The City of Swami Vivekanand, Tagore and Netaji

I have heard Calcutta stories since childhood from my  bengali friend Rinku,

 thanks to her  annual trips to 'Cal'. She was born and brought up in Doon and 

was as North Indian as any Sharma or Verma girl, But she used to transform into a 

Tagore's heroine during those 9 Pujo days. Now blogs, FB and books keep Kolkata 

alive in my psyche.

 Howrah Bridge and Victoria memorial were in my mind when I planned a trip to 

Kolkata on a friend's persuasion, but I came back with a heart full of reverence  for

 the gems Bengal had produced.

Victoria Memorial                                 

The first glance of the edifice reminded me of the Taj Mahal, but it was more welcoming and not haunting as the Taj because of the obvious reason that the Taj is a tomb and I was entering into a museum. It was majestic, but did make me sad to think about the loot and suppression by the British. The queen's proclamation inscribed on the wall calling Indians as her subjects was painful. 

Lord Curzon, the founder, would have never thought that one of the galleries in the museum would belong to  freedom fighters.

Kalighat:

I had started my day with breakfast at Sharma Kachori at Bhawanipur. Ah! The taste of UP.

Walked quite a distance to reach the temple.The narrow lanes were ok, but the main road was full of pilgrims, and the claustrophobic me gave up and turned back. Walked the same lanes back.Bought a few pairs of red and white bangles shakha Pola and paid rs200/.Walked further and bought one more pair for Rs 20/. Found the quality just the same.

                                                                   Gugni with Laiyya,      joys of travelling                  

                                                                                                                                                                                 On the way to the temple

Park Street: Strolling out there was a flaneur's delight. loved visiting the iconic bookshops and the ambience in general. 

Reached Flurys, not because I was hungry but just to be there.  Loved the bakery items.

Flurys

Indian Coffee House at College Street was charming for sure.  Like Alice, through a narrow entrance I entered to find a different world, a big hall with a very  high ceiling. Oblivion of the outside world, a happy lot of people looked engrossed in food and conversation. I chose to climb up the stairs to reach the balcony through a narrow gallery which was also used for accommodating a few more people.  Got a table all for myself. It did serve sumptuous snacks, but I was thirsty for tea only. The ground floor as well as the  balcony was full to its capacity. There was no place for the quiet loners like me. Sip by sip, I enjoyed the ambiance.

 

Door to eternal adda of bhadralok

                             

                                                                         

                                                     Time to buy a souvenir

Day 2 

 Dakshineswar  Temple is a visitor's delight, may be because of  it is spacious and there was order. No crowded mob to push you. The queue I joined at the nearby bridge reached the temple in an hour or so, but it was a smooth walk.

       

Jitne mat, utne path   

 

Howrah Bridge:

 

  

 Thakurbari:

Gurudev's home, now a museum

 Netaji Bhawan

It would be an emotional moment for any Indian to visit the house of our supreme hero. 

Day 3

There was a tie between Chandannagar and Sunderbans.The longing to see the mangroves since school days took me to later. Although no luck with the mangroves.

                                                                  

Sunderbans visit needs at least 3 days. In a day I could only have a round in a steamer boat and came back  within an hour or two. 

On the way back:

How cool it is to have your own pond beside your house with lots of fish.

Making of date palm jaggery :

Hunger bites

                             

One tick on my not very ambitious  bucket list is done. My thanks and apology is due to a few people. Thanks to my other half for all the bookings and support for my solo venture, and my companion, photographer and driver Ravi Yadav ji. And my apology to an FB friend for continuously  pestering him with my queries regarding places, food, safety etc Thank you friend for patiently answering all my queries.