How to get in & get around Kolkata

Get in

By plane

Kolkata’s “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport” connects the city with the rest of the world as well as other Indian cities.
Because the airport is about 20km outside the city centre you should take a prepaid taxi. Expect to pay about Rs. 150-250 depending on your destination.

By train

Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to North-Eastern India. The cities two major railway stations are Howrah (not in Kolkata actually, it’s in the adjoining city Howrah) and Sealdah. A new terminus station called ‘Kolkata’ has also started functioning since 2005, but presently it accommodates very few trains.

By bus

To/from Bangladesh There are numerous bus options between Kolkata and Bangladesh. The most common way is the regular comfortable a/c buses from Dhaka to Kolkata via the Haridaspur / Benapole border post. Private bus companies Shohagh [1], Green Line [2]. Govt. buses run under the label of the state owned West Bengal Surface Transport Service Corporation (WBSTSC) and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation [4] (BRTC). WBSTSC and BRTC both operate buses from Kolkata every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 5:30AM and 8:30AM, and 12:30PM while from Dhaka they leave on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00AM and 7:30AM.

To/from Eastern India via Bangladesh Bus travel to some points in Eastern India are faster via Bangladesh (please note that visas may be required for entry into Bangladesh as well as for re-entry into India). If you’re heading to points in Eastern India (Tripura for example) beyond Bangladesh.


Get around


By taxi

Kolkata just wouldn’t look the same without the plethora of yellow ambassador taxis that ply on its roads. They’re easily available and relatively cheap, and will usually use their meters.
The fare is 2 times plus Rs 2 the reading of the meter. The Meter starts from Rs. 10, which means Rs. 22 actually. There is a “green taxi” which is red colored (!) and charges the same. In case you are confused always ask to see the chart that the driver is supposed to carry with him.
You can find ‘Orix’ or ‘Megacabs’ air-conditioned taxis on call. Their fare is about Rs15-20/km. The telephone numbers to call for these taxis are Orix – (033)44222222 and Megacabs – (033)41414141.

By metro

Kolkata’s “Metro Railway” was the first underground rail in India, yet it still has only a single route connecting the North and South of the city, from Dumdum to Garia Bazar. It is the cleanest, most reliable, least but still rather crowded and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 10-15 minutes and at Rs 4-8. Work is underway to connect districts further South. There is also an East-West line in the works on full swing, which will connect Salt Lake to Howrah station.

By tram

“Calcutta Tramways” is the only tram service in all of India, and the oldest surviving electric tram network of Asia. Though decommissioned in so.

IPL – Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals

Kolkata, April 17 : Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) beat Rajasthan Royals(RR) by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League match at the Eden Gardens here Saturday.

With skipper Sourav Ganguly (75 off 50 balls) leading from the front, the Knight Riders scored 133/2 in 16.1 overs after restricting the Royals to 132/9.

Chetaswar Pujara remained not out with 45 off 38 balls as the Knights won with 3.5 overs to spare. Earlier Shane Watson(44) top scored for the Royals.
Among the Knight Riders bowlers, Jaidev Unadkar finished with 3/26.

Unbelievable Nude Scenes in Bollywood Movie LSD

According to the latest Bollywood news, upcoming movie LSD (Love Sex aur Dhokha) will showcase the steamy nude scenes that Indian audiences have never seen before.

Ekta Kapoor’s next release, Love Aur Dhokha directed by Dibakar Banerjee is a path-breaking film in many ways. It’s meant to shock and outrage. And though the film transmits that in every thread, the most scandalous part of the film is the sex scene between two actors. The scene comes in the second story Paap Ki Dukaan. It is the most shocking scene to be ever filmed in a commercial Hindi film. Never before have had two protagonists stripped down completely. But the nudity in the scene is not even remotely aimed to titillate. If anything, it is gag-inducing, guaranteed to repel you. Like the rape scene filmed on Monica Bellucci in Irreversible.

The controversial scene was shot with an approximate of 4 people in the room while the cameras were rolling.

According to an inside source, “The script required the scene to be shot with full frontal. It took a lot of courage for both the actors to do it. LSD does not aim to shock audiences but does aim at mirroring reality.”

It is this reality factor which is said to be the USP of LSD. The film is co-produced by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor and Priya Sreedharan.

The film which is shot with a hidden camera playing a character by itself, LSD features a bunch of newcomers with no mainstream background. Also, sex and voyeurism form a major driving force of the narrative of this film.

The movie talks about how voyeurism is indeed a reality in today’s society. The source says, “The content and scenes in the film will be slightly difficult for audiences to digest but once they know the thought behind it, they will realize it’s the cold hard truth. After all somebody needs to inform audiences and question the decisions they take in day to day life.”

The identity of the actors of the film is kept under cover due to the provocative nature and content of the film. The gossips about the film has already got mouths talking but if there is one thing the team is tight lipped about, it’s the actors and the story of their discovery.

A source from Balaji reveals, “Ekta and Dibaker went on a nation wide hunt for these actors after the script was in place. Since the film mirrors reality, having known faces would not have done justice to the story.” This is the reason why the makers have adopted a marketing strategy of not going out with the LSD’s actors’ identities since it would only increase the audience’s curiosity.

Adds the source, “LSD has been in the news for its offensive lyrics, controversial subject, cuss words used in the film and never seen before nude scenes. Not revealing the actors starring in the film will only further pique audience curiosity about the film.”

Maoist leader arrested

Mathurapur (West Medinipur), 8th April: At present, West Medinipur is mostly affected by Maoist hostility and it is spreading out all over the West Bengal and in other state also. After the terrible incident of 76 CRPF murder, the Maoists became more mentally powerful.

But on this Thursday they get a shock as a Maoist leader was arrested throughout a hunt operation by the combined force at Mathurapur in West Midnapore district.

This combined forces also seized an enormous collection of weapons those looted by the Maoists for the duration of an attack on the Eastern Frontier Rifles’ Shilda camp on February 15.

The Superintendent of Police Medinipur, Manoj Verma mentioned, “Yesterday we commenced the special operation at two places that ended today. The rest of the forces are expected to return anytime today. The two locations where we conducted the operation was under Salboni Police Station at a place named Mathurapur and also the adjoining forest area. We recovered six rifles-12 bore with 17 rounds, medicines. Also there was ammunition – 8 mm 55 rounds, 9 mm 20 rounds and leaflets. We have apprehended a person named Harland Mahato who now in our custody,”

Chidambaram on Chhattisgarh visit after Naxal bloodbath

Chattisgarh, 7th April: Home Minister P Chidambaram is going to Chhattisgarh visit on Wednesday to make an immediately discussion and review the situation in Chhattisgarh after naxals carried out the deadliest attack and killed 76 CRPF personnel.

Chidambaram, who left for Raipur this morning, is expected to meet Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and other senior security officials, sources said.

Yesterday 76 CRPF personnel, who appeared to have walked into the naxal’s “trap”, were killed when they were literally caught sleeping in the Mukrana forests of Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, one of the strongholds of the naxals.

The attack took place between 6 AM and 7 AM on a batch of 82, including 80 CRPF personnel. Two were from the local police.

The personnel were returning to the base camp as part of joint operation when it came under fire from hill features just about four kilometres away.

Virtually an entire company of the CRPF was wiped out when 75 of its personnel including Deputy Commandant Satyawan Singh Yadav and Assistant Commandant B L Meena along with the head constable of the Chhattisgarh police were killed.

The attack shook the Centre and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a meeting with Home Minister P Chidambaram and assessed the situation. Both of them expressed shock over the attack and grief over the loss of lives.

Prime Minister had called it a “horrific” incident. Chidambaram, rattled by the “very high” casualty, said something must have gone “drastically wrong” in the joint operation as the personnel seemed to have walked into a trap.

“Mind your language, Chidambaram”- Buddhadeb

On Monday West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee hit back at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for his comments that in maintaining law and order the buck stopped at the Chief Minister’s table, and said him to “mind your language”.

“Buck is not the language of politicians. It is slang. I will tell him to mind his language. I had asked him to tell the Opposition to cooperate with the government,” as said by West Bengal Chief Minister.

When he was asked about Mr. Chidambaram’s views, the Chief Minister said: “I do not accept what he said. I know my responsibility. Let me do my job and let him do his.”

He also added “I am trying to discharge my responsibilities. I have my own views about the law and order situation. He gave me his views and I gave him mine. But I also told him that it is very difficult to maintain law and order if the Opposition does not cooperate. I told him that you should tell the Opposition to attend meetings when called by the government.”

Breaking News – Robbery in Gariahat flat

Kolkata, 3rd April: On the last evening a robbery case occurred in Garihat flat. A home worker named Amrit escaped with Rs 25 Lakisha in cash and jewellery from a businessman’s flat in a Gariahat.

Police said that Amrit was working at Pawan Drolia’s seventh-floor apartment for the past four days. “Amrit had been recommended by a security guard who works for one of my relatives in Salt Lake. He joined barely four days ago,” a ball-pen manufacturer Drolia said.

Drolia also added “We were planning to take Amrit’s photograph and collect his personal details for submission to the local police station, but all this (the robbery) happened before that,”

On yesterday morning, Drolia went for his factory in Belgachhia with his 27-year-old son Akash. Drolia’s wife Asha also left home and Annapurna Sharma nick name Munnibai in the house.

The police said that Munnibai, who was in her mid-50s, had been employed by the Drolias three months ago as her brother is a long-time employee at Drolia’s factory.

When Akash returned home in the evening, he found the door locked from inside. After no response from inside, he opened the door with a duplicate key and realized that the lights were switched off.

“I felt something was wrong and switched on the fans and the light immediately,” Akash said.

“I called out for a glass of water but got no reply. After sometime, I went to my parent’s room and found it ransacked. I rushed back to find Munnibai unconscious. I immediately informed my parents and called a doctor.”

The police said first round investigations exposed that Amrit had drugged Munnibai and runaway with treasures between 4pm and 5.30pm.

“After the woman was drugged, the door to the master bedroom was broken and all the three wooden cupboards were ransacked for valuables and cash,” a senior officer said at Gariahat police station.

“It is unlikely that Amrit did it all by himself. It appears that more than one person was involved.”

The police have inquired two security guards who lived with Amrit in Park Circus. The guards work in two other buildings in the city also.

The police have found Amrit’s clothes in a neighbor’s home named Arjun Sonar. Officers said Amrit was also close to Arjun Sonar. But, now Sonar is also missing.

Hot kissing scene between Vidya Balan & Arshad Warsi

Bollywood simplest actress Vidya Balan is back in a most shocking role with Arshad Warshi in VishalBhardwaj’s ‘Ishqiya’. In this film, she is playing a ‘gaon ki gori’ means a simple village girl’s role but even did some bold scenes too.

After the  Bollywood Movie ‘Guru’, where Vidya did a close hot and deep lip kiss with R Madhavan, she is more encouraged with this lip kisses. In recent ‘Ishqiya’ film Vidya’s she did a very extensive and warm scene with Arshad Warshi and kissed him very happily.

May be she thought that it’s the easiest way to be more popular as Kareena and Kartina. But she doesn’t know that she needs not to do this as she is a great actress in acting sector than any other bold beauties.

So, Vidya concentrate on your acting, because you have a good innocent face, doesn’t have sexy appearance. Please, don’t go with bold scenes. We are not ever expecting it from you.

Post your views – Is Vidya suitable with close kissing scenes?

Highest tax payers in this year – Shah Rukh & Karina

In the financial year 2009-2010, the highest tax payers are none other than Shah Rukh khan Khan and Kareena Kapoor who have given the maximum tax in this year than any other celebrities.

last year, Shah Rukh was beaten by Shayla Kumar with slight difference. Akshay gave tax of Rs 31 crore, while King Khan gave Rs 30.99 crore. Though, last year Kareena was extreme following tax payer with a payment of Rs 3.7 crore. But in this year she has broken all the records.

But, both the actors are silent about the amount deposited by them. But through confidential sources it is known that they have put down a heavy amount to the tax department.

“No harm in sex before marriage” – Amrita Rao

Bollywood Actress Amrita Rao is on the cover of The Man’s November 2009 issue, which is the wedding special topic. Notwithstanding her shy image, she has shocked everyone in her interview with her extraordinary modern view on relationships and marriage which has been completely broken her shy image for ever.

Amrita Said “I don’t see any harm in people getting physical in a relationship before marriage. If there is romance, there is bound to be some level of physical intimacy between partners. As long as both partners are comfortable and they take precautions it should be their decision to take the relationship to that level before marriage or not,”

When you live in Country like India, you shouldn’t comment such things because our Nation doesn’t permit it. However, what you are doing in your personal life, it doesn’t matter but don’t ever publish it openly.

Post your view – Is Amrita’s view right?