Learning about Kolkata on foot

A walk can be an invigorating experience. For the historically-minded, even more so if one is taking a walk down the streets of Kolkata, also known as the ''City of Palaces''. Once the seat of the British Raj, second only to London till the capital was shifted to Delhi in 1911, the eastern metropolis promises the proverbial walk through history.

Replete with baroque architecture, Corinthian columns, Grecian corners and Roman staircases, it is only a walk through the city that Kolkata will truly reveal itself.

In keeping with its promise of giving out a glimpse of its history and growing years, organised walks through heritage sites are becoming more and more popular. While Calcutta Walks, a private tour operator dedicated to heritage tourism, showed the way, even the state tourism department joined in with its own pre-designed walks through the central and northern quarters, the oldest parts of the city.

With more tourists joining in, a walk through Kolkata’s history is probably the best way to get to know the bustling city, find a lot of foreign and domestic tourists. Sarah Dawson, an Indophile from Ireland, who has been visiting the country since 1997, as a bright-eyed 18-year-old traveller, finds heritage walks the best way to get to know a city. She pointed out that in a city like Kolkata, where traffic snarls are natural events at every traffic light, starting organised heritage walks has been a stroke of genius.

“I have been to Rome, Venice and even Paris where heritage walks are common. Such walks give you time to soak in the ambience and breathe the natural air rather than watching the city from the inside of an air-conditioned bus. Kolkata has so much history it’s easier to walk through it than to speed past beautiful buildings in a taxi,” she said.

While she has taken a number of walks through the city’s heritage zones in central and north Kolkata, her favourite is the central business district of Dalhousie, where most buildings date back to the British Raj.

While Dawson has grown up on stories of Kolkata and India given that her grandfather was born in the city and her great-grandfather worked with the British government in Kolkata and other parts of India, for 67-year-old Martin Rockfort, his first visit to Kolkata was memorable and one of the best vacations he had.

 “I had come to the city with a mixed idea. Some friends had complained about the city being in the Middle Ages although some others appreciated Kolkata’s vibrancy. My experience would have been incomplete if I didn’t opt for a walking tour of the city’s heritage zones,” he said.

Although Rockfort pointed out that heritage walks in Kolkata need to be much more organised and punctual, his overall experience was enjoyable. “Although our guide was the last to arrive at the meeting point, leaving the 17 of our tourist group confused and we sometimes couldn’t understand his accent, once the walk started we did not have much to complain about. We got a taste of one of India’s oldest cities, we interacted with people on the way from one building to another and we even had a cup of tea at one of the oldest stalls at Dalhousie,” he added.

Although no clear numbers are forthcoming from any quarters as to how many tourists opt for heritage walks, all tour operators, including the state tourism department, agree that number of tourists have increased in the last couple of years since heritage walks were started on the city.

A major sign of growing popularity is that tour operators have been forced to increase the number of tours, most interested parties seem to be foreigners although some domestic tourists from other parts of the country have opted for such tours.

“There is a marked difference between tourists who generally visit the city and go to the usual tourists destinations like Victoria Memorial Hall, the Indian Museum and the Kalighat temple. Although our walks include some of the conventional tourist sites, those who prefer heritage walks are people interested in the city’s history and cultural heritage rather than just usual tourist attractions,” a senior government official said. Functionaries from Calcutta Walks and Help heritage, another organisation involved with heritage tourism echo the same thought.

“All the tour operators, including the state tourism department, have a number of routes as part of their itinerary although the tours have mostly been divided into walks thematically. The most extensive, however, is that of Calcutta Walks, which has a variety of tours, including through Dalhousie Square at the central business district, through Sovabazar in north Kolkata, the living-breathing hotspot of Bengali culture, through Chowringhee, once heart of the British town and even one form Bow Barracks, the heart of the city’s Anglo-Indian settlement to Burrabazar, the local trade hub, run mostly by the Marwaris who migrated years ago from Rajasthan.

While Calcutta Walks has “a slew of walk routes in the pipeline”, the routes currently available are not only popular but also give out a fair idea of the city’s history, culture and heritage. Help Heritage, which organises similar walks, has a heritage awareness angle attached to its tours, with a stress on the distinct architectural heritage of the city.

“Our walks highlight the evolution of this city from where it all began, Dalhousie Square. There are two distinct walks, that of Dalhousie Square and along the traditional neighbourhoods of north Kolkata,” an office-bearer said.

While in most cases the Dalhousie Square walking tour takes people along a stretch of 2 km, approximately taking around two hours, around 15 buildings in the area, including the imposing Writers’ Buildings, the newly renovated Town Hall, the St John’s Churchyard and the historic Metcalfe Hall. The tour through north Kolkata takes tourists through the meandering lanes and hidden courtyards of old mansions, steeped in history of the more than 300-year-old city.

Besides the usual routes, walking tours care also organised through Park Street, the entertainment hub of Kolkata, which is lined with restaurants and nightclubs on either side of the street, through the artisan’s district of Kumortuli in north Kolkata and even through the historic Victoria Memorial Hall, the city’s tribute to the British Queen, who ushered India into the British Empire. While Calcutta Walks is also known to organise customised walking tours, in all cases, including that of the state tourism department, a walking tour would include a minimum of two persons.

So, next time you are in Kolkata, breathe in the city’s quintessential heritage that makes it one of India’s most vibrant metropolises and take a walk past the grandiose old buildings in Georgian, Victorian, and Gothic architecture styles, take in the rich architectural experience as the rest of the city evolves around such structures.
Come, take a walk down memory lane…!