The vibrant community of Calcutta Instagrammers, in association with OYO rooms, came together for an Insta Meet last month. This time the idea was to bring about a confluence between the streets of Calcutta and Instagram as a medium, with the assistance of a few props. The meet began at Beeu Hotel on BB Ganguly Street, after which the Instagrammers ventured into different areas, in an attempt to capture the essence of the city. 

Here are a few images that t2 liked, decoded by the photographers... 

The Calcutta Joyride

The advent of online cabs and their imminent comfort has somewhere robbed the original yellow taxis of their business. For me, they are as much a part of Calcutta, as is the Howrah bridge or the Victoria Memorial. This is my tribute to their significance as the essence of our city 

— Sayantan Sammader

Sunday gossip and some faded glory

Tiretta Bazar (near BB Ganguly Street) is a place which is full of rich visuals and can be summed up in three words — crowd, colours and cacophony, along with its rich colonial history. The Toong On Chinese Church is situated in this area and is the principal place of prayer for the Anglo-Indian community,  especially people from the Bow Barracks area 
— Shubhayan Ghosh

My workplace is my home

The rickshaw-pullers have mostly come from elsewhere and they do not have a specific place to live. They call the streets their home. The Insta meet was carried out beautifully and the props, which were used, were pretty interesting — Abhishek Murmu

6 BLOCKS. Pattern of 6. 

Photography has always been my passion. I have always been attending the Insta meets, and this time I decided to click at Bow Barracks. The idea was to capture patterns, and the colour blocking in the image is pretty evident. The props did full justice to the theme — Supratim Nandi

“Our main goal is to promote photography via Instagram. Instagram and its community is at a relatively nascent stage in Calcutta and we chose the theme in order to better relate it to the city. In fact, our props also reflect the major landmarks and symbols of the city,” said Sammya Brata, founder, Calcutta Instagrammers.

“This time, what caught my attention was the venue. The site is pure bliss for street photography, and places such as College Street, Chinatown, as well as Bow Barracks make for great street photography subjects,” said Gaurav Dhar, student and co-founder of Calcutta Instagrammers. 

“For me, the concept of an Insta meet has always been a lot of fun. It’s a way of bringing together the photography enthusiasts of the city. This time, the props were a major highlight, and I am already excited about the next Insta meet” said Sourav Mukherjee, journalism student. 

Text: Zeba Akhtar
Pictures: Shuvo Roy Chaudhury