The Durrells in India
Gerald Malcolm Durrell was born in
Jamshedpur, 250 km from Calcutta (Kolkata) on 7 January 1925. He was the fourth
child of Louisa and Lawrence Samuel Durrell, a dynamic builder during the Great
Expansion of the Tata Iron & Steel Works in Jamshedpur between 1920 and
1926. Gerald was delivered at home at D 6/ #10, Beldih Lake, by Dr.
Satinath Sen whose descendants continue to live and practice in the medical
field in Jamshedpur.
Both Gerald’s parents as well as his
maternal grandfather were British with their family roots in India having been
born and brought up in this country. His father was born in Dum Dum, Bengal, in
1885. This innovative, dynamic, creative
entrepreneur of English stock graduated from the prestigious Thomason College of Civil Engineering in Roorkee now called the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and the University of London (1913). His mother was born in Roorkee. Her maiden name was Dixie. They met and married in Roorkee in 1910.
Lawrence Samuel Durrell and Louisa
had four children. The first child, Lawrence, was born in 1912 while he was
working at his first job with the North-West Railway in Jalandhar. Leslie, the
second, was born in 1918, Margaret in 1920 and Gerald in 1925.
From Jalandhar he moved
to Bengal to take up a job with the Mymensingh–Bhairab Bazar Railway
Company.
In 1918 he took up a very
challenging assignment as Chief Engineer with the Darjeeling Railway. His
eldest son, Lawrence, Gerald’s brother, studied at North Point (St. Joseph’s
School), Darjeeling. Later he was sent to England to complete his studies.
Lawrence left the Darjeeling
Himalayan Railways in 1920 and moved to Jamshedpur where he set up his own firm
Durrell & Company. Here he completed several jobs that were planned for the
Great Expansion of the Tata Iron and Steel Co.
Having been born and brought up in India, Lawrence and his family
regarded India as their home. Lawrence
preferred to be called an Anglo-Indian. He is famously known to have resigned
at a certain club when membership was refused to an Indian doctor who save his
son Lawrence's life.
Tata Works Great expansion 1918...
Lawrence Durrell's contribution to
Jamshedpur 1920 to 1926
Working with General Managers T. W.
Tutwiler( 1916 to 1925)and C. A. Alexander
On the Bombay Howrah Mail,
approaching Tatanagar we know we’re close when we see the glow in the sky. But
when we hear the rumbling of the train over the Kharkai Bridge (Subarnarekha
Bridge), we know it’s time to get off.
Not many people realize that
Lawrence Durrell built this Railway bridge when you enter Jamshedpur from the
west (as from Bombay). The steel girder bridge is the first sign of the
Lawrence’s influence in Jamshedpur. It was built by Durrell and Company in
1922.
In Jamshedpur, between 1920 and
1925, he made his name in completing large projects started by the Tata Iron
& Steel Company and several new jobs with the associated companies. He also
took up several other jobs including the running of brick kilns. He was also
known to provide essential requirements to the steel works and labour during
the strike of 1922.
The first contracts he received
were to build the Enamelled Ironware Co. (now untraceable), and the Indian
Cable Company, secured from their Managing Agents Kilburn & Co.
Concurrently, Shaw Wallace & Co., Managing Agents of the Tinplate Company
of India, assigned him the contract to build the Mill and Town site of the
company. At the same time he was awarded contracts with the expanding Steel
Company.
As the testimonials mention,
Durrell could provide a huge number of labourers, which were always in short
supply.
Quote from a testimonial ………
“ ……………. an Engineer
of remarkable energy and ability and with a pleasant manner, with whom it is a
pleasure to work, and who with the staff under him is qualified to undertake
large contract works and carry them through in a prompt and workmanlike manner.
I wish them all
success in their future career.”
(Sd.) A. K. WERNIGG
Deputy Chief Town Engineer,
The Tata Iron & Steel Company, Limited
Jamshedpur, via Tatanagar
December, 1922.
He completed the Tata Main Hospital
and the General Office building.
Brick manufacturing, an essential
requirement, was started on a large scale. Altogether 9 kilns produced a total
of 2,35,000 bricks per year which was more than adequate for all expansions.
Concurrently he executed railway
contracts for bridges and tracks.
When he left Jamshedpur, he had
executed 15 projects amounting to a total of Rs. 92,00,000. There were 7
industrial projects amounting to Rs. 47,00, 000 and 8 projects with the Railways, including two townships,
amounting to Rs. 45,00,000.
The management also never failed to
mention in their testimony, his important role in ensuring the supply of
essentials, materials and labour during the strike in 1922.
In spite of all these successes,
Lawrence did not stay here longer than six years. This unsung builder of
Jamshedpur left the town in 1926 and headed for the new emerging city of
Lahore.
Here are some quotes
………………………
References from ‘Construction
Work in India 1921 – 1925’ by Durrell & Co.
The Steel Co.’s new General Offices
This consists of a steel structure
cased in brickwork, 227 ft 6 inches long, 144 ft 6 inches wide. It was
originally designed as a seven-storeyed building with 15ft. verandahs all
round, but was actually built as a three-storeyed building with the verandahs
entirely enclosed though the steelwork and foundations are designed to take the
seven stories later, if required.
The style of architecture is
Indo-Sacroscenic, the building being a rectangular block surrounding a
courtyard with a carriageway running through it, the latter passing with lofty
arches at either end.
The building as constructed cost
Rs. 14,00,000.
Testimonials
The Tata Iron and Steel Company,
Limited
Jamshedpur, via Tatanagar, B.N. Ry.
March 20th, 1926.
I have pleasure in certifying that Messrs.
Durrell and Company, Engineers and Contractors, carried out extensive contract
work at Jamshedpur for three years 1921, ’22 and ’23, while construction
operations were in progress both for the Steel Company and several of the
Associated Companies.
The work undertaken for the Steel Company
comprised the following :-
1. New
General Office
2. General
Hospital
3. Sand-lime
Brick Plant
4. Brick
Manufacture
5. Various
works on Greater Extensions
6. Industrial
Siding
Messrs. Durrell and Company also completed
construction work for the Factory Buildings and Quarters of the Tinplate
Company of India, Limited, Enamelled Ironware, Limited, and Indian Cable
Company, Limited.
Their work was very satisfactory and Mr.
Durrell, their Managing Director, an Engineer of wide experience, personally
supervised all these contracts, displaying great energy and ability.
They also rendered invaluable aid in labour
and material during the strike of 1922.
THE TATA IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, LIMITED
(SD.) C. A. ALEXANDER
General
Manager
The TINPLATE
COMPANY OF INDIA, LTD.
Managing Agents,
Shaw Wallace AND Co., CALCUTTA
Goulmuri Works,
Jamshedpur,
via Tatanagar, B.N. Railway
27th August,
1923
The TINPLATE
COMPANY OF INDIA, LTD.,
GOULMURI WORKS
(To whom it may concern)
This is to certify that Messrs. Durrell and
Company have had the contract for the excavation of foundations and concrete,
erection of structural steel, corrugated siding and roofing, and placing of all
machinery, in connection with the complete construction of the Tinplate Mill
for the Tinpalte Company of India, Limited.
The amount of their contract for this work
during the last two years was, approximately, Rs. 20 lacs.
We have found Messrs. Durrell and Company
able to carry all their work to our entire satisfaction and they have been able
to supply us with all labour required practically at all times.
It was mostly due to their ability to supply
labour as required, that enabled the plant to be constructed in a comparatively
short time.
We can recommend Messrs. Durrell and Company
to anyone requiring a contractor with an organization to handle a large amount
of work.
(Sd.) J. W. Bell
Supervising Engineer,
for Messrs. Perin & Marshall,
Consulting Engineers.
Colonial Contractors Business Plan
in the early Twentieth Century
Colonial India developed a unique
system of a business plan. The contractors, of British origin like Lawrence,
were the public face of the company. They got the job and because of their
education and experience were able to coordinate the workers and complete the
job. They preferred to implement every project separately with a local
financial partner. Profits were proportionately shared on project completion.
This protected their main capital.
He could predict the
turbulent times that were approaching in India in preparation for its freedom.
He was able to provide well for his family out of the country.Thus, Lawrence
Durrell left his family a large 8 bedroom house in Dulwich, England, a farm in
Tasmania and Rs. 2,40,000, equivalent to about half a million pounds today.
In 1926 Lawrence
Durrell’s immaculate sense of timing and his keen perception of where
the opportunities lay, signaled that they should now move to Lahore, the
emerging city in the Punjab. However, after his success in Jamshedpur, he
underestimated the challenge of building canals and roads, a job very different
from those he had excelled in, in Jamshedpur.
This involved dealing with
new financiers. In retrospect, this might have been the cause of the beginning
of his decline. Unforeseen barriers in road building that led to financial
shortfalls, misunderstandings with unreasonable partners and legal cases.
Durrell added to his own anxiety by refusing to hire professional lawyers to
appear in court.
In addition, the climatic
conditions, particularly the heat, were a challenge. Unfortunately, the hazards
of his job took their toll. He suffered a severe suspected cerebral haemorrhage
supervising a piece of work while out in the sun. He was rushed to the cooler
climate of Dalhousie but he never recovered. He passed away in April 1928.
Gerald Durrell
1925 - 1995
Lawrence had already built a
comfortable bungalow opposite the Beldih Lake whilst also helping the Tata Iron and Steel Company cope
with the strike of 1922.
Bungalow D6 / # 10 was home to
Louisa who had become exceptionally large expecting Gerald. He was born with
ease at home assisted by a UK trained Bengali doctor in Jamshedpur – Dr. Satinath Sen.
Durrell
home, European Bungalow D6#10 built in 1922
By the end of 1925, the Great
Expansion of Tata Iron and Steel Co.was quickly coming to an end. Lawrence picked up his
family and moved to Lahore.
His eldest son, Lawrence George, 14
years, and the second one, Leslie – 8 years, were already studying in England.
So there were just Margaret and Gerald at 18 months, who accompanied their
parents to Lahore.
Gerald’s early memories and
impression of India certainly came from Lahore between 1926 and 1928, the last
few months being in Dalhousie where Lawrence passed away.
Many of Gerald Durrell’s
biographies mention where he could have picked up his love for animals and
where his first encounter would be. His family left Jamshedpur when he was very
young, just about a year, and moved to Lahore where they stayed till 1928 when
he was three. So if it is considered that he was influenced by animals, it
would certainly be in Lahore where they had a large house and probably had a
few animals, and saw a few animals in the zoo. His parents might not have had
too much of an influence on his life since they saw him only for a few moments
when he was presented by the ‘ayah’ at tea time but it looks
like the maids did give him a lot of free time except, we understand, when he
says that he wanted to pick up a slug from the ground, which was brown, and his
maid strongly objected to this.
Louisa Durrell moved due to
financial and other reasons – safety and weather – out from the
UK to the friendly climate of Corfu. Her eldest son, Lawrence, and his
first wife, his brother Leslie and sister Margaret accompanied Gerald and his
mother. Their life in Corfu has been described in “My Family and Other
Animals”.
His actual love for animals
blossomed here. His early influence and his love for animals came from his stay
here and the influence of his teachers. We know that Gerald Durrell was home
schooled and was influenced by his elder brother who lived separately. Both
were able to describe their experiences creatively and colourfully.
How did India contribute to Gerald
Durrell’s flair for writing ? He himself says that his memories have been
sharply etched by vineyards in brilliant colour, by sights, sound, smell and
taste – very believable in a country like India. The coloured sunsets were
certainly one great example. He seemed to have been able to identify the smell
of coriander, bananas and even the different kinds of rice. However, his
favourite dessert or breakfast was rice boiled in buffaloes milk with sugar
which today is probably called ‘kheer’.
Lawrence George Durrell, Gerald’s
eldest brother, became a much more famous author than Gerald. He wrote a number
of books of which his claim to fame was 'The Alexandra Quartet'.
Many years later it was discovered that he was even in line and nominated for
the Nobel Prize for Literature but for some reason was finally not selected.
Gerald Durrell was a shining
example of a person who has trained himself. His amazing, photographic memory
and his inherited Irish humour combined to create unique novels with deep
knowledge of God’s creatures.
He wrote 37 books mainly to finance
his passion to discover and rescue endangered creatures.
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation
Trust in Jersey is his lasting contribution.
Lee Durrell, his wife, continues to
live his dream. She visited Jamshedpur in April 2017 and Loyola School was
privileged to start a Durrell Centre which she inaugurated.
Ronald D’Costa, the founder of the
Gerald Durrell Initiative, visited the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in
Jersey in July 2017 and strengthened the ties with Jamshedpur.
The Gerald Durrell Initiative introduced ‘Zoo-keeper for
the day’ at the Tata Zoo in Jamshedpur and also a Gerald Durrell Book Club to
re-visit his novels.
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