KOLKATA: It was way back in the year 1961, when the- then Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, made the first royal visit to India along with his wife Queen Elizabeth-II. The 1961 India- tour of the royal couple of UK included the- then Bombay (now Mumbai), the- then Madras (now Chennai), Jaipur, Agra and finally the- then Calcutta (Now Kolkata).
The tour of the royal couple, especially in Kolkata, created huge exhilaration among the people of the city of joy. As per reporters carried by the national and international media then, around two million people flocked at the streets of Kolkata to welcome the Royal Couple.
The royal couple visited the iconic Victoria Memorial, where they were clicked at staircase of the iconic monument along with distinguished citizens of the city. According to Jayanta Sengupta, director of Victoria Memorial, it was an official state visit of the royal couple and so the picture clicked at the staircase is still preserved at the archive at the memorial. “However, the picture is not being displayed as we generally display pictures of the official state visit of Royal family members,” Sengupta told ETV Bharat.
Read: Prince Harry back in UK ahead of Prince Philip's funeral
As per media reports then, from Victoria Memorial, the Royal Couple of UK visited Royal Calcutta Turf Club for the running of the Queen Elizabeth-II Cup Race. Many in the-then Calcutta and now Kolkata, who gathered on the streets of the city in 1961 to give an enthusiastic welcome to the Royal Couple, recall that it was a great moment to see them so close especially in the backdrop of lots of illusionary stories floated around about Buckingham Place. The enthusiasm of the people of the city- of- joy caught the attention of not just national but also the international media.
There are also media reports that a Garden party was organised in lawns of Viceroy House now known as Governors house, where who’s who of Calcutta were invited. Like Sir Biren Mukherjee, Maharajadhiraja Bahadur of Bardhaman, Uday Chand Mahtab, among others were present. ETV Bharat, however, could not confirm whether the Governor House in Kolkata, which is popularly known as Raj Bhavan, has any records of this Garden Party. Repeated attempts to reach to the governor’s press secretary, Manab Banerjee failed as his cell phone was perpetually switched off for the last two days.
The visit of the Royal Couple of UK to India in year 1961 was especially memorable because of a tiger- hunt event which was hosted by the Maharaja of Jaipur.
While the 1961 was the years of their first state visit to India, the Royal Couple made two other visits later in 1983 and 1997. The 1997 visit was on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence.
Read: India eyes dual use infra on air, roads, rail to support combat
