McCluskieganj

Mcluskieganj railway station

A mosque, a temple & a gurudwara at one place

McCluskieganj is a town in Jharkhand State, India. It is about 40 miles northwest of Ranchi. The town used to have a significant Anglo-Indian community, however this has declined. The town was founded by the Colonization Society of India in 1933 as an independent homeland for Anglo-Indians and was home to 400 Anglo-Indian families within ten years.^[1] In 1932 Ernest Timothy McCluskie the founder of the town sent circulars to nearly 200,000 Anglo-Indians in India inviting them to settle there.^[2] Of the nearly 300 original settlers, only 20 families remain, as most of the Anglo-Indian community left after World War II.^[3] The town has lush green surroundings, dirt tracks and fresh air to breathe.

Dugadugi river

Most of the old mansions have been converted to guest houses for the tourists. Duga dugi river, Jagriti Vihar are some of the places to visit. A unique cluster of a temple, a mosque and a gurudwara side by side draws visitors from far off places. There is also a Don Bosco Academy in the town. A documentary was made about the towns community in 1993. McCluskie was a property dealer based in Calcutta. He used to visit some villages in the area for hunting, and even built a hutment at a place called Harhu. His friend PP Sahib worked as the manager of Ratu Maharaja's estate. And it was PP, who convinced the maharaja to lease out the land to McCluskie.

So, in 1933, Colonisation Society of India Limited was formed and the maharaja signed an agreement with it.

It was decided that the Anglo-Indians could build their settlement in nine villages on land not occupied by the original rahiyats (tenants) of those villages. It was also agreed that the settlers would not be allowed to acquire the rivers and the hills.

Read more: McCluskieganj: In an antique land - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/McCluskieganj-In-an-antique-land/articleshow/2417791.cms#ixzz15EOGsyRD^[4]

References

1. ^ Memory, identity and productive nostalgia: Anglo-Indian home-making at McCluskieganj - Dr Alison Blunt Department of Geography Queen Mary College, University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS
2. ^ Deep Blue Ink -> Writing -> Features
3. ^ Deep Blue Ink -> Writing -> Features
4. ^ BFI | Film & TV Database | McCLUSKIEGANJ (1993)

External links

• Time Magazine story about McCluskieganj