Presenter
Chakraborty Arka - School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London, United KingdomPanel
17 – Performance and Gender After EmpireAbstract
The decade of the 1950s observed the emergence of a vibrant anglophone entertainment scene that had a transformative impact on Calcuttan soundscapes. New entertainment venues and talent management agencies—patronised by the “children of the Raj”—emerged and supported this live music economy primarily aimed at the leisure of the city’s domiciled and anglophone communities. Anglo-Indian crooners regularly hosted daily cabaret shows and dinner dances, often joined by touring Anglo-American bands. Venues like Blue Fox and New Empire hosted Anglo-Indian performers who adopted alluring stage names (for example, Vivacious Veronica) to attract wealthy patrons to evening cabaret performances accompanied by alcohol and culinary delicacies. This “epicurean subculture” was disapproved by the native bhadralok-sāmāj (Bengali genteel society). Mirroring majoritarian sentiments of distaste towards salacious live entertainment, an Entertainment-cum-Amusement Tax (1982) was imposed on eminent watering holes, effectively ending Park Street’s vibrant cabaret culture. This paper explores the “para-colonial” ecology of Calcutta’s anglophone entertainment scene by unearthing new histories of musical performance from postcolonial Park Street. Digging into an accumulated archive of lost memorabilia and exclusive interviews, I critically engage with the careers of performers like Devika Halder to analyse how amateur female performers navigated salacious patronages and gendered entertainment spaces.
