 Vendors sell hot bread throughout the day to residents of this colourful precinct. (Right) Built in the mid 1920s, the Nakhoda Mosque is the soaring red landmark of the area. (Top Right) Though these posters are on sale in the Muslim area only a few show Islamic motifs. |
  Though Haji Latif Abdulla has never had his business devastated by fire much of his life’s work has gone up in smoke! As I slowly sauntered down Rabindra Sarani exploring an alluring sector of Calcutta where the city’s rich Muslim heritage is readily visible he beckoned me into his shop to explain such a seemingly contradictory statement.
The hospitality seemed earnest so I paused to hear his tale at the same time a veteran rumbled through this enclave of the immensely interesting city. The frantic clang clang of a rusty bell was quickly sobering as it alerted me to an oncoming tram trying to negotiate its way past the clogged traffic.
Trams have been a part of life in Calcutta for well over 120 years. The first cobbled roadways were laid down in 1779. Arriving in tandem with them was the introduction of horse drawn carriages. In 1880 horses pulled the city’s first tramcar but the beasts of burden were soon replaced by steam powered trams. Electric tramcars began operating in 1902.
An illustrated feature on Calcutta’s historic Muslim area can be written on assignment from 1000 to 2000 words depending upon editorial requirements. A short ‘sidebar’ or a longer dedicated feature can also be written on the architectural showpieces of the former capital of the British Raj.
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