Khorkhori... the word rolls off the tongue in guttural 'khs' and 'rs' imitating the grating of the shutters as they open and close. These louvred European windows first arrived in Kolkata with the colonisers in the 18th century and found a place in their grand building enterprise and the making of a new capital. Painted a de rigueur 'bus green', the khorkhori proliferated beyond the grand colonial offices of Central Kolkata and North Kolkata rajbaris into a world of standalone family homes in South Kolkata built by the new Bengali professionals the lawyers, doctors, engineers, and civil servants.
In the centuries that passed, the khorkhoris followed the fortunes of the buildings they were housed in. Many of the early 20th-century houses in the genteel neighbourhoods of South Kolkata were demolished to make way for new apartment blocks, while the older palatial mansions of the North slowly decayed. The khorkhoris of these homes guarded a glorious Calcutta of the past one that thrived only in the nostalgia of city residents and lived on in conversations over Scotch and English roasts at Raj-era clubs, suspended in time.
This story is from the November 2023 - January 2024 edition of Condé Nast Traveller India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2023 - January 2024 edition of Condé Nast Traveller India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE 2024 HOT LIST
Our pick of the best new hotels in the world
SHOPPING IN ABU DHABI
From a barbershop café to Emirati gems, home-grown brands offer a fresh counterpoint to the UAE capital's glitzy malls and designer labels.
LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF
No place delights in retelling its own tale quite like the city of angels. Now, a wave of chefs, hoteliers, and entrepreneurs is remixing the classics to usher in a new golden age.
LOVE & TRAVEL - DECOUPLING
Ona long trip through Spain, Sophie Yun Mancini bids a tender goodbye to an old love
LOVE & TRAVEL - REFLECTIONS
For writer and translator Sara Rai, Banaras has her heart and is everywhere all at once. On a trip to Palermo, she wraps her way around the two cities in one breathless sentence
LOVE & TRAVEL - DEPARTURES
Chef Manu Chandra looks back on a time that brought home the power of love and travel
LOVE & TRAVEL - SUMMER
Travelling in a wheelchair, author Jarred McGinnis makes the most of a chance solo parenting trip
LOVE & TRAVEL - PERFUME
Author Divrina Dhingra distils the varied fragrances of the many places she has called home
CARNIVOROUS IN COIMBATORE
A Texan vegetarian fell for Kongunadu cooking, quail and all.
WHERE TO STAY - THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL USA
An eclectic palette and worldly flourishes fill this 19thcentury mansion turned hotel in New York.