Siddheswari Ashram: Where Food Plays An Equal Music

An ancient food joint still whispers the tales of 1930s Kolkata - the former capital of the British Indian empire and carries on a legacy. Here's a gem from the Silver Talkies’ Culture Trail series.

Siddheswari Ashram is not just an 86-year-old family legacy. It is also one of the very few remaining Pice Hotels in Bengal serving food on banana leaf plates and offering comforting and pocket easy meals to hungry migrant workers since 1935. If you are wondering, the name ‘Pice Hotel’ comes from the lowest denomination of the Indian currency - ‘paisa’. Here, you’ll get fish and rice within the range of Rs 25 to Rs 400 - unimaginable, yes, but it exists! Also, you’ll need to individually pay for each and every item you order - be it a banana leaf plate or a glass of water or even a slice of lime. That’s how a traditional Pice Hotel works. 

This is a place redolent with the unforgettable aroma of maach bhaja - fish fried in mustard oil, kumro phool bora - pumpkin flower fritters, postor bora - fritters made of poppy seeds paste, mochar ghonto - banana blossom curry, chingri maacher malai curry- jumbo prawn curry in coconut milk - the authentic signature dishes of Bengali cuisine that you won’t find in other restaurants and eateries in and outside of Kolkata and Bengal. 

A History & Culture Hotpot

Welcome to Siddheswari Ashram that was started in 1935 by Khudiram Sarkar on Rani Rashmoni Street right behind Sir Stuart Hogg Market - the present New Market area of Central Kolkata. What started as a Mess Bari - the vintage men’s hostel offering shelter and food to migrant workers from rural Bengal who travelled to Kolkata in search of employment - is still standing strong and is now a legendary memoir of Kolkata’s heritage. It’s also a treasure trove of traditional Bengali foods attracting customers not just from India but also from the world - British, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, and more. 

The building that houses Siddheswari Ashram has a notable historical significance. It originally belonged to Rani Rashmoni who was an Indian businesswoman, Zamindar, philanthropist and the founder of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata. She remained closely associated with Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa after she appointed him as the priest of the temple.

Today the Ashram continues to be a lifeline for the working population of Bengal, filling hungry stomachs of more than 200 workers everyday - starting from top notch government officials, businessmen from New Market, the area that is one of India’s busiest business hubs, to the pourakarmikas (Municipal workers) and daily wagers. 

Be it the babus in lal batti cars or the sanitary workers, the cops in khaki uniform or the hawkers on the streets, Muslim businessmen and tailors or the Hindu pujaris, migrant workers from rural Bengal or the international tourists, all sit together on chairs and marble top tables in a row (a traditional community seating arrangement for serving lunch or dinner, more commonly practiced during weddings and pujas in ancient Bengal) and eat their meals on banana leaf plates, baked mud plates and plates of stainless steel. When you step in here, you’ll smell equality, unity and communal harmony in its truest sense. 

The Perfect Blend of Then and Now

Looking to book a table for two and four and eat in privacy? Expecting a printed bill out of a machine? You’ll have to miss out on the valuable experience of diversity and of course, the absolutely stunning food that you may not find elsewhere. Siddheswari Ashram doesn’t have the system of prior booking and it still runs on the age-old system of handwritten accounts and billing. However, as a nod to the digital age, you can make your payment online via Google Pay, Phone Pay, Paytm or a debit card. 

There’s no menu card here either. The day’s menu is handwritten on a blackboard and it keeps changing daily based on the rate of the veggies, fish and meat in the market. Sounds perfect with some time traveling to your childhood that did not thrive only on technology, doesn't it?

Smashing patriarchy: this family heirloom business is run by the daughters

Rita Sen

This heritage eatery is run by the fifth generation at present. While heirloom businesses are usually perceived to be run by the male representatives of the family, Siddheswari Ashram’s reign is in the hands of the queens of the family today - the daughter and the daughter-in-law, Rita Sen and Debjani Sen. 

“This business was started by my father-in-law’s grandfather and my husband was the only son in the fifth generation. After his sudden untimely demise, my sister-in-law and myself took up the responsibility. Earlier, we had no clue about the business as it was managed by my father-in-law and my husband. With some guidance from my father-in-law following my husband’s death, we gradually started learning things. However, initially, it was a huge challenge. Also, we were not sure of how the employees would react to our leadership as they had never seen women in power ever before. However, it went on really well and we’ve been able to manage it. I have a daughter and I am sure she will be an able sixth generation carrier of the legacy,” says Debjani Sen. 

Providing employment and security to generations

There is something special about Siddheswari Ashram. Apart from generations in the Sen family running the business, the Ashram has also been steady in providing employment to its staff and chefs, generation after generation. 

Debjani Sen

“Most of our staff have been with us since the inception and often you’ll find that the job roles have passed on from fathers to sons, uncles to nephews. All of them have been pro-institutional. Just like us, they have wanted the Ashram to live long and thrive irrespective of the change in time and setting around us. We share an unusual bond of love, commitment and loyalty. We have 30 staff in total in the age bracket of 20 to 58 years which is the age of retirement here. However, we have had employees who have continued serving us post retirement because of their relentless love for the institution. We provide residential facilities to them. The Ashram has two parts - one on the first floor where we run the eatery and the kitchen and the other part - the staff quarter on the ground floor where they live together. We provide them their daily food and shelter and apart from their salaries, we do have arrangements of Provident Fund, Gratuity and ESI for all of our permanent staff,” says Debjani Sen. 

Fish, sweets and mango chutney will bring you back here

The Ashram is known for its traditional fish dishes and on a daily basis about 10 to 12 varieties of fish are cooked and served. Also, most of these dishes, both veg and non-veg are cooked in traditional mud ovens that give a unique taste and make the food fingerlicking good. Also, you’ll get mango chutney in all seasons, not just in summers.

“It is all about the love we’ve received from our customers from across the globe and they come back to Siddheswari Ashram every time they visit Kolkata. We look forward to seeing the institution making a century and running with all glory for 100 years and beyond,” says Sen. 

Image Courtesy: Zomato and Siddheswari Ashram