This one is a little personal. I recently finished my internship in March. One of our projects was “10 statues across the city of Kolkata.” For those who don’t know, Kolkata, or Calcutta, is a city in eastern India. It used to be the capital of the British colonial government. We travelled across the primary “statue zones” of the city. Our list exceeded ten as well. But even months later, what I can’t forget is one particular statue located in a very busy area of the city. The junction of College Street and Mahatma Gandhi Road is one of the busiest, most chaotic locations of the old city. However, a colonial era statue of Kristo Das Pal, a revered 19th century journalist, located at the exact point of the junction, was unknown to literally everybody. You would wonder why…My friends and I almost completely missed it due to the excessive amount of plastic and wires on top of and around it. The statue is in a very dilapidated condition, and I simply wish we had paid more attention to it.
There are many statues, which requires a lot of attention in Kolkata. Sometimes we can’t recognise, whose statue is this? Due to poor maintenance. Exceptions are there, like Victoria Memorial, Bellur Math, Indian Museum. We can’t say that everything are in poor condition.
I can literally make a list of locations in a town close to me, of places that people should know about. Even in my own village too.
I live in Ramapo where this a small cemetery that dates back to the Revolutionary was times.
I just visited Parham House this weekend in West Sussex, England. It’s super beautiful, not very famous, rather quiet (not overrun like many National Trust places). Definitely worth a visit!
Another favourite of mine (also from my region) is Chanctonbury Ring. It’s the remains of an ancient hillfort on a hill (yes, it’s in the name). Someone in the 19th century planted trees all around the ring, so it’s an extremly beautiful place. In summer it’s amazing to relax below the trees, enjoy the great views and be in touch with nature and history at the same time.
Interesting topic! I can think of many - but the first that comes to mind is Chacchoben - the Maya city. Great place. Really fascinating. I was there in 2017 and it became one of my favorite Maya sites. Chacchoben - World History Encyclopedia