Kolkata Discovered

Kolkata Discovered I am not so new, yet very new to Kolkata. Not so new, because I have been coming here once every few months to visit my In-Laws...

Not so new, because I have been coming here once every few months to visit my In-Laws...
But I've shifted here recently and have come here to live... After having been born and brought up in Bombay, and having lived in various parts of the country, I've figured out that there's so much I don't know about this city and so much more I need to learn/experience... So every time I discover something about Kolkata I will share it here...

For those of you in Kolkata, looking to order meatloafs and other baked stuff... Deborina Dutta has started this ventur...
18/12/2020

For those of you in Kolkata, looking to order meatloafs and other baked stuff... Deborina Dutta has started this venture, and I can vouch for her great ability to make fantastically tasting food.

05/09/2016

Via: Bindu Nair Varma
Via WhatsApp .
Calcutta........
To understand Calcutta, you have to understand its nerve, its culture, its people. Calcutta is not about highrises, Calcutta is not about money, Calcutta is not about the language barriers, Calcutta is all about simplicity.

The middle aged uncle who doesn't know Hindi - Ask him for directions. He will not only give you directions, with his heavily accented Bengali-Hindi, jumbling the gender but he will also give you some advice to not roam around in the scorching sun without an umbrella.

The young 'anarchist' jholawala bearded guy - Ask him about the origin of languages. He will tell you everything about the origin of Indo-Aryan languages. He will finish with a poetry from Tulsidas or Kabir. He speaks bengali but his love for languages is not limited.

The mechanic who refused to open his shop in the afternoon for his daily nap. Ask him for help during a midnight breakdown. He will do it happily, free of cost. Calcutta is not professional, but who said all joys of life are not free?

That formals clad guy in his Bangalore office who will crib about Calcutta to his last day of office. Try insulting Calcutta in front of him. He will defend Calcutta to his last breath like his first love.
I have loved and loathed this city.

This city has given me everything and taken everything away from me. But I cannot let go of this city ever. The city still speaks to me, of me.

Calcutta is not a city, it is our first love. We took our first puff in Russel Street. We had our first kiss in princep ghat. We saw our first love walking away with someone in Park Street. We failed our first exam in this city. We forgot our first failure in oly pub. We saw the city getting stopped over political issues. We took the streets to change something bigger than our daily life. We raised our first voice against the system on the streets of Calcutta.

We first heard “Darbari Kanada” on a harmonium from the windows of our neighbour. We learnt about “bharatanatyam” when we saw the 9 year old Puchki( neighbours daughter) perform in a “para” function. We spent our afternoons in college street smelling old books.

We saw a bunch of people rushing into a burning ground of book fair just to save some books. We saw people with no connection to the bookstores, crying out loud holding the ashes of burned out book fair grounds, for days. We saw people dedicating their whole life to change the system. We saw people leaving plush job offers to change the world into a better place.

Calcutta may not be perfect. She need not be rich. She need not be the most beautiful model. She need not be extremely intelligent. Still Calcutta is our first love. We have our own relationship. We hated her, we all wanted to move out, we all wanted to crib about everything. But every pujo we secretly hope to see her again.

Christmas (or was it Christmas Eve) at Bow Barracks!© Manjit Singh Hoonjan, 2014. All rights reserved.Photo by Manjit Si...
26/12/2014

Christmas (or was it Christmas Eve) at Bow Barracks!
© Manjit Singh Hoonjan, 2014. All rights reserved.
Photo by Manjit Singh Hoonjan Photography

If you haven't seen this one before. I only vaguely remember watching the Uttam Kumar films, as a kid, on Doordarshan.;)
13/02/2014

If you haven't seen this one before. I only vaguely remember watching the Uttam Kumar films, as a kid, on Doordarshan.
;)

To quote Naresh Gupta, who posted this one... "If there has to be a God, it should be knowledge. All things that store, ...
04/02/2014

To quote Naresh Gupta, who posted this one... "If there has to be a God, it should be knowledge. All things that store, spread and imbibe knowledge. Today some (and in Kolkata, many) of us worship Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. I for one wont mind a wall like this, to have as temple at home"

30/01/2014

As the Jewish community of Kolkata dwindles, a famed Jewish school embraces Muslim students.

Subhorup Dasgupta's parents are looking for new owners for their 50-year-old collection of nearly 7000 books at Kolkata....
17/01/2014

Subhorup Dasgupta's parents are looking for new owners for their 50-year-old collection of nearly 7000 books at Kolkata. It contains books on art, literature, history, politics, philosophy, religion, and a fair amount of fiction and poetry too. About half of the books are in Bengali. They include rare books and out-of-print editions. You can view and pick up from their residence in Jadavpur, Kolkata. Getting to meet them - they are very interesting people - is a bonus. You can also pay whatever you think the books are worth to you. Inbox him for contact and appointment details. —

16/01/2014

Chinese, Tibetans, Jews, UP Muslims and Bengalis make New Market a world bustling with gossip and anecdotes

16/01/2014

India's street typists are a dying breed as the ease and convenience of computers kill off their business.

What joy... What abandon...Do not know if this was just a party... Or if it was some specific religious/celebratory occa...
16/01/2014

What joy... What abandon...
Do not know if this was just a party... Or if it was some specific religious/celebratory occasion.
Via: Mark Carey Photography

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