In 1983, when I was 10, I first set foot in Calcutta (now, of course, Kolkata) holding my father's hand. I remember taking a double-decker bus, crossing the Howrah Bridge and entering the city from Howrah. Sitting by a window on the upper floor of the bus, I watched with wonder as my father gave me a guided tour of the city, telling me the history and background of each the sights we saw. Seeing Calcutta for the first time was a thrilling experience.
Decades passed. Times changed. Like my father, I started commuting to Kolkata daily for my job. I came closer to the beautiful city which gradually engulfed me, and I fell in love with it. I was fascinated by the colonial-era buildings. Already passionate about photography, I had by then turned it into my profession. Its iconic landmarks such as Victoria Memorial, Shahid Minar, Raj Bhavan, Eden Gardens and many others captivated my lens.
Victoria Memorial | Salil Bera
Salt Lake Stadium | Salil Bera
Howrah Bridge | Salil Bera
Eden Gardens | Salil Bera
Vidyasagar Setu | Salil Bera
Shahid Minar | Salil Bera
Quest Mall | Salil Bera
Raj Bhavan | Salil Bera
GPO | Salil Bera
St Paul's Cathedral | Salil Bera
An aerial view of Kolkata at night | Salil Bera
Time has had its effect on the city. Its character has changed, in keeping with the shift around the globe, and so has its skyline. High-rises have mushroomed everywhere. Eye-catching contemporary architecture has ensured the city’s passage into the modern world.
Many of the parameters of my profession, too, have changed. We are now in the digital age. The drone camera is a marvel of our times. This camera shows us an aspect of an image that is remarkable because of its hitherto-unexplored angles. As a photojournalist, I had often toyed with the idea of taking a camera to a high location as a human drone to shoot some of Kolkata’s iconic structures. And, almost as if to fulfil my dream, a magnificent construction came up in central Kolkata – a stone’s throw from the Brigade Parade Ground and Park Street – to tower over the entire city. An idea slowly took shape in my mind, that if I could capture the iconic places of Kolkata from atop this building, it would be an enjoyable experience for our readers.
It was with this objective in mind that I took pictures of Victoria Memorial Hall, Howrah Bridge, Eden Gardens, St. Paul's Cathedral and Raj Bhavan from the tallest building in eastern India, a 62-storey edifice, whose name – The 42 - is derived from its address on the historic Chowringhee.