Well, not exactly a bridge, rather a flyover. Would you believe it, there is a Chess Lovers Club, which operates under a flyover, in one of Kolkata’s busiest markets?
Any Kolkatan will tell you that for a Bengali, Gariahat happens to be one of the favorite places to visit for shopping, be it for clothes, jewelry, food or electronic goods. These are mostly traditional stand-alone shops, which I favor over the sprawling malls. The malls, I feel lack the warmth provided by these shops.
Gariahat is at the junction of 2 major roads, and a very busy flyover runs over it. Under this flyover, every evening from 6 pm till 10 pm, a bunch of Chess lovers gather to play the game, come rain or shine. No fancy sitting arrangements, these guys sit on the concrete railings and place the chess boards there. They are obviously very passionate about the game, considering the cacophony caused by the vehicles, hawkers, shoppers and commuters. Not ideal conditions for a game like Chess, right?
They call their club simply the “Gariahat Chess Club”. Next time you visit Gariahat in the evening, do take a dekko..
Engrossed in the game of Kings & Queens, while a bus whizzes by
Your move…
Ebony & Ivory
What’s a game without a few onlookers!
I wonder who keeps the time..
Your Move- Part 2
For these lovebirds, it definitely looks like Checkmate!
View from across the road
Being a Sunday evening, the traffic was light
Know-All's Box 
Loved th e1st shot the best…..
Thank you Yummraj..Even i like the effect created by the moving bus…got lucky with that one 🙂
# 7 is my favorite picture. Shows the concentration on something different in the chaos of the city very well.
thank you very much…i was relieved that they were facing away…i did not want to disturb the beautiful moment amidst all the activity all around
Always something new to learn about Kolkata from your blog. Enjoyed reading it and love the first photograph the most.
thank you so much…will keep trying to bring such new things in future… 🙂
Nice capture .
thanks a lot for visiting and for your compliment!
🙂 it is always interesting to see life on your photos ….
thank you again! that’s the advantage of residing in the 2nd most populous country in the world…too many people and too many things happening! 😀
but a gold mine for photographers ….
absolutely! 🙂
🙂
Reminds me of the half a decade I spent in that lovely city, full of heartwarming always people ready to help a migrant, in almost the same area that you have chosen to shoot!
Really nice to know that you enjoyed your stay in Kolkata. I agree…the city has warmth 🙂
Interesting report on a one-of-a-kind place. Well done!
thank you, thank you! am still learning the ropes… 🙂
I love the first photo! Fantastic! Great blog 🙂
thank you thank you 🙂
Fascinating! I always enjoy your observations. HF
Thank you so much for checking out the post and your nice words! 🙂
Of course. I know talent when I see it! HF
thank you…you really are too nice..your words encourage me to try harder…
Excellent collection of pictures.
thank you so much!
good stuff. so many stories inherent therein!
thank you so much, for stopping by and for your encouragement!
Ah! I love chess, especially when I win, which is sadly on rare occasions
Maybe if I lived somewhere near chess-happenings.. Actually, scratch that! This summer I’ll bring my little plastic board and a friend with me to a park in Oslo, and play (even if people will send me some funny looks)! Thanks for the inspiration 😉
And I love taking photographs of people playing chess 😉 Do play the game of chess in the park of Oslo in summer and if people give funny looks…remember the title of the book by richard feynman, “what do you care what other people think!” 😀
hehe! oh yes! please feel free to think anything about me, because I can’t really be bothered to think about you at all (especially when playing chess) :-p I read something like that somewhere 😉
lol 🙂