Kolkata – The city of Joy

Ever since I’ve taken up photography, I see the world in picture perfect frames that are imprinted in my mind. I strive to capture the essence of the place, culture, people and food, in a way that it transports the viewer. All these travel photographs are shot on my personal trips to my hometown, Kolkata.

Kolkata or Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal is also known as the intellectual and cultural capital of India. It was the trading post and capital of East India Company during the British Raj in India up until 1911. It is a city seeped in history, where the old and the new, the past and the present, come together in unexpected ways. Kolkata has a harmonious mix of the colonial era architecture and the old Bengali houses; the modern pubs and iconic coffee house. The people there have embraced the British culture and yet managed to hold on to the traditions of Bengali culture. Christmas is celebrated with as much gusto as Durga puja.

I’m sure you would have come across a lot of photos of the city, Kolkata. What we don’t get to see is the life on the outskirts. Here are photos from villages of Kolkata. Life is a lot simpler and peaceful, miles of greenery, farming being the primary occupation of people. Small cozy homes built with mud and thatched roof, food cooked on wood fired stoves and earthen pots, farms growing the freshest produce and welcoming people.

The famous Botanical Garden in Kolkata
Sunset while walking through paddy fields

Boatmen on a lazy afternoon, on the ghats of Hooghly

Everyday sights around bus and train stations – The Paan-Beedi Wala
This photo is of my grandmother cooking in the traditional kitchen in our ancestral home.

Lady in the traditional Laal-Paad-Shaada-Saree

Fields of yellow – Mustard fields in full bloom

Winding paths through the Potato fields
Next Banaras - The Ghats

9 Comments

  1. Thank you for taking beautiful pictures of our Chikmagalur trip. It was an excellent trip with you and Debrup. The photos and blog will remind us of these memories in future.
    Other two sections are also excellent, particularly Aarti in ghat.
    All the best to you.

  2. Excellent . . Photographs are so well caught in the lens that it gives a natural feeling & the eyes get stuck to judge that what kind of vision one should have to capture moments like these . God bless you .

  3. Very nice pictures of Kolkata. Makes me feel very nostalgic, and regret not going to the city as often as I want to/should.

  4. Awesome Blog!! I really appreciate the work you have done, you explained everything in such an amazing and simple way about Kolkata, all pictures are so beautiful.

  5. It was nice to go through your blog. Thanks for sharing the useful info here. Keep up the good work.

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