0
0
Finally in the safe refuge in Kolkata we decided to put all our worries about the bicycles and such on hold whilst we had a well-deserved rest and enjoyed all the city had to offer.
Thankfully we were looked after by our friend Tat’s dad and brother (Dr Ranjit Bose & Saugata Bose) – who not only gave us shelter but also took us around all the best eateries in town!! We were also fondly greeted by their dog Scooby – who fell in love at first sight with Sedef’s leg – much to our embarassment!!! 😀 Oh and we found this 80’s picture of a long-haired young Tat in his family photo album and couldn’t resist the temptation to ‘capture’ it for prosperity/blackmail (!) – Tat we will remove it from the site for a ‘reasonable’ donation!!! :p
So we did the usual touristy stuff – saw some historic monuments and thoroughly investigated all the coffee shops in the centre of town :p. One of them boasted a sign that we found rather amusing (and immodest!) – “Our customers are not the only ones who think we are super (i.e. we do too!!) – see picture below.
We saw:
– Victoria Memorial – a dramatic colonial white marble building that is the pride and joy of the city. The popularity of Queen Victoria in India seems to endure for ever!!
– Writers’ Building – When the East India Company founded Calcutta as their headquarters in 1600s, they brought young bachelors out from Britain to work as clerks. Known as ‘writers’ they lived in spartan conditions in communal mud huts until the Writers’ Building was eventually erected to accommodate them. Over time many young writers took Indian wives, giving rise to the new Eurasian community. Today this red brick building is the seat of local government.
– The communist party meeting with over a million people flooding the city from all over West Bengal in support – the streets were packed with pedestrians and the traffic was jammed solid
– Black Hole of Calcutta – well the suposed site. Where on a hot June night in 1756, a hundred and forty six English prisoners were forced into a tiny chamber with only the smallest of windows for ventilation. Most suffocated to death by morning. The actual location is still rather uncertain, though Clive of India erected a memorial to the victims.
– Howrah Bridge – One of Kolkata’s most famous landmarks, this bridge links the main train station to the town. It is 97m high and 795m long, spanning the river in a single giant leap to make it the world’s largest cantilever bridge. It is in sad need of repair unfortunately with potholes and damage to the tarmac.
– Some very disturbing shops: a restaurant / ‘cum-bar’ , a ‘cum showroom’, and a shop selling ‘poofs’ and ‘cum-beds’ with a washable cover !!!!!!!
We even did some shopping (a big luxury for us given space and weight restrictions!!) and bought some fantastic handicrafts (a wood-carved buddha and Krishna, amongst other things) and clothes!!
In the rest of our free time we went around the shops trying on some of the gaudy designer items on sale (Indians love to display brands) – until we were told off by security to stop taking photos and laughing at their merchandise until tears were streaming :p Highlights of which included plastic bulldogs with angelic wings and an inscription that said ‘if you are in hell, just keep going’ (?!), and brown-nosing greeting cards for your boss, declaring what a wonderful man and manager he is!! Though we did see in one of the bookshops a copy of Anne Mustoe’s book on cycling in India!!
Another day we met up with a good friend from England (Aninda) who was down here visiting family – perfect timing!! Thankfully he relieved us of all our shopping to take back home!!
 |  |
