As an engineer , I yearn for all things innovation & technology but somewhere in my heart I secretly wish to turn back time only to see how people lived through the centuries ! Kolkata is one such place where a part of it is stopped in the 19th century .
I visited the Salt lake area back in 2006 when i was working with Cognizant. Due to a hairline fracture in my ankle i could only explore between office & our stay.
I longed to see the Kolkata people documented in their stories especially the ones i read by Rabindranath Tagore. 13 years later ( and that sounds like an eternity) I seized the opportunity to visit Kolkata - perks of being your own boss! I lined up some shoots and made a mini itinerary to see Old kolkata in 3 days & most importantly enjoy all culinary delights raved by bongs .
For reference i was on Pinterest and stumbled upon this striking shot with narrow bent lanes and rustic colourful houses upto a floor. I was shooting with Arpit and he told me it could be Shyam Bazaar. Without prior recce, we took our chances and landed randomly on the streets dressed this way at 7.30 am. Though we couldn't find the exact lane, I was happy with what i saw.
As i walked deeper into the lanes, it felt like entering a time warp probably the 19th century.
IAnd then i spotted what was ruling my moodboard - The hand pulled rickshaw .
This hand-pulled rickshaw here is an example of how between Uber and autos , a human powered vehicle still finds its place . A feeling of joy ( because this is one of the last cities in the world to still use one ) and a feeling of sadness ( because seeing a human carry another human breaking his back is just unnecessary pain ) - this hand pulled rickshaw tells me all that is old is only PARTIALLY gold . No matter how much I romanticise the idea of wanting to live the old times , such sights would only sadden me .
And if you’ve reached till here : let me tell you what actually happened while we shot this
BTS:
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The man standing with a polybag to the extreme left was sitting somewhere while I admired the rickshaw . Suddenly an old lady in a green saree came out of her house asking to be carried away in the rickshaw and the man started to approach the rickshaw . I couldnt believe this was for real as i saw barely anyone riding the rickshaws.
I quickly snapped out of my disbelief & requested him if I could take pictures before he drove away . Both the lady and he readily obliged . Many a vehicles crossed our way as we tried to get the shots right. Time passed. I drifted into a different world as the rickshaw guy and the lady both disappeared from my mind and our frame - no words spoken - least bothered about the passing time - that’s Kolkata for you .
Shorts suit- Marks & spencer | Bralet - Colaba causeway ( 6 yrs ago) | Pumps- Charles & Keith | Ring- colaba causeway
Photography - Arpit Rungta
Edits- Yours truly
Till next time, CIAO!
