“This is worth coming across to see!”
As you drive down slowly towards Park Street through Brabourne Road, you can sense the scale of business that is generated by those narrow streets of Burra Bazar. Name of the streets which are mostly in English catches the attention immediately at least to an outsider. Somehow, names like Canning Street, Ezra Street, Middleton Row, Orient Row infatuated the little boy also. Two of the most noticeable buildings in Dalhousie area are the dome-shaped GPO (General Post Office) and the historical Writers. It was hard for the boy to realize for long that the dome-shaped giant structure is a GPO and not a museum or an assembly. Charm of first big city perhaps!
As you enter Red Road, those broad roads await to take you towards glamorous South Calcutta. It took more than six months for that boy to figure out why it is called South Calcutta. Fhadka (style) of a metro city perhaps! While Brabourne Road houses several business offices in the heart of the city, Park Street houses corporate offices and branch offices of many big companies. The sight of Chatterjee International and Tata Steel building distantly from Maidan is what many people who lived in Calcutta can relate to quite easily. Maidan is indeed famous for what its name says. From trade fair to book fair to notorious rallies, it is a host to every big event in the city. What could be said about those Morning Walks at Maidan! Walking your way to the monumental Victoria Memorial from Maidan is the best way to start your morning at Calcutta. All of a sudden, a different air is what you breathe in that refreshes your inner self to the core.
If you are fond of having jalebis in the breakfast, you can follow that morning walk with a visit to Russell Street. The boy is too old to recollect name of that dhaba but the street is small enough to locate it. Bengal and Sweets are almost impossible to separate. While macher jhol and lucchi are the most preferred food, vegetarians can relish and submerge in the ras of sweet dishes on offer. Rossogullah, sondesh, abar khabo, mishitdoi, chom chom – just to name a few. Coupled with sweet nature of people, these sweets will leave you yearning for more and more. If you want some crispy and spicy taste, you must not miss roadside jhal muri which is available everywhere in the city. After all, muri chai is the favorite evening snack of babu moshay!
The boy was fond of a lovely song which is synonymous with Babu moshay! Oh Calcutta, the sweetness stays forever…
As you drive down slowly towards Park Street through Brabourne Road, you can sense the scale of business that is generated by those narrow streets of Burra Bazar. Name of the streets which are mostly in English catches the attention immediately at least to an outsider. Somehow, names like Canning Street, Ezra Street, Middleton Row, Orient Row infatuated the little boy also. Two of the most noticeable buildings in Dalhousie area are the dome-shaped GPO (General Post Office) and the historical Writers. It was hard for the boy to realize for long that the dome-shaped giant structure is a GPO and not a museum or an assembly. Charm of first big city perhaps!
As you enter Red Road, those broad roads await to take you towards glamorous South Calcutta. It took more than six months for that boy to figure out why it is called South Calcutta. Fhadka (style) of a metro city perhaps! While Brabourne Road houses several business offices in the heart of the city, Park Street houses corporate offices and branch offices of many big companies. The sight of Chatterjee International and Tata Steel building distantly from Maidan is what many people who lived in Calcutta can relate to quite easily. Maidan is indeed famous for what its name says. From trade fair to book fair to notorious rallies, it is a host to every big event in the city. What could be said about those Morning Walks at Maidan! Walking your way to the monumental Victoria Memorial from Maidan is the best way to start your morning at Calcutta. All of a sudden, a different air is what you breathe in that refreshes your inner self to the core.
If you are fond of having jalebis in the breakfast, you can follow that morning walk with a visit to Russell Street. The boy is too old to recollect name of that dhaba but the street is small enough to locate it. Bengal and Sweets are almost impossible to separate. While macher jhol and lucchi are the most preferred food, vegetarians can relish and submerge in the ras of sweet dishes on offer. Rossogullah, sondesh, abar khabo, mishitdoi, chom chom – just to name a few. Coupled with sweet nature of people, these sweets will leave you yearning for more and more. If you want some crispy and spicy taste, you must not miss roadside jhal muri which is available everywhere in the city. After all, muri chai is the favorite evening snack of babu moshay!
The boy was fond of a lovely song which is synonymous with Babu moshay! Oh Calcutta, the sweetness stays forever…
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3 comments:
A collector's item of a post. Took me nostalgically to the days when I lived in Calcutta myself. All you described so vividly, I can recall. One of my favourite haunts was Free School Street for the superb books you could dig out of the shops there. And the lovely Race Course - easily the prettiest in India. A post to savour; well done Vishal and keep this series going.
...... And what a song. Immortal.
@ Ramesh - Thanks so much for the kind words and sharing your experience.
Oh, did you live in Calcutta? for how long? I thought you would have only made business visits.
Very true, buying books and reading them is another passion that runs through veins of people in the city. Almost everywhere, one can locate roadside hawkers selling old books at the startling price. I am glad you pointed out Race Course... no better sight of a race course in the country than this one! Will get back to race course in following posts. :-)
P.S. - eagerly waiting for a post on your blog.
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