EXPLORINGKolkata

EXPLORE KOLKATA

Kolkata

What changed here before Kolkata district looked the way it does today?

Kolkata district (formerly known as Calcutta district) is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It only contains the entire city proper of Kolkata, the capital city of the state and therefore it is a city district. It is the smallest district in the state and also the most densely populated district. Being a city district, the district itself is its own headquarters; it does not have further subdivisions like mahakumas or blocks that exist in all other districts of the state nor does it

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10 discoveries4 curiosity lenses1 Aha walk

START WITH CURIOSITY

Don’t tour the city.
Notice it.

Aha turns public evidence into questions worth following. Start with one story, then move through place and time without losing Kolkata.

AHA MOMENTS

Three reasons to look closer.

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Then & now

Wikipedia

What changed here before Kolkata district looked the way it does today?

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Food story

Wikipedia

Why did this food story take root around Hare School?

Hare School is one of the oldest schools in Kolkata, India, teaching grades one to twelve under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. It is a state government-administered boys school and was established by the Scottish watch-maker, David Hare. The establishment date is not agreed upon, but the official year of establishment is 1818. Thus the school is declared as the oldest western type school in Asia. The school is situated oppo

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03Hidden history

Wikipedia

What happened around University of Calcutta that most people walk past?

The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (CU), is a public state research university located in Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, in West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate colleges and 16 institutes in Kolkata and nearby areas. It was established on 24 January 1857 and is the oldest multidisciplinary university of the Indian Subcontinent and the Southeast Asian Region. Today, the university's jurisdiction is limited to a few districts of West Bengal, bu

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EXPLORE DIFFERENTLY

Same city. Different lens.

⌖MAP

See where the stories are.

Move spatially through Aha discoveries around Kolkata.

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See what changed.

Compare sourced historical frames with today’s city.

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Experience it on foot.

Follow a curated route through the city’s Aha moments.

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CURIOSITY LENSES

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Only lenses with discoveries around Kolkata appear here.

5 AHAS

CURRENT SATELLITE CONTEXT

PUT IT BACK ON THE STREET

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The city page stays editorial. The full Living Map is where you filter layers, change radius, use your location and inspect individual pins.

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FROM THE RECORD

Dated clues, not a canned chronology.

These dates are extracted from public sources connected to discoveries around Kolkata.

1817

Presidency University, Kolkata

The Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the Hindoo College, it was later renamed Presidency College in 1855 and functioned as a leading constituent college under the University of Calcutta. It is widely regarded as the oldest and one of the most prestigious places of higher education in India as well as one of the oldest in Asia. This institution has been the source of origination of many Inst

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1818

Hare School

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1835

Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata

The Medical College Kolkata (MCK), also known as Calcutta Medical College, is a public medical college and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Established in 1835 by Lord William Bentinck, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in Asia offering education in modern medicine.

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1857

University of Calcutta

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Kolkata

What changed here before Kolkata district looked the way it does today?

Don’t tour the city.Notice it.

Three reasons to look closer.

What changed here before Kolkata district looked the way it does today?

Why did this food story take root around Hare School?

What happened around University of Calcutta that most people walk past?

Same city. Different lens.

See where the stories are.

See what changed.

Experience it on foot.

What kind of city do you want to notice?

Hidden history

Then & now

Nature surprise

Food story

Now see where it all lives.

Dated clues, not a canned chronology.

Presidency University, Kolkata

Hare School

Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata

University of Calcutta

Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine

Don’t tour the city.
Notice it.