Of writers and rulers

 

The gulmohur trees rustle

In the summer’s sultry wind;

Beyond the susurration though

There is little noise these days

 

Writers’ Building is quiet now

The days of the Raj over,

The reign of sickle and hammer gone,

Lal Dighi shimmers in quiet contemplation

 

But once upon a time,

This red bastion was the heart of an Empire

A glorious past resting on ionic columns–

And spectacular art deco

 

Hurried clerks, bustling trade, with which

The Company conquered the kingdom

In later years, gunshots, cyanide, inquilab too

As Binay, Badal, Dinesh stirred the nation

 

Today, Writers has turned a full circle;

The corridors and assemblies lie empty

But if you listen intently,

Beyond the din of Dalhousie’s square

 

You can still hear the scratches

Of old pen on parchment paper

The writers - tracking accounts, matching trade

Buying cotton, opium, muslin, rice

 

Or the arguments of a politburo meeting

Dreaming of Marxian paradise

Or a solitary carpenter’s tap-tapping

A lone protest to the disrepair

 

As Lal Dighi continues to shimmer

It watches the Empire’s bastion

Crumble at last: Not to opponents

But to the eternal revolt of Time…

 

16^th June 2026

 

Writers’ Building is a major landmark in central Kolkata that started its life under British rule as the administrative heart of the colonial government in Bengal. Built in the 19th century, it was where British officials ran the administration of the “Raj” era, which is why its long red façade still feels strongly tied to that period. It is called the “Writers’ Building” because it originally housed the junior clerks or “writers” of the East India Company who managed records and paperwork. After independence, it continued as the main secretariat of the West Bengal government for decades, but in recent years most offices have been shifted out to other buildings across the city, leaving it largely empty for daily work. Now there are ongoing plans to restore it and eventually bring government functions back inside in a phased way, so it may again become an active administrative centre after renovation.