The man
On February 2 this year, three labourers died in a manhole accident at Kolkata Leather Complex in Bantala. No wonder the tragic accident made it to the headlines of all major dallies. But unknown to many, the Kolkata itself has a century-old memorial {in picture at Chakrabaria Road (South)} dedicated to a common man who died while rescuing two manhole labourers.
Nafar Chandra Kundu (March 22, 1881 – May 12, 1907) was a member of Entally Ramkrishna Mission and was always a helpful person. He died in the process of saving two Muslim sewage workers from a manhole.
The gallant deed
In May 1907, Nafar Chandra Kundu was walking down the streets of Chakraberia in south Calcutta’s Bhowanipore, when he heard shouts for help. He noticed a small crowd had gathered around an open manhole and the screams streaming from inside the manhole. Asking around, Nafar got to know that two labourers had dived deep to clean the manhole and landed in trouble. Without wasting any time, Nafar decided to get inside the manhole to rescue the workers, much against the wishes of the gathered crowd. But nothing could stop the lad. Nafar could pull out both sewage workers out of the manhole to safety but sadly could not save himself. He was only 26.
The memorial
A memorial was erected by his Indian and European friends, which was funded by public subscription (picture above shows upper part of the memorial with the English & Bengali inscriptions). The memorial comprises a square base fitted with glazed tiles (probably added later). It is topped with another structure with a square base placed diagonally with the base. The front two sides of the upper structure contain two memorial plaques in Bengali and English.
Present location and neglect
The memorial still stands at Chakrabaria Road (South) and inside the complex of the gymnasium and yoga club named Kalyan Chakra Avijatri. Sadly, it has been totally forgotten and lies in utter neglect. Also, the man whose life was devoted in doing good to others irrespective of caste, creed and colour has been forgotten.
The continuing manhole cleaning-related deaths
On January 29, 2025, the Supreme Court of India ordered a complete ban on manual scavenging and sewer cleaning in six metropolitan cities, including Kolkata. Sadly, on February 2, three manhole cleaners died in Kolkata. Sadly, manholes are still cleaned by municipal authorities with inadequate or no safety measures and training, which lead to more and more deaths since there is no Nafar Chandra Kundu around to save them.
