Oh Calcutta..., a photo from West Bengal, East

Photographer's Note

Pictured here is College Street, a 1.5 km long street in central Kolkata (Calcutta) in the Indian state of West Bengal. It stretches (approximately) from Ganesh Chandra Avenue Crossing in Bowbazar area to Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing. It houses the Indian Coffee House (or the ‘Coffee House’ as it’s more commonly called), a café that is said to have attracted the city's intelligentsia for decades and many educational institutes that include the Presidency University (estd 1817) and the University of Calcutta (estd 1857).
The College Street is most famous for its small and big bookstores, which give it the nickname Boi Para (Colony of Books). The street is also dotted with countless very small book kiosks which sell new and old books. An article in the journal Smithsonian described College Street as ...a half-mile of bookshops and bookstalls spilling over onto the pavement, carrying first editions, pamphlets, paperbacks in every Indian language, with more than a fair smattering of books in and out of print from France, Germany, Russia and England (Wikipedia). It is said to be the largest second-hand book market in the world and the largest book market in India and collectively boasts of a collection of almost any title ever sold at Kolkata. At College Street one can buy rare books at throw-away prices (after extensive bargaining of course).
What I found attractive about the location (like many others in kolkata) was the view of a seemingly endless flow of life with a mix of people with widely varying lifestyles and socio economic status.

imageme, holmertz, jhm, No_One, ourania, tedesse, Royaldevon, COSTANTINO, abmdsudi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

imageme (1790) 2014-03-14 13:00

Hi Satya, It is quite busy in College Street. People in the scene probably like to read a lot. Second hand book stores are very common in Quebec too. There are few just near where I live and I think this is a good idea to help those who want to read but are not able to afford the first hand book. I like this picture as it is what happen daily in this book market. Best regards
Anna

Fis2 (171849) 2014-03-14 13:03

Witaj Satya!
Curious place, curious scene.
I like daily life shot.
Good colors and sharpness.
Best regards
Krzysztof

lousat (139926) 2014-03-14 13:07

Hi Satya,there is all the sensation of confusion and life of Calcutta inside your pic,truly beautiful,full of things to watch,colors and details,an excellent idea for an interesting post,i like it! Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

holmertz (103564) 2014-03-14 13:33

Hello Satya,
I have been browsing here in some of these bookstalls a few times but didn't buy much. Books get heavy in a backpack or suitcase. But this is a very enjoyable street and your photo shows it well. There are so many people, so many signs, so much to see, and yet this is a rather orderly crowd, not quite the total confusion of some parts of the city. I love the atmosphere and the fine colours of this photo.
Kind regards,
Gert

pajaran (116971) 2014-03-14 16:18

Pozdrav.
Vrlo interesantan i dobar tekst, sa istorijom i opisom ...
Lep pogled i trenutak ...
Dobar trenutak snimka, ostrina i kontrast, lepo pokazano mesto i trenutak, lepe boje.
Dobar rad i kompozicija, lepo uhvacen trenutak.
Sve najbolje za vikend, srecno.
Paja.

Greetings.
Very interesting and good text, with a history and description of the ...
Nice view and a second ...
Good time recording, sharpness and contrast nicely shown the place and the moment, pretty colors.
Good work and composition, well captured moment.
All the best for the weekend, good luck.
Paja.

jhm (211738) 2014-03-15 2:30

Hello Satya,

A very busy moment, with image of the city and shop.
Everything is perfect as well as light and composition.
An interesting image of a nice place with good sharpness, depth and quality
Very well composition, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

ChrisJ (172378) 2014-03-15 2:38

Hi Satya

A superb daily life scene on the busy streets of Calcutta which is also now known as Kolkata. The diffused light works well here and sharpness is excellent. I like the bookstore sign in dual English and Hindi. Nice warm cold color contrasts and the man with the laoded tricycle adds interest. Tfs!

Subhogen (4067) 2014-03-15 2:46

Hello Satya,
This is a corner which I instantly recognise, as I used to see this day in and day out for 2 years when I did my Masters from Calcutta University. The colours and the hustle and bustle of this place has been very well captured by your lens. I get the same thrill even today when I go to Boi para to buy some books. Thanks for refreshing my memories. Wish you a very Happy Holi as well with friends and family.
Regards,
Subho

Sergiom (117241) 2014-03-15 6:58

Bonjour Satya,

Ce n'est pas l'action qui manque sur ce coin de rue. Il y a de la vie et de l'animation avec de belles couleurs vives.Un point de vue parfait et une bonne gestion de la lumière.

Bon samedi

Serge

No_One (4) 2014-03-15 8:44

Hi Satya,
This scene is brimming with so much life! You have captured the soul of the city here as so many people go about their business, oblivious to the camera and each other. So many people doing so many different things! One thing that strikes me too is the beautiful script on the sign above the shop, to my eyes it is so exotic.
Thanks as always
noel

ourania (51103) 2014-03-16 8:49

Hello Satya,
a very vibrant and interesting daily life scene from a busy street of Kolkata. I like very much how spontaneous and transient this scene looks and how familiar and timeless it feels at the same time. The presence and movement of the people is fluid and purposeful, depth and sharpness are excellent, lighting and colours look so natural and pleasing. A very rewarding picture, congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a lovely week,
Ourania

wolf38 (30) 2014-03-16 9:03

Hi Satya. A vivid photo with many details. Rickshaws and a lot of people. All kinds of goods are delivered and sold. Yes, for photographers India is very interesting.
Rgds, Wolfgang.

Silvio1953 (222811) 2014-03-16 12:39

Ciao Satya, lovely composition with a lot of people, nice scene full of life, wonderful colors, splendid light and excellent clarity, very well done my friend, ciao Silvio

tedesse (25147) 2014-03-16 16:31

Hello Satya!
Interesting picture of life in Calcutta.
Good POV, nice colors and good sharpness.
Regards
Tadeusz

Royaldevon (86392) 2014-03-17 2:04

Hello Satya,

You paint a wonderful atmosphere of a busy noisy street, full of people shopping, working or just leisurely browsing. It is colourful and attractive as you scan the photograph decoding signs and deciphering expressions.
It is such a pity that you lost the feet and part of the front wheel of focal image but that is what happens when people are moving. The shot would have lost much of its spontaneous charm had it been stationary and posed.
Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

Cricri (176) 2014-03-17 10:40

Hi Satya
Un après midi plein de vie, très animée, il y a beaucoup de détails a regarder, les couleurs, les scènes différentes, j'aime cette présentation
Belle soirée
cricri

COSTANTINO (117700) 2014-03-18 14:22

Hello
how many people down there everybody interested
in something else your notes are very useful
this is a very enjoyable street and this
shot shows it very well
regards
Costantino

macjake (98544) 2014-03-20 16:36

Hi Satya
you know i enjoy these type of photos from India, so much to keep my eyes busy as i scan the image from side to side.

on a more technical note, its too bad the photo couldn't have the bottom of the mans feet and the wheels/tires in the fg.

really enjoy the signs and all the activity, good street scene.
cheers
craig

abmdsudi (95869) 2014-12-21 23:08

Namste Satya
Excellent narratives accompanying this shot, wonderful image so full of detail capturing the feeling of one of the busiest streets so well. It is full of life and swarming with humanity, I think this can be a shock to a first time visitor. It's well cropped - helps the viewer to focus attention on the subject. Great in colour and clarity, spot on street photography. Excellent snap. Congrats, tfs
Best regards