In the Heart of Darjeeling: Step Aside, Where Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das Breathed His Last

On a recent trip to Darjeeling, I stumbled upon a house with a name that almost read like a metaphor — “Step Aside.” I paused. Read the board. Stood quietly.

Turns out, this was the place where Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das — freedom fighter, reformer, political activist, lawyer and one of the strongest voices of the Swaraj movement — spent his last days. He passed away here on 16 June 1925, exactly 100 years ago today.

The house is also known as the Deshbandhu Museum now. It was closed when I went, so I could only take a few photos from the outside. But there was something about that quiet corner — almost as if the echoes of Mahatma Gandhi’s footsteps and C. R. Das’s final conversations were still hovering.

They say he invited Mahatma Gandhi here in his last days. They say they spoke of Swaraj, not knowing time was running out.

A century later, “Step Aside” still stands. Not just as a structure, but as a reminder — of service, sacrifice, and a life lived for something far greater than self.

I didn’t expect to find history that morning. But I did. And maybe that’s how we’re supposed to remember.

193 Years of Rebellion and Rabri: The Untold Story of a Barrackpore Mishtanna Bhandar

Tucked right opposite the Barrackpore railway station in West Bengal—where British boots once stomped and the 1857 rebellion simmered—stands a structure with peeling walls, exposed brickwork, oil-stained grills, and the faint aroma of kachori battling centuries of dust. Welcome to Satyanarayan Mishtanna Bhandar also known as Jalua Mishtanna Bhandar.

Established in 1832, a full 193 years ago, this sweet shop isn’t just old—it’s practically a relic. One that claims to have outlived empires, watched revolts unfold, and allegedly served the likes of Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, and a few fleeting stars of Tollywood’s golden dusk.

Until recently, it didn't even bother with a nameboard—just word of mouth and the power of nostalgia. Now, a modest red signboard hangs above the arched entrance, as if reluctantly acknowledging the present while clinging to a stubborn past.

But here’s where things get... complicated.

Let’s address the rabri in the room.

Yes, it’s old. Yes, it’s legendary. But is it good?

Well, that depends on what you’re expecting.

If you arrive seeking a glorious bite of Bengal’s culinary heritage, you might be disappointed. The famed Dal-Kachori—once rumoured to have been a favourite of the late President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee—now feels like it’s running on memory rather than masala. Or as Akshay Kumar cheekily said in Hera Pheri: “Maine daal banaya hai. Agar kisi ko mil jaaye toh kha lena.”

The Rosogolla and Rabri—items that should hum with tradition—come off more like faded photos in a family album. You see what it was. But you don’t quite taste it.

Worse still, the unhygienic conditions are hard to ignore. The kitchen, soot-covered walls, oil that looks like it's been through several revolutions of its own, and a visible absence of basic cleanliness might unsettle even the most forgiving foodie. Romantic decay is one thing. Public health hazard is another.

Yet—and this is important—it still matters.

Because Satyanarayan Mishtanna Bhandar isn’t just a sweet shop. It’s a site of resistance, a culinary witness to the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, a mute observer to colonial fury and indigenous rage.

Its chulha was probably burning when Mangal Pandey fired that first historic shot, mere footsteps away. The same stove might’ve seen freedom fighters, partition refugees, Naxalites, and the common commuter all break bread—or kachori—together. While no record places Pandey directly at the counter munching on kachori, the possibility simmers quietly, like rabri on a low flame.

In 2025, it serves not just food, but memory, however diluted. And while its flavours may have dimmed, its story hasn’t.

So, should you visit?

Absolutely—once. For the history. For the contradiction. For the faded echo of a Bengal that once stood tall and frying.

But maybe, just maybe, ‘eat somewhere else afterwards’.