Fort William restarts heritage walk for civilians

This is an 18th-century building and houses HQ, Eastern Command, Kolkata. There used to be a heritage walk around Fort William but COVID-19 led to its suspension for two years. This suspension is withdrawn. The building has a rich collection of army history starting from the Battle of Plassey. Visitors enjoy seeing parts of the 18th-century history and storing bits and pieces of information. There are various heritage buildings on the campus. These include a chapel-cum-library. It bears a strong resemblance to the chapel of the Trinity Hall in Cambridge, the Kitchener House and its grand dining table. There are also the Dalhousie barracks where Netaji was kept before being shifted to his Elgin House residence. While inaugurating the walk, Chief of Staff Lt Gen. K.K. Repswal, HQ, Eastern Command, said - “We used to have heritage walks in 2019 but because of the pandemic, it was stopped for two years. Today, we are resuming the walk. You will get to see a lot of war history, about life in Fort William and see the heritage structures here.” Heritage walk resumes at Fort William after pandemic break. Calcutta Heritage Collective arranged the inaugural walk. This is a group created to restore, revive and reuse built heritage in the city and the state.

The shape of Fort William is octagonal. Five of its sides face the land while the remaining three face the Hooghly. Moreover, there is a 9m deep and 15m wide moat. Incidentally, there used to be a fort built near where the GPO stands today. The British East India Company built it between 1698 and 1706. They named it after King William III. The current fort, too, gets its name. Anyway, in 1756, the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daulah, attacked the old fort and took over the city. He renamed it Alinagar. Subsequently, the British constructed the new fort in the Maidan area in 1758. It was after the Battle of Plassey and completed in 1781. There are three layers of defense for the fort. These are the rampart walls, the moat (now dry) and a garden called Vatika. Incidentally, the fort has six gates, large enough for elephants to enter. Apart from these, there are nearly 500 cannons made dysfunctional after the British left. The Command Museum, built in 1956 and redesigned in 2010, narrates the story of the Eastern Command, World War II, the Burma Campaign, the Sino-Indian conflict and the Bangladesh Liberation War.

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Durga Puja and a trip to the sea beach of Digha

One of the favorite festivals of Bengalis is the Durga Puja. The festivities go on for four days and many Bengalis take the opportunity to visit the sea beach of Digha. There are any number of hotels and Digha tourism tries to cater to a whole range of visitors. These provide the visitors with innumerable options. A few tips worth following are to reserve a hotel in advance suitable to your pocket. There are any number of websites that are loaded with options. There are packages for making local trips to enjoy the holidays to the maximum. West Bengal Tourism department provides an insight into places to see and enjoy in Digha, a seaside place to spend some time with family and friends.

Durga Puja is the festive season when Bengalis enjoy a long holiday. Hence, many of those who plan to spend it on the seaside opt for Digha. It is accessible by train or by bus or by hired vehicles. The list of dos and don’ts are not many. How can you enjoy Durga Puja at affordably priced hotel in Digha? It is necessary that you book the hotel accommodation in advance, preferably online. In case there are children, it is better to select a hotel that offers facilities for kids’ activity. In case there are elderly persons, it helps if pickup and drop facilities are available from the railway station. As to food, try to avoid street food. They might appear attractive but may not follow the guidelines of hygiene. It would be wise to rely on the lip-smacking seafood served at the hotels.

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