Calcutta is brimming with History and the only way to soak it all in is to walk through it. Last month as I stopped over at Calcutta on my way to Meghalaya, I was introduced to Navpreet Arora – the heart and brain behind FunOnStreets. Navpreet quit her corporate job last year to follow her passion for History and introducing locals and tourists to her city through walking tours. Her in-depth research and love for story-telling is what make her walks most interesting. In two days I went for two walks with her exploring completely different aspects of the city.

Her Colonial Walk is set around Dalhousie Square (now known as Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh), the area that was the financial, social and political nucleus of the city when Calcutta was the capital of British India in 18th and 19th centuries. Dalhousie Square was named for James Marquees of Dalhousie who served as the governor general of India from 1847 to 1856.

The square is surrounded by monumental buildings like Writers Building, General Post Office, The Royal Insurance Building, St. Andrew’s Church, St. John’s Cathedral etc. In the centre lies Laal Dighi or red tank which was named so because it’s water reflected the red colour of the buildings surrounding it.

Here’s the walk in few pictures, for the stories behind these buildings, go take a walk with Navpreet.

The Telegraph Office

The Coin Building

St. Andrew’s Church

Writers’ Building

Royal Insurance Building

GPO (General Post Office)

Laal Dighi

St. John’s Cathedral

Zoffany’s Last Supper

Calcutta Highcourt

Next time you are in Calcutta, do take a walk with FunOnStreets. There’s no better way to knowing a city than to walk.

I love Heritage and History walks so if you know of one in your city or have gone for one while traveling do let me know about it in the comments.