and political history, tumultuous freedom movement, its creative efforts in the domains of education, literature, music, performing art, science and technology. The communication technology involves animated walk-through dioramas where visitors walk through the streets of early Kolkata or witnesses the high drama of the Battle of Plassey right at the centre of the battle field. Fully computerised circarama where a 12 minutes story of India’s freedom movement is projected on a large circular screen surrounding the visitors; it takes the help of animatronics where visitors witness poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore reciting 'Bharat Tirtha' and singing 'Tobu Mone Rekho'. Dramatic events of the Golden Time (1856–61) or the trauma of the 1940s are also projected. Visitors can listen to old popular music of the bygone days through audio isolators avoiding interference with others or choose to view selected clippings of the films of people like Pramathesh Barua, Debaki Bose, Madhu Bose, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak and others. Popular culture The town hall is a very famous and important landmark of Kolkata. During the British Raj the town hall was the most important place for social gatherings in Calcutta and many important state functions of the British East India Company were held here. The hall has been witness to many historic proclamations and events during the 19th and 20th century. It was considered an elite place for public gatherings by the Europeans. Nowadays, many functions of the Government of West Bengal are held here. The town hall was featured on the sixth leg of The Amazing Race 18, when the teams had to compete in a tea-drinking "Roadblock". Notes References Municipal Calcutta - Its Institutions in their origin and growth - Compiled by S.W. Goode, First published in 1916 at Edinburgh and Reprinted in 2005 by Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Calcutta Old & New - H.E.A Cotton, 1909, Calcutta. Government buildings in West Bengal City and town halls in India