Kolkata retains much of the splendour of yesteryears, with a presence that is at once regal, imposing and memorable, a city worthy of admiration and love. Welcome to Job Charnock's 'chance-directed, chance-erected city, Lapierre's City of Joy'. Kolkata was born in August 1690, following the midday halt of Job Charnock, Chief of the British East India Company, on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, overlooking the bustling village of Sutanati.Over the next 250 years, Kolkata grew into the leading city, east of Suez, and the second city of the British Empire.
Air: Airport (Dum Dum airport) serves domestic as well as the International needs of this region. This airport is not only connected to the major cities of India but is also the transit point for the South East Asian nations and Australia. All the major Airlines fly to this city.
Rail: The two railway stations of Howrah and Sealdah serve all the needs of the city. Within the city there is a good network of trams, which is probably the oldest in India.
Road: Has regular bus service from various places within the state as well as there are services to places in Bihar, Orissa and Assam. The bus services are run by the state transport as well as private operators.
What to see?
The Maidan
When Robert Clive cleared an area in the jungle to create this green lung, he had not reckoned that this would be among the largest city parks in the world. It is 400 hectares large and 3 kms from north to south. Don't try to walk across if you are not a fitness freak! Incidentally this park is larger than New York's Central Park.
Victoria Memorial and Fort William
This is the most interesting building in the Maidan. Set against the backdrop of extremely well cared for and well manicured lawns, the Victoria memorial is built with marble of the same source as the Taj Mahal. Get here by dusk, its an awesome sight, if you have the time peep in check out the miniature of Fort William, the closest you will ever get to the fort and the piano Queen Victoria played as a child, in fact the structure is a memorial for Queen Victoria. Another interesting part of the memorial is the Calcutta gallery, a collection of paintings that depict the history of the city.
The writers building
This place simply needs no introduction. Imperial and gothic in appearance, this building that has seen the rise of colonizers and communists is now an acknowledged heritage site. This is one of the key monuments in Dalhousie square.
The entire block here is full of some interesting buildings, there's the General Post Office (GPO), Raj Bhavan, Town Hall, High Court and St John's Church and also a very interesting building with an even interesting story that lies at the far end of where red road ends, it's the corner building, opposite Raj Bhavan. This is a building with 999 windows, its believed that the architect challenged anyone else to fit in the 1000 window in complete symmetry. Not one could do it. Its an awesome sight.
Museums Asiatic Society
The first modern museum of India set up in 1814, today it has a modest collection of Tibetan tangkha paintings and a Ashokan rock edict, The library inside has approximately 20000 volumes inclusive of 8000 rare Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and Hindi manuscripts. It is also rich with archaeological relics, geological and ethnological specimens, if you are a museum addict this is simply a must see. The museum is open 8 am-7 pm, Monday to Friday.
Indian Museum
Locals call it the jadu ghar (house of magic), why and how it has got this name is a mystery, someone still has to crack that ! but this place has by far the richest collection of coins - 50,000 of them. Believe it or not the museum houses 60 galleries within it, has a 4,000 year old Egyptian mummy, has a fine set of Pala statues and interesting examples of Buddhist Gabdharian art and Kalighat pats (painting) that apart it is one of the best examples of Italianate architectural styles. You really can't miss this one, it's a stone throw away from Victoria memorial on Sudder street.
Foodie
It's actually a tough job to decide what do Bengalis like better, discuss politics of cricket or dig into their maccher jhol and sandesh. Each trip to Kolkatta is a gastronomic experience. You could try out various kinds of cuisines in most parts of Kolkatta, from dhabbas, to on the street roll places, to proper fine dine outlets and by far you could rank the food in Kolkatta as one of the best you've had. There is so much of variety for the hungry taste buds.
A distinct cuisine which Kolkata can claim as its very own is what can only be described as 'Kolkata-Mughlai'. Traced to the entourage brought along by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, it has influences of Awadhi, Mughlai, Deccani and Murshidabad cuisines, which have given rise to biryanis, chaanps, and rezalas. Try these mouthwatering yummy dishes at Rahmania, or Shiraz, two really small hole in the wall kind joints, that may not look very appetizing, but the food is awesome here.
If we talk of food and Kolkata, the second most important meal to talk about is puchkas…in Kolkata they make it with a difference, the puri's are full of potato mash with chillie, masala and little onion, and its dipped into real spicy pani. That's Bengali pani-puri for you, the best place to have any of the chaat's is at Southern Avenue
You know chaat is incomplete without the chai that comes in kullars (small earthern pots). Try it, its different, or if you wish finish of your evening snack or poochcas and alu dum with nembu chai (a concoction of masala, lemon juice and black tea) and not to forget the shikanji (limbu pani with masala)
Talking of chai, you must take go to the Chai walla at the gurudwara at Elgin road, he has been shot by international TV crew for a documentary of tea making.
Now lets talk about the dhaba that makes M F Hussain go weak in his knees. This tiny hole in the wall, Azad hind dhaba on Baligunge cirle road has Hussain's famous horses prancing all about their walls, painted straight on to the walls!. The food is great no doubt, when you're here do not miss the sweet lassi.
Authentic Bengali food is now a part of many restaurant menus. The Peerless Inn and Suruchi on Elliot Road dish out ladlefuls of aloo-poshto, shorshe maach, muri-ghonto and shukto, to name a few.
A lot of people talk of how Tangra or Chinatown are the best places to dig into noodles and rice, but on a tip off from a local you could visit these other Chinese place around teritti bazaar in north kolkata and for the first time ever experienced what it would be like to wake up in china with a Chinese breakfast - no jokes, they serve you dumplings and soup for breakfast - a healthy way to start the day. But then you can also head to Chung Wah and Lily's, and Chinoiserie at Taj Bengal.
Then there's the world famous in India chello kebab, head only to Peter Cat for these awesome kebabs served on a sheet of rice that's glistening with butter. Forget the calories here.
Not to miss are the rolls of Nizam, there are a few guys outside Nizam that still serve you the rolls but it lacks the Nizams touch.
The local snack shingars (samosa) are quiet a meal in itself. You get them both in sweet and savoury. A hot favourite is the spicy potato mix. We leave you to figure out what is your's.
And last but not the least, the momos and other tibetian flair served here is too good. Try it out at hamro momo, off lee road, the chicken steamed momos with momo soup are to die for, the sauces add their bit to make 'dying' quite heavenly.
Nightlife
Despite its intellectual overtones, Kolkata has a surprisingly active nightlife. But it comes expensive, as most discs and pubs are in star hotels. Tantra at The Park (on Park Street) has great music and a big dance floor, but at times gets a little too noisy and crowded. Someplace Else - for great live music - rock, blues, jazz, also at The Park, is more relaxed, has a dance floor and an interesting menu.
Pub
Dublin (at ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers, opposite Science City) is not buzzing like the other pubs but has an old-world feel to it. The Big Ben (Kenilworth Best Western Hotel, Little Russell Street) is another place with some great food and music. Big ben has some of the most awesome cocktails.
Shopping
Kolkatta, what with the chai baggan (tea garden) culture having come to a few homes in the city. The city offers just about everything from metal works, to pottery, to smoked outfits for kids, to auction houses where you can buy decent stuff at a bargain, to the famed Bankura horses, Dhokra metal craft, and exquisite textiles
The Crawford market of Kolkatta is the Burra bazzar where you can buy any kind of embellishment for your home or your clothes, it all comes at wholesale rates.
Another interesting market is the New market previously called the S S Hogg market. This is one of the fastest moving two floored markets that stocks everything from clothes to jewellery to shoes to the works. Most banks have their ATM's close to this market. In this market also lies one of the oldest and famous bakeries called Nahoums.
For Tangail and Baluchari silks as well as fine cotton textiles, try RMCA Basak (48 Nandi Street); Kundahar (10 Sarat Banerjee Road); Meera Bose (8 Dr Sarat Bose Road); Toontooni (10 Satyen Datta Road). For exclusive top-of-the-line silks in classic prints head to Ananda, at 13 Russell Street.
Bentinck Street has many Chinese shoe shops offering good value for money. Morrison & Cottle at the corner of Chowringhee and Park streets is one of the city's oldest shoemakers. It still fashions made-to-order shoes at reasonable prices.
Antiques and period-style furniture can be bought at Saroj (3A Camac Street) and Nu-Bilt (57, Park Street). Doing the rounds of Sunday auctions at Chowringhee Sales and Victor Brothers on Park Street, and Russell Exchange and Dalhousie Exchange on Russell Street may lead to the unearthing of interesting curios and furniture.
Gariahat Market, Vardaan Market on Camac Street, AC Market on Shakespeare Sarani and Satyanarayan Market, off Mahatma Gandhi Road, are some of the more busy shopping districts.
Language tips:
What is your name? : Tomar naam ki?
Which way did you come? : Tumi kon rasta diye asecho?
Where did you come from? : Tumi kotha theke asecho?
Yes, of course : Ha nischoy.
How are you? : Tumi kamon aacho
Where will i get a taxi : Aami kothai taxi paabo
left side : Baandike
Right side : Daandike
Go straight : Shoja jaan
What's the price : Etar daam koto
Stop for a moment : Ektu Daran
You stop here : Apni thamun ekhane
will you come here : Aapni ekhane ashben
Pl. come here : Tumi ekhane esho
Lets go : Ebare cholun
Kolkata retains much of the splendour of yesteryears, with a presence that is at once regal, imposing and memorable, a city worthy of admiration and love. Welcome to Job Charnock's 'chance-directed, chance-erected city, Lapierre's City of Joy'. Kolkata was born in August 1690, following the midday halt of Job Charnock, Chief of the British East India Company, on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, overlooking the bustling village of Sutanati.Over the next 250 years, Kolkata grew into the leading city, east of Suez, and the second city of the British Empire.
