Mahalaya Masti...

This post comes in a little too late in the day, considering it was made on Mahalaya last year. Well, here goes….

After a series of catastrophic class tests, (all JUDEans are acquainted with those!) we decided we had had enough of academics for a while. What happened next was a quick plan to visit Kolkata’s favourite monument, second only to Victoria Memorial in popularity. We usually travel in a group of seven, but it being pre-Pujo season, three friends dropped out due to quite foreseen circumstances such as last minute shopping, marital commitments and cough and cold!!

Prinsep Ghat and Vidyasagar Setu

That left us with Ananya, Poulomi, Madhumanti and myself. Plans were made, where to meet, what to wear, what essentials to carry and most importantly, where to eat out for lunch! We would meet in front of Esplanade Metro station the next day. As promised, Mahalaya dawned bright and clear; a perfect beginning to the pujo. At 11am, we assembled in front of the metro station, and as always, one of us had to get lost trying to negotiate the roads! Thus, a little bit of time was lost in trying to make sense of road directions, observing prominent buildings on the Esplanade crossing and giving directions. This, coupled with what had by then, turned into a sultry summer day.

We finally found each other (*joy*) and boarded a cab, after the customary Kolkata practice of taxi drivers rejecting us, asking for higher fares and the rest of the madness that ensues. Our cab flew across Akashvani Bhavan, Eden Gardens and other prominent landmarks of the city. We did not reach Prinsep Ghat; we had to get down at the railway line which goes past the ghat. Walks are always the most enjoyable and funniest parts of any trip with friends. This walk was no exception. We seemed to be the only interesting people (read girls) in the area, attracting curious pairs of eyes because of the brand new Mahalaya get up, as well as the laughs and shouts. Well, we did finally reach the Prinsep Ghat monument. A little bit of history: the Prinsep Ghat was built in 1843, named after James Prinsep, a prominent Anglo-Indian scholar of the time. It was restored by the KMDA in the last decade, and is more and less well-maintained now. The façade of the monument is sparkling white and clean, it seemed whiter when compared to the beautiful cornflower blue sky and the majestic Second Hoogly Bridge towering behind it. We sat down on cool seats of the Prinsep Ghat monument, shadowing ourselves from the sun; away from the unsightly mess of garbage behind, and the group of boys creating a ruckus. Ghotigorom, a long adda, and a photo session followed. Groups of people, who had completed their Tarpan on the ghat behind, came to the lawns to feed the pigeons, take photographs…and celebrate the end of an annual ritual. We were lured by the cool breeze of the Ganga, and decided to follow the trail. The actual Prinsep Ghat, not the monument that is, lies some way behind. Shaded by trees, it was a treat for souls who have been smouldering so far, with ice-creams offering no solace. The Mahalaya Tarpan seemed to make the place more peaceful, with the sweet smell of incense and flowers strewn on the waters. Finally, we found refuge in the soft lapping sound of the Ganga against the boats, the sound of mantras being chanted, and bells being rung after each chant. The sounds made us happy, excited about the Durga Pujo, which suddenly seemed closer. After spending more time on the ghat (more poses, more laughs, more photographs, more memories…) we headed back the same way, following the railway tracks.

Getting a taxi is always a bit of a bother in the city; the impatience grows, egged on by heat, exhaustion and hunger. We finally got a taxi, agreeing to pay a little more (don’t we always?!) and set out to find Kasturi, our lunch destination.

Kasturi is located on Mirza Ghalib Steet and is known for its Bangal (as in, opaar Baangla) specialities. We were famished by this time, thus lunch, as always was a happy affair. The meal was bhaat, dal, the all-time favourite alu bhaja, laupata chingri, maacher paturi and mangsher jhol. Perfect meal on a Mahalaya day.

Our next stop was the tram ride from Esplanade to Khidirpur; because it passes through the Maidan (we all need some peace and calm!) after taking yet another taxi and getting down in front of Esplanade bus stand, we had to literally run after the tram before we caught up with it. Window seats captured, we settled down to enjoy the ride. The best part about tram rides is the lazy pace, and trust us, its even better amidst the green idyllic setting of the Maidan. We got down midway to take some pictures of the Victoria peeping from behind the Race Course, and walk along the tram tracks till we could get the next tram back. After another bout of running, tram catching…it was time to head back home after a wonderful day spent with friends and exploring the city.

Shruti Chaudhuri
Photo courtesy: Shruti Chaudhuri

Tramps whiling time away.:P

One of the most pleasurable walks that you can take in Calcutta is surprisingly a detour to Chowringhee by walking down Sudder Street to Free School Street and then to Chowringhee through our beloved Park Street. Over the years Sudder Street has become dirtier despite still sustaining to be one of the tourist hot spots in the city. However this should not discourage you from having a look around at the marvelous curio shops and stationery shops that line up along Sudder and Free School Street. The latter might be notorious for a number of reasons and might not be the ideal haunt of young girls but during the day its great to walk along this road ogling at the old discs and gramophone records being sold at shops and cheap second hand books on travel being laid out on display. From handwoven calendars on Indian myth to tiny magnets meant for foreign tourists there is no end to the goodies you can avail on this road. If you are given a chance to redecorate your home then you might as well give the malls a miss to get the finest curio items at the most reasonable price from this area. The old shop of Sasha on this street might not seem affordable to all and sundry but if you are one for handicrafts then this is a shop that you should definitely check out. When one walks past Armenian College,where William Makepeace Thackeray was born you encounter a series of alleys to your right and left offering a wide range of services like Chinese cuisine to Chinese dentistry and before you know you are on Park Street.

Park Street can never fail to enchant anybody who loves Calcutta. Whether you decide to step into Barista for a hot cup of expensive coffee or prefer to opt for the excellent Elaichi Coffee of eight bucks from the street vendor in front of the Indian museum , this is one walk that is worth it for the sheer wide range of fancy things one gets to see. The stretch of Chowringhee from Park Street to New Market has the most interesting things being sold at the most unexpected prices. And by interesting I do mean things that are hard to find like a cheap version of ‘’attar’’or the perfumes used by Moghul emperors in the olden days, books you would never ‘dare’ to find anywhere for its licentious content and curio items at hardly 15 rupees each. Shops that sell posters and pens along with earbuds and compasses are pretty common here and it is likely that whoever you are you would not resist yourself from purchasing something or the other from these shops along the pavement. Whether you are religious , have a gift of the grub for street foods or one for junk jewellery this is one road you should never give a miss.It is a window shoppers delight in every possible way.

P.S-Do not be amazed at dogs and puppies sleeping peacefully in their respective winter wears on these road