Many photographers consider New York to be a mecca for street photography. But, to me, Kolkata is a haven for those who love to capture images peopled with life, energy and vibrancy. Whether it is the bustle of Kolay, New or Machhi market; the buzz of Baubazar, Barabazar or Shyambazar; the crowds of College Street, Indian Coffee House, Chittaranjan Avenue; or the sights of Maidan, Kumortuli, Lohapatti, Esplanade, the streets are so alive that one cannot afford to move the finger from the shutter button for a moment.

The Flower market, Howrah Bridge and Mullick Ghat are equally popular among locals and tourists. Kolkatans are famously fond of food and the streets provide ample opportunity for food photography. The arrival of the monsoon gives the city an entirely different character to be captured on camera.

Tradition and modernity go hand in hand in Kolkata, which makes street photography in the city quite different from the rest of the world. Here, you will find someone carrying water in a kaavad or masak, hand-pulled rickshaws sharing roads with trams, Durga Pooja pandals decked up in international themes yet enveloped in the crimson of Sindoor Khela alongside snippets of glamorous café life on Park Street.

An inveterate traveller, Vir Sanghvi once wrote: “If you want a city with soul, come to Calcutta.”