont know of any heir or if they live in India. The business is now being run by the sons of the late Sikhwalji and they live on Congres Exhibition Road in Howrah, says Pawan Kumar Swami,manager of the guest house. The Sikhwals,adds Swami,own other businesses in the state as well.

There were quite a few buildings in this neighbourhood that were seized by the central government under the Enemy Properties Act. During that time many of the local Muslims migrated to Pakistan and their properties were confiscated, says Swami.

The RJD’s key face and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav, party supremo Lalu Yadav’s son, will again contest from his stronghold Raghopur.

Amid Mahagathbandhan crisis, RJD unveils list of 143, drops 36 MLAs, focuses on ‘M-Y’

Political Pulse7 hr ago

The RJD, lead player of the Mahagathbandhan, released its full list of 143 candidates for the November Bihar Assembly elections. Its key face Tejashwi Yadav will contest from Raghopur, and 41 sitting MLAs have been renominated. The party has dropped 36 sitting MLAs and fielded young leaders, signaling a bid to consolidate its core Muslim-Yadav vote base. The Congress has fielded 60 candidates.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS