Yet another (infamous) London connection - discovering a new identity for Calcutta

They say you learn something everyday. 
 
While mentioning that I am from Calcutta, one of my colleagues (who happens to be from Sudan) in my London office exclaimed: Oh! Calcutta-Bilaad-Al-Naamis" (!!)

When I asked what that meant, he told me that since the ancient Arab days, this has been a popular statement among people in Arab (just like our comments like "Mecca-of-cricket" or "Chicken-A-La-Kiev", etc.). He even agreed to write it down:

"Calcutta-Bilaad-Al-Naamis"

So what does it mean? Apparently it means "Calcutta the house of mosquitoes" (!!).

Now I do know that Kiev and Chicken are not related. Nor is Mecca with cricket. But I can't deny that Calcutta and its little friends are not related. 


At last now I know of something other than the Rosogolla that has been making our city famous (since the last 1000 years!)

Random

Random pictures with Debashish. 

At the Bedfont Lakes office. Not the nicest offices to be in :(

Selfie moment

Chinatown probably

Not shot in iPhone 6 though

Quick one in London

This time, it was with Debashish (DRC). I had forgotten the Bedfont Lakes office as it is not the best of offices I'd like to visit :) Nobody gives a shit about Bedfont really. So depressing. Nobody makes it feel better than Southbank actually (when am I going to be there, next?).

Anyway, this trip would be memorable due to the two very valuable (at least historically) assets I picked up during a casual stroll along Southbank. 

Printing was absolute pain in the arse those days. Lithography - was used as a process. This one in particular was printed out of a hand-made steel engraving and then hand-coloured.

Now, can you imagine building such a detailed 'template' being hand-engraved in steel. Closer look in the 2nd picture. 

Perfect details on 'human settlements' along the banks of the Hoogly. The Fort William (originally designed to resemble a lotus flower) was huge. Of course, it moved to its modern position today and no longer stands now. It has been replaced by the GPO in that position.

Now this is one is a treasure for me. A 1756 (!) original print based on the Great Exodus in The Bible. You can see Moses and team on the right having crossed over to the neighboring land. The Pharaoh and his men is being engulfed by the Red Sea. I was also interested in the manner in which the Pharaoh and his men has been depicted. That is, not the traditional mummified-version of the Pharaohs that we come across in museums. But that's the originality isn't it? I just realised that our version of the Pharaoh-depictions (head band and all that) is according to the discoveries of the Egyptian civilization (=tombs & mummies). But this was early 18th century and people had no idea how Egyptians looked like. 

Oh boy am I glad today? 

This was developed under a copper-template by the way. Same process. Same pain. And hand-color-painted. There was a series of these paintings in the anique-shop but I didn't think I could afford any more.