Kolkata is a place steeped with history borrowing from its colonial past, politics, culture and liberalism with support for all kinds of eclectic beliefs. This is the land traversed by poets, writers, musicians, artists, rebellious politicians, economists and much more. Many make the mistake of brushing this place off by calling it “old school” stuck in a time warp of the 70s. But in terms of beliefs, thoughts and ideas Kolkata is much ahead that the rest of the country.

And when it comes to romance, the Bengali way of serenading your special lady to the tunes of “Chini go chini tomake”… or some of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ with self-played guitar music goes far beyond posh restaurants and hotels. But still when you meet your missing puzzle piece splurging a bit sounds only under doing.

Here is how you can make the day special for your girlfriend without breaking the bank account. And if you are in college this could be even easier with great college students available in Kolkata.

Begin the day with authentic Chinese breakfast at the street food stalls at Tiretta Bazaar:

Best to reach before 7 am to eat some of the best Chinese available at affordable prices. Sip piping hot duck soup with the best pork wantons served by Kolkata’s resident Chinese community. The bazaar is century old and starts at 6 am and gets packed up to disappear until the next morning at 8 am.

Then take a lazy stroll from Ahiritola Ghat to Kumortuli and…

If you get some extra time take an auto to Haritaki Bagan Lane for soaking more of Kolkata charm

While not the best routes to take in comparison to the wide and clean roads of the newer parts of the IT centric corporate city areas, but still a quaint riverside walk is one of the best ways to absorb the real Kolkata charm.

View the idols of Durga in making by the artisans in Kumortuli and take a stroll around the narrow North Calcutta Lane called Haritaki bagan lane to reminisce about the aristocratic past of the French-windowed bungalows.

The main attraction ­– Indo-European architecture mixed with art deco splashes here and there. (note that clicking pictures here is often chargeable)

Get sporty at lunch at the Bikers Café

If you are the adventurist kind of couple rather than the cheesy mushy kind, then you will love to lunch at the Bikers café in Kolkata surrounded by some great enthusiastic crowds, with biker size scrumptious meals. And what’s more? For students with YUP card subscription you can get college student discounts on every billing order.

Walk off the heavy meal with some serious shopping at New Market

Practice your haggling skills while you buy the best of street fashion and junk jewelry to make your special lady feel extra special at the oldest market in Kolkata.

Quench your thirst with some chilled beer at the Big Ben at Kenilworth

Get all the feel of going back to Kolkata’s colonial past with this British boozer like pub and with your college ID bag some extra student offers. 

Catch the latest show at the Star theatre and get your evening fill with Goli Vada Pav

One of the oldest movie theatres in the city, the architecture of the theatre is reminiscent of the city’s royal past.

Get spicy with some Pav Bhaji at Goli Vada pav the favorite hangout spot for youngsters in the city.

                                                                     Flat 10% off Total bill

End the day on a sweet note with some gelato from Mama Mia

While parting with your loved one for the day might be bitter, but you can sweeten things up with some delicious ice-cream from Mama Mia. The gelato from this place stays frozen for the longest time (so you get to spend some extra time with her to avoid getting a brain freeze).

                                                        Flat 20% off on all your purchases at select Mama Mia Outlets

Now go have some romantic time out with the taste of Kolkata.

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The City of Joy, where Bengalis sip cutting tea and debate on politics, movies, books, sports and almost everything else under the sky! The city that sleeps late and wakes up even later… but what does this city rightfully called as tilottoma do during the late-night hours. Do poets and writers stroll round the otherwise busy lanes of Circular Road or Lance Down or Park Street?! Where can you find the intellectuals of Kolkata and is their poison of choice still cutting tea after the stroke of midnight?

Like all other Indian metro-cities, Kolkata is an eclectic mix of the young and the old merging to form a morphed existence. Nightlife in Kolkata has its own history, dates back to the earliest times of the British Raj where the clubs at Park Street would be lit up with glamour of the solo or group performers, be it jazz or country, the babus could get it all here. But the nightlife of the city has come a long way since then now there’s a choice between ghazals, jazz or rock. And the popular belief that Kolkata nightlife is only around Park Street is far from the truth.

Here are the best nightlife spots, pubs and clubs in Kolkata that you must pay a visit:

You can use college ID to bag the best of student discounts on alcohol at these spots to double the fun. Cheers to the Bengali way!

Someplace else!

This club known for its great music and shabby chic ambience is located at the Park Hotel in Park Street, Kolkata. The décor resembles that of a British pub and is the only one in India and Asia that hosts live music every single night of the year. If you want to listen to the local voices while sipping a quiet drink at the comfy corners you must visit this pub at the Park.

Insider scoop: this is where the future celebrities come to play and the local music enthusiasts come to listen!

A heritage hotel of Kolkata serves drinks, lunch and dinner.

Nirvana Park Plaza:

Located at the Park Plaza in Ballygunge is relatable to its very namesake. The ambience in this spot is perfect for a quiet drink and dinner out with friends or with a date. The ambience has its own unique charm which is further enhanced with the music of the place.

Tantra:

Also located inside the Park Hotel is a popular nightclub here. Get ready to bust your best moves with the music at this place. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the best days for enjoying themed parties. One of the best dance floors in the city the ambience is congenial and sultry.

Underground – Hotel Hindustan International

A well-stocked bar with dim lighting and great ambience coupled with the trendiest music. This is not a very old nightclub in Kolkata but has emerged to be the most popular ones. The cuisine on offer at Underground is Japanese, Korean and North Indian.

Get massive student discounts on alcohol to better enjoy the nightlife in Kolkata. With a YUP card subscription you can get the biggest student offers on alcohol without any hidden preconditions or side-sales.

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The most expensive time of our lives are when we are in college – with the annual tuition fees, occasional night outs, movie dates, lunch with the girls, groceries, toiletries, travel expenses and other miscellaneous expenses, having money to eat at expensive restaurants can seem like a distant dream. But we might have the solution you were looking for with these 23 places where you can get amazing student discounts in restaurants in Kolkata. These discounts are valid for college students only with a valid student ID and a YUP card subscription. To know more about YUP card you could drop by their website where you could find attractive college student offers for unlimited usage without any hidden conditions at a yearly subscription of 499/-.

Popular college student discounts available with YUP card:

20% off at Mama Mia:

With a YUP card subscription college students can get flat 20 percent off at every billing order of low fat gourmet gelatos, cheesecakes, mudpies, sudaes, cakes, mousse and frozen ice cream cakes. Get the best of what Mama Mia has to offer and keep up with their latest flavors in Gelato for cooling off this summer without burning a hole in your pockets. This offer is available at select Mama Mia outlets around the city, so visit YUP card for more details.

10% off at The Dugout:

Get flat 10 percent off on total billing at The Dugout, the first sport’s themed café and restaurant in the country. This offer is applicable for college students only with a YUP card and can be availed unlimited number of times. Use it for take away or dine-in orders to save those hard cash and make it to the next KKR match.

Enjoy the roads with bikes and good food with 7% off at the Biker’s Café

YUP card celebrates those who like to fly with the dust of the roads and thrive on the rumbling sound of their bikes. With a YUP card subscription one can get 7 percent off on their total billing applicable on take away and dine-in as well.

20% off at Chicago Pizza:

Enjoy the freshest toppings with Chicago style scrumptious pizzas and that too at a discounted price of 20% on total billing amount at select Chicago Pizza outlets.

20% off at Mocha on beverages and café menu

Get your regular mocha at a massive discount of 20 percent off on total billing at café or other beverage orders and even on alcoholic beverages. Also get hookah at 199 + tax with YUP card!

A few other mentionable offers available with a YUP card subscriptions are:

    10% off at Goli Vada Pav
    15% off at Cookie Man
    10% off at Smoke house Deli
    5% off at Batcaves
    15% off at Swagath Hotel
    10% off at Caafe 360 degree
    15% off The Chocolate room
    10% off at Baati Chokha
    12% off at The Firefly
    20% off at Fuji
    10% off at Slice of Heaven
    10% off at Amritsar Dhaba
    20% off at Aromas
    10% off at Jalapenos
    10% off at Ovenfresh
    20% off at The BigBen

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Have you recently joined college or university and are living by yourself? Then apart from the overwhelming feeling of independence will be accompanied by the lackadaisical attitude towards the kitchen or cooking in general. And if a traumatizing firecracker incident has also left you scared of flames, then reaching out for the takeaway menu will seem like the better option for you.

But if ulcer or jaundice does not entice your appetite or simply the costs of ordering in everyday are bringing your budget down, then hold fast and trust in us when we say that you can do it. Cooking is an essential life skill which must be mustered by all earthlings irrespective of age and sex. So, why not start now so that your liver can breathe some relief.

Here in this article we have enlisted the kitchen cupboard basics that must be stocked by you; so, that you always have a full stomach and tasty dishes up your sleeves.

The good old black and white duo – salt and pepper

The most common of spices that a chef simply can’t do without which are be used to spice all foods to turn them grand from bland. Did you buy those tasteless chips from the takeaway restaurant again while walking back home after having a few extra drinks? Now the next thing on the list will only be to bin them. After all the after taste of a hurl does not go well with salt-devoid, bland chips, so spice it up with some salt and pepper to get some taste to it. Spice things up with a good sprinkling of old salt n pep.

Grow up and get some red – chili powder will help to give you that extra kick

An old time favorite of all cooks, the taste of a little chili goes a long way. And it will be especially helpful for you if you catch a bug to help with that runny nose. Spice up those potato wedges for the late night movie-time snacking, chili powder can also turn basic pasta sauce into a fiery feast. Use it to spice up the warm soup nice and hot during cold winter nights to feel warmer. Also to save the faint hearted souls thankfully it comes in varying degrees.

Cart those pasta packets at the grocer’s to keep you from sleeping hungry

For deadbeat poets, writers and artists and college students, pasta is your best friend. One can cook it easily in a short time adding different types of things to it. Moreover, it is not only filling but also cheap.

The simplest snack you can make is pasta with some grated cheese to finish it off and you are good to go for the night. Also this tastes much better than the pot noodle you heat up on lazy nights.

Sweeten the deal with some – sugar

Keep things sweet with some sugar. Your neighbor may not be the friendliest one, especially during your hot-mess college days. So, if you do not want to be that annoying character from old sitcoms, keep stock of the good old white crystals (no pun intended) as it is needed in all types of recipes and also helps to swallow the medicine easily. Imagine days when you don’t get pancakes or your morning coffee without sugar! Doomsday Shoomsday, sweet tooth knows no race!


Now find amazing stores with student discounts with a card that gives unlimited swipes. Register for your YUP card now.

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Let’s face it it’s not the small budget, lack of time, or the small dorm room that is preventing you from doing that pile of clothes that is growing like a gargantuan black hole threatening to consume the whole dorm room. It is sheer laziness that is keeping you from washing your dirty laundry which you probably last washed when you were leaving home. And that bed-sheet yes, it was favorite baby pink or aqua which now looks like the shroud of Turin. It may just be the time to address the whole laundry situation in your room to make some space for yourself. And if you want to go the smarter way and you live in Kolkata, then the city of joy can save your happiness with Launderette. The deal can be further sweetened if you have a YUP card subscription to bag amazing discounts on laundry services by these magic washers like Launderette.

For others, this crash course on doing your own laundry will help you assert some much needed independence and also reassure you that you are going to be fine on your own.  Here is our crash course on cleaner laundry for freshman in college:

1.    Get your hands on those laundry supplies:

Things you should get: detergent, dryer sheets, a laundry bag or basket

Extra smart tip: now that you have waited months to get your laundry and you cannot carry a big box of detergent along with your mountainous heap of dirty clothes, then we recommend a smart strategy to pour some of the detergent into a water bottle. They are much lighter with greater portability for easy usage.

Also a good tip is to get a sturdy laundry basket which is divided into two sections for clothes and cleaning products in the two different chambers. You may also separate light and dark clothes in advance before you step into the laundry room which will become your panic room if you do not prepare in advance.

2.    Separating the laundry:

There are multiple ways one can do this, but basically the categories all come down to 4 basics. You need to separate – whites or light colored clothes, the dark ones, the delicate clothes that will require extra care (these are not based on your personal favorites) and the towels/bedding/jeans.

But things are not always this cut and dry and you may need to think smartly about separating laundry when in a hurry. For instance grey clothing can be easily washed with a white or a black one. You may also choose to throw in a bed sheet or a towel with dark clothing depending on the color of the material.

Note that you must never put in a newly bought red or purple laundry with a white one. In fact it may a good idea to wash it separately once or twice before you decide to wash it with other fellow clothing.

3.    Stay off the rush and choose the right time to spend with your dear laundry

Are you an early bird? Or a night owl? Then use this time to do your laundry when the rest of the college students are busy taking a snooze. That way you will be able to get it done as fast as possible, also some colleges and Laundromats only offer limited time access to college students, so timing your visit to the washers may be a necessity. 

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