Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Holding Court In Calcutta

Simply A Matter Of Justice

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON


The city of my birth is now officially known as Kolkata, but it's interesting to note that the oldest High Court in the land (established in 1862) is still the Calcutta High Court. The building is renowned not just for its wonderful Gothic architecture and striking colours, but for its proximity to the Eden Gardens as well.

When I'm using a camera, I like getting as close to my subject as possible, but as you can see from the first frame, I actually walked as far away as possible to put the High Court in its proper perspective, with the greenery on the approach street. In fact, the traffic roundabout almost gives it a fisheye-lens effect.

There is some interesting trivia here. The High Court is an exact replica of the Town Hall in Ypres, Belgium, which was destroyed by fire. Before Belgian authorities could begin the task of rebuilding it, the plans for the High Court - half a world away - had to be studied in order to begin the massive task of reconstruction.

6 comments:

Cuckoo said...

Hi David,
Interesting info. I didn't about it !

Shame on me, eh ? ;)

Take care,

david mcmahon said...

Hi Cuckoo,

I remember my parents telling me that it was almost a carbon copy of the Town Hall - but of course, like a good journalist, I had to check the facts!

Will get back to you in the next 24 hours, if not sooner, with some detailed feedback on your site.

Cheers

David

Anonymous said...

Hi David,

Having spent all those years in Calcutta,you have one over me. I was born there but only actually spent the last six years there before I left India, since Dad was 'on the railways' and we moved around.

However, I remember many wonderful old buildings - esp. St. Paul's Cathedral and the Victoria Memorial. I appreciate your many intense memories, because they mirror my own, despite my short sojourn in that great old city!

This is a beautiful shot. What an interesting piece of information re the Belgian prototype. I've been to Brussels when one of my aunts was still living there and been captivated by their town square and buildings.

By the way, I received (from Neil and Andrew) a lovely Sony digital camera which I am soon going to be carrying around with me. Who knows what I will be able to capture, but I will have to submit to the experts!

Pijush said...

Hi David,

Excellent post with good information. My home town is Kharagpur, in West Bengal. Eventually when I visited Kolkata first time in my childhood, this is the first picture I have taken. In one way this is my first picture I have taken in my life and delighted to see this one in your blog.
But, the second picture is blared, and the image has lost its sharpness. Is it because you have zoomed it, or taken in a still camera. I need some more time to go through your older posts. You have a very nice blog and impressive profile.

Keep posting.
Pijush

david mcmahon said...

Dear Carol,

I always look forward to comments from you. I think it's terrific that we have wonderful memories of Calcutta - how soul-destroying would it be for someone who had no fond recall of a city they spent time in?

Thanks for your encouragement - I'm glad you enjoyed the photographs. I did cover as many familiar sights as I could in the very brief time I was there on that unexpected visit.

Like you, I was lucky enough to go to Brussels - and loved the place.

Great to hear you've got a new camera slung over your shoulder - perhaps you can take part in the `Grate Expectations' photo contest announced on this blog. Remember - it's all about how you interpret the task, and you don't have to be a professional photographer.

In fact, throw down the gauntlet to Neil (you listenin' Neil?) and get him to enter as well ....

Lots of love

David

david mcmahon said...

Hi Pijush,

Lovely to hear from you. I never lived in Kharagpur, but I know the place quite well. I had to travel there in my first year as a cadet journalist - to write a magazine cover story about the Anglo-Indian community.

Is the railway institute still going strong?

Yes, the second picture is indeed a bit blurred - but that's because I post low-resolution images here on the blog. The original high-resolution image is crisp and sharp, but if I posted it here, the page would take much longer to load.

I'm glad you liked the blog - and I look forward to seeing some of your photography. Good luck and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again.

Cheers

David