Ever wondered how 19th century Kolkata looked like? The view of the Coffee House in North Kolkata, the horse carts and trams in Central Kolkata or maybe the landscape of the iconic Howrah bridge under construction?
Don’t. Because, that’s not a dream anymore.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool, in partnership with the British Library and Jadavpur University, have launched ‘Timescape: Kolkata’, a mobile app to view 19th century Kolkata on your phone.
It is an offshoot of a two-year-long UGC-UKIERI project, Envisioning the Indian City that will embed priceless and historic images of Kolkata in an interactive map.
This new app incorporates more than 100 geographical points and historical images which have provided by photographic studio Bourne & Shepherd.
The app can be downloaded from November 28, 2015, after it is launched at Victoria Memorial, a monument which is known for its sheer beauty.
Let me give you an example. This is how Sir Stuart Hogg Market, popularly called New Market looks like now:
And this is how the same place will look like from the app:
Here’s what Sujaan Mukherjee, a researcher at Jadavpur University had to say:
‘It allows you to explore rare archival images and data about heritage sites in Kolkata. As you point your phone camera at a particular location, the app recognises where you are in the city based on your location. The image on your screen will then be augmented by a corresponding 19th-century photograph and a host of other information about the building including literary references.’
This will showcase the city in a way that brings history to life.
Calcutta. The name itself beams heritage of a different kind. Isn’t it? 🙂
Source: Hindustan Times