The tall building in the middle of this photo is Tower House, a 1930s Art Deco high-rise in Kolkata with a wild WWII + 1971 history.

The tall building in the middle of this photo is Tower House, a 1930s Art Deco high-rise in Kolkata with a wild WWII + 1971 history.

Snapped this in February 2025. For years I’ve walked past this tall, slightly worn-out building on Chowringhee without realising how much history it carries.

Tower House was built in the early 1930s as one of Kolkata’s first Art Deco high-rises — tall enough in its time that locals jokingly called it our “Empire State Building.”

The real story sits at the top floor:

• During World War II, Voice of America operated transmitters from here, broadcasting war updates — and even baseball scores — to American soldiers stationed in Calcutta.

• In 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, the same floor became the secret transmission point for Betar Bangladesh, the voice of the Government-in-Exile.

One quiet building, two wars, two nations… and most people still walk past it without knowing.

📸 Photo by me, Feb 2025