The bylanes of North Calcutta...

...can be cramped with kids playing gully cricket, rickshaws and the ocassional speeding Sumo/Maruti Van. They are also crowded, dusty and muddy, especially after a spurt of rain. But when it comes to the houses that inhabit these streets, there are some wonderful gems to be found, making you realize why Calcutta was once named the City of Palaces.


Even now in all their crumbling glory, you can get a peek into the beauty these old buildings once were, like in the now faded stained glass window...



Or in the chipped-off mosaic work above an entrance that has obviously seen better days...



One of my favorites was this carved canopy in an old apartment balcony, like a beautifully worked piece of cloth. There are several other gems like this one, discovered on a walk with Ifte of Calcutta Walks and Akhil Sarkar, an architect whose interest lies in the Calcutta of yore.

The walk was an eye opener. It started near a red bricked mansion that belonged to two rather colorful brothers, nicknamed Chatubabu and Latubabu, and then winded through the bylanes behind it. As one lane merged into another, we left the sound of buses, trucks, taxis and cycle rickshaws far behind. I tried to imagine a lost time of grand mansions with grander owners, a time when Calcutta would've been truly magnificent and also perhaps, a bit of a show off like the wealthy owners of most of these houses were.

It's also a walk that makes you incredibly sad. What would have been protected by glass cabinets and marked with blue plaques in Western cities, lies in utter neglect here. Ornate columns are either decaying or have been been whitewashed beyond recognition. Conservation attempts of some mansions are largely off track, with 'experts' chosen at the contractor's convenience.

Still, it's a walk worth every step you take. For thakurdalans (courtyard where Durga Puja was held, and still is) like this...

...old family temples




......and many pillared roaks (seating areas), perfect for addas and afternoon naps.

And also for the old Telebhaja (fried snacks) shop where I had the most amazing malpua in a long, long time.

All this, while crisscrossing the lanes and spotting this and that.

The angel on the arch...

... and a glimpse of the andarmahal

The 200 something year old Twin Shiva temples, with a parasitical tree making for great photo op (for many before me, that is), though marred by the shiny marble platform.



It's a walk that takes in cast iron balconies imported from England by rich merchants, shuttered windows, vanishing mansions, canons from Siraj-Ud-Doula's time used in sewerage and a fifth generation family of engravers and trophy makers working in a tiny office hemmed in by plants and the narrowest of lanes.

When I visit, I usually see Calcutta from the inside of a cab or don't see it at all, because I have escaped to the metro, away from the traffic and pollution. This walk, in more ways than one, was an eye-opener.