In 1943, Calcutta’s iconic Victoria Memorial Hall was painted black for a few months. A short thread on the incredible backstory. 
During World War 2, even though India was not directly participating in the war, Calcutta was an important British settlement and an American base. In 1942/43, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force invaded Calcutta.
December, 1942: Calcutta was bombed for the first time. Kidderpore Dock got the worst hit by the bombings as it was the primary shipyard for supplying shipments to British allies.
The airstrikes were mostly conducted at night by the Japanese fighter aircraft as the British defence system was strong in daylight. The night sky of Calcutta transformed into a fierce battleground over the next few weeks.
As the Japanese invasion was destroying the city’s architecture - the streets, houses, shops everything used to be ‘blacked out’ after sundown to make it harder for the Japanese troops to hit their target.
Residents of Calcutta put thick black papers on their windows, headlights of the cars were painted half black, streets lights were masked with black clothes, and even the inauguration of the iconic Howrah Bridge was conducted unceremoniously.
But how one could hide the imposing Victoria Memorial hall made of white Makrana marble under bright moonlight? The British Govt. took a landmark decision in 1943. The architectural marvel was camouflaged by painting black.
British Govt, didn’t want to leak this camouflage plan to the Japanese. As a precaution, they strictly prohibited any kind of photography in the vicinity of the city’s landmarks. Hence there is hardly any photographs of this spectacle.
Mughal empire Shah Jahan had a dream of building a Black Taj Mahal which never got materialized, but Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, which was built to match the grand Mughal architecture, had its black version. This was the story.
Source: oldcalcutta.blogspot.com
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