Palaces and Where the Gods are Made
The walk takes us back in time to a richer Kolkata when Indians could make a fortune trading with the British and build palaces to rival those of Europe. These include the Marble Palace and Rabindranath’s family home but there are more in and around Chitpur Road, once the main road of old Calcutta.
Depending on time constraints we then either walk further north, wending our way through backstreets of very old residential buildings or we take an auto, but either way to the famous precinct known as Kumartoli. Here we find possibly up to a hundred studios in a single city colony, making fabulous images of the gods from bamboo, straw, mud, paint and fabric for the many religious festivals celebrated in the city.
It is a short walk from there, part of which takes in a poorer largely residential area, to reach Shovabazar Metro where the walk concludes.
Meeting Place: This walk commences at the northwest entry/exit of Mahatma Gandhi Road Metro Station, opposite Mahajati Sadan, a theatre and seminar auditorium on Central Avenue.
Proviso:
The walk takes us back in time to a richer Kolkata when Indians could make a fortune trading with the British and build palaces to rival those of Europe. These include the Marble Palace and Rabindranath’s family home but there are more in and around Chitpur Road, once the main road of old Calcutta.
Depending on time constraints we then either walk further north, wending our way through backstreets of very old residential buildings or we take an auto, but either way to the famous precinct known as Kumartoli. Here we find possibly up to a hundred studios in a single city colony, making fabulous images of the gods from bamboo, straw, mud, paint and fabric for the many religious festivals celebrated in the city.
It is a short walk from there, part of which takes in a poorer largely residential area, to reach Shovabazar Metro where the walk concludes.
Meeting Place: This walk commences at the northwest entry/exit of Mahatma Gandhi Road Metro Station, opposite Mahajati Sadan, a theatre and seminar auditorium on Central Avenue.
Proviso:
