Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee Unveils "Kolkata Happening City"

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee Unveils “Kolkata Happening City”, a coffee table book on Kolkata and its distinctive old – World Architecture
‘Kolkata Happening City’, a book on Kolkata and its distinctive old – world architecture, façade, splendours and architectural shift over decades was unveiled by a very famous real estate group of Kolkata yesterday. The event witnessed the august presence of the legendary actor Padma Bhushan Soumitra Chaterjee along with Bratya Basu, Hon’ble Minister, Department of Biotechnology Science and Technology Government of West Bengal; and MD, WBHIDCO, Chairman NDITA; Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor Presidency University and Partha Rajan Das, senior Architect. The discussion was moderated by Biplab Ganguly.. Nandu K. Belani, Chairman, of that real estate Group was also there to address the media and conclude the celebration of their legacy of 50 years.
The programme witnessed Panel discussion on “Can Kolkata’s rich architecture legacy is transformed into competitive advantage?” followed by the grand unveiling of the book by Soumitra Chatterjee and other dignitaries.
Kolkata Happening City’ is not only a coffee table book but also an encyclopedia of the city’s magnificent architecture facade. Conceptualized by Mr. Mudar Patherya, this book highlights Kolkata’s known and unknown facts of its unique architecture. It is a tribute to the city by this group.
Bratya Basu, Hon’ble Minister, Department of Biotechnology Science and Technology Government of West Bengal said “ Kolkata has always been a happening city.”
“The Legion of Honor” France’s highest civilian award winner , Soumitra Chatterjee also pointed out the importance of maintaining the old heritage buildings of the city ( as we all know Kolkata is called the city of Joy) and told to the media that he is very happy and deligted to unveil this book.
Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor Presidency University shared her feelings and experience on how the iconic Professors’common room and Kolkata’s very famous Baker building were transformed maintaining the heritage structure in mind.
The book has more than 2700 photographs which beautifully encapsulate the known, the anonymous, the evident and the nooks and corners of the city showing all the architectural shifts that the city has witnessed over decades. It is filled with unknown facts about the spectacular Victoria Memorial, the iconic Howrah Bridge, Raj Bhavan, Kolkata Gate, Marble Palace, Metropolitan Building, Esplanade mansions, Nakhoda Masjid, St. Andrew’s Church, Kolkata High Court, Howrah Station along with Eden Garden, Tata Centre, Taj Bengal, Presidency University along with famous restaurants Oh! Calcutta, Kaafila, Mocambo and many more. It also contains interviews of eminent persons of the city Debashish Sen, Anuradha Lohia, Harsh Neotia, Sanjay Jhunjhunwala, GM Kapur, Sumit Dabriwal along with famous architects Dulal Mukherjee, Abin Chowdhury, Vivek Rathod, Anuradha Rathod, and several others.
Speaking on the occasion Nandu Belani said, “This year we are celebrating our golden Jubilee. From last five decades, our group went on to build more than fifty properties in Kolkata. The city has given us so many opportunities to grow and now the time has come to give back something to the city. We are excited by the opportunities that lie ahead for us; we will continue to address the winding needs of a growing Kolkata. So keeping that in mind, we are giving a tribute to the city in the form of the book ‘Kolkata Happening City’. We hope the city will love the book and enjoy it even more.”
 
-Pratyusha Mukherjee,
Journalist, Kolkata