Park Street, Kolkata

Park Street in the 1930s
Jawaharlal Nehru's statue at Park Street
Park Street in the 1930s

Park Street (officially Mother Teresa Sarani and earlier Burial Ground Road), is a famous thoroughfare in the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence the earlier name. Its current official name was given by Kolkata Municipal Corporation in honour of Mother Teresa.

Location and importance

The Park hotel
Night scene in Park Street

In the 1970s and 1980s much of Kolkata's night life took place at Park Street. Many noted musicians had played at popular night spots such as Trinca's, Blue Fox, Mocambo and Moulin Rouge. Even before that, in the 1940s, 50s and 60s Kolkata's prolific night life was centred on Park Street. The Park Hotel chain started with the opening of its first hotel, the 150 room, The Park on the fashionable Park Street on November 1, 1967.[1]

Park Street remains Kolkata's foremost dining district, with many restaurants and pubs. It is often known as "Food Street" and "The Street that Never Sleeps".

This road originates from Chowringhee Road (J L Nehru Road) and connects to Park Circus 7 point crossing in a south eastern direction. The portion of Park Street between Chowringhee Road and Mullick Bazar has been one of the city's attractions for years. Several important roads originate from/intersect at Park Street in the northward and southward directions, namely Russell Street, Middleton Row, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street and Rawdon Street towards the South and Free School Street, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road towards the North. Park Street also intersects AJC Bose Road at Mullick Bazar crossing and eventually goes to Park Circus from where other major roads such as Syed Amir Ali Avenue, Darga Road, Park Circus Connector starts and connects to important areas such as Ballygunge, E M Bypass, CIT Road Kolkata.

Park Street has many notable showrooms, and several notable buildings such as the Asiatic Society, St. Xavier's College, Calcutta, a Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the South Park Street Cemetery has cenotaphs and tombs of prominent figures from the British Raj era and Kolkata's European population.

Park Street has been the recreation zone for Kolkata people since the British era. However, in the last 20 years, many new restaurants, malls, 5-star hotels and nightclubs have opened in other areas of the city and Park Street has lost much of its earlier attraction as being the numero uno entertainment hub of Kolkata. However, it is still one of the prime commercial and entertainment zones of the city. Park Street is traditionally decorated with lights on Diwali, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

Landmarks

St Xavier's College
'Park Plaza' office at Park St. - Camac St. crossing

Park Street is filled with landmarks. Some prominent ones are

See Also

References

  1. ↑ "The First Lady of boutique". Express Hospitality (Indian Express Group). 16–31 March 2006.
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