Chawlonto Kolkata: Kolkata on the Move

It is impossible to visualise a street of Kolkata without the rickshaws, the taxis, the trams, the buses. Not everything that Kolkata housed survived, but their memories are etched deep in the soul of the City of Joy. It effortlessly embraces the bygone era and modern times together. Perhaps that is why, another jewel is awaiting to be added to the crown of the city. Threading the past and future, the place where the horse-drawn tram travelled for the first time in the city, is set to host the first underwater metro, connecting the suburbs to the city in another way.

Team:

Priyankush Ghosh; Stock Market Option Trader, German Language Teacher; Kolkata
Ishani De; Subtitle Writer & Amateur Artist; Kolkata
Sourendra Nath Dutta; Environment Activist; Kolkata

The Minted NFTs: A selection

© Priyankush Ghosh, Ishani De
The life in this metro can’t move without the Metro. (Depiction : Park Street Metro station)
The sketch is done on paper using graphite pencil, pen and watercolour brush pens by Ishani De.
© Priyankush Ghosh, Ishani De
From Calcutta to Kolkata, the city has preserved its contrasts. That‘s why, amidst EVs and skyscrapers, it‘s not hard to find a person pulling his rickshaw barefoot. (Depiction : A hand-pulled rickshaw)
The sketch is done on paper using graphite pencil, pen and watercolour brush pens by Ishani De.
© Priyankush Ghosh, Ishani De
Tracking heritage through the tracks. (Depiction: An electric tram)
The sketch is done on paper using graphite pencil, pen and watercolour brush pens by Ishani De.

Complete collection of the minted NFTs

Conversation with the Artists

How do NFTs contribute to the support of cultural heritage?
NFT is the new way of expressing art where it is ensured that the artist is valued and acknowledged for their works. It is a platform of the future with a lot of potential. This is why NFT can be an efficient tool for someone who wishes to preserve a new platform to showcase their work. In this programme, all the participants did that but with a focus on cultural heritage and history.

What makes the project unique and signiﬁcant?
Our project, Chawlonto Kolkata: Kolkata on the Move, aims to preserve pieces of history and show the evolution of Kolkata’s transport system. It depicts the modes of transport that became integral parts of Kolkata, such as the hand-pulled rickshaw, the team, the yellow ambassador taxi etc. We tried to focus on how the commuters of Kolkata have been commuting through the ages through some hand-painted traditional ink-&-wash paintings of the vehicles along with a brief history of each of them. It will depict the unique interconnection of these systems and how they collaborated in creating a city in which the past is never forgotten, and modernity is always welcome.

What are the future plans for the project?
Our project can grow or branch out to show the detailed evolution of each of the vehicles in a similar series. The same can also be done with different aspects of culture and heritage, such as food, festivals, music etc. We could also use different mediums or techniques for future artefacts.

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