Taratala Environment Park/ TARA Kolkata Drive Press Club Maidan - Taj
People car pooled from the Taj at 7 am. Others met in front of the Taratala Environment Park at 7:30.
Madhuri and Delphi came to the Flag off of the TARA Kolkata Drive a 100 km rally around Calcutta at 7:30 am at the Press Club, Maidan near Mayo Road. First flag off by celebrities was at 8 am. They then went to breakfast at the Taj with the others at 9 am.
I am all ON ON for the Tara rally....VrooM! VroooooM! - manosh - :) brought Delphi back and we followed the cars to the Passage Control Point where the rallyists stopped for a refreshment break and musical performance by Tritha at City Centre 10 -10:30am approx and I interviewed Delphi on TARA about her Isle of Mann rally experience. At Rash Behari, another Rally Point, there was quizz competitions with prizes for Manosh. There was Music performance at Press Club in the afternoon by Orient Express before the Prize distribution ceremony and Delphi and I enjoyed beers on the lawns.
We'll be missing Howard and Shanti till October as they are off to the States after this Sunday till October. We are still missing Rajesh Nath who is in Germany. His wife's life style products at Art Bunker (of Delhi Haus Khas Village) at the Parampara exhibition has been selling like hot cakes and I can wax eloquent about her candles....
Keep connecting with the city,
GM Neela 9830014934
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Horticultural Gardens, Taj Hash Sign Park Street Cemetery unveiled by Mayor
Hashers met at the Horticultural gardens entrance on Belvedere Road at 7 am. After breakfast at the Taj, hashers gathered at Park Street Cemetery for the unveiling of our landmark in Calcutta! Lee had brought the Hash banner. I had brought scissors and we stopped at Jaggu Bazaar on the way to buy cloth for the unveiling. The Mayor of Calcutta officially unveiled the Hash sign at Park Street cemetery after 10 am. There was press coverage too. The Hash picture is in the Telegraph, Times of India and Ananda Bazar Patrika.
The sign is in English and Bengali:
The South Park Street Cemetery was opened on August 25, 1767. Then a marshy and forested terrain, the ground was approached by a bund called the Burial Ground Road. The first person to be buried here was John Wood, a writer in the Customs House. Burials took place after dark with torchlights except military funerals that were accompanied by rolling guns. The cemetery hosts some colossal pyramids, catafalques, pavilions and obelisks and is one of the finest repositories of neo-classical funerary sculpture outside Europe. Famous people lie buried here: Eurasian poet, teacher and reformer, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, who died in 1831 at the age of 22. He taught at the Hindu College (renamed Presidency College); Sir William Jones, judge, Indologist and a major figure in the establishment of the Asiatic Society, whose monument stands the tallest here; Rose Aylmer, niece of Lady Russell, dead within a year of arrival at the tender age of 17, who continued to inspire her friend the poet Landor. His famous Ode to Rose was inscribed on her tomb, the Spiral Monument, in 1910. Also buried there are Major General John Garstin, architect of Calcutta's Town Hall and the Patna Gola; Major General Charles (Hindu) Stuart, a devout Hindu, who bathed in the Hooghly every morning, worshipped Hindu dieties and even took images to England when he went on leave -- the Hindu images on his grave stand testimony to his faith; Lt Col Robery Kyd, distinguished botanist and founder of the East India Company's Botanical Gardens. Other famous Calcutta personalities here are the Impeys, the Princeps and the Vansittarts -- Henry Vansittart and his wife, a descendant of Oliver Cromwell. The graves tell a story of the many people and their occupations -- breeder of cattle, shipwright, keeper of jail, silversmith, school teachers, architect, translator, livery stablekeeper, printer, head tide-waiter, steward to the Governors-General, park superintendent, cooper, postmaster, surgeon, not to mention the undertaker -- who in their lifetime made British Calcutta the first city of the Raj.
The South Park Street Cemetery was opened on August 25, 1767. Then a marshy and forested terrain, the ground was approached by a bund called the Burial Ground Road. The first person to be buried here was John Wood, a writer in the Customs House. Burials took place after dark with torchlights except military funerals that were accompanied by rolling guns. The cemetery hosts some colossal pyramids, catafalques, pavilions and obelisks and is one of the finest repositories of neo-classical funerary sculpture outside Europe. Famous people lie buried here: Eurasian poet, teacher and reformer, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, who died in 1831 at the age of 22. He taught at the Hindu College (renamed Presidency College); Sir William Jones, judge, Indologist and a major figure in the establishment of the Asiatic Society, whose monument stands the tallest here; Rose Aylmer, niece of Lady Russell, dead within a year of arrival at the tender age of 17, who continued to inspire her friend the poet Landor. His famous Ode to Rose was inscribed on her tomb, the Spiral Monument, in 1910. Also buried there are Major General John Garstin, architect of Calcutta's Town Hall and the Patna Gola; Major General Charles (Hindu) Stuart, a devout Hindu, who bathed in the Hooghly every morning, worshipped Hindu dieties and even took images to England when he went on leave -- the Hindu images on his grave stand testimony to his faith; Lt Col Robery Kyd, distinguished botanist and founder of the East India Company's Botanical Gardens. Other famous Calcutta personalities here are the Impeys, the Princeps and the Vansittarts -- Henry Vansittart and his wife, a descendant of Oliver Cromwell. The graves tell a story of the many people and their occupations -- breeder of cattle, shipwright, keeper of jail, silversmith, school teachers, architect, translator, livery stablekeeper, printer, head tide-waiter, steward to the Governors-General, park superintendent, cooper, postmaster, surgeon, not to mention the undertaker -- who in their lifetime made British Calcutta the first city of the Raj.
Thanks and congratulations everyone for the joint effort.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Tolly’s Nala - Taj
One hour visit of the canals with the Dutch. Jaap confirmed the starting point:
Dear all,
As announced, the venue next Sunday will at the Kudghat bus stand at 7.00 am. I enclose a map: on screen it is difficult to read but when you print it outit becomes clearer. I did not want to send you an attachment of more than 1MB.So follow the Deshpran Shaswal road. At a certain moment you have, comingfrom the city, on your right hand the Tollygunge Metro station. I have supposed that is a landmark everyone can find, it is near the Calcutta Golfclub. Just after the metro station, turn left into the Baburam Gosh road.(Not the Netaji Subhas Bose road).At T-crossing keep left into the Chandi Ghosh road. At the end you will see the works of the new metro line (Tollygunge-Garia) and you arrive at the busstand. If this is not clear, I will be at the British club Thursday evening or please phone my mobile 9830735776.
Now what are these Dutchmen doing?We provide the KMC and the IWD (Irrigation and Waterways DepartmentWest-Bengal) technical assistance in a project called Kolkata EnvironmentalImprovement Project (KEIP). This is a project funded by the AsianDevelopment Bank, with a total value of around $230 million as which has amajor component Sewerage and Drainage.In total, it is foreseen to construct around 450 km of underground sewersfor wastewater and stormwater (we call stormwater the water that runs offthe roofs and the streets when it rains). Major objective is to collect thewastewater and pump it to wastewater treatment plants to purify it andconvey the stormwater, without flooding, towards the drainage canals ofCalcutta and finally to Hoogly or Kulti river. So rehabilitation (cleaning,reshaping) of 100 km of canals is also part of the project. You should knowthat the underground sewers are KMC property and the open canals IWDproperty: that is why the project has two clients.So in the areas where the project will intervene, we aim at a situation thatno untreated wastewater is dumped during dry weather in the open canals (asis now the case, but that you will see). And that flooding and stagnantwater during rainfall will be less. The project areas are the so-called 'added areas" of KMC, the means not the city centre but just around, likeborough XI and XIII, XIV, XII (around EM bypass), I (up north) and XV(Garden reach). If you are interested, I can tell you if your residence area is concerned by the project.Tolly's Nulah has a long history and was once a Ganges branch. Now it isused as a drainage canal and it ends up in the Hoogly near the Taj. I remember smelling the bad odours once we were in the swimming pool of theTaj but I know I have a special nose for waste water.
At the spot we will visit, the first thing you will see is the constructionof the metro line and the Kudghat metro station. That has nothing to do withour project, but somebody decided that that metro line should be constructed over Tolly's Nulah. (No place elsewhere and probably cheaper than underground). The only thing that intervenes with our project is that at that spot the Nulah is actually almost totally blocked during the metro construction. But Metro promised that they will clean up their mess when the construction is finished. A little downstream you will see the Tolly's Nulah without that Metro business. At the spot where we will be, you will also see an existing sewage pumping station, which is supposed to pump the sewage towards an existing wastewater treatment plant in the Keorapukur area, but that does not function and actually the pumping station pumps the wastewater into Tolly's Nulah. The project will repair this.
We will also walk a little bit along the Keorapukur canal, a branch of Tolly's Nulah and I will show you a defunct sluice and a defunct pumping station. The water level in Tolly's Nulah goes up and down with the tidal movement at Hoogly. So all you will see is the actual situation, which does not make one happy, but underlines the need of improvement. The execution of the new works will start very soon now, in about two months. Until now, we have been mainly occupied in design, preparation of tender documents and choice of the contractors.
The project will last atleast until 2007 (? May be 2009). So when in a year or two from now you will have a romantic walk in themoonshine across for instance the Alipur bridge or the bridge near the Tajacross the Tolly's Nulah, just open your nostrils and we hope that the specific wastewater odours will have gone. And if you become an addict of visiting dirty canals, flooded areas, wastewater flowing in the streets etc as my wife says I am, I have another 95 km of canals and lots of dirty streets to show you.
See you on Sunday,
Jaap
Dear hashers,
We had a very interesting walk with Jaap along the Kudghat bazaar and canals where he explained all the Sewerage and Drainage problems of the area. After the Kaal Baishakhi lightning and thunder storm on Sunday night, those of us who went on the Hash will be wondering what the winds and stormwater (rainwater) did to the area we visited.
The major objective of the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project (KEIP) is to collect the wastewater and pump it to wastewater treatment plants to purify it and convey the stormwater, without flooding, towards the drainage canals ofCalcutta and finally to Hoogly or Kulti river. So rehabilitation (cleaning, reshaping) of 100 km of canals (now being used as dumping ground by the locals) is part of the project. We wish the Dutch every luck with the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project (KEIP). Thanks Jaap for a very interesting and informative hash walk.
Joining us on our walk was an American Consulate guest from Washington as well as Alison an American lady working in Calcutta for the last 6 yrs in an NGO teaching computer skills to deaf and underprivileged youth.
Next week, there is a change in schedule as the Mayor of Calcutta will be officially unveiling the Hash sign at Park Street cemetery at 10 am. There will be press coverage too. Hashers should meet at the Horticultural gardens entrance on Belvedere Road at 7 am. After breakfast at the Taj, hashers will then go to Park Street Cemetery for the unveiling of our landmark in Calcutta! Thanks and congratulations everyone for the joint effort.
17th April Sun 7 am Horticultural Gardens, 10 am Park Street Cemetery
Patricia, (French lady from Marseilles who has seen Louise Atttaque perform), and I look forward to seeing the hashers at Bow Barracks to enjoy this French concert in Calcutta.
French Embassy in India, Alliance Francaise de Calcutta and The Telegraph in collaboration with Bow United Organisation present:"LOUISE ATTAQUE attacks Bow Barracks"Tuesday 12 April, 7 pm@ Bow Barracks, next to Bow Bazar Police Station (behind Indian Airlines onCentral Avenue)
Opening performance by NEEL & NEEL
LOUISE ATTAQUE, "One of the best young French rock n'roll band"The accompaniment is excellent folk-rock offset by violin pieces that fit invery effectively. This Musical Group of the Year 1999,and theperform at festivals, delighting the public. Their success is phenomenal and is sooncrowned by the title, in extraordinary sale of 2.5 million albums sold since 1997.
ALL ARE WELCOME
One hour visit of the canals with the Dutch. Jaap confirmed the starting point:
Dear all,
As announced, the venue next Sunday will at the Kudghat bus stand at 7.00 am. I enclose a map: on screen it is difficult to read but when you print it outit becomes clearer. I did not want to send you an attachment of more than 1MB.So follow the Deshpran Shaswal road. At a certain moment you have, comingfrom the city, on your right hand the Tollygunge Metro station. I have supposed that is a landmark everyone can find, it is near the Calcutta Golfclub. Just after the metro station, turn left into the Baburam Gosh road.(Not the Netaji Subhas Bose road).At T-crossing keep left into the Chandi Ghosh road. At the end you will see the works of the new metro line (Tollygunge-Garia) and you arrive at the busstand. If this is not clear, I will be at the British club Thursday evening or please phone my mobile 9830735776.
Now what are these Dutchmen doing?We provide the KMC and the IWD (Irrigation and Waterways DepartmentWest-Bengal) technical assistance in a project called Kolkata EnvironmentalImprovement Project (KEIP). This is a project funded by the AsianDevelopment Bank, with a total value of around $230 million as which has amajor component Sewerage and Drainage.In total, it is foreseen to construct around 450 km of underground sewersfor wastewater and stormwater (we call stormwater the water that runs offthe roofs and the streets when it rains). Major objective is to collect thewastewater and pump it to wastewater treatment plants to purify it andconvey the stormwater, without flooding, towards the drainage canals ofCalcutta and finally to Hoogly or Kulti river. So rehabilitation (cleaning,reshaping) of 100 km of canals is also part of the project. You should knowthat the underground sewers are KMC property and the open canals IWDproperty: that is why the project has two clients.So in the areas where the project will intervene, we aim at a situation thatno untreated wastewater is dumped during dry weather in the open canals (asis now the case, but that you will see). And that flooding and stagnantwater during rainfall will be less. The project areas are the so-called 'added areas" of KMC, the means not the city centre but just around, likeborough XI and XIII, XIV, XII (around EM bypass), I (up north) and XV(Garden reach). If you are interested, I can tell you if your residence area is concerned by the project.Tolly's Nulah has a long history and was once a Ganges branch. Now it isused as a drainage canal and it ends up in the Hoogly near the Taj. I remember smelling the bad odours once we were in the swimming pool of theTaj but I know I have a special nose for waste water.
At the spot we will visit, the first thing you will see is the constructionof the metro line and the Kudghat metro station. That has nothing to do withour project, but somebody decided that that metro line should be constructed over Tolly's Nulah. (No place elsewhere and probably cheaper than underground). The only thing that intervenes with our project is that at that spot the Nulah is actually almost totally blocked during the metro construction. But Metro promised that they will clean up their mess when the construction is finished. A little downstream you will see the Tolly's Nulah without that Metro business. At the spot where we will be, you will also see an existing sewage pumping station, which is supposed to pump the sewage towards an existing wastewater treatment plant in the Keorapukur area, but that does not function and actually the pumping station pumps the wastewater into Tolly's Nulah. The project will repair this.
We will also walk a little bit along the Keorapukur canal, a branch of Tolly's Nulah and I will show you a defunct sluice and a defunct pumping station. The water level in Tolly's Nulah goes up and down with the tidal movement at Hoogly. So all you will see is the actual situation, which does not make one happy, but underlines the need of improvement. The execution of the new works will start very soon now, in about two months. Until now, we have been mainly occupied in design, preparation of tender documents and choice of the contractors.
The project will last atleast until 2007 (? May be 2009). So when in a year or two from now you will have a romantic walk in themoonshine across for instance the Alipur bridge or the bridge near the Tajacross the Tolly's Nulah, just open your nostrils and we hope that the specific wastewater odours will have gone. And if you become an addict of visiting dirty canals, flooded areas, wastewater flowing in the streets etc as my wife says I am, I have another 95 km of canals and lots of dirty streets to show you.
See you on Sunday,
Jaap
Dear hashers,
We had a very interesting walk with Jaap along the Kudghat bazaar and canals where he explained all the Sewerage and Drainage problems of the area. After the Kaal Baishakhi lightning and thunder storm on Sunday night, those of us who went on the Hash will be wondering what the winds and stormwater (rainwater) did to the area we visited.
The major objective of the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project (KEIP) is to collect the wastewater and pump it to wastewater treatment plants to purify it and convey the stormwater, without flooding, towards the drainage canals ofCalcutta and finally to Hoogly or Kulti river. So rehabilitation (cleaning, reshaping) of 100 km of canals (now being used as dumping ground by the locals) is part of the project. We wish the Dutch every luck with the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project (KEIP). Thanks Jaap for a very interesting and informative hash walk.
Joining us on our walk was an American Consulate guest from Washington as well as Alison an American lady working in Calcutta for the last 6 yrs in an NGO teaching computer skills to deaf and underprivileged youth.
Next week, there is a change in schedule as the Mayor of Calcutta will be officially unveiling the Hash sign at Park Street cemetery at 10 am. There will be press coverage too. Hashers should meet at the Horticultural gardens entrance on Belvedere Road at 7 am. After breakfast at the Taj, hashers will then go to Park Street Cemetery for the unveiling of our landmark in Calcutta! Thanks and congratulations everyone for the joint effort.
17th April Sun 7 am Horticultural Gardens, 10 am Park Street Cemetery
Patricia, (French lady from Marseilles who has seen Louise Atttaque perform), and I look forward to seeing the hashers at Bow Barracks to enjoy this French concert in Calcutta.
French Embassy in India, Alliance Francaise de Calcutta and The Telegraph in collaboration with Bow United Organisation present:"LOUISE ATTAQUE attacks Bow Barracks"Tuesday 12 April, 7 pm@ Bow Barracks, next to Bow Bazar Police Station (behind Indian Airlines onCentral Avenue)
Opening performance by NEEL & NEEL
LOUISE ATTAQUE, "One of the best young French rock n'roll band"The accompaniment is excellent folk-rock offset by violin pieces that fit invery effectively. This Musical Group of the Year 1999,and theperform at festivals, delighting the public. Their success is phenomenal and is sooncrowned by the title, in extraordinary sale of 2.5 million albums sold since 1997.
ALL ARE WELCOME
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Botanical Gardens
We had a good turnout at the Botanical Gardens on April 3, 2005. Madhuri brought Ruth who was there after a long time as well as another girl from Austria. Rajesh and his wife were there along with Rajesh Nath who will be traveling for the next 4 weeks. We must have been nearly 25 people. I brought along a French lady, Patricia, staying with me and she was delighted with the greenery and calm of the Botanical gardens and at the prospect of joining our hash and discovering Calcutta with such a wonderful group of people.
We bumped into Mr. Peter Nuttall from Goal and he may also want to join the Hash Group. You’re welcome anytime. New hashers who want to be in the group are requested to pay Rs.400 for 2 Calcutta Hash T shirts to wear to the walks. Hash cash for the walk: Rs.100
Each time we go to the Botanical Gardens we learn some new details from Bonani. The group split up and the slow walkers followed Shantanu towards the waterside where something had died and was fouling the air with a horrible smell. The yellow flowers in full bloom last month were no longer flowering. We saw instead huge trees with a canopy of pink powder puffs. We finally got a description of the palms. The palms that bifurcate in two are the Zanzibar palms. We learnt to differentiate between the betel nut trees and the tall Taal trees whose fruit make interesting fritters called taal bara. These home recipes may soon die out and Shantanu will have to be prevailed upon to bring some taal bara for our next outing. We even saw date palms and the prehistoric cycas trees one of the most primitive living seed plants with their yellow bullet cones. We saw trees from Honduras and dozens of canon balls on the canon ball tree. We even approached a keora tree that is supposed to be a favourite place for snakes as it grows on swampy ground and since we saw a mongoose in the branches, the story may be true. We saw a Kingfisher, a Golden Oriole and a crow pheasant. We saw a lot of still ponds covered in green duck weed but no ducks!
Our group as you can understand was late getting back to the Taj, but we managed to convince Jaap, walking with us, to do the canal trip next Sunday. He will let us know a venue to meet and where to park to visit the Tolly’s Nala.
The Park Street Cemetery sign has been put up and the mayor would like to inaugurate it before the Bengali New Year on 15th April, 2005. Whatever time suits him, not necessarily during Hash hours, some of us should go for the unveiling, although according to Carl, someone has already run off with the jute sack cloth covering the sign.
Here is the schedule for the next few Hashes:
April 10 Tolly’s Nala at 7 am. One hour visit of the canals with the Dutch. Jaap to confirm starting point
April 17 Park Street Cemetery 7 am To go see the sign and find all the tombs mentioned on the sign such as Rose Aylmer, De Rozio etc.
April 24 Taratala Environment Park 7 am
TARA channel is organizing the TARA Drive Kolkata Motor Rally also on 24th April. If you think the Sunday Hash group could sponsor a car, you could.
Entry fee Rs.500. Course length 100 km. Prize money Rs.1 lakh.
The TARA Drive Kolkata Motor rally will be covered on TARA NEWZ so here's a chance for hashers to be on TV.
Look out for more details before next Sunday.
GM Neela 9830014934
We had a good turnout at the Botanical Gardens on April 3, 2005. Madhuri brought Ruth who was there after a long time as well as another girl from Austria. Rajesh and his wife were there along with Rajesh Nath who will be traveling for the next 4 weeks. We must have been nearly 25 people. I brought along a French lady, Patricia, staying with me and she was delighted with the greenery and calm of the Botanical gardens and at the prospect of joining our hash and discovering Calcutta with such a wonderful group of people.
We bumped into Mr. Peter Nuttall from Goal and he may also want to join the Hash Group. You’re welcome anytime. New hashers who want to be in the group are requested to pay Rs.400 for 2 Calcutta Hash T shirts to wear to the walks. Hash cash for the walk: Rs.100
Each time we go to the Botanical Gardens we learn some new details from Bonani. The group split up and the slow walkers followed Shantanu towards the waterside where something had died and was fouling the air with a horrible smell. The yellow flowers in full bloom last month were no longer flowering. We saw instead huge trees with a canopy of pink powder puffs. We finally got a description of the palms. The palms that bifurcate in two are the Zanzibar palms. We learnt to differentiate between the betel nut trees and the tall Taal trees whose fruit make interesting fritters called taal bara. These home recipes may soon die out and Shantanu will have to be prevailed upon to bring some taal bara for our next outing. We even saw date palms and the prehistoric cycas trees one of the most primitive living seed plants with their yellow bullet cones. We saw trees from Honduras and dozens of canon balls on the canon ball tree. We even approached a keora tree that is supposed to be a favourite place for snakes as it grows on swampy ground and since we saw a mongoose in the branches, the story may be true. We saw a Kingfisher, a Golden Oriole and a crow pheasant. We saw a lot of still ponds covered in green duck weed but no ducks!
Our group as you can understand was late getting back to the Taj, but we managed to convince Jaap, walking with us, to do the canal trip next Sunday. He will let us know a venue to meet and where to park to visit the Tolly’s Nala.
The Park Street Cemetery sign has been put up and the mayor would like to inaugurate it before the Bengali New Year on 15th April, 2005. Whatever time suits him, not necessarily during Hash hours, some of us should go for the unveiling, although according to Carl, someone has already run off with the jute sack cloth covering the sign.
Here is the schedule for the next few Hashes:
April 10 Tolly’s Nala at 7 am. One hour visit of the canals with the Dutch. Jaap to confirm starting point
April 17 Park Street Cemetery 7 am To go see the sign and find all the tombs mentioned on the sign such as Rose Aylmer, De Rozio etc.
April 24 Taratala Environment Park 7 am
TARA channel is organizing the TARA Drive Kolkata Motor Rally also on 24th April. If you think the Sunday Hash group could sponsor a car, you could.
Entry fee Rs.500. Course length 100 km. Prize money Rs.1 lakh.
The TARA Drive Kolkata Motor rally will be covered on TARA NEWZ so here's a chance for hashers to be on TV.
Look out for more details before next Sunday.
GM Neela 9830014934
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