Smita's Kolkata Chronicles

Uttarpara Jaykrishna Public Library  is a district library and is the first of its kind in Asia . Located in Uttarpara, a small town on the banks of the  Hoogly river , this library was established by  Raja Jaykrishna Mukherjee  from his personal collectibles and was opened to the public in 1859. As early as 1853, Jaykrishna's plan for public library became well known.  For this project the  Samvad Bhaskar  showered praises on him. It was the most notable of his contributions in the field of education. He selected the finest spot on the banksof the Hugli river as the site for the library. Built in the form of Indo-European architechture, the two storeyed building bears columns, pedimental arch, marbeled floor and pillared varendah. The lower hall and the spacious rooms on either side were used as stack rooms. The reading room on the ground floor opened to the grand staircase which led to the upper storey. The upper hall served as a lecture theatre and ...

  Eden Gardens, the largest stadium in India and the second-largest in the world (next to the Melbourne Cricket Ground) was established in 1864. It was named after the Eden Gardens, and was named in honor of Eden sisters of Lord Auckland, the then Governor-General of India. In 1871, the pavilion was built with a seating capacity of approximately 66,000 and cricket matches started being played on the ground. During 1917-18 the first-ever first-class match was played here. The ground stands as a witness to several enthralling matches and creations of World records in cricketing. Cricket forms an integral part of Bengal passion and the matches held here are characterized by the active involvement of spectators. Incidentally my paternal great grandfather was one of the founder members of the stadium. Date of visit: 23.11.2019 (Pink test match)

  Metcalf Hall Metcalfe Hall is a heritage building situated at the junction of Strand Road and Hare Street The architecture is reflective of the British imperial architecture at the middle of the nineteenth century, and visually similar to ancient Greek temples. The building is raised on a solid basement and thirty huge Corinthian pillars support a massive entablature. The columns and colonnade surround the whole building. It was built between 1840-1844 according to the design prepared by the city magistrate, C.K. Robinson and named after Sir Charles T. Metcalfe, the Governor-General of India, in honour of his efforts towards a free press. The building faces the Hooghly river on the West. Initially, the building housed the Calcutta Public Library collection, formed by Lord Metcalf, then the Governor General, who transferred 4,675 volumes from the library of the College of Fort William. These volumes and donations of books from individuals formed the nucleus of the library, w...

The Hoogly River runs through the side of Kolkata and the many iconic ghats on its bank are a part of the city’s heritage being used for daily chores and religious activities.  The river ghats are connected with almost all events of life and death bears testimony of the cultural and socio-economic dimensions of the people of Calcutta. Most of these ghats were built by zealous men and women both natives and foreigners for societal benefit. Harisadhan listed names of 39 Ghats that existed between Bagbazar and Chandpal Ghat in 1793. Cones’ Calcutta Directory listed as many as 58 ghats existed in 1874 between Bagbazar and Tolly’s Nullah .  With the river changing courses, some old ghats have been destroyed and many have changed names than those appearing in old maps. A bout a hundred  ghats line the river banks on both the Calcutta and Howrah side of the Hooghly.  Built for vessels to dock in, the majority of them are used by bathers in the sacred Ganges as per Hindu myt...