The
next day early morning I decided to take a stroll with my camera (as it was
really bright by 6 am)
From
far I could see this huge board and as I came closer I realised that it was the
entrance to a garden. The bench and the lamp post indicates it to be a place to
relax. (sometimes simple illustrations convey the meaning in a subtle way)
Early
morning joggers were already leaving the park (and I thought I was the one who
got up early! )
A
little ahead of the garden is the south
entrance to the famous Victoria Memorial. There is a lot of history attached to
the Victoria Memorial and how it was built but I won’t go into it.
After
paying a nominal entrance fee of Rs 5, I came directly in front of King Edward
VII arch. The statue over the arch is really big but you fail to notice it as
it is very high up
Before
clicking I placed myself in such a way that it looked as if King Edward was
looking directly at me. The horse’s one leg was raised, indicating that the
rider was injured in action (if both the legs are raised, it depicts that the
rider has died in action)
The
lawns around the Memorial had a few people doing their stretching and breathing
exercise
while
the squirrels and the birds were happy to sunbathe in the morning
Saw
this tree on the lawns. One may link it to one of those contemporary modern art
(with some inner meaning that the artist wants to convey) but to me it looks
like the tree is decaying from one side and needs immediate attention
On
the front right side of the Memorial is this placid lake with an old rusty
pump. A good example of how rotary motion is converted to linear motion.
On
the way back I decided to have tea and found many outlets near the Gurudwara chowk.
People
were having their breakfast either in their car or on the benches provided.
Hot
jalebis were being prepared and this guy had to literally work fast to meet the demands of his customers
One
unique thing that I observed was the people sitting outside the eateries. I
mean its not only in Europe that you
find this phenomena of sitting out. . . . .
I
feel there is a similarity here in Calcutta
Later
in the day wifey was all excited as we were going to …… yes you guessed it
right, we were going shopping ! I was more worried about getting to the place,
but as usual the Calcutta taxi came to the rescue. He took us to the right
place (Dakshinapan) through the shortest route.
The
whole complex had emporiums from different states of India. We decided to visit
this one which was sort of a co-operative shop run by the government. The
prices were reasonable and we did buy a little more than half a dozen including
some Dakhai Jamdhani sarees.
These
ladies were very helpful in ‘selecting’ the sarees (and I learned a few lessons
in salesmanship )
While
the sarees were being selected I was more engrossed in the game of carom that
was going on outside the shop. My hands were itching as its been ages
since I laid my hands on a striker.
After
dinner we went for a stroll and found these pandals with deities all lit up and
displayed at many of the by lanes.
Now,
how can I end a write up on Calcutta without a picture of Durga?
Truly a city
of joy.
Next post. . . . . . life in Goa
