Raj Bhavan of Kolkata: Two Hundred Years of Grandeur

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Governor General Lord Wellesley took up residence in the Government House, as it was then called, in 1803, even before the last of the artisans had vacated the mansion, such was his impatience to live in a home worthy of the ruler of the British empire in India. Twenty-three Governors General and later Viceroys lived in this house, until the capital shifted to Delhi in 1912. The first Indian occupant was C. Rajagopalachari, the governor of Bengal, in 1947. And over the years, as the erstwhile City of Palaces metamorphosed into the City of Processions, Raj Bhavan remained its pristine self, regally removed from the hustle-bustle of the city and its people. In this sumptuous and lavishly illustrated collection, Basudeb Chattopadhyay narrates the story behind the building of the Government House, Swapan Mullick talks of its diverse occupants, while Prabir Mitra discusses the architecture of the building. Bunny Gupta and Jaya Chaliha describe the lives of the British residents; and Sovan Som of its lavish interiors as a symbol of power. Sukanta Chaudhuri discusses the significance of the building in the contemporary world and Saroj Mukherjee recalls the experience of living in it. The Raj Bhavan is not simply a heritage building, museum or art gallery. It is Kolkata’s most rooted, most telling monument to a crucial period of the nation’s history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ina Puri

A native of Kolkata, Ina Puri has been curating exhibitions and working for the promotion of the arts, in India and all over the world, for over fifteen years. Her books include Journey with a Hundred Strings (a memoir of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma) and a pocket book on Manjit Bawa. She is currently working on a biography of Manjit Bawa; a cultural biography of Shantiniketan, and pocket books on Jogen Chaudhuri and thota Vaikuntham. Ina has produced a film ‘Meeting manjit’ on Bawa, directed by Buddhadeb Dasgupta. She divides her time between Delhi and Kolkata.

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Bibliographic information

Title
Raj Bhavan of Kolkata: Two Hundred Years of Grandeur
Author
Edition
1st ed.
Publisher
ISBN
0670049956
Length
140p., Tables; Col. & B/w Plates; 29cm.
Subjects