Much Love

Many years ago, there existed three villages. These three nearby villages were together joined and made into one big happy family. The founder who did the noble job today sleeps peacefully at the St. John’s church and the family today stands as the 322 year old City of Joy, our Kolkata. From Coffee House to CCD, from Borobajar to South City mall, every aspect gets their due respect. The ballon-walas continue to sell those big white dual balloons, the mela-s continue to have giant wheels, the lungis continue to get hitched during monsoons, 'bikele paray khela' continues to be a daily affair.

While the world divides itself into classes, Kolkata merely is divided into north and south, the people who call it “mujo” and the ones who call it “moja”. The football match every and then fuels the Ghoti-Bangal clash but these are the people who cheers with united voice for their “Dada” who plays against them! The city where no phuchkawala stands idle no matter what rates they charge (and I am specifically angry at the rising cost of phuchkas), the city where everything moves at their own leisurely pace, THE Kolkata!

The first monsoons drenches each soul and the “pujor aakash” instantly brings in the smile, the city never lets you down, it never lets you drown. Where the roadside vendor will jostle for that extra one rupee and still call you “boudi”, where every guy who moves around the town in ripped jeans will be seen wearing Kurta’s on ashtami. Christmas cakes and Eid Biriyanis are majorly common, so is the “amar chhele/meye toh ektuo porena, brain ta bhalo chhilo, ektu porle koto bhaloi korto”.

The city calls it “jiro”, the city calls it “myaa-saage”, the city calls you ‘maa’, the city is perfect. I remember spending the entire night at the Bilaspur station2 years ago for an 8hour late train where I listened to all Anjan Dutta songs and wondered how will ever live apart from the Kolkata’r aaakash and take admission elsewhere. How could I live without Maa on leave during exams? And then I decided Kolkata will have me for the next 4years again, at least.

The city of politics, of cheap misgivings, the unfortunate flings. Here every child plays the harmonium and every college goer plays the guitar. Rabindranath is family and weekend jilipis are MUST. The ilish machh replaces chicken and Durga Pujo is more special than birthdays. The malls stand tall so does the Bonedi bari-s. The city of contrasts together listens to Mahalaya at 4am in the bed. It has the best possible rosho-gollas and best possible shutki machh (yes I like it and nobody else does).   It has Maa and Me and You!

My City!
I love you for the yesterday I had,
The today I have,
And the tomorrow I wish to have with you, in you!