I like Calcutta, she embraces me whenever I visit her. However, her image (no thanks to 'City of Joy') belies what she actually is. Friends proudly show me good places whenever I'm there, exposing me to areas that are plush and otherwise culturally rich.
Many moons ago, people who hadn't even been there told me before my first business trip there, ''All the best, it’s a dirty city.'' and words to that effect. I echoed the same to my friends there and was told, ''Wait till you come here, we are going to change the way you think about our city.'' This review maybe one sided, yet only different from the other equally one-sided views people unfortunately possess of this city.
The friendly bhadra-lok
Like the language, the people are sweet. They can discuss anything and seem to have the time to talk at length. The regular man on the street is better read and much better read than his counterparts from Bombay and New Delhi respectively. People here love to chat about worldly matters. They will even stop passers-by to join in the conversation ''Kire dada. Tome ki bolchee?''
Travelling in Cal
The metro is the best way to go about in Calcutta. I haven''t seen the Delhi Metro yet, but this system puts the Bombay local trains to shame. It connects the south to the north (Tollygunge to Dumdum in about 35 minutes, unthinkable by cab). Efficient and spotlessly clean, it is comfortable even if you have to stand throughout. For places that can''t be reached by the metro, alight at the nearest metro station, and then take a cab. Cabs are cheaper than those in Bombay and the cabbies are more honest than their Delhi brothers.
If you have a lot of time, take the tram. Quiet outmoded, I can scarcely think why Calcutta has kept trams plying. Take a ride just for the heck of it, its fun. I avoided the buses as they looked too crowded and rattling.
FOOD Ami kothay jaabo khete?
Roaming around later, first the food. Authentic Bangla food is superb and the Pope is Catholic. Although there are a large number of eateries, Chinese, Thai, etc. but I won't eat all that when in Cal. Give me Bangla fish curry anyday, which gives a solid beating to all other cuisines. I recommend Aaheli Restaurant (Peerless International) for an authentic Bangla food experience. Go in for any 'paabda', 'bhekti'dish there. Another good Bengali cuisine place is Kewpies at Elgin Road.
When in Cal, breakfast/tea at Flurry's (Park Street) is a must. Flurry's is great for its cones, puffs, pastries, scrumptious sandwiches and its old world charm.
Ganguram's mishti (mithai)is an absolute must, available at many outlets around the city.
Park Street is famous for its several restaurants and bars. Just take a stroll in this street there's an unending array of good restaurants like Bar BQ, BlueFox, Peiping, Don Giovanni's etc.
SHOPPING
Calcutta has its Westside, Landmark, etc but do have a look at the New Market, which actually is Calcutta's oldest market spot. There is a long story behind this anomaly, um.... some other time.
Pick some cool sandals from Khadims opposite New Market. The Shriram Arcade (Lindsay Street) A.C. Market(Shakespeare Sarani) are other places to shop at.
Shyam Bazaar: Being the kurta freak, I pick up some nice kurtas from the market away from Shyam Bazaar station. This market also has an unending number of saree shops.
College Street: I do not know if everyone will like to go to this readers' paradise. Its bookstalls store a variety of books at reasonable rates. Don't forget to unwind in the quaint Coffee House, opposite Presidency college at College Street after you are done with your purchases. Other places to pick good books is of course the Oxford Bookstore at Park Street and the roadside stalls at Free School Street.
Some other bustling markets are at Beg Bazar, Barra Bazar (had to buy some 'shaka', typical Bengali bangles for the ladies at home) and the Dakshinapan market.
THE SIGHTS Ghurte kothay jaabo ami?
If you have finished marveling at the beautiful eyes of the Bengali ladies there are many other attractions. However I'll only name a few that I saw and liked
Park Street is easily my favorite part of Calcutta. This area the main commercial center of Calcutta.
Victoria Memorial: Have a stroll/drive around this graceful marble structure at night. It is stunningly illuminated. Several attractions are near the Victoria Memorial Hall like Birla Planetarium, St Paul's Cathedral, Academy of Fine Arts. Calcutta is a culturally rich city. Catch the latest happening in the Academy of Fine Arts where the culturatti of Cal converge . Details are in the local newspaper listings. You can attend fine arts shows, drama, recitals, local theatre and dance programmes here.
I did not stay at Howrah for long, as I did not quite like the hustle-bustle of Barra Bazar. But I did go in for the ''Cool breej at Howrah Breez''
The Botanical Garden at Shibpur. A giant banyan tree that covers about 400m of land is its main attraction. But one cant help wishing that the garden be kept cleaner. Science City: I happened to visit this place a lot due to the seminars there, the shows at the space theatre are worth catching.
Thakurbari, the house of the Tagores, now a museum at Jorasanko, Kalighat temple at Ballygunge, Marble palace at Muktaram Babu Street, Birla Mandir at Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue are all worth a visit. 10 kms away from Calcutta is the Belur Math headquarter of Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, founded by Swami Vivekananda. Its architecture is a mix of the temple, mosque and church patterns.
Like to PARTY?Naache kothay jaabo ami?
While, Saturday Club and Tolly Club are some real relaxed and my kind of places to unwind, my friends were insistent on showing me the scintillating nightlife of their city, lest I mistakenly think that everyone there only listens to Robindro Shongeet.
In Calcutta you could end your evening at Incognito (Taj Bengal), Anticlock (HHI), Tantra (Park), or Big Ben. Cool nightlife, hot crowd(wink!) Two other places I did not like much were Equinox (Peerless Inn) and Someplace Else (Park).
HOTELS for the business traveler: Depending on your budget you could go to Oberoi Grand, HHI, Taj Bengal, Hyatt, or the four stars like Park, Peerless, to the economy places like Samilton Inn, etc. But the one I liked the best among all these was Fairlawn (Sudder Street) and I cannot stop praising the place as I had earlier done in this review, https://mouthshut.com/readreview/29500-1.html
Oh ah, I also have to do a lot of work when in Calcutta, but surely you don't want to get bored with that information. With all these leisure activities to conduct, its a wonder that I actually do any business in my business trips there (my boss is thankfully unaware of mouthshut). However, as a visitor to trade shows or as a participant in seminars in Calcutta, Bombay seemed a bit more professional. Nevertheless, I love the place and always look forward to my trips there.
Kichu hokh, amaader Kolkaata shab desh teke bhalo.
