KOLKATA – Imperial Roots and Native Shoots

It’s Christmas time and Park Street is all lit up; the merry crowds, thronging sidewalks, spilling out of restaurants, drooling over wares showcased in shop windows, all add to the hype that this famous downtown cultural hub has always enjoyed

. British and Armenians, Muslims and Chinese, Greeks and Jews, along with other immigrant communities all added their influences to transform Calcutta into a melting cauldron of cultural diversity as a vibrant port city. Kolkata, or the Calcutta of yesteryears, learned early to embrace the traditions and customs of its rulers and administrators who have shaped its destiny since the days it transformed from a tiny fishing village into the sophisticated bastion of British rule in India.

Under the British, while quietly straddling the banks of the sacred Hoogly, Calcutta’s tentacles of power reached out across the length and breadth of India with imperious mastery. Today, though the dirt and the grime, the rampant poverty and the tumbledown buildings of this second metropolis of India, may not appeal to everyone’s sense of aesthetics, strangely enough, under the patina of squalor and deprivation shines a cultural life that rivals even the dazzle of cosmopolitan Mumbai.

The stately colonial edifices rubbing shoulders with the down-at-heel tenements of Kolkata’s less privileged denizens will always remain a lively reminder of the affirmation of the city’s ability to rise above the trials and tribulations it has always faced with equanimity. Black Town and White Town, and what they represented, may still resonate with the old folk in the city, but for the youth of today it’s not even a fading memory. Rather, the concerns that engage their hearts and minds are lightyears away in this high-tech era of social media and competition in the work place.

 Kolkata and its Colonial Charisma

Christmas celebrations mark some of the happiest cultural contributions of the colonists to the city. While the impress of British rule, which resides in the legacy of buildings representing the corridors of power, not only evokes the pomp and glory of the city at its zenith, one is also reminded of the quiet ferment that was breeding in their shadows.

Architectural Legacy of the Raj

Standing out at the forefront of the majesty of the “Empire” in India, is Victoria Memorial with its memorabilia of the Raj.  Nearby stands St. Paul’s Cathedral, dripping with Gothic embellishments. Renowned for its Christmas day Midnight Mass it’s got some superb stained-glass windows, an elaborate wrought iron gate, and Renaissance-inspired murals.

Engage the services of a knowledgeable guide for an immersive tour of the Raj era White Town district, which was the abode of the colonists, to re-discover other aspects of ‘Imperial Calcutta’. Postcard structures amongst these are the secretariat building or Writers’ Building with its collection of offices for the indentured clerks of the British East India Company and Government House (Raj Bhavan) which was the Viceroy’s residence (mirroring the features of Kedleston Hall, Lord Curzon’s home in Derbyshire, England). Then there is the High Court Building, the General Post Office, Currency Building, St John’s Church where the founder of Raj-days Calcutta Job Charnock is buried, and  St. Andrew’s Kirk, Calcutta’s first Scottish church.

Other historic structures with an unmissable Raj-era vibe in the Park Street area are Queen’s Mansions, Flury’s Bakery, the Asiatic Society, St. Xavier’s College, Park Hotel, and the South Park Street Cemetery.

The Black Town district, the cramped and unsanitary area in North Calcutta, is where the British required the city’s Indian population to reside. The residents included the wealthy Bengali zamindars and the babus who while working for the Raj, managed to build lovely mansions for themselves and clung fiercely to their cultural roots with musical get-togethers, pujas, festivals, and artistic traditions. Black Town became a sanctuary for protecting the native cultural legacy of the city and its Bengali community. It was the heartbeat of the Bengali Renaissance in art and literature, spearheaded by the likes of Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. You will get to see Jorasanko Thakurbari, his childhood home, now the Rabindra Bharati Museum as well as the Rabindra Bharati University which conducts the study of a mosaic of Bengali cultural forms. The Marble Palace was owned and built in 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick the Bengali zamindar. On a tour, be prepared to be blown away by its massive collection of statues, porcelain, clocks, mirrors, chandeliers paintings of Dutch, English, and Italian masters. Sovha bazar Rajbari, dating to the 17th century, is still popular for its elaborate Durga Pujo celebrations and role in upholding Bengali Culture and Tradition. The Sovha bazar Rajbari was built by Raja Nabakrishna Deban an ardent supporter of Calcutta’s iconic Brahmo Samaj Movement.

Grey Town, the in-between space between White Town and Balck Town, became the dwelling grounds for Marwari traders, Baghdadi Jews, and Zoroastrians fleeing Persia of the ancient days.

Hooghly Riverside Musings

An unmissable world of Kolkata’s native roots can be explored on foot around the Hooghly, a distributary of the Ganga, and the culture-rich surrounds of the 54 ghats clinging to its embankments.

.Check out the action around the bustling Babu Ghat, the Armenian Ghat, the Flower Market, Kumartulli where clay is transformed into gods, and the akhadas where wrestlers go through their paces each morning…

Numerous painters have tried the catch the ineffable charm and evocative everyday life by this lifeline of millions of souls in the city. From a boat ride on a traditional nouka from Prinsep Ghat soak in the vignettes of Howrah Bridge at sunset. This was the principal Raj-days ghat which witnessed innumerable arrivals and departures of the lords or ‘laatsahibs’ and their ladies and entourages of importance.

When Durga Comes Home

Durga Pujo celebrations are as legend as its ancient pilgrimage hub Kalighat, with its 19th-century Kali temple. The temple itself was a deeply inspirational entity, not just for its spiritual importance, but also for Bengal’s Kalighat-style paintings. Cultural programs featuring Nazrul Geeti, Rabindra Sangeet, plays, skits, and folk song performances of Bhatiyali and Baul et al are intrinsic to the traditional repast of these days celebrating this iconic festival of Bengalis worldwide. The great goddess Durga is worshipped in her various avatars by her adoring devotees during this immense cultural banquet. Fasting, feasting, pandal-hopping, gifting, and friends and family togetherness are the hallmarks of these gay celebrations.

Cultural Conundrums

The heady mix of communities along with the cultural, political, artistic, and literary movements, commerce and trade entertainment, and cuisine has been pivotal in shaping Kolkata’s vibrant nature.

Park Street, that Raj-era iconic promenade, one of the city’s most alluring food, music, culture, and heritage hubs, is a huge draw for residents and visitors alike. In the days of the Raj, you would witness arrivals and departures of the of the well-heeled denizens of White Town, as the cobbled street resonated with the sound of horsdrawn carriages heading to the line-up of restaurants and shops.

When in Kolkata do as Kolkata

Enjoying the cultural repast offered by the city is an intrinsic part of the Kolkata experience. From watching a classic by Satyajit Ray, attending a Holi celebration at nearby Shanti Niketan, or lending a hand at Mother Teresa’s home for the poor, is a given as is checking out the latest avant-garde film in this city of exquisite paradoxes. Mother’s House Mother Teresa’s charitable legacy which is integral to Kolkata poor is worthy of a visit to understand how deeply it is linked to the city’s cultural roots on many fronts. A stint at the races, a round of golf, and spending evenings at one of the go-to watering holes in the city, are favorite pastimes amongst the well-heeled. But cricket and football are what bring people from all walks of life together in this inclusive city.

Street Food Haven

Kolkata, the historic capital of West Bengal, is the place to be for an exceptional gastronomic experience. Kolkata’s street vibe is living proof of how visitors can do a deep dive into the concept of ‘culture through food’.  Bengali, Mughal Awadhi, Indo-Chinese, Anglo-Indian…foodies can look forward to a feast for the senses as they tuck into the most delicious offerings at a fraction of what one would pay anywhere else. The litany of offerings will blow your mind… banana flower chops, kathi rolls, Chinese noodles, chicken and fish tikkas, kormas, parathas, biryanis, phuchkas, ghugni chaat , jhal muri, shingara, sandesh, mishti doi, baos, momos, chilla, lucchi and aloo puri, fish fry, jumbo cutlet and on and on it goes. You can go for the authentic original fare or plump for fusion visions which are as alluring for a palate-tingling odyssey of delights served up by this cross-cultural melting pot.

ACCOMMODATION

The city has a vast selection of stay options, from 5-star hotels to guesthouses to match all budgets.

ACCESS

Air: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) offers worldwide connectivity

Rail: Howrah Railway Station and Sealdah Railway Station, the main railheads, are well connected with the rest of the country through its  well-oiled integrated rail network

Road: Interstate bus terminals and major bus stations including Esplanade Bus Terminus, Babughat Bus Stand, Tollygunge Tram Depot Bus Stand offer good interstate road links.