Indira Gandhi Sarani
Indira Gandhi Sarani, formerly Red Road, is a road in Kolkata that runs from Raj Bhavan to Fort William. The road, a wide boulevard, was built in 1820.[1] It bisects the Kolkata Maidan.[2] The British authorities intended for the road to be able to host large parades.[2] The name 'Red Road' was given due to its surfacing.[2]
During the Second World War, the road, in the heart of Calcutta, served as a landing strip for Fighter aircraft.[3] The annual Kolkata Marathon starts from outside the Rangers Club on Red Road.[4]
The name 'Indira Gandhi Sarani' was adopted in 1985.[5]
References
- ^ Cotton, H.E.A., Calcutta Old and New, 1909/1980, p 72, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
- ^ a b c Robert H. Farquharson (2004). For Your Tomorrow: Canadians and the Burma Campaign, 1941-1945. Trafford. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-4120-1536-3.
- ^ "Calcutta Airstrip Again is Street". The Victoria Advocate. 3 December 1945.
- ^ "Ninth edition of Kolkata marathon to be held on March 6". NewsX. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ P. Thankappan Nair (1987). A history of Calcutta's streets. Firma KLM. p. 420.