What does the night hide?

Darkness and uncertainty,

But what of the peace?

What of the healing?

Respite, from the day’s trials

The silent prayers,

The sweet, hidden smiles,

The liberating tears.

The night, is alive.

-Yours truly.

Now why would anyone name their offspring, “Yours truly”?

It rhymes with brocolli.

hehe….

Sentimental poetry √

Rubbish humour √

Right, now that we’ve got the first blog of the new year started right, it is time to dive right into the City of Joy, namely Kolkata.

In my last blog, I had mentioned about how my mum’s side of the family comes from the city of Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, so in this post, Imma show you one of the world’s liveliest cities, dolled up for the night.

Let’s get 2024 on the road!

It’s….well….it’s kind of passed us by, but, hehe….

To begin the Kolkata night spree, here’s one of the only running trams in Kolkata, commuting between the areas of Ballygunge and Tollygunge.

The Kolkata Tram System is the oldest tram network in Asia. It was started by the British in 1873, at the time of the colonial rule, and it ran strong till the 1930s, when faster and more convenient transport started replacing the trams.

However, when something comes in as a lifeline, it doesn’t go away and currently there are still six functioning tram lines in the city, powering through the changing world, one tottering at a time:)

I was so lucky to see this tram since they aren’t very frequent, but it was thrilling to see the tram, in its element, like an adorable little wormie poo:))

hehe….

Not far from the tram route, here’s one of the most famous landmarks in Kolkata. The statue is called ‘Mahanayak Uttam Kumar’, since it is the figure of a famous Bengali actor named Uttam Kumar.

When I found that this statue exists, I was like, oh, all right, Go Bollywood!

My grandma started squealing like a school girl with heart eyes….

hehe….

I love how Uttam Kumar’s contribution to films has been commemorated in Kolkata. There is a whole tube station named after him and this statue is always adorned on his birthday.

Bollywood, and films in general have always had a special place in the heart of every Indian, especially the golden era, that began in the early 1900s and continued till the 90s. Movies have honestly changed people’s lives and I think that really brings home the fact that art truly has power.

On another note, I love the blur of traffic in this picture. Kolkata is a lively, busy place and the never-ending bustle is always one of the cities most iconic experiences.

This, is a dome of a temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali, in a place called Kalighat, illuminated in the light. I love the simplicity of the architecture and the divine peace that it radiates. Bengal has a very strong lineage to the Mother Goddess and all her incarnations and the Goddess Kali is Her most unique incarnation.

This temple has a massive significance for Hindus since it is what we call, a Shakti-peeth.

On that note, lets travel millennia back, to the time when the Gods walked the Earth.

In Hindu culture, we have the Holy Trinity of Gods, namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Now, Lord Shiva is the God of destruction of evil, ascetics, animals, time and everything that symbolises the power of nature. He is depicted as a sage, meditating amid snow-clad mountains with no concern for materialistic comforts.  The story of Shaktipeeths originates from the time when Lord Shiva married the Goddess Sati, the first form of the Mother Goddess. Sati and Shiva are the embodiments of the feminine and masculine energy. Happy as they were in their marriage, the Goddess Sati’s father did not approve of Lord Shiva for his simplistic lifestyle. Now, in those days, people had huge prayer meetings and inviting others for such prayer meetings was a sign of respect. Sati’s father organised one such prayer meeting, but he didn’t invite Lord Shiva for it. The Goddess Sati did attend but she saw that her husband had been humiliated and out of rage, she threw herself into the fire used for the prayer meeting and immolated herself.

What followed was an outpour of Lord Shiva’s grief and anger, as he unleashed all his power on Sati’s father’s camp. The world was on the brink of destruction when a second member of the holy trinity, the God Vishnu, pacified Lord Shiva. He suggested a way to honour the Goddess Sati by scattering parts of her mortal body in 51 different places around the Indian subcontinent. Thus, wherever the parts of Goddess Sati’s body fell, there came a temple dedicated to the Mother Goddess and her incarnations and each such place, known as a Shaktipeeth(Place of Power) is of the utmost sacredness to Hindus.

Kalighat is one such place, out of the 51 that are there, all over the country.

We were very lucky to get a chance to visit Kalighat as a visit to a Shaktipeeth is always destined and no matter how hard one plans, getting a chance to see the Goddess is always a matter of destiny.

Stepping into modernity, here is one of the most iconic monuments of Kolkata, namely the Victoria Memorial. This is one of my favourite pictures as it has a very Inception-like vibe to it, with the swirling surroundings that mix the city’s liveliness and the tranquility of the night.

The Victoria Memorial was built between 1906 and 1921 by the British, in honour of Queen Victoria, who had proclaimed herself to be the ‘Empress of India’. It is the world’s largest monument dedicated to a monarch and it is absolutely beautiful, complete with the Winged Victory on top of the central dome. I love how the monument is the only sharp and clear thing in the picture, possibly symbolising its timelessness, in a world that changes faster than the night.

I love the simple grandeur of British architecture that adorns so much of India. It has a lovely vintage vibe to it and it’s like I always say, Go back to Vintage, the Insta era is just not it.

hehe….

This is a shot of the tallest building in Kolkata, named ‘The 42’. I love the contrast between the simpler architecture of the white building and the towering, glittery sky scraper, with a rooftop restaurant in between. It makes me feel very urban.

I also love how it’s name ‘The 42’. Sounds rather ominous, like 42 could be the number of floors or the number of ghosts that haunt the building, never know which one.

hehe….

This, is where I saw a werewolf.

hehe….

I am not one of those people obsessed with sky pictures but when the moon cracks between the clouds and illuminates the sky in a champagne pink and red gradient, I can’t help but stop the car in the middle of the road, risk four lives and get a shot or fifteen.

hehe.

Kolkata is a beautiful chaos. That is all I can say, as I come to the end of this post.

And that is a wrap,

until next time,

Adios:)