The mysterious mist and Kolkata

Some say Kolkata is at her best during December or January. I would rather say she is mysterious in November.

Mist is never being so beautiful in any other city as it is in Kolkata. An early November morning at maidan area would be the idle period to experience the mystery of mist in Kolkata.

It is like losing yourself in the white vast field and every where u see will find nothing but a white dense mist and no one around you.

Suddenly a scaring feel of floating on infinity would definitely come in your mind but on a moment you will get the relief while watching the sky scrapers of park streets are rising over their heads above the floating white mist.

And then the sun joins the play like someone has thrown a big hazy orange ball on the sky just in between the two big sky scrapers on east horizon.

Slowly the white dense mist have vanished and gift you a charming November morning with dew all over the lush green field.

The sunny November morning is carrying the message of oncoming winter in the city.

Bahin er Rajbari

Few years back while on my way to Kolkata from kaliyaganj watched a big old isolated villa at the bank of the kulik river from window of the train compartment. It was in-between the two stations,Raiganj & Barsoi and easily visible from the train route. It seems like isolated long before and just before the evening it was truly looking like a mysterious haunted palace beside the river bank.

I was wandering when I failed to get any information about it in internet even in Uttar Dinajpur district official site. I also thought it could happen in Bihar because the train route from raiganj to Barsoi is in-between the two state ,West Bengal & Bihar, and it is hard to differentiate when your train is crossing the border of West Bengal and entering into the Bihar.

The plan is at the back of my mind from several years to visit the place once. Fortunately it happened in this year while I planned to spend the Puja holidays at kaliyaganj.

The place is called Bahin, it is a small village at the Bihar border.The only conveyance you can avail is the trecker from the Raiganj town.

We reached at Bahin at 12 in the noon approx. Locally it is called Rajbari.

It is just beside the river and there was a ghat in the premises of the villa. So might be the inhabitants of the house were using the river to connect with the outer world.

But now we found the local kids are playing at the ghat and enjoying bath in the river.

The river bank within the premises of the palace is quite beautiful with coconut trees. It is clear during its time the house owned a magnificent river bank.

We did not hesitate to enter to the palace although it is ruined from every corner.

The sign of lost glory is speaking from the each brick.

The only unfortunate thing is that we are failed to collect any information about this palace from the local people. No one there could able to tell us about the history of the palace or who was owner and who had built such a big house in the lonely village.

I would request the readers if you have any information or any source from where I can know about the history of this mysterious house (Bahin er Rajbari) ,please do let me know.

N.B: The credit goes to Satyajit Ghosh who brought me to the real place and guided the entire trip with enthusiasm.

The Neglected heritage – Chandraketugarh

After a month on my way to another opportunity to travel with my camera on a lazy Sunday I do not know why I chose Chandraketugarh. If you ask me, how nice it is when someone wants to take pictures? It is ok enough to make you frustrated when you can press just one click.

Initially I also found myself in a similar way once I hit the place. Usually I only get the Sundays to be with my camera after a hectic week in work place, so do not want to spare the last breath out of it.

But at the end of the day, I realized that I would have missed to get the flavour of an ancient port city of almost the 3rd century BC( during the pre-Mauryan era), also I would have missed the experience of watching a truly brilliant collections of ancient artefacts recovered from the buried history of Chandraketu garh by Mr Dilip Kumar Maite who has done this yet unfinished job by his own interest & will power and surely I would have missed the pain while knowing the fact that still a huge part of that ancient city is buried under the ground and is in the process of degradation due to the negligence of our government.

The easiest way of chandraketugarh is to take a local train from sealda (Hasnabad local) to Haroa Road or one can take a bus for berachampa from Barasat or Ultodanga.

The seven mile long and one mile wide stretch south of Berachampa is archeologically most important though the things are still buried. Occasionally you will be able to find high end places (Dhipi in local language). Local people say whenever any land has been dug(for any reason building houses or road) artefacts found.

We went through train, took Hasnabad Local at 7.45 AM from sealda and get down at Haroa Road. It took almost 1 and ½ hour.

From Haroa Road you will get the motor Riksha van for Berachampa.

Just a minute walk from Berachampa main road one can reach the excavation site (called Khana Mihirer Dhipi).

This is the only portion where excavation has been finished.

At the town I heard about Mr Dilip Kumar maite .By his own interest he collected some precious artefacts from the place and preserved it in his own resident by the name of Chandraketu garh Pratna Sangrahalaya .

He made it open for visitors. You can hear like “Dilip Maite’s Museum” from the local people. He is quite famous in the berachampa by his unique endeavour. Never miss to experience his collections if you will ever plan for Berachampa.

From Berachampa we took a Motor Riksha Van again and landed to the Chandraketugarh( it is named as Garh by local people). The place is in between Berachampa and Haroa Road station. From the main road where we have landed, we walked half a kilometre interior to reach the place which is called Garh by locals. If you thought of to see a ruined fort, as the name suggest, then you might get frustrated.

What you will be able to see there is a ½ Km long high end place (called Diphi by local people). But once you walk through the place you can easily notice the part of red bricks buried under your shoe.

You can feel them while step ahead your path .Imagine you are walking over the 2000 years old city.

We failed to understand due to why some mystical reason ASI has stopped the excavation in the place.

We saw the local people are cutting up the trees from the restricted area by digging the place and when I tried to click them I was refused strongly. These immensely important historical significance is now depends upon the whim and fancies of our Government and getting more vulnerable every day.

Leaving the pain behind we thought of to get some fresh air on the coast.

Approximate 7 KM from the Garh we reached at Bidyadhari river at Haroa, a small town.

You always love the experience to roam in villages of Bengal when autumn is at your door step.

Occasionally you can able to find unknown flowers in your path with squirrel playing on trees.

We are thrilled to see the bright sky for a long time, don’t know why I found the sky is more blue than in Kolkata. :-)

We went back by the 2.45PM Local from Haroa Road station with the bunch of memories and desire of revisit to experience it with a little different way.

Courtesy: Atish .. ( who has planned our weekend trip with his great enthusiasm always) :-)

A Rainy Day at Antpur ,The temple Village

A Rainy Day at Antpur ,The temple Village

Prologue: I was a very poor student in history, even I scored lowest in history out of all subjects in my 10^thexam. So please don’t expect any historical significance in this post.

If you are searching here some informative travel diary for your next weekend travel plan with your wife then she will can sue me in near future. So be careful before proceed.

I am here to tell the tale of my short weekend trip through my lens. Although narrating the flavours of a village in monsoon always a difficult task for someone who is also a poor scorer in language. So Irritations are deeply regretted.

Since a month I was planning to have a photo walk at Antpur as one of my old friend provoked me a lot about it. :-)

Antpur is a small village in Hoogly district at Serampore division. It is a temple village in Howrah-Tarakeshwar railroad. The most famous temple in Antpur is that of Radhagovindo with exquisite terracotta carvings depicting stories from all the 18 puranas.

This 100 feet high temple was constructed by Krishna Ram Mitra, the Diwan of Bardhaman Raj in 1786 (1708 Shakabda).

We went through train to Haripal a small town form where you need to take a bus for Antpur. The train was fully crowded due to the Sunday rush to Tarakeshware temple.

From Haripal Railway station it was a nice 30 minutes ride through a lonely road surrounded by lush green fields.

It was raining on our way. Tried to hunt the clouds through lens.

If you are never ever been in a scattered green field under the dark sky while watching the clouds are touching the far away horizon and the rain coming from there like a white mist, then you have not experienced the beauty of monsoon in Bengal.

When we reached at Antpur the sun came out from clouds and the old heritage temple is looking amazing under the blue sky.

It was a nice terracotta work at the wall of the temple. Though some unknown mystic reason the photography is prohibited inside the temple. So tried to catch it from away.

From temple we walked into the village to the see the old residence Jamidar (Jamidar Bari). It was a amazing walk through the muddy road.

We stopped down occasionally while watching the little green ponds or small woods near the road or lush green bamboo groves.

Although Jamidar has gone long before but still their foot prints are still visible. On the premises of jamindar house there is a old broken Shib temple. The place was quiet even you can hear the singing of cricket at day light.

Returning home we found the rain again. But the train was not so crowded so got a chance to click.

NB: Atish who inspired me & planned our tour... A green thanks to him :-)

Flavor of North Kolkata (Kumartuli)

Flavors of North Kolkata

Few years back I was returning to Kolkata from hostel at the time of Durgapuja, still I can remember Poorva Express reached at Howrah at the evening of Saptami(the first day of the Puja). Indian Railway proves its popular time efficiency once again & the Howrah station adjacent Central Avenue area was jammed like anything due to the pujo pandal hopping. I bet if it would have some other day, might I should have blamed Kolkata’s poor traffic and compare it with the silky New Delhi.

Well, but I did not. Because it was Durga Pujo. I was happy & I was amazed while seeing the endless flow of people with a haphazard manner. No one will like this crowded walk in any other day but still there was a smile in each of their faces because they were happy as I was.

Why I am writing all these because a typical thought came in my mind at that time .... It does not matter how far we Bengalis suffer from Political violence, non employment, slipping in life race, crazy inflation, Corrupted Government, still we can smile because we have Durga pujo. No one can imagine the importance of this festival in our life. This is the oxygen that never diluted no matter how much pollution occurs.

Why I was describing all of these because last Sunday I went to Kumartuli. This is the place where the Durapujo get cooked throughout the whole year to serve it into your plate for the rest of four days.

This is the area where the plotters live and sculpted the idol .

Kumartuli is in the northern part of the city adjacent to some old famous ghats(River bank) of Kolkata.

Entering the area you would be thrilled enough by seeing the sign of primitiveness at every corner where your eyes is able to reach. Huge residencies (Dalan Kotha), old streets , hand puller rikshas and lazy life style. It is a different flavour of Kolkata, slightly different from polished South Kolkata or happening Park street.

In kumartuli you will be able to watch the plotters working on the idol. They are least bothered while you are focussing your lens to them.

From kumartuli if you have a five minutes walk u will be reaching at Kumartuli ghat, the river bank. It is quiet and lonely.

For a change & for some fresh air you can have a sit there for long time without any disturbance. If you like to watch people as i do then it is the right place for you.

At the evening you will be rewarded with a beautiful sunset.

Mahesh er Rath (Serampore,Hoogly)

I strongly believe that if you are not a religious person making yourself grilled with rituals by choice (or fear), then only you are in the right state to feel the religious essence of India.

3rd July was luckily a sunday and I was planning to have a short trip to click .One of my friend in web suggested me about Mahesh er rath at Serampore. Not so far from my home. Never went to such religious gathering for the purpose of clicking only and I took the offer with some hesitation.

Selling colors..

It was told that the Rath yatra festival in Mahesh is 600 years old. Might it is..!! But above than the rath I was thrilled about people.

Tested it. I bet u will not be a looser. :)

There was a mela. People like me & you, who are more familer with mela at the heart of kolkata (like Bidhannagar mela at saltlake), will find it a bit of the track.

Monk

Could spend some more time there. Returned with the sudden rain.The trip was amazing.Never expected it would have such spirit.