Victoria Memorial..
by husain
One of Calcuttas landmarks- Victoria Memorial is an ornate hunderd year old marble structure from the days of the raj. The design is said to have been inspired by the Taj mahal.
On the death of queen Victoria, the then viceroy to India- lord Curzon, decided to construct a memorial to honour the queen... Much of the funds for the project were raised from voulantary contributions by the Indian princes and thegeneral public.
http://www.victoriamemorial-cal.org/ Photography (and the use of mobile phones) is prohibitted inside the memorial building. I couldnt resist getting at least one shot (sneakily- using my camera phone). Its one of the better displays as far as museums in India go- very informative and organised. Lots of history- the history of calcutta thru the ages- the east india company, the british raj and then the various socio-political/ cultural movements of the region...
The Last Supper by Johann Joffany at St. John's Ch
by goutammitra
The painting worth millions was presented by German Painter Johann Zoffany to the church on 1787. Over the years, it remained unkempt and was subject to vandalism, who also slashed the great painting. About hundred years ago it was retouched and again in 1967, by unprofessionals. Recently Max Mueller Bhawan of German mission took interest of this priceless painting and got it totally restored by the professionals. It is now restored to it's glory. One can have a highly satisfying experience!
Johann Zoffany’s 1787 painting at St John’s Church unveiled:
The solemn beauty of Johann Zoffany’s painting of The Last Supper, which hangs in St John’s Church and is the city’s most prized artistic possession, stands revealed once again and was open to public view on 4th of July'2010.
It has been restored over five months at the church next to Raj Bhavan by a team of conservators from the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (Intach) headed by Renate Kant, a German painting conservator based in Singapore.
The 10ft x 12ft painting by Zoffany (1733-1810) was done when he spent six years in India. He was born in Frankfurt but is considered one of the founding artists of the British School of the 18th century who introduced the “conversation piece”. His works hang in the Tate Gallery, Uffizi and the Louvre, besides the Victoria Memorial Hall.
Zoffany presented the painting to the church on April 9, 1787, and it once served as an altar piece. It incurred the wrath of the people on whom he had modelled the Apostles, who are significantly larger than Jesus himself. The flaxen haired St John sits next to Christ.
Judas with a tortured visage was said to have either been modelled on a “certain English resident at the Court of Lucknow” or Tulloh, a well-known Calcutta auctioneer. In 1888, a newspaper correspondent noted with dismay the “shameful treatment” meted out to it, and “the torn frayed canvas, and the large hole near the nose of Judas Iscariot”.( Courtesy The Telegraph)
Highway
by husain
We took the highway to travel to the neighbouring district of Burdwan, exiting thru `Vidyasagar Setu' or the new Hooghly bridge. This is a 6 lane access controlled highway. A comfortable drive and it gets you to Burdwan in a little over 2 hours. The highway carries on towards Bombay/ Mumbai, via other prominent towns beyond Burdwan.
This is part of the new and improved look of Indias highways, and more and more stretches of highway are being upgraded, mosltly choosing to follow the access control/ toll road model.
DIVINE SEAFOOD AND PASTA
by lynnehamman about FIRE AND ICE
This is a slice of Italy in India. The atmosphere is very continental, modern and friendly. Decor is tasteful- and the service was satisfactory.
The food was delicious- the menu is 100% Italian- and there are many different pastas (veg & non-veg) to choose from. Plenty of fish dishes too. Gelato came in many flavours, and cocktails are available. It was crowded the night we ate there-it stays open until midnight. I broke my vegetarian diet that night- I had grilled garlic prawns- and they were the best ever. Shelled, grilled and served on a bed of fluffy garlic flavoured rice-YUM
Crepes & Fresh Cream were a good choice of dessert.
Kolkata's very own Turkish Dish Chello Kabab!
by goutammitra about The Peter Cat at Park Street.
As of now many of you know our Park Street is and was the best entertainment district in India. It was full of restaurants, bars, cabarets and so on. In one word the best night life was here only. Peter Cat is one such restaurant started during British raj still continuing. It is famous for food and drinks at a very resonable price. As result it is always full, you may have to wait for sometime and it's worth.
We took Munu out on her birthday on 30th November'07 for treat. As Munu is having her exams we decided not to have a blast but a quite dinner with us. We gave treat to Munu's friends too. The owners introduced Chello Kebab a complete dish with Rice, Butter, two potions of Kebab. It is said they brought it from Turkey as it is very popular out there. We had Chello Kebab , Cold Chicken Sala, Iced Coffee Cream. And me and Rakhi had a beer and Bloody Mary for drink. The dishes were excellent as always. I have been going to this place since childhood and the taste of the food is always better, it has not deteriorated over the last 40/50 years!
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All in a Day's Work
This Pipe Organ is more than 200years old!!
The food, we had.
Poverty in Kolkata
