Calcutta My Calcutta

If ever there is an opportunity to go back to a city that I love it would definitely be Kolkata. It is a city that continues to occupy my mind and will do so for a lifetime. There are memories that are associated with the city that simply cannot be wiped away. I will try to bring out my own sweet lingering moments that remain etched with me. I would like to present these as moments as I grew up:

Moment 1. Triangular Park

This definitely has to be my Moment no. 1 because we used to stay very close to Triangular park. Hazy memories yet quite vivid. We used to have a domestic help and his name was Sudama. He would take me to Teenkona park daily and we would play cricket on the long expanses of grass. Winters were especially enjoyable as there was nip in the air and just the right amounts of sunshine. There were several such moments at this location. Come October and this place would be teeming with activity. Durga Puja-my favorite festival and Teenkona Park would be the place to be in. Festive atmosphere, there would be the merry-go-rounds,the giant wheel , and my favourite would be guy on his bike riding on a wooden wall, circular in shape, almost defying gravity. There is definitely something magical about Kolkata during Durga Puja, seen to be believed. Crowds bursting at its seams and yours truly would either be latched on to his mothers saree or his fathers fingers.

Memory 2- Vivekananda Park

I have great memories of this place, for the simple reason because it is a vast expanse of land, full of greenery and me and my childhood friends would spend quality amount of time playing cricket on this ground. If I remember well there used to be a Putckaa seller near this ground and he would make the best possible pani pooris in town. While walking back home, I recall there would be a line of hand drawn rickshaw pullers outside the ground. Most of them for the state of Bihar. They had made a roadside dwelling and would consume something called Sattu-basically a powder made of gram dal.

 In Bihar it is commonly served cold for breakfast as a porridge or soft dough. They would have this dough along with chopped onion and raw green chilly, Guess that it gave them the required amount of calories to be able to draw a Rickshaw.

Memory 3- Don Bosco School Park Circus

The school where you spend your formative years would definitely rank highly in your memory. I love my time spent at school, remember some moments magically close to my heart. During lunch time we would go to the ground to play either football or cricket and we would have our packed boxes full of lunch. Once when I opened my box, down came a eagle and swooped away with all that was in my box. Naturally for a kid they were scary moments to have a eagle on top of your head. But when friends are there, why worry? My classmates gathered around me to share their lunch with me. It would pour cats and dogs, defying the orders from the teachers we would be in the ground playing soccer, all our dress in different hues of brown after the match. Magical Moments!!!!

Memory 4- New Market

A Place frequented by me especially during weekends or just ahead of a festival. As a child it was a eye gaping experience, the lights, the shops, the cakes and pastry shops, books and Comics, Pencil Boxes in different shapes and designs, was a mind boggling experience for me. My father would spoil me for choice with different clothes,eateries, toys, festoons, story books. I used to come back home from a shopping experience with lots of goodies and tales to recall for all my friends and relatives.

Memory 5-Howrah Bridge

One of the entry points into the city, This magnificient structure was a pride for me as a child. We would have a lot of relatives and friends visiting us during holidays and when they got off the railway station they would stare at the Howrah Bridge with mouths wide open and for me it was like "Yes This is My City", my Howrah Bridge, The continuous traffic, I have no idea as to how many vehicles ply on the bridge daily, but the bridge takes it all without a complaint. For me the Howrah Bridge represents a symbol of love and trust that the city welcomes its visitors into. 

Memory 6- Menaka Cinama & Priya Cinema

Sheer magical as my parents would take me to the movies every weekend and here is where I spent all my time idolizing all the Bollywood stars and more so in the case of Mr Amitabh Bachan. My Father a humble government servant would take me on his scooter-WBN8251 to book the tickets in advance for the Sunday matinee show. Here is where my movie watching experience differed from the others. The said theatre owners were close friends of my father, so when we would go to book tickets , invariably I would be taken inside the hall to watch a few scenes from the movie. I would take pleasure in coming back home and blurt out a few scenes of the movie to my terribly annoyed sister

Memory 7- Lake Market

Shopping for veggies was a learning experience for me at Kolkata. I would accompany my father on his scooter and he would take me around the different shops to pick and choose from the best of veggies. Being a frequent visitor, the shopkeepers would recognize my father and dole out the best of veggies at very reasonable prices. There were in fact Bengali shopkeepers who would converse with my father fluently in Tamil. I recall a vendor who would sit amidst a mound of onions and potatoes, and yell out politely in Tamil "Vaankkam Sir, Vengayam venuma(Do You want Onions). Sowkiyama Saar(Are you fine sir). I would be taken aback by his fluency in Tamil.

Memory 8- Tram

Staying in the hustle and bustle in the City of Joy one can hardly miss out on the Trams. Now of course I have heard that they are limited by service but during my days Trams were very much an integral part of the city. Typically ambling along at very slow speeds one could take a tram just to have a casual round of the city or just for the experience. My memory of the Tram is that the ticket collector would pull a string in his control and a bell would go off, indicating the driver to come to a halt at the stop. Frequently the Electrical Pole connecting the tram to the wires above would come off, The ticket collector would get off the tram, realign the pole with the wire, there would be a spark and the Tram would come back to life again.

Memory 9- Dakshineshwar and Belur Math

For a first time visitor to the city, it would never really be complete without a spiritual sojourn to Dakshineshwar and Belur Math. I would derive immense pleasure in immersing my feet in the sacred Hooghly river and pay my homage to Mother Kali. There was total serenity and silence in the living room of Sri Ramakrishna. Belur math presented a picture of tranquil incomparable. 

Memory 9-Park Street

I would not be doing my blog justice by not penning about Park Street and my memories associated with it, more so because at this time of the year, Park Street is all decked up to ring in the festivities.

For me Park Street was family time spent in hotels like Kwality or the Tandoor. I can never forget Flurries for the best of cakes,patties and pastries. Yumm, the best in the world. A lot of roadside book sellers would hawk on Park street. You can buy the best of books out here at a steal price. 

Memory 10-Kolkata Sweets

I will end my blog the very sweet way. The city to me is very sweet, its people even more sweeter. You cannot see a place in India where Ladies are look upon in a very respectful manner and treated with great dignity. Guess it has to do with the sweetness that emnates. No one would have binged on sweets like I have done, my favorites being the Rasgolla, Sondesh and the Mishti Doi.

It is of course a very sporting city,lethargic in some sense but die hard cricket and soccer fans. For us a family winters were spent at the Eden Gardens watching matches with great interest and bated breath. The city is very lively and someone who has spent years growing up in the city, ask them, for them Kolkata is indeed the City of Joy.....