Kolkata: Day 1 (,2,3)

I landed around 2:30pm on a Saturday, and after a relatively hectic flight of turbulence and troublesome fellow passengers, all I wanted was to retire to a quiet place.

I’m lucky enough that I know people in this city so I’m staying at a friend’s place around Ballygunge.

So far I have hit up a few local favourites- the puchka wallah at Max Mueller (for alu dum, and ofcourse puchka), Tangda Kaizen (for cheap alcohol and chilli potato), Sharma Dabha (for kachori alu and tandoori alu).

For a more cultural twist to the trip I joined by friend at 5:30 in the morning to catch the sunrise at Princep Ghat. We did somehow successfully make it there before the sun rose but we still managed to miss it on account of forgetting that the sun rises on the East, the opposite side of the river.

The Hooghly bridge was next on our agenda. We drove onto the bridge and past it twice before we realised where we were, for we had to travel quite a distance through a street market from hell! We finally ended up at Dalhousie Square at about 8 am. And it was the perfect time to be there.

The streets were more or less empty. The daily routine was only just beginning for most so there was not too much traffic and empty spots on the footpath to sit down and sketch. This area is so well maintained, it made me incredibly proud. We’re all so used to seeing some of the most beautiful monuments and ruins of monuments in the world in this country, being ruined just because no one appreciates their value. This was a happy surprise. From Victoria Memorial to the Writer’s building or the currency building, this entire “square” has been maintained incredibly well considering that it is still a functional administrative block and not just a national heritage site  maintained solely for the purpose of tourism.

The best way to see this entire stretch is to walk around. We were on foot for about three hours and it was beautiful! Check out some of the photographs and sketches I took/ made during our walk.

I guess February/ early March is a great time for the city because I’m on day 3 in Kolkata and yet to feel the crippling heat and humidity I was expecting, but let’s not jinx it.