Cabins of Joy

Touted as one of the last bastions of colonial Calcutta, cabin hotels have been feeding the residents of Kolkata—the City of Joy—for over 150 years.

- ANUBHUTI KRISHNA

‘SANGU VALLEY, Indian and Chinese Dishes’ announces the white signboard with teal lettering above a dilapidated doorway. Two letters, ‘h’ and ‘e’, have fallen off the signboard and the third is tilting, but no one seems to mind. A matching awning covers the large window on the left, and a wide door leads to a hall. Inside, the setting resembles that of a railway coach. Small wooden cabins line up on the left side; a narrow gallery runs on the right. Two ancient looking off-white fans hang from the ceiling; greasy CFLs glow over every section.

I arrived in Kolkata on a sunny day in the winter of 2019, just in time for lunch. Visiting food joints in the city has always been a tradition for me. That day, instead of my favourite spots, I decided to visit offbeat places I had only heard of. Sangu Valley is one such joint. Located next to the abandoned Purna Cinema Hall on S P Mukherjee Road, filled with the din of the street, and frequented by the common man, it is the quintessential cabin hotel.