Sugato Mukherjee
Sugato Mukherjee is a photographer and writer based in Calcutta with bylines in The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Nat Geo Traveller, Atlas Obscura and Discovery, among others. While documenting humanitarian stories remains his priority, he equally loves to explore new destinations and write about them. Sugato’s coffee table book on Ladakh has been published from Delhi, and his work on sulphur miners of East Java has been awarded by UNESCO.
Articles by Sugato Mukherjee
Mayurbhanj: Odisha’s Hidden Secret
By Sugato MukherjeeThe stately manor that dates back to 1804 is the residence of the Bhanj Deo royal family that had ruled the princely state of Mayurbhanj in eastern India
India Experiences Luxury Travel History
Exploring Kangra Valley from Rakkh Resort
By Sugato MukherjeeA mountainous land in the Northwestern part of India, the state of Himachal Pradesh has long been a paradise for travelers. Colonial-era hill stations, idyllic rural settlements and verdant valleys dot the expanse of this North Indian state that was once a part of undivided Punjab. However, Kangra Valley, in … Read more
India Off the Beaten Path
When River Ganga Flows by Europe
By Sugato MukherjeeUpstream along the quiet banks of the Ganga, not far from the bustle of Calcutta, lies a string of towns, where a slice of Europe came to roost long before the British did.
India History
The Food that Keeps Kashmir Warm
By Sugato MukherjeeMehman nawazi (hospitality) is etched in the ethos of Kashmir and her people, a centuries-old legacy of this Northwestern Indian state. Every time I land myself in Srinagar, my friend Mushtaq would pick me up late in the evening, and a half-an-hour bumpy ride through the Srinagar-Ganderbal highway would take … Read more
India Food & Drink
On Antoni Gaudi’s Trail in Barcelona
By Sugato MukherjeeThe Spanish city of Barcelona had been Antoni Gaudi’s canvas and muse, at once. The 19th-century architect-wizard used the entire Catalonian city to express his creative genius and seamlessly blended the Gothic and the French Art-Nouveau with Expressionism to create his architectural masterpieces.
Spain History The Arts
All the Colours of Rainbow in Burano
By Sugato MukherjeeI am on my way to Burano after spending three days in Venice, wandering through its warren of alleyways, exploring some of the smaller canals that slice their way through the quaint, less-touristy neighbourhoods and hopping over endless cafes for the perfect cup of joe or a fine glass of … Read more
Europe
When Calcutta Housed These Retail Powerhouses
By Sugato MukherjeeIn his sleek and self-illustrated volume ‘Jakhan Choto Chilam’ (When I Was a Child), the great Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray vividly portrays kaleidoscopic cameos of Calcutta (now Kolkata) of the interwar years, a city where he grew up.
India History
Chasing a Volcanic Summit and its Legend
By Sugato MukherjeeThe small village of Cemoro Lawang is perched on the fringes of an undulating stretch of fine volcanic sand. This is Laut Pasir which, in Javanese, means Sea of Sand. My hotel, Bromo Permai, has a charming lobby that overlooks this unsettlingly unearthly territory.
Asia Landscape History
Vaxcations: Needle-driven Getaways and the Questions Around Them
By Sugato MukherjeeThe COVID pandemic has given rise to a new global travel trend called vaccine vacations or vaxcations, for short.
The World Health & Wellness Insights
College Street Coffee House: Where Kolkata Meets the World
By Sugato MukherjeeI have come to College Street Coffee House, an iconic café in Kolkata, India, after many years. The small but cavernous entrance of this 19th-century building and its dank staircase has remained just the same.
India Food & Drink
Shakespeare and Company: A Literary Legacy
By Sugato MukherjeeA quiet stroll through the stretch of Rue de la Bûcherie has led me up here at Shakespeare and Company, arguably the most famous independent bookstore in the world, a literary institution that began its journey in 1919.
France History Literature & Music
Gongoni: Bengal’s Grand Canyon
By Sugato MukherjeeGongoni Danga, roughly translated from Bengali, means red-hot land. In the scorching summer months, locals say that the laterite textures of the canyon seem to sizzle from a distance, hence the name.
India Landscape Nature & Outdoors History
On the Nawabs’ Trail in Murshidabad
By Sugato MukherjeeTwo and a half centuries later, Murshidabad lies half-forgotten, 215 kilometres from Calcutta, cocooned in its glorious past, waiting for its distinct heritage trail to be rediscovered and restored.
India History
Mehrangarh: Rajasthan’s Fortress of the Sun
By Sugato MukherjeeTo the discerning traveler, Mehrangarh fort of Jodhpur is an intricate tapestry of half a millennium of history, intertwined with bravery and artistry. And a few dark secrets.
India Architecture History
Varanasi: From There to Eternity
By Sugato MukherjeeIt was my first trip to Varanasi and I was a little disappointed. The squalor, the impossible traffic jams, and the pollution added up to dispel my romantic notions about the city that Mark Twain had famously said to be ‘older than history, older than tradition, and even older than … Read more
India Food & Drink History