Ballygunge
Encyclopedia
Ballygunge is an upmarket and elite locality in South
Kolkata
, India
. It is flanked by Park Circus
in the north, Kasba
and the Eastern Railway
south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria
and the Lakes (now called Rabindra Sarobar
) in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore
and Lansdowne in the west. Reference to a hero/heroine staying in Ballygunge in their own houses (not flats/apartments) in Bengali novels implies that he/she belongs to a Bengali aristocratic family. No other place names in Bengal including undivided Bengal evokes such an instantaneous understanding or response.
It is a large area comprising Ballygunge Circular Road
, Ritchie Road, Dover Road, Lovelock Place, Gurusaday Dutta Road
, Mayfair Road, Ballygunge Park, Queens Park, Sunny Park, Palm Avenue, Ballygunge Place, Merlin Park, Gariahat Road
, Garcha Road, Mandeville Gardens, Gol Park, Kankulia Road, Ballygunj Gardens, Hindustan Park, Hindustan Road, Dover Lane and some portions of Rash Behari Avenue, Hazra Road and Bondel Road. Even a part of Southern Avenue and the Lake Area (adjoining Rabindra Sarobar
) is often referred to as Ballygunge though technically(by city pin code) it is not so. Though it covers quite a vast expanse of area, the area near Bijon Setu (near the Ballygunge Station) is termed as Ballygunge (as a railway/ bus/ auto/ taxi stop). The pin Code of Ballygunge area is Kolkata 700 019.
The locality started developing with the expansion of Kolkata city beyond the Mahratta Ditch (later the Upper and Lower Circular Roads and now the A.P.C.Road and A.J.C.Bose Road respectively), in the early and mid-20th century. Soon this locality became one of the addresses to have in town, with beautifully laid out areas like Gurusaday Dutta Road, Ballygunge Park, Queens Park, Sunny Park, Hindustan Park, Merlin Park, Ballygunge Circular Road, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Mayfair Road, Mandeville Gardens. Stately bungalows came up on both sides of the tree-lined avenues and with time, magnificent high rise apartments dotted the skylines.
The Tagore Estate used to have large holdings in the area. Suren Tagore's(Satyendra Nath Tagore ICS's son) house on Gurusaday Dutt Road was later bought by the Birlas, and the house has now become The Birla Industrial & Technological Museum. Others like Sir K G Gupta ICS, Gurusaday Dutt ICS(Founder of the Bratachari Movement - after whom the road was later named), K.K. Birla, B.M. Birla, Raja Anandilal Poddar, H L Somany and Nawab Farooqui also lived on Gurusaday Road. The Maharajah of Tripura built their Calcutta town house on Ballygunge Circular Road. Pramathesh Barua, the famous Bengali film personality, who was the Maharaja of Gouripur(Assam), also lived on Ballygunge Circular Road (now named Pramathesh Barua Sarani). So did the Maharajas of Santosh, Brajendrakishore Raychaudhuri, the zamindar of Gouripore (Bengal), who donated money to the National Council, which later became Jadavpur University, Sir S M Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of India, Abhay Charan Banerjee (Sir R N Mukherjee's eldest son-in-law), L N Thapar, the industrialist, Suchitra Sen, the actress (she still does live there), Sita and Sachin Chaudhuri, the Finance Minister of India, and the Khaitans of Khaitan & Co, Solicitors. Leila Seth lived with her family on Ballygunge Circular Road. "Maharajah" of Nadia, at present Saumish Chandra Roy of Nadia, has a house on 2, Bright Street. A cantonment area grew between Ballygunge Circular Road and Gurusaday Road, along with several noted colleges and schools. The "Lakes" developed in the inter war years and situated between the Sealdaha - Budge Budge railway tracks and Southern Avenue (Meghnad Saha Sarani)on the North and South and Rabindra Sarobar Stadium and Gol Park on the East and West is a beautiful relaxing place to be in and unwind oneself. The areas near the lakes on its North came to be known as the Rai Sahib-Rai Bahadur's colony because of the number of senior civil servants (bearing those titles) who retired and settled there. Other areas like the serpentine lanes of Fern Road, Kankulia Road(stretches later came to be known as Ballygunj Terrace), Garcha (parts later renamed as Dover Terrace), Motilal Nehru Road, Ballygunge Place East are also a part of Ballygunge.
Although the area reflects the city's problems of over-crowding and pollution, Ballygunge remains a highly sought after residential area. People are prepared to pay fancy prices to own a place there defying economic logic. However, the removal of the "islands" around the tram tracks on Rashbehari Avenue and its trees has reduced its beauty somewhat.
The official residence of the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court(formerly the residence of Justice Kamal Chandra Chunder), is in Ballygunge and the area has provided state Chief Ministers and Union Cabinet Ministers for the last four decades. The traditional burra sahibs - the senior company executives and bureaucrats - continue to be housed in the locality. The Consulates of Bhutan
, Burkina Faso
, Myanmar
, Norway
, Thailand
and Turkey
are located in Ballygunge as also residences of Honorary Consul General of Chile
, Japan
, Sri Lanka
and Australia
trade commission office. The "Indo German Chamber of Commerce" and The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is on Gurusaday Dutta Road.
As a result, Ballygunge is today one of the most exclusive & posh locales of Kolkata, with land prices among the highest in the city. Since the 1970s colonial bungalows and detached houses have been giving place to multi-storied flats. In the seventies and eighties these were largely "co-operative" initiatives for the Bengali middle class
("Saptaparni", "Parijaat", "Ananda", "Naba Kailash", "Meghamallar" etc.); during the '90s, the developments became increasingly more swank as marble clad high rises were targeted at Calcutta's business communities; and finally the new millennium has seen plush condominiums with swimming pools and other star facilities for the seriously affluent. Recent road development undertaken at the Posh Ballygunge side, Rashbehari-Deshapriya park and Gariahat have improved the infrastructure in the Ballygunge area, although traffic snarls are still quite common along major arteries like Rash Behari Avenue, Gariahat Road, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue and Syed Amir Ali Avenue during peak hours.
The Ballygunge area is also a veritable gourmet's delight: A few references -
"Junk" - "Phuchka" stalls on the eastern boundary of Vivekananda Park and outside along with "Jhaal Muri" stalls. The best phuckas are obtainable in front of "Kola Villa" in Gol Park and "Jhal Muri on the footpath just before (South of) the DCM showroom. Junior Brothers on Rashbehari Avenue near Triangular Park has the best "Dahi Kachauris".
The area between Gariahat and Gol Park has several used-book stores lining the footpaths. At their best, they are nearly equal to the more-renowned College Street and Free School Street (Mirza Ghalib Street) booksellers. From disposable chart-topping thrillers to arcane magazines, they stock a large variety of titles. However, this market faces periodic fits of 'hawker evictions'by the police whenever elections are far away.
Ballygunge is also noted for several established [Durga Puja] pandals - Ekdalia Park (on Ekdalia Road), Singhi Park (on Dover lane), Adi Ballygunge Sarbojonin, Ballygunge Cultural, Deshapriya Park, Gol Park, Jagarani, Adi Kankulia etc. (during the Puja season in September/October).
Ballygunge is also home to the Dover Lane Music Festival, held annually, which is noted for its participants who hail from the best of Indian classical music
. Noted dancer and choreographer, Uday Shankar
(elder brother of Ravi Shankar) used to live in the area. His wife Amala Shankar, their son: Ananda Shankar
, and their daughter: Mamata Shankar
continue to reside and run teaching establishments in Ballygunge. Rabindrasangeet is taught at a number of institutions in the locality, of which, Dakshini is perhaps the most celebrated.
Sheel Saket, illustrious politician from Bihar. Widely tipped to be the next Chief Minister, Saket has great skills with the art of pfaffing and patangbaazi.
South Kolkata
South Kolkata refers to the southern areas of the city of Kolkata, India. It includes the localities of Bhawanipore, Lansdowne, Park Circus, Ballygunge, Alipore, New Alipore, Tollygunge, Dhakuria, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Jadavpur, Santoshpur, Garia, Chak Garia, Taratala,...
Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is flanked by Park Circus
Park Circus
- Location :Park Circus is an area in South Kolkata. It has Entally and Sealdah to its north, Park Street and Chowringhee to its west, Taltala to its north west, Topsia and Ballygunge to its south & Tangra to its east. It is connected to both Park Street and AJC Bose Road. It is a locality of...
in the north, Kasba
Kasba
Kasba is a suburb of the city of Kolkata, India. It is situated in the southern part of the city encircled by the Sealdah South section of the Eastern Railways to the west, Dhakuria and Haltu to the south, the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass to the east and the locality of Tiljala to the...
and the Eastern Railway
Eastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria
Dhakuria
Dhakuria is a locality in the city of Kolkata. It is located in the southern part of the city and is surrounded by Ballygunge and Kasba in the north, Haltu in the east, Jadavpur/Garia in the south and the Lake Gardens and Jodhpur Park areas in the west....
and the Lakes (now called Rabindra Sarobar
Rabindra Sarobar
Rabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
) in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore
Bhowanipore
Bhowanipore or Bhabanipur is the oldest locality of South Kolkata. It is located just south of the Lower Circular Road . It is the second largest locality in South Kolkata after Ballygunge...
and Lansdowne in the west. Reference to a hero/heroine staying in Ballygunge in their own houses (not flats/apartments) in Bengali novels implies that he/she belongs to a Bengali aristocratic family. No other place names in Bengal including undivided Bengal evokes such an instantaneous understanding or response.
It is a large area comprising Ballygunge Circular Road
Ballygunge Circular Road
Ballygunge Circular Road is one of the most important roads which runs through the upscale part of Ballygunge in South Kolkata. It starts near the Ballygunge Science College right off Gariahat Road, passing through landmarks like Tripura House, St Lawrence High School etc. before meeting...
, Ritchie Road, Dover Road, Lovelock Place, Gurusaday Dutta Road
Gurusaday Dutta Road
Gurusaday Dutta Road is one of the poshest areas of Kolkata. Its old name was Ballygunge Store Road. It was named after Gurusaday Dutt, an ICS officer and a Bengali patriot.-Localities:...
, Mayfair Road, Ballygunge Park, Queens Park, Sunny Park, Palm Avenue, Ballygunge Place, Merlin Park, Gariahat Road
Gariahat Road
Gariahat Road connects Ballygunge Phari with Prince Anwar Shah Road and Raja SC Mullick Road near Jadavpur Police station on the southern part of Kolkata, India.-Localities:...
, Garcha Road, Mandeville Gardens, Gol Park, Kankulia Road, Ballygunj Gardens, Hindustan Park, Hindustan Road, Dover Lane and some portions of Rash Behari Avenue, Hazra Road and Bondel Road. Even a part of Southern Avenue and the Lake Area (adjoining Rabindra Sarobar
Rabindra Sarobar
Rabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
) is often referred to as Ballygunge though technically(by city pin code) it is not so. Though it covers quite a vast expanse of area, the area near Bijon Setu (near the Ballygunge Station) is termed as Ballygunge (as a railway/ bus/ auto/ taxi stop). The pin Code of Ballygunge area is Kolkata 700 019.
History and Development
The term bâli meaning sand and gônj or village signifies that there used to be a huge deposit of sand here earlier. In fact, it is considered that while the British were digging the Mahratta Ditch as a precautionary measure to fortify the city against invading Maratha warriors, the sand and mud that was dug up used to be piled up in the area currently known as Ballygunge.The locality started developing with the expansion of Kolkata city beyond the Mahratta Ditch (later the Upper and Lower Circular Roads and now the A.P.C.Road and A.J.C.Bose Road respectively), in the early and mid-20th century. Soon this locality became one of the addresses to have in town, with beautifully laid out areas like Gurusaday Dutta Road, Ballygunge Park, Queens Park, Sunny Park, Hindustan Park, Merlin Park, Ballygunge Circular Road, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Mayfair Road, Mandeville Gardens. Stately bungalows came up on both sides of the tree-lined avenues and with time, magnificent high rise apartments dotted the skylines.
The Tagore Estate used to have large holdings in the area. Suren Tagore's(Satyendra Nath Tagore ICS's son) house on Gurusaday Dutt Road was later bought by the Birlas, and the house has now become The Birla Industrial & Technological Museum. Others like Sir K G Gupta ICS, Gurusaday Dutt ICS(Founder of the Bratachari Movement - after whom the road was later named), K.K. Birla, B.M. Birla, Raja Anandilal Poddar, H L Somany and Nawab Farooqui also lived on Gurusaday Road. The Maharajah of Tripura built their Calcutta town house on Ballygunge Circular Road. Pramathesh Barua, the famous Bengali film personality, who was the Maharaja of Gouripur(Assam), also lived on Ballygunge Circular Road (now named Pramathesh Barua Sarani). So did the Maharajas of Santosh, Brajendrakishore Raychaudhuri, the zamindar of Gouripore (Bengal), who donated money to the National Council, which later became Jadavpur University, Sir S M Bose, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of India, Abhay Charan Banerjee (Sir R N Mukherjee's eldest son-in-law), L N Thapar, the industrialist, Suchitra Sen, the actress (she still does live there), Sita and Sachin Chaudhuri, the Finance Minister of India, and the Khaitans of Khaitan & Co, Solicitors. Leila Seth lived with her family on Ballygunge Circular Road. "Maharajah" of Nadia, at present Saumish Chandra Roy of Nadia, has a house on 2, Bright Street. A cantonment area grew between Ballygunge Circular Road and Gurusaday Road, along with several noted colleges and schools. The "Lakes" developed in the inter war years and situated between the Sealdaha - Budge Budge railway tracks and Southern Avenue (Meghnad Saha Sarani)on the North and South and Rabindra Sarobar Stadium and Gol Park on the East and West is a beautiful relaxing place to be in and unwind oneself. The areas near the lakes on its North came to be known as the Rai Sahib-Rai Bahadur's colony because of the number of senior civil servants (bearing those titles) who retired and settled there. Other areas like the serpentine lanes of Fern Road, Kankulia Road(stretches later came to be known as Ballygunj Terrace), Garcha (parts later renamed as Dover Terrace), Motilal Nehru Road, Ballygunge Place East are also a part of Ballygunge.
Although the area reflects the city's problems of over-crowding and pollution, Ballygunge remains a highly sought after residential area. People are prepared to pay fancy prices to own a place there defying economic logic. However, the removal of the "islands" around the tram tracks on Rashbehari Avenue and its trees has reduced its beauty somewhat.
The official residence of the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court(formerly the residence of Justice Kamal Chandra Chunder), is in Ballygunge and the area has provided state Chief Ministers and Union Cabinet Ministers for the last four decades. The traditional burra sahibs - the senior company executives and bureaucrats - continue to be housed in the locality. The Consulates of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
are located in Ballygunge as also residences of Honorary Consul General of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
trade commission office. The "Indo German Chamber of Commerce" and The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is on Gurusaday Dutta Road.
As a result, Ballygunge is today one of the most exclusive & posh locales of Kolkata, with land prices among the highest in the city. Since the 1970s colonial bungalows and detached houses have been giving place to multi-storied flats. In the seventies and eighties these were largely "co-operative" initiatives for the Bengali middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
("Saptaparni", "Parijaat", "Ananda", "Naba Kailash", "Meghamallar" etc.); during the '90s, the developments became increasingly more swank as marble clad high rises were targeted at Calcutta's business communities; and finally the new millennium has seen plush condominiums with swimming pools and other star facilities for the seriously affluent. Recent road development undertaken at the Posh Ballygunge side, Rashbehari-Deshapriya park and Gariahat have improved the infrastructure in the Ballygunge area, although traffic snarls are still quite common along major arteries like Rash Behari Avenue, Gariahat Road, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue and Syed Amir Ali Avenue during peak hours.
Shopping and Entertainment
The southern part of the locality consists of the Gariahat - Gol Park area and Rash behari Avenue, renowned for clothes, jewellery, and a fresh food market including fish. It is in Gariahat Market that one can get all varieties of fish of the shelf throughout the year. A number of established retail brands have opened shop in this area and shopping malls are opening up rapidly. Some renowned Multi brand outlets, departmental stores, shops, retailers and wholesellers has set the trends of South Calcutta to becoming exclusively independent. Some of the best addresses are:- Atria Shopping Centre @ Gurusaday Dutta Road
- Mukti World Mall @ Gariahat Road
- The Gucci Fashion Valley - http://www.theguccifashionvalley.com
- Pantaloons store @ Gariahat Road
- Spencer's hyper store @ Rashbehari Avenue
- Tanishq showrooms @ Gariahat Road & Mukti World Mall
- The Raymond Store @ Gariahat Road & Rashbehari Avenue
- PC Chandra Jewellers @ Gariahat Road & Hindustan Park
- Ballygunge New Market @ Gariahat Road
- Haldirams Food City @ Ballygunge Park
The Ballygunge area is also a veritable gourmet's delight: A few references -
Restaurants
- Mainland ChinaMainland ChinaMainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
- Krystal Chop Stick
- Chinese Pavilion
- Red Hot Chilli Pepper
- China Whites
- Green Chilli
- Goldbrick
- Amoda spa souk
- Indus Valley
- Linus food court
- Amber
- Sky Lounge
- Bluzz Lounge Bar
- Bedwin
- Charcoal
- Mirch Masala
- Kwality
- 6 Ballygunge Place
- The Grub Club
- Hatari
- 13 Paarbon
- Bhajahari Manna
- Baked N Fried
- Soi 19
- Brocolli
Cafe & Fast Food
- Domino's Pizza (Ballygunge Circular Road, Ballygunge Station Road)
- Cafe Coffee DayCafe Coffee DayCafé Coffee Day is a division of India's largest coffee conglomerate, Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company Ltd. . ABCTCL grows coffee in its own estates of 10,000 acres . The land value of the plantations is US$250–300 million. It is the largest producer of Arabica beans in Asia...
(Ballygunge Circular Road, Ritchie Road, Lake Road, Golpark) - BaristaBaristaA barista is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.- Application of the title :...
- Coffee WorldCoffee WorldCoffee World is a premium specialty coffee chain that offers a range of hot and iced coffees with fresh complementary foods such as waffles and sandwiches. It is a part of Global Franchise Architects . Coffee world operates in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Réunion, and Thailand.-History:In late...
- Aqua Java
- Garden Cafe
Ice Cream Parlours
- Mamma Mia Gelato
- The Cream and Fudge Factory
- ChocoXpress
- Fruity Freeze
- Fillers
Confectionery & Patisseries
- The Cream and Fudge Factory
- ChocoXpress
- Upper CrustUpper CrustUpper Crust is an international chain of baguette restaurants concentrated along commuter routes, their outlets are commonplace in stations and terminals. Branches are also present in some Universities in the UK, including City University, London. There are also branches at the central railway...
- Kathleen
- Cakes
- Monginis
- Sugar & Spice
- Banchharam
- Girish
- Mouchak
- Mithai
- Ganguram & sons
- Sharma's
- Junior Brothers
- Gupta Brothers
- Haldirams
Dhabas
- The Dhaba
- Azad Hind Dhaba
- Sharma Dhaba
"Junk" - "Phuchka" stalls on the eastern boundary of Vivekananda Park and outside along with "Jhaal Muri" stalls. The best phuckas are obtainable in front of "Kola Villa" in Gol Park and "Jhal Muri on the footpath just before (South of) the DCM showroom. Junior Brothers on Rashbehari Avenue near Triangular Park has the best "Dahi Kachauris".
The area between Gariahat and Gol Park has several used-book stores lining the footpaths. At their best, they are nearly equal to the more-renowned College Street and Free School Street (Mirza Ghalib Street) booksellers. From disposable chart-topping thrillers to arcane magazines, they stock a large variety of titles. However, this market faces periodic fits of 'hawker evictions'by the police whenever elections are far away.
Sports and Culture
Further south is the Lake area, open green spaces and water bodies which act as lungs to the city. The Lake Stadium (Rabindra Sarobar Stadium) is here, and swimming and rowing institutions are dotted around the area. Of note are the Indian Life Saving Society (founded 1922 but known to one and all as Anderson Club), the Calcutta Rowing Club (established in 1858) and the Bengal Rowing Club (founded 1929 as the Marwari Rowing Club).Ballygunge is also noted for several established [Durga Puja] pandals - Ekdalia Park (on Ekdalia Road), Singhi Park (on Dover lane), Adi Ballygunge Sarbojonin, Ballygunge Cultural, Deshapriya Park, Gol Park, Jagarani, Adi Kankulia etc. (during the Puja season in September/October).
Ballygunge is also home to the Dover Lane Music Festival, held annually, which is noted for its participants who hail from the best of Indian classical music
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
. Noted dancer and choreographer, Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar , the pioneer of modern dance in India, and a world renowned Indian dancer and choreographer, was most known for adapting Western theatrical techniques to traditional Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian classical, folk, and tribal dance, thus laying the roots of...
(elder brother of Ravi Shankar) used to live in the area. His wife Amala Shankar, their son: Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar
Ananda Shankar was a Bengali musician best known for fusing Western and Eastern musical styles. He was married to Tanusree Shankar.-Early life:...
, and their daughter: Mamata Shankar
Mamata Shankar
Mamata Shankar is an actress in the Bengali language film industry of India. She has acted in films by renowned film directors including, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadev Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh...
continue to reside and run teaching establishments in Ballygunge. Rabindrasangeet is taught at a number of institutions in the locality, of which, Dakshini is perhaps the most celebrated.
Transport
Ballygunge Railway Station is an important junction on the Kolkata suburban railway (Sealdah South Section) of the Eastern Railway suburban service. It is here that the lines to Lakhsmikantapur, Canning and Diamond Harbour on the one hand and Budge Budge on the other fork out. The Calcutta Tramways Company has a depot in the locality on Gariahat Road; the government bus services also maintains a depot next to Ballygunj Station. The underground Metro railway skirts Ballygunge, the closest station being "Kalighat" being about 2 km away from Gariahat-Rashbehari Avenue Crossing.Educational institutions
Ballygunge is home to some of the better educational institutions in Kolkata:- Army Public School, Kolkata, Ballygunge maidan camp
- Ballygunge Govt. High School, Beltala
- Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan, Gariahat Road
- Ballygunge Science College, Ballygunge Circular Road
- Basanti Devi CollegeBasanti Devi CollegeBasanti Devi College is Basanti Devi College, the first Govt sponsored college in Kolkata was founded by the Govt. Of West Bengal in 1959 to reduce the Traffic Jam in girl’s colleges in the southern part of Kolkata...
, 147B Rash Behari Avenue, Kolkata-700029 - Jagadbandhu Institution, 25, Fern Road, Kolkata. PIN 700029
- Kamala Girls School, Lake Road (Kavi Bharati Sarani)
- Kendriya Vidyalaya Ballygunge, Kolkata, Ballygunge maidan camp
- Lake Girls' School, Lake Terrace, Kolkata
- Modern High SchoolModern High SchoolModern High School is an educational institution based in Hussaini Alam, Hyderabad, India. It has classes from Lower Kindergarten to 10th grade level. The institution conducts its classes as per the Secondary School Certificate syllabus of the State Government of Andhra Pradesh.-School...
for Girls, Syed Amir Ali Avenue - Patha BhavanPatha Bhavan, KolkataPatha Bhavan ' is a private co-educational school in Kolkata, India. The school was established on June 28th, 1965.-History:The school was named after the university school of Visva-Bharati University . It was inspired by the education system started by the poet Rabindranath Tagore as well as the...
(Montessory, Primary, High and Higher Secondary Schools), Swinhoe Street, Ekdalia Road, Palm Avenue, Ballygunge Place and Merlin Park - South City College, Golpark
- South Point SchoolSouth Point High School (India)South Point School is Kolkata's first coeducational school. In 1992, South Point group of schools, consisting of the junior and senior divisions, made an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest educational institute in the world...
, Mandeville Gardens - St. Lawrence High SchoolSt. Lawrence High SchoolSt. Lawrence High School is an English language Jesuit secondary school for boys in Kolkata, India, which has boarding and day students. The school was founded in January 1937 by Fr. Lawrence Rodriques, a Jesuit priest. Around 2,300 students are enrolled. It was named after Lawrence of Rome, a...
, Ballygunge Circular Road - Tirthapati Institution, Rash Behari Avenue
- University Law College, Hazra Road
- South Calcutta Law College, Swinhoe Street
Places of interest
- Gariahat Market, centred at the crossing of Rash Behari Avenue and Gariahat Road (known as Gariahat more)
- Birla Temple on Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue (near Ballygunge Phari)
- Ice Skating Rink, Syed Amir Ali Avenue (Opposite to Ballygunge Park Road)
- Birla Industrial & Technological MuseumBirla Industrial & Technological MuseumBirla Industrial & Technological Museum , a unit under National Council of Science Museums [NCSM], Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at Gurusaday road, Kolkata.-History:...
, Gurusaday Dutta Road - Max Mueller Bhavan, Ballygunge Circular Road
- Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Rash Behari Avenue (near Ballygunge Station)
- Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC), Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue & Gurusaday Dutta Road crossing
- Calcutta Cosmopolitan Club, Ballygunge Circular Road
- Calcutta Punjab Club, Ballygunge Circular Road
- Rabindra SarobarRabindra SarobarRabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
(Dhakuria Lakes, the biggest open area after Maidan in Calcutta) at Southern Avenue - Ramakrishna Mission at Golpark, a big library and international convention centre
- Birla Academy of Art & Culture on Southern Avenue
- Lake Kalibari, Southern Avenue
- Dakshin Kalikata Samsad, Deshapriya Park
- Dalhousie Institute, Jhowtalla Road
- Punjabi Bradree, Mayfair Road
- Deshapriya Park, a large open area with an integrated club adjacent to it
- Vivekananda Park, a large open air park with cricket academy.
- Maddox Square, on Ritchie Road-having a rose garden
- Triangular Park, junction of Purnadas Road and Rash Behari Avenue
- Mahanirban Math, opposite of Triangular Park
- Lake Stadium, Southern Avenue
- Nazrul Mancha, Rabindra Sarobar
- Buddhist Temple, Lake Temple Road
- Priya Cinema, Rash behari Avenue
Famous persons
- Jibanananda DasJibanananda DasJibanananda Das was a noted Bengali poet. He is considered one of the precursors who introduced modernist poetry to Bengali Literature, at a period when it was influenced by Rabindranath Tagore's Romantic poetry....
,the most famous poet in the post Rabindranath period in Bengali literature, lived on Rash Behari Avenue. He was killed in a tragic tram accident near the Lansdowne - Rash Behari Avenue crossing. - Dr Subhas Mukhopadhyay,the noted physician, who is credited with the second "test tube" birth in the world, lived at Southern Avenue. His life forms the basis for the film "Ek Doctor Ki Maut".
- Satyendranath TagoreSatyendranath TagoreSatyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service. He was an author, song composer, linguist and made significant contribution towards the emancipation of women in Indian society during the British Raj.-Formative years:...
, first Indian I.C.S. Officer, and elder brother of Rabindra Nath, built a house on Store Road (now Gurusaday Dutt Road), which is now the Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (Gurusaday Dutt Road). - Indira Devi Choudhurani, daughter of Satyendra Nath, wife of Pramatha Choudhuri, and once a muse of Rabindra Nath lived at 2 Bright Street (subsequently purchased by the Maharajahs of Nadia and today known as "Nadia House"). The house was purchased by Satyendra Nath for his only daughter and he died here.
- Swarnakumari DeviSwarnakumari DeviSee Tagore for disambiguationSwarnakumari Devi was an Indian poet, novelist, musician and social worker. She was the first among the women writers in Bengali to gain prominence.-Family and early life:...
(Mrs J. N. Ghosal), elder sister of Rabindra Nath, mother of Sir Jyotsna Nath Ghosal, ICS, lived with the latter at his house: 3 Sunny Park. - Gurusaday DuttGurusaday DuttGurusaday Dutt was a civil servant, politician, folklorist, and writer.-Early Life and education:He was the son of the Ramkrishna Dutt Chaudhuri and Anandamayee Debi...
, ICS, authority on folk art and folk dances of Bengal and Founder of the Bratachari Movement and the Saroj Nalini Dutt Memorial Association for women's welfare, lived on Store Road which now bears his name - Ghanshyam Das BirlaGhanshyam Das BirlaGhanshyam Das "G.D." Birla was an Indian businessman and member of the influential Birla Family.Birla's grandfather Shiv Narayana Birla wanted to diversify from the traditional marwari business of lending money against pawned items. He left Pilani, his hometown in Rajasthan with a modest capital...
, businessman and industrialist used to stay at Gurusaday Dutt Rd, where his descendants continue to live. - Satyendra Chandra MitraSatyendra Chandra MitraSatyendra Chandra Mitra was an Indian freedom fighter, who started his political career as a revolutionary in the Jugantar Party in 1916, to being elected the Chief Whip of the Swarajya Party in the Central Legislative Assembly in 1927 and later became the President of the Bengal Legislative...
, noted Congress leader and first President of the Bengal Legislative Council (1937–42)lived at 20 Southend Park. - Jyoti BasuJyoti BasuJyoti Basu was an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India from West Bengal, India. He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of any Indian state. Basu was a member of the CPI Politburo from the time of the...
, former Chief Minister of West Bengal has his ancestral house at 55B Hindustan Park and lived there till the mid eighties - Buddhadev Bhattacharya, former Chief Minister of West Bengal, lives at 59A Palm Avenue
- Somnath ChatterjeeSomnath ChatterjeeSomnath Chatterjee is an Indian politician who had been associated with the Communist Party of India for most of his life, though he is currently an independent...
, Speaker of the House of the People (Lok Sabha) occupies his ancestral house at P514 Raja Basanta Roy Road - Pranab MukherjeePranab MukherjeePranab Kumar Mukherjee is the current Finance Minister of India and leader of the current Lok Sabha.Mukherjee is a senior member of the Cabinet Committees on Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Parliamentary Affairs, Political Affairs, Prices, Security, Unique Identification Authority of India,...
, Union Cabinet Minister (responsible at various times for Finance, Commerce, External Affairs and Defence Ministries) has a residence at 60/2/7 Lake Road - Indrajit GuptaIndrajit GuptaIndrajit Gupta was a Communist leader who became Indias Union Minister for Home Affairs in the United Front government from 1996 to 1998...
, once Union Home Minister, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, elected MP for 9 sessions, lived at 1 Dover Road (ancestral house) - Sir Bepin Behary Ghose, Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council lived at 11 Dover Lane.
- Justice P.B. Chakravartti, first Indian to be the permanent Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, used to live on Southern Avenue.
- Dr. Nares Chandra Sen-Gupta, Noted Bengali novelist and legal scholar, lived at 22/26 Monoharpukur Road and Cooper Street prior to that which has since been renamed after him.
- Aroti DuttAroti DuttAroti Dutt was a Social Worker from India of International repute. She was the World President of the Associated Countrywomen of the World for two terms, from 1965 to 1971, and subsequently their Member of Honour. She was also the International Vice President of International Alliance of Women...
well-known Social Worker, former President of the Associated Country Women of the World and of Saroj Nalini Dutt Memorial Association, lived on Gurusaday Dutt Rd. - Justice Padma Khastagir, the first woman to sit on the Calcutta High Court Bench (and Acting Chief Justice) used to live in Southend Park.
- Sir Jadunath Sircar, Padma Vibhushan, noted historian, once Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University, used to live at 10 Lake Terrace.
- Prof. Meghnad SahaMeghnad SahaMeghnad Saha FRS was an Indian astrophysicist best known for his development of the Saha equation, used to describe chemical and physical conditions in stars.-Early life:...
, noted physicist, founder of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, used to live on what is now Southern Avenue. - Sir Asutosh Chaudhuri, High Court Judge, close friend of Rabindra Nath Tagore, political leader lived in Old Ballygunge.
- Sarat Chandra Chatterjee noted Bengali novelist lived on Ashwini Dutt Road.
- Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, film maker of worldwide fame, Academy Award Winner, used to live on Lake Temple Road. - Suchitra SenSuchitra SenSuchitra Sen ; or Rama Dasgupta , is an Indian actress who acted in several Bengali films. In particular, the movies in which she paired opposite another legend in Bengali films, Uttam Kumar, became classics in the history of Bengali cinema. She now lives a life of a recluse rarely making any...
, famous Bengali film actress lives on Ballygunge Circular Road. - Hemanta MukherjeeHemanta Kumar MukhopadhyayHemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay also known as Hemanta Mukherjee was an Bengali singer, composer and producer. He sang in Hindi films under the name Hemant Kumar.-Early life:...
, doyen of Bengali music, (known as Hemant Kumar to the fans of his Hindi songs) used to live on Lake Avenue. - Sachin Dev BurmanSachin Dev BurmanSachin Dev Burman , also credited as Burman da, Kumar Sachindra Dev Barman, Sachin karta or S. D. Burman, was one of the most famous music composers for Hindi movies and a Bengali singer and composer. His son Rahul Dev Burman also achieved great success as a Bollywood music director in his own...
lived in a house that he built in Southend Park. - Suchitra MitraSuchitra MitraSuchitra Mitra was an Indian singer and composer, as well as a well-respected exponent of Rabindra Sangeet or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore. As an academic she remained a Professor and the Head of 'Rabindra Sangeet Department' at the Rabindra Bharati University for many...
, noted exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, used to live on Swinhoe Street. - Buddhadeva Bose, a major Bengali writer of the twentieth century, the most multi-talented amongst those belonging to what is for convenience termed the 'post-Tagore' period, used to live at 202 Rash Behari Avenue.
- Sunil GangopadhyaySunil GangopadhyaySunil Gangopadhyay , is a celebrated Indian poet and novelist.-Early life:...
, well known novelist and poet, lives in Mandeville Gardens - Buddhadeb GuhaBuddhadeb GuhaBuddhadeb Guha is a popular Bengali fiction writer. He studied at the well-known St Xavier's College of the University of Calcutta....
, well known novelist and poet, and his wife, noted exponent of Rabindra Sangeet Ritu Guha live on Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue - Ruma Guha ThakurtaRuma Guha Thakurta-Early life:She was born in 1934 as Ruma Ghosh. She hails from a Brahmo Bengali family. Her father was Satyen Ghosh and her mother was Sati Devi, a singer. Sati Devi's younger sister Bijoya married film director Satyajit Ray. Thakurta had her formal education in many places including Santiniketan...
, Singer, Actress and founder of Calcutta Youth Choir, lives at 38 Ballygunge Place. - [ Dhrubojyoti Sengupta ] the juniormost magician of the World, his date of birth is 26-12 1995. date of his debut performance was 29-01-1999 at his age of 3 years 29 days. He completed his 10 years of magical performances on 29-01-2009 and was felicitated at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata on very date by distinguished personalities of Bengal. He received various international and national awards.He is a student of class VIII of PATHA-BHAVAN School.
- Arghya Sen and Ashoketaru Banerjee, noted exponents of Rabindrasangeet, live in Ballygunge Place and Purnadas Road, respectively.
- Rabindrasangeet singers: Sumitra Sen and her two daughters, Indrani and Srabani, live on Ballygunge Circular Road.
- Nabanita Deb Sen, Littérateur, and only daughter of the poets Naren Dev and Radharani Devi, former wife of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, lives in the ancestral house "Bhaalobasha", 72 Hindustan Park.
- Linguist, educationist, littérateur Professor Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay, DLitt who did pioneering work on the origin and development of the Bengali language lived on Hindustan Park
- Subrata MukherjeeSubrata MukherjeeSubrata Mukherjee is an Indian politician and the present Minister for Public Health Engineering in the Government of West Bengal. He is also an MLA, elected from the Ballygunge constituency in the West Bengal state assembly election, 2011.-References:...
, former Mayor of Kolkata, stays on Ekdalia Road. - P. C. Sorcar, Jr.P. C. Sorcar, Jr.P. C. Sorcar, Jr. is an Indian magician based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the second son of legendary Indian magician P. C. Sorcar, and is today considered the most prominent magician in India...
, magician, stays (like his father before him) on Ballygunge Station Road. - Mani Shankar MukherjeeMani Shankar MukherjeeShankar, real name Mani Shankar Mukherjee, and generally known in English-language literature as Sankar is a very popular writer in the Bengali language...
(Shankar), well known Bengali writer and one of the best sellers in Bengali literature, stays at a flat on Bondel Road, Ballygunge. - Prof. Pranab Kumar Mitra Noted Medical Practitioner, Teacher and Poet resides in Kankulia Road.
- Anup GhoshalAnup GhoshalAnup Ghoshal , is a singer in Hindi films and other vernacular Indian films, especially Bengali language films. He won the West Bengal Assembly elections of 2011 on a Trinamool Congress ticket from the Uttarpara in Hooghly district, defeating his nearest rival by a large margin of 40, 000...
, eminent singer in Bengali films lives in Mandeville Gardens. - Debabrata BiswasDebabrata BiswasDebabrata Biswas , also known as George Biswas or George-da , was an Indian Rabindra Sangeet singer.-Early life:...
, Famous Rabindra Sangeet exponent had his house behind Triangular Park on Purna Das Road. - Satrughna Kanta Acharyya, noted agriculturalist, lives at Jatin Das Road
- Satyabrata (Raju) Mukherji, the former captain of the Bengal Cricket Team, lives at Lake Road.
- Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, University Professor in the Humanities, Columbia University in the City of New York, was born and grew up in Old Ballygunge and still lives there on her frequent visits.
- Shalini Ganguli, noted copywriter and a prominent Page 3 Personality. Famous for having met all the famous people one can think of. Right from Tenzin Wangdi to Vaibhav Bhatnagar.
See also
- Ballygunge (Vidhan Sabha constituency)Ballygunge (Vidhan Sabha constituency)Ballygunge is an assembly constituency in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation Commission, No. 161 Ballygunge is composed of the following: Ward Nos. 60, 61, 64, 65, 68, 69 and 85 of Kolkata municipal corporation.Ballygunge is part of No...
Sheel Saket, illustrious politician from Bihar. Widely tipped to be the next Chief Minister, Saket has great skills with the art of pfaffing and patangbaazi.