When I first stepped into eerily quiet courtyard of Bholanath Dham, at 33/2 Beadon Street, a rocket was being made at a dimly lit corner. No, not the one propelled by nuclear fuel!!! But one which is sustained only by hot air! Here is a conversation with Mr.Ajoy Dutt, businessman by profession and Fanush Wizard by hobby.
Q. How did this tradition of Fanush flying originate in Bholanath Dham? And when did you associate yourself with it?
Fanush flying started here serially from the year 1925. Before that, Fanush were also made and flown but those were stray incidents and not worth mentioning. My father had seven brothers and he was the seventh son to carry on this tradition. From him I developed this interest. Not everyone has a knack for such things. When I was ten years old, I made my first Fanush. It was not of good shape and even the attachments were poor but still it flew well. At school, my final exams used to get over towards the end of November . So my family did not allow me to participate except for Saturdays and Sundays. Fanush were generally r flown on Kali Puja. I made the Fanush in December after my exams and then it was released one year later in the next kali Puja!
Q. What are the raw materials required for making a Fanush?
Raw materials are only tissue paper and an adhesive made of wheat flower for joining. Now we use tissues made by the Triveni Company. Earlier they used to be imported from Norway, Sweden, and Australia.
Q. Are there any rules or conventions regarding the shape?
A distinct formation is definitely there, i.e., the head of the Fanush has to be rounded. Rounded shape is the best. Other shapes such as the star look like flat stars flying in the sky but if you have a closer look, its rounded belly will look like a ball. If it is not round, it will not be properly filled up by the gas. For example, when I am making a lattu (top), its head has to be kept rounded. While making the only thing that is to be kept in mind is that there are no gaps at the joints, otherwise the gas will leak. It’s a crude form of hot air balloons which have a basket and gas cylinder and by which people travel. The basic principle is that as the hot air fills it up, it rises.
Q. What do you use here for producing the hot air?
We use a cotton ball soaked in methylitaed spirit. It is called luti. We let in soak overnight. At first, large torches are lit and are used for filling up the Fanush with hot air. Then the luti is tied at the base and lighted. This provides necessary heat to keep the inside air warm and it rises.
Q. What shapes are you making this year (2012)?
This time you will see four or five different shapes such the Lattu, ball, clock, balloon and football.
Q. Your personal favorite among them...
My personal favorite is the football which is a combination of pentagons and hexagons like Russian football. When it flies, it looks as if as if a definite football is floating in the sky.
Q. You have been making and flying Fanush for so many years. Any particular incident that is very close to your heart.
In 2010, the football Fanush had caught fire just after takeoff. It had made me sad because it was very close to my heart. Also, making it requires four times the effort needed to make a regular Fanush.
Q. Apart from Fanush flying, tell us about the other traditions that Bholanath Dham has held onto.
The Durga Puja of our house is 108 years old. Making fireworks on Kali Puja had to be stopped due to shortage of man power, ban on material, hazards, etc. when I was little I could see eight, ten, twelve Fanush flying across the sky from 3pm onwards on Kali Puja. By 4 o’clock, the sky used to be filled with colourful Fanush. Now it has come to limited few terraces. Actually, it was a culture of north Calcutta. The interest has died in the north. People have become old and there’s no one to help them. Man power is an essential part of Fanush making which is greatly lacking today.
Mr.Ajoy Dutt at work with neighbor P.K. Mullic How the Dutt family does it….
Materials used:
ü Paper (tissue paper) is the basic raw material of Fanush.
ü Scale for measuring.
ü Pens for marking.
ü Scissors for cutting.
ü For pasting, wheat flour is used, and to it is added a dash of copper sulphate (locally called tunte).
ü Stencils (locally called chant), preserved by the family for decades, are used for cutting the paper into shape.ü Paper weights and clips also come handy.ü Methylated spirit and the spirit soaked rag ball (locally called luti).ü The rim is fitted with a bamboo slice frame and metallic wires are used to fix the spirit soaked rag ball (locally called luti).
The Process:
Clipped tissue paper ready to be cut and glued
Ø Although the chant plays an integral part in Fanush making but the Fanush makers often used indigenous techniques and simple mathematics for creating the Fanush. For example the football consists of hexagons and pentagons are drawn geometrically with the help of scale and protector.Ø Measuring, cutting and pasting are the major three functions and it looks simple, but in reality the simple operation takes years to master, especially the art of pasting which require two skilled Fanush makers.
Cut into shape
Ø The pasting is done by a homemade glue made out of wheat flour and is made insect proof by adding a dash of cobalt sulphate (locally called tunte).Ø A frame made out of bamboo slice is fixed at the base of the Fanush by using the same glue, but a different composition. After which air is blown into the Fanush by a table fan for checking of leaks. The leaks found are plugged by using the same color paper.Ø After the checking is complete and leaks are plugged. After that two metallic wires are attached diametrically across the circular bamboo frame. The wires intersect at the center where the spirit soaked rag ball (luti) is attached moments before the take off.
Carefully glueing the pieces together
Ø Probably letting of the Fanush requires more skill than making it. First a flaming torch is inserted into the Fanush to inflate it. After the Fanush inflates the spirit soaked rag ball (luti) is tied at the bottom. The pressure builds inside the Fanush and several people hold on to it and let it off at the right moment. [Input courtesy: Rangan Dutta]The Event:
Devi Kamala Kamini
The members of the Dutt family of Bholanath Dham, who are said to be the descendents of Chand Saudagarh and blessed devotees of Devi Kamala Kamini (Maha Lakshmi), have beautifully held on to their traditions, Fanush flying being one of them.
All hail the Fanush!
“When the weather conditions are favourable, even a Fanush shaped as a tanpura can go up vertically straight.” , said Mr. Ajoy Dutt excitedly. Luckily, the weather did not play spoilsport and he was successfully able to fly his own set of striking hot air balloons.Out of the ten Fanush, the first three were released from the huge courtyard and the remaining seven from the terrace of Bholanath Dham. Majority of their shapes were unconventional and highly interesting. Even the conventional ones were brightly coloured and looked immensely pleasing to the eyes. One such Fanush had all the signs of the zodiac drawn neatly over its body.
Lattu!
The “lattu” or top was a new addition that seemed to spiral its way up to the sky. The detailing was perfect, right up to the black tapering axis of the top.
The perfect wall clock!
Next was the clock with its hands showing a particular time. Amazingly, the time depicted by the clock matched with the actual time of its departure.
Footbal-Tribute to Jadablal Dutt- is released as his brother(on chair) watches on
The football was the most popular. Designed to resemble the Russian football, it takes four times the effort required to make an ordinary Fanush. As written on the white hexagons, it was a tribute to the late Jadavlal Dutt as it was his brainchild.
Football flies!
Everyone let out a sigh of relief and joy at its successful launch because such a Fanush can easily catch fire and lead to a disaster.
And off the Rocket goes!
And finally, a special mention of the rocket that had greeted me when I had first stepped into Bholanath Dham! With its fiery red and yellow combination it made straight for the moon! And how far can it actually travel? Well, once it was heard that a Fanush from the Beadon Street in North Kolkata had landed atop a building in Barrackpore!!!Have you ever flown a Hot Air Balloon or wish to do so? Tell us in your comments..
