Author(s): Peter Bialobrzeski

Photography

In 19th-century Calcutta, a financially strong Indian elite emerged under the rule of the British East India Company, building up eclectic Bengali equivalents of industrialists' mansions, apparent stylistic blends of traditional Mughal architecture with more classical elements. Today the erstwhile magnificent villas and palaces retain only a shred of their former splendor, and it seems only a matter of time before the last stony reminders of a once brilliant Bengali upper middle class disappear for good. Under the guidance of Peter Biaolobrzeski, 21 photography students from the Hochschule für Künste in Bremen, Germany, captured the fading, crumbling grandeur of this culturally rich heirloom as part of the Kolkata Heritage Photo Project. On April 22, 2007, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" wrote, "If Calcutta had the appeal of Havana, its palaces would long ago have become the subject of various coffee-table books." With "Calcutta," such a book is finally available.