City of much joy

Walking through the congested bylanes of Calcutta, wearing my dispassionate attitude towards the city, I seldom paid attention to the inherent charm of the place and its people. Unexplainable indifference! The city I came from had no text-book history stuff to boast off, and I was every bit starved of cultural diversity, it was an opportunity to stomach the seamless splendor. It was indeed my first chance at a life outside my own backyard.

With gradual changes in the torn calendar, hanging lifelessly on my bedroom wall, I took to the city, albeit in small steps. The towering existence of history and heritage across the city took me back in time.

Cal, is an unusual city in many ways one of them being its unique capability of bringing to life long-forgotten heroes. No where else will one feel close to Rabindra Nath Tagore, Rabindra sangeet resonates with fervor through the streets, as much as one does in Cal. The city bears testimony to the now-so-distant freedom struggle and the stalwarts of the struggle. Much of this can be attributed to the zealous Calcuttans for whom preservation of the old is a way of life.

It was the same flock of characteristic Calcuttans who stood up to save the tram network from extinction. Trams were a delight to see on the road, better still a ride on one of them. A twirling ride through a great part of the city at Rs. 3, sitting in the 1st class compartment, often took more than 2 hours but enthralled the senses of its admirers. Then there is the Calcutta metro a relatively modern invention but still a much loved affair for the ordinary Calcuttan. Trains originate from Dumdum and Tollygunje, they standout for their efficiency in a city better known for its laid back lifestyle. But perhaps the transportation that is reminiscent of olden Calcutta will always be the hand- pulled rickshaw. No painting exhibition on Calcutta will ever be complete without the hand-pulled rickshaw taking a suitable place.

Calcutta’s localities are personalities in themselves. In times when cities are structured and termed more simply and logically, like sectors and phases, Cal is still a happy exception along with Delhi. Park street, Fort William, Gariahat, Bhavanipur, Dumdum some of the famous localities of Cal. Each one speaks for its vibrancy.

Smells of the wonderful cuisines of Calcutta still stimulate my senses. And force me into comparison ad infinitum. In my short stint at Calcutta I learnt the nuances of the city and why Calcuttans anywhere will always fondly look back to the City of ‘much’ Joy.

One of my friends not-so-famously said, ‘Calcutta is every inch a museum, a place where you’ll never be short of wonderment.’ Gospel!