McCluskieganj

McCluskieganj
Nickname:  mini London
McCluskieganj Location in Jharkhand, India Show map of Jharkhand McCluskieganj McCluskieganj (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 23.64°N 84.94°E / 23.64; 84.94
Country	India
State	Jharkhand
District	Ranchi district
Block	Khalari
Established	1933
Founded by	Ernest Timothy McCluskie
Elevation	450 m (1,480 ft)
Population
• Total	3,000[1]
Languages
• Official	Nagpuri, Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	829208
Vehicle registration	JH

McCluskieganj is a small hilly town in Jharkhand State, India, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the capital, Ranchi. The town used to have a significant Anglo-Indian community.^[2] It is now a tourist place for its British era old mansions, hills and streams.^[3][4]

History

Ernest Timothy McCluskie, the Anglo Indian businessman from Kolkata visited the place and was impressed by the environment and climate of the area. He decided to build a town for Anglo Indian and purchased the lands from king of Chotanagpur, Udai Pratap Nath Shah Deo.^[5] In 1932, he sent circulars to nearly 200,000 Anglo-Indians in India inviting them to settle there.^[6] It was founded by the Colonisation Society of India in 1933 as a homeland or "Mooluk" for Anglo-Indians. Anglo-Indians could buy Shares in this co-operative, the Colonisation Society of India - which in turn would allot them a plot of land.^[7] It became home to 400 Anglo-Indian families within ten years.^[8] Of the nearly 300 original settlers, only 20 families remain, as most of the Anglo-Indian community left after World War II.^[6]

A mosque, a temple & a gurudwara at one place

Now, the population of the town is around 3000.^[1]

Geography

McCluskieganj is located at the distance of around 60 km North West from state capital of Jharkhand, Ranchi in Khelari block. It is located at alltitude of 450 metre.^[9] It is located near the Dugadugi river which is a tributary of Damodar River.^[10] Jhunjhunia waterfall located near Macluskieganj.^[11]

Dugadugi river

Climate

The climate of McCluskieganj is ideal with low humidity. McCluskieganj witnesses frost during winter which cover grass, vehicles and roofs.^[12] During cold wave, It records temperature around freezing points. In 2013, it recorded 1.5 °C in month of January.^[13][14]

Infrastructure

Educational institution

• Adarsh High school, since 1985.^[15]
• Don Bosco Academy, since 1997.^[16]
• Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, McCluskieganj, primary school since 1998.^[17]
• St. Teresa's Primary School.^[18]
• Janet Academy.^[19]
• Delhi Public International School.^[20]
• McCluskieganj Inter college, since 2012.^[21][22]

Transport

National Highway 39 (Ranchi-Daltonganj), an important roadway in the Ranchi district, passes near McCluskieganj.^[23] McCluskieganj railway station is located in McCluskieganj.^[2]

McCluskieganj railway station

Attractions

McCluskeiganj Gurudwara and Temple: lying in the same complex is a place of integrity and shows the brotherhood of India.
McCluskeiganj Mosque: It is beside the Gurudwara and Temple complex.
St. John's Church: A historical place built by Anglo-Indians during British rule.

In popular culture

The town was the inspiration for the Hindi novel Maikluskiganj (मैकलुस्कीगंज) by journalist-writer Vikas Kumar Jha, which was translated into English by Mahasweta Ghosh in 2005.^[24]

McCluskieganj is also the setting for the 2016 film A Death in the Gunj, which is Konkona Sen Sharma's directorial debut, and set in 1979.^[25]

References

1. "Don't write off McCluskieganj yet, says lone MLA". telegraphindia. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
2. "McCluskie's frown: An Anglo-Indian 'mooluk' transforms nostalgia into capital". telegraphindia. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
3. "McCluskieganj, Tagore Hill and more: Places you must visit when in Ranchi". Hindustantimes. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
4. "Tourist spots popular choice for pre-wedding shoots amongst Ranchiites". daily pioneer. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
5. "दुनिया की पांचवीं सबसे लंबी राजतंत्रीय व्‍यवस्‍था, डॉक्‍यूमेंट्री के बहाने नागवंश की याद". outlookhindi. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
6. Deep Blue Ink -> Writing -> Features
7. Kohli, Namita (25 December 2016). "A quiet Christmas at the Ganj - Hindustan Times". Retrieved 25 December 2016 – via pressreader.
8. 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
9. "McCluskieganj". tourism.jharkhand. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
10. Nina Mukerjee Furstenau (2021). Green Chili and Other Impostors. University of Iowa Pres. p. 192. ISBN 978-1609387983.
11. "It's a Nature's Hidden Jewel! Take a Look at the Jhunjhuniya Waterfall in Mccluskieganj". latestly. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
12. "Celsius hits new low in Ranchi". telegraphindia. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
13. "Jharkhand in grip of intense cold wave again". pressureader. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
14. "People stay indoors as cold wave sweeps through state". timesofindia. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
15. "ADARSH HIGH SCHOOL MACLUSKIGANJ". school.org. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
16. "McCluskieganj: The burden of history". hindustantimes. 25 December 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
17. "JAHNAVI SARASWATI SHISHU VIDYA MANDIR, MCCLUSKIEGANJ, RANCHI, JHARKHAND". vidyabharatialumni. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
18. "St.Teresa's Primary School". justdial. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
19. "Janet Academy". indiapl. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
20. "DELHI PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, MCCLUSKIEGANJ". nacfun. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
21. "McCluskieganj Inter college". justdial. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
22. "MCCLUSKIEGANJ INTER COLLEGE". mickhalari. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
23. "District Census Handbook Ranchi, Census of India 2011, Series 21, Part XII A" (PDF). Page 15 Transport. Directorate of census Operations, Jharkhand. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
24. O'Yeah, Zac (3 October 2015). "Book Review – McCluskieganj: The Story of the Only Anglo-Indian Village in India". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
25. Vats, Rohit (21 July 2017). "A Death In The Gunj movie review: Konkona Sensharma makes a brilliant debut". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 June 2018.

External links

• Time Magazine story about McCluskieganj
• Mccluskieganj (MINI London) Facebook Account
• McCluskie's Ganj: The Lost Home of The Anglos (2014): short video documentary on McCluskieganj by Dhiraj Singh