And now we have guest writers :)

There are some things that one must do before dying:

1. Backpack through Europe
2. Gain expertise over fine dining
3. Shake hands with the Dalai Lama and,
4. Travel in a local train, specifically on the Eastern Railway.

Today happened to be one of those days when we decided to backpack through Europe. Okay, not really but hopefully someday.  For now it’s no. 4 that we’ve conquered.
So there we were, the three of us, in the Bandel Local heading to the historic Bandel Church. Well, fine. I missed the train. It was just the two of them in that train while I struggled out of bed, wore my socks and ate bread toast (which my mother insisted was a healthy mid-morning breakfast) at the same time and ran to catch the next available train. After the not-so-smooth beginning, I finally met the two tourists and we headed towards the auto stand. A fifteen minute crowded-auto ride later, we found ourselves amidst a busy street which had BABA CABIN restaurant on the left and a very questionable biriyani stall on the right. But there it stood, right in front, the majestic Bandel Church. I am lying. There was nothing ‘majestic’ about the Bandel Church. In fact, BABA CABIN seemed a lot more appealing at that point.
Nonetheless, all three cameras were out and clicking as we headed in to what looked like an entrance.  No, we did not find devout worshippers singing psalms at every corner. What we did see were a lot of glittery families who had come to picnic on the church ground. I was really glad I had that bread toast. There were some decorations put up for Christmas [the previous day] for which one of my two travelers added with a smirk, ‘That’s the nativity scene, in case you did not realize.’ Yes, thirteen years in a convent school and I still needed a Bible history lesson. 

Bandel Church is one of the oldest churches in West Bengal. So obviously there will be reconstructions done from time to time. I’d like to know whose idea was it to use shiny tiles (the kind I have mostly seen in really swanky bathrooms) for the reconstruction of the church interiors. It seemed like a logical construction choice because everyone likes to feel pee-ish in public places.  
So the Church itself is very reminiscent of general catholic school churches. Nothing very special about it except it had a lot of stairs and that it was built in the 1600s. 

Anyway, having made the realization that history can be very misleading and unexpectedly disappointing, we left to fill our tummies. Being short on cash, we decided to hope back on the train [and this time together] and go to Shrirampur. While on the train, we came across a variety of people. While some revealed their flat tummies (as we sucked in our own) others merely stared at us as we chatted loudly about inappropriate girl things. Oh, we also had tea in a mud pot (possibly one of the best moments in the train).

We reached Shrirampur, where SAMRAT (the restaurant which promised great food) waited for us. Having had our late lunch which consisted of one plate of chow and garlic chicken split three ways and talked about everything (read: everyone) under the sun, we decided it was time to put this day to an end.  We boarded our respective trains (this time separately) and as I watched them struggle to get inside a cramped ladies compartment I knew that we had to repeat this journey again and soon.

Amrita Kar

Vignettes:)

For all the good times we had and the gorgeous city we explored. :)

(From top,left to right)- Basubati at Baghbazar, Kumartuli,St.Andrews Church BBD Bag, Birla Temple, Beth-El Synagogue, Church of most Holy Rosary, Magen David, Kidderpore Dock, Chinese Temple BBD Bag, Jain Temple at Belgachhia, Latubabu-Chhatubabu Lane, Jain Temple, Shovabazar Rajbari, Basubati, Vivekananda's House, Christmas goodies being sold, Sovabazar Rajbari, Latubabu-Chhatubabu's House, Old Mint on Strand Road, Magen David Synagogue(next 3) ,Portuguese Church,Birla Temple Sculpture.

It's Not Over Yet!!!!!!!!!

Due to the temporary desertion of fellow tramps, Kolkata Kaleidoscope had to remain in storage for some two weeks. But the itch to walk is hard to ignore and thus, yours truly caught hold of another willing tramp to...well...tramp around the city. This time the destination was the much-loved Millenium Park, followed by the even more loved Chitto-da's Fish Fry, a re-visit to St John's [incidentally, being in a state of renovation most of it was inaccessible], and a tram ride down Chitpur Road [Yes, again. Fellow tramp looked mildly bored and resigned :) :D].

St. John's, BBD Bag

 Anyway, first things first, Millenium Park is really small!! It is a  cozy enough nook for cozying up but I fail to see the point of enclosing a tiny area of the bank and charging money for entrance. A stroll down the promenade is no different from a stroll down the other ghats and thus, Millenium Park is a bit of a disappointment.

Second Hooghly Bridge

The fish fry is a gift of the gods at 35 Rs. a plate. Chitto-da regulars looked at us with mild displeasure, probably realizing that their bastion had been infiltrated by non-regulars as well. Refusing to be daunted by the slightly scornful looks that were passed around us, we chomped our way to gastronomic fulfillment. This was followed by an unending wait for a tram [which is unusual, really]. I had never consciously looked out for trams on the road, considering them as natural to the cityscape as..erm..lampposts. However, it is only with travelling on them extensively that I noticed trams have an admirable frequency especially on certain routes. And they are cheap [4.5 Rs. always!!] The ride down Rabindra Sarani was as insightful as always, and I discovered the remains of the Adi Brahmo Samaj [the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj being on Bidhan Sarani] nestled between shops selling goat's brain curry. And. like everything else in the city, thereby hangs a tale...

P.S. : Do NOT lose your tickets in Millenium Park. For one heart stopping minute, as my fellow tramp rummaged through layers of winter clothing in order to extract ticket stubs that were entrusted to his safekeeping, I had visions of us going to prison for alleged obscene acts without an entrance ticket. shudders]

The final chapter.

As we wrapped up Kolkata Kaleidoscope for this year ,there are certain things that seemed really strange to be forgotten. The Jain temple at Belgachhia that was one of our last destinations appeared huge in terms of area but was not really that intricately carved with colourful tiles and glass bits like that of the Jain temple we had seen last year at Gouribari. The main temple remotely resembled a miniature Red Fort and unlike its Gouribari counterpart did not have three more temples for company in the vast space of land that it occupied in Belgachhia. However, since there are very few people visiting this place therefore the whole place retains its serenity without being interrupted by the usual crowd of people disturbing the sanctity of temples in India . In contrary to this the monument supposedly labelled as ''Clive's house'' is just a pile of bricks manifesting the neglect of both the Government and the people around there. A visit to this monument at Dumdum was in noway appealing when we fished out that a dilapidated old building sheltering a pregnant goat and a few slum dwellers. The best part of the whole scene before our eyes was however a row of clothes hung out to dry on the slab mentioning ''Clive's House'' along with a brief description. This was just enough to ensure that we would not try to go further in order to take a closer look at the mass of debris before us.

Friendly Advice/Suggestion

This post is strictly for those who find stationery alluring [and I mean all the connotations of this word]. We [like I said, this post is for like-minded brethren and hence the collective address seems apt :)] despair at the rising costs of copies, and the inversely proportional quality of those copies. We groan when we run out of our favorite brand of pens [yes, we are brand conscious]. We are fussy about the exact number of pages our copies must have, their specific size and the graphics on the cover page. In other words, we are connoisseurs, striving to reach perfection in every sphere of stationery-selection. We are envious of others' Classmate copies, and we exchange notes on where to get the best ones.

Thus, we are grateful for Jackson Lane. This little alley, parallel to Canning Street, has been given the moniker of Indra Kumar Sarani. It intersects with the Old China Bazaar Street, and it is paradise for all of us who lovingly caresses every stationery item sold, well, anywhere. Thus, when we get the opportunity of buying a set of copies [with the MRP of Rs. 180 gleaming menacingly at us], for Rs. 142, we jump at the chance and thank God for keeping us alive. We make more than one trip, inhaling dust, smoke,and survive being elbowed, only to pick up more such gems. We make sure that no two copies have the same cover page; we ensure that no two Arctic Glacier series are the same; we weigh the bulk in our hands and we purr....

From Chinese Temple to Chittoda’s....

Our next destination was the 106 years old Chinese temple near Tiretta Bazar. As the wooden green staircase coupled with red ornate wall hangings take us back to the Oriental ,one cannot help notice the hanging-white tubelights disrupting the beauty of the room replete with intricate adornments and warm candlelight in beautifully carved old Chinese glass lamps. The glass lamp holders offer the adequate glow to the God making the tubelights seem really unnecessary in such a small yet beautifully adorned place. However looking back the memories of the temple becomes more prominent when I remember the warm Chinese faces that conversed with us in trilingual languages before letting us in .’’ Observation through traveling around helps you to learn more than you ever will through books’’, said one of them and perhaps it is true especially when we see three distinct destinations like the Chinese Temple, Kidderpore Dock and Dacres lane on the same day. Dacres lane seems to me the favourite haunt for all those with a gift of the grub. A narrow lane with tiny dark shops frying various delicacies in a huge black wok with flies hovering all over the place and broken benches on the other side for people to sit and eat, Dacres lane will still amaze you when the next thing you find a Merc and Santro entering the lane pushing you almost into one of the drains or the woks on either side. Chittoda’s little eatery specializing in its Chicken Stew with ‘’Roti ‘’which refers to bread is supposed to be really famous here but it is the fish fry that appealed to my taste buds the most.

After the delectable experience at Chittoda’s and the Chinese Temple the journey to Kidderpore had almost lulled me into sleep Despite the breathtaking view of Victoria Memorial,race course and the Maidan ,the journey is quite dusty till you enter the tram depot at Kidderpore. The view of the huge ships standing tall at the Kidderpore Docks from the Kidderpore bridge is majestic enough but sadly enough it is not the safest and cleanest of journeys that two young girls can hope to make especially when you are neither allowed to take photographs nor enter the prohibited area of the Dock. As the tram snakes back past the Fancy market at Kidderpore , Race Course ,Victoria Memorial and Maidan we are too exhausted to appreciate a little kid scolding a dog or the gorgeous view of a greener Calcutta in this route. All we could think of is how to make another visit to Chittoda soon to have another bite of that delectable fish fry before we have to return to our unavoidable hectic schedules.

The Hidden Gems of Brabourne Road

Armenian Church

Brabourne Road [leaving aside my aversion to the new street names, the rechristened Brabourne road is absolutely unpronounceable] can easily be called the most cosmopolitan and secular road in this city. Every street which leads off this thoroughfare, whether one walks down from the Tea Board, or from Armenian Ghat, contains a place of worship nestled among wholesale or paikari shops which sell items like notebooks, copies and diaries; a veritable treasure trove for college students on the perennial lookout for cheap stationery. One of the first churches that one will, literally, stumble on is the Armenian Church, believed to be the oldest church in the city. The white marble that dominates the cathedral annex as well as the main building is echoed by the graves that one has to step over in order to access the church. This church was apparently built over an Armenian grave, in the year 1764. This makes it by far the oldest surviving church in Kolkata. The arrival of the Armenian community predates that of the British and prominent Armenians of the city included Stephen Arathoon, founder of the Stephen Court. The Armenian establishment in the city also runs the Armenian college on Free School Street [incidentally, this college is housed in the same building which witnessed the birth of William Makepeace Thackeray] which caters to Armenian youth from Armenia, who receive education and other benefits here before being sent back to their country. Finding the Armenian Church requires an immense amount of perseverance and patience since shops selling chudis, Christmas decorations and other fancy items, tend to obliterate any view of the church.

Beth El Synagogue

The next gems we unearthed on Brabourne Road are the two synagogues; Beth El on Pollock Street and Maghen David on Canning Street. A visit to these absolutely stunning, and protected, synagogues will require a permission which can be obtained from Nahoum's [time to pause and reminisce about their chicken samosas and plum cakes] in New Market. Beth El is the first synagogue which can be obtained if one walks down Brabourne Road from BBD Bag.
This yellow bulding is in excellent shape despite services having been discontinued for over ten years now. A marble testament to David Joseph Ezra takes pride of place. The interiors reveal gleaming chandeliers and a vast altar, dome shaped, on which are inscriptions from the Torah and the Ten Commandments. Maghen David is a mere five minutes walk away from Pollock Street, and this red brick building on Canning street is bigger [and may I add, better].This synagogue was built by Elias David Joseph Ezra, the son of the David Ezra, and the interiors are extremely well kept. The gatekeeper very obligingly ensured that the place was illuminated, so that we were able to catch a glimpse of this monument is all its splendor. The stained glass windows gleamed their myriad colors onto the enormous pillars throughout the nave of the synagogue.

Maghen David Synagogue

Finally, after abandoning an attempt to trace the Greek Church [we are on it, and will not rest till we locate this elusive church :)] we moved across the road to the Church of Most Holy Rosary or the Portuguese Church, on Lucas Lane, now called the Portuguese Church Street. This church came as a pleasant surprise since all discussion of churches in Kolkata end with St. Paul's and St. John's. The church is decorated for the upcoming festivities and a little boy took it upon himself to be our guide. The Church of Most Holy Rosary is located at a stone's throw away from Saifee Masjid, which we could not enter due to religious restrictions. Thus, this one road, which appropriately enough is also home to the Passport Office today, remains as a testament to Kolkata's various ethnic communities, and to the secularism we are so proud of. Unlike most claims we Kolkatans like to make about the city, which are tenuous at best, there is no denying the cosmopolitanism and tolerance that has shaped this city, and continues to lend order to the chaos called Kolkata.

P.S.: I am adding my Picassa album link for anyone who wishes to have a look at the pictures. They are not works of art but they are worth a dekko :) The link is: https://picasaweb.google.com/110843013966038898920/KolkataKaleidoscope2011