March 2020

As mentioned earlier, my wanderlust grew with successful trips to Delhi and Cochin, and now I embarked on a solo trip to Calcutta in the far eastern part of India. Before going, I researched my trip well: the trains that I would travel by, the places and streets that I would explore; as well the colonial history of Calcutta.

I decided to travel by the long distance train, which in the colonial past was called the Imperial Mail and now was called the Calcutta Mail. I traveled first class and dined in the Dining Car, which at that time served a full 4 course meal along with the attendant cutlery. I vividly remember seeing the Howrah Bridge as the train steamed into the Howrah Station. My uncle, the genial Mr Pai received me at the Station and whisked me to his house, which was located on the Rash Behari Avenue in South Calcutta.

My uncle Pai was a very affable person – his father happened to be India’s first Patents and Trademarks Attorney General, headquartered in British Calcutta. Though Konkani speaking GSB’s, the Pai family had assimilated so well with the local Bengali culture that they spoke to each other in Bengali rather than in Konkani. He was a foodie and he reveled in bringing home delicious Bengali sweets in earthen pots. He was at that time the CEO and General Manager of Bengal Potteries, a very well-known Company in India and Bengal. One evening, uncle Pai took me to Dacres Lane to a South Indian eatery in the basement of a building, and plied me with steaming Idlis and Vadas along with some delicious Filter Coffee, all in the heart of Calcutta.

I explored Calcutta very systematically, every day I would consult a large sized map of Calcutta and chalk out the areas and streets that I would like to visit. My favourite mode of transport was the Calcutta Tram; I would board this on Rash Behari Avenue and ride in it till Dalhousie Square now called BBD Bagh. I carefully walked down every street and checked out all the buildings, shops and other important landmarks about which I had read earlier.

I walked around the Esplanade and down the Strand and also visited the Indian Museum and saw the Egyptian Mummy – I sauntered down Park Street and had tea at the famed Flury’s Tea Room. I also visited streets like Clive Row and admired the neo Gothic and Saracenic architecture. I also went down to Burra Bazar where the Marwaris had congregated and from where many of India’s business barons and industrialists had begun their humble careers. From there I went down to Babu Ghat and saw the majestic Howrah Bridge looming in the distance.

I stayed the whole of May in Calcutta – at this time the weather gets sultry and the heat stifling. In the mid and late 60s, Calcutta had massive load shedding(power cuts) extending to 7-8 hours per day and sometimes even in the middle of the night. But I was lucky to stay near Hindustan Park in South Calcutta where Jyotibabu, the Communist Chief Minister also lived and so, the whole area escaped load shedding!

Finally, I loved the street food of Calcutta especially the masala muri, the aloo dum and luchi along with piping hot singhadas – I also enjoyed Tewari’s Samosas and Ralli Singh’s delicious Gol Sherbet! But all good things have to end and it was now time to go back to Bombay – I boarded the Calcutta Mail, this time via Nagpur and reached Bombay. This was my first visit to Calcutta but certainly not my last as I was to come to this City of Joy again and again!