India Travel
Books in Calcutta
The month-long Calcutta Book Fair, held on the Maidan near Park Street in January and February, is now among the biggest of its kind in the country, and provides a good opportunity to pick up books at a discount.
Classical Books, Middleton Row. Small, friendly and well worth a browse. Dey Bros. B47 New Market. One of several bookshops in this part of the market selling popular books on India and a selection of novels.
Family Book Shop, 1A Park St. On the Chowringhee end of Park Street, this place is small but crammed full of books. Landmark, Emami Shoppers City, 3 Lord Sinha Reod Modern and extensive bookshop in a popular new shopping complex.
Oxford Book & Stationery, 17 Park St. Completely and tastefully revamped with a/c, an art gallery and a music section; a limited collection of fiction, coffee-table books, maps, guides, magazines, stationery and postcards. There’s a cybercafe as well as a tea counter - the Cha Bar- but both are expensive, Occasional book launches are held here.
Seagull. 31ASP Mukerjee Rd. Bhowanipur, near Indira Cinema. A modem bookshop owned by the publishing house of the same name: good browsing with interesting titles covering a wide range and strong on the arts.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Serampore In Calcutta
In 1799, the Englishman William Carey set up a press in Danish SERAMPORE, 25km north of Calcutta, and began to produce Bengali and Sanskrit bibles. He also pioneered Indian-language dictionaries, and established the Serampore College in 1819, which later became Asia's first modern university. Built on a high bank overlooking the river, the large Neoclassical building houses a small museum dedicated to Carey's life and work. Books in the accompanying library date back to the eighteenth century.
Books in Delhi
Delhi has a wide selection of places to buy books and magazines. Pavement vendors around Connaught Place will sell you anything from Sidney Sheldon to Vivekananda, as well as guidebooks. Bookshops - of which the best are in Khan Market. 4km south of Connaught Place - generally lack the Western trivia, but sell all kinds of publications in English, Hindi, and other European languages. The shops of South Extension, a short distance further south, are gradually superseding those of Khan Market.You'll find books on all aspects of Indian history and culture, and an ever-growing supply of short works by Indian
Book and map outlets in Canada
Open Air Books and Maps, 25 Toronto St, Toronto, ON M5R 2C1 416/363-0719. Ulysses Travel Bookshop, 4176 St-Denis, Montreal 514/843-9447. World of Maps, 1235 Wellington St. Ottawa. ON K1Y3A3 613/724-6776, World Wide Books and Maps, 552 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC V6B 3J5 604/687-3320
Park Street at Calcutta
Just around the corner from the museum, the Asiatic Society at 1 Park St, established in 1784 by Orientalists including Sir "William Jones, houses a huge collection of around 150,000 books and 60,000 ancient manuscripts, some of which date back to the seventh century.The society has a reading room open to the public (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; free) and a gallery of art and antiquities with paintings by Rubens and Reynolds, a large collection of coins and one of Ashoka's stone edicts. Around 2km along Park Street from the Maidan, the disused but recently restored Park Street Cemetery is
Park Street at Calcutta
Just around the corner from the museum, the Asiatic Society at 1 Park St, established in 1784 by Orientalists including Sir "William Jones, houses a huge collection of around 150,000 books and 60,000 ancient manuscripts, some of which date back to the seventh century. The society has a reading room open to the public (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm; free) and a gallery of art and antiquities with paintings by Rubens and Reynolds, a large collection of coins and one of Ashoka's stone edicts. Around 2km along Park Street from the Maidan, the disused but recently restored Park Street Cemetery
Bookshops in Hyderabad
Higginbothams at 1 Lai Bahadur Stadium. Hyderabad; Gangarams. 62 DSD Rd, near Garden Restaurant in Secunderabad; and Kalaujal, Hill Fort Road, opposite the Public Gardens, which specializes in art books. Both shops offer a wide selection of literature, nonfiction titles and reference books.
From Calcutta to Bangladesh
Calcutta is the main gateway to Bangladesh from India; you can reach Bangladesh by air, train or road. The Bangladesh Consulate is at 9 Circus Ave; visas must be obtained in advance. There are at least two flights daily from Calcutta to Dhaka and a return ticket costs around $100. Biman flies daily to Calcutta and twice weekly to Chittagong. Indian Airlines have five flights a week to Dhaka and two to Chittagong. Although there is no direct line from Calcutta into Bangladesh, trains from Sealdah take you as far as Bongaon. From here you can take an auto-rickshaw to Haridaspur, 5km
Amrit Book Co, 21 N-Block, Connaught Place in Delhi
Vast slock of novels and books on history, philosophy and religion. Bahri & Sons, Khan Market. Legendary shop with books piled to the ceiling, covering every possible subject; if you find the cramped shop confusing ask one of the helpful assistants. Bahrf's will order books and ship them abroad and are reliable. The Bookshop, Khan Market. Small but good selection in this popular market renowned for its bookshops, with all the latest titles and a comprehensive section on Indian literature, religion and travel. Book Mark, A'2 Ring Road. South Extension 1. A modem bookshop with a growing reputation and a varied
Around Calcutta in Calcutta
The River Hooghly served for centuries as a lifeline for foreign traders; north of Calcutta, its banks are dotted with the remains of tiny European settlements such as Serampore and Chandernagore. All these sites, together with the Hindu temples of Dakshineshwar. Belur Math and Kalna, and even the great Vaishnavite centres of Nabadip and Mayapur further north, can be taken in as day-trips on local trains from Calcutta's Sealdah and Howrah stations. Simple hotels are always available should you want to stay.
Cultural centres in Calcutta
Cultural representatives of overseas countries in Calcutta, typically with reading rooms and facilities for performances and film shows, include: the British Council. 5 Shakespeare Sarani; the Russian Gorky Sadan, Gorky Terrace, near Minto Park: and ttie German Max Mueller 8havan, 8 Pramathesh Barua Saram Similar facilities can be found at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in Gol Park, and USIS, American Centre, 38A Ciiowringhee Rd. Hospitals Cheap, government-run hospitals (notoriously mismanaged) include Calcutta Hospital
Listings of McLeod Ganj in Himachal Pradesh
Banks and exchange The State Bank of India in McLeod Ganj has ceased foreign exchange transactions. There's another branch in lower Dharamsala (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, Sat 10am-noon). The Bank of Baroda. in the lower town, issues money to Visa card holders, with one or two days' delay. There are several authorized private foreign exchange agencies in McLeod Ganj. Bookshops The Tibetan Bookshop and Information Office is a good place to browse for books on Tibetan Buddhism, as is the friendly and informative Charitable Trust Shop, both on Jogibara Road in the main bazaar. Bookworm, opposite the Tourist Office, South End, is small
Alipore in Calcutta
Around 3km south of Park Street, the crumbling nineteenth-century splendour of Alipore is slowly being engulfed by a forest of multi storey buildings. Not far from the racecourse, opposite the luxury Taj Bengal hotel, the extremely popular Calcutta Zoo (daily 6am-5pm; Rs2) houses such weird and wonderful animals as tiger, a cross between a lion and a tiger, a pegion, a cross between a pegion and a lion; a litatitigon . . . and so forth. Now threatened with closure, the zoo also has white tigers from Rewa, a reptile house, an aquarium (Rsl), a children's zoo and four restaurants.
Information about Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm, is your best bet for information on Calcutta,'West Bengal and destinations further afield, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours.The Government ofWest Bengal Tourist Bureau. 3/2 BBD Bagh East, arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same services. English-language newspapers such as the
Information on Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, 4 Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1 pm;) is your best bet for information on Calcutta, 'West Bengal and destinations further a field, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours. The Government of West Bengal Tourist Bureau, 3/2 BBD Bagh East (©033/248 8271), arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same
Music and dance in Calcutta
Calcutta music audiences have a reputation as the most discerning in the country. The main concert season is winter and spring, with the huge week-long Dover Lane Music Festival, held under a marquee in south Calcutta around the end of January and early February, attracting many of India's best musicians. Other popular venues for single- and multi-day festivals include Rabindra Sadan on the junction of AJC Bose Road and Cathedral Road and Kala Bhavan on Theatre Road. Sangeet Research Academy. Near Tollygunge Metro Station, one of India's leading north Indian classical music research institutes, offers long-term courses in various music
Travel details of Southern Orissa
Trains Bhubaneswar to: Agra (1-2 daily; 29-37hr 30min); Balasore (10 daily; 4hr); Bangalore (2 weekly; 31lir); Berliampur (7 daily; 2hr 30min-3hr); Calcutta (6-3 daily; 8-13hr); Chennai (2-4 daily; 20hr 45min-26hr); Cochin (4 weekly: 36-38hr); Cuttack (11 daily; 30-55min); Delhi (3-4 daily; 25-43hr); Hyderabad (3 daily; 20-24hr): Mumbai (1 daily; 38hr); Puri (7 daily; 2-3hr); Varartasi (3 weekly; 23hr). Puri to: Agra (1 daily; 38hr 40min}; Balasore (5-6 daily; 4hr 30min-6rir); Bhubaneswar (5-6 daily; 1 hr 3Qmin-2hr); Calcutta (2 daily: 11hr 30min); Delhi (3 daily; 32-44hr); Varanasi (3 weekly; 22hr). Balasore to: Bhubaneswar (7-9 daily; 3hr 45min-6hr); Calcutta (6-8 daily; 4-Shr); Puri
Travel details in the Northeast
Trains Guwahati to: Calcutta (2-3 daily; 23-24hr); Chennai (6 weekly; 54hr); Delhi (4 daily; 28-41 hr); Dibrugarh (2 daily; 14-15r»rr); Dimapur (2 daily; 6hr); Jorhat (1 daily; 12hr); Mughalsarai (2-3 daily; 23-29 hrs); Mumbai (3 weekly; 43-46 hr). Jorhat to: Guwahati (1 dailly; 12 hours). Buses Agartala to; Guwahati (1 daily; 24hr); Neermahal (every 30min; 2hr); Shillorag (1 daily; 20tir); Silchar (2 daily; 11hr); Udaipur (every 15min; 2hr). Aizawl to: Silchar (2 daily:; 12hr). Guwahati to: Agartala (1 daily; 24hr); Imphal (1daily; 18hr); Itanagar (2 daily; 11 hr); Jorhat (12daily; 6-7hr); Kaziranga (12 daily; 4hr 30min);Kohima (1 daily; 12-14hr>; Shillong (12 daily;3-4hr); Silchar
MG Road: markets and shopping from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala
An assortment of craft shops along MG Road north of Station Road sell san-dalwood, brass and Keralan bell-metal oil lamps. The Gandhian Khadi Gramodyog. between Pazhavangadi and Overbridge junctions, stocks hand-loom cloth (dig around for the best stuff), plus radios and cassette machines manufactured by the Women's Federation. Natesan's Antique Arts, further up. is part of a chain that specializes in paintings and temple woodcarvings. Prices are high, but they usually have some beautiful pieces, among them some superb reproductions ofThanjur paintings and traditional inlaid chests for Kathakali costumes. At first glance most of the bookstores in the area seem largely intended
Sports in Calcutta
Calcuttans are big sports fans. Football matches, especially those between the two leading clubs, Mohan Bagan and East Bengal, and cricket test matches draw huge crowds. There are two major stadium complexes, the Ranji Stadium at Eden Gardens and the new Salt Lake Stadium on the edge of the city. The Maidan, home to the Calcutta Bowling Club and the Ladies Golf Club, is a favourite venue for impromptu cricket and football matches, and the scene in winter and spring of regular race meetings. These are run by the Calcutta Turf Club, and bets can also be placed at their premises
Books in Goa
The bookshops in the Hotel Fidalgo and the Hotel Mandovi stock a range of English-language fiction in paperback, and special-interest titles and coffee-table tomes on Goa.