“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
– Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Dear friends,
Calcutta has outdone itself this time. So many people from so many different walks of life exploring their city in so many different ways. Absolutely unbelievable.
We hope on Day 2 of Jane’s Walk Calcutta gets even better. Please do come back to us with suggestions on how can make this more engaging and more interactive in its future avatars. And we’ll be delighted to share your pictures and write-ups on our blog and if possible in The Telegraph. Here’s some glimpses from how the morning went:
A large group of enthusiastic walkers from all over Kolkata gathered in Tiretti Bazar at 8 am sharp. A thrilling adventure began into obscure, narrow winding lanes dotted with six beautiful Chinese temples unraveling its mystic secrets. The enlightening journey into timeless beauty of the serene atmosphere of these wonderful temples with exquisite artwork was a feast for the ardent photographers in the group. All well has to end well with a sumptuous breakfast of yummy idli vada and orange juice sponsored by Anand Restaurant.
– Members of the Toong On Church aka Nanking, Chinatown Walk.
"Walked in and out of historical North Calcutta theatre sites with a group of wonderful people and received such warmth and personal attention from residents of two houses that have a rich theatre history. Engaged in very educated, sensitive, perceptive conversations and so, with every step we took, the walk became much more than what I could have ever imagined it would be… It became a shared, collective experience, built brick by brick by everyone who participated in it, in whatever capacity. When your city and its people give you such joy and such stimulation, you can’t help thinking, again and again, that if this tiny patch that formed your experience could trickle down to the rest of the city, could allow for similar extents of community participation and shared interest in the city’s history and carrying that history into its present, what a city Calcutta would be. You’d never want to leave."
– Shuktara Lal, walk leader, The Theatre Story of Calcutta.
"Congratulations! You are now among the 1% Calcuttans who have actually visited the wetlands."
– Bonani Kakkar, walk leader, East Calcutta Wetlands.
"As I exchanged goodbyes and headed home, I vowed twice over: One, cherish the amazing amount of heritage coexisting in our city and two, take to cycling more often!"
– Adnan Hamid, participant, Bicycling Colonial Calcutta with Gautam Shroff.
"It was perhaps the most informative, fun, engaging and delightful activity that I’ve signed up for. Big thanks to Mudar Patherya, Iftekhar Ahsan and the Calcutta walks team for this most wonderful initiative. I’ll be looking forward to more such organised walks in the future. Cheers."
– Niyati Ghelani, participant, Rabindra Sarobar with Mudar Patherya.
Please claim a copy of the Calcutta Walks Tourist Map – Jane Jacobs Edition from us if you haven’t already got one. We hope to continue this conversation.
Keep walking Calcutta!