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.