There have been court cases to prove that Kolkata (earlier Calcutta) existed before the arrival of Job Charnock, an East India Company employee. In 2003, a court verdict said that a ‘highly civilised society' and 'an important trading centre' had existed on the site of Calcutta long before the first European settlers came down the Hooghly. However, the evolution of Kolkata as a modern city started after the arrival of Job Charnock. Modern roads were built, water tanks were dug up, courts, hospitals, library and other important official buildings were constructed. The small settlement started expanding and developed into a modern city, which was once the capital of India.
In this walk, we shall take a tour in and around Dalhousie Square, whose colonial buildings are a mute witness to the evolution of Kolkata as a modern city. We will visit the grave of Job Charnock, interiors of St. John’s Church and the Currency Building, and walk past colonial buildings like the Writer’s building, the GPO and the Standard Life Assurance building, narrating the story of Kolkata evolving as a modern city with our usual anecdotes.
This guided tour is free.
