Baranagar Heritage Walk

Kolkata has a lot of things to offer us among which we know very few. One of these is the rich heritage of Baranagar about which I had no idea. So when I came to know about a heritage walk to be conducted by Chitrakotha I eagerly jumped on board and registered. I had been to Baranagar before to visit some of my relatives but never ventured out on the streets to explore the place. This made my excitement more palpable.

On the 23^rd of February I joined a motley group of people in Sinthi More who had gathered on a Sunday to delve into the heritage in the nooks and crannies of Baranagar. Our team leaders were Mukut da and Soumyashree di with whom I had collaborated on a photography exhibition last January. Among them was Siddhartha Sir who is an avid blogger himself apart from being my teacher in Calcutta University (you can find his take on this day here).

An Adventurous Afternoon

Living in Kolkata since birth, I have seen a lot of photographs of the tram going through the Maidan but had never ventured out myself. I decided to tick this off my bucket list last November and called up people asking if they wanted to join. I had no idea where to go because the Maidan is a huge space. Luckily after enquiring some people and with the help of the internet I found out I have to go to Esplanade Tram Depot and look out for Tram No. 36 going to Kidderpore from Esplanade.

Swagat Ahe Pune

The name of Peshwa Bajirao comes to the mind when we speak about Pune. Though this is mainly due to the success of the film ‘Bajirao Mastani’.  Whatever it may be, Pune is not so bad a city. I visited Pune last August for about a week and today I want to share my experience with my readers through this writing.

My journey started from Howrah Station in Azad Hind Express. This was the first time I was travelling in a long distance train by myself. In spite of being excited I must admit I was a bit nervous. Gradually the nervousness ceased to exist and I reached Pune safely. Since the train reached late I could not see much on that day. Only in the evening I took a walk around Aundh locality. The first day thus came to an end. I was staying with my cousin sister’s family who resides in Pune.

Nawabi Sheher Lucknow

Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is a city which boasts of eye-catching architectural buildings and is equally famous for its cuisine. The Nawabs ruling Lucknow for most of the 18th and 19th century , erected magnificient buildings which people throng to even today. Lucknow was one of the important centres during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 whose signs can be observed in The Residency.

Hyderabad : The City of Biryani

People go to Hyderabad for its Biryani, I am no exception (though the technical reason of my visit would be to give an examination). I visited South India for the first time and this visit changed my taste buds. I hated South Indian meals before going to Hyderabad. But the fresh Dosas, Idlis and Vadas here changed my perception. The Dosa available in Kolkata is different from that in Hyderabad which is why I didn’t like it. The present me can have Dosa and Idli in Kolkata whereas the earlier me would have not eaten these. Hyderabad is known as ‘The City of Pearls’ because of the vast quantity of pearls available here. The architecture of this city dates back to the 16th century. Heritage buildings adorn the city like ‘kajal’ adorns the eye.