Calcutta Bungalow – Heritage Bed & Breakfast, an initiative of Calcutta Walks

Calcutta Bungalow – Heritage Bed & Breakfast

An initiative of Calcutta Walks

It was probably in 2007 I met Iftekhar Ahsan (Ifte) for the first time. He had just launched Calcutta Walks, a walking tour company aimed at exploring the city. Calcutta was not new to walking tours and I was personally introduced to the concept of walking tour almost a decade before the meet.

Welcome to Calcutta Bungalow, Heritage Bed & Breakfast (the logo has been superimposed by photo editing software)

It was in 1999 when renowned conservation architects Debasis Nayak and Akhil Ranjan Sarkar first introduced me to the world of walking tours. At that time I was doing my Masters of Business Management (MBM) from Calcutta University and thoroughly enjoyed the early morning training session through the lanes and by-lanes of Sovabazar area of north Calcutta.

Rangrez, A Muslim Marwari Dyeing Community

Rangrez

A Muslim Marwari Dyeing Community of Kolkata

Also see: Vanishing Professions of Kolkata (Calcutta)

Cloth, as well as yearns, of bright shades hanging from terraces to dry, is a common sight around the area of Nakhoda Masjid, in Chitpur area of Central Kolkata. This is the world of Rangrez!!!

A dyeing process in progress in a Rangrez Workshop, near Nakhoda Masjid, Chitpur, Kolkata

Rangrez, a Muslim Marwari speaking community, dyes for a living. Today the rangrez community in Kolkata numbers around 3000 and few of families still practice the traditional method of dyeing.

Chitpur Local Photowalk

Chitpur Local

A Photowalk along Chitpur Road, Kolkata (Calcutta)

Bonga Local, Gede Local, Rangahat Local are all local trains originating from the Sealdah Station in Kolkata (Calcutta). There is no Chitpur Local and it is quiet obvious as Chitpur is a neighborhood located within Kolkata (Calcutta).

Chitpur Local (reviving of Chitpur, Calcutta’s oldest neighborhood)

Chitpur Local is a name of a project aimed at reviving the Chitpur area, which is considered as the one oldest neighborhood of Kolkata (Calcutta).

Walkability Study of Calcutta Maidan

A Jane’s Walk initiative supported by Calcutta Walks

Also see: Jane’s Walk 2013, Calcutta

“The tiger-haunted jungle which cut off the village of Chowringhee from the river was cleared, and gave way to the wide grassy stretch of the Maidan of which Calcutta is so proud.”

Calcutta Old and New, H E A Cotton

Green & Red Frames. L: Green for the endless stretch of Maidan. R: Red for horse dung

It was a story of red and green frames, green was for thumbs up or like while red was for thumbs down or dislike. Sounds easy, not exactly!!!