British vibes in Kolkata

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It's my first time in Kolkata and Arindam organised a field trip for me and Jhoanne. This city used to be the capital of the British Empire in India, if my memory of Asian history lessons isn't failing me. But it is also widely known as Mother Teresa's territory; her Missionaries of Charity is in the heart of Kolkata, working closely with the poor and the sick... images of poverty in this part of the world has stuck in my head so it's such a surprise to hear again about the British cultural heritage.

Our driver brought us around the city and let us visit the Queen Victoria Memorial (built after Her Royal Highness died) and the St John's Church (the third oldest church in the city). The architecture of the Queen Victoria Memorial is breathtaking. I felt like I wasn't in India, but rather in a European city. On the other hand, St John's reminded me of the churches and the old buildings in Australia. These weren't Roman Catholic churches; hence, the aesthetics didn't include influences from the religion I belong to. Instead, I thought that it reminded me more of the Anglican church I visited in one of my long walks in Brisbane. 

Peppered in the city's older districts are red buildings. I thought it strange that after the aesthetic elegance of the white and taupe structures, we'd come face to face with red buildings. The driver told us that these red buildings used to be government offices during the British colonial period.  I couldn't understand why the British upper lip did not translate to understated and elegant colour choices... instead, they went for one of the most vibrant of all: red.

If I have the opportunity to visit Kolkata again, I plan to sign up on a heritage tour so I could understand the architecture better. An afternoon around this city is just not enough.











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