For the Anglo-Indian community in Kolkata, hope lives in the shadow of its past

Guy Gomes celebrates Christmas at Bow Barracks, a hub for Anglo-Indians in Kolkata, reminiscing on community traditions.

Guy Gomes, 54, feels that December 23 is the best day in the Christmas week to visit Bow Barracks in central Kolkata. Like every year, this year too, Guy found himself at the centre of the quadrangle in the area, guiding hundreds of visitors who thronged the century-old Anglo-Indian hub to soak in the Christmas festivities.

“So many people from around the city, especially the Anglo-Indians who moved away, come here every year for the musical night. The atmosphere is electric,” the travel industry professional says. Guy is one of the few Anglo-Indian residents who continued living at the brick-coloured, three-storey buildings at Bow Barracks, believed to have been a garrison’s mess for the Allied Forces during World War I.

A little north of Kolkata’s central business district, dotted with several colonial buildings, a narrow lane leads to these dilapidated red buildings with green windows. Over the past few years, Bow Barracks has become a prime destination to celebrate Christmas in the city.

Down the 500-metre lane at the festively decorated barracks, white-haired residents chat in circles as visitors enthusiastically photograph each other under glittering Christmas lights. Some groups revel in reuniting with family and community friends, sharing home-made wine.

“Many Anglo-Indians eventually moved out of here to different parts of the city, and many more moved out of the country for better prospects,” Guy says. “But the hype around visiting Bow Barracks during Christmas has only increased in the last decade. The crowd of visitors only gets bigger every year,” he says, smiling.

A day later, on Christmas eve, around 100 people dressed in finery — suits, dresses, ornate saris, and salwar kameezes — pour into St. Francis Xavier’s Church in Bowbazar, a stone’s throw from Bow Barracks. The church stands out in the densely populated neighbourhood in central Kolkata with pink and white columns and can be traced to the late 19th century.

Earlier, the church was the parish for most of the Roman Catholic Anglo-Indians who lived in Bow Barracks. However, as members of the community migrated out of the area and the country, the number of Anglo-Indians attending dwindled massively over the last decade.