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| Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | Views: 7988 |
| May 01, 2007 6:58 pm | | Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | Inspired by Debjani's post----
ADWAITYA was the name of the Tortoise owned by Robert Clive which died last year at the Kolkata Zoo.
This Tortoise lived for 300 years or more-- and this is what he saw:-
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| May 01, 2007 7:04 pm | | re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
This was the first Horse Drawn Tram of the Calcutta Tramways Company.
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| May 01, 2007 7:08 pm | | re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
This is the Picture of the Old Howrah Bridge (1940)
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| May 02, 2007 1:07 am | | re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | <
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| May 02, 2007 1:18 am | | re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
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| May 02, 2007 4:17 am | | re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Devjani | | Lovely pictures, Rajan ji! Thanks for posting!
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| May 02, 2007 5:14 am | | re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
rajat kothary | | Rajan
Really nice pictures. I was very surprised to see some of the pics pop up here like the one of he Old Howrah Bridge and the one of Esplanade. Great work
Thanks a lot
RajatPrivate Reply to rajat kothary |
| May 02, 2007 5:27 am | | re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | These two pictures are the old Writers Building and the New Writers Building
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| May 02, 2007 5:35 am | | re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
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| May 02, 2007 5:40 am | | re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | This is the old Chowringhee Road.
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| May 02, 2007 5:46 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Nina Roy Choudhuri | | These old pictures of Calcutta are absolutely stunning! Wonderful idea to post these!
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| May 02, 2007 7:17 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Amit Kumar Dubey | | darooon , bheeshoon bhalooo Private Reply to Amit Kumar Dubey |
| May 02, 2007 7:40 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | THE BIRTH OF THE CITY STARTED WITH THIS AGREEMENT BETWEEN ROBERT CLIVE AND THE EAST INDIA COMPANY---
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| May 02, 2007 7:45 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | NEW MARKET IN 1945
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| May 02, 2007 7:50 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | SHOPS IN NEW MARKET----
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| May 02, 2007 7:54 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | THIS IS THE NAHOUMS BAKERY IN NEW MARKET-- NOTHING CAN BEAT THE CAKES THE CAKES THEY MADE----
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| May 02, 2007 7:58 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | THIS IS THE COCONUT MARKET IN 1930
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| May 02, 2007 8:04 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | THIS IS THE OLD TIPU SULTAN MOSQUE AT DHARAMTALA CROSSING
TIPU SULTAN MOSQUE 1945 Private Reply to RAJAN ADVANI |
| May 02, 2007 8:35 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
MHN Parée | | Stunning pics indeed Rajan!!
Including the Birth certificate of Calcutta.
Keep it up...
BTW, all pics have been accumalated in the link to Cal pics!!
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/?l=1&u=5&mx=148&lmt=5
http://www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/105053.html
http://www.ryze.com/networkindex.php?network=kolkata
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| May 02, 2007 9:13 am | | re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Jaydeep Roy | | Excellent collection of Old Kolkata photographs. Really good efforts for compiling them.
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| May 02, 2007 11:43 am | | re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | The early growth The city of Calcutta originates from the EAST INDIA COMPANY's trade settlement right that JOB CHARNOCK obtained for the company from the Mughal government in 1690 in and around the villages of Kalikata, Sutanuti and Govindapur. Sutanuti was then a major thread and textile mart in the region. During his time, Charnock, however, could achieve nothing, except for the construction of a few thatched buildings, before his demise in 1693. Francis Ellis succeeded him as governor of the settlement. Ellis was followed by Charles Eyre. As the rebellion of SHOBHA SINGH broke out, the European trading communities sought protection from Nawab IBRAHIM KHAN, who granted permission to 'defend themselves'. Through the payment of Rs 16,000 to Prince FARRUKH SIYAR, the company procured a permission from his father Governor AZIM-US-SHAN to purchase the renting right of the three villages: Sutanuti, Gobindapur, Kalikata. On 10 November, 1698 the British company became the new zamindar of the three hamlets against a petty payment of Rs 1,300 to the original holders, the family of Savarna Chaudhuri.
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| May 02, 2007 11:53 am | | re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
The Fort William and early stage of urbanisation The construction of the fort though began earlier was not completed until 1707. A wharf was added to the fort in 1710. In the mean time, on 20 August 1700, it was named 'FORT WILLIAM' after William III, the then reigning king of England. While the bachelor clerks (writers) stayed in the quarters within the fort, married officials chose to reside with their families in personal dwellings. As a result, private European houses started cropping up around the fort. Acquisition of the zamindari by the company, opened up employment prospects for the natives as well. They flocked to this nascent habitat adding density to the sparse population. Thus, the process of urbanisation started blossoming on the grounds of the three villages. To satisfy the landhunger of the company and its dependents, the English obtained the emperor's permission to buy another thirty eight villages from the zamindars in 1717. Of these, five were on the other side of the river (in Howrah), while the rest were contiguous to the three mother villages
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| May 02, 2007 12:03 pm | | re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | During the MARATHA RAIDs (Bargi), a general exodus from the western side of the Hughli River led the fugitives to settle in this British territory. The presence of the newly built fort generated a sense of security, which attracted such settlers, enhancing the process of rapid urbanisation. This confidence and the consequent charm were, however, shatterred in 1756 when SIRAJUDDAULA ousted the English from Calcutta and renamed the city 'Alinagar' after his grandfather ALIVARDI KHAN. The original name was not restored till January 1758. The British victory at PALASHI led to the transformation of Calcutta from a mere commercial headquarter of the East India Company. Since then the natives, ARMENIANS and other peoples from India and beyond began to settle in the city either for jobs and services or for trade and commerce. New houses were constructed to accommodate the rising population. The settlement of people was following the lines of religion, caste, ethnicity and nationalities. Thus every part of the city was spatially characterised by these marks.
FORT WILLIAM 1807
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| May 02, 2007 12:10 pm | | re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | After the American War, free merchants and mariners started flocking to Bengal and agency houses became 'characteristic units of private British trade with the East'. By 1790, fifteen agency houses had developed and the names of William Fairlie, John Fergusson, John Palmer became famous. Initially these houses carried out purchases and sales for others on a commission basis. But utilising the favourable Act of 1793, the expanding indigo business and the growing foreign trade, they embarked upon independent enterprises acting as bankers, bill-brokers, insurance agents, purveyors, freighters and shipowners. Bank of Hindostan, perhaps the first European bank in India, was started by Alexander & Co. in the 1770s.
THE NEXT SERIES OF PICTURES IS ALL ABOUT THE THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CALCUTTA
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| May 02, 2007 12:14 pm | | re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
MHN Parée | | An extract from a Blog by Sramanna Mitra -
My family is old Calcutta. We had rice paddy fields that greened as monsoon washed over them. Heavy-limbed mango orchards bearing the juiciest and most fragrant varietals. Homesteads. A home nestled in my grandfather’s legendary rose garden in the now traumatized Bengal-Bihar border. Our relatives’ houses dotted Calcutta. These old houses in the alleys of Pathuriaghata and Shyampukur were sprawling places, bearing the stories of Calcutta’s now receding past.
In the halls of the Ghosh family of Pathuriaghata, the All Bengal Music Conference was founded in 1937, and Indian classical music, then a nascent art form, was nurtured under the patronage of Bhupendranath Ghosh. At the time, the mid-nineteen hundreds, only Baiji’s (courtesans) sang publicly.
Manmathanath Ghosh was the first patron to invite Irabai Bardekar, a legendary musician, to the inner wing of his home, despite the protests of his wife. He considered it his honor to host talent, and the legendary Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar met his Guru Allauddin Khan there. The family’s drawing room once overflowed with music, food, hookah smoke, attar fragrance. Today, the front gate remains open. A lone boney stray cow often loiters into the yard. Belgian mirrors in the foyer collect dust.
The Pathuriaghata House of Manmathanath Ghosh
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/?l=1&u=5&mx=148&lmt=5
http://www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/105053.html
http://www.ryze.com/networkindex.php?network=kolkata
http://paree.gather.com/Private Reply to MHN Parée |
| May 02, 2007 12:15 pm | | Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
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| May 02, 2007 12:22 pm | | re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
MHN Parée | | The past always recedes. Sensible people do not let that be bothersome. The old steps aside for the new and so it should. Yet, looking out the car window driving through India these days, I am stricken by the pace and brutality of this transition. Chowringhee, Calcutta’s once impressive Paris-esque boulevard, is now layered in flyover roads obstructing views of British era architectural gems such as the Indian Museum, and Geological Survey. The imposing Calcutta Club building has also lost its eminence with the intervention of the Lower Circular Road flyover.
In South Calcutta, Sir Rajendranath Mookherji’s house on 7 Harrington Street awaits its yet unknown fate; a silent ponderer of its owners’ declining prominence. The lure of escalating real estate prices will soon become too much. Sir B.C. Mitter’s 19 Camac Street has already been demolished, a skyscraper in its place. The same for Raja Promotho Roy Chowdhury’s 9 Hungerford Street overlooking the lake in Minto Park. In the older North Calcutta, Sir Kailash Bose’s residence will soon be sold, wiping out another reel of childhood memories for my mother and grandmother. Ramdulal Sarkar’s Beadon Street house, Digambar Mitra’s Jhamapukur house, Manmathanath Mitra’s Shyampukur house all still stand, but in dilapidated conditions; all of them, like elephants, will fold gently, horrendously, onto their knees.
An Old Building on Chowringhee
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/?l=1&u=5&mx=148&lmt=5
http://www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/105053.html
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| May 02, 2007 12:33 pm | | re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
MARINE CLUB
DALHOUSIE SQARE TANK
THE FIRST NEWSPAPER Private Reply to RAJAN ADVANI |
| May 02, 2007 12:51 pm | | re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | The Calcutta police always suffered from deficiency of manpower and in 1778 a rectification was attempted by appointing 700 paiks, 31 thanadars and 34 naibs. On 9 June 1785 the town was divided into 31 divisions, one under each thanadar. However, the department was continually criticised and Cornwallis (1793), Wellesley (1800), Minto (1808), Bentinck (1829) tried investigations and redressals to alleviate the disrepute. But the entire system was censured before the Fever Hospital Committee by almost all bureaucrats. Subsequently JH Patton, the chief magistrate, adopted radical reforms. That his efforts did not bear permanent advantages, can be surmised from the fact that Canning had to resort to fresh measures (1860-1862). In the mean time, John Palmer, the 'Prince of Merchants', died a pauper in 1835 and his palatial building-complex in Lalbazar was bought for 2 lakh sicca rupees to provide a permanent headquarter to the Calcutta Police. In 1793 all the darogas, barring a single exception, were Muslims. In May 1850, the tradition was maintained by appointing Sheikh Molaim the first Indian police inspector of Calcutta.
THIS WAS JOHN PALMER'S PALACE PURCHASED FOR 2 LAKHS!!
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| May 02, 2007 12:54 pm | | re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
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| May 02, 2007 1:19 pm | | re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | THE COMMISSIONER AND THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF CALCUTTA POLICE
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| May 03, 2007 6:01 am | | Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | Trams were introduced (24.02.1873) by the Government to create a communication between the Sealdah and Howrah railway stations. The first line ran through Bowbazar street and Dalhousie Square to the Armenian Ghat on Strand Road, where passengers could avail steamers for crossing the river and reaching Howrah. Due to the loss involved, the service was soon disrupted (20.11.1873) and the railway and vehicles were sold out. A proposal of revival was mooted in 1878 and the previous purchasers formed the Calcutta Tramways Co. After the signing of a contract with the Municipal Corporation, trams were re-introduced (01.11.1880). The western horses pulling the trams often succumbed to the tropical heat and their frequent mortality encouraged experiments with steam engines (1882-83). Later, a proposal from Kilburn & Co. (1896) suggesting the use of electric power for trams was deemed a practical solution and horses were replaced with electricity in 1902. Like the trams, the earliest buses running between Calcutta and Barrackpore (1830) were driven by horses. Motor buses were introduced in Calcutta in 1822. Walford & Co. overtook other investors through their introduction of large red buses. They also brought in double-deckers (1926). The suburban bus-service was founded by Abdus Sobhan. Among private vehicles, bicycles came to Calcutta in 1899 and motor-cars in 1896. The business of cabs started in 1906. Rickshaws were imported by the Chinese around 1900, but by 1920 the business was entirely transferred to Indian hands.
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| May 03, 2007 6:12 am | | re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Nina Roy Choudhuri | | Wonderful! The history of Calcutta depicted through these pictures is just amazing. This thread is indeed a treasured collection.
Nina Private Reply to Nina Roy Choudhuri |
| May 07, 2007 4:01 am | | re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
susmita dasgupta | | Awesome, fantabulous. Private Reply to susmita dasgupta |
| May 07, 2007 5:18 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Phantom "the Loose Cannon" !!! | | Indeed!!! Private Reply to Phantom "the Loose Cannon" !!! |
| May 07, 2007 9:33 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | I have been a resident of Calcutta since I was born, and I but have always remained passionate about this city. It has a character of its own. What is sad though, is that we misuse the city and don't take much care of it. Also, most of the current population of the city has migrated here from other parts of India and Bangladesh for the purposes of earning their bread and butter, and most people presently living in the city are unaware of the city's glorious past. Consequently, the original character and identity of our city has been eroding away and dying out due to our lack of knowledge and lack of care about it. This is why I felt a need to make people aware of the exceptional history of this amazing city so that its current citizens can learn to appreciate Kolkata more, and have more value for its identity.
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| May 08, 2007 8:54 am | | re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Savita Govilkar | | Extremely Interesting pics. Actually some of them may pass of as current photos. Specially where there are shops and signs in Bengali. May be Kolkata has not changed as much as Mumbai has changed. Extremely good collection... Private Reply to Savita Govilkar |
| May 09, 2007 3:19 pm | | re: Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
Anurag Mathur | | Rajanji !
This is worth preserving !
Truly a commendable effort !
Ravi bhai,
Yes, the old order changeth giving place to new, but whenever you go to places with architecural history like San Francisco. Europe what one admires is the way the old has BLENDED with the new.
Can Kolkatta Network somewhere connect with the Mayor and discuss ideas about what the KMC is planning to do about its historical legacy and how as common citizens can we help ?
My feeling is that all true Calcuttans ( or should it be "Kalighatans" ) who are proud of our city should put our heads together and contribute to saving this legacy.
Any ideas gentlepeople ?
Cheers
Anurag
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| May 16, 2007 3:31 pm | | : Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | |
Yes- Anurag, we should start a SAVE YOUR CALCUTTA TRUST and start collecting money from Ryze members.
MHN--- any suggestions?Private Reply to RAJAN ADVANI |
| May 16, 2007 5:36 pm | | re: : Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
MHN Parée | | Rajan,
ur suggestion is indeed nice.
BTW, Awaiting the 1st contribution from u...;))
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/?l=1&u=5&mx=148&lmt=5
http://www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/105053.html
http://www.ryze.com/networkindex.php?network=kolkata
http://paree.gather.com/Private Reply to MHN Parée |
| May 16, 2007 6:37 pm | | re: re: : Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | I have 250 class one pictures of old Calcutta which I have not even posted- they are off very high resolution - we can make large prints and sell them and start a trust?
I will surly give you and also get you contributions from several sources-- at first please form the Trust.
I
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| May 17, 2007 9:48 am | | re: re: re: : Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
MHN Parée | | The trust is hereby formed-
SAVE THE CLASSIC OLD CALCUTTA TRUST-
Any other name suggestions??
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/?l=1&u=5&mx=148&lmt=5
http://www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/105053.html
http://www.ryze.com/networkindex.php?network=kolkata
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| May 17, 2007 4:24 pm | | re: re: re: re: : Kolkata Through Adwaitya's Eyes | # |
RAJAN ADVANI | | Thanks MHN
The pictures I am talking were taken by a British Soldier who was also a Photographer and he came to Calcutta in 1944/45 and took some great pictures of this city from the state of the art Camera ( plates)
I never posted these pictures because they were copyright material.
He is dead now, but, he has donated these pictures to some trust from whom we can buy it and then pay them some royalty from the sale proceeds.
The high resolution pictures can be obtained from the current owners and large prints made out and sold at auctions or art galleries, I am sure that their will be many buyers who will gladly pay as high as one lakh for one picture.
After paying the royalty the rest of the money can be used to form the trust and use it to improve this city.
To generate more funds we shall recruit professional photographers who will keep taking good pictures of the city of Kolkata and keep selling them from art galleries and the Internet and generate money.
Their are plenty of people in Kolkata who have old pictures and once we are on the job then a lot of good treasures will turn up from the people of Kolkata and old photographic studios like Bourne & Shepherds.
This city has enough photographic material to market itself-please believe it.
Those who are seriously interested, please register your names and if we find sufficient people to handle the project then the trust is ON.
I will put up a couple of pictures on this thread to give u all an idea of the material we have in hand.-- keep track of this thread.
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