Before I begin, here’s a riddle for you:
What is the foundation of a relationship between an engineer and an architecture?
-5 if you say scaffolding
-10 if you say mutual uneasiness(an architect’s dream is an engineer’s nightmare)
+50 if you say “Building Conversations”
hehe….
I woke up and chose punny humour, do not let it compel you to choose violence.
hehe????
In the previous blog, I spoke about the various sights seen in the streets of the City of Joy, Kolkata and how the trip was a whirlwind family bonanza. In this blog, Imma take ye lot to the more elegant side of Kolkata, where we will immerse ourselves into India’s colonial heritage amidst stone buildings, vibrant colour schemes, overcast skies and cosy lanes.
Let’s get the time-machine whirring….
TARDIS go grrrrrr…..
hehe.
Kolkata was the capital of India when the country was under British rule, so exploring the older parts of the city feels as if one is transported back to the colonial era. One such area is called B.B.D Bagh or Dalhousie Square and the building pictured above is located in this area. I love the striped design on the walls. It brings in a retro vibe to the overall historic academia feel of the place. The building is actually a bank and it’s nice to see such a vintage bank building, as opposed to the usual skyscrapers with typical corporate architecture. I also love the photobombing tree. Nature has this beautiful way of adorning every man-made structure, for instance, if you look at the largest dome of the building, you’ll see climbers growing out of the windows and climbing the stone The green contrasts beautifully with the red and white and the glimpse of cars shows the bustle of the city.
The name B.B.D Bagh, kind of sounds like Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo….It’s rather apt, since the place does look like a vintage fairytale.
Up next, we have the St Andrew’s Church, with its white spire reaching towards the sky. My favourite part of this church is the little clock in its side. It reminds me of the Big Ben. Maybe this could be some sort of a Little Ben, hehe:)
This part of Kolkata was designed to look like London, when the Brits were in town, so the scenes do draw similarities from the Big Smoke. I also love the white and blue fences along the pavement and even the lamppost in the left corner, It adds a mild tinge of vibrancy to the warm tones which the city radiates. The scene that unfolds after a fresh spell of rain is one of my favourite sights. It gives me a sense of waking up in the morning and settling into a cosy day. The traffic standing still at a red light and the pedestrians crossing the street make me feel as though the rain has somehow brought time to a standstill and it adds a beautiful depth to the vintage atmosphere.
This building reminds me of a red velvet cake.
hehe:)
Here’s presenting one of the grandest buildings in Kolkata, namely the Writers’ Building, or simply, Writers’. It was built in the 1700s, and it served as the office for clerks(also called writers), at the time of the British rule. After India attained independence, the Writers’ turned into the head office for the West Bengal State Government. So, the states in India are ruled by a chief minister, who normally resides in the capital city of the particular state. Since Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal, the chief minister officiates from the Writers’ Building. Or at least they used to. Changing governments brought in bitter rivalry and a change of office locations. Humans have this funny tendency where they demonise an entire location just because their mortal enemy resides(or resided) there. I personally think that a human’s follies should be blamed on the human alone and not on the place of residence.
Coming back to the vibe of admiring architecture, I love the red and gold schemes on this buildings. There is a little statue of Minerva, the Roman Goddess of Wisdom and War, which you can see in the right corner. The unfurled Indian Flag on the roof is rather symbolic of our nation prevailing against all odds and I like that symbolism, amidst all the politically mediated turmoil that this building has stood up against.
This is another vintage office building in an area called Park Street in Kolkata. The streets in the older city have rather British names, bringing home the fact that Kolkata was designed to be like London. I took this picture while driving on an overpass bridge and I love how every corner of the city has a glimpse of the vintage architecture.
I think the colonial architects loved the red and white colour schemes because every vintage building incorporates these colours. The colour red symbolises so many things, right from the tones of love to passion to glory and to the identity of a walking red flag.
hehe.
Red also symbolises joy. That is the symbolism we’re going to go with.
re-e-e-ed, re-e-e-ed.
Taylor Swift needs to come to Kolkata.
hehe….
This is the Metropolitan Building in an area called Esplanade in Kolkata. This Grand building with its golden domes used to be a departmental store at the time of British Rule. In fact, it’s one of the first departmental stores in India. It is still a commercial building today, and the lanes surrounding the building are a part of a huge marketplace, called New Market.
Kolkata has two major street shopping destinations, and the New Market is the more trendy one with most of the latest trends in fashion making an appearance in its stalls. The other market, called Gariahat has more of a traditional setting, with stalls selling handicrafts and items showcasing Bengal’s vibrant culture. I will talk about the shopping in another blog.
Street shops in India never close their shutters, no matter the weather. They come with an in-built resilience, which is sheer willpower and the desire to sell, braving through storms, drought and probably the apocalypse.
hehe….
And that is a wrap.
Until Next Time,
Au revoir:)