In Print 3 - Soul City: Inside Stories From Calcutta

Thanks to my friend Preeti Roychowdhury, I got the opportunity to be part of a book on Calcutta (Kolkata), called “Soul City: Inside Stories from Calcutta”. There have been many books on Calcutta before this, but what sets Soul City apart is the fact that this is more a book about impressions of the city. 14 people have collaborated on this book, each contributing a chapter. Soul City is stuffed with memories, poetry, urban exploration, and many fine photographs.

Photograph courtesy Preeti Roychowdhury

My contribution was a chapter on the Zakariah Street area, the city’s central Muslim quarter. I explore the area’s architecture, culture and food. I shot several photographs for the chapter over a period of several weeks and I am sharing with you here are some of the photographs that did not make it to the book.

Kebab Alley

Beef shop in Kebab Alley

Mohammed Ghulam cooks beef chaap outside Bombay Hotel

Beef chaap cooking

Mohammed Siddique selling "sewai"

Suta kebabs being grilled at Adam's Kebab Shop

Inside Nakhoda Masjid, Calcutta's biggest mosque

Soul City is out now and available on Flipkart. For those in India who want to purchase it, click here. If you are outside India, and want to pick up the book, click here. If you already have the book, let me know what you thought of it in the comments.

- by Deepanjan Ghosh