Street Food

Chai: Bharer Chaa:Tea served in clay pots. At the Maidan, from shining brass vessels on a rainy day. This is also good at Calcutta Stock Exchange street (Lyon's range). Boudir Lebu Cha (Deshapriya Park): This is the evergreen Lemon tea. Here's the Must-have dessert list: Mishti Doi & Rosogolla from Mithai (Beckbagan) Sandesh (all types) from Balaram (Bhowanipur) (Naram pak & Ice cream sandesh), Nakur’s at Shimle. Bhim Nag in Boubazar. Pantua from Bancharam Indrani from Ganguram Rabri from Ganguram Darbesh & Kheer er chop from Sen Mahasay in Shyambazar. Amritti from Bhim Nag/Ganguram, Maniktala (Jalebis are no match) Patishapta - A delicate crepe with a filling of coconut and gur at Puntiram. Chhanar payesh - Better than rabdi anyday and does not weigh your stomach down, at Putiram (College Street) Miscellaneous: Alukabli - Another must try at Vivekananda Park or opposite Menoka Cinema. This is a chat like stuff with boiled potatoes, germinated choleys, ginger juliennes etc. with juice of lemon. I had to wipe my mouth while writing about it. Kuler achar - the best outside Gariahat market. This is a chutney made with a particular berry which is available in the winter. Try this along with Aloo Posto, hot rice & Urad dal. Shukno mashla makha tetul - Available with the churanwalas outside all schools, much to the delight of the students and dismay of the parents, it is made with tamarind. Bikrampurer kashundi - Mustard just pales next to this, available in most Bengali grocery shops. Bhetci macher fry with sliced onions & Kashundi. Dijon take a back seat here. Aamer morobba - the best outside Gariahat market, this is a mango preserve. Mochar chop - A delight even for the staunchest non vegetarians, banana flower stuffing in a potato cover braided with bread crumbs & deep fried, at the Tele bhaja shops in Baghbajar & Shyam bazaar. Plucking out the small florets is a big job so most ladies today simply don’t cook it at home these days, of course in my home there is a slave called me who has to do this if he has to eat this stuff. Kumro phul bhaja - In tiny little food joints around Chittaranjan Avenue. These are pakoras made with the fresh yellow flowers of Pumpkin. We often eat them with hot rice to which gawa ghee has been added. Dulaler tal mishri- Candies made from the juice sapped from Palmyra trees. Tasty & good for cough & cold. These were all the medicines we took as a child when noses began to run. Ujjala's Chanachur ( no comparison anywhere): Even Haldiram's don't any where come Close to it. Dab er sarbat at Paradise at College street. One of the young managers used to practice tabla sitting there & it was great to hear him play while sipping the Sarbat on a summer afternoon. Cakes, pastries & patties at Nahum’s in new Market. I still can visualize the shop during X-Mass time, ginger loaves, marzipans, cinnamon rolls, plum cakes, mince pies & for us who had ordered months in advance with full payment bottles of resin wine, the excise department just kept their eyes closed during this period & no one ever complained. Baked beans on toasts at Flury’s. Simply delicious: Kasha mangsho- a mutton curry at the Golbari at Shyambazar. Quarter of a plate used to be enough for one person. Even with a lot of research I haven’t yet cracked the trick I must admit. Although it is referred as Punjabi food in Kolkata I haven’t found it anywhere in Punjab. Muri ghonto - Defies description, this one is rice cooked with rohu fish heads. Check out at Suruchi Elliot road. Daab Chingri from Kewpies (Elgin Lane): This is Prawn cooked in coconut. Chicken Cutlet near Samur (Bhowanipur) Moghlai Parota from Anadi Cabin (S N Banerjee Road). This is a crisp paratha with egg & mince filling. Chelo Kabab from Peter Cat: This can't be explained..... Double Egg Chicken Roll from Kusum (Park Street ) Steak at Oly pub (with beer!!): This joint is also at Park Street. Champ & Biriyani at Royal hotel in Chitpoor. Close competition for Karims in Delhi although the menu is different. Kochuri & Tarkari from Tasty Corner (Mandeville Gardens) & various tele bhaja shops at residential localities. Last time I went to Kolkata I took my daughters to taste this. The Aloo Pumpkin tarkari was served in a bowl made of dried leaves. A part of the gravy oozes out through the joints. I stopped them in time before they were about to ask for tissues which would have been a most outrageous thing to do at such establishments. I told them to lick it off, I did but they didn’t, half the fun gone! Kabiraji Cutlet from Regent (S N Banerjee Road). The speciality of this dish is the fluffy & crunchy wrapping made with egg whites. Thanks to a Bengali lady who has dared to open a Bengali restaurant where we live in Delhi & has imported some good cooks from Kolkata. We get to eat this stuff now! Bijoli Grill's Fish Roll. Phulkopir Singara from Mrityunjoy (Lansdowne), small Samosa’s with cauliflower filling. Best enjoyed with a steaming cup of good Darjeeling tea. Pabda Paramaditya, a delicate fish cooked in a very tasty gravy at Aheli. Bread & hot mutton stew at Dekker’s lane at lunch time on working days only. Roti & mutton curry at Aminia. What a treat after a film at one of the many theaters near by or after a tiring shopping at the New Market.. Pulao & mutton rezalla at Shiraz. Drinking: The country liquor bar at Khalashi tala, in our time writers, film makers, ad men, actors would sit & discuss various things over the drinks, there would also be groups of smugglers & wagon breakers, thieves plotting out the night’s activities, harassed men pouring out their woes to patient listeners. Fights would break out once in while but a word like “Poolish asche..” would calm down the people. Rickshaw pullers who is to hang around were experts in guessing the level of inebriation and quoted accordingly. I really miss the sound of their bells at night.

Singara, Jilpi" and "Alur Chop

Singara, Jilpi" and "Alur Chop". "Khichdi" is another great wonder of Bengal's culinary world. Usually this recipe is consumed along with fried vegetable that is popularly known as "Labra" in Kolkata.

Other highly-preferred food items of Kolkata people include "alu posto", "begun bhaja", "alu bhaja" and "dim bhaja". There are several eateries where pure Bengali foods are available. Among them Bhajahari Manna (in Ekdalia Park, Salt Lake), Aaheli, Suruchi (in the Peerless Inn hotel), Kewpies (in 2 Elgin Lane , South Kolkata) and Aradhana (in 205 A.P.C. Road) are very popular for offering traditional Bengali cuisines.

Apart from all these, multi-cuisine restaurants are also there to cater to your appetite. In those eateries, Chinese, South Indian, Muglai, Punjabi, Mexican as well as Thai recipes remain available. Added to this, a large number of Pizza huts are spread all over the city.

Food of Kolkata reflects the taste and food habit of the city dwellers. Dining in Kolkata is indeed a delightful experience in itself. During a trip to Calcutta, one can enjoy various types of mouth-watering cuisines. From vegetarian to non vegetarian dishes, soups to deserts and appetizers to sweet dishes, all are relished equally by the city dwellers, as well as by the international visitors.

Mainly, rice with fish curry is considered to be the main dish of the people of Kolkata. "Luchi tarkari" is another favorite dish of the residents of Calcutta. On the other hand, among sweets, "Roshogolla", "Chomchom", "Shondesh", "Rajbhog", "Pantua","Pithe" and "Payesh" are indeed the most frequently consumed ones. If you are fond of snacks, you can have "Kachuri",

Streets of Kolkata

New Market is a market in Kolkata. New Market, is situated on Lindsay Street. Technically, it referred to an enclosed market but today in local parlance the entire Lindsay Street shopping area is often known as New Market.

History

Some of the earliest English quarters were in an area known then as Dalhousie Square. Terretti and Lal Bazar nearby were customary marketing haunts of the British gentry. Later settlements were in Kashaitola, Dharmatala and Chowringhee.

As Calcutta entered the 1850s and British colonies became the order of the day, the Britishers overtly displayed their contempt to brush shoulders with “natives” at the bazaars. In 1871, swayed by an orchestrated cry from English residents, a committee of the Calcutta Corporation contemplated a market which would be the prize preserve of Calcutta’s British citizens. Spurred by the committee’s deliberations, the Corporation promptly purchased Lindsay Street. The East India Railway Company executed the designs and with a renowned architect R. Bayney, pitching, an architecturally Gothic market-complex crystallized in 1873. Bayney was honoured with a 1000 rupee award , arguably a large sum in the 1870s for his achievements. News of Calcutta’s first municipal market spread rapidly. Affluent Englishmen shopped at exclusive retailers like Rankin and Company (dressmakers), Cuthbertson and Harper (shoe-merchants) and R.W. Newman or Thacker Spink, the famous stationers and book-dealers.

New Market was thrown open with fanfare to the English populace on January 1, 1874. New Market was formally christened Sir Stuart Hogg Market on December 2, 1903. Sir Stuart then Calcutta Corporation’s chairman, had tenaciously supported the plans for building New Market. To this day, a painting of Sir Stuart Hogg adorns Calcutta Corporation’s portrait gallery.This name was later shortened to Hogg Market. Bengali society, in the British Raj era, called it as Hogg Saheber Bazaar.

New Market’s growth kept pace with the city’s urbanization endeavours until World War II. The northern portion of the market came up in 1909 at an expense of 6 lakh rupees. Finally, beneath the gathering clouds of World War II, an extension on the south flanks was engineered. A finale to these structural expansions in the 1930s was the installation of New Market’s historic clock-tower.

Mirza Ghalib Street, previously known as Free School Street, is a street that joins S. N. Banerjee Road with Park Street in Central Kolkata.

Intersections

Lindsay Street and Sudder Street are some of the important streets that cross the Free School Street.

Attractions

The Mirza Ghalib Street-Sudder Street area is famous for cheap hotels and eateries. Many foreign visitors reside in these cheap yet reliable hotels. The used book and record shops sport an eclectic collection due to trade with generations of budget travellers the world over. The street also has the house William Makepeace Thackeray was born in, the West Bengal Fire Services headquarters, and one of the best places to buy cold cuts is at Kalman's, a shop of Hungarian origin.

Mirza Ghalib Street dining can be eclectic, with Shamiana - offering cheap Mughlai cuisine, Prince and Princess cheap Bengali cuisine, and Mocambo upscale continental dining, to name a few.

Sudder Street

Sudder Street runs off Chowringhee Road at the Indian Museum. It's the tourist and budget-hotel center of Calcutta. Because Sudder is a tourist street, it has many more beggars than the rest of Calcutta. Some beggars are professionals, others are just poor kids. It's best not to give money when on your way to or from your hotel because you'll be remembered and you won't be able to come or go in peace again. If you want to give, don't do it too near your hotel.
Kolkata offers a number of cheap hotels for the budget traveler. Kolkata Cheap Hotels cater both to the average back-packer tourist and also to the businessman who closely monitors his (or her) hard earned money.

For the backpacker, Kolkata Cheap Hotels provide more bangs for the buck.

Kolkata Cheap Hotels offer only basic accommodation- the hotel room has only a bed, a cupboard and a small en-suite bathroom or washstand.

There can even be a television set in the rooms. Phone calls-local, national and international can be accessed from the lobby.

Aayash - DD-24A, Sector 1, Salt Lake City

Akashdeep - 48, Circus Avenue

Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha - 1, Buddhist Temple Road

Broadway Hotel - 27A, Ganesh Chandra Avenue

Capital Guest House - 118 Chowringhee Lane

Central Guest House - 18, Prafulla Sarkar Street

Centrepoint Guest House - 20, Mirza Ghalib Street

Classic Hotel - 6/1 A, Dr M Ishaque Road

Gujral Guest House - 88, Lindsay Street

Gulistan Guest House - 30 F, Mirza Ghalib Street

Hotel East End - 9/1, Dr M Ishaque Road

Hotel Galaxy - 3, Stuart Lane

Hotel Hilson - 4, Sudder Street

Hotel Maria - 5/1, Sudder Street

Hotel Neelam - 11, Dr M Ishaque Road

Hotel Palace - 13, Chowringhee Lane

Hotel Royal Palace - 30 F, Mirza Ghalib Street

Lindsay Hotel - 8A & 8B, Lindsay Street

Modern Lodge - 1, Stuart Lane Kolkata

North Star Hotel - 66 /1, Dum Dum Road

Paragon Hotel - 2, Stuart Lane

Rail Yatri Niwas - Howrah Railway Station, Howrah

Royal Garden -163 A, Park Street

Salvation Army Guest House - 2, Sudder Street

Shalimar Hotel - 3A S N Banerjee Road

Shilton Hotel - 5 A, Sudder Street

Sonali Guest House - 21 A, Mirza Ghalib Street

Sourya Continental - 233/3, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road

Timestar Hotel - 2, Tottie Lane

Tourist Inn - 4/1, Sudder Street

YMCA - 25, Chowringhee Road & 42, SN Banerjee Road

YWCA - 1, Middleton Row Kolkata

Batanagar

Batanagar (Bengali: বাটানগর) is a city in South 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.^[1]It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata. There is a plant of the Bata company here. The employees mostly reside in Batanagar.

History

Batanagar was established to start the first shoe factory in India by Czech industrialist Thomas Bata. The Bata brand was established on August 24, 1894 in Zlín, Czech Republic. The company first established itself in India in 1931 and commenced manufacturing shoes in Batanagar in 1936, the first Indian operation having been established in Konnagar, West Bengal.

Later Batanagar became one of the bigger sub-urban towns near Kolkata.

Geography

Batanagar lies near the river Ganges. Nungi or Nangi, the nearest rail station, is 23 km from Sealdah on the Sealdah-Budge Budge section of Eastern Railway.

Economy

Not only the Bata India Shoe factory, another very remarkable feature of Batanagar, is that shoe-making is a pre-dominant cottage industry in Batanagar. Countless houses and families are dedicated to manufacturing shoes of various makes - leather, PVC, jute, etc for some of the leading shoe brands in India. For example - Khadim's, SreeLeathers, Liberty which are some of the most renowned shoe makers in India, have outsourced a major portion of their shoe making process to the various entities in Batanagar. Every alternate home in Batanagar houses a small unit which is manufacturing shoes.

This feature was born out of necessity, as most of the families residing in Batanagar are dependent on the Bata factory for their livelihood, hence whenever the factory gets locked-out, these families are very severely affected. Hence shoe making from their homes has given them an alternate source of earning.

Education

There are several higher secondary level schools including the Bata Boys' School, Bata Girls' School, Nangi Boys' School and Nangi Girls' School in Batanagar area. There are no college in Batanagar, the nearest colleges are Maheshtala college and Budgebudge college. Mahestala College was accredtated by NAAC in May 2004.It has Computer Science as Honours course affiliated by Calutta University. UGC funded Career Oriented Vocational courses like Journalism & Video Production, Communicative English are fast gaining popularity among students. In XI Plant one more corse on Fashion Technology will be started in 2008

Sports

The place has also given to India some of the greatest footballers, like Sankar Banerjee (ex-India International and Mohun Bagan coach), Prasun Mukherjee, Shanti Majumdar, Manas Bhattacharya to name a few.

Esplanade

If anyone would like to feel the British Kolkata, he/she must visit Esplanade, Kolkata during his tour to this City of Palaces. Located a little distance from the western banks of Hooghly River, Esplanade comprises the heart of Kolkata city. Being one of the busiest destinations in the city, this area is home to various buildings that reflect the British architecture. Besides, in every way, this locale puts forth the kind and character of the city.

Presently along with being the booming commercial centre, Esplanade, Kolkata houses some of the best attractions in the region, for which travelers from all over the globe have been coming to this city for years, rather to be more exact, for centuries. With a great number of enterprises and institutes located in the precincts, the Esplanade is without any doubt the hub of commercial activities in the city.

The major establishments of Kolkata city by which the city can be depicted or represented are set up on the territorial lands of Esplanade. The place brings forth the lofty sketch of the Kolkata metropolis. The region is crowded with trade enterprises, vital administrative offices, hotels, banks, shopping arcades and more.

The region is adorned with some of the best and classy hotels of Kolkata. Moreover, this vivacious place has a tram car service that will take you across the well-known tourist places of Maidan in Kolkata. The Maidan is full of a number of well-liked attractions including the Shahid Minar and the Polo Grounds. Shahid Minar, standing to a height of about 48 metres from the ground, was before famed as Ochterloney Monument. This is a variation of Qutub Minar in Delhi.

Being one of the central townships of the city, Esplanade, Kolkata houses the metro station as the smartest means of commutations in the region. Besides, the railway station, in closeness to Esplanade, is the one at Eden Gardens. However, the domestic and international airports are 9 kms and 12 kms far from this destination.

Esplanade is situated a little distance from the western banks of Hooghly river. Esplanade constitutes the heart of Kolkata city. It is one of the busiest destinations in the city. Esplanade in every way reflects the kind and character of the city. The place is a booming commercial centre and houses some of the best attractions in the region. With a great number of enterprises and institutes located in the precincts, the Esplanade is without any doubt the hub of commercial activities in the city.

The key establishments of Kolkata city stand on the territorial lands of Esplanade. The place presents the high profile of the Kolkata metropolis. The region is packed with business enterprises, important government offices, hotels, banks, shopping arcades and more. The region is provided with some of the best hotels of Kolkata. Besides business organizations and hotels the place has a tram car service that takes across famous tourist place of Kolkata, Maidan. The Maidan supports a number of popular attractions including the Shahid Minar and the Polo Grounds. Shahid Minar, previously famous as Ochterloney Monument is a variant of Qutub Minar and stands to a height of about 48 metres from the ground.

Accessibility

• Esplanade is one of the central townships of Kolkata city. The metro station at Esplanade provides the commutations in the region.
• The railway station, in proximity to Esplanade, is the one at Eden Gardens.
• The domestc and international airports are 9 kms and 12 kms far from the city suburbs.

Areas Under Esplanade

• Park Street
• Eden Gardens
• Maidan

Places to Stay .. Oberoi Grand .. The Park .. The Kenilworth .. Hotel Peerless Inn		.. Lytton Hotel .. Hotel Rutt Deen .. Paying Guests .. Service Apartments		Places to See .. Saheed Minar .. Asiatic Society .. Victoria Memorial .. M.P. Birla Planetarium
Food & Dining .. Restaurants .. Pubs/Bars .. Coffee/Cafes		Recreation .. Amusement Parks .. Art Galleries .. Auditoriums .. Cinemas		Careers .. Colleges .. Institutions .. Schools .. Play Schools
Health .. Blood Banks .. Diagnostics Centers .. Doctors .. Health Clubs .. Hospitals .. 24hr Chemists		Shopping & Services .. Beauty Parlours .. Courier Services .. Departmental Stores .. Estate Agents .. Florists .. Housekeeping Services		.. Packers & Movers .. Places to Shop .. Shopping Malls .. Taxi & Cabs .. Tailors

Economy of Kolkata

Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India and the main port of communication for the North-East Indian states.Kolkata is home to India's second-largest bourse The Calcutta Stock Exchange, a major port, an international airport and many high quality colleges aimed at supplying a highly-skilled work force.

Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes - engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches, wagons, tea, paper, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tobacco, food products, jute products etc. Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Bata India, Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd., Birla Corporation, Merlin projects Ltd., Bengal Peerless, Orient fans, Exide, Berger Paints, Coal India Limited, and National Insurance Company. However, only a few banks — among them Uco Bank and United Bank of India — have their home offices in Kolkata; Standard Chartered Bank has a major branch in Kolkata.

Most of the slum dwellers participate in the informal economy ^[4] and work in laundering, housecleaning, sweeping, plastic salvaging, plumbing, furniture making, electrical wiring, TV repair, masonry, messaging, hawking, rickshaw pulling, hair design, folk medicine, music and art, tailoring, leather work, shoe making, and food selling.Until recently, flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector has comprised more than forty percent of the labor force. For example, hawkers in Kolkata, numbering 275,000 generated business worth Rs. 8,772 crore (around 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005.

Kolkata witnessed an economic decline from the sixties till the late nineties. The partition, along with the massive migrant refugee, the predominance of the trade-unions, lack of capital, the Bangladesh war, the Naxal liberation movement, frequent strikes, the collapse of the jute industry, and the breakdown of infrastructure and management served to nearly destroy the economy of Kolkata. In the 1980s, owing to this generalised depressed economy, Kolkata earned yet another sobriquet — the "dying city".^[7]. Since then, the city's fortunes have improved, coinciding with the liberalization of the Indian economy. Several industrial estates like Taratolla, Kalyani, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantolla. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialized setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established.

The state of West Bengal has promoted foreign direct investment, which has mostly come in the software and electronics field.^[8] Kolkata is also becoming a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With construction underway of New Town at Rajarhat and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a preferred IT/BPO destination.^[9] More and more businesses are coming to Kolkata to set up their offices, including multinationals such as IBM, HSBC and ABN AMRO Bank. Leading the way in growth have been the Kolkata based companies such as SkyTECH, TEL I.T. NETWORK, WDC, Great Media Technologies, Vision Comptech and Polaris Networks amongst numerous others. This apart, other big Indian software firms are choosing to make Kolkata their hub of operations. Of these Wipro, TCS, MBT, Cognizant are leading the way. Owing to the recent boom in the economy of Kolkata and also the state as a whole, West Bengal is now the third fastest growing economy in the country ^[10] and the city's IT sector is growing at a rate of 70% per year — twice the national average.^[11] With the proposed cable landing station in the coastal West Bengal in the offing, the city is going to offer even better infrastructure for I.T.

Roadside Foods

Indian street food is pretty famous and most tourists gorge on the delicious and affordable roadside food in India to get the real taste of this amazing country. The street food in India is an amalgamation of various flavors that stimulate the taste buds of tourists as well as locals. In every big metro, you will find all roads and small narrow lanes having at least one such portable food stall. The snacks are prepared right there in front of your eyes. You can also ask for extra flavors such as more spice or more tanginess. Given here is information on famous Indian street food items. Drooling already?

Chaat
The quintessential North Indian street food, chaat is an all time favorite of all people, whether locals or tourists. It is made of an assortment of crisp, salted, small pancakes sprinkled with various masala powders along with different chutneys (Indian sauces) and a dash of yogurt. For dressing, some grated ginger and some pomegranate seeds are used. Another version is the fruit chaat that is available with chopped seasonal fruits offered with a dash of spicy masalas and a hint of lime juice.

Bhel Puri
This street food is prepared in different ways in different parts of India. Though the main ingredients remain the same, here are different additions in different parts of India. Essentially, it is puffed rice with generous servings of "sev" mixed with chopped onions, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, green chilies and coriander. It is served with a dash of lime juice, rock salt, normal salt and a hint of red chilly powder.

Pani Poori a.k.a Golgappas
It takes a big mouth (literally!) to gulp down the famous pani pooris also known as golgappas in northern parts of the country. Basically pani puris are small balls made of flour. They are filled with mashed potatoes and sweet sauce, dipped in tangy water and are to be eaten whole. If you bite it into half, the ball breaks and the water flows out.

Aloo Tikki
Aloo tikki can be considered as an Indian version of the vegetable cutlet. It basically flattened balls of boiled and mashed potato mixed with flour, kneaded into soft dough. These flattened balls are shallow fried in oil on a huge pan. They are served piping hot with different chutneys.

Pav Bhaji
Pav bhaji is essentially dry buns topped with a cube of butter, combined with a mish-mash of hot cooked vegetables along with raw onions or radish. You can add more tanginess to the mish mash by adding some lime juice. It is very filling and most people skip dinner if they have it late in the evening.

Vada Pav
This street food is famous in the southern parts of India. It is usually eaten as breakfast in many parts of the south of India. It consists of vada wrapped in bread that is served along with hot concoction or different chutneys. The vada is usually made of boiled and mashed potatoes deep fried in oil. This hot vada is then wrapped up in bread and served.

Transport System of Kolkata

The transport system of Kolkata is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and the old transport modalities like the rickshaws. Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Railways, and also by air.

Railways

Kolkata is well-connected to the rest of India by extensive railway network of the Indian railways. Two divisions of the Indian railways - the Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway are headquartered in the city. The two major railway stations of the city are at Howrah and Sealdah. A third terminal called Kolkata has recently been constructed. This station is in North Kolkata and can be reached by a road opposite to the RG Kar Medical College just beyond Shyambazar.

The electrified suburban rail network of the SER and the ER is extensive and stretches far into the neighbouring districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly etc.

The Circular Rail encircles the entire city of Kolkata, and is at present being extended. A new railway line off-shoot is under construction that would connect the airport to the lines going to Sealdah.

Metro railway

Kolkata was the first city in South Asia to have an underground railway system that started operating from 1984. It is considered to have the status of a zonal railway but is not a zone. It is run by the Indian Railways.The Metro is a very well maintained and clean system that itself has become a tourist attraction. The line begins at Dum Dum in the north and continues south through Park Street, Esplanade in the heart of the city till the southern end in Tollygunge. At present, the line is being extended southward up to Garia, and this new portion of the Metro will be on surface.

Buses and taxis

Kolkata also has an extensive network of government run and privately owned buses. The private-owned buses are quite typical of kolkata and are usually very crowded. The private-owned buses are of two types. The regular ones and the mini-buses. The regular buses are coloured light-blue and yellow. Earlier the rules for building buses were slack and this led to rickety uncomfortable buses. The laws have been tightened up a few years back and the new Blue-Yellow buses are far more comfortable. The mini-buses contains less number of seats and all are of brown and yellow colour. The mini-buses were started in the late seventies as a relief for the office commuters from the overloaded buses by being a sitting-only service. But, this has given way to severely overloaded and crowded mini buses. The government-run buses are run by several authorities like Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) and the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC). Recently Aircon buses have been introduced by the WB Surface transport Corp. These buses are white coloured and connects places like the Airport, Santragachi ( a station on the Howrah-Kharagpur railway line) and Tollygunj. The road network in south Kolkata starting from Park Circus, Ballygunge, Gariahat, Gol Park, Dhakuria, Jadavpur all the way to Garia consists mainly of Gariahat Road, Gurusaday Dutta Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, Rashbehari Avenue, and Prince Anwar Shah Road.

The metered-cabs are mostly of the brand "Ambassador" manufactured by Hindustan Motors. Once in a while, one or two Maruti Omnis can be seen painted in yellow. Recently, air-conditioned cabs (known as "Blue-Arrow) and maroon cabs ( running on Compressed natural gas) have been introduced. The all-yellow ones have a Bengal permit and the black-yellow (hard to find) ones have a Kolkata city permit. The meters - though digital - are generally out-of-date and there is a conversion chart to refer to while converting the meter-reading to the actual fare.

Howrah Bridge and Vidyasagar Setu are two suspended bridges connecting Kolkata with Howrah over the Ganges. Vivekananda Setu is the third bridge over the river. The fourth one is under construction. A network of expressways like Kona Expressway which is partially complete, Belghoria Expressway which is under construction, widening of southern stretch of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and construction of the second Vivekananda Bridge will hopefully ease the traffic congestion.

Tram

Kolkata is the only city in India to have a tram network. Trams are under the administration of the Calcutta Tramways Company,a government of West Bengal Undertaking, popularly called CTC. The trams are claimed to slow down other traffic^{[citation needed]}, leading to groups who currently voice abolishing the trams. The environment-friendliness and the old charm of the trams attract many people. The tram lines laid in some major roads are being renovated to maintain the tram lines on the same level plane as the rest of the road, thereby smoothening the road. In places, the original central boulevards reserved only for the trams have been removed,the tram-lines are thus brought in the same plane as that of the road.The usable space of the road for vehicle movement has there by considerably increased. With embedding of tram tracks in the road surface, the over all surface has become smoother, easing the traffic to some .

With the tracks now running in the centre of the heavy traffic roads,commuters are encountering difficulties in getting to the trams' stops through the traffic and as a result, less number of people are able to use the tram easily^{[citation needed]}.Mostly trams are found to be running with many seats vacant even during rush hours.This has also caused reduction of revenue for Calcutta Tram Company. One possible remedy towards difficulty of approachability to the trams could be to relay the tracks on outside left and the right sides of the road, adjacent to the footpaths.However,relaying the track may not be possible now as the modification will need enormous expenditure^{[citation needed]}.

Rickshaws and Auto-rickshaws

Rickshaws pulled by men and auto rickshaws are commonplace. Many migrants from Bihar and rural Bengal are involved in Rickshaw pulling. Rickshaws are also on the list of probable abolishments on humanitarian grounds. Auto-rickshaws have become a very common mode of transport for short distances. They are usually not metered. There are several routes and the auto-rickshaws of a particular route ply between two distinct places of that route only. Autorickshaws can accommodate 3 people in the backseat, however, 3 passengers on the back and 2 more on 2 sides of the driver is a common and potentially risky behaviour.

Airport

The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport ( at Dum Dum (previously known as Dum Dum airport) is the only airport in the city, operating both domestic and international flights. The number of people using the airport has consistently increased over the last few years and there are talks to start another airport in the southern suburbs of the city. There was a flying club in Behala, but has not been used for quite a few years.

Port and water-transport

Howrah Bridge, linking Kolkata with Howrah since 1943

Kolkata is also a major port and together with the Haldia dock systems, the Kolkata Port Trust has been amongst top performers in the country. Kolkata Port has regular passenger services to Port Blair from the Netaji Subhas Docks.

Also the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah are connected by local water ferries through the extensive ghats like Fairlie Ghat, Howrah Ghat, Shibpur Ghat, Prinsep Ghat, Cossipore Ghat, etc Small boats are used for recreational purpose. There are plans to start utilizing the canals running through the city as water-transport network. The first service is scheduled to start from September 2006 - and would cover the Belgachhia-Laketown stretch of Kestopur Canal.

Besides all this mode of transport, like in other Indian cities, walking is very common way to commute between the workplace and nearest railway station or bus stop. Privately owned cars, though less in number and usage compared to other large cities in India, are growing by leaps and bounds and are slowly becoming the transport of choice for a large number of people being helped by the growing economy, higher per capita income and the easy availability of loans from financial institutions.

Kolkata Nights

ightlife in Kolkata is popped with energy and excitement. The people of Kolkata are believed to have a natural bent of mind and as such very creative. Whatever the reason be but the consequence reveals active participation and adoption of versatile lifestyle by the upcoming generations. The nightlife that started as a phenomenon in the state towards the last decade of 20th century has engulfed the city in deep chasm, an eternal bliss. Younger generations prefer action based participation rather being mute audience in the cinema halls. For these people it is innovation, it is discovering the beautiful side of night if not life.

The nocturnal activities take a full blast at midnight in the city. The pubs, bars, coffee shops and discotheques come to life. There are drinks, glittering neon, sign boards and lots of noise. The dance floor rumbles and the music flows as more and more people come to these places. The best liqueurs and cocktails unfold under the roof of these places. Muscles move ad heart thumps with the beats produced by massive amplifiers. It is hard to define such feelings one experiences at these places. An appropriate term would be like expressing oneself or maybe living life to its full.

With the advent of all these avenues the characteristic features of Indian youth is fast changing. Fun and excitement at the rate of money is the motto of the clubs and discos in Kolkata and at large. The nightspots in the city are growing as more and more people come to beat the chill of the night. These places have become important also because of the courtship practices by young people. The urban and elite stratification are gone. It is party time and everyone is invited. The growing popularity of such places owes to the fact that the average spending power in the metropolitan cities have increased to a good lot.

The city also has many art and culture centres wherein performances are regularly hosted. The city as such caters to both the materialistic as well the aesthetic parts of its population. Cultural shows, Classical music, drama and more are organized at such places. Add to this the popular cinema and the picture of nightlife in Kolkata city reveals itself before the eyes. Some reputed nightspots include Anticlock Dance Club, Big Ben Dance Club, British Council Dance Theatre, Incognito Dance Club, Academy of Fine Arts, Rabindra Sadan Dance Theater, Sunset Bar.

Park Street Then And Now

The tokenistic renaming of Park Street as Mother Teresa Sarani ? or, should it not have been Beata Teresa Sarani, if the papal process of sanctification really marks a commemorative quid pro quo for Subrata Mukherjee having been invited to unveil the Mother?s statue in Naples ? has evoked a report that Park Street will remain forever associated with much that is Westernized, and after Indian independence, a brand label for Calcutta?s restaurants and evening life. As a resident of the street from the year of Pearl Harbour till I left to study abroad in 1954, may I add a different note of distress about the meaningless change of name in our urban heritage, about which the mayor and the chairman of the Road Renaming Committee (who also happens to be founder-chairman of the West Bengal Heritage Commission) have been adamant ? despite popular entreaties.

Park Street abbreviates a landmark that existed, in the late 18th century, where the Loreto Convent now stands. The Deer Park included the residence of Sir Elijah Impey (a Warren Hastings henchman, first chief justice of the supreme court in Bengal, and the man who ordered Maharaja Nanda Kumar?s death sentence for forgery). The street was then called the Road to the Burial Grounds, of which there were three at the eastern end, before the New Cemetery opposite Mullick Bazar. The deer were either eaten as venison, or disappeared from the place and the name, early in the last century. The French or Tiretta cemetery was desecrated to build one of Calcutta?s early high-rises near Rawdon Street in the Fifties. The bigger cemetery, opposite the old one that is now preserved, was pulled down to build the Assembly of God Hospital. Only the graveyard remains in which rest Sir William Jones, General ?Hindoo? Stuart and Rose Aylmer. Vikram Seth has lovingly described it in A Suitable Boy.

Park Street used to be British Indian elegance personified. Stately mansions came up at the western end replacing the lawns of the old garden houses, extending up to the Survey of India, Murshidabad House and the three buildings of No. 87. They are all now ramshackle, requiring restoration. Fine restaurants have deteriorated or been liquidated. The rest of the street?s architectural consistency has been ruined by unthinking further buildings over whatever front lawns were left; some without any regard for the way the frontage of the ensemble of buildings gives specific character to streets. The building housing the residence of the deputy commissioner of police (South) is completely hidden by the unsightly barracks built round it after independence: it used to be a fine pair with the Catholic Archbishop?s Palace next door. The street is now a medley of architectural neglect and promoters? vulgarity, in the same way as the once gorgeous Theatre Road, sorry, Shakespeare Sarani, has been transformed. One of the people responsible for the present change told the Heritage Commission that the Park named in the Street commemorated the infamous Impey, and deserved to be replaced by the beatitude of his fellow Christian, the saintly Teresa.

The morality of a society in the bygone past has nothing to do with the heritage of a city that owes its entire urban existence to that society and to its evolution. Municipal fiats rewriting history cannot replace antique colonial graces. Chowringhee and Lower Circular Road, which Park Street connects, or its southern neighbour, Theatre Road, have in no way been improved despite the fact that the Road Renaming Committee saw it fit to associate them with Jawaharlal Nehru, Acharya Jagadis Chandra Bose and Shakespeare. The architectural uniformity of a street front, the cleanliness of its pavements, the care devoted to the maintenance of its buildings and the civic values of its inhabitants, passers-by and traffic give character to a street or a road, not the iconism of some fad, whether patriotic or internationalist. People are remembered by the institutions they built, or by the values they inculcated, not by the whims of road renamers.

Mother House near Entally will always draw those who may wish to venerate Beata Teresa. The fact that the change of names from Central Avenue and Ballygunge Store Road to Chittaranjan Avenue and Gurusaday Road in the Thirties and the Forties heralded the Corporation?s policy of tinkering with the heritage of old names, will not affect the veneration of people for the memory of C.R. Das that is enshrined in the Cancer Hospital, or for the memory of G.S. Dutt, which he himself took steps to ensure by the munificent donation of Bratacharigram and his folk art collections on Diamond Harbour Road. It is high time Calcutta gave up its prejudice against old street names, whether Bowbazar, Ballygunge or Park Street, no matter whether they are in the mother tongue or in English.

Park Street Kolkata

Park Street, recently renamed as Mother Teresa Sarani, is probably the most prestigious thoroughfare of the city of Kolkata, India. The street derives its name from a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey , Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta, 1773-1789, that was located on this street. Park Street has now been renamed Mother Teresa Sarani but the old name is still in common use.

Location and importance

This road runs from Chowringhee Avenue in the west to Park Circus in the east. The portion of Park Street between Chowringhee Avenue and Mullick Bazar has been the one of the city's main attractions for years. It connects directly to Park Circus on the east from where other major roads such as Gariahat Road starts and connects to important areas such as Ballygunge of south Kolkata.

Park Street remains Kolkata's foremost dining district with noted restaurants and pubs such as Trinca's, Mocambo, McDonalds, KFC, Peter Cat, Flury's, Bar B Q, Oasis, Olympia, Moulin Rouge and many others. Celebrity restaurants like Indian Cricket icon Saurav Ganguly's signature restaurant-Saurav's- The Food Pavilion is a top draw. Then there is the Park Hotel, Kolkata, famous for its in-house restaurants and night club, Tantra. Kolkata's nightlife revolves around Park Street's nightclubs, pubs and coffee houses. Also there are landmark coffee shops like The Atrium and Barista's. It is often known by names like "Food Street" and "The Street that Never Sleeps".

Park Centre offers a wide variety of apparel, especially ladies’ garments, cosmetics and electronic gadgets.

Park Street has several notable buildings such as the Asiatic Society, St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, a Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the South Park Street Cemetery has cenotaphs and tombs of prominent figures from the British Raj era and Kolkata's Armenian population. Park Street remains the recreation zone for Kolkata people since the British era. A visit to Kolkata is deemed incomplete without a visit to Park Stree

Ghats In Kolkata

Outram Ghat
Outram Ghat is situated along the Strand to the South of Babughat which was named after General Sir James Outram. This used to be the main mooring for ships to Bangladesh and Burma. This place is now an unique spot for people to chill out in the sweltering summer afternoons and evenings. It houses the Explorers Club, an association for marine adventurers. It also has a floating restaurant and you can find country boats for hire.

Princep Ghat
Between the Water Gate and the St George's Gate of the Fort William, on the riverbank is the Prinsep Ghat. It was built in 1843, James Princep was the secretary of 'The Asiatic Society' from 1832-1838. His life was a prolonged, tenacious research on meteorology, chemistry, Indian scriptures, numismatics, archaeology, mineral resources etc. His remembrable achievement in his life has been to decipher the doctrines of Emperor Ashoka, from the inscriptions in rocks and boulders.

He was also the Mint Master at Kolkata when he deciphered the Brahmi Script employed by Emperor Ashoka in his Edicts. James Prinsep was died on 22nd Aril, 1840 at a mere age of 41. The memorial is set in a square with Ionian Column s holding up a 40 foot roof. Afterlife of Prinsep, the people of Kolkata collected a fund and built the “Princep Ghat to commemorate their beloved man.

Annapurna Ghat
Anciently, Annapurna Ghat was known as Raghu Mitra's Ghat and his father was Govindo Ram Mitra. During the establishment of British, Govindo Ram was appointed as the 'black deputee'. Bishnu Ram Chakraborty of Bag Bazar became the 'Ameen' of Kolkata when Hastings was the Governor General. Before setting off for England, Hasting has presented him 52 acres of land. Bishnu Ram Chakraborty was built four Shiva temple in Raghy Mitra's Ghat in 1776 and he worshipped everyday of Goddess Annapurna and then the Ghat came to be known as Annapurna Ghat.

Armenian Ghat
Built by Manvel Hazaar Maliyan in 1734 was of Armenian origin and hence the ghat was named after him.. He had constructed the bell-room and tower atop the Armenian Church. The Kolkata station and Ticket Reservation Room of Eastern Railways was situated in Armenian Ghat from 1854-1874. Passengers take the ticket from here and then the launch or steamer of the Railways which used to ply from there to Howrah took them to Howrah. The passengers used to board the train from the platform at Howrah. This system was stop after the construction of Howrah Bridge. Horse-pulled trams used to ply from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat regularly. At present, Armenian Ghat has transformed into a store-house of the Port Commission.

See The Perfection

Entertainment and Recreation

Entertainment and recreation is not that hard to find in the largest metropolitan city of India. Kolkata boasts about film, music, art, dance, bars and discos that are scattered throughout the city. The city has been a great influence to the traditional media and its development. Hundreds of theatres and bands have sprouted in the region. Under the metropolis flagship the publishing industry has reached new heights. There are some stupendous libraries in the city with great collections. Dance and theatre have been going hand in hand. And to add all this the modern entertainment media and the results would be stunning.

Theatres have an audience that usually are from older age groups. Plays and cultural shows are organized at many places in the city and this provides an ample opportunities for these elderly people and the art lovers. The city is specially mentioned when it is about Indian Classical music or theatre. The city has harbored some greatest talents from Indian music. At Rabindra Sadan many such shows are organized and one can easily avail a chance of watching these events there. The theatres and stage shows are further complimented by cinemas. Scores of cinema halls are grounded in the city.

Dining out is the next good thing one can stumble upon. The city is dotted with restaurants and the food served is really good. Restaurants and coffee shops seems to have set their foot in traditional Kolkata.

Discotheques, pubs and bars located in the city makes the night more beautiful especially for the youth. The disc floors rock and rumble till early morning and the glass will never be empty except on Thursdays. Thursday is the dry day of the week but some star hotels provide the drink even on Thursdays.

Apart from all these there are sporting clubs that provide entertainment and recreational facilities. In Kolkata there is always more. One only has to search.

Things To Do :

Kolkata city is one of the places they normally say as LIVE. The city with multifarious avenues has so much to offer that the tourists who are more than eager to pack their stuff often complain about missing a whole lot. We therefore recommend such tourists to have prior knowledge of the places they must visit and the things they must do so as to avoid the popular jargon 'Back To The Square One'. The following tips will prove quite handy to the city seekers.

Travelling in Kolkata means travelling among lots of people. There are more than 13 million people in the city and the chances of getting lost in the crowd are quite obvious. It is advised as such not to visit the commercial centres in the working hours.

BBD Bagh and the adjoining region constitute the heart of the city. The region is provided with some of the best accommodational and catering facilities.

The places worth visiting in Kolkata include Maidan, Fort William, Eden Gardens, Victoria Memorial, Saint Paul's Cathedral, Nakhoda Mosque, Marble Palace, Paresnath Jain Temple, Belur Math, Kali Temple, Botanical Gardens and Mother Teresa's homes.

While visiting any of the places make sure that you hire a taxi or an agency providing the tour. Public transport would be a bad choice, unless you prefer the over-overloaded buses. Commutation in Kolkata is an experience in itself. One can ride in a bus, taxi, subway car, tram, boat, autorickshaw. The people there seems to go for every means to have the money in your coffers.

The day may end well but try to get hold of the night. The nightlife in Kolkata is full of excitement. For those who like to get a bit of soaked, checkout the bars and pubs in the heart of the city. Those who like to tune their body to the frequency, its discotheques. For food connoisseurs we have mouth watering dishes served in the restaurants. And for the aesthetic part we have theatres. For think tanks there are coffee houses.

To fulfill religious obligations do not forget to visit the holy places like Dakshineswar Kali Bari (Temple), Belur Muth, Nakhoda Mosque, Paresnath Temple, St Paul's Cathedral and Portuguese Cathedral.

Howrah Railway Station :

Howrah Railway Station is one of the largest railway terminals in the world. The station is grounded in the win city of Kolkata that is Howrah. Hooghly river separates the mainlands of the Howrah and Kolkata, but the regions are linked with well established railway lines, roadways and water transport. Howrah Railway Complex came to life when it breathed for the first time in the year 1854. The first train of the station ran from Howrah to Pandua in the same year. Since then the railway complex has been providing services to most of the cities of India.

Howrah Railway Station has two adjacent terminals, the old and the new one. The old terminal caters to the South Eastern as well as Eastern Railways where as the new one provides services to the South Eastern Railways only. Rajdhani and Shatabdi are best two trains that run to and from the station. Howrah Railway Complex also houses a hotel, Yatri Niwas, that provides facilities to the travellers.

Kolkata is a very renowned place in India. The city gates are always open to the tourists and travellers and one really receives a hearty welcome by the resindentia. Kolkata incorporates a very liberal society. The influence of some of the greatest scholars of India has been more or less direct. This is what a person feels once inside the city premises. However, there are certain things which must be avoided to make the stay or journey in Kolkata more meaningful. Some of these practices are:

Do

• If you are planning for a visit to the city then winter season is the most appropriate time. The summers are hot and humid and in monsoons there is lot of down pouring. October to February is the best time to move into the place.
• Before starting the journey be sure to carry minimum of the luggage. Kolkata is a very crowded place and to carry heavy luggage means lots of hassles.
• The public transport is very crowded and there are good chances of your pocket being picked in buses and metro. So act wise and travel by bus or taxi.
• There are many places of interest contained in Kolkata. Leaving aside the monuments, make sure to check out the famous learning centres.
• Kolkata is a place with a rich and polished culture. The Bengali people are quite lively and eloquent. In Kolkata try to get the experience of interacting with the locals.
• Fish and Sweets are two things Bengali food never misses. Have a taste of the popular food served in Kolkata.
• Make sure to visit some of the oldest coffee houses in Kolkata.
• Try to avoid intermediaries and fraudulent travel agents. It is better to take some pain and consult government information offices.

Do'nt

• Do not attempt to travel without tickets in public transport.
• Avoid to commute in the peak office hours as the streets are often jammed with traffic.
• Always make sure to carry a small litter bag. It won't be a good practice to dump the litter at public places.
• Kolkatans are very particular about their culture. Do not make any kind of nuisance regarding the popular culture.

Do's & Don'ts

Kolkata is a very renowned place in India. The city gates are always open to the tourists and travellers and one really receives a hearty welcome by the resindentia. Kolkata incorporates a very liberal society. The influence of some of the greatest scholars of India has been more or less direct. This is what a person feels once inside the city premises. However, there are certain things which must be avoided to make the stay or journey in Kolkata more meaningful. Some of these practices are:

Do

• If you are planning for a visit to the city then winter season is the most appropriate time. The summers are hot and humid and in monsoons there is lot of down pouring. October to February is the best time to move into the place.
• Before starting the journey be sure to carry minimum of the luggage. Kolkata is a very crowded place and to carry heavy luggage means lots of hassles.
• The public transport is very crowded and there are good chances of your pocket being picked in buses and metro. So act wise and travel by bus or taxi.
• There are many places of interest contained in Kolkata. Leaving aside the monuments, make sure to check out the famous learning centres.
• Kolkata is a place with a rich and polished culture. The Bengali people are quite lively and eloquent. In Kolkata try to get the experience of interacting with the locals.
• Fish and Sweets are two things Bengali food never misses. Have a taste of the popular food served in Kolkata.
• Make sure to visit some of the oldest coffee houses in Kolkata.
• Try to avoid intermediaries and fraudulent travel agents. It is better to take some pain and consult government information offices.

Do'nt

• Do not attempt to travel without tickets in public transport.
• Avoid to commute in the peak office hours as the streets are often jammed with traffic.
• Always make sure to carry a small litter bag. It won't be a good practice to dump the litter at public places.
• Kolkatans are very particular about their culture. Do not make any kind of nuisance regarding the popular culture.

Shopping In Kolkata

Shopping in Kolkata is more or less like a treasure hunt. In the largest metropolitan city of India are present shops that sell a whole range of products. The city is dotted with shops, shops at the corners of the streets, in super markets, shopping arcades, multiplexes, underground markets, open air markets and without doubts - the street vendors. The shops in Kolkata sell anything that has a price. Novelties, garments, appliances, antiquities, arts and crafts, flowers, cosmetics, various food items, confectionery, electronic goods, jewellery, fabrics, perfumes, footwear, books, etc., make up the popular amenities on sale. It is a sensation when you have enough money in your pocket, an art to bargain for fair prices and genuine articles while shopping in Kolkata.

The treasure hunt in Kolkata takes down the alleys and into the popular markets, most of which are in the heart of the city. The renowned places as such include Chowringhee Road, Sudder Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Bowbazar, College Street, Salt Lake City, Kidderpore, Dharamtala, Camac Street. Most of these are general markets and sell all the amenities. At Chowringhee there is Central Cottage Industries Emporium merchandising in crafts. The Hogg Market which happens to be the oldest market in the city has several blocks. The New Market that constitutes one of these blocks has, as speciality clothes, footwear and jewellery. Bertram Street Market provides leather goods, jewellery, garments, toys, flowers, confectionery and fabric. The open air complex at Dakhinapan mainly houses state government outlets. It is the best place to buy hand looms and handicraft articles. The Fancy Market at Kidderpore is famous for smuggled electronic goods, jeans, perfumes and glass ware. The Shreeram Arcade and Treasure Island, likewise, are happening places for the shoppers. These markets are new entries and house great collections of apparels and music. One more treasure spot is the Vardaan Market. The air conditioned market provides outlets to various domestic and foreign brands.

Holiday in Kolkata

A holiday in Calcutta can make you the envy of all your friends back home. Kolkata is a city full of surprises, and if you're the kind of traveler who's game for the thrill of discovering new places, people and cultures, Calcutta is the perfect holiday destination for you.

The best time to plan a holiday in Kolkata is between September and March. Winters here are never too biting to bear, so you can look forward to a pleasant stay in Kolkata. The city offers a wealth of holiday options for everyone, ranging from art lovers to museum hoppers.

If you're on a holiday in Calcutta, the best way to get around the city is by using the extensive public transport facilities. Local buses are often jam-packed, but the underground train system, known as the Metro, is a less hassling way of riding through the city.It takes you to almost all prominent parts of the city, and is devoid of the rush and bustle of city life above the ground. A good way to get value for your money during your stay in Calcutta would be to purchase Metro tickets for multiple rides.

Trams are intrinsic to the landscape of Kolkata. They're reminders of an era gone by, when everything didn't proceed at break-neck pace and people had the time to travel in leisure. If you're on a holiday in Calcutta, chances are you'll have enough time on your hands to try a tram ride. Trams ply only on selected routes in Kolkata, but even if they're going nowhere near sightseeing spots in Calcutta, it's worth your while to take a lazy tram ride and soak in the ambience of the city. Do try the Tram Heritage Tour run by the Calcutta Tram Company.

Taxis are also available in plenty in Calcutta. Or else, you can chip in part of the fare and get to know a few strangers as you get to your destination in a "share-auto".

For the tourist whose view of Kolkata has been shaped by City of Joy, hand-pulled rickshaws can still be spotted in many parts of Kolkata. If you want a rickshaw ride, cycle rickshaws operate in select parts of the city.

For the foreign tourist in Calcutta, the BBD Bag area is home to a large number of banks and is the best place to head to for money-changing facilities. A few banks also have their branches in the Calcutta Airport. You can also apply for permits to travel to places such as the Sunderbans, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.

Festivals in Kolkata

When's a bamboo tent not a bamboo tent? When you're in Calcutta. For, in this city, a step into a luxurious bamboo edifice known locally as a pandal could well be your baptism to the festive side of the city. Pandals, in which the idols of deities are places and worshippers congregate, are a staple of Hindu festivals Kolkata, but the festive landscape of Calcutta isn't about which religion you belong to. Festivals are a great opportunity to meet people, soak in the culture of the city, pamper your taste buds, discover the cosmopolitan side to the city and, of course, give yourself up to religious fervor.

Rathyatra

Travel along with the Lord of Puri, Jagannath, as his chariot takes him to his midsummer vacation. Legend has it that Jagannath, a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, goes on this vacation with his brother Balaram and sister Subhadra. Religious fervor runs high and the streets of Calcutta turn into a mélange of colors. Devotees take turns to pull gigantic chariots bearing idols of the three divinities through the narrow bylanes of the city.

Do check out the Rathyatra in Mahesh in the nearby Hooghly district - it's the oldest in the state. The Mahesh Rathyatra of 1875 is also special as it provided the inspiration for Radharani, a famous novel by Bengali poet and author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.Saraswati Puja

If you wake up to streets dotted with young girls in yellow saris, don't get an eye test. Just throw on your best Indian wear and hurry down to the roads for the festivities of Saraswati Puja. Dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning, science, and the creative arts, this festival is all the way for students. The youngest girl in every Bengali family is decked in yellow on this day, and students flock to the pandals to pray for their academic success.

Shivratri

For an all-night festive experience, catch the celebration of the "Night of Shiva". Devotees meditate, pray, sing and recite hymns in praise of Lord Shiva and offer milk, curd, honey and glossy green leaves of the bel tree in worship. Celebrated in February-March, the festival is also a time for the devotees to observe fasts. The Shivratri celebrations in Tarakeshwar, in the neighboring Hooghly, are special and worth a visit.

Poila Baisakh

The first month of the Bengali calendar, Baishakh, marks the beginning of the crop cycle in Bengal. A lot of Bengali weddings are held in this month, and new businesses started. The first day of this month is called Poila Baisakh is celebrated as the Bengali new year. Chances are, if you step into a shop in Calcutta on this day, you'll be offered sweets and maybe the odd gift or two. Traders start the new year by inaugurating new accounting books.

Id-ul-Fitr

Id-ul-Fitr marks the end of the holy Islamic month of Ramzan. Take a walk down the path alongside the Maidan on this day and watch the young, middle-aged and old alike gathering here for their prayers, harkening to the call of the muezzin from the Shahid Minar.

Muharram

The solemnity of Muharram is best experienced by following an "Ashoura" procession in the city. Led by a snow-white horse, the procession of tazias and the devout wends its way through areas such as Metiabruz and Khiderpore.

Kali Puja

A festival to propitiate the dark goddess Kali, Kali Puja is held in the dark of a new moon night. With her blue-black skin, blood-smeared face, terrifying third eye, Kali wears little other than necklaces of snakes and skulls. In her four hands, she bears weapons and blessings for her followers. This is one festival that is seldom performed within a home, and is often marked by animal sacrifices.

Makar Sankranti

A festival that marks the winter solstice, the Makar Sankranti festival is marked by two melas or fairs, both held a little distance from Calcutta. The maidan in Kolkata, however, plays host to the hordes of faithfuls thronging to the three-day Ganga Sagar Mela held on Sagardwip to commemorate this festival. Even as the Ganga Sagar Mela winds down, bauls - a cult of minstrels - wend their way to nearby Bolpur for the Baul mela.

Lakshmi Puja

Durga Puja is closely followed by Lakshmi Puja - the festival honoring the goddess of wealth, peace and prosperity. Every home celebrates this festival as a chance to welcome the goddess of wealth to their homes. A day or two before the festival, the bazaars of Kolkata are choc-a-bloc with vendors selling idols of the gracious Lakshmi, seated on a lotus.

Durga Puja

For four days in September-October, Calcutta comes to a standstill as almost everyone in the city throngs its streets, visiting the pandals dressed in their festive best and fêting their taste buds with food from the stalls that spring up on the roadsides. Incense, drumbeats, chants, laughter, the sizzle and smell of food characterize this festival dedicated to Goddess Durga. Durga Puja is a chance to meet old friends, rub shoulders with the young and eligible, buy new clothes, walk the streets of the city till the wee hours of the morning, and, of course, admire the oeuvre of idol makers who craft beautiful idols of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartik out of bamboo, straw, jute, clay and paint.

Joydev Mela

Strictly speaking, the Joydev Mela is held at Kenduli, a small village near Tagore's Shantiniketan, and not in Calcutta. However, this fair-cum-festival held in the early half of January and commemorating the birth of the Bhakti cult poet Jaydev is a wonderful way to connect with rural India. For three days, Baul minstrels, spiritual shoppers and city slickers seeking a high flock to this festival and lose themselves to the trance-like magic of baul songs.

Bhai Phota

This is the day brothers and sisters put aside their family squabbles and celebrate their familial ties. Women maintain a fast through the morning and break it by applying a dab of sandalwood to their brothers' foreheads, praying for their safety and welfare and plying them with sweets. In turn they receive gifts from their brothers. Do wangle an invite to a Bengali house on this day if you can - it's a day when the kitchen turns out some of its best fare of the year!

Dol Purnima

A festival of spring, Dol Purnima is marked by people merrymaking on the streets, smearing each other with color, drinking milk laces with marijuana (locally called bhang) and ambushing unsuspecting passers-by with water balloons. Some of the celebrations can get pretty rowdy and some of the colors can get pretty artificial, so stay in your room if your skin's sensitive.

Vishwakarma Puja

If you're in Calcutta in September, and know someone in a factory, a workman or an artisan, spend the early morning of this festive day in their company. Dedicated to the God of Creation, Vishwakarma, the true spirit of the festival is seen in the homes of craftsmen and in industrial houses. Machines are oiled, cleaned and painted, and tools scrubbed and polished till they reflect the idol of the god, holding a hammer in his hand.

Christmas

For the best picture-postcard feel during Christmas, take a stroll down Park Street on Christmas Eve. Midnight mass at St Paul's Cathedral is a different experience altogether, as the entire cathedral is lit up by candles. If you're in the vicinity of the shopping are called New Market, also drop by at the celebrated Nahoum's for the best bakes and cakes of the season.