History of Kolkata

This time, the visit has been facilitated by the Italian consulate here, with which the commission has been holding talks on the issue for quite some time now. Once the restoration projects start, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), will also be involved as a partner.

Invoking a past: The interior of the Imambara

And though both are in a state of dilapidation, it now looks as if they won't meet the same sad end as their creator and his kingdom: the Left-ruled Calcutta Municipal Corporation has decided to spend Rs 42 lakh for urgent repairs of the two structures.

The Imambara is like a miniature, though less ornate, model of the grand Bara Imambara at Lucknow that was built by Wajid Ali's great-grandfather Asaf-ud-Daulah in 1784. However, this Imambara also has its rich slice of history, including tazias that date back to Wajid Ali's times. The nawab's grave, as that of his son and many of his descendants, are located inside the Imambara.

A silver- and gold-plated teak tazia that's 125 years old and two big bowls made of Firoza, a special stone imported from Persia that is said to change colour on coming into contact with any poisonous substance (and, hence, favoured by royalty to make plates, cups and bowls for personal use), are some of the objects kept under lock and key in a room that houses the last resting place of Wajid Ali Shah. Symbolically, a red velvet settee that was depicted as the nawab's throne in Shatranj Ke Khiladi and gifted to the Sibtainabad Trust that runs the Imambara by Ray after the shooting, occupies pride of place inside this well-guarded room. A big bronze plate with the royal insignia of the rulers of Awadh, stained glass windows, massive chandeliers and finely wrought railings provide a glimpse into the Awadh royalty's rich past.

Syed Ibne Hasan Naqvi, secretary of the trust and great-grandson of Syed Mohammad Naqvi, Sultan ul-Ulema (the head ulema in the court of the Nawab of Awadh), is happy that efforts to get funds for the Imambara and Shahi Masjid's restoration have finally paid off. "The shahnasheen (where the tazias are kept) and the saiban (the large verandah used for gatherings) at this Imambara have become very weak and need urgent repairs, as does the roof. Also, many priceless articles like these chandeliers and some rare paintings and photographs need to be restored," Naqvi told Outlook. The trust is headed by Prince Nayyer Quder, one of the two surviving great grandsons of Wajid Ali Shah.

Several buildings packed with tonnes of tarpaulin and textile materials at Nandaram Market in Burrabazar were completely gutted in one of the most devastating fires in Kolkata's memory.

HISTORY IN FLAMES

• Burrabazar's origin as a trading hub dates back to the 18th century, when Kolkata started flourishing
  
• Bengali, Punjabi and Harayanvi businessmen originally set up shop here
  
• Marwari businesses sprang up from the late 18th century and expanded further in the 19th century
  
• Till the 1920s, Burrabazar controlled India's wholesale trade
  
• Unofficially, futures trading originated in Burrabazar in the 1920s
  
• Daily volume of trade is estimated at Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 crore

The Parshwanath temples in Jharkhand show the influence of Jains in the region
It is believed that Lord Mahavira had visited the Rarh area of Bengal, though this clam is not supported by historical evidence
Ancient Jain monuments can also be found at Pakbirra, a remote Purulia village close to the Bankura border

The temples stand forlorn and the signs are fading, but Bengal's Jain connection goes back almost 1,000 years. Historians believe that Purulia and Burdwan experienced a remarkable Jain influence from the 10th to 15th centuries.

The Jains seem to have migrated to Bengal from the western parts of the country through Benaras and Jharkhand.

"In some places like Purulia, the migrating Jains managed to hold on to their distinct traditions and culture for a long time. Whereas in Burdwan, they got more or less absorbed into the local populace. There is a traditional theory that Lord Mahavira had at one time visited the Rarh areas and had a strong following there. There is no evidence to support this, however," says noted historian Bratindranath Mukhopadhyay.

The team of experts were visiting the city to attend a workshop on "Delivering urban regeneration projects - the UK experience", which was also attended by the British deputy high commissioner to Eastern India, Simon Wilson.

According to Wilson, "Regeneration is not just about restoring old buildings, but taking the heritage and cultural inheritance and making it work for citizens of the 21st century." The former is restoration and the latter is regeneration, he added.

KOLKATA: On Thursday, the Howrah railway station here, the second oldest in the country, completes a century. A week-long centenary celebration is planned.

Had it not been for a ship carrying a locomotive from England in 1853 losing its way in the oceans to land up on Australia's western coast, and another carrying railway coaches sinking near the sand-heads close to Kolkata port, the country's first train service might well have originated from Howrah station as had been planned.

The West Bengal government transferred the ownership of the 165-year-old structure to Suri's Bharat Hotels Ltd, at a board meeting of the hotel at the state secretariat.

"I am immensely glad to be in Kolkata to shoot for 'The Namesake'. I spent several summers in this city and got my cultural orientation here. I used to stay in a house on Cornfield Road in Ballygunge," Nair told IANS in an interview.

After filming in New York, Nair Sunday started a fortnight-long shoot for "The Namesake", a movie adapted from Pulitzer-winning Jhumpa Lahiri's eponymous debut novel tracing the journey of US-born Gogol who is torn by his Bengali heritage.

"I am a big fan of Satyajit Ray and Ritwick Ghatak. I have posters of Ghatak's 1960 film 'Meghe Dhaka Tara' (The Cloud Capped Star) in my room. I learnt a lot from Ghatak," said the director of "Salaam Bombay", "Kamasutra" and "Mississippi Masala".