Adieu Kolkata, Palampur calling(2)
Next morning, we went to the
Marble Palace first. The marble statues of historical and mythical figures,
huge paintings, chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and other innumerable
objects of art are indeed a superlative feast both for the eyes as well as the
mind. You are transported into a different world altogether, a magical world of
art and beauty, bliss and wonder: an eloquent testimony to the creative genius
of the men and women of yore. You come out of the place mesmerised.
Jorasanko Thakur Bari – our next
destination just nearby - is a fitting place to step into after visiting the
Marble Palace. For, it is this hallowed place where breathed the great Indian
soul: one and only- Rabindranath Tagore. With the gentle hum of Rabindra
sangeet playing in the background you go around
different rooms grasping and absorbing aspects of great journey of life and monumental creations of
all kinds of this noble, enlightened soul that dwells in every Bengali’s, nay,
Indian’s heart. The room where he breathed his last displays Tagore's heart-tugging
last words on a wall reading which brought tears to my eyes.
The iconic Victoria Memorial, yet
another must-see monument of Kolkata, where we went next stood high and
resplendent in its white glory. We joined the stream of eager, enthusiastic
visitors and went round its big and great halls and corridors with fine marble
statues, paintings and a rich array of invaluable antique collections on
display. The flower bedecked lawns added to the beauty of the memorial. And many
love-smitten Romeos dotted the place with their fiancées in cosy intimacy to
take vows and make proclamations of love: and rightly so, for it was a
Valentine’s Day!
We went to the Kalighat temple
next. The small-shopwallas force-selling prashad and flowers and vying with
each other at once began pestering us, as also other visitors. The pandas too
were pesky and irritatingly solicitous. Braving all this, when we finally made
it to the sanctum, we were told that it was now 2 PM and the sanctum was closed
for the darshan. We hurried out disappointed: overall, it wasn’t a very
elevating experience.
But a visit to the Indian museum(IMK) next provided the soothing touch and restored our festive mood. Short of
time, we had a quick round of its various halls/galleries and tried to absorb
as much as we could of India’s and world's wonderful heritage and collections on display there. Now feeling
a bit tired and hungry, we made it to
the guest house.
Time had now come to pack up, say
our goodbyes and return home. That we did at an unearthly hour next morning
passing through the quiet streets of Kolkata. Overtaken by emotion, I paid a
silent obeisance to this great, sacred and fecund land of poets, thinkers,
social reformers, revolutionaries; and men and women of art, literature, music,
science and what have you! Soon afterwards – and airborne - I was thinking of
my dear and lovely Palampur, my charming, lovable friends (especially those
who care to read my blog!), and the grand Dhauladhar that would be clad in
gleaming white mantle of snow at this time of the year.
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| An arch at the entrance to Thakur Bari street |
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| Entrance to Thakur Bari |
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| The ancestral home of Tagore |
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| Victoria Memorial |
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| Another view of VM |
Haven't ever given a thought to writing novels.You seem to have carried us along with your beautiful visual description.Looking forward to another read👍👍👍
ReplyDeleteThanks Kavita. I am so very glad you liked my narrative on my recent travel to the NE. Visiting places is not only a welcome change from the grind of daily routine but it also provides so much to see, absorb and write on.
DeleteMy next post is having birth pangs and would be out by the weekend! Thanks very very much again.
Your travelogue of Calcutta elaborated by you in two installments encompasses a diverse array of your encounters during your visits to the awe-inspiring and magnificent buildings of ancient India. Your sweet and not so sweet experiences present a general overview of what India stands for vis-a-vis its history and cultural heritage.It is rich in every way in its variety of manifestations.When you visit America or any developed country you see almost uniform type of layout of every city.Only nomenclature varies; this is Sydney,NewYork,London,Paris or Washington.The architecture is the same.But in India,in contrast,every state and its cities have something new to offer in terms of culinary tastes,historical buildings and temples etc. That is the beauty of our country.As for the filth and dirt prevailing everywhere,that probably is beyond cure. I hold the overpopulation and the wide -spread careless attitude to maintain cleanliness in our surroundings.Currently Modi is addressing to change this mindset.Let's see.
ReplyDeleteYour observation is indeed very insightful: that the cities in the West look all alike while India's diversity lends uniqueness to every city and state. That indeed is the beauty and charm of our culturally rich and diverse country. Let's hope that this variety and variability that our land is endowed with is preserved with care and is not lost in the name of 'progress' and 'development'. It is very true that over-population is one of the major issues that needs to be addressed urgently. Also, education and awareness are needed to inculcate the importance of cleanliness and 'swachhata' amongst our countrymen.
DeleteI can't thank you enough my dear sir for caring to read my stuff, commenting on it and keeping my morale up!