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Kolkata, Calcutta - Revisiting the City of Joy

  • The Vidyasagar Setu links Kolkata with its twin city Howrah.
    1/23

    Vidyasagar Setu, Kolkata

    The Vidyasagar Setu links Kolkata with its twin city Howrah.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Hand-pulled rickshaws, a throwback to the past, are still common in Kolkata.
    2/23

    Hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata

    Hand-pulled rickshaws, a throwback to the past, are still common in Kolkata.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Victoria Memorial is the most prominent testament of the British era. Surrounded by greenery, its Indo–Saracenic style architecture is a major tourist attraction.
    3/23

    Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

    Victoria Memorial is the most prominent testament of the British era. Surrounded by greenery, its Indo–Saracenic style architecture is a major tourist attraction.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A few kilometres away from Victoria Memorial is the Prinsep Ghat located on the banks of the Hooghly River.
    4/23

    Prinsep Ghat, Hooghly, Kolkata

    A few kilometres away from Victoria Memorial is the Prinsep Ghat located on the banks of the Hooghly River.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A horse-drawn carriage ride near Victoria Memorial is one of the best ways to relive the nostalgia of the Raj days.
    5/23

    Horse-drawn carriage, Kolkata

    A horse-drawn carriage ride near Victoria Memorial is one of the best ways to relive the nostalgia of the Raj days.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Traffic is one of modern Kolkata's many woes, as evidenced by this sea of yellow cabs.
    6/23

    Kolkata traffic

    Traffic is one of modern Kolkata's many woes, as evidenced by this sea of yellow cabs.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • The Coffee House on College street in Kolkata has a reputation as a meeting place of artists, writers, thinkers and other intellectuals.
    7/23

    Coffee House on College Street, Kolkata

    The Coffee House on College street in Kolkata has a reputation as a meeting place of artists, writers, thinkers and other intellectuals.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A book stall on College Street. Students flock here for the attractive discounts on texts and reference books.
    8/23

    College Street bookstore

    A book stall on College Street. Students flock here for the attractive discounts on texts and reference books.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Students buy books on College Street.
    9/23

    Students buy books on College Street, Kolkata

    Students buy books on College Street.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Volumes are stacked up in a College Street book stall.
    10/23

    College Street bookseller, Kolkata

    Volumes are stacked up in a College Street book stall.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A woman looks out at the busy street in Kolkata
    11/23

    A woman looks out at the busy street in Kolkata

    A woman looks out at the busy street in Kolkata
    Yahoo India Travel
  • View from a hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata. They were brought to the city by Chinese businessmen for ferrying goods.
    12/23

    Hand-pulled rickshaw, Kolkata

    View from a hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata. They were brought to the city by Chinese businessmen for ferrying goods.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Although the government wants to end the practice of hand-pulled rickshaws, it has struggled to implement the ban. Many people, like this rickshaw-puller, depend on it for their livelihood.
    13/23

    Rickshaw puller, Kolkata

    Although the government wants to end the practice of hand-pulled rickshaws, it has struggled to implement the ban. Many people, like this rickshaw-puller, depend on it for their livelihood.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A view of the Kolkata Coffee House, the best place to feel the pulse of the city.
    14/23

    Kolkata Coffee House

    A view of the Kolkata Coffee House, the best place to feel the pulse of the city.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A Bengali adda in progress at Coffee House.
    15/23

    Bengali adda at Kolkata Coffee House

    A Bengali adda in progress at Coffee House.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Park Street was the hub of prolific night life in the 1970s and 1980s.
    16/23

    Kolkata Park Street

    Park Street was the hub of prolific night life in the 1970s and 1980s.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A man cools off with a hand fan in the sweltering heat.
    17/23

    Kolkata summer

    A man cools off with a hand fan in the sweltering heat.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Petty shops near Howrah Bridge.
    18/23

    Petty shops near Howrah Bridge, Kolkata

    Petty shops near Howrah Bridge.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A child at the flower market in Howrah.
    19/23

    Kolkata flower market

    A child at the flower market in Howrah.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Flower vendors in Howrah.
    20/23

    Flower vendors in Howrah, Kolkata

    Flower vendors in Howrah.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A pan vendor with his 'mobile shop'. Chewing paan, or betel leaves, with a mixture of betel nuts and condiments is a popular pastime.
    21/23

    Betelnut vendor, Kolkata

    A pan vendor with his 'mobile shop'. Chewing paan, or betel leaves, with a mixture of betel nuts and condiments is a popular pastime.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • Street-side vendors in Kolkata.
    22/23

    Street-side vendors in Kolkata.

    Street-side vendors in Kolkata.
    Yahoo India Travel
  • A view of Hooghly Bridge in the evening.
    23/23

    Hooghly Bridge, Kolkata

    A view of Hooghly Bridge in the evening.
    Yahoo India Travel
The Vidyasagar Setu links Kolkata with its twin city Howrah.
Hand-pulled rickshaws, a throwback to the past, are still common in Kolkata.
Victoria Memorial is the most prominent testament of the British era. Surrounded by greenery, its Indo–Saracenic style architecture is a major tourist attraction.
A few kilometres away from Victoria Memorial is the Prinsep Ghat located on the banks of the Hooghly River.
A horse-drawn carriage ride near Victoria Memorial is one of the best ways to relive the nostalgia of the Raj days.
Traffic is one of modern Kolkata's many woes, as evidenced by this sea of yellow cabs.
The Coffee House on College street in Kolkata has a reputation as a meeting place of artists, writers, thinkers and other intellectuals.
A book stall on College Street. Students flock here for the attractive discounts on texts and reference books.
Students buy books on College Street.
Volumes are stacked up in a College Street book stall.
A woman looks out at the busy street in Kolkata
View from a hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata. They were brought to the city by Chinese businessmen for ferrying goods.
Although the government wants to end the practice of hand-pulled rickshaws, it has struggled to implement the ban. Many people, like this rickshaw-puller, depend on it for their livelihood.
A view of the Kolkata Coffee House, the best place to feel the pulse of the city.
A Bengali adda in progress at Coffee House.
Park Street was the hub of prolific night life in the 1970s and 1980s.
A man cools off with a hand fan in the sweltering heat.
Petty shops near Howrah Bridge.
A child at the flower market in Howrah.
Flower vendors in Howrah.
A pan vendor with his 'mobile shop'. Chewing paan, or betel leaves, with a mixture of betel nuts and condiments is a popular pastime.
Street-side vendors in Kolkata.
A view of Hooghly Bridge in the evening.

Kolkata – or Calcutta, as some still prefer to call it – is a city that lives simultaneously in past and present. Established by India’s British colonial masters in the 18th century, it has since been associated with the struggle for Independence and subsequently found innumerable references in literature and film. SHAYANTANI SARKAR revisits the city of her childhood and comes away with a mélange of memories captured in images.

Read more on Traveler: Oh Calcutta!

About the photographer
Shayantani Sarkar has lived across the length and breadth of India, but spent her initial years in Kolkata, the city that influenced her as a person. She works in the IT industry and loves her work. She is passionate about travel and photography and reading Paulo Coelho. She relishes good food and gets high on Latin music. She lives in Bangalore. Discover more of her work at her blog

Also see:
Istanbul - Where Asia and Europe meet