When I boarded the busy local train to Howrah, I had a definite idea of where i was headed to. It was the economic capital of the erstwhile East India company, the city that was the home of the 'Mother'....ya Kolkata, the erstwhile Calcutta.It was in Aug 2006. I visited it for four times since then but i find it different each time i visit ........not that i forget my previous visit.
The first thing anyone will observe about Howrah station is that its basic design is a bit different. All the platforms are one ways and have dead ends. the seating arrangements and refreshments for the waiting passengers are at this dead end. Infact, this design serves the purpose better. You can drive your vehicle in and park it just beside your compartment if you are going by the Rajadhani. There are a whopping 21 platforms in the station. The station building also stands out with great architectural view from outside.Later on I found many such buildings by the lanes that stand as a symbol of the British legacy of the city.The best of them is ofcourse the Victoria memorial.
The Victoria memorial was built to commemorate Queen Victoria's rule. Surprisingly, it was built between 1906 and 1921 with the money voluntarily donated by the princes and people of India.It was a whopping one crore and five lakh rupees that was collected by voluntary donations in those days!! The memorial has good pictures and manuscripts that depict India under the British rule.
The maidan area is one of the most scenic spots I've ever seen in the middle of any city and the chariot ride around the maidan makes anyone feel royal.
The last time I went to kolkata was 2 weeks ago with my Dad. Now, going with Dad has its share of responsibility. I had to move around many temples- Kalighat, Belur math, Dakshineswar. Anyway going to a temple is also enjoyable in its own way especially after a long gap. It has been 3 months since I've been to a temple. (Why is it that Hindus dont have a speific day to visit temple just like Sunday for christians and friday for Muslims?) Temple is one of the few places where you get some peace of mind for free...think of what money is spent in buying that- People smoke, drink and do many other things for 'peace of mind'. Bengalis are great devotees of Goddess Kali. I can draw a parallel with the patronage Lord Venkateswara enjoys in the South(read Andhra pradesh and TN ).
I may be writing more about Kolkata, but that's it for now..and a bit of word here- Bengalis are very very beautiful. My friend who was adamant on remaining unmarried throughout his life changed to saying he would marry a girl only from Kolkata. All it took for this radical change was a casual walk along the college street. The 3 magic words here are- " Ami tume bolebashi "
