Ipsita Banerjee's Blog, page 3

Z: Zoo #AtoZChallenge

Z was so predictable, Alipore Zoo of course. The famous landmark in Calcutta built in 1876 or thereabouts is the oldest demarcated zoological park in Calcutta. It is visited by hordes of people coming to see the tigers and the monkeys, the elephants and the crocodiles.... specially in December and January. (The highest attendance being 110,000 visitors on 1 January 2018 alone!) It was also well known as the home of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise named Adwaita who was said to have been over 250 years old when he died in 2006.

But ..(there's always a but), I don't like zoos. I know, we must have gone there as children and I am certain I can find some happy memories of the place but I don't like zoos.
Yes, I said it again.
I hate the smell near the tiger cages, I dislike watching the poor animal stuck in there and I especially hate it when the curious onlookers try to attract the attention of the animals.
Some years ago there was this incident when one of the tigers killed one man and mauled the other when those drunken idiots decided to garland the tiger or something like that. Good for him, (the tiger, not the men!) I thought when I read the article. The last time I visited the zoo I was sad to see the gorgeous animals kept in cages. A part of me somewhat understand the need for a zoo, but most of me thinks animals should be left in the wild, doing whatever it is that wild animals do.
So the zoo is a place I avoid. earlier, when you drove past, you could see the elephants but I understand they have been relocated or a wall has been built so that too is denied from the road. For the same reason, I stay away from circuses although we went for many as children. We were not so aware then, I guess. But I have never taken my girls to the circus. Or the Alipore zoo. Sometimes there are rumours that the animals will be relocated to some place in Baruipur in the suburbs. Then the rumours die... The Alipore zoo is in what is now a very busy part of the city, the birds do not drop by as much as they did earlier and I shudder to think of the pollution and all.
No, I refuse to write about the Calcutta zoo!


And the picture is not of a caged animal but of a tiger in the wild. Where they belong! 

Y : Yuva Bharati Krirangan #AtoZChallenge

Yuva Bharati what, you ask? Okay. I know. This is cheating. But yes, the Yuva Bharati Krirangan does exist. It’s commonly known as the Salt lake Stadium. And this post is not about the Salt Lake Stadium per se but also about other playing fields in Calcutta, specially the Eden Gardens. When we were children, cricket was a game played in winter by men in whites. Dad was a member of something or the other and we used to get tickets to see the match. Yes, ODIs were unheard of,  we used to turn up with cousins and all to watch the test cricket and spend a few blissful days having a picnic under the winter sun. There were no restrictions, we carried our water and food and cold drinks and enjoyed ourselves while watching the India versus England (or whatever) match! How carefree and innocent those days were. Now we sometimes go to the Eden Gardens, usually to watch an IPL. Don't even ask! Nowadays they play cricket all year found and wear anything but white. Not only do you have one day internationals (ODI), the popular format is T20 where the game is played for only 20 overs. In the days when everyone is a hurry, the pace is fast and furious! there's music and much entertainment, even cheer-leaders who do a gyrating dance whenever a four or six is scored. We sit in an air conditioned box and enjoy the food and beverages in the club house. But every now and then you will find me escaping to the stands in the sweat and grim to enjoy the real atmosphere and energy of the stadium. It is indeed amazing! 

X: X-mas in Calcutta #AtoZChallenge

As I said, Calcutta is a cosmopolitan city. Here Eid is celebrated with as much zest as Diwali or Christmas. Whether you are Hindu or Muslim or whatever, no one fails to head out for biriyanis on Eid. In my family I believe it is a sin to not have biriyani during a Muslim festival! (Yes, I had warned you much earlier that Calcutta also revolves around food!) just as it is criminal not to enjoy the sweets served during the pujas. Christmas, however, is a whole new ball game altogether. It is surprising how the city comes together to celebrate Chistmas. Park Street is lit up like a fairy land. There are stalls selling everything from momos to cupcakes, live music is playing in Bow Barracks and in Allen park and there is a sense of festivity in the air. It’s also the best time of year to be out in Calcutta. There is a nip in the air and the sluggish heat and humidity of the summer is a distant memory. Everyone is out to have fun. The line at Nahoum’s for the plum cakes stretch as far back as you can see and everyone wants some roast and cake and gifts from Santa Claus! Christmas has always been special for us. My mum was a Christian and my dad only needed half an excuse to celebrate anything. Also, thanks to that good weather I mentioned, this was also the time of year when most relatives would visit Calcutta. Schools would be over and the new year would be beginning only in January. No one asked us to study, we were allowed to enjoy our winter vacations basking in the sun and jaunting around town. Add to that the cakes and chocolates from Flury’s. When my girls were small I had taken great pains to ensure that they had a Christmas tree with all the trimmings. Gifts in stockings, roast dinners, etc, the works. As they grew older I kept threatening that I would cancel Christmas but each year I find myself dragging out the tree…promising myself that this one will be the last! My daughters only laugh in response! Yes, my childhood memories of the Calcutta winters are the best ones ever, be it with family or friends. And if winter is here, Christmas, surely, cannot be far behind! 

W: Writer's Building #AtoZChallenge

Image credit: File:Writers'_Building_2.jpg


The Writers' Building, is the secretariat building of the State government and the imposing 150-meter long building covers the entire northern stretch of the water body locally called Lal Dighi in the B.B.D Bagh area. This building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name. Designed in 1777, the Writers' Building has gone through several extensions over the years and is currently undergoing extensive renovation.The giant pediment at the centre is crowned with the statue of Minerva. The terrace also contains several other statues and notable among them are four clusters of statues, christened 'Justice', 'Commerce', 'Science' and 'Agriculture', with the Greek gods and goddesses of these four streams (Zeus, Hermes, Athena and Demeter respectively) flanked by a European and an Indian practitioner of these vocations.On 8 December 1930 at the time when India was in its struggle for freedom from the British, Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta headed for the Writers' Building dressed in European outfits carrying loaded revolvers. They shot dead the notorious Inspector General of Police, Colonel N.G. Simpson, infamous for his brutal oppression of the prisoners in the jail. After killing the Commander-in-chief Simpson, they occupied the Writers' Building, and soon a gun battle followed in the corridors. Unable to stand up to the numerous forces of Calcutta police, the trio soon found themselves overpowered and cornered.Unwilling to give themselves up, Badal took potassium cyanide and died instantly, while his comrades shot themselves. Benoy died five days later in hospital but Dinesh survived only to be hanged on 7 July 1931.Today this area named after the trio and is called B.B.D Bagh. A statue of Benoy, Badal and Dinesh stands in front of the Writers' Building, showing Benoy, the group leader, leading his comrades in their final battle.A walk in the BBD Bagh park across the street from Writers' (aka Lal Dighi  of yore, or Dalhousie Square to the British) on a Sunday morning is interesting. I would not recommend any other day of the week as this is after all the commercial heart of the city. But the lawns are well maintained and the lake adds to the charm; you can also find anglers sitting patiently at the edge! 

V: Victoria House #AtoZChallenge

Not to be confused with the famous Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, the Victoria House is the headquarters of Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) from 1933. The building is old and beautifully maintained!
Now why, you wonder would I pick Victoria House over the memorial? Because the internet is flooded with stuff on Victoria Memorial and hardly anyone mentions Victoria House. Because it's a gorgeous old building located very strategically and flanked by the Statesman House and Paradise Cinema hall. Because it's close to many old and iconic eating joints. And because my dad worked in CESC and I have many fond memories of this building. I would go pretty often, my dad's colleagues even kept a stash of chocolates for me in their drawers...
Those were indeed the days!


Image credit:https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_House_-_Esplanade_-_Kolkata_2011-09-11_00540.jpg#mw-jump-to-license

U: Urban sprawl #AtoZChallenge

Ah Calcutta!
A truly cosmopolitan city with a heart to match. Calcutta was never very large. The old city ran north to south and was reined in in the west by the river and in the east by the wetlands. The actual city limits were rather compact: no place was too far away!
The other day I was returning from lake town with my daughter and I was telling her how when we were kids there was no Salt lake city and barely a lake town. When we used to go to the airport we passed large tracts of uninhabited land and jungles! One even heard of the occasional dacoity where now there are only houses and buildings! In fact, as I was telling her the site of the City Centre mall in Salt Lake was inhabited by foxes even as late as in 1998! We have a friend who lives right there. At night, standing at his verandah nursing our drinks we would hear the howls!
All that has changed. Now the city sprawls in all directions, (except west, of course, you'll fall into the river) but seems to be bursting at the seams. Some call it ugly, some say it is a jungle. Thing is, it is not much uglier or junglier that any other urban sprawl! 

T: Trams #AtoZChallenge

The trams of Calcutta is the only operating tram network in India.  Initially, the first tram in Calcutta was horse-drawn and ran for 2.4 miles (3.9 km) between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street on 24 February 1873. The service was discontinued on 20 November of that year. The Calcutta Tramway Company was formed and registered in London in 1880. In 1900, the electrification of the tramway and conversion of its tracks began. The first electric tramcar in India ran from Esplanade to Kidderpore on 27 March 1902, with service from Esplanade to Kalighatintroduced on 14 June of that year. During my school days I regularly used the tram which had a route right from school to a stop near home. It was nice and slow and gave me sufficient time to dawdle. Nowadays, Calcutta has tourist trams, even air conditioned ones, the nicest route is from Esplanade to Khidderpore which runs through the Maidan, one of the prettiest parts of the city. Last December we came to know that now there is a tramcar restaurant, one can now have dinner on a tram! A tram takes a two hour route from Esplanade to Khidderpore and back (although dinner means it’s dark so you don’t see much) and serves a nice Bengali buffet meal on the way and back. We had an out station friend visiting and even us living in the city were curious. So on we went. The meal was good, nothing gourmet but sufficient and good and the experience novel. Another lovely reason why Calcutta is my city of joy! 

S: ST JOHN'S CHURCH #AtoZChallenge

Despite working a mere stone’s throw away, in all these years, I have never entered the St John’s Church or ground. Recently at a heritage walk organized by the Alumni of my school, we visited this precinct and I was enthralled by the place. One would never imagine, tucked away in a tiny corner of K.S. Roy Road, is this little gem! Actually, coming to think of it, this is exactly where such places are to be found but wait till I tell you why it became so special to me. 
If you check up the history of St. John’s Church, you will find that the land for construction was donated by Maharaja nabo Kishen Bahadur of the famed Shobhabazar Raj family. It was originally a cathedral and the foundation stone was laid by Warren Hastings, the then Governor General of India. The building is built in stone, at a time when stone was a rare material in India.  So the British decide to “procure” the stones from the medieval ruins of Gour or Gauda which is now in the Bangladesh border and shipped down river to Calcutta. In fact it is said that theminutes book in the church office tells in detail the story of how the ruins of Gaur were robbed to build St John's church! 
Anyway, that was the British doing what they did best, it’s neither here nor there. The church, the grounds just reek of history. I’m serious. You walk in and you are transported into another world. Over time, several monuments etc have also found their way here. The original Balck Hole monument is here in one corner. From Job Charnock’s mausoleum to the second Rohilla war memorial to the Lady canning memorial, it is all here. You can spend quite a bit of time roaming about, soaking in the silence of the graves. And then there is the church itself. It is still used and the day that we went, Sunday service had just ended. The interior itself is pretty, stained glass windows to the right, a blue-grey marble on the floor (again, brought from Gaur!), it even has the chair used by Warren Hastings in the office. All very nice.But what was utterly fascinating was this painting called “last supper” by the German artist Johann Zoffany modelled after the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Only (of course, there is a catch!) the painting is not a replica. Zoffany’s work has little things showcasing India, like a spittoon, a sword, a goatskin bag etc. The most unusual feature of Zoffany's Last Supper lies in the selection of models used to represent Jesus and his twelve disciples, he used people in power in the East India Company at the time So Jesus is portrayed as the Greek priest Father Constantinos Parthenios. Mary is represented by W.C. Blacquiere, the police magistrate of Calcutta during the 1780s. Judas was portrayed as the auctioneer William Tulloh. Oh, it is fascinating. Come to Calcutta, I will take you to St John’s Church and perhaps you too will be as fascinated as I was! 

R: Riverside of Calcutta #AtoZChallenge

As you know, the river Bhagirathi-Hoogly runs through Calcutta, separating it in the west from Howrah. The Hoogly is a distributary of the Ganga (Ganges if you please) and separates from the main river near Giria, Murshidabad from where the Ganga flows into Bangladesh where it is known as the Padma. (From 1975 there is a man-made bifurcation of the river at Farakka.) But, Calcuttans know and refer to the river as Ganga. It is this river that accounts for all the rich silt and alluvial lands of Bengal, and has also often been said to be the reason why people in Bengal are generally lazy. You may know that the water of the river Ganges is sacred among Hindus. My ancestors, it is said, (and I have no reason to disbelieve it) actually also got rich packaging this river water and transporting it as far afield as South India and thereabouts all in nicely sealed cans! That aside, when you are in Calcutta no visit is complete without a jaunt along the riverside. Thanks to the efforts of the government now one can walk right from the Princep Ghat right up to Babu Ghat. There is also a Millenium park further north right on the riverside and even a floating restaurant where the food is so-so but the views are gorgeous. Of course the jetties (there are many) have regular commuters from the western bank to the east and vice versa. Drift upstream and you will find the Dakshineswar Kali temple and Belur math. Downstream lies the Khidderpore docks and even further the wonderful mangroves of the Sunderbans. Two immediate bridges, the age old Howrah bridge (one of the third longest cantilever bridge of its time, as my father loved to tell me) and the more recent Vidyasagar Setu (usually referred to as the second Hoogly bridge) connect the city to Howrah and further west. But one of the nicest things you can do is head to the river just as the sun is setting (or rising, if you are an early bird) and take a ride in one of the country boats. It's gorgeous. For me and my visiting friends, no trip is complete without at least one such ride. And the views are enthralling. One can end the visit with phuchkas and pav bhaji or jhaalmuri and why not an ice gola too? Wondering what on earth an ice Gola is? Here's a pic of some friends and I enjoying some ice goals (kalakhatta flavour) just two days ago! Yes, they were visiting. Tempted? 

Q: Quirky Calcutta #AtoZChallenge

Calcutta, despite all its charm and warmth, is not without its quirks. Eccentric things that every other Bengali will do and sometimes have us shuddering in laughter or embarrassment. Yet we accept it as part of Calcutta! 
I know this will not make me very popular with a lot of people, but, here are a few: 
1. Nighties/Kaftans: The women have a penchant for walking to the market in the mornings in their nighties or kaftans and chappals. Some, in order to disguise the nightie will drape a dupatta around their necks like a limp rag and try to pass it off as being more fashionable than the others. Ideal time of year to spot these are in summer! 2. Personalisation: Every one in the bazar right from the fish seller to the green grocer will address the ladies as Didi (sister) or Mashima (aunty). It is often considered an index of how old you look and can be subject matter of much debate … Even otherwise, everyone becomes a Mama or Mesho or Jamiababu or whatever. Just see what they did to Sourav Ganguly, he’s now everyone’s dada! The examples are countless. My sister is guilty of this too. She will call a complete stranger as her Mama and I will be left wondering when my mother had that particular brother! 3. Dominance: Bengali men are generally hen-pecked. When you are on vacation, how do you spot the Bengali man? He’ll be the one meekly following the striding woman dragging the child. And by the way Bengalis love to travel. Come school vacations and you will find them in the remotest of destinations while people like me will be trying to blend into the background. If you do not want to see them, choose your destinations carefully and wisely and know that someone else will have thought of it too! 4. Monkey-caps and Mufflers: Come November, the monkey caps, mufflers and sweaters are out. A mild dip in the temperature will see grown men sporting thick mufflers and sweaters. Even when it is a mild 20 degrees. The poor babies are smothered from head to toe, replete with booties and bonnets and woolies and a blanket for good measure. 5. School-gate moms: these moms are very possessive of their little darlings. They know their child’s homework, their potential, their friends and every word of that exam that their child has to be ready for. And for good measure probably know all their friends, their friends' mothers and some teachers as well. Their children are high achievers, they probably do their homework even while taking singing lessons, dancing or cricket coaching and attend tuitions as well! These ladies are found hanging outside the school gates, sometimes seated on newspaper as they chatter and eat wait for their child to finish school! 6. Ombol: What, you never heard the word before? Ombol means acidity. Frankly, I had no idea what it meant till I was in the second trimester of my first pregnancy. But Bengali mothers all know. Don’t have water after shingara, you will get ombol. You had doi at night? Quickly get some gelusil otherwise you will have ombol! Don’t have lemon with your food, sure-shot ombol! You get the drift? 7. Stools: As obnoxious as that sounds, Bengalis (men in particular) are generally obsessed with their stomachs. As much as they love what goes into their stomachs (a.k.a. food), they also love to discuss what comes out of them. There have been multiple occasions in Court when I felt I needed to run away when some of these discussions went out of hand, so to speak! 
Ah well, I could go on about this. So tell me, what other typically Bengali quirks can you think of? Or are they common to everyone, not just Bengalis!?