A month-long tour of eastern India begins with a long train journey.

On April 03 afternoon, all 48 of us State Forest Service Officer Trainees left for a month long tour of Eastern India by Saraighat Express. From CASFOS Hostel at around 10 a.m. we boarded the academy bus to the railway station and at 12:20 boarded the Saraighat Express to Calcutta. 







The fatigue of almost 17 hours of train journey went away as soon as we landed at Kolkata's Howrah Junction. Howrah railway station is the oldest and largest railway complex in India. Also, Howrah Railway Station is the busiest railway station in India. 

The impression I had about the city of Calcutta was that it was a very congested and haphazardly populated city, but within a short journey from the time we left the station to the time we reached our hotel, my view of the city changed completely. Kolkata is a city of colonial architecture, museums, art galleries, traditional food, temples, music and theatre. It is a mix of traditional and modern


After resting for some time at the hotel, we left for the Botanical Garden of Kolkata. The Botanical Garden Kolkata, located at Shibpur, Howrah in Kolkata, is one of the largest and most prominent Botanical Gardens in India, spread over an area of about 273 acres. The Botanical Garden was established in the year 1786 by Colonel Alexander Kidd, an army officer of the British East India Company. Sir George King initiated the design, while botanist William Roxburgh made significant changes after becoming the superintendent of the garden. The name of the Botanical Garden, popularly known as 'Company Garden', was changed to 'Indian Botanic Garden' in the year 1950, after independence. Which was later renamed Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden on 25 June 2009 in honor of the great scientist Jagdish Chandra Bose. 
The main attraction of the Botanical Garden is the huge banyan tree. Apart from this, the amazing orchids and multicolored flowers in the garden also remain the center of attraction, which tourists come from all over the world to see. This place is a very special place for nature lovers to visit, where you can see different types of flowers and trees while roaming and spend a peaceful time.











After visiting the Botanical Garden, on the way back to the hotel, We also visited the famous Victoria Memorial Hall. The largest monument to a monarch anywhere in the world, it stands in 64 acres of gardens and is now a museum under the control of the Ministry of Culture. The Victoria Memorial was completed and formally opened to the public in 1921.The entire building was built using white Makrana marble. Overall it was inspired by the Taj Mahal. Special mines were established in Makrana, Rajasthan to dig marble. 

Before the Victoria Memorial was built, the Presidency Jail was built at this place. This prison was the place where the political prisoners of the Britishers were kept at the pleasure of His Majesty. The names of some of the prisoners in the Presidency Jail were Shri Aurobindo, Subhash Chand Bose.
All in all it was a wonderful first day of our East India tour. Though the heat and humidity of Calcutta did cause some discomfort, but this heat and humidity paled in front of the excitement of the journey. Tomorrow morning we will leave for Sundarbans.


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