The most important city of Eastern India, or the land of the quintessential Bhadrolok…there are many ways to describe Kolkata. But perhaps the phrase that is closest to a Bengali’s heart is the term used by author Dominique Lapierre…The City of Joy... The Howrah Bridge across the river Hoogly, the quaint trams that find their own pace in the fast moving crowd of people and vehicles, or the Victoria Memorial that enfolds the past eras within its walls… these are the charming remnants of old kolkata that blend in with the high rises and the modern lifestyle today…

But this is not a story about Kolkata. For our story to begin we have to make a short journey outside the hustle and bustle of this busy city…to a place where the lives of the people, even today, are guided by the movement of the sun across the sky rather than the crazy hands of the clock… 

Location

We alight in the station of Barrackpore, which is only 24 km from Kolkata. Barrackpore was the oldest cantonment of the country and was the center of the British Military power till the capital was shifted to Delhi. Barrackpore saw the first war of India Independence i.e. the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Even today Barrackpore talks about the heroics of Mangal Pandey and his eventual death by hanging. Mangal Pandey Park, today stand as a reminder of one of the most turbulent periods of India’s past. There are several other embodiments of India’s history in Barrackore…the Kali Temple, the Nishan Ghat, the Bartholomew Cathedral to name a few.

Today’s Barrackpore is a far cry from its eventful past. It provides a humdrum existence to its small population. Barrackpore today can be described as a metaphor of tranquility and peace. It is this reason why it serves as a perfect setting for a special haven for the aged and the weary and it is here that you will find the Bholananda Briddha Ashram.