New Town now has the prettiest address in town to go sip a cuppa. The New Town Coffee House, opposite Amity University in Action Area II, opened doors to the public last Friday. But so heavy was the footfall in the first weekend that the authorities have decided to take the advance online booking route for entry.
The coffee house seats 92 people at a time, with tables placed 4ft apart to ensure social distancing. But Sunday saw close to 800 people make a beeline for the landmark, with footfall peaking from 3.30pm and crowds lingering even at 7pm, the closing time. “This is becoming difficult to manage. Though we are registering names at the entrance and asking people to wait in chairs placed outside they are all crowding at the gate. We will talk to an online booking platform and make provisions for advance booking so that entry gets staggered,” said Hidco chairman Debashis Sen. Such a system was in place before the lockdown at the Biswa Bangla Gate restaurant, with specific time slots given to those logging in.
Officials held a review meeting on Monday, the weekly closing day for the coffee house. Lots of suggestions have come, seeking extension of hours in the evening and additions, like Mughlai Paratha, to the existing menu. But the authorities want to wait for the set-up to settle down before imposing more variety on the Cafe Ekante-run kitchen. Proposals are also coming from bands to play, for events to be held as also a cycle stand to be built.
Majestic mansion
The bilaterally symmetrical facade harks back to Raj-era architecture, with eight fluted Corinthian columns lending character to the look.
The signage bearing the name hangs from a cast iron hexagonal latticework, supported by cast iron columns, which serves as an entrance canopy, standing under which the first view of the interior can be taken. “The design was so intricate that local grille makers were not confident of taking up the challenge. So we got it done from Hyderabad. The fabricator had to come over after the building was ready to take measurements as a difference of even a millimetre would have created problems in fitting,” said Parinita Hati, the architect who designed the building.
Cast iron latticework at the entry Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
If the seating hall lets the eye travel vertically the reason is the extraordinary height of the ceiling — 21ft. The ceiling is supported by an old world feature — kori borga, but made of steel instead of sal wood.
The floor has anti-skid, ceramic hexagonal tiles with three-dimensional effect. The central panel of terracotta-hued tiles, a College Street coffee house feature, looks like a fissure, sticking out from the 3,000sq ft black and white surface.
College Street influence
Another structural highlight is the cantilever mezzanine floor. “I wanted the ground floor to be visible from the verandah upstairs, just like it is in the College Street coffee house. It is an extraordinary feeling to take in the ambience and activities of the hall below from above,” said Sen, an alumnus of Presidency College, which stood right opposite Indian Coffee House, the iconic meeting place.
Though the structure is air-conditioned, Sen wanted ceiling fans too. Thus fans with extended downrods are suspended from the double height ceiling, evoking old world nostalgia. The fans will also ensure circulation of the cold air, which tends to settle at a lower level, across the height and breadth of the hall.
The 21ft high ceiling supported by steel kori-borga. (Right) Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
Nostalgia reigns in the menu selection too. “Today’s generation has no idea what infusion is. We ordered a cup as it cost two rupees less than milk coffee but saved us for some time from the waiter’s suggestive queries. We have priced it at a minimum — Rs 20 a cup. Where would students get money to pay Rs 140 for a cup of coffee, the usual rate these days at private cafes?” Sen said.
Though not currently on the menu, Sen has requested Snehasish Sinha, Hidco’s additional general manager, tourism, for Chicken Afghani. “When we had some money in our pocket, this was what we indulged ourselves with,” he smiled.
He pointed out that the coffee house has been deliberately positioned in what should evolve into New Town’s college para.
A view of the mezzanine floor. Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
“There is Amity University across the road. St. Xavier’s and Presidency universities have opened. Calcutta, Jadavpur, Rabindra Bharati and Vidyasagar universities have been given space here. Netaji Open University is under construction. A law college will come up here, as will the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Aliah University is close by. There are Narayana School and Bodhicarya Senior Secondary School too. In some years, this place will be teeming with a young and vibrant crowd which will need a place to hang out.”
He admitted that the low price points might lead to losses. “We may have to cross-subsidise it but we want people to come here.”
Tryst with technology
Alongside showcasing tradition, technology has been embraced at the coffee house. The place will be wi-fi enabled so that not just students but also people on a work-from-home schedule, wanting to step outdoors, can come and work here. The authorities are also considering setting up a photocopying facility and a stationery shop for the convenience of students.
Library in a corner
A corner of the coffee house has been set apart for browsing books and magazines. With lounge seating for solo occupants, it will operate as an extension of New Town Library, housed in Nazrul Tirtha.
The book corner at the coffee house. Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
“We have brought 525 books from the library’s stock of 13,000 books, which we will rotate from time to time. We will start lending books also from here. For that, one has to become a member of New Town Library. One can even check for titles of choice from the online catalogue and get it fetched from the main library. Casual visitors can browse books at the table without having to be members,” said Sen.
Titbits with the Brew
A view of the ground floor hall on December 3, the day of the inauguration. Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
- Though minister Firhard Hakim could not make it, the programme was attended by Air Chief Marshal (retd) Arup Raha, police commissioner Mukesh, Amity University vice-chancellor Dhrubajyoti Chattopdhyay and Manoshi Roy Chowdhury, co-chairperson of Techno India Group, among others. Santanu Basu, a resident of Rail Vihar, New Town, tweaked the lyrics of the Manna Dey hit to sing Coffee House-er shei addata phire elo, echoing the general mood.
Cartoons by Mehfuz Ali on the wall Picture
The illustrations, posters and photographs draw from the city’s cultural, literary, cinematic and culinary traditions.
Infusion, or black coffee — a College Street coffee house influence Sourced by the correspondent
“We want to make the coffee house a part of not just New Town but also of Bengali heritage. One should get a feel of old Calcutta in this corner of new Calcutta. That is why we have focused on city icons like Howrah bridge and Satyajit Ray in the visual representations on the walls,” an official said.
Fish Kabiraji, priced Rs 140 Sourced by the correspondent
- An electric bus is plying from Rabindra Tirtha to Coffee House via Eco Space and back. Tickets cost Rs 10. It starts at 12 noon from Rabindra Tirtha and makes the return journey from Coffee House at 12.30pm.
Electric bus plying from Rabindra Tirtha to Coffee House Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
The bus runs from either end after every one hour.
Opening Hours: 12 noon to 7pm (Closed on Monday)