Victoria in black, trenches in S Kol: Old-timers revisit air-raid siren days

Time of India

06-05-2025

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Kolkata: On the eve of the drill planned for war preparedness across the country, Kolkata's elderly residents shared vivid memories of air-raid sirens during three major conflicts — World War II, the 1962 Sino-Indian War , and the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War . These piercing alarms, which once echoed through the night, have now faded into history.Sambhu Nath Nandan, 95, recalled Dec 5, 1943, when Japanese aircraft bombed Kolkata port, resulting in 42 casualties. "I clearly remember my mother leading all women and children in the household to a safer shelter at the ground floor of a three-storied building adjacent to my home once the siren sounded," he recounted. He was 13 at the time. The British authorities had painted Victoria Memorial black and covered Tala tank with grass to disguise them from aerial view. Helium-filled balloons were positioned near significant structures, including Howrah Bridge, as a defensive strategy following the 1942 bombings.Bibek Smaran Paul, 85, shared an unusual incident from the early 1960s during the Chinese aggression. "I was returning from my maternal uncle's house to my Charu Market home with my mom riding a bus on route number 2B. As the air-raid siren was sounded, the double-decker bus driver stopped the bus in the middle of the road, jumped out and scooted," recounted the retired doctor.Octogenarian Rabi Chatterjee remembered the Sino-Indian War period at his Harish Mukherjee Road residence. During alerts, people sought shelter, while at night, households and street lights were darkened. He remembers the trenches at Harish Park and Kedar Bose Road where men took refuge during alerts.Jayanta Saha, 83, from Doctor Lane, described the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War: "During the time there were no black-out though we got very scared once the emergency siren started till the all-clear siren with a different tone rang." He and his family would take shelter beneath their century-old house's staircase. Post Sino-Indian War, authorities tested sirens daily at 8 am. In 1969, Bengal Governor Dharma Vira changed this to 9 am to avoid disturbing residents. This practice continued until the late 1980s before gradually ceasing across Kolkata.