In Image: Charnock’s Kolkata turns 335 as the city’s soul shines by the Hooghly

On Kolkata’s disputed 335th birthday (August 24 is marked by the arrival of East India company’s Job Charnock) children splash in the Hooghly River under the iconic Howrah Bridge — a timeless image of the city where history, culture, and everyday life flow together. This date is linked to the arrival of Job Charnock, an agent of the English East India Company, in the area in 1690 but the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad, representing a historic zamindar family, challenged the idea of celebrating August 24 as Kolkata’s birthday. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS