Trip to Kolkata-2

# Day 3, 15th August 2009:- A family function was the reason I had gone to Kolkata. It was my maternal uncle’s first death anniversary and it happened to be on 15th August. The house was full of relatives both near and distant ones. I and my mom spent the whole afternoon chatting with some of them. In the evening there was a remembrance gathering which included neighbors also. But it seemed most of the people had just come to chat. While songs were being sung, people at back just kept talking. I stopped myself from standing up and shouting “Stop this facade.” There was just lot of hypocrisy around and I would not like to dwell on that. Moving on to the next day;

# Day 4, 16th August 2009 :- At last Dad took me sightseeing around Kolkata..but due to rains we couldn’t stick to our time schedule. First we went to Science City.

Science City, the largest science centre in the sub-continent, under the National Council of Science Museums consists of two facilities, the Science Centre and the Convention Centre. The Science Centre complex comprises Space Odyssey, Dynamotion, Evolution Theme Park, Maritime Centre and a Science Park. The Space Odyssey houses India’s first Large Format Film Theatre, Time Machine, 3-D Vision Theatre, Mirror Magic and exhibits on space science, motion, electricity and virtual reality. The Dynamotion Hall has a Butterfly Corner, Aquaria, an exposition on giant robotic insects and host of interactive exhibits on science & technology for both education and entertainment of the visitors.

It was an awesome place for people interested in science. There was a small scientific show on dry ice where I got applauded for my correct answers. The Time Machine was cool too but my mom got very scared. A 70 mm documentary called “The Living Sea” was telecasted in the Space Theatre. It was simply awesome!! Though photography was prohibited people were taking pictures inside the theatre. I decided not to in the best interests of my camera. In the collage below you can see the science city building, mom walking on the musical piano, the “see your voice” equipment and “The Powers of Ten”.

Due to rain, we were unable to visit rest of science city and take more snaps. Then we went to visit one of my Dad’s friends in South Kolkata and had lunch there. I was able to take a snap of the famous “Tram”. Kolkata is the only city in India to have a tram network. Kolkata tram is the oldest operating electric tram of Asia, running since 1902. Trams are under the administration of the Calcutta Tramways Company, popularly called CTC.

From there we went to the Millennium Park located along the Strand Road. The most wonderful thing about this park is that its on the bank of river Hooghly. A nice place to sit and relax. But there are some bad areas of the park where one can see the pollution of the river. One can see both the Vidyasagar Setu and the Howrah Bridge from the park. Check out my photoblog for more photos of the park and its activities.

It was already dusk by the time we reached the famous Victoria Memorial. So all the snaps did not come out that well as my camera is not suited for night photography.

Dead tired after roaming about all day, we came back home.

# Day 5, 17th August 2009 :- Spent the morning shopping at the City Centre Mall in Salt Lake. Bought 2 dress materials and two pairs of shoes for myself My soul would have been restless if I returned from a trip without any shopping!! Then afternoon went in packing and we left for station by 6 pm, 2 hours before the train’s departure time. Kolkata traffic and roads are unpredictable!!

As soon as we reached Howrah station, I made a beeline for the Wheeler outlet and bought a lot of books and increased our luggage by one bag consisting only of books

Reached home next day after a nice and “fruitful” trip to Kolkata

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