Kolkata - Wandering Down Memory Lane
Howrah Station: one of the oldest and busiest train stations in the world. Growing up in Kolkata all vacations began with taking a train from here. In my adult eyes its looks cleaner and more organized than I remember but just as busy with trains arriving and departing and floods of people traveling despite the pandemic.
“Calcutta is not just a place, it is indeed an emotion. It is chaotic, it is moody. It is a rich tapestry of culture, politics, and history, and it is nostalgia personified.” - Debiparna Chakraborty
Despite the new name of Kolkata, for me this will always be Calcutta the city where I grew up in and a large part of who I am today.
I wandered through the city with my wandering companion Ramnik Sethi Basu sharing old memories while making new ones often making the poor driver stop in the middle of traffic so I could take a picture to commemorate this visit.
Such is the innocence of childhood or perhaps some of this terminology was old and hidden in a past left behind but I never knew the city was once divided into a white, brown and black area.
White of course for the British and other Europeans who left such a strong architectural and historic imprint.
Brown for the jews, armenians and other cultures who also came here to trade and eventually settled to become part of the fabric of the city.
Black for the local natives who formed a large part of working class under the British rule. No wonder the people sought and won their independence.
Regardless of these truths, I truly enjoyed revisiting my childhood and teenage years and memories. Stay tuned for the treasure trove of new memories that will most likely come forth in future posts.
At the mausoleum of Job Charnok, an administrator of the East India company who was originally credited with founding the city of Calcutta. However in 2003, the Calcutta high court repealed this and ruled that the city had no founder.
Three villages on the banks of the River Hooghly : Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanati were consolidated to form the city which became a major trading post for the British East India company. From the beautiful Victoria Memorial, the Howrah Station, churches, cathedrals, synagogues, hotels, shopping, government, Fort William, the British left a legacy that lives on in the city even today.
This mausoleum is housed on the grounds of St. John’s Church one of the oldest churches in the city along with a monument to the Black Hole of Calcutta, a Rohilla War Monument and several other graves.
The Black Hole of Calcutta is part of the city’s dark past when locals retaliated against the British and imprisoned military and civilians in a small room where many of them suffocated to death. The British built the monument after recapturing the city but the local government has moved it so it’s now tucked away in this location.
The iconic Writer’s Building was designed in 1777 by Thomas Lyon to serve as the principal administrative office of the East India Company has until 2013 continued to serve as the secretariat for the state government of West Bengal.
The giant pediment at the center is crowned with the statue of Minerva. The terrace also contains several other statues, notable among them are four clusters christened, Justice, Commerce, Science and Agriculture with the respective Greek gods and goddesses of these disciplines (Zeus, Hermes, Athena and Demeter) flanked by a European and Indian practitioner of these vocations.
The General Post Office notable for it’s imposing high domed roof and tall Corinthian pillars. It was built on the site of the original Fort William. An alley beside the post office was the site of the guardhouse that housed the infamous 1756 Black Hole of Calcutta.
The Calcutta High Court, the oldest high court in India established in 1862.
Esplanade Mansions originally designed as a residential building in the early 1900s is as stately as the public buildings like the Raj Bhavan, Great Eastern Hotel, High Court etc. that stand in the neighborhood.
A quick stop at the New Market or Sir Stuart Hogg market a red gothic style building constructed in the late 1800s to serve the British residents of the city. As we walked up to the market I spotted these fruit sellers on the side street and was reminded of my mother who loved to stop here to buy fruit.
I will share more pictures of the iconic gothic façade of the market in a later post but for today it’s the memories of the fruit and flowers that bloomed bright in my mind.
Another childhood memory is weekend morning cartoons at Metro Cinema. Remember this is a time before television.
The old movie theaters in Calcutta are gone replaced by markets selling all manner of goods but the sight of the Metro sign and the façade of the Grand Hotel brought back a host of happy childhood memories.
Mother House and the tomb of Mother Teresa. While much of the house was closed due to COVID, we were able to visit the tomb and pay our respects to this iconic nun who did so much for the poor in this city.
St Paul’s Cathedral was founded in 1847 and continues to be an active church serving the Diocese of Kolkata. Designed in what is referred to as Indo-Gothic aka Gothic style designed to meet the climate of India.
As a child we attended many a wedding reception or large party in the beautiful grounds surrounding the cathedral.
The Magen David Synagogue is a beautiful Italian Renaissance building built in the late 1800s. Inside it has high ceilings and beautiful stained glass windows and continues to function as an active synagogue even today.
Despite having grown up in Kolkata, it was the first time I visited this beautiful building along with my niece Ramnik Sethi Basu who was completely bowled over by the beauty and serenity.
Outside the gates is a messy lane full of hawkers selling all manner of goods. When we left someone had dropped a backpack in the middle of the street which we had to have removed before driving out.
My home away from home as a child, The National Library. The library is still closed due to COVID but I walked around and reminisced about all the happy hours I spent here reading books some of which are no doubt rare editions.
We lived walking distance from the library, so all the neighborhood children would also come here and run, walk and play all manner of outdoor games in the beautiful grounds.
Kumortuli or the potter’s quarters where artisans craft clay idols for worship. Since it was only a couple of days before Kali Puja the idols were predominantly of the Goddess Kali and but you could spot a few others along the way. I was particularly amused by the spider man hanging from the rooftop.
The now crumbling mansions of the Bengali elite heavily influenced by local British architecture of the time. Due to the fact that it was a Monday both the Tagore Mansion and Marble Palace were closed. Ah well! Need to leave something for next time.
Indian Coffee House in College Street has been a long time hang out and a renowned meeting place (Adda) for students, poets, artistes, literati and people from the world of art and culture. The coffee shop was not yet open but I still had things to do and places to see before I could call it a day so I skipped the coffee and took a picture of the café waiting for it’s patrons and moved on.
College Street is also home to “Boi-para” or the largest and oldest book market particularly for text books of all grades and all subjects.
A trip down memory lane would not be complete without a quick flying visit to the school where I went from a 5 year old trembling little girl to a sixteen year old confident woman. Thank you to my niece Ramnik Sethi Basu who made this happen for me.
Until we meet again, goodbye Kolkata. The iconic skyline that epitomizes the new (42 Chowringhee a luxury skyscraper aka The 42), the old (Victoria Memorial a legacy of the British) and all things in between.