Kolkata, The Maidan is about 1,000 acres in area, is the best-known open space; the major football (soccer), cricket, and hockey fields are located there. And gives enough opportunities for photographers to make images, especially during the winter months. 

The Maidan area stretches from the Hooghly river in the west to Chowringhee and Park Street in the east, and from the Victoria Memorial in the south to Raj Bhawan and Eden Gardens in the north. Lending its name to this area is the huge, lush, green, open parkland.

Fort William was completed in 1773. The tiger-haunted jungle which cut off the village of Chowringhee from the river was cleared and gave way to the wide grassy stretch of the Maidan of which the city is so proud. The Maidan was developed as a 5 sq km parade ground for the British forces and even today is army property. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous playgrounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football grounds, and Kolkata Race Course. The Maidan sports several statues. The roads on the Maidan are dotted with tiny greenish bungalow-tents belonging to various sports clubs. There are numerous patches for playing. Some of the larger clubs occupy the fields with wooden galleries. The big three of Kolkata football, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting have a noticeable presence but there also are names with faded glory such as Rangers. Somewhere in between fit in organisations such as Kennel Club and Press Club. 

A few weeks back I made a quick visit to the Maidan on one of Sundays and could capture some images and here they are.