Some of the city's majestic buildings, inheritances from its colonial past, are illuminated in the evenings, transforming the face of the place where they stand.
A group of Calcuttans keen to preserve and showcase the city's heritage has illuminated 78 buildings, restored clocks atop buildings that went out of use years ago, and cleaned tombstones. They call themselves The Kolkata Restorers.
The illumination project started with lighting the dome of the Maniktala Market in November 2023. As it was done, the focus turned to another structure, then to another, and it kept rolling.
An architect said the illumination has emphasised the city's visual assets that were otherwise lost amidst the chaos and disorganised urban infrastructure of Calcutta.
"At night, when the chaos on the street is absent, the lights draw attention solely to the buildings and their beauty. They look magnificent. These buildings are also urban markers, especially of the streets where they stand," he said.
Most of the buildings being illuminated were already on the Kolkata Municipal Corporation's list of heritage buildings.
Some of the other buildings that were illuminated are the Chowringhee Mansions, the Bible Society at Chowringhee, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Metropolitan Building at Esplanade, Acharya Bhavan on APC Road, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters, the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture at Golpark, the Greek Orthodox Church at Kalighat and Park Court at the Park Circus crossing.
"Many of the buildings were in dilapidated condition when we first inspected them. Their owners repaired and painted the building before the illumination," said Nikita Bhatia, whose company is one of the three working with The Kolkata Restorers to illuminate the buildings.
Bhatia said designing the illumination — what light to use, where and its intensity — had to be planned.
An estimate of the monthly electricity bill was shared with the owners.
"In most cases, the bills have been between ₹2,500 and ₹3,500 a month. The lights do not burn overnight. They are usually kept on between dusk and 11pm," said Bhatia.
Mudar Patherya, the prime mover behind the project, said the transformation of Dalhousie in the evenings was stunning.
"If we start from the Akashvani Bhavan, there is a series of buildings illuminated in the evenings. The Akashvani Bhavan itself, the Raj Bhavan, the Standard Life Assurance building, the National Insurance building, the Royal Insurance building, the general post office (GPO), the dead letters office, the Eastern Railway headquarters and St Andrew's Church," said Patherya.
"A walk or a drive through this stretch when the buildings are illuminated is an experience in itself," said a member of the group.
The Kolkata Restorers not only limit themselves to illuminating buildings but also focus on dilapidated and dysfunctional clocks atop large buildings.
The clocks on Maghen David Synagogue on Canning Street, Holy Trinity Church on Amherst Street, Sacred Heart Church on Lenin Sarani and Dolours Church in Sealdah are back to life.
"All these clocks are winding clocks. Some of them had components that were damaged, while others had portions that were missing. We had to repair and make the parts where they were missing," said Satyajit Dutta, one of the owners of TR Clock Company, which restored the clocks.
The funding for the work came from industrialists, corporate executives and professionals, among others.
"None of those funding the work ever wanted to come out and make their names public," Patherya said.
The group has also cleaned 1,312 tombstones in the South Park Street cemetery, where thinker, poet and teacher Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and indologist William Jones are among those buried.
"We are now waiting for permission from the KMC to restore the clock tower at SS Hogg Market (New Market). We have funds. Once the KMC's nod comes, we will restore it," said a group member.