For most of us, Kolkata is of course the 'City of Joy', but it is also a city of love. Not just romantic love, but love for its sights, sounds, culture, experiences and more. Just like us, household names like Parambrata Chatterjee, Ishaa Saha, Nusrat Jahan and Mimi Chakraborty too are hopelessly in love with the city, and do not miss out on capturing special moments with its trademarked attractions.
Here’s a look at a few such glimpses, straight from the galleries of our favourite stars.
‘Tumio hentey dekho Kolkata’…
Marvelling at the museum inside Victoria Memorial, experiencing the calmness of St. Paul’s Cathedral, sitting on the stairs of Prinsep Ghat, or the good old adda at Maidan – Kolkata, with its many charms makes us fall in love with it a little more everyday. Mimi is just as enamoured by the city and her reel is enough to plan a Kolkata walk ASAP!
Happiness means egg roll, phuchka, ghugni…
Nusrat’s ghugni-roll moment has us craving for some OG Kolkata street food. Be it phuchka from the local phuchka kaku, the office para wonders, or the hidden food gems of the city like triangular samosa from Nahoum’s — when it comes to food, yeh dil maange more because the city has just so much to offer!
An ode to the classics
The city often hosts the vintage and classic car rallies where the cars look like they’ll readily transport us back in history. And it seems like Parambrata is a “Lifelong fan of everything vintage, especially cars.” So are we!
The charm of yellow taxis
Hopping onto them as a child after puja shopping at New Market with the family, taking the first solo ride as a young adult, sharing one with friends to catch a film at Nandan – yellow taxis and nostalgia are woven together. And while Anindita’s photoshoot is aesthetics personified, it has us missing the musty smell of an old Amby, the bumpy joy ride and the warm air of the city on our faces through the rolled windows.
‘Coffee House er sei adda ta’
Tea/coffee, sandwiches, cutlets and adda galore — the Coffee House days are passed on from one generation to the next like a cherished heirloom. The tall ceiling, wide open windows by the table, the photo of Tagore – The Indian Coffee House is a whole other world — a world that was an integral part of the lives of Sunil Gangopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay and many others.
Solanki Roy’s “Monochrome tales” from this historic place reminds us of that iconic Coffee House anthem by none other than Manna Dey.
One by the river
Boat and steamer rides on the Ganga or sitting idly by the river as the sky changes colours are perhaps some of the most beloved activities in the city. Gaurav’s moment by the Ganga is already making our heart yearn for a visit to one of the many ghats in Kolkata, just so we can watch dusk gradually unfolding against the cityscape.
An age-old affair with books
Kolkata is not just the host of an international boi mela but also the home of the iconic boi para. Raiding the book shops of College Street, visiting the Oxford Bookstore in Park Street, or stopping by the book stalls near New Market and Gariahat is #relatable for almost every generation.
Ishaa flipping through the pages of a book on Monet is so enticing that it has us chalking out our next visit to College Street already.
The Kolkata skyline
Be it from the barir chaad (terrace) or from a high-rise restaurant, looking as far as the eye can see never gets old, because the city has new stories to tell every moment. Sauraseni’s black and white take on the landscape, with clouds looming overhead just made us fall in love with the city (all over again!).