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'THE DUCHESS OF SUDDER STREET', KEEPER OF KOLKATA'S MEMORIES, WILL BE LAID TO REST TODAY
Scroll, India
Sept 23 2014
Violet Smith, owner of Fairlawn Hotel, passes away at 93.
by Sohini Chattopadhyay
The Duchess of Sudder Street was one of Kolkata's most enduring and
endearing landmarks. With her striking, high-altitude, hairdo and
dark-glassed poise, Violet Smith was regarded as a keeper of the
city's memories. She seemed to know everybody and everything. As a
consequence, the proprietor of the marvellously quaint Fairlawn Hotel
was a favourite of travel magazines and newspaper feature writers.
Much to the surprise of her daughter Jennifer Fowler, the Duchess
even popped up in a recent documentary about the city's jazz scene,
holding forth the wild dances she frequented in the 1940s, at the
height of World War II.
Until she fell ill three weeks ago, eventually passing away on
Saturday, 93-year-old Vi Smith, as she was known by her friends,
was to be found every morning and evening in the portico of her
establishment on Sudder Street, greeting guests by name, chatting,
telling stories. "That was my mother's gift: she loved people," said
Jennifer Fowler, who has helped her mother run the property since her
father passed away 12 years ago. "She loved playing the hostess. My
father was the manager: he actually ran the hotel, kept note of the
accounts, exerted quality control on the then-continental kitchen. My
mother didn't know where the kitchen was."
Vi Smith inherited Fairlawn Hotel from her mother in 1962, and
lived on the premises after that. Her establishment was known for its
sepia-toned British colonial charm: flaming steak sizzlers on the menu,
memorabilia of the royal family on the walls and an attentive wait-
staff liveried in pugrees and cummerbunds. Smith was responsible
for the distinctive green facade of the hotel and the abundance of
potted plants on the property - she loved the freshness of green,
says her daughter.
The hotel's motto, stated on its walls, is to "meet tourists as guests
and send them away as friends". Vi Smith made plenty friends, many of
whom came back again and again. The English actors Geoffrey and Laura
Kendal, who played in a touring theatre company, stayed two years in
the 1950s and became family. Sometimes, they earned their lodging by
performing plays on the first floor of the hotel, says Fowler.
The Kendal's daughter Jennifer met actor Shashi Kapoor in Kolkata and
the couple stayed at the Fairlawn for their honeymoon. For years,
room 17 was maintained as Kapoor saab's room, said manager RN Pal,
who joined Fairlawn 38 years ago as an accounts executive. In 36
Chowringhee Lane, which Shashi Kapoor produced, the protagonist played
by Jennifer Kendal is called Violet Stoneham. The boyfriend she once
hoped to marry is called Ted, after Mrs Smith's husband.
Other fans of the hotel include the late producer Ismail Merchant
and director James Ivory, Dominique Lapierre, whose book City of Joy
was made into the eponymous film, the Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze,
who starred in City of Joy, Nobel prizewinning writer Gunter Grass,
the actress Julie Christie and the musician Sting.
The hotel has always done good business. "At times, people slept in
the lobby because the rooms were all booked," said Pal.
Refugee child
Violet Smith was the child of Armenian refugees who fled the horrific
genocide in Turkey early in the 20th century. She came to Kolkata
in 1933. Her mother, Rosie Sarkies first bought a hotel called the
Astoria, also on Sudder Street, with the four- and eight-anna coins she
had saved in kerosene cans. She ran this as a sort of boarding house
for Armenians at a price of Rs 150 a month. In 1936, she sold it for
Rs 6,000 to another Armenian and bought the Fairlawn, a few buildings
up the street from the Astoria. The hotel has been in her family since.
The hotel retains its gracious, faded-carpet charm but is also
well-appointed, and suitably modern. Four years ago, Fowler undertook
an extensive renovation: geysers and air conditioners were added to
every room, and the tariff plan that included breakfast, lunch and
dinner for every guest was discontinued. The gong announcing breakfast
and afternoon tea also went, perhaps even more striking, the pugrees
and cummerbunds were put aside to be worn only on Christmas. The menu
now comprises primarily Indian and Chinese fare. But you can still
order a sizzler or a British roast if you give the kitchen some time.
At the time Sarkies bought the Fairlawn, the Armenian community
owned several hotels in the city - the Grand Hotel, a regal, storied
property now run by the Oberoi group, the Kenilworth hotel, an elegant
four-star hotel in the heart of the city, the Russell Hotel and the
Continental Hotel.
Work has continued as usual since the midnight of September 20, when
Mrs Smith passed away in her room at the hotel. Breakfast was served,
beds were made and guests received. But on Wednesday, the hotel will
suspend service for two hours in the morning. The entire staff has
asked for time off to attend Vi Smith's funeral service at Kolkata's
Bhowanipore Cemetery.
http://scroll.in/article/680588/'The-Duchess-of-Sudder-Street',-keeper-of-Kolkata's-memories,-will-be-laid-to-rest-today
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From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: 'The Duchess of Sudder Street', keeper of Kolkata's memories, will be
laid to rest today
Scroll, India
Sept 23 2014
'The Duchess of Sudder Street', keeper of Kolkata's memories, will be
laid to rest today
Violet Smith, owner of Fairlawn Hotel, passes away at 93.
by Sohini Chattopadhyay
The Duchess of Sudder Street was one of Kolkata's most enduring and
endearing landmarks. With her striking, high-altitude, hairdo and
dark-glassed poise, Violet Smith was regarded as a keeper of the
city's memories. She seemed to know everybody and everything. As a
consequence, the proprietor of the marvellously quaint Fairlawn Hotel
was a favourite of travel magazines and newspaper feature writers.
Much to the surprise of her daughter Jennifer Fowler, the Duchess even
popped up in a recent documentary about the city's jazz scene, holding
forth the wild dances she frequented in the 1940s, at the height of
World War II.
Until she fell ill three weeks ago, eventually passing away on
Saturday, 93-year-old Vi Smith, as she was known by her friends, was
to be found every morning and evening in the portico of her
establishment on Sudder Street, greeting guests by name, chatting,
telling stories. "That was my mother's gift: she loved people," said
Jennifer Fowler, who has helped her mother run the property since her
father passed away 12 years ago. "She loved playing the hostess. My
father was the manager: he actually ran the hotel, kept note of the
accounts, exerted quality control on the then-continental kitchen. My
mother didn't know where the kitchen was."
Vi Smith inherited Fairlawn Hotel from her mother in 1962, and lived
on the premises after that. Her establishment was known for its
sepia-toned British colonial charm: flaming steak sizzlers on the
menu, memorabilia of the royal family on the walls and an attentive
wait- staff liveried in pugrees and cummerbunds. Smith was responsible
for the distinctive green façade of the hotel and the abundance of
potted plants on the property - she loved the freshness of green, says
her daughter.
The hotel's motto, stated on its walls, is to "meet tourists as guests
and send them away as friends". Vi Smith made plenty friends, many of
whom came back again and again. The English actors Geoffrey and Laura
Kendal, who played in a touring theatre company, stayed two years in
the 1950s and became family. Sometimes, they earned their lodging by
performing plays on the first floor of the hotel, says Fowler.
The Kendal's daughter Jennifer met actor Shashi Kapoor in Kolkata and
the couple stayed at the Fairlawn for their honeymoon. For years, room
17 was maintained as Kapoor saab's room, said manager RN Pal, who
joined Fairlawn 38 years ago as an accounts executive. In 36
Chowringhee Lane, which Shashi Kapoor produced, the protagonist played
by Jennifer Kendal is called Violet Stoneham. The boyfriend she once
hoped to marry is called Ted, after Mrs Smith's husband.
Other fans of the hotel include the late producer Ismail Merchant and
director James Ivory, Dominique Lapierre, whose book City of Joy was
made into the eponymous film, the Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze, who
starred in City of Joy, Nobel prizewinning writer Gunter Grass, the
actress Julie Christie and the musician Sting.
The hotel has always done good business. "At times, people slept in
the lobby because the rooms were all booked," said Pal.
Refugee child
Violet Smith was the child of Armenian refugees who fled the horrific
genocide in Turkey early in the 20th century. She came to Kolkata in
1933. Her mother, Rosie Sarkies first bought a hotel called the
Astoria, also on Sudder Street, with the four- and eight-anna coins
she had saved in kerosene cans. She ran this as a sort of boarding
house for Armenians at a price of Rs 150 a month. In 1936, she sold it
for Rs 6,000 to another Armenian and bought the Fairlawn, a few
buildings up the street from the Astoria. The hotel has been in her
family since.
The hotel retains its gracious, faded-carpet charm but is also
well-appointed, and suitably modern. Four years ago, Fowler undertook
an extensive renovation: geysers and air conditioners were added to
every room, and the tariff plan that included breakfast, lunch and
dinner for every guest was discontinued. The gong announcing breakfast
and afternoon tea also went, perhaps even more striking, the pugrees
and cummerbunds were put aside to be worn only on Christmas. The menu
now comprises primarily Indian and Chinese fare. But you can still
order a sizzler or a British roast if you give the kitchen some time.
At the time Sarkies bought the Fairlawn, the Armenian community owned
several hotels in the city - the Grand Hotel, a regal, storied
property now run by the Oberoi group, the Kenilworth hotel, an elegant
four-star hotel in the heart of the city, the Russell Hotel and the
Continental Hotel.
Work has continued as usual since the midnight of September 20, when
Mrs Smith passed away in her room at the hotel. Breakfast was served,
beds were made and guests received. But on Wednesday, the hotel will
suspend service for two hours in the morning. The entire staff has
asked for time off to attend Vi Smith's funeral service at Kolkata's
Bhowanipore Cemetery.
http://scroll.in/article/680588/'The-Duchess-of-Sudder-Street',-keeper-of-Kolkata's-memories,-will-be-laid-to-rest-today
From: Baghdasarian
Scroll, India
Sept 23 2014
Violet Smith, owner of Fairlawn Hotel, passes away at 93.
by Sohini Chattopadhyay
The Duchess of Sudder Street was one of Kolkata's most enduring and
endearing landmarks. With her striking, high-altitude, hairdo and
dark-glassed poise, Violet Smith was regarded as a keeper of the
city's memories. She seemed to know everybody and everything. As a
consequence, the proprietor of the marvellously quaint Fairlawn Hotel
was a favourite of travel magazines and newspaper feature writers.
Much to the surprise of her daughter Jennifer Fowler, the Duchess
even popped up in a recent documentary about the city's jazz scene,
holding forth the wild dances she frequented in the 1940s, at the
height of World War II.
Until she fell ill three weeks ago, eventually passing away on
Saturday, 93-year-old Vi Smith, as she was known by her friends,
was to be found every morning and evening in the portico of her
establishment on Sudder Street, greeting guests by name, chatting,
telling stories. "That was my mother's gift: she loved people," said
Jennifer Fowler, who has helped her mother run the property since her
father passed away 12 years ago. "She loved playing the hostess. My
father was the manager: he actually ran the hotel, kept note of the
accounts, exerted quality control on the then-continental kitchen. My
mother didn't know where the kitchen was."
Vi Smith inherited Fairlawn Hotel from her mother in 1962, and
lived on the premises after that. Her establishment was known for its
sepia-toned British colonial charm: flaming steak sizzlers on the menu,
memorabilia of the royal family on the walls and an attentive wait-
staff liveried in pugrees and cummerbunds. Smith was responsible
for the distinctive green facade of the hotel and the abundance of
potted plants on the property - she loved the freshness of green,
says her daughter.
The hotel's motto, stated on its walls, is to "meet tourists as guests
and send them away as friends". Vi Smith made plenty friends, many of
whom came back again and again. The English actors Geoffrey and Laura
Kendal, who played in a touring theatre company, stayed two years in
the 1950s and became family. Sometimes, they earned their lodging by
performing plays on the first floor of the hotel, says Fowler.
The Kendal's daughter Jennifer met actor Shashi Kapoor in Kolkata and
the couple stayed at the Fairlawn for their honeymoon. For years,
room 17 was maintained as Kapoor saab's room, said manager RN Pal,
who joined Fairlawn 38 years ago as an accounts executive. In 36
Chowringhee Lane, which Shashi Kapoor produced, the protagonist played
by Jennifer Kendal is called Violet Stoneham. The boyfriend she once
hoped to marry is called Ted, after Mrs Smith's husband.
Other fans of the hotel include the late producer Ismail Merchant
and director James Ivory, Dominique Lapierre, whose book City of Joy
was made into the eponymous film, the Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze,
who starred in City of Joy, Nobel prizewinning writer Gunter Grass,
the actress Julie Christie and the musician Sting.
The hotel has always done good business. "At times, people slept in
the lobby because the rooms were all booked," said Pal.
Refugee child
Violet Smith was the child of Armenian refugees who fled the horrific
genocide in Turkey early in the 20th century. She came to Kolkata
in 1933. Her mother, Rosie Sarkies first bought a hotel called the
Astoria, also on Sudder Street, with the four- and eight-anna coins she
had saved in kerosene cans. She ran this as a sort of boarding house
for Armenians at a price of Rs 150 a month. In 1936, she sold it for
Rs 6,000 to another Armenian and bought the Fairlawn, a few buildings
up the street from the Astoria. The hotel has been in her family since.
The hotel retains its gracious, faded-carpet charm but is also
well-appointed, and suitably modern. Four years ago, Fowler undertook
an extensive renovation: geysers and air conditioners were added to
every room, and the tariff plan that included breakfast, lunch and
dinner for every guest was discontinued. The gong announcing breakfast
and afternoon tea also went, perhaps even more striking, the pugrees
and cummerbunds were put aside to be worn only on Christmas. The menu
now comprises primarily Indian and Chinese fare. But you can still
order a sizzler or a British roast if you give the kitchen some time.
At the time Sarkies bought the Fairlawn, the Armenian community
owned several hotels in the city - the Grand Hotel, a regal, storied
property now run by the Oberoi group, the Kenilworth hotel, an elegant
four-star hotel in the heart of the city, the Russell Hotel and the
Continental Hotel.
Work has continued as usual since the midnight of September 20, when
Mrs Smith passed away in her room at the hotel. Breakfast was served,
beds were made and guests received. But on Wednesday, the hotel will
suspend service for two hours in the morning. The entire staff has
asked for time off to attend Vi Smith's funeral service at Kolkata's
Bhowanipore Cemetery.
http://scroll.in/article/680588/'The-Duchess-of-Sudder-Street',-keeper-of-Kolkata's-memories,-will-be-laid-to-rest-today
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
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From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: 'The Duchess of Sudder Street', keeper of Kolkata's memories, will be
laid to rest today
Scroll, India
Sept 23 2014
'The Duchess of Sudder Street', keeper of Kolkata's memories, will be
laid to rest today
Violet Smith, owner of Fairlawn Hotel, passes away at 93.
by Sohini Chattopadhyay
The Duchess of Sudder Street was one of Kolkata's most enduring and
endearing landmarks. With her striking, high-altitude, hairdo and
dark-glassed poise, Violet Smith was regarded as a keeper of the
city's memories. She seemed to know everybody and everything. As a
consequence, the proprietor of the marvellously quaint Fairlawn Hotel
was a favourite of travel magazines and newspaper feature writers.
Much to the surprise of her daughter Jennifer Fowler, the Duchess even
popped up in a recent documentary about the city's jazz scene, holding
forth the wild dances she frequented in the 1940s, at the height of
World War II.
Until she fell ill three weeks ago, eventually passing away on
Saturday, 93-year-old Vi Smith, as she was known by her friends, was
to be found every morning and evening in the portico of her
establishment on Sudder Street, greeting guests by name, chatting,
telling stories. "That was my mother's gift: she loved people," said
Jennifer Fowler, who has helped her mother run the property since her
father passed away 12 years ago. "She loved playing the hostess. My
father was the manager: he actually ran the hotel, kept note of the
accounts, exerted quality control on the then-continental kitchen. My
mother didn't know where the kitchen was."
Vi Smith inherited Fairlawn Hotel from her mother in 1962, and lived
on the premises after that. Her establishment was known for its
sepia-toned British colonial charm: flaming steak sizzlers on the
menu, memorabilia of the royal family on the walls and an attentive
wait- staff liveried in pugrees and cummerbunds. Smith was responsible
for the distinctive green façade of the hotel and the abundance of
potted plants on the property - she loved the freshness of green, says
her daughter.
The hotel's motto, stated on its walls, is to "meet tourists as guests
and send them away as friends". Vi Smith made plenty friends, many of
whom came back again and again. The English actors Geoffrey and Laura
Kendal, who played in a touring theatre company, stayed two years in
the 1950s and became family. Sometimes, they earned their lodging by
performing plays on the first floor of the hotel, says Fowler.
The Kendal's daughter Jennifer met actor Shashi Kapoor in Kolkata and
the couple stayed at the Fairlawn for their honeymoon. For years, room
17 was maintained as Kapoor saab's room, said manager RN Pal, who
joined Fairlawn 38 years ago as an accounts executive. In 36
Chowringhee Lane, which Shashi Kapoor produced, the protagonist played
by Jennifer Kendal is called Violet Stoneham. The boyfriend she once
hoped to marry is called Ted, after Mrs Smith's husband.
Other fans of the hotel include the late producer Ismail Merchant and
director James Ivory, Dominique Lapierre, whose book City of Joy was
made into the eponymous film, the Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze, who
starred in City of Joy, Nobel prizewinning writer Gunter Grass, the
actress Julie Christie and the musician Sting.
The hotel has always done good business. "At times, people slept in
the lobby because the rooms were all booked," said Pal.
Refugee child
Violet Smith was the child of Armenian refugees who fled the horrific
genocide in Turkey early in the 20th century. She came to Kolkata in
1933. Her mother, Rosie Sarkies first bought a hotel called the
Astoria, also on Sudder Street, with the four- and eight-anna coins
she had saved in kerosene cans. She ran this as a sort of boarding
house for Armenians at a price of Rs 150 a month. In 1936, she sold it
for Rs 6,000 to another Armenian and bought the Fairlawn, a few
buildings up the street from the Astoria. The hotel has been in her
family since.
The hotel retains its gracious, faded-carpet charm but is also
well-appointed, and suitably modern. Four years ago, Fowler undertook
an extensive renovation: geysers and air conditioners were added to
every room, and the tariff plan that included breakfast, lunch and
dinner for every guest was discontinued. The gong announcing breakfast
and afternoon tea also went, perhaps even more striking, the pugrees
and cummerbunds were put aside to be worn only on Christmas. The menu
now comprises primarily Indian and Chinese fare. But you can still
order a sizzler or a British roast if you give the kitchen some time.
At the time Sarkies bought the Fairlawn, the Armenian community owned
several hotels in the city - the Grand Hotel, a regal, storied
property now run by the Oberoi group, the Kenilworth hotel, an elegant
four-star hotel in the heart of the city, the Russell Hotel and the
Continental Hotel.
Work has continued as usual since the midnight of September 20, when
Mrs Smith passed away in her room at the hotel. Breakfast was served,
beds were made and guests received. But on Wednesday, the hotel will
suspend service for two hours in the morning. The entire staff has
asked for time off to attend Vi Smith's funeral service at Kolkata's
Bhowanipore Cemetery.
http://scroll.in/article/680588/'The-Duchess-of-Sudder-Street',-keeper-of-Kolkata's-memories,-will-be-laid-to-rest-today
From: Baghdasarian