SOUL CITY: NOTES FROM CALCUTTA

September 02 2025

SOUL CITY: NOTES FROM CALCUTTA

Calcutta Tollygunge Club Rabindranath Tagore Satyajit Ray Howrah Bridge Victoria Memorial Shanti Niketan india

If only walls could talk - Calcutta’s would outdo any other city in the world. Vestiges of the Raj era can still be found in the cucumber sandwiches at the Tollygunge club or the serene beauty of the Victoria Memorial, but at it’s core Calcutta is an oxymoron: a seething morass of subcontinental sophistication. This is the city of iconic cultural figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray. Where you can get your seafood cooked in a delicate mustard infused sauce or stuffed into a streetside momo. Where spirituality spills out of hundred year old temples onto the street and stops traffic.

This is where migratory birds come to roost against the backdrop of the Howrah Bridge. Where the holy river Ganges turns into the Hooghly and meanders towards it’s delta in the Bay of Bengal. Where a fast and furious flower market leaves you breathless and a 250 year old Banyan Tree takes root. Graceful and serene, the Victoria Memorial stands as testimony to Calcutta’s era as the hub of the British Empire in India, while it’s bustling Chinatown reminds us that this is a city that embraces all those who set foot within it’s ramparts.

A short drive away, Shantiniketan stands as a reminder to India’s vast cultural, educational and philosophical heritage - the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore. Not far away, handloom weavers and artisans put the finishing touches on their craftsmanship. Discover Calcutta - the gateway to the east of India.

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SOUL CITY: NOTES FROM CALCUTTA

SOUL CITY: NOTES FROM CALCUTTA

Calcutta Tollygunge Club Rabindranath Tagore Satyajit Ray Howrah Bridge Victoria Memorial Shanti Niketan india

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