Raja Subodh Mullick's house is a historic mansion at 12 Wellington Square in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Associated with the Basu Mullick family, the mansion is noted for its European Neoclassical architecture, ornate interiors, and historical significance. The house was one of the prominent nineteenth-century residences in North Kolkata. In 1998, it was designated as a Grade I heritage building by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The mansion was closely associated with the Indian independence movement. It was built between 1883 and 1884. Subodh Chandra Mullick was four years old at that time. In 1908, the building was searched extensively by the Indian Imperial Police while investigating the Alipore bomb case. In later years, the mansion became the subject of a prolonged inheritance dispute involving the descendants of the Basu Mullick family and the University of Calcutta.
Architecture and layout The architecture and layout of the house are based on European Neoclassical architecture, both on the exterior and interior. The three-storey house is U-shaped in its structure and it's painted deep red on the exterior. The first alphabet in the Mullicks' surname—"M"—was carved on all the wooden and iron doors of the house. Various European paintings were hung from the walls in most of the rooms. The eminent European paintings also included the paintings of George Washington, made by Gilbert Stuart. The window grilles are designed in the jaafri style of architecture. The floors on the first floor were covered in white marble, and inside the rooms, the marble floors were covered with carpets. The library had green furnishings and ceiling-touching wall cupboards all around the periphery of the room. One window in the room faced the alley adjoining the house. The rooms and corridors on the ground floor were covered with black marble. The walls had been painted with ornate European–neoclassic style rococo paintings by various Italian artists over many years.
There were two kitchens in the mansion — one for the family and the other one for preparing servings to the Hindu deities. Both of them were located in the back wing of the house. The front wing had a baburchikhana. A wooden bridge in the middle wing used to connect the front wing and thr back wing. The women of the Mullick household resided in the back wing. That part of the house also had the Mullick family's deity's room and a strong iron locker room, where the family wealth was stored. There is a rear door present in the back wing. As per the traditions of the household, newlywed brides entered the house through the back door, and unlike the present–day customs, the Basu Mullick family used to have vegetarian meals on the day of marriage. There is a naibatkhana inside the front door, which was purchased by Raja Subodh Mullick's father Prabodh Chandra Basu Mallik.
Role in independence
The house of Raja Subodh Mullick became a hub of nationalistic and freedom movements. Multiple meetings and gatherings regarding the Swadeshi movement and other freedom movements were held here. During December 1906, the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress was held at Subodh Mullick's house, and it was presided over by P. Mitter. The session was attended by eminent revolutionaries including Subodh Chandra Mullick, Sri Aurobindo, Abinash Chakrabarty, Bhupendra Nath Datta, Indra Nandi, Annada Kaviraj, Jatindra Nath Mukherjee, Lalitkumar Chatterjee, Jnan Basu, Bireshwar Mukherjee, Paresh Lahiri, Nikhil Ray Maulik, and Pulin Das. In 1907, another conference session of the Indian National Congress was held at this house. The National Council of Education was set up in this house, in the presence of Sri Aurobindo Ghose, Raja Subodh Mullick, and other dignitaries. Subodh Chandra Mullick donated ₹1 lakh for setting up the Bengal National College. After this huge donation for improvements in education, the common people conferred him the title of "Raja" and henceforth, Subodh Chandra Basu Mullick is being addressed along with his honorary title. Rabindranath Tagore used to visit this house to discuss the educational policies and fund allocation for education with Aurobindo and other professors of the Bengal National College.
Eminent visitors Raja Subodh Mullick's house was visited by eminent personalities from different fields of life. Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurobindo were the most frequent visitors here. Besides, this house was often visited by other eminent personalities, including the Gaekwad of Baroda, Surendranath Banerjee, Ōkuma Shigenobu of Japan, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, Jyotirindranath Tagore, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Chittaranjan Das and many others.
Association with Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo was appointed as the first principal of the Bengal National College. So, when he came to Calcutta from Baroda, he stayed at Raja Subodh Mullick's mansion as a guest from 1906 to 1907. A plaque on the façade of the house commemorates his stay in the mansion. After 1907 he shifted to be more available for the common people. The corner-most room on the north-west of the mansion was Aurobindo's residence during his year-long stay here as a guest. Every evening after returning from the college, he would address the gathering at the house. The British police arrested Aurobindo in relation to the Alipore bomb case on 2 May 1908. While the Mullick family was away in Varanasi, the Indian Imperial Police inspected and made a mess in the whole house in order to obtain even a tiny bit of evidence regarding Aurobindo's association with the Manicktolla bomb conspiracy. In 1908, Raja Subodh Mullick was arrested by the Indian Imperial police and sent to prison for a period of fourteen months for anti-Crown activities. When he returned to his house after the expiry of his sentence, Aurobindo paid him a visit in February 1910, and it was the last time Aurobindo visited here.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
