Varun About Kolkata
Kolkata – The city of joy, the city of yummyyy street food, and the city very dear to me.
Why you ask? My mother is from Kolkata and that makes Kolkata my summer home ^_^. From the time I was a kid, every year I will go there during the month of April or May and spend weeks with them. I’ve always loved being there and the pampering I get even now. I guess that’s what grandparents do to you. They treat and make you feel like you are kids even when you’ve grown up.
After coming back from my Kedarkantha Trek and the Kodaikanal family trip, I was longing to meet my grandparents in Kolkata. This trip was mostly about spending time with my family there and less traveling around the city. Nevertheless, I visited a few places –
- Victoria Memorial.
- Hooghly Imambara.
- Alipore Zoo.
- Howrah Bridge.
- Indian Museum.
- Kalighat Temple.
- Dakshineswar Temple.
It was mainly a one-day trip where I covered all the places.
On 2nd April (Good Friday holiday), we took our flight from Chennai to Kolkata. We were flying with Air Asia and went through a lot of troubles. They canceled us twice and finally, we got a connecting flight through Hyderabad. We reached the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Airport by noon and the airport looked splendid.
Hindmotor
We took an Ola from the airport straight to ‘Hindmotor‘, a town in the suburbs of Kolkata.
Hindmotor – A small town named after a factory setup by the ‘Hindustan Motors‘ where they manufactured the famous Ambassador car. The town is very calm, spread out and has a nice locality to live in.
In an hour, we reached my Nani’s home (maternal grandmother) and it felt so nice to finally be there after 2 long years. Because of my final year at college and the covid pandemic, I wasn’t able to visit in the past 2 years. My Nani passed away 2 years back but it will always remain my Nani’s home. Meeting my Nana and Masi was a delight and I felt so happy being there.
In front of our apartment, we have a very huge playground and the weather becomes quite nice in the evening. Kolkata comes under the northwesterly winds which bring good rainfall with thunderstorms in the hot months of April and May. I witnessed one fierce thunderstorm evening –
My masi likes gardening and she maintains a nice balcony garden. We usually spend our tea breaks there. Every morning and on Sundays, we will sit there together and spend some time. She calls it the ‘Raj Garden‘ (my Nani’s name).
And..how can the mention of a town in Kolkata be completed without mentioning the famous street food – ‘Puchka’ (Pani Puri). After sunset, we went on a walk and I had a lot of puchkas from one of the most famous road-side thela (vendor). He sells 4 puchkas for Rs. 10 and it’s the tastiest I’ve ever had.
Ate too much teeka (spicy) puchkas so had to calm the burns with some famous Kolkata’s Rosagulla :p –
Day 1
Saturday, we decided to roam around the city. The Hindmotor suburban railway station is a 10-minutes walk from our home and from there we would catch the local train to Howrah Junction. The local train of Kolkata is itself an experience one should get on.
One of the busiest railway station of the world, Howrah Junction is also the oldest and the largest railway station in India. The architecture is quite amazing and looks ancient. Spend a minute and look back at the railway station when you exit. The buildings looks quite exquisite.
After reaching Howrah, we took the ‘peeli’ taxi (yellow taxi) for Victoria Memorial. The taxi passed through the Howrah Bridge and it’s the second structure within minutes that will amaze you.
The busiest and the sixth-longest cantilever bridge in the world, Rabindra Setu (named after Rabindranath Tagore), more famously known as the ‘Howrah Bridge’ looks beautiful and grand. Look towards the sky and you’ll find the view quite intriguing –
Victoria Memorial
Earlier when India was under the rule of the British and Kolkata was the capital, Lord Curzon proposed the construction of the Victoria Memorial to honor Empress Victoria. The construction started in 1906 and would go on until 1921. The magnificent marble building is now the largest monument in the world dedicated to the royal family of Britain.
The entrance boasts an arch dedicated to ‘Edward VII’ and gives a peek of the wonderful building. Walking straight down for a few minutes, you get to witness the entire memorial which is a sight to behold!
In the right corner, you can see the tallest building of Kolkata – The 42 with 65 floors.
The entry ticket for Victoria Memorial costs Rs. 20. It currently has a museum inside which is dedicated to INA (Indian National Army). It contains artifacts from the pre-Independence period belonging to the INS, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj back then.
It also hosts ‘Jaipur Procession‘ which is believed to be the World’s second-largest oil painting –
After looking at all the artifacts and paintings, we took a rest in the beautiful lawn where it’s breezy and calm. There’s also a fountain on the lawn –
Outside the museum, you can find some food shops and we had a refreshing sugarcane juice from one of the stalls –
Alipore Zoo
After spending time there, we took a taxi to the Alipore Zoo. Outside the zoo, you’ll find street food which we took a bite of and then entered in. The entry fee costs Rs. 30. It is the oldest zoo in India and was opened back in 1876 for the public.
There are a whole lot of animals in there and some have a glass-walled enclosure to provide an even better view to the public. You’ll have to walk a lot so make sure you stay hydrated.
We spent nearly 3 hours there and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is one of the must-visit places in Kolkata!
Indian Museum
Kolkata sure has some of the oldest and the biggest places in India. So is the Indian Museum which is the oldest and the largest museum in India. It’s also the world’s 9th oldest museum in the world!
The museum is huge. The entry fee for the museum is Rs. 50 and for the video camera, they charge Rs. 250.
You can easily spend 3 hours here and it’s a delight. There’s a huge collection of coins, antiques, armor, ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and paintings.
The museum also has a nice lawn where you can sit and relax.
Kalighat Temple
It was near dusk and the famous Kalighat temple was just a 15-min ride from the Museum. Kali Mata is revered and worshipped in Kolkata by everyone. They celebrate it with a 5-day festival known as the ‘Durga Puja’ which is held every year. Recently, it got the UNESCO ‘Intangible Culture Heritage’ tag too.
Kalighat Temple is also one of the 51 Shakti Peeths dedicated to Goddess Sati.
Shakti Peeths are temples dedicated to Goddess Sati. The 51 Shaki Peeths are very important pilgrimage destinations. These temples are where a part of Sati’s body fell on Earth.
After visiting many places, we decided to finish our day with some Kolkata special food.
One of the most famous places in Kolkata (near Bara Bazar) to have some of the most delicious sweet and chaat is ‘Tewari Bros‘.
We also had a roadside pav baji and it tasted delicious!
Suddenly a storm hit Kolkata (Kalbaishaki) and the wind blew with great speed. Fortunately, we got home quickly.
Day 2
Today we decided to go on a short day tour to nearby places in the suburbs. A garden, church, mosque, temple and for some shopping.
We visited the Hooghly Imambara, a 160 years old mosque that looks quite beautiful. We spent time there –
We also visited Serampore, a suburb town where you can find amazing artistic decorations for quite a cheap rate –
Dakshineswar Temple
Later that evening, we visited the famous Dakshineswar Temple. The temple is quite beautiful and is dedicated to the powerful Goddess Kali. It is one of the rare temples dedicated to Goddess Kali where there are no meat offerings to the deity. It is because Ramkrishna Paramhansa, the guru of Swami Vivekananda was the main saint of the temple back then and he protested against offering any kind of meat to the Goddess.
After our darshan, we visited a sea-view restaurant overlooking the Ganges and it was so peaceful to spend time there –
and the rest of the days I spent at home sitting and talking with my masi and nana. It was a fun time and I felt so happy just being there. I could refresh my memories from the streets of Hindmotor, the love, food, and the locality. It’s just so nice to be there.
Here’s my masi, nana, my brother and me –
And oh, you don’t return from Kolkata without bringing (a lot of) sweets with you –
This blog might not be that informational but I believe everyone should visit Kolkata and enjoy the old capital city of India. It has some great food, unity, and a very bustling fashion market. You can visit a lot of places from the British East India Company period and roam around in the oldest metro of the country.
Stay tuned for more travel experience blogs. Keep traveling and keep exploring!
