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The sea is not that far away from Kolkata, the city of Joy. There are quite a few places which are excellent for short weekend trips. The one I chose to travel last month, Bakkhali, is in the southern part of the state of West Bengal in the South 24 Parganas district. Bakkhali is around 124 kms from Kolkata and a straight south bound drive via Joka, Kakdwip, Namkhana to the Bay of Bengal. Bakkhali is a Gangetic delta island on the Bay of Bengal and is part of the Sunderbans. It is separated from the West Bengal mainland by the Hatania Doania creek atRead More →

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The Agri Horticultural Society of India, covering 24 acres of garden area on Alipore Road, Kolkata, was founded in 1820 by Rev. Dr. William Carey. It has a flower garden, greenhouses, a research laboratory and a library. The society organises annual flower shows in winter and also provides horticulture trainings. A large variety of ferns and medicinal plants are also grown in the Society’s gardens. As per AHSI website – “The Annual Flower Show organised by the Society is the World’s oldest Flower Show in existence. Since the early part of 1828, ever year (barring 1940), this competition has been taking place as a prominent fixture of Kolkata’sRead More →

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Very near to Calcutta or Kolkata as we now call it, is a heritage property, Rajbari Bawali, situated in the small village of Bawali, which is in South 24 Paraganas district in West Bengal. This was formerly owned by the Mondal family. Rajbari, the Indian word, means a mansion or palace built as a residence. Rajbari Bawali is a neo classical building with ornate columns, long verandahs and a huge courtyard, with steps rising up to the centre of the mansion. Rajbari Bawali has now been restored and converted into a resort. I had read about this property in a travel magazine on a flightRead More →