Taking the past along

Kolkata's crumbling heritage homes are finding a future through a new website

When you think of Kolkata’s grand old structures — mansions dating back over a century, grandiose neo-classical homes where the zamindars (landlords) and rich traders of the East India Company once lived —, the northern part of the city is what comes to mind.

In south Kolkata, the abode of middle-income Bengalis since the late 19th century, it’s concrete high-rises that virtually envelope the landscape. Yet, intermittently, an ageing two- or three-storey house catches the eye.

To get a sense of how south Kolkata once looked, one can refer to some of Satyajit Ray’s movies set around the middle-income Bengali