Dum Dum

Dum Dum (DAWM-dawm) is mostly known to people outside Greater Kolkata for its airport. However, Dum Dum is a significant part of the military history of India. The British Raj had a major arsenal at Dum Dum which manufactured, among other things, expanding bullets which are still sometimes called "dum-dum bullets". They were later banned in warfare by the Hague Convention as being "too inhumane".

Dum Dum, along with Barrackpore, was a major centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It is rumoured that the paper cartridges provided to Indian soldiers were laced with pig lard or cow fat, resulting to the revolt of the soldiers in Dum Dum Cantonment.

However, the importance of Dum Dum in military declined by the late 1920s when Dum Dum Cantonment was closed down and became a separate municipality. With the growth of Dum Dum Airport (later Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport), the city transforms into a major transport hub of Greater Kolkata, alongside Howrah, Esplanade and Sealdah. The Kolkata Circular Railway has a terminus at Dum Dum Junction railway station, which is connected with metro and bus routes.

• 🌍 Clive's House, Rastraguru Ave, Nagerbazar. A rather mysterious building, it is considered the first pucca brick and cement building in the Northern Suburbs of Kolkata, possibly built by the Portuguese. What is known is that it was used by British soldiers when they first entered the country. Later, Robert Clive took the area over, renovated it, added a floor to the single-storey building, and made it his country house around 1757-60. The house is located on raised ground in otherwise flat surroundings. When Clive House was excavated, a variety of artefacts were recovered, including coins, terracotta figures, sculptures, pottery and intelligence on a Portuguese fort. The articles found could be of the Sena period or may alternatively have links with the ancient Chandraketugarh civilisation. (updated Sep 2022)
• 🌍 Kolkata Time Zone Tower, VIP Rd, Lake Town. A one-third sized replica of the iconic Big Ben in London. The tower is 30 metres in height, while Big Ben in London is 96 metres. It has ten floors and the four clock faces are each 3.6 metres in diameter, compared to 7 metres in the original. (updated Jul 2022)
• 🌍 Sreebhumi Sporting Club, Lake Town. The club holds some of the best Durga Puja pandals in Greater Kolkata every year, with a huge crowd gathering during the festive season. (updated Nov 2022)

• 🌍 Diamond Plaza, 68, Jessore Rd, Satgachi. (updated Oct 2022)
• 🌍 Nagerbazar. (updated Oct 2022)
• 🌍 Saltee Plaza, 1, Jessore Rd. (updated Oct 2022)

• 🌍 Maharaja Bar and Restaurant, ☏ +91 83350 55881. 11AM-11PM. (updated Dec 2022)