Smita's Kolkata Chronicles

Amar Kutir ( আমার কুটির ) ( meaning: my cottage in Bengali) was once a place of refuge for independence movement activists. Post-independence it was converted into a cooperative society for the promotion of arts and crafts by local artisans.  Amar Kutir Showroom (picture from internet) It is located on the banks of the Kopai River , about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Shantiniketan in Birbhum district. Amar Kutir was set up in 1927 by Sushen Mukherjee . Mukherjee had been associated with the revolutionary movement and was inspired to take up this venture after he met Gandhi at Shantiniketan in 1922.  Sushen Mukherjee Sushen Mukherjee, was a follower of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Culture and ideology, a prolific traveller and an active participant of the freedom movement of India. He decided to set up a place where young revolutionaries could earn their living by engaging in activities such as sari printing, handloom and leather craft production.  In 1930, Amar Kutir was raid...

  Located in Bolpur Sriniketan, about 30 minutes’ drive from Prantik station is the Shakti Peethas where the waist ( kankal meaning bone in Bengali) of sati fell as per the mythology of Daksha yaga.  According to Tantrachuramati , it is the 28th satipeeth .  In ancient times this place was famous as Kanchi. The Kanchishwar Temple is also within the Kankalitala Temple complex.  Goddess Parvati, the Goddess of Shakti is the residing deity of this temple.  People also come here to attend the fair held every year on the last day of Bengali month Chaitra. The major festivals celebrated here are Navratri and Shivratri. The temple is located at the banks of Kopai river.  As per another mythological narrative, the monstrous Kala Pahar is also well-known in the area of the Kankalitala temple. The tenacious Kala Pahar, a Muslim general, shattered the upward base of the swayambhu shiva lingam at this temple in the 16th century, when Bengal was governed by the Afgh...

At the heart of Kolkata, lies the majestic Royal Calcutta Turf Club, known for the aura surrounding horse racing. The Calcutta Turf Club was founded on 20 th February 1847 in Calcutta when horse events and sports were initially held for the British cavalry at Akra before they were moved to the Maidan.  The first race was held in India on 16 th January 1769 at Akra where they continued for the next 40 years. Races were also held at Garden Reach and Barasat.  Governor Lord Wellesley disapproved banned horse racing in 1798; but five years later, the Bengal Jockey Club was formed to resume racing at Akra. The races moved to the Calcutta Maidan in 1809, where they have remained. The club laid out a new course in the southwest part of the Maidan in 1812, at approximately present racecourse location. After the closure of the Tollygunge racecourse, a new racecourse was opened by the club in Barrackpore during the 1920s; it was unsuccessful due to poor attendance.  The main obj...