Kolkatta and Jamshedpur Diaries

18/04/22

Ride from airport to Nizam Palace- touring officer’s hostel.

Completely in contradiction to what I thought about Kolkata.

The bridges and roads from the airport were all very neat and painted Blue and white. Honestly, I thought it would be dirty.

Another surprise was full fledged service of old ambassador car all painted Yellow.

First to visit was Ma Kali Mandir at Dakshineswar. She had her tongue out yet she looked very beautiful in her blue and golden zari saree and beautifully bejeweled. The temple architecture was quite different from what i had seen in the southern parts of India. It was painted light yellow and maroon red in the borders.

From there we went to see Howrah bridge. This was an iron structure which encapsulated my imagination. I always wanted to walk on this bridge and it was truly fascinating with beautiful Hoogly river beneath. It was an exhilarating feeling. From there we boarded Heritage cruise for one and half hours from 6.00 P.M on the Hoogly river.The water was not so clear, in fact looked dirty, but flowing with full current.

Day 2

10.30 .A.M. Victoria Memorial was the first stop and also the first starting point of India’s slavery.

It was made of marble. The interiors were beautiful very high ceiling. However, in contrast, the Hall depicted the life of Subhash Chandra Bose , the formation of Indian National Arm, their uniform, the weapons etc., thankfully not Victoria’s

Second stop was Indian Museum. Very beautiful- more educational. Different types of rocks, stones , different types of Ores including Gold and sapphire. This museum also displayed varieties of Botanical seeds, barks etc. And also could see Egyptian Mummy.

Day 3

Visited Vivekananda House, the place where Vivekananda grew up. Beautiful house. Then Book market which was very chaotic and the vehicles in Kolkatta horned non stop to put any sane person out of his sanity.

A visit to the Old Indian coffee House where probably Tagore’s creativity was heightened by the coffee out there. But the steps leading up to the coffee’s house was very dirty. Still the old electrical wiring as we enter and the road leading this old time memory was also very chaotic.

Final and the most beautiful spot covered was Princep-Sunset point. Correctly we reached there during the Sunset and it was such a beautiful experience. Unforgettable moment was experience at this beautiful spot and nature was kind to show it’s beauty to the fullest and not hide it in the clouds.

Day 4

Ride in the Tram from Esplanade to Gariahat. It was a different experience . A combination of Bus and Train. Although in the present situation, Metro would be more relevant . Considering the traffic Jam, this Tram added to the already burgeoning traffic. Roads were completely chaotic with vehicles all coming in the wrong directions and actually blocking the smooth flow.

Evening Belur Math. It is on the banks of Ma Ganges. Had my first touch of Ganges here.

Just stepped in, my feet got wet, took some water and wet the head and face. Something I liked very much,

Temples dedicated to Sri Vivekananda, Sarada Ma and Sri Ramakrishna Parmahamsa. It was evening Arthi time and the arthi here was quite a different experience with musicians playing live.

Day 5

10.00 Started to Jamshedpur . Was going for my son’s convocation at Jamshedpur. Reached around 5.00 in the evening. A very serene place. The name TATA echoed in the air. Had the most beautiful sight of a very beautiful Sunset from the corridors of Prabath’s hostel. It is an unforgettable Sunset. XLRI was also very beautifully architecture d. Next day morning woke up to a mixture of masala tea and again a beautiful sun rise. Unforgettable moments of my life.

23/04/22 – Morning 5.30 Woke to the beautiful and blissful rising sun the see how powerful it emerges in few minutes. TATA Musuem was closed. Did a little bit of Jamshedpur shopping before getting ready for the big event. My son is sleeping blisfully. Today was my son Prabath’s Post Graduate convocation from one of the most premier Institutes of the country. The ceremony was in the evening and very well conducted. Ms. Reddy of Apollo Hospital and the President .......of TATA Group were the Chief Guest.

Another highlight of this tour was my 21 year old stayed alone for these many days in our independent house at Ayyappanthangal alone. Though I enjoyed the trip, this aspect definitely caused a lot of concern to my mind, but at the same time, felt she is growing up .

There ends my Kolkatta/Jamshedpur dairy. I might have missed some finer points but definitely a memorable trip and long lost wish fulfilled.

Also experienced Rasgolla and yellow sweet rice with the authentic Fish curry.

Geetha K