History, Culture, Traditions, Communities, Monuments

An aerial view of the majestic Town Hall, a heritage structure which is being renovated under the Smart City project, in Visakhapatnam.

Iconic Town Hall and Old Municipal Building to open to public soon

Nivedita Ganguly

Renovation project carried out at a cost of ₹15 crore

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Heritage Race, melding VR with history

Priyadarshini Paitandy

Established in 1876, the Coffee House in College Street has seen the soft and silky footsteps of the passing years, a place that has seen the mighty British Raj crumble, and what rose from the debris of time, was the haze of cigarette smoke, the brew of coffee and evenings fritted away in fierce debates, conversations and chance encounters. Stalwarts like Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray have sipped coffee under the high ceilings of Coffee House. During the 60s, Hungryalist poet Allen Ginsberg and his lover, Peter Orlovsky had made acquaintance with Bengali poets Shakti Chattopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay at the Coffee House. Sunil Gangopadhyay often met the gifted actor, Soumitra Chatterjee in the Coffee House. A student of literature, Soumitra was a regular at the ICH where he used to co-edit a magazine. Even after he became a celebrity following the world-wide fame of the Apu Trilogy, Chatterjee continued to visit the Coffee House. The late feminist poet Kabita Sinha and writer-academic Nabaneeta Dev Sen also frequented the coffee house. It was the epicentre of Calcutta’s intelligentsia.

History & Culture

Measured out in coffee spoons: the iconic cafes of India

Through the ages, the public yet very private space of the café has reigned without control. These spaces have sculpted great artistic and political phenomena by allowing the tender exchange of conversation. People from all walks of life frequent cafes, which make for democratic pockets untapped by technology; where people can differ, debate, or even light a cigarette and immerse themselves in quiet contemplation. A site for dreaming, defying, and a breeding ground for ideas, fierce friendships

The restored image of Bodhisattva King Mahajanaka. Courtesy: Benoy Behl

History & Culture

field notes Indian cave paintings go digital

Azera Parveen Rahman Ancient Indian cave paintings are now being preserved as digitally restored images in Norway’s Arctic World Archive

Iconic Town Hall and Old Municipal Building to open to public soon

Heritage Race, melding VR with history

Measured out in coffee spoons: the iconic cafes of India

field notes Indian cave paintings go digital

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