If you haven't done something new in a long time or if you're bored with the same old routine, we may have an answer for you! There are places in Kolkata where people can grow personally, focus on learning and inspiration, and drive to bring about constructive change. Doesn't it sound like fun? As a metropolis, Kolkata has several communities you can join where you can participate, have fun, relax, or do something really cool!
11 Kolkata Communities Worth Joining For Fun, Learning & Friends
The Top 11 Communities & Groups In Kolkata You Should Join
Calcutta Walks
Try their public transport tour, which gives you a feel of trams, metros, rickshaws and even ferries that is so uniquely Calcuttan. Iftekhar "Ifte" Ahsan, the founder of Calcutta Walks, will lead you down side streets and off the usual routes, all of which have left their lasting imprints on the city and its people. Using places and people as his object lessons, his discussions are interesting.
Price: INR 2,500 per person for shared walks; INR 4,000 per person for shared walks with car pick-ups; INR 4,000 - INR 7,500 for private and exclusive walks per person
Website: calcuttawalks.com
Instagram: @calcuttawalks
Google Rating: 4.5/5
Kolkata Food Trotters
Bengalis live and breathe food. One carefully thought-out culinary offering after another is provided by Somek from Kolkata Food Trotters. If you enjoy attentively monitoring the group's activities for the greatest places to eat in town, this is it! You can meet passionate foodies in this community, which is dedicated to uncovering home chefs and secret culinary locations through food trails. It also features open mics and a collaboration with a children's welfare organisation.
Instagram: @kolkatafoodtrotters
Facebook: Kolkata Food Trotters ( KFT )
Contact: You can keep an eye on their social media pages and join their Facebook group!
Book Lovers Club
This Facebook-based club holds discussions on all genres of literature, book reviews, recommendations, and upcoming releases as well. The club has 959 members, discusses all genres and allows members to upload reviews and write-ups. They also offer blogs about printing packages and publishing houses. Get your reading wish list ready, because once you sign up, you will start on a journey where you will be able to read and learn about everything from your favourite authors without having to pay a dime.
Facebook: Book Lovers Club In Kolkata
Rhythm Divine Poets
Sufia Khatoon, Anindita Bose, and Dr Amit Shankar Saha, poets from Kolkata, brainstormed the idea for an international poetry club in the city when they met at several creative writing workshops between 2011 and 2014. Sanjukta Sarkar, Ruth Pal Chaudhuri, and Nikita Parik are the group's three youth coordinators. They host poets, network with poets outside of their area, hold poetry contests, and host workshops. The first edition of the Rhythm Divine Poets Anthology was successfully published and debuted at the 2016 Kolkata International Book Fair. Poets from all over the world entered what may have been India's first-ever poetry chapbook competition in 2017.
Facebook: Rhythm Divine Poets
Calcutta Photo Tours
Calcutta Photo Tours is a series of photowalks through Kolkata. If you wish to explore only the colonial past, the 'European Calcutta' tour will be apt for you, but if you would like to immerse yourself in the real melting pot of cultures and communities in this city, then go for the 'Cultural Kaleidoscope' tour. Manjit is the guy who's been running the show successfully for more than a decade now. An avid photographer and a 'Surd' who's a true Bengali at heart will show you the city like it always was and still is.
Contact: Call on +919831163482 or email info@calcuttaphototours.com
Price: INR 2,500 - INR 3,000 per person
Instagram: @calcuttaphototours
Facebook: Calcutta Photo Tours
Website: www.calcuttaphototours.com
Google Rating: 4.6/3
People's Film Collective
Formed in 2013, their biggest event is the Kolkata People's Film Festival, which has been held since 2014. They screen independent films, art films and documentaries from India and other South & Southeast Asian countries. The screenings are usually followed by discussions. PFC also organises monthly film screenings and conversations on topical and contemporary socio-political issues. Their 'Travelling Cinema' is an initiative where they go to several districts of Bengal with films & motivational videos. They can see movement videos and political documentaries made by the members of the collective.
Website: www.ourcinema.in/festival
Instagram: @peoplesfilmcollective
Facebook: People's Film Collective
Pink Party Kolkata
The Pink Parties Kolkata was formed as a result of the impromptu quest for a place to meet where members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Calcutta could come together and celebrate. The group has expanded into more events like Pink Coffee, a Wednesday gathering for members, and Pink Movies, a movie club. The Stadel hotel hosts Pink Parties once a month in the summer and twice a month in the winter.
Instagram: @pinkpartykolkata
Facebook: PINK PARTY KOLKATA, LGBT AND FRIENDS SOCIAL EVENTS IN KOLKATA
People Like Us
People Like Us is a community created out of love and purpose. Queer and transgender people find more than a place to stay here; they find a fresh start from houses like Prothoma to initiatives that provide opportunities for education, employment, and just living with pride. The late Agniva Lahiri launched PLUS Kolkata, which became a legally recognised non-profit organisation in 2003. Along with initiatives in areas like human trafficking, PLUS Kolkata also emphasises HIV/AIDS prevention, counselling, and rehabilitation. Prothoma is a transgender shelter and crisis intervention clinic located in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Kolkata.
Art Rickshaw
Art Rickshaw is one of the coolest groups to teach arts & crafts and painting to the eager students of Kolkata. If you think acrylic and charcoal are your thing, you have the option to learn them. You can also opt to learn with watercolour, pencil sketch, ink or pastels. They hold painting classes on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Art Rickshaw can teach pottery and sculpting, too. You need not have prior expertise in pottery making to attend these classes. You can attend four classes in a month on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Timing: 4 PM - 6 PM and 5 PM - 7 PM
Price: INR 1,600 for four painting classes per month; INR 2,000 for four pottery classes per month, and INR 600 for walk-in classes
Contact: 083358 55530
Instagram: @artrickshaw_kol
Website: artrickshaw. in
Google Rating: 4.4/5
Shakespeare Society Of Eastern India
If you mull over the eternal query – to be or not to be – then this one is for you. The society is all about the bard – from seminars and symposia to workshops, covering not only Shakespeare but also Rabindranath Tagore and other writers from both India and abroad. You get to attend performances of Shakespeare’s plays and film and video shows on related subjects. Literature, exhibitions, debates, musical performances by the ‘Shakespeare Choir’, and test-your-knowledge quiz contests. Membership is open to anyone who is passionate.
Timing: 9 AM - 5 PM. Closed on Sundays.
Price: INR 300 annually for students; INR 500 for general members and INR 5000 for lifetime membership
Contact: 09748726895
Facebook: Shakespeare Society Of Eastern India
Website: www.ssei.org.in
Google Rating: 5/5
Th Society At New Madam G
A secret course tasting, along with a whisky tasting or a wine tasting. Organised by The Society and held at New Madam G, you will be wearing a blindfold and every drink is accompanied by a carefully planned four- or five-course meal that is meant to enhance each bite. On paper, every menu is designed to give you a glimpse of what to expect and how to proceed. You are going to hear stories from creators, artists, and entrepreneurs about letting go of people, things, and beliefs to make room for what really matters.
Timing: 1 PM - 12 AM
Price: INR 2,500 for two
Contact: 07439994021
LBB Tip: You can always fill out the Google form on the link in the bio on Instagram to be a part of The Society.
Google Rating: 4.1/5
Instagram: @_thesociety_ and @thenewmadamg
