Our Philosophy
Improving life in Calcutta using tourism as a tool.
Pro Calcutta
CalWalks is dedicated to the notion of pro-Calcutta, eco-friendly tourism.
To begin with, we walk the city, rather than tooling around in gas-guzzling, fume-belching vehicles. Our use of transportation – when it is absolutely needed – is limited. Walking serves a number of purposes: it burns calories, slims those thighs, and tones your glutes, exposes us to conditions faced by the masses, and brings us into closer touch with this vibrant city. No matter that some choose to go on guided tours in air-conditioned coaches… can they stop at will and order their guides to go on detours when something catches
their eye? Well, with CalWalks, you can do all this – and skip those interminable waits at each traffic stop.
The Calcutta to see
The Calcutta we seek to share with you is not the one patchily dotted with shopping malls for the well-heeled, nor the one with gleaming showcase office buildings for multinationals or those in IT. These landmarks, depressingly similar to those found in other states the world over, are not what give Calcutta its erstwhile sense of class, beauty, and cosmopolitanism. We choose instead to showcase heritage buildings and select localities, the character of which is being gradually eroded by neglect – or the march of progress”, as signaled by the cash registers of developers.
What do we hope to achieve as a result of these walks?
We seek to create an aesthetic awareness of and affection for these old buildings which once played a signal role in the workings of the former capital of the British Empire in India. It has been just 97 years since Calcutta held that title, and a mere 61 years have passed since the end of British rule. Yet in this historically brief period, the appalling decay of these structures has served to rouse too few to the steady loss of the city’s legacy. It is our hope that people will see with us in these structures our link with a glorious past, and find for them a special place in the city we hope to develop. CalWalks, then, is working towards generating a greater interest in Calcutta’s history and heritage.
We make it a point to patronize locally produced goods in the course of our walks. There are vendors that specialize in the sale of products indigenous to Bengal, and purveyors of fast-vanishing crafts in neighborhoods less-frequented since the onslaught of mass consumerism. Let us go in search of these products and their makers, whose first customers came from a more gracious and less-harried age. An individualized CalWalks package is cheaper than a guided tour that crawls down city roads. It gives you a bird’s eye-view of the vibrant life at street level. Let us show you our city in a whole new light, built on the theme of “Calcutta, we love you.” Let’s reclaim our heritage, people! And for our honored guests from abroad, do share what we learn with the world!
Our Initiatives
