SHAW BROS. (WINE) PVT. LTD.

Proud owner of Chhota Bristol, the oldest and most renowned pub in the city

In the year1872: Matab Chandra Shaw, a resident of Burdwan Shakharipukur, started business at 1, Dharamtalla Street, Calcutta. His son Bhubon Mohan Shaw took over the business on his father’s death (1882) and continued to run the business.The clients in those days were mostly ‘Tommies’, sailors & crews, police, & Govt. service-holders and the elite/intellectuals of the society.

Bhubon Mohan Shaw passed away in the year (1908). His widow, Surobala Dassi became the Licensee; assisting her in the business was Lakshmi Charan, the younger brother of Late Bhubon Shaw and later her two minor sons Uma Charan Shaw and Abhoy Charan Shaw, younger brother of Late Bhubon Mohan Shaw, till 1920. Subsequently, her youngest son, Panchu Kali, joined in, and the three sons together managed the business till 1945. All the brothers were attached with other businesses. Also they were attached with various social organisations, and were involved in the encouragement of sports; they had sympathy and gave active, overt support to the freedom fighters. Uma Charan & Abhoy Charan diligently expanded and consolidated the foundation of the business, their dealings with the Trade, the general customers/consumers as well as the officialdom. Their vision into the future has laid the foundation of this institution. It was the resourceful and persuasive Panchu Kali Shaw who successfully concluded their initiation of the process of laying a proper foundation for an institution to continue through the generations.

Panchu Kali Shaw was attached to the institution of Physical Culture and was a participant in different sporting disciplines. His close contacts with some freedom fighters, sports personalities and social luminaries of the day, enriched his life. He was appointed Manager of the Indian Boxing squad for the 1948 London Olympic. He was also an official of the Boxing squad of the 1952 Helsinki Olympic. He was seen as a Hockey player in several premier clubs of Calcutta. Personalities, such as, Atulya Ghosh, Prafulla Sen, Bijoy Singh Nahar, Dr. Mahendra Nath Sarkar, Pankaj Gupta, M. Dutta Roy, P.Mishra, P.L.Roy, B.D. Chatterjee and Bistu Ghosh were his close associates in his public life. He was member of institutions like School of Physical Culture, Bengal Boxing Association, I-Camp, Mohun Bagan A.C. Kalighat and Aryan Club and Taltolla Institute. He was devoted patron of the Chittaranjan Hospital and the annexed College in those days of their formation.

Late Manish Dey an eminent artist and brother of famous sculptor Late Mukul Dey was at time, a visitor of Chhota Bristol. At several moments he used to share his intellect with people of his equal wave length. One of those days with his own cigar ash and a chalk he painted on the wall of Chhota Bristol leaving creativity to no bar.

Place for serious drinking By- HAMDE BEY

There are other places where the murals on the walls are more artistic, or where beef-steaks can be had or fashionable women seen, but for serious drinking there is no bar in Calcutta superior to Chhota Bristol. also known as Moti Seal Bar. The habitues of Chhota Bristol concentrate solely on the spirits; and have no interest in any kind of flesh, including woman's. In fact, effiminacy or elegance in any form is discouraged. At the Chhota, you count out your money first before the waiter brings you your drink. What is attractive about the place is indeed the tough, male, aggressive attitude of the entire establishment; the company is cheerful, even boisterous, but there are few brawls, for everyone stands in awe of the bartender, who has never tasted a drop himself and who is known to raise a finger to stop a waiter from serving that last lethal drink to one who is already drunk.

The Chhota is as old as the century established in the year 1873. In circa 1900 all the bars were situated on Mission Row or in Bowbazar; the Chhota was the first to move out of that restricted area and open on Dhurumtolla Street which provided a pretext for the newly-formed Calcutta Temperance Society to start an agitation. The Jhamela forced the shifting of the bar to the quiet alley between Dhurumtolla Street and the Metro that it still adorns, and from which it has borrowed its second folk name: its official name sounds very official indeed. The wine shop of Dhurumtolla Street ! The temperance movement left a residue, curiously, in the attitude of the management who seem to strongly disapprove of the poison they sell. There is no attempt to make the process attractive; the only snack served with the drink is diced ginger, a pinch of large grained salt and chana (Bengal peas) soaked in plain water overnight. The Chhota's faithful habitues just love this air of firmness and overbearing honesty. They perhaps crave that discipline and would obviously like to be spanked by the younger waiters now and then.

A sketch of Chhota Bristol

Shaw Bros. (Wine) Pvt. Ltd. 1A, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Calcutta - 700013.