Nostalgia and ardent recollection of my city bring me here to write this post..
Calcutta, as I still call it, whenever somewhere asks me, is probably the 'HOME where my heart is', and will always be.. Born and brought up(for a good 15 years) in this beautiful city of joy, i have so many amazing memories to share.
Talking of Calcutta, people draw images of 'The Howrah Bridge, Fish Curry, Sondesh.. may be The Eden Gardens, Kalighat temple, Victoria Memorial, Ambassador Taxis and Trams too.
But, to me, Calcutta is much more than all of this..
So here's offering a chunk of my city in my style
Having travelled almost across the length and breadth of this country I can proudly boast that Calcutta is the only place where one can find a wholesome meal(Fish/Chicken/veg curry, Chapati, Li'l Rice, Dal) for just 40 bucks..!! Hell Yeah, I'm not kidding..
Calcutta is place every one of us can build our dreams in, it has something to offer to each person living there.. the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor- life seems less struggling and less difficult once I touch this city after having stayed in Delhi, Mumbai or even Bangalore..
Footpaths and street sides infested with people on Maidan and New Market, with shopkeepers almost running a quarter of a kilometre behind you, negotiating the price of something that you would have eyed, until he manages to convince you with a quote that makes you feel wow! am i really getting it for peanuts?
Talking of shopping, i still find Calcutta one of the most economical places, and the best part is, along with just the branded stuff you get a lot of awesome local stuff as well, talk of Clothes or Furniture or Utensils or Food Ingredients or just about anything under the sun, you name it, you find it somewhere or the other for a much better deal. And of course, 'Fuchka' or waterballs in Calcutta, in between a Shopping Spree is to die for..!!!
If you choose to complain, you may find the daily 'Michils' or processions, of some local party or the other, happening almost everyday really vexing, but then its Calcutta, and moments are not as fleeting as they seem in other metropolitans! May be you could just enjoy the chaos and jam with some spicy 'Jhalmuri'..
Another exclusivity, people have TIME.. after their work or often in between too, you can easily catch up with a group of people discussing Football or Politics or Literature- famously known as 'Adda' it could be anywhere-- The famous Coffee house at College Street, A local Rotary Club or even in the 'Barandah' (front lobby) of a house..
Well, this is just the raw part of it, or the part which is still not lost in the glam and pomp of today's lifestyles..
There's the bling part too.. Nightclubs, Restaurants, Malls, Entertainment Theme Park, Sky Scrapers, IT hub and so on.. we proudly boast of them too..
Art- The Best-est contribution in the field of Art comes from Calcutta.. Music, Literature, Dance, Painting, everyone who's spent a considerable amount of time in this city, is bound to have all or at least one of these inculcated into him from the very inception. People here don't just aim to become Doctors or Engineers or IAS Officers, they give Artists and Intellectuals an equal amount of undivided importance.. something I totally adore..!!!
My connection with Calcutta, however, is still much more than all this- Its the place where I was born, the place I first went to school in, the place where I made my first friends ever, the place where I learnt another Indian dialect apart from my mother tongue-- and all this happened really without effort, trust me. I just kept on taking what Calcutta had to offer me..and it kept on doing so even to this date..
This too is just a few drops of the gigantic ocean that Calcutta is probably, that i have collected to present here.. To breathe the flavour in and understand the texture of this city, you really have to be there..!! I really don't think I can capture it merely in words.. Its a feeling beyond words! Its an emotion..
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