A walk through Kolkata’s historic Anglo-Indian and Chinese neighbourhoods

Bow Barracks has always been one of the most photographed neighborhoods in Kolkata. There’s a distinctive visual identity to the colonies of red brick apartments. Balconies are always spilling over plants, children play cricket in the lanes, neighbours greet one another across corridors as though little has changed.

But beyond its postcard appeal lies a chapter of Kolkata's colonial history. Originally built as military barracks during the First World War, the buildings were later occupied by the city's Anglo-Indian community – people of mixed European and Indian ancestry.

Artist and researcher Soumyadeep Roy, whose work traces forgotten anecdotes of Kolkata’s communities, explains, ‘They were caught somewhere in between… Accepted completely by neither the British nor Indian society, they gradually built a culture that was entirely their own.’

That culture continues to thrive today, especially during the community's celebrations. Every December, while thousands gather beneath the lights of Park Street, Bow Barracks celebrates Christmas in a way unique to it. Families prepare homemade wines, plum cakes, vindaloos and recipes passed down through generations. 

Soumyadeep points out they’ve been part of the city’s growth and rhythm, ‘not just in terms of the past, say with people like (poet and educator Henry Louis Vivian) Derozio, but also in terms of the present in terms of how a lot of pedagogues, a lot of teachers in the schools and a lot of quiz events would all have their inception from this community’.

As we walk through Bow Barracks, Soumyadeep points towards an elaborately decorated gateway – a Buddhist temple, more than a century old. Thus begins a mere five-to-eight-minute walk that leads us towards another community’s imprint.

The story of Kolkata's Chinese community begins over two centuries ago with Tong Achew, a Chinese trader who established a sugar mill south of the city. The settlement that grew around it eventually became Achipur.

As migration continued, different Chinese communities arrived with different skills. The Hakka community became known for leatherwork and carpentry. The people who came from Shanghai set up laundry shops. The Cantonese reshaped the city's culinary landscape. What emerged wasn't one Chinatown, but a neighbourhood marked by multiple regional identities, each contributing to Kolkata in its own way.

Our first stop is Toong On Church, established in the 1920s. The site is remembered not only for its place of worship but also for housing the legendary Nanking Restaurant, believed to be Kolkata's first Chinese restaurant. Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and generations of artists are said to have dined here. But instead of looking at the restaurant, Soumyadeep asks us to look up. Above it survives a temple dedicated to Kuan Ti, the Chinese god of war. 

A short walk away stands Nam Soon Church, painted in bright red and recognised as one of the oldest surviving Chinese places of worship in the city. Perhaps most remarkably, Soumyadeep notes, ‘after the revolution in China, the worship of a lot of these deities have been stopped in China… but they continue here, in Calcutta.’

It is also believed that the city's iconic hand-pulled rickshaw was introduced by the Chinese community. Soumyadeep explains the idea: when guests came to a Chinese household, it would seem disrespectful to let them walk on their feet out of the house. So, they had to be elevated and taken by someone else.

Even today, the community continues to keep its traditions alive. During Chinese New Year, Tiretta Bazaar transforms into one of Kolkata's most vibrant celebrations, with dragon and lion dances taking over the streets, temples opening their doors, and food becoming the centrepiece of festivities.

No exploration ends without food. And just a few steps away from the Nam Soon Church is Sei Vui Restaurant, offering authentic Chinese and Indo-Chinese food. 

We ordered the golden fried prawns, which arrived extremely crisp with fresh and tender prawns. This was served with a spicy sauce that perfectly complemented the lightly seasoned prawns. We also ordered steamed wonton that came dipped in a hearty soup. The chicken was tender and the vegetables were crisp, making it a perfect balance when you take a spoonful. We complimented these two with lemon soda that washed everything down like a spider in a drain.

Many of us who’ve lived in Kolkata are exhausted of it being described through colonial buildings, yellow taxis or tramlines. It’s about time to turn more corners.